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waldorf or montessori homeschooling help!!

1K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  anythingelse 
#1 ·
i have searched and i don't know if i just missed it or what, but I am really interested in the waldorf and montessori methods of teaching. i guess i would like to hear from those who have used or are using either method to further enlighten me. i want to begin homeschooling my dd when she's 3 years old (she is currently 31 months old) and i want to read some books on both waldorf and montessori, so that i can make an informed decision on which method works best for our family. so, my question is, which books would be good overviews introductions to these methods of homeschooling. any recommendations for books, websites, magazines, etc. would be greatly appreciated. TIA
 
#2 ·
Actually, I like Yahoo egroups for both:
Waldorf --WE_HS is a Waldorf homeschooling group, very active with lots of info if you do searches

Books: The Nature Corner, All Year Round, You Are Your Child's First Teacher, The Children's Year, Seven Times the Sun, A Child's Seasonal Treasury. I have not read these but have heard that good resources are books like Spindrift, Gateways, and the season books in that series. Oh, and see if you can find someone near you who organizes Mercurious coop orders for homeschoolers
Definitely a better way to get your crayons and a number of other supplies

www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com is a website

Montessori, even more groups on yahoo
I love Montessori makers, montessori preschool at home, montessori materials. Join them even if you don't want to read all the messages (you can do the digest or web only options) because they have great resources in their file areas. Another group I'm not on is playschool6 or something like that.

For pre-3 www.thetoddlertutor.com has a cool discussion board.

I can't remember the name of my so far favorite book! Do a search in this forum as I think there was a thread recently where a Montessori teacher gave some book suggestions. I think the book was Montessori: a Modern Approach. I think I also listed some websites in another Montessori thread.

Sherri
 
#3 ·
I have looked at the books you have recommended and also into the yahoo groups as well. I was already leaning toward Montessori and I have read some articles online about the differences and similarities in the two methods. And my gut is still telling me that I should look into the Montessori method, it is more for my family from what I have done on research thus far. Thanks for all of your help.
 
#4 ·
And you can always do Montessori method as far as exercizes with the 3-6 aged activities and also get some play silks, natural dolls, a simple nature table, whatever your child seems to enjoy of fairy tales and holiday celebrations, and other stuff to encourage fantasy play. They actually mesh kind of well at the younger ages if you're homeschooling and want to pick and choose anyway.

Sherri
 
#5 ·
My favorite Montessori homeschooling references are The Joyful Child and Child of the World ( the first one for your age child). It is catalog style, but with explaination of every tool and activity in the Montessori classrooms, interwoven with Montessori philiosophy, quotes, references and knowledge. You can get them free ( EBOOK) or for a small ship charge you can get the huge colorful catalog from The Michael Olaf Co.

My DD ( 7) has been in Montessori since age 4.I copy 'work' out of the Joyful Child for my 2 year old at home. Works great.

Joyful Child Catalog, and Child of the World
 
#7 ·
There is a book that deals specifically with Montessori and homeschooling. I can't remember the name or the author
: (I'm not much help eh?) but it's out there (it's a woman author). I got it from my local library a few months ago (I'm in Canada though, but I think the book was American anyway). If you're interested and can't find it I can easily try to find it through my library's catalogue on the net. Good luck. It was a good book by the way.
 
#10 ·
I have looked into a few books over the weekend. And it seems like I will be combining the two methods, sorts speak. I have put in a request for Teaching Montessori in the Home and I have also bought the book You are Your Child's First Teacher. So, I will be getting a little bit of both worlds. I think that I can't really let the Waldorf methid of teaching go because of my dh and myself are artistic people. We are musicians, artistws and dancers... so the Waldorf method just feeels right but then the Montessori feelings just as right for us. So, I felt torn until everyone said that I could possibly combine the two methods together. Thanks for all of your help.
 
#11 ·
We like the book 'Natural Structure', it is specifically for Montessori homeschooling and has great resource list.
Also I love 'Montessori Play and Learn', the anything from Michael Olaf. As far as compariong the methods of instruction, they are very different. And the materials for Montessori involve much more prep time and planning.
 
#12 ·
I looked on Amazon for the "Natural Structure" book and it didn't come up. Do you have the name of the author.. So i can look into possibly reading the book. I have heard mixed reviews on the "Montessori Play and Learn" book, some people like and others don't. I'll have to see if our library has it and read it for myself to see if I like it. TIA
 
#14 ·
Natural Structure
A Montessori Approach to Classical Education at Home

By Edward & Nancy Walsh

Every homeschool mother struggles to find the best method and program for homeschooling her children. Classical curriculum? Montessori method? The authors experienced this as well, and they share their journey which led them to Natural Structure:

"We knew Dorothy Sayers was right, as was Dr. Montessori. We were faced with a dilemma. How could these apparently incompatible works be combined? Dorothy Sayers' curriculum is often interpreted as very structured and regimented. Dr. Montessori's method relies on flexibility, free choice of work with subtle guidance and limits, and proceeding at the child's pace. They seemed on the surface to be almost diametrically opposed. Convinced that there was a solution to this problem, and looking carefully below the surface of both, we began to realize that some critical elements were shared. Both rely heavily, classical education in the division of the Trivium and Dr. Montessori in the sequence of work, on the natural development and interests of the child. Both also claim as one result the ability to learn on one's own. Looking at them from this perspective we realized that they could indeed be combined, and in fact complemented each other perfectly. Dorothy Sayers' outline provided the overall framework, while Dr. Montessori's method provided the day-to-day detail. In reality this is simply an extension of the Montessori method which, when closely examined, reveals a pattern of free choice within limits. Dorothy Sayers provided us with the content and Dr. Montessori with the method of our curriculum."

About the Authors

Edward and Nancy Walsh live in **********, Alabama with their three children - Elizabeth, Edward, and Daniel. Dr. Walsh is an Assistant Professor in the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Alabama. Nancy is a full-time homeschooling mom who holds a degree in Computer Science with minors in physics and mathematics. She taught in both classroom and tutorial settings in private professional school and corporate training environments for several years. Both are members of the Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites. They administer a small Church school, St. Thomas Aquinas Academy, which ministers to homeschoolers interested in Montessori and Natural Structure.

Not an in-depth study of Montessori's philosophy and theory, but rather a good introductory condensation which saves those new to either the approach or homeschooling a good deal of reading and research.

Review by Maureen Wittmann, Catholic Home Educator Magazine

"Maria Montessori was a Catholic who sought to not only to educate children, but to nurture their souls. She even wrote a book on explaining the Mass to children. Yet most Montessori schools that dot our landscape are secular. This book takes us back to Montessori's Catholic roots. What I find very special about this book is not only the thoroughness of teaching Montessori's method of education to the parent, but that it uses classical disciplines. A classical education recognizes the different stages in which children learn. The Grammar Stage (ages eight to eleven) builds a foundation by memorizing facts. The Dialectic Stage, sometimes referred to as the Logic Stage (ages twelve to fourteen) develops analytical skills in students. Finally, the Rhetoric Stage (ages fourteen to sixteen) pulls the first two stages together and reaches students the art of articulation. Natural Structure shows parents how to implement Montessori's methods in the home within the context of a classical education. Montessori education is a very hands-on method, utilizing many different types of child-size manipulatives. For the parent, this can be an immense task and it requires a certain level of discipline and organization. Natural Structure helps by providing color photographs of room setup and lesson layouts. Most Montessori schools that I am familiar with, only teach through the sixth grade. Natural Structure, on the other hand, provides lesson plans through twelfth grade. For anyone considering using this approach to education in their home, I would highly recommend this book, as it is thorough and very practical in its advice."
 
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