Waldorf Homeschoolers Thread - Page 19

[loftmama]

Hi mommas.

I'm a homeschooling mom to two boys, ages 9 & 6. I need some help.
I'm a former teacher and have been homeschooling for the past 3 years using an eclectic mix of homemade materials and purchased materials from bookstores and official homeschool sites. I guess b/c of my teaching background, the classical model really appeals to me but it is SO NOT my son! He has been thriving unschooling but I really need to have some curriculum and structure, some goals, preferably a very-detailed and specific syllabus which I can modify. I think the Waldorf model suits him so much more and frankly, it's very appealing to me, too, if I can have some structure with it.

So, I know I need to research it but I can only go online during my occasional trips to the library. I've read the curriculum reviews so far and I'm looking for some specific feedback b/c I'm ready to actually buy a full curriculum now.

So, can anyone give me any feedback with the programs I'm looking into:
Christopherus
Oak Meadow
and I just saw Waldorf without Walls to consider as well.

The Christopher books are VERY APPEALING to me.
The sample Oak Meadow syllabus is so detailed and that REALLY APPEALS to me.

I apologize in advance for just jumping in here without reading the entire thread. I appreciate any advice you experienced mamas have.

Oh and as background, we are homesteading on a farm and like outdoorsy things - I just seem to need the books!
TIA!

[LuxPerpetua]

My child is MUCH younger than yours, but I've been on a Waldorf curriculum search lately so a lot of info is fresh in my mind.

I've basically heard that Oak Meadow is boring. Between Oak Meadow and Christopherus, usually Christopherus wins out. Christopherus offers a good Waldorf education, is reasonably priced, and has a day-by-day schedule. I briefly looked into Waldorf Without Walls but that was a while back, and I don't think I saw any samples or anything, which always makes me a bit nervous. The few reviews I read, however, were quite positive. There's also A Little Garden Flower, which is the cheapest of all the options, but it does not have a detailed plan--or at least, I've never had that impression. I recently looked into Live Education! and I personally liked it much better than Christopherus, which was what I had originally planned to use. The downside is that Live Ed! is much more pricey, $500 versus $200 I think. It also doesn't have a detailed schedule but provides information is sequential order so that you don't feel like you have to rush to keep "on schedule" or whatever. For a 6 year old, I don't know if you're planning on doing kindy or 1st grade, but Enki looks the best to me--lots of resources, multi-cultural, etc. Unfortunately it only goes kindy-2nd grade. It is also pricey, and you can't buy it used. However, I think it is loads better than both Christopherus and Live Ed! for the younger years--but that's just my opinion.

[loftmama]

Thank you, so much! This is just the kind of specifics I am researching. I'll check out the other suggestions as well.

[blumom2boyz]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua

I hate to reveal what a complete technophobe I am, but how does one "join" a yahoo group? I don't even know where to begin. It sounds like a great resource, though!

Here you go: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/waldorfhomeeducators/

[bendingbirch]

I love creating my own waldorf curriculum because i know my child and what speaks to her best. I think this is very feasible for the younger grades! I essentially start writing around May or so and write through the summer and then it is all done by the time school starts.
I am sure I may go to a "curriculum" at some point, but probably use it more for a jumping off point than anything else...

I think too, find what "voice" speaks to you as a person and look at their work.....

[beaner&tiegs]

Hello all!

I've just sat down and read through this entire thread - thank you for all of the resources, I've really appreciated them! We've been homeschooling for a while now, and my 9 year old thrives in a fairly unstructured, child-led environment. However my second child seems to thrive so much more with structure and routine and so I'm getting more serious about my leanings towards Waldorf.

However, I have a pretty specific question around birthdays. Do any of you use the candle ring that I see in so many of the catalogues? I always thought they looked cool, and as we start thinking about my son's birthday I was talking to my husband about making a version of it. HOWEVER, I've come to realize that I don't actually understand how it is used. What do the objects that you put in the empty holes represent? At first, I just assumed we'd get an object each year to represent that year, but then as the child gets older, more candles are needed and so there's less room for objects - and now I'm thoroughly confused about how to use it! Does anyone know, or even understand what I'm asking?!!!!!!! THanks!

[calynde]

Originally Posted by beaner&tiegs

Do any of you use the candle ring that I see in so many of the catalogues?

