Waldorf K - need ideas please

[Greenmama2]

Hi all, I'm posting this here instead of the homeschooling board where I usually read as I'd like a bit more "purist" input.
I've been so sure all along that we would be unschoolers with Waldorf influences but in recent months I've been feeling more and more that actually embracing Waldorf is a better fit for our family. DD turned 5 a couple of weeks ago and I'm really in need of guidance selecting materials for our K year/s.
If you homeschool what have you/will you use and why and if your children attend K at a brick and mortar Waldorf school what do you/they love most and why???

[LuxPerpetua]

Hi, Greenmama.  I'll just stalk you in both places, if that's okay. :)  We're are heavily Waldorf-influenced but not totally purist, which I find rather too dogmatic and stifling for us, especially with dd's giftedness.

The hard thing with Waldorf kindy is that most Waldorf homeschooling resources are very vague for this age group since there aren't any particular lessons or things one is supposed to do like in the grades.  Christopherus, I think, just updated their kindy book and it may be worth looking into.  I looked into the older one and opted against it because it had information that I already knew--what is rhythm, what is warmth, what is practical work, etc.  If you are already "past" the Waldorf introduction, the best Waldorf kindy resource I've found is Little Acorn Learning.  You definitely could cobble together your own Waldorf kindy from other resources and I have done much of this myself, but it's time-consuming.  There are lots of Waldorf crafts in books like Earthways, or making felt flower children, etc.  What I've run into, though, is that many of these crafts are too advanced for my 5.5 year old.  I figured LAL is geared to the kindy and under set, so the crafts are more appropriate.  There are books with seasonal stories and ideas, like the seasonal books from Wynestones press, the Tiptoes Lightly stories from Reg Down, as well as the seasonal books by Suzanne Down.  Wee Folk art has seasonal curricula (http://weefolkart.com/content/harvest-time-preschoolkindergarten-curriculum ).  Here are some articles from Parenting Passageway that may be helpful: http://en.search.wordpress.com/?q=site%3Atheparentingpassageway.com+kindergarten  .  I have looked into Enki, and I love it for the grades, but I personally like LAL better than Enki kindy, especially for the price, but you may want to look into it.  I got the Enki kindy stories for cheap on the waldorf curriculum supplies yahoo group listserve.  What I actually plan on doing is combining LAL with the Enki stories for circle time, but also continue doing the fingerplays and crafts we've been doing that I cobbled together, along with Charlotte Mason-esque living books.  I plan on doing a 30-minute circle time each day and then handwork or crafts afterward.  We very much already have a Waldorf-inspired rhythm and home, so I feel like this is the next level for us.  Making butter and bread is something we do each week already so I don't want one more book telling me how to do these things, kwim?  However, like I said earlier, this really depends on where you are in your Waldorf journey. 

[LuxPerpetua]

Oh, I forgot:  There is a book called What is a Waldorf Kindergarten.  I like it so-so.  The pictures in it are very helpful and many of the articles are helpful.  What I have objected to is the Anthroposophical judgment, like, for instance, the passive-aggressive remark that modeling beeswax is far more creative and soothing than endless hours of "Lego play," which is referred to with disdain.  If you've got a little extra in your budget, I'd recommend getting this, but only if it doesn't break the bank.  I like to read this book when I feel judged by other mainstream parents for not introducing academics at this age and to remind myself of the beauty of an artistic and sensory-based kindy foundation.

ETA:  We came to Waldorf via unschooling too.  I finally decided that to get the enriched environment I wanted for unschooling, I needed more ideas and structure. 

Edited by LuxPerpetua - 5/18/11 at 9:57am

[Greenmama2]

Originally Posted by LuxPerpetua 

We came to Waldorf via unschooling too.  I finally decided that to get the enriched environment I wanted for unschooling, I needed more ideas and structure. 

