Introductory Workshop 

Rudolf Steiner School 

Langnau, BE – Switzerland

Introductory Workshop: Music of the Plants with Christian MICHAEL and Elisabeth Traunbauer

We drive through rolling countryside dotted with uniquely designed houses and Swiss flags, and arrive at a building whose colorful pennants adorning the porch strongly remind us of Pippi Longstocking’s Villa Villekulla:

The school principal, Ms. Marianne Wey, warmly welcomes us along with her dog “Shany” and guides us through the enchantingly designed school building. We get to look at the creative classrooms and find artistically designed blackboard illustrations by the teachers to prepare the students for our workshop:

She then shows us the room for the workshop, located in the attic of the annex.
In the attic, which otherwise serves as an eurythmy hall, we find about 30 children aged 10–12 (grades 4–6) sitting in a circle of chairs:

8:30–9:00 a.m. Christian MICHAEL, equipped with two larch wood discs and visual aids, presents the latest research findings in Swiss German on the carnivorous Venus flytrap, chameleons, plants, and the interdependent lives of trees in the forest. We learn that communication among plants even extends into the world of fungi. Then it’s time for the children to conduct their own research:

9:05–9:25 a.m. Research group “ei’s”