Enki Homeschooling - Page 5

[birthbabyjunkie]

It's been months since there has been any activity on this thread, but I just found it! I learned about Waldorf through mothering.com and I have enjoyed learning about it. We are a Christian family, yet I feel that focusing so much on the "old" stories limits all the really great literature available today. I love the play, the imagination, the depth of the Waldorf, but am having a hard time with delayed academics. I was a teacher, and that part of me just can't imagine going through 7 and not knowing how to read or anything. True, kids are going to want to learn, and you should definitely feed that! I just have lots of reprogramming to do, I guess.
MY DD is 6 and just finished a 1/2 day kindergarten, so I'm not sure what the next step should be. I also have a 3 yo, and a 9mo, so they will probably get better service LOL!
So, I don't know muc about montessori, but like most of what I know. Enki, I just found, and like the balance between the 2.

But, if MG has finished K, to "get caught up" should she do Enki K, or Waldorf K, THEN go to 1st?

i have so many questions, but mainly: HOW IS ENKI HOMESCHOOLING WORKING FOR YOU??? YOU'VE HAD IT 9 MONTHS!!!! I can't wait to hear!!!
sally in sc

[MyLittleWonders]

Hey Sally!

We just finished, kind of, Kinder with both Enki and Oak Meadow. We really only did a half year because it took me for ever to decide if I wanted to do a curriculum and then what I wanted to do. Obviously I still have issues deciding because I use two of them (and am going to incorporate a classical approach to history, structured Spanish, and Singapore math into the mix next year! ).

I think if your daughter finished 1/2 day Kinder this year, then you would probably be more than ready to move onto Enki 1st grade. The Enki kindergarten is mostly about establishing a good rhythm to the day, introducing and establishing the sensory integration/movement songs, and reading a lot of great stories. There are really no academics in it that are in any way structured.

First grade Enki (from what I'm learning as I read through the teacher's guides) introduces upper and lower case letters, beginning reading and writing, the four processes in math, and other things that I haven't quite read about yet. I would think your dd's kinder experience would be more than fine to have "prepared" her, so to speak, for the Enki 1st grade. My ds#1 will be 6 in July and I know he's ready to do it. HTH

[mamabohl]

I'm glad this thread got bumped, cuz I finally bought the kinder curriculum 2 weeks ago! I've been reading through the guides and I'm really excited to get started. One thing that is bothering me is the way quite time is approached...it sounds a whole lot like a time out. My children don't like to be away from me, so I just don't see a possibility of quiet time unless ds decides he wants to. Any suggestions?

[melamama]

Hi, I'm going to jump in here---we've just finished up first grade with Enki, and I also used Enki for kindy (in combo. with Christopherus Waldorf curric).

With regard to quiet time, it's not a time out. It does take time to get the kids to adjust to it if they're not doing anything like that now...but it is GREAT. I love having a set aside time in the afternoon to recharge--and my kids are better/happier when they have quiet time also. I have a 7yo, 4yo and a 1yo---so we all need it. It's not like they must go to their rooms and do nothing, but I've found that we need the structure of kids being in their rooms. They look at books, draw, sometimes listen to audio books. For us though, they also need a component of the quiet time that really is nothing. If they listen to an audio book the whole time, they're not really recharged and the afternoon doesn't flow as smoothly. Again, it is a big adjustment--but if you've got a little one you can just shape it in context of an afternoon nap for mama and babe.

Hi Sally-- you'd have to decide this for yourself, but I think it's a big jump to go from 1/2 day kindy to 1st grade, but Enki is flexible enough so you could do a combo kindy/first grade. There really is SO much more for them to be learning than reading/writing/maths. There is an entire world of songs and movement activities and finger games and just being in nature that they can be immersed in and nurtured by. *and that they need to build on for learning recorder and other things. I think if you're coming from a teacher perspective (from a regular school) this is one of the big differences.

Is your dd coming from a Waldorf kindy? I think this would impact your decision---since if it's Waldorf, she has that daily rhythm already, and many of the songs/games/nature play emphasis already. So you wouldn't need to adjust your dd to that aspect (which I feel is a MAJOR difference btw a standard kindy and Enki or even Waldorf). So much of the Enki curriculum is really making a lifestyle change in the style of your day and in relating to your kids, it really is holistic.

Anne in NJ getting ready for Enki second grade

[heket]

I'm so glad to see this thread was bumped up! Dd is 3.5 and I have OM pre-K. I'm thinking of purchasing the foundation guides this summer to peruse over the year and then getting the curriculum to start to use with her next fall. I've done a couple of activities with dd from the OM pre-K books, but we probably won't start really working on a rhythm til the fall. I'm hoping that once that's established, we can easily continue (dh has fully agreed to hs'ing yet).

For those who've used Enki K, can you comment on what kinds of reading activities there are and what you thought of them?