Thanks for your reponses Lux, mutual stalking actually
The above quote is exactly where I'm at right now. I'm still utterly an unschooler, I can see clear evidence every day that for DD the academic learning takes care of itself. I just need to get out of the way (most of the time) and facilitate when she wants me to (occasionally).
I actually ordered the Christopherus Kindy book last night from their site so I assume it's the new one (I hope so).
I've looked at LAL learning lots of times but it seems like it would be really hard to adapt to the Southern Hemisphere. Not so much the seasonal festivals as those a pretty easy to adjust by six months and we live in a part of Australia that actually does have four clear seasons but we just don't have squirrels. So those non-existent squirrels do not spend Autumn collecting nuts etc etc.
What I'd dearly love is an "open and go" guide to crafts, stories, songs etc. No-one has written one for the Southern Hemisphere. I almost bought Earthschooling K a month ago, as it looked like it could be easily adjusted by six months...
I usually feel we are a particularly Waldorf household as for example we are not screen-free and never will be (DH is in IT and often works from home in order to be with the littles more) but yes, we do bake bread every week and often make butter etc etc. I can do without that level of introduction.
Off to read the HS board now...
Edited by Greenmama2 - 5/19/11 at 7:02am

[LuxPerpetua]

A few other resources that I remembered:

http://www.amazon.com/All-Year-Round-Lifeways-Druitt/dp/1869890477/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305852282&sr=1-1 

http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Year-Seasonal-Festivals-Hawthorn/dp/1903458595/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1305853111&sr=1-3 

This says "for toddlers" but it is a great resource in general for kids' toys.  Lots of timelss ideas. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1856752860/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i4?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=03ANSCCFBDE8N3ZDWD9G&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846 

You may also want to look into Enki kindergarten.  You can get used packages on the waldorf curriculum yahoo group.  I got our fairy tales/folk tales/nature tales here. 

Blessings!

[aussiemumma]

I will be watching this with interest as well. we are in Australia too and DD turns 5 next year. I am really loving the unschooling ideaology, but love the Waldorf "feel" and "texture" if that makes sense.

We live a fairly crunchy life as well but I am reluctant to categorize our lifestyle too much at this early stage. 

The nitty gritty in the heavy Steiner texts put me off a bit...

C

[AugustineM]

My two children go to waldorf kindergarten. They are 5 and almost 7. In the fall my 7 year old will go to first grade. My youngest will go to the nursery (she will be 3).

I love many things about it and have come to really embrace waldorf philosophy in the past 2-3 years. I didnt know that much about waldorf when we started but have learned so much about it and I've even considered becoming a waldorf teacher. I actually have a masters in teaching ( public high school), but now feel quite different about public school.

You asked what do I love about sending my kids to waldorf kindergarten... Let me list: the teachers emphasize healthy rhythms, routine and structure in meaningful ways that contribute to the child's developing senses. Long walks in the woods, meaningful work, lots of free play, art, handwork. Half or moreof my kids day is spent outside. Their will force is developed, they learn really amazing conflict resolution skills, they play with a group of kids that they will be with for several years, and they stay with the same k teacher for 3 years. I love having another adult that I love and trust giving me these amazing insights into my child. I've learned a lot about my son because of his teachers observation, and I really appreciate that. It's a supportive and gentle and loving atmosphere. Both my kids adore their teacher and classroom, and they love going there every day. For my daughter it was a bit of an adjustment the first week but soon she warmed right up.

I am also an assistant in the other kindergarten at our school and have mostly been really impressed. Let me know if you have questions!

Eta: I don't think the nitty gritty of the Steiner texts apply that much to the day to day runnings of the kindergarten. Some may disagree with me, but one of best friends is a waldorf nursery teacher and she is not an anthroposophist nor does she read hardly any Steiner except for some of the daily verses for teachers which are sort of inspirational/centering/motivating. Waldorf approach is certainly spiritual, but in my experience most of the teachers wouldn't consider themselves anthroposophists.

[Greenmama2]

Thanks for your responses, they were really helpful.

[Mittsy]

Have you looked into Seasons of Joy? I believe they have 4 seasonal guides, from what I've heard somewhat similar to LAL, just the layout is seasonal instead of monthly. I believe their guides are based on the Northern Hemisphere seasons, but since they're not monthly guides I guess you could just organize the guides to fit your seasons.

