Golden Beetles?

[mataji4]

I'm looking at the Golden Beetles curriculum guides for Language and Math for a 4th grader. Any opinions???

[Madame Pomfrey]

We love Golden Beetle and have used parts of it for over 5 years. What Alan does in these syllabus books is unique: for each lesson "block" (or unit) he sort of reveals the main ideas and goals through a story or a neat analogy - it's never straightforward.

What I love about them is that he truly makes you think and take it apart in your mind - it's like in explaining this way, he sort of activates your creative thinking without telling you exactly what to do.

I usually read the block essay one night, then reread it a second night, taking notes on what to do this time. From the notes I outline what I want to do based on my child's needs and interests. Then I usually get my back-up materials from the local art/craft store and books from the library to pull it together. It does take more work than a traditional curriculum, but if you want to truly create the education for your child, well, Golden Beetle is a wonderful vehicle to get you started.

The best book to begin with is "A Steiner Homeschool?" along with your grade 4 stuff.

Best wishes,

Lucie

[mataji4]

Thank you so much for your input.

I think I'm going to use it for the math and language components, and then use other resources (?not sure what yet) for the norse mythology and the oregon trail/native american studies unit. We study birds- that's our science.