Author: Jen

There’s a graphic I’ve seen recently on Facebook that briefly explains several different styles of homeschooling. Of course, I honed in on the part about Waldorf, which said something like “subjects are not taught separately.”

I don’t know who made the graphic or where that information came from, but not only is that for the most part not true about Waldorf, it doesn’t even come close to the essence of what Waldorf is.

But what is Waldorf?

Having learned about Waldorf education through Facebook groups and the occasional book for the past two years, I decided it was time to learn more from the source of this type of education—Rudolf Steiner, who lived from 1861 to 1925 and founded the first Waldorf school.

Through the transcript of a lecture he gave in 1919, I found out how deep his sorrow for humanity was as he experienced the destruction all around him wrought by World War I. He believed the educational system of the previous few centuries had developed the type of people who would commit these kinds of atrocities against fellow humans.

He wanted to create a new type of education that would develop not only the intellect, but also the soul and the spirit of people so they would have compassion on others.

He believed government was educating for the purpose of training up workers instead of shaping people into the fullness of humanity, and arbitrarily laying out standards of learning instead of teaching students through a proper view of child development. (What is Waldorf Education? Rudolf Steiner three lectures)

So what is Waldorf?

The blurb on the back cover of Peter Selg’s “The Essence of Waldorf Education” sums it up well.

“…Waldorf education is future-oriented, based on a holistic worldview that is simultaneously humanistic, scientific, and spiritual, and unfolds through a developmental curriculum and a teacher-student relationship based in love.”

There are many ways to do Waldorf education, but in order to truly be Waldorf, it must embody that spirit.

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If you’re ready to plan first grade, or grade one, homeschooling, you’re in the right place! I want to share my overall first grade homeschool plan. I hope it will help you with your planning.

Here are the subjects I’ll be including in first grade:

• Form drawing
• Language arts
• Math
• American history
• Nature study
• Foreign language
• Art
• Handwork
• Music

Form drawing, language arts, and math will be in the main lesson block rotation. I don’t know yet how many weeks I will spend on each block, but here is the sequence of topics from Jamie York Press.

• Form drawing
• Language arts (letters)
• Math (quality of numbers)
• Language arts (letters)
• Math (four mathematical processes)
• Language arts (letters)
• Math (“From counting to math”)
• Language arts (letters)

Here is what I expect a typical homeschool day will look like on Monday-Thursday. Fridays will be reserved for family, friends, field trips, and festival preparations.

• Circle time (Bible story, songs, verses, warm-up exercises)
• Main lesson
• Nature study (outside)
• Lunch
• Rest time
• Painting, modeling, drawing, knitting, and/or recorder
• Snack, tea, and books
• Foreign language game
• American history

Take what you like from this and add and subtract as needed. The beautiful thing about homeschooling is that everyone can customize it to fit their family!

I want to share how homeschooling your kids in kindergarten can be a low-stress experience. I believe Waldorf is the best homeschool for kindergarten.

In the Waldorf philosophy:

• Play is the focus of early childhood (birth through kindergarten)
• Seasonal, weekly, and daily rhythms guide activities
• Academic work, such as sitting down to learn letters and numbers, begins in first grade
• Children need to move their bodies
• Kindergarten repeats over two years

If you follow this philosophy for kindergarten, you won’t need to try to hold a very young child’s attention on a worksheet or worry about which phonics and sight words programs give the best preparation for first grade.

Instead, you can enjoy stories, songs, verses, and fingerplays. You’ll have ample time to prepare for yearly celebrations by making decorations and special food. Your child can work with watercolors, beeswax modeling, and crafts, all of which will give him or her skills that will help with math, reading, and writing when those are formally introduced. In addition, time for free play will foster imagination and provide a balance to quieter activities.

Here is my basic plan for a kindergarten day.

Circle time (Bible story, songs, verses, fingerplays)

Nature walk (around a block in our neighborhood)

Morning activity

• Monday: bake
• Tuesday: watercolors
• Wednesday: beeswax modeling
• Thursday: craft

Play together, prepare lunch, eat, and clean up

Rest time

Afternoon activity (Monday: free play at home, Tuesday: library, Wednesday: free play at home, Thursday: group nature walk at a park)

Tea & snack with books

Free play (while I clean, prep dinner, exercise, etc.)

