Waldorf ~ 1st grade ~ Curriculum ~ After the morning exercises, the children go on to what is known as the main lesson period, which occupies the first two hours of the morning, and is devoted to a single subject for two to four weeks. The first main lesson subject is painting and drawing until the children have a facility in handling crayons, paints, and paintbrush, as writing, reading, numbers, nature study and handwork are all taught in ways involving color and design.