These birthday rings are pretty common where I live...with everyone, not only Waldorf folks. As far as I know they are simply decorative and you can use it how you like. One can use whichever figures you think the birthday child might enjoy. Some make it seasonal...so a fall birthday might have fall appropriate figures and colors. Most people I know stop using this after a certain age, so I don't know much about running out of space, but I do know there are different sizes...some hold quite a few candles and figures.

We personally set ours up on the breakfast table at night before the birthday while the birthday child sleeps and then one of us sneaks down before them in the morning of the big day and lights it up. It sits next to the presents, too. It's just something to make their birthday morning even more special. We then use it as a centerpiece for the table at the birthday party. I suppose one could do a lot of other things with it, too!

[LuxPerpetua]

We do something similar only our ring just has the figures set beside the candles, not in holes. We have a birthday story that I write a new "page" for each year that goes by, starting with pregnancy and birth and then I add a new page for what dd did the previous year. We also include pictures. We read this as we do our b-day ring and light a candle for each year as we read (ours has a central candle for her "birth" that we use to light all the other candles). We set this out on our breakfast table along with dd's birthday crown and birthday balloon. It's her favorite part of her whole birthday.

[chrissy]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua

We do something similar only our ring just has the figures set beside the candles, not in holes. We have a birthday story that I write a new "page" for each year that goes by, starting with pregnancy and birth and then I add a new page for what dd did the previous year. We also include pictures. We read this as we do our b-day ring and light a candle for each year as we read (ours has a central candle for her "birth" that we use to light all the other candles). We set this out on our breakfast table along with dd's birthday crown and birthday balloon. It's her favorite part of her whole birthday.

I love your story idea! I think I am going to use that. Hopefully I can remember enough for my oldest, who will be 9 on his next birthday! What a beautiful idea!

As for curricula choices, I admit that I have a bit of a curricula and book collecting... problem. In the past couple of years (and I must admit that for the majority of that time my kids have gone to school!) I have owned Enki (kindy and grade 1), Oak Meadow (grade 1), Christopherus (kindy, grade 1 and the books for all grades), ALGF (grade 1, grade 2, math book), and Live Ed (grade 1 and 2). Phew! I bought much of it used and sold much of what I didn't need (or what I thought I didn't need!). My short and sweet reviews are as follows.... I did not like Oak Meadow at all. I did like Enki, but for a first time homeschooler, I found it a lot of work, plus it doesn't go any higher than 2nd grade. ALGF is GREAT for the money. The 2nd grade and math book I think are a fabulous buy! Christopherus, love it! Live Ed, love it!

For 2nd grade, I am using bits and pieces of Christopherus, ALGF, Live Ed and do-it-myself.

Next year I will use either Christopherus or Live Ed for 3rd grade and 1st grade. Hopefully whichever I choose, I will stick with for the duration.

[LuxPerpetua]

Originally Posted by chrissy

I love your story idea! I think I am going to use that. Hopefully I can remember enough for my oldest, who will be 9 on his next birthday! What a beautiful idea!

As for curricula choices, I admit that I have a bit of a curricula and book collecting... problem. In the past couple of years (and I must admit that for the majority of that time my kids have gone to school!) I have owned Enki (kindy and grade 1), Oak Meadow (grade 1), Christopherus (kindy, grade 1 and the books for all grades), ALGF (grade 1, grade 2, math book), and Live Ed (grade 1 and 2). Phew! I bought much of it used and sold much of what I didn't need (or what I thought I didn't need!). My short and sweet reviews are as follows.... I did not like Oak Meadow at all. I did like Enki, but for a first time homeschooler, I found it a lot of work, plus it doesn't go any higher than 2nd grade. ALGF is GREAT for the money. The 2nd grade and math book I think are a fabulous buy! Christopherus, love it! Live Ed, love it!

For 2nd grade, I am using bits and pieces of Christopherus, ALGF, Live Ed and do-it-myself.

Next year I will use either Christopherus or Live Ed for 3rd grade and 1st grade. Hopefully whichever I choose, I will stick with for the duration.

I'm glad you like the birthday ring idea. We've had a lot of fun with it. I always go back and look at our digital pictures at the end of the year to try and remember what we've done. That's a big help!