[MyLittleWonders]

The Enki K has (adapted) fairy tales, folk tales, and nature stories. Both the fairy and folk tales originate from around the world. The fairy tales have been adapted, if need be, to best suit the development needs of a 5-ish year old. The nature stories are arranged by season. We have been a little disappointed with the nature stories because in no way do they resemble our seasonal changes or weather. (We live in coastal CA ... this last year we ended up with 2 1/2 inches of rain and any snow that fell in the mountains - we can see the snow-capped mountains in the winter - melted within a day or two.) It was really weird reading about King Winter when it is sunny, dry, and upper sixties outside. So, we don't do as many of the nature stories as we might if we lived where there were definitely four distinct seasons. That said, we love the folk and fairy tales. I waited until almost spring to begin the fairy tales with ds#1, and he really enjoys them. And there are so many to choose from that most every week I was able to find something that really clicked with ds (especially if it was a story about brothers or siblings as ds has two younger brothers).

In regards to quiet time - we don't do it as suggested/structured in Enki. It just doesn't work well for us. But, that is also something I really like about the Enki materials ... you make them fit your family instead of trying to artificially fit your family into a curriculum. We are more mainstream, probably, than most Enki (and by extension Waldorf-ish) families. We watch TV and use the computers, including my boys. A lot of time, our "quiet" time in the afternoon is snuggling on the couch together watching PBS Kids. It works for us, yk? Sometimes we'll put on books on tape. Sometimes we aren't home because ds#2 has speech therapy. Next year, with the baby hopefully being down to one nap a day, I'm hoping we might have a bit more consistent of an afternoon "down-time" but I don't know. Our rhythm is nice to have, but it is completely dependent on our speech therapy for ds#2, and ds#3's napping (which is highly inconsistent) schedule. I found out early on that it was not worth my extreme anxiety/stress to "make" everyone be quiet for that time in their own rooms ... so we don't do it.

And personally, I think financially doing a combo K/1st with Enki is extremely expensive. Yes, I agree that there is a lot more to Enki than just academics; that is the biggest reason why we spend the money on the curriculum. But, for a 6 year old who just finished a half-day kindergarten (Waldorf or not), I think another entire year doing Enki K, especially if delayed academics isn't something that sits well with the PP, is a bit much to expect. As we have both said, Enki is so flexible that one could purchase Enki 1st, and use it over a two year period if so desired - spending one year on only the language arts/SI, and the second year on the math/SI/recorder. It can be started slowly and then sped up over the course of the year. It could be done over the course of 12 months instead of a traditional nine. Just my two cents.

Oh, and Sally, if you aren't sure about the academics/involvement of Enki 1st versus doing Enki K next year, another option might be Oak Meadow K ... it is kind of an inbetween of Enki K and Enki 1st. You won't get the depth of information you would get with the Enki ... but you could buy the Enki Movement/SI binder for Kinder to supplement. (Feel free to ask if you want any more information on using OM and Enki ... we use both.)

And Heket, the foundation guides for Enki are really good and really heavy (in terms of reading ... ). Do you have The Heart of Learning from your OM PreK? After reading the Enki foundation guides, I read the OM HoL book - it was like the cliff notes I needed for Enki. I would suggest with your dd only 3.5 that you either do the foundation guides and/or buy the Early Childhood guide ... it too was a bit more of a condensed version of the bigger foundation guides. The FG give a very good feel for Enki on a whole, but also contain stuff that has more to do with teaching 1st grade and above. Though I absolutely love the SI part of the FG. It's a toss, but since you have a year and a half or so, you might get more starting with the Early Childhood guides and then mid-year this year (or around the New Year), get the FG and read through those during the spring/summer.

[anthasam]

DD is only 2, but I'm starting to research. Thanks for all the great info -- new and older!

[birthbabyjunkie]

nak...
you ladies are a tremendous help! We have printed off almost all the preschool units on waldorfcurriculum, and are contemplating working with both those and the enki. there is also Alittlegardenflower who has up to 3rd grade, and is quite affordable. $25 i think. i will check on OM ! we arein sc,moving to va so i'm wondering how this delayed academics (dd kindy was not waldorfy at all) will impact my documentation for progress for the school system...

[Kindermama]

Originally Posted by melamama

With regard to quiet time, it's not a time out. It does take time to get the kids to adjust to it if they're not doing anything like that now...but it is GREAT. I love having a set aside time in the afternoon to recharge--and my kids are better/happier when they have quiet time also. I have a 7yo, 4yo and a 1yo---so we all need it. It's not like they must go to their rooms and do nothing, but I've found that we need the structure of kids being in their rooms. They look at books, draw, sometimes listen to audio books. For us though, they also need a component of the quiet time that really is nothing. If they listen to an audio book the whole time, they're not really recharged and the afternoon doesn't flow as smoothly. Again, it is a big adjustment--but if you've got a little one you can just shape it in context of an afternoon nap for mama and babe.

