Waldorf Botany Lesson: Pinecones & Conifers

The lesson on pine cones and conifers is the first lesson for the second part of our Botany Main Lesson Block. This 6-8 week main lesson block was split into two smaller blocks with one occurring in the fall and the second one occurring in the spring. As it happened, the second part was not completed in the spring and rolled over into the fall. We are using similar books as before, with a couple fresh ones, but the main difference is that we are using chalk pastels for these illustrations rather than colored pencils. I have been enjoying the process of using chalk pastels because the color is vibrant and the illustrations take less time. They will take even less time if you omit the detail that I often add. Using chalk pastels you can easily achieve the 'gesture' of the image which is sufficient and easier for the student to copy.
Illustration inspiration for this lesson comes from Botanicum by Katie Scott and Kathy Willis. Content for the lesson came from our Waldorf Live Education main lesson book for Botany grade 5 and a few books. We used the ABC's of Nature by Reader's Digest and A Walk in the Boreal Forest. I pulled out a few picture books as well, but as my daughter is 13, and I have no younger children, we only reminisced about the times we used to read picture books then put them away.
The picture books that would work with this lesson are Seeds and Trees by Brandon Walden, The Tree Lady by H. Joseph Hopkins, The Sequoia Lives On by Joanna Cooke, The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward, and Oak Leaf by John Sandford.
Check out the Blog Post that accompanies this video for more details and resources:
www.pepperandp...
This project is part of our Waldorf Botany Main Lesson. See the other videos in this playlist:
• How to Grow a Pine Tre...
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[@kirbierose2589]

Does your child usually do it in their own book beside you?

[@PepperandPine]

Yes, she does, but also sometimes I do the illustration first then she copies.