As for curricula, I can totally see me following your footsteps. I'm pretty certain we're going to do Enki for kindy-2nd and then switch but to what I'm not sure. I actually think I'm going to buy ALGF, Christopherus, and Live Ed! to compare in person and then see. I'll probably buy ALGF each year anyway because it's so cheap, why not?, but I'm really torn between Christopherus and Live Ed! Live Ed! you cannot buy pieces individually I know, which is a bit annoying, but I loved the samples I saw online, much moreso than Christopherus, but without seeing both it's just so hard to tell. Would you mind letting me know how next year goes with your choice? I'm really curious.

[bluebell]

hi i'm in england just outside london, i've just found this thread and am really glad! - i'm sorry i've not been able to read the whole thread and have only read the first few posts - i'm hoping to get some time to read more.
i've been thinking about starting a steiner curriculum with my dd who is now 6 1/2yrs. i've always been interested in steiner and i used to take dd to the parent and child groups at our local steiner school, we did try kindergarten for 1 day but dd didn't want to go to school and i have always wanted to homeschool her anyway.
my biggest challenge at the moment is that i have a 4month old ds who is very very high need - (just the same as dd was which was why we have a big age gap!) i'm finding actually doing anything for or with dd very difficult - i'm just about able to make her meals and thats about it, because ds is very diffiuclt to get to sleep and then keep asleep (he'll only sleep on my lap in a nursing chair and if i so much as move he wakes up and then its back to square one again) so most of my day is spent trying to help him sleep and stay asleep (slings only work if we go out). so at the moment she is getting very little attention from me, and unfortunatly the dreaded dvd usage has been creeping up, we've had moments of being tv free before ds was born but at the moment i'm too exhausted to argue and she is so bored, it is not what i want for her but i dont' know how to get out of the habit again. she is now asking for a nintendo - which i'm completly opposed to.
so i'm trying to get more motivated to follow a curriculum, as we have basically been autonomous up until now but i think she needs some more structure becuase i don't think she is getting her educational needs met.
anyway i just wanted to say 'hello' and sub to this thread because i'm hoping i can get some more ideas as to how i can get more organised.
is it easy to transition from being autonomous (i think that is that the same as unschooled?) to a waldorf curriculum? and do you follow all the anthroposophical guidelines - such as no tv and video games etc?
i do hope this makes sense - i'm struggling to think straight at the moment!

[LiminalOne]

Originally Posted by pampered_mom

I should probably clarify a tiny bit...it's mostly a mechanical type query as in what do you use to make your plan? Online curriculum scheduler (like some of the Classical types use)? Simple word document/pencil and paper kind of thing? Cheap-o teachers book? I'm not sure if the general hs type methods that are talked about will work or are well suited for Waldorf. I know ALGF has a planner EBook, but it's $20 and I'm wondering if that's even worth it.

I'm new to this thread, but I didn't see an answer to this question, but I fold a piece of paper in half each direction to get four squares and then use 7 of them (including the backside) to write my plan for the week. On the plan, I have abbreviations for each piece of the day in order, from movement to my chores to quiet time to snack and all the way to dinner and evening plans. I can always change the order of events to match a special day and then I can see which days make sense for a complicated dinner and which demand quicker fare. I like it not being on the computer as I try to keep that off as much as possible during the day. Very customized and easy. You could photocopy them blank if you want, but I create a new one each weekend for the coming week. I also have my blocks planned roughly 4 weeks to a sheet of paper.

Hope that helps. We're doing Enki in 3rd grade with incomplete materials and so I've been doing lots of planning, but enjoying it all. Just about to finish up with the Torah cultural block (14 weeks long) with a musical about Moses put on with some friends.

I have seen a few other curricula and have friends that each love Christopherus and Live Education. I do have to say that Oak Meadow doesn't include hearing the story and then sleeping on it before working with it. And I have found the sleep cycle to be amazing.

Angie
Finn, June 2001 and Theo, April 2005

[quester]

Hi everyone! We'll be starting up soon- and I also find Enki very appealing. I am planning to order it next week and starting soon after.

[calynde]

Hi Bluebell,

Let me start off by saying that I have a similar age gap between my kids as you...and really, the only time I'm able to sit with my 7 year old and do something focused is when the little one takes a nap. So if I were in your position with the needy baby...we wouldn't do much together homeschool-wise. I understand your predicament!