This is what quiet time looks like in our home too. I didn't put anything into place until I paid close attention to my kids affects during the middle of the day. I added in quiet times in various intervals and found what worked for us within a few weeks. My kids now expect quiet time.

[munchkinsmum]

Thank You mylittlewonders for the great info on Enki. That is just what I was looking for. I was wondering how to combine Oak Meadow and Enki to make it affordable and at my DD level.
I really like the idea of the Movement / sensory integration but I feel like the OM1 is a better fit than kindergarten for either Enki or OM.
I will look into getting the sensory integration as well as the FG from Enki and tehn a OM1 curriculum. The best of both worlds I am hoping

[muse]

Originally Posted by birthbabyjunkie

i have so many questions, but mainly: HOW IS ENKI HOMESCHOOLING WORKING FOR YOU??? YOU'VE HAD IT 9 MONTHS!!!! I can't wait to hear!!!

Haven't popped in here in a long time, but I can say we've been doing Enki kindergarten for almost a year now and it has been absolutely wonderful. We've been on the fence about homeschooling versus school for some time but since attending the Enki conference a few weeks ago have clarified that this is the right path for us.

Ds has responded so well to the stories, crafts and movement activities throughout the year and the emphasis on rhythm and the health of the family has been transformative for all of us. I see now how much dd (2 yrs) is benefitting from it all and get very excited thinking of her also doing the kindergarten stuff at some stage. I also saw at the conference how wonderful the grade material is and am very excited to move into that at some stage in the next year.

Besides all that, Beth Sutton has been an incredible support, as well as other enki users on the enki yahoo group and IRL.

[Love_My_Babies]

Does anyone know if or when the 3rd - 6th grade curriculum will be available? Also, is Beth working on any other curric beyond grade school?

[melamama]

I got an email about 3rd grade last week, they do not have a curriculum in place yet, but they would be able to offer support and resource recommendations.

This would be a good question to post to the Enki Experience group. I'm sure Beth will be able to give you a more complete answer about the higher grades.

[eco_mama]

ENKI is the main curriculum I am interested in for HSing my dc. There is a mama in my local HSing Group that recently bought the ENKI K Package and has offered to let me come over and check it out. I'm really excited!

[muse]

Just putting the word out, that a group of us are starting a weekly Enki inspired homeschooling group in Berkeley, CA. If anyone in the area is interested in finding out more, PM me.

[KathleenSLP]

DD is only 2, but I'm starting to research. Thanks for all the great info -- new and older!

Same here. I just aucked in this thread this morning - thanks for all of the great info.

[lakesuperiormom]

We have the Enki k and have used it w/a mixture of other stuff. I did find the k a bit "scattered" to use and a friend who uses it said the same. however, the 1st is supposed to be a bit easier to follow. i do think it is quite expensive and everything we used w/stories and circle i came across cheaper elsewhere. the waldorf home educators yahoo group has files of free curriculum to use. i think purchasing seven times the sun or checking it from the library would be comparable to the enki movement. the enki does go into the why you do certain things, but for me last year i needed "do this" rather than in depth explanation.i do love the arts and crafts, but again found the same and sometimes easier to understand versions elsewhere....our wool bunnies turned out looking like dead sheep lol! i am curious to hear more on 1st from those of you who own it.......

[KimberMama]

We live and learn the Enki way; I find it incredibly compatible with natural family living and attachment parenting. I've used OM, Christopherus, and Enki, and love Enki the best. As we move into a grade 2/3 year I'll have to pull a lot of my own resources, but the philosophy will be Enki.

[heket]

Originally Posted by KimberMama

We live and learn the Enki way; I find it incredibly compatible with natural family living and attachment parenting. I've used OM, Christopherus, and Enki, and love Enki the best. As we move into a grade 2/3 year I'll have to pull a lot of my own resources, but the philosophy will be Enki.

Kimber, just curious, when did you start with Enki? Since you're moving into gr. 2/3, I was wondering if it was for k/1 or just K, etc...?

[KimberMama]

Originally Posted by heket

Kimber, just curious, when did you start with Enki? Since you're moving into gr. 2/3, I was wondering if it was for k/1 or just K, etc...?

I first heard about Enki in late 2003/early 2004. I should have gotten it then, but at the time it seemed pricey. I should have realized that my piecemeal method of obtaining materials and resources would add up to far more in the end. The good thing about waiting is that I ended up with the reformatted program, which is far easier to use and addresses home learning specifically.

I started reading and working with the philosophy in early 2005, which was the second half of DS#1's kindy year. We started our K/1 year (fall 2005) with Enki philosophy and Christopherus materials, and finally got Enki resources in spring 2006. We continued grade 1 through the end of 2006, and started with the grade 2 story curriculum in January 2007. We're not doing Enki academics right now, but will gear up again in October for the grade 2/3 year. I'll start with the grade 2 story curriculum and then segue into grade 3 as the boys seem developmentally ready.