What are Waldorf Colors?

[WeasleyMum]

Hiya, totally new to Waldorf ways here and I had a few questions-- for research, if you will. I went to a Montessori school myself before PS, so I understand the MS principles pretty well. I plan to homeschool from the beginning when I have kiddies so am looking at the different philosophies and etc. to incorporate into the early years of HS.

After reading around the Internet, I feel that the main draw of Waldorf (especially the schools) has to do with the lovely natural toys, organic foods and etc, and the "warm, beautiful classrooms". I keep hearing/reading about "Waldorf colors", and I see a lot of that in this forum as well-- people asking how to mimic or create the same effect at home. Like many people here (it seems, at least) I am very interested in the wooden/woolen toys, the natural diet, and a beautiful environment but could just as soon do without the Anthroposophy or what-have-you-- the trappings without the belief system.

So tell me, what is it about Waldorf classrooms that makes such an impression? I imagine it has to be something more than the usual cheerful paint found in any nursery school to garner such a reaction!

[LindaCl]

Hi there.

The Waldorf classrooms do have this distinctive look. The effect used in most classrooms is to go for a very light filled wall color, which is achieved by a progression of very sheer color layers. One technique they use to achieve it is called "lazuring", but not every Waldorf classroom has real lazure (there aren't that many wall painters in most Waldorf school communities that know how to do it). The effect is to cover the walls with very lively light-filled colors--and most tend to use certain prescribed colors for each grade, even though the school's founder, Rudolf Steiner, chose different pallettes for the various schools he had a hand in. The original idea was to choose the colors based on the particular environment as well as the temperaments of children at different ages, but now it seems like very often it's the same in every school. I can't remember them all--basically it starts with a peachy pink in kindergartens and finishes with a kind of deep blue/violet by eighth grade. Hopefully someone else here can remember them better.

The other quality of the classrooms is that there really isn't a lot of "stuff" everywhere, including the walls, which is the style of most of the preschools and grade schools where I live now.

(Removed my OT digression-sorry! It pertained to "stuff" put up on the walls in the public schools here but I didn't explain myself well at all and I think doing so will just hijack the thread)

[Maggieinnh]

LindaCl, that sounds horrid!!!
In first and second grade??? I am sorry to say this, but if the school in your area has so many problems with drugs and poisons, than I think the school is worth closing, especially as a Waldorf school in my opinion!
If they can not shelter the children in school from drugs how are they supposed to shelter them from anything?
This would mean that my ds would be EXPOSED to the idea of drugs in that school.
Welcome to your first day in school, oh do not mind the drugs and needle pictures on the wall, we just want to make sure that you know what they are.... Oh my!

[Deborah]

No, Maggie, not the Waldorf school! The public school.

[Maggieinnh]

Oh, Thank Goodness!!! I was getting a bit freaked out here!!!
I was already thinking they must have taken those pictures down at our school while we were visiting....
Sorry, I have misread!
:

[LindaCl]

Edited: Sorry, no--this was about "Red Ribbon Week" artwork--not Waldorf and not really on topic.