Take home lessons from a Waldorf preschool

by on May 6, 2013
in methods & philosophies · 23 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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When home is school

by on April 3, 2013
in methods & philosophies · 13 Comments

the great balancing act
Written by contributor Jena of Yarns of the Heart

We all know the feeling, right? School schedules versus family time. Housework versus textbooks. Who wins? Who should win? After homeschooling three kids to high school graduation, here are my thoughts on the subject.

#1 Life is learning.

Try to look at daily life as full of learning opportunities. Going to the grocery store is vocabulary instruction (what is a pomegranate?) and a math lesson (how much is this item per ounce?). It’s also economics (let’s stay within our budget). Here’s a link to free resources dealing with a trip to the grocery store.

Any routine family activity involves learning. Just let your kids in on your thinking processes. Why are we doing this? How can we do it more efficiently, more economically? You’ll be amazed at what they discover.
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The myth of the uninvolved unschooler

by on March 25, 2013
in methods & philosophies · 71 Comments


Jamie Martin, editor of Simple Homeschool also writes about motherhood at Steady Mom

I remember the first time I heard the term unschooling. I was standing on a street corner chatting with a homeschooling neighbor, who used the term.

“What’s that?” I asked.

While I can’t remember her exact definition, I remember my reaction–far from positive. It sounded to me as though unschooling parents ignored their children, not getting really involved in their education.

I knew it wasn’t for me since the idea of traditional homeschooling already freaked me out. But then an evolution occurred. And I now find myself parked most resolutely on the informal side of the homeschooling spectrum.

I’m not the type who likes being put into a box, so I don’t label myself or my family. We pull from a variety of influences in our homeschool–unschooling/interest-led learning, Waldorf, and leadership education predominantly. But basically, we just do what works and what best fits our needs.

Last year Jena wrote a post about the two foundational principles of unschooling–that children are born to learn, and that forced learning kills the desire to learn.

But what exactly do unschoolers do all day? That varies as much as individual families vary–in other words, a lot! But as I’ve come to know more unschoolers, it seems to me that we often have in common the following six focuses.
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10 homeschooling stereotypes (& their rebuttals)

by on March 20, 2013
in methods & philosophies · 47 Comments

classroomWritten by contributor Amida of Journey into Unschooling

So you’re thinking about homeschooling. Here are a few basic items you need to get started:

  • A designated school room, where you gather to teach the kids their lessons every day.
  • A schedule, obviously, so you know which topics to cover every day.
  • A curriculum, so you know what to teach them every day.
  • A degree, preferably in education, so you are qualified to teach them every day.

Got everything? Good. Let’s get started…

This seems to be the general idea of what goes on in our house daily. I probably thought the same when I first researched homeschooling, and while it may hold true for some, this type of environment and structure doesn’t work for us.

Since I get asked a lot about our personal experience, mostly on the hows and whys, I thought I’d share some of the most common homeschooling stereotypes I’ve come across along with my rebuttals.
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How I discovered Waldorf (and how you can, too)

by on March 15, 2013
in methods & philosophies · 6 Comments

brooke wet paintingThe following is a guest post by Donna Ashton of The Waldorf Connection.

When my twin girls were three and a half my husband and I decided we would homeschool them.

I had no idea what curriculum I would use and had never heard of Waldorf Education.

I attended a homeschool fair in my state and purchased a book called 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum. The book contained a short quiz, designed to help determine what educational style would be best for me and my family.

As a Type-A over-achiever, I was shocked when my results ended up in a tie between unschooling and Charlotte Mason.

I discovered I wanted something that didn’t look or feel like traditional school. Something that would give my girls real life knowledge and a love for learning.
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So, how do you homeschool?

by on November 21, 2012
in methods & philosophies · 7 Comments

Written by contributor Amida of Journey into Unschooling.

“You cannot teach a man anything; you can only help him find it within himself.”

~Galileo Galilei

When people first find out that I homeschool my children, their first response is inevitably, “Wow — That’s great!” followed closely by, “How do you do it?”

They wonder if there is a set schedule with a set curriculum. To them, “homeschool” translates to “school at home”. They comment on how hard it must be to keep four kids under control or even hint at my brilliance for being able to “teach” them everything they need to know.

Usually, I just shrug it off and say it’s not really anything extraordinary. It’s all we know and very much just a part of our lives. If anything,  I find the act of getting kids to and from school and extracurricular activities, in addition to making sure they complete all their homework everyday to be an amazing feat all its own.
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