I might have a couple of suggestions. First, do you think your older child would do a few things on her own? Although I do have a short window where I can do stuff with my son, he wants more than that...so we started a kind of Waldorf-inspired-workbox system...where I put in a few things in his "box" and he works on them throughout the day when he feels like it. Another idea is to (for example 1st grade) tell the fairy tale before bed (when the other child can be watched by dad maybe) and then have the main lesson book set up at the table before lunch or dinner so that they can work on it while you prepare the meal. I suppose neither is ideal, but perhaps a starting point for how you can think about moving forward.

Doing a true Steiner-based curriculum at home is actually fairly time-intensive...there is a lot of prep to tailor it to the individual child etc. I find this preparation time and pre-reading on my end to be extremely beneficial to me as a person...but we do have to look at where we are in our life. Maybe that would work better for you next year? Oak Meadow has an all-in-one curriculum that is Waldorf-inspired and it's laid out for you so there is little prep. It's not as "magical" as writing your own but there are plenty of good ideas in there, and a lot of unschooly types use it to pull activities from without following it to the letter.

That being said, I think unschooling with a Waldorf flair works very well for certain families. You could work on creating a more waldorfy space at home and adding in more rhythm to your day and week and month. If you went fully into this with all the crafts, festivals, food prep, stories etc, I would imagine it to be very enriching for your DD.

I hope you find what you're looking for. Good luck!

p/s The book Heaven on Earth is wonderful and has lots of ideas for setting up your home and life rhythms for young children.

[calynde]

Originally Posted by LiminalOne

I do have to say that Oak Meadow doesn't include hearing the story and then sleeping on it before working with it. And I have found the sleep cycle to be amazing.

Oak Meadow 1st grade definitely does this...I don't know about later grades.

I agree with the sleep cycle...it has worked very well for us!

[bluebell]

Originally Posted by calynde

Hi Bluebell,

Let me start off by saying that I have a similar age gap between my kids as you...and really, the only time I'm able to sit with my 7 year old and do something focused is when the little one takes a nap. So if I were in your position with the needy baby...we wouldn't do much together homeschool-wise. I understand your predicament!

I might have a couple of suggestions. First, do you think your older child would do a few things on her own? Although I do have a short window where I can do stuff with my son, he wants more than that...so we started a kind of Waldorf-inspired-workbox system...where I put in a few things in his "box" and he works on them throughout the day when he feels like it. Another idea is to (for example 1st grade) tell the fairy tale before bed (when the other child can be watched by dad maybe) and then have the main lesson book set up at the table before lunch or dinner so that they can work on it while you prepare the meal. I suppose neither is ideal, but perhaps a starting point for how you can think about moving forward.

Doing a true Steiner-based curriculum at home is actually fairly time-intensive...there is a lot of prep to tailor it to the individual child etc. I find this preparation time and pre-reading on my end to be extremely beneficial to me as a person...but we do have to look at where we are in our life. Maybe that would work better for you next year? Oak Meadow has an all-in-one curriculum that is Waldorf-inspired and it's laid out for you so there is little prep. It's not as "magical" as writing your own but there are plenty of good ideas in there, and a lot of unschooly types use it to pull activities from without following it to the letter.

That being said, I think unschooling with a Waldorf flair works very well for certain families. You could work on creating a more waldorfy space at home and adding in more rhythm to your day and week and month. If you went fully into this with all the crafts, festivals, food prep, stories etc, I would imagine it to be very enriching for your DD.

I hope you find what you're looking for. Good luck!

p/s The book Heaven on Earth is wonderful and has lots of ideas for setting up your home and life rhythms for young children.

calynde, thanks so much for posting, its great to know that others have similar age gaps and with that similar needs to meet. i will definitly check out the oak meadow curriculum, if it can be loosly applied that sounds great, as i dont' think i'll be able to keep up with anything too strictly and also my dd is extremely strong willed and if she feels that i'm directing things too much she'll not be happy.
i will also have a look at the book you recomended as i would really like to get a rhythm going - we lacked a rhythm when dd was a baby and toddler and i think she really needed it.
i really appreciate your posting your tips and experience thanks.

