Waldorf or Other Story-Based Math

[*Jessica*]

Apologies in advance for the rambling manner of this post.

I've really screwed up when it comes to math. Nik is doing great with MEP and Math Mammoth, but he says he doesn't like math. I do not want him to hate math!

Nik spends the majority of his days drawing, reading, and engaging in imaginative play. Story-based math is right up his alley.

I bought A Journey: Waldorf Math from A Little Garden Flower hoping it would help. I'm just not sure it's what I need. I did a search (I've spent way too much time last night and this morning on this!) and found Christopherus. I'm curious to see the 2nd grade math curriculum, but the few samples provided are not enough for me to pay another $35+ toward math for the year.

Does anyone have Christopherus, or any other Waldorf math curriculum, who would be willing to take a few photos of the book and send them to me? Or to describe how the lessons are presented? Or recommend another story-based math curriculum we might like?

Nik adores these stories I found a couple of years ago. Gnomes and Numbers: A Mathematical Tale This is what I'm looking for! An entire math curriculum written out in story form. The other thing we've come across that I know he would like is Noble Knights of Knowledge, but they seem to be not doing business right now. (I have an e-mail out to them, just waiting for a response.)

We already do Living Math stuff, but I'm looking for an entire curriculum based on the same story, not random books here and there.

Perhaps I'm asking for too much?

[Madame Pomfrey]

The only thing I can think of that is exactly what you asked for is Afterwards: Folk Tales and Fairy Tales with Mathematics Ever After from ETA/Cuisenaire. It is hands-on and multicultural, but not Waldorf (if that matters).

Most Waldorf math is based in stories, movement, and manipulatives. It's a combination. What you see in Noble Knights is pretty much Waldorf with most of the more spiritual element removed. Somethiung like Afterwards (above) doesn't incorporate the movement.

The 'catch' I see in what you're looking for is that most of the Waldorf math books are written for teachers. They contain a few stories or story ideas for each block, then they expect that you'll make up the rest as you go. Dorothy Harrar, Alan Whitehead, etc - the exception was Dr Mollett's teaching packs and its been so long since I looked for such that I'm not certain whether he's still active. ...but now the Making Math Meaningful people have come up with a curriculum for Grades 1-5 which looks more complete and says it contains ideas for every main lesson. I recommend it just because I used their middle school one and it was excellent.

Also, they're not a curriculum, but there are good amounts of stories online at Mathematical Talewinds and Math Maven Mysteries

Maybe someone else knows more.

Warm regards,

Lucie
with a cold

[*Jessica*]

Lucie, thank you so much for the recommendations! I'm going to go check some things out.

[Momma Aimee]

http://www.livingmath.net/Home/tabid...S/Default.aspx

check out this site too -- i think yu will find stuff you like there

[tankgirl73]

I hope the Noble Knights are not out of business... I was considering using that with my daughter...

[Wrenae]

My understanding is that Noble Knights is undergoing some revisions and that they hope to publish within this year.

I am eagerly awaiting this also!

[tankgirl73]

Ooh, good to know! I don't know for sure if I'm going to go with it, I love RightStart and have already started level A with DD and so far so good. But who knows what the future will hold.

[*Jessica*]

Originally Posted by tankgirl73

I hope the Noble Knights are not out of business... I was considering using that with my daughter...

Originally Posted by Wrenae

My understanding is that Noble Knights is undergoing some revisions and that they hope to publish within this year.

I am eagerly awaiting this also!

I hope so! But it has been two or three days since I e-mailed and so far no response.


Thank you everyone. I've ordered a couple of books and I'm going to see what I can come up with. I like planning lessons, so I may just have to read as much as I can to give me an idea of how to do it and then write my own!