[Greenmama2]

Originally Posted by aussiemumma 

I will be watching this with interest as well. we are in Australia too and DD turns 5 next year. I am really loving the unschooling ideaology, but love the Waldorf "feel" and "texture" if that makes sense.

We live a fairly crunchy life as well but I am reluctant to categorize our lifestyle too much at this early stage. 

The nitty gritty in the heavy Steiner texts put me off a bit...

C

Somehow I missed this before. Wanted to wave hello. Where in Aus are you?

[tankgirl73]

I'll second Seasons of Joy.  It was just what I needed for my DD.  It's not a 'curriculum', per se (which is why I didn't mention it in the other thread you just poached me from hee)... Each seasonal book is a collection of stories, poems, crafts, etc related to that season.  How you put it together is entirely up to you.

I bought the Spring book and used it as a foundation for building our circle time.  I did look at a few other resources to round things out if I wanted more of something in particular (blogs, free websites, etc), but it was a great foundation for our structure.  

I'm handling math and reading my own way, since my daughter is on a different internal schedule than the usual Waldorf schedule.  :)  I'm also a big fan of Charlotte Mason and plan to incorporate that style more as she gets older, ie, with dictation and copywork, etc.  Though my Waldorf is influenced by CM, my CM is also influenced by Waldorf heh... since I can see myself having her doing narrations as pictures in her good book done with beeswax crayons, or through watercolor painting, or modelling, etc.  

But anyway, since I see myself already handling most "subjects" in our own way (influenced by various philosophies), what I need in a Waldorf curriculum is the stories, the crafts, the nature elements, the poetry, etc etc... that side of things.  For the kindy level, Seasons of Joy was just what we needed.  

And I know this wasn't quite your question, since we're not a Waldorf school family but only a very loosely Waldorf-inspired homeschooling family.  ;)  But I'll answer anyway... what my daughter loves MOST about what we do Waldorf-wise is definitely pretty much everything about circle time!  She loves having the candle, she loves the poems, she loves the songs (and after a couple days of repeating the same content she's usually singing along, and has often spontaneously started singing one of the old songs months later), loves when I act things out with her playsilks, and especially loves anything involving fingerplay, actions, etc.  

The very first SoJ circle time we did had a 'leprechaun hunt', which we completely acted out, pretending to climb and run and swim and run away etc.  She asked to do that one over and over and over again.  

Then I find that no matter how hyper, silly, and distracted she is, after doing our circle time she's calm, present, and in the right mood to 'work'.  She usually asks (yes, asks) to have her math lesson right afterward.  So that aspect of 'rhythm' is working well for us.

Since I'm not an unschooler (though also heavily inspired by that hee... we're very 'buffet-style'), I really appreciate how including Waldorf philosophies in our homeschooling reminds me to let her play and be creative and not to rush or push things.  And things that are slightly less natural for me, like getting down with her and doing silly finger-plays, things I wouldn't have thought to do if I just went on my own...  I see how well she responds with them, so the Waldorf guides give me the push and direction I need to do it with her on a regular basis.  :)

[Greenmama2]

Thanks for responding tank girl I have a bright girl who has never been much into pretend play (unlike her almost 2 yr old brother who wakes up every morning with "there's a tiger shark coming, hide me!" or "get on my car. Drive drive, drive drive.") and loves academic stimulation so we often end up with that as our default method of connection. I love that the little Waldorf we've incorporated so far has given me a much calmer little girl and another way to connect with her.
We still identify as unschoolers, I think we always will. DD definitely has her own academic timetable and she's pretty driven in some areas so those will continue at her pace. This is about something for me to create the environment around DD and DS too. Given your review seems to fit this requirement so well I think I'll order one of the SoJ books.
Anyone know how long USPS takes to Australia? I'm getting impatient for my Christopherus book to arrive but I guess I'll be waiting a while longer.

[annettemarie]

Thanks so much for the kind reviews, mamas!