[chrissy]

hi there Waldorf homeschoolers

i am looking for some ideas on what to do with/for my sweet 5yo, Lilah. she is pretty newly 5 (her birthday is 10/1), so she wouldn't be due to start first grade until fall of 2011. meanwhile, she is dying for first grade work right now. part of this is probably b/c she was in preschool until just recently, and though it was a play based preschool, they did letter of the week and things like that. in any case, she and my 8yo son, Noah, have been home since November. Noah is in 2nd grade.

i have been trying very hard to create a solid kindy rhythm for her, but it just doesn't seem like it's enough. she is constantly asking me how to spell words, copying things from other places, trying to sound out words. since november i have been trying to gently "ahh" and "hmmm" her, but it is really beginning to feel like i'm ignoring her or putting her off.

i make sure to always have something to do with her, especially for her, before i start work with my 2nd grader, or sometimes once he has gotten started. she does seem to enjoy that, but she really wants more academic work. she fully enjoys the kindy things we do (baking, painting, crafts, housework...) but when we're done that she wants "work."

i really don't know what to do. i by no means am trying to suggest that she is some gifted genius or anything, though of course she is smart

i guess i am looking for ways to either gently guide her back away from academics or ways to gently introduce her, in ways that will fulfill her but not further awaken her too soon.

[racheleuphoria]

Chrissy, I think this is a pretty common tension to feel with your kindy-aged child who has recently been removed from preschool. I struggled with this last year when my then 4-year-old (who had recently stopped preschool) wanted to learn to read, write and do "schoolwork". It's funny how a year later we have completely reached a balance!

My approach was to be clear and honest with her a few times, as in "At home, baking, painting, handiwork, etc are your schoolwork!" We removed any lingering workbooks from our house and started having scheduled time for drawing on blank paper and the like. I think that because I felt confident and excited about this new form of "school" for her, she bought in. Granted, she doesn't have an older sibling to entice her along ;0)

It sounds like your daughter can write already? My DD, who is now 5 as of Nov, also writes fairly well. She has taken to self-directed writing of her stories. I do tell her how words are spelled, but I don't give that activity any special preferance or honor than painting, for example. My DD is very verbal - it's her thing. Writing down stories is one way she plays. I don't feel that it's off-balance, because we also play outside every day, do art, I tell stories, and she loves handiwork.

My suggestion is that you consider your daughter's overall kindy experience. It sounds like you're doing a lot of great, well-rounded activities. IMO if you indulge her desire to write down some words and don't elevate it as a "school" activity, but treat it like play, you'll help her deal with the transition in a way that honors her interests.

As I said, my DD really wanted me to teach her how to read. I did firmly, kindly tell her that learning to read was for later. That she might learn all by herself when she was ready, but that we weren't going to do lessons until she was older. You child will trust you if you feel 100% confident about the decision. Maybe share with her about all she is learning already all day long!

[chrissy]

Thanks for your response. I think you're right. I think it is a combination of the older brother (whom she completely idolizes) and the preschool experience that have her so fixated on reading, writing, and even math right now.

Today was our baking day, and so after our walk and circle, we made blueberry muffins and then bread. It took a pretty good while. But still, afterward, when I sat down to work with Noah, she wanted to do what he was doing. She actually copied most of his work into her book.

So, I am going to try to get more creative about alternatives for her during my main lesson time with Noah. Hmmm, just now I'm thinking perhaps making that sort of a time for her to babysit her younger brother might work. I need to think more on that.

Thanks so much for your thoughts!

[simplify4balance]

Can she really learn enough with waldorf w/o supplementing?

Hello all!
My DD is about to turn 5.
I love Waldorf... but I wonder if she will truly be learning enough?
She can already read... mostly just from reading cuddled up in my lap. She loves workbooks, though I only do them with her if she asks. It just seems that she could learn so much academically right now... not to mention that she seems like she could happily fall into a solid routine of doing school work everyday. She enjoys practicing writing letters and numbers and always seems to be discovering interesting letter and number facts on her own by being mindful of the world around her.
So I thought that I would purchase some type of Waldorf curriculum (mostly to keep us moving forward with homeschooling in an organized way which makes me feel confident that I am ACTUALLY Doing Something with her) and then supplement it with workbooks and gently teaching her math and reading as she requests it. Or I considered buying a a complimentary academic curriculum to supplement our Waldorf work.
The more I read about Waldorf... the more unsure I am that she should even be working on anything academic? But I am feeling nervous that she won't be exactly on par with her school attending peers as far at the 3 R's go.
Can I really just teach her a Waldorf curriculum and have faith that she will eventually learn all the 'regular' stuff when she is a bit older?
What about when she wants to do more formal learning- eg. workbooks, handwriting practice? Seems silly to discourage her!
Please, please give me some loving and balanced ideas as well as resources.
(I think that the Oak Meadow curriculum includes some academics?)