Fridays are reserved for family, friends, field trips, and festival (holiday/birthday) preparations.

I truly believe these activities are rich experiences for young children and valuable for letting them soak in all childhood has to offer while they are still so very young.

If you want to learn more about this philosophy, you can go to the main page, where you’ll find articles that go more in-depth about Waldorf education and how to give you and your child a low-stress homeschooling experience.

I woke up this morning thinking about the “heart” of homeschooling.

In Waldorf education, the whole child is educated. This includes the hands (or will), heart, and head.

From birth to around age seven, children are learning how to use their bodies and accomplish goals like building towers and making mud pies. These activities involve the hands and the will.

By the time children start first grade, if they have been given ample opportunities to activate their will, they are usually ready to sit down for lessons. Although this is academic work, it primarily involves the heart because lessons are taught through stories and imagination. The hands and will are now working on writing and drawing in lesson books, and both the hands and heart are involved with art, handwork, and music.

High school lessons are focused mainly on the head, or intellectual, work, but these students can continue in art and handwork to bring the heart into their education.

Bringing the heart into homeschooling adds a nice balance to academic work. Even better, doing art or handwork together can give you and your child a relaxed time to connect with each other.

Here are some ideas for different age ranges:

Ages 2 – 7: acrylic and watercolor painting, finger painting, open ended crafting (with scissors, glue, crayons, paper, etc. and no end goal in mind), play dough, baking, wet wool felting, finger knitting for older children.

Ages 7 – 14: wet-on-wet watercolor painting, beeswax modeling, simple sewing (with felt, yarn, and a large needle), weaving, baking, playing an instrument, learning main lessons through stories.

As children get older in this age range, they can learn purling, crochet, cross stitch, needle felting, embroidering, sewing, and just about any other handwork you can think of.

Ages 14+: a continuation of previous skills and taking on or designing more advanced projects, as well as picking up skills that were not learned in previous years.

If children are learning about a modern or historical culture as part of their main lesson work, I like the idea of exploring related art and handwork. For example, quilling was popular during Colonial America, although it started much earlier, possibly in China or Egypt. Whenever my daughter does a study on Colonial America, I fully intend to try quilling with her (maybe more for me than for her since I’ve wanted to learn it for years!)

I hope you and your child will choose a project and enjoy your “heart” work together.

It’s always a challenge to figure out how to fit everything in during a day. I like to have a daily rhythm so our lives have some repetition and don’t feel chaotic. Rhythms are similar to routines, but they are different from schedules because activities don’t have to happen at a certain time of day. Instead, they happen in a particular order.

Here is the preschool rhythm I’m currently using. Of course, it will get interrupted at times or we will choose to forgo the afternoon routine to go on a field trip or visit a friend. Overall, though, it will help guide us through the day so we can accomplish tasks and make room for important activities.

Daily Rhythm for Preschool Homeschool

I like to wake up and get ready for the day before my child so I can read the Bible, journal, and pray. I also walk my dog when the weather is nice.

Child’s morning routine – potty, get dressed, brush teeth

Breakfast – prep, eat, and clean up

Laundry – start a load in the washing machine

Read a Bible story to child

Oak Meadow preschool activity

Free play (I do my cleaning chore for the day, and then we can stay inside or go outside. I might play with my child, catch up on things, make phone calls, or work on projects.)

Lunch – prep, eat, and clean up

Laundry – move load to dryer and hang up clothes to dry if needed

Rest time (I don’t make my daughter stay in her room anymore because if she naps, she can’t fall asleep at bedtime. I tell her that rest time is when I work on my own things, and I try to get her to play by herself. I’m using rest time to work on this website.)

Creative time – paint, model with beeswax or play-doh, bake, or make a craft

Free play (Same as the morning free play, but without the cleaning chore.)

Snack or tea time with books and songs, verses, and/or fingerplays

Laundry – put away

Exercise video (For me, but my child likes to watch and sometimes participates.)

Free play (Same as the morning free play, but without the cleaning chore.)

Dinner – prep, eat, and clean up

Child’s bedtime routine – bath (most days), brush teeth, jammies, recite memory verse and pray together, book

After my child goes to bed, I like to work on vocal exercises and play my keyboard.

