About KaraA

Kara is a freelance journalist who writes most frequently about parenting, homeschooling and healthy living. She can be reached at ksawrites@gmail.com.

Take home lessons from a Waldorf preschool

by on May 6, 2013
in methods & philosophies · 27 Comments

The following is a guest post written by Kara Anderson.

For three years I had been wondering about joining a particular local weekly homeschool co-op.

And, then, last winter, I got my sign — they were offering a Waldorf preschool class, taught by a trained Waldorf teacher.

We try to be Waldorfy, I thought, as I recalled all the failed circle times and the fact that despite following the “rules” my son started reading at 3.

As we entered that beautiful classroom on the first day, I was so excited. Finally, I will get to see all this Waldorfness in action and transfer it to our life.

While it is true that I learned a lot (I was invited to observe and at times pitch in a bit) the lessons were unexpected. But bringing what I learned home has helped us find a balance that truly works.
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The Learning That Happens in the Spaces Between

by on July 8, 2011
in a mom's education · 24 Comments

The following is a guest post written by Kara Anderson of The Very Next Thing.

I was talking with a new friend recently. She is the first person who I have actually met who uses the same curriculum I do and it was a relief to connect with someone familiar with the work we were doing every day.

I was telling her how much we enjoy using our curriculum resources, but that I did have a mid-year panic attack over the feeling that I wasn’t “doing enough.” To clarify, this was not panic that my children were not learning enough. It was fear that as a parent, I was not doing enough formal teaching.

And that is how we started talking about the “spaces between.”

So much learning takes place in the time that is not formal home schooling, but sometimes as parents we feel like that doesn’t count, or even (if we are record keepers) that we are not allowed to count it.

I am homeschooling a 4 year old and a 7 year old. There’s a lot we do when we are not sitting at the dining room table — cooking, crafts, field trips, chores and spending time with friends.

But the following are the learning experiences that stood out to me, and they embody what I think we will all remember when we look back on these years spent learning at home.
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8 Ways Having a Rhythm Helps a Mom’s Day

by on February 16, 2011
in a mom's education · 32 Comments

The following is a guest post written by Kara Anderson of The Very Next Thing.

It was a few days after Christmas, and our house was a mess. The pantry was empty and there was a house-wide sock shortage.

It was at that point, I realized, that we had definitely lost our rhythm.

I first came across the idea of rhythm when reading about Waldorf education methods a few years ago. It appealed to me as a way to help my children know what to expect in the course of a day, week or even season.

Only later did I realize how rhythm brings me a personal inner-peace, and how that positively impacts our days.

It often takes a busy time (like the holidays or vacation) to realize the many ways that having a rhythm helps me as a mother.
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Tourschooling: How to Make Any Trip Educational

by on November 3, 2010
in field trips · 17 Comments

The following is a guest post written by Kara Anderson of The Very Next Thing.

Last year, my husband and I sat down to look at our finances and were not exactly shocked to see that we wouldn’t be heading to Spain for a family vacation.

But he had some time off available, and we wanted to spend it having a family adventure. It was around that time that his parents invited us to Wisconsin Dells — the land of wax museums, T-shirt shops and waterslides.

That sounded like a terrific get-away. But as homeschoolers, we like our vacations to offer educational opportunities too.

My husband and I often say that if we had the time and resources, we would be tourschoolers – traveling the globe as a family and learning along the way.

And so, we challenged ourselves to tourschool our way through our Wisconsin visit.

Since then, we’ve taken other family trips, and have realized that if you approach your vacation, long weekend or holiday travel with a solid plan, any trip can be both educational and fun.

Here’s how:
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