The second grader is like a butterfly who has emerged from a #chrysalis, and who is about to take their maiden flight. They still have the innocence of the young child. Their imaginations are fed with rich #archetypal images and they live in the feeling realm, which rises and falls on waves of sympathy and antipathy. Academically, the second grader is ready to work and our Class 2 needs your #support to be able to fully awaken to their academic work, their #health and #nutrition must also be in balance.

 The second grader is like a butterfly who has emerged from a #chrysalis, and who is about to take their maiden flight. They still have the innocence of the young child. Their imaginations are fed with rich #archetypal images and they live in the feeling realm, which rises and falls on waves of sympathy and antipathy. Academically, the second grader is ready to work and our Class 2 needs your #support to be able to fully awaken to their academic work, their #health and #nutrition must also be in balance.

In Rudolf#Steiner's picture of humanity, he referred to the threefold #human being. Threefoldness is expressed in the #spirit, soul and body. In each of these three #realms, each aspect is both independent and interdependent.

Steiner described humans as spiritual beings manifesting and expressing themselves through the physical experience: the spirit, soul and body. Spirit is our #eternal#divine#nature, the soul is unseen part of ourselves, our feelings and mind, and the body is the physical aspect of all of this which is not permanent. And each of these three aspects in turn,have their own threefoldness.

In the body itself threefoldness is expressed through the #head and #nervous system, the #trunk and rhythmic system and the limbs and metabolic system. The head contains the nervous system and we think and are #awake in our heads. Our trunks contain the organs, many of which operate #rhythmically, flowing and #pulsing, and generally we are only half aware of the #processes operating from our trunks. Our limbs are how we move, create and do in the world. The #metabolic#system sits in our lower trunk, where we #digest, and we are largely unaware of these #processes.

The three #soulfaculties are 'thinking, feeling, willing' or 'head, heart and hands'.
Willing and doing apply to the 0-7 age group, when children are engaged with playing, investigating, doing, trying and trying again. A child learning to crawl and then walk embodies the process of the will – and this is an unconsciousprocess. Just as our limbs carry us through the world, our willfacilitates us getting things done.

Once the child moves into the ages 7-14, feelings become more conscious as the child grows and begins to have an #awareness both of their own #feelings as well as those of others. Steiner education in particular is focused on developing the feeling life for children at this age through story and artistic work, among other elements.

The three spirit faculties are imagination, #inspiration and intuition. Imagination is a creative force which allows us to visualise and form #inner images. Inspiration is the process whereby which we may go beyond our self and experience #oneness – through art andnature.

An understanding of the #threefoldnature of #humanity can be profoundly helpful – to give one layer of understanding about the qualities that we may support in our growing child at any particular age. Sometimes we can use this #framework to see #imbalance or areas to #strengthen – in ourselves as well as our children. It also contributes a bigger picture purpose in our decision to follow Steinereducation.