Up to age nine, children do not differentiate clearly between their own inner life and the world outside. They experience the animals as brothers and sisters who can speak and act as human beings. Types of animals have been characterized in the fables which Waldorf students have heard in their early years. At age nine, the student experiences the separation of him/herself from the world. Teaching students about the relationship of animals to human beings rebuilds the bridge between the student and the world.
