At the heart of Steiner Science lies the quest to comprehend our own being and the environment surrounding us. A big part of that understanding is the study into how the rhythmic bag of bones we call a body lives, sleeps, talks, breathes, moves and meanders through life.  In the final three weeks of the second term, Year 9 students immersed themselves in the "Rhythmic Systems" Main Lesson examining the cycles of time, the alternation of day and night, how the adolescent responds to the circadian rhythm, and the patterns of sleep, breathing, and heartbeats. We pondered life's cadences and what constitutes music and noise.  We explored rhythmic sounds and how they enhance our lives, our communication, fostering a sense of connection with others and with our inner selves. This underscores the importance we place on nurturing the imagination. Students were challenged to answer the question "What happens at night" through storyboards. They conjured up tales of creatures of the night stealing socks from drawers, social media-fixated fiends haunting the elderly, cats and bats capturing their nightly prey, the restlessness of Christmas Eve, a youth facing a zombie nightmare, extraterrestrial encounters, and the silent approach of spiders in the dark.

Our exploration of the breathing and heartbeats allowed us to examine a heart, culminating in a careful look, touch and dissecting a “pluck," a combined specimen of lung, heart, and liver ethically provided by our supplier.

We spent time on the process and benefits of sleep that can best be captured by the master of sleep: Shakepeare.

“Innocent sleep. Sleep that soothes away all our worries. Sleep that puts each day to rest. Sleep that relieves the weary laborer and heals hurt minds.”

William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Hopefully the students have gained some insight into the importance of rhythms, of sleep that heals hurt minds. Now for the next Main Lesson.

Dr Bill Bennett

Maths/Science Teacher