Creating Your Daily Rhythm

Do you want a sense of rhythm in your days? First write down your “anchors,” which are points throughout each day that stay the same. Meals are anchors that a lot of people find easy to use. Then make a list of activities you want your children to do every day and another list of pursuits that are important to you personally.

You might have activities that happen once or twice a week, like swim lessons. To make your rhythm flow better, I would suggest scheduling those activities during a more flexible part of the day. For example, I put my “must-do’s” in the morning (Bible, preschool activity, and clean) with the intention to make doctor appointments or go to the library in the afternoons. I’m okay with my afternoon schedule getting interrupted.

If I sign my daughter up for swim lessons this summer, and they are in the morning, I will move my flexible schedule to the mornings on all the days, not just the day of the swim lesson. That is my preference, though, because of my personality. You might be okay with shuffling the rhythm around on one or two days a week.

Once you know your anchors and lessons/obligations, fill in the rest of the day with the other activities you want your child to do. To free up more time, see if you can pair up some activities, like reading books during snack time, gardening during outside play time, or having a sensory bin available in the kitchen while you wash dishes.

Then figure out where you can fit in your pursuits. You might need to narrow your list or not do everything every day if you’re having trouble figuring out when to do them. I use time before my child wakes up, after she goes to bed, rest time, and sometimes free play time.

It may take time, but keep tweaking your rhythm until you find a routine that works for your children and for you.

Music is one of many valuable parts of Waldorf education. It includes singing, learning instruments, playing music with others, developing singing technique, and singing with a chorus. Children learn to enjoy music and to express themselves through it.

It may not be possible to include every aspect of music education when homeschooling, and that’s okay. If your child learns to love music, he or she can continue pursuing that interest as an adult.

In early childhood, parents sing songs to guide the child through the day. There might be songs about brushing teeth and washing hands, cleaning up toys, or transitioning from one activity to the next. In kindergarten, songs with movements are enjoyed during circle time. Many of these songs are seasonal.

The following sequence for grades one through twelve comes from the Waldorf Essentials curriculum chart.

Children in first grade learn how to play the recorder, and in third grade, they add a string instrument. In fourth grade, it’s recommended that they play a string or wind instrument and the piano. They join an orchestra in fifth grade and begin to learn singing technique in sixth grade (possibly as part of a chorus).

High school is less clear, as the chart just lists music. Perhaps the child’s interest could be followed at this point into a deeper engagement with their preferred instrument or vocal training. At some point, I would like to explore the history of music with my daughter.

If you aren’t musical, the long list of instruments might be intimidating. You can definitely hire teachers for your children. I’m planning to relearn the recorder and teach my daughter how to play it. Then I hope to find teachers for her to learn piano (even though I play it) and violin. I may even learn violin along with her! It may be possible for your child to join your local school’s band or a community youth orchestra.

Free Resource: Embracing Music

In the Library, there’s a free resource you can use to consider how you might be able to include music in your homeschooling. Enter your password to access the Library, and then look for “Embracing Music.”

If you don’t have a password yet, you can get one by subscribing to Homeschool Rest and Restore by filling out the form below. I’ll also let you know about other free resources and new curriculum.

Name:

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Handwork is a type of crafting done with the hands such as weaving, knitting, crocheting, or wood carving.

Both boys and girls participate in all types of handwork, whether or not the crafts are perceived as “male” or “female” pursuits.

Some common types of handwork in Waldorf education are:

• wet wool felting
• wool felting
• finger knitting
• knitting & purling
• crochet
• weaving
• cross-stitch
• embroidery
• hand-sewing
• doll-making
• candle-making
• wood-carving

During preschool, children start with simple handwork and progress to more advanced work as they get older.

Handwork provides many benefits to children. Knitting strengthens the hands at the same time children are learning how to hold a pencil and write. It also provides an opportunity to count stitches and follow a pattern. When children begin learning cursive, the looping motion of crochet mimics the circular shapes that are written.

Children can learn project management skills by planning a project and carrying it to completion. They learn how to handle frustration when they need to fix mistakes or start over. Perhaps best of all, they gain a sense of accomplishment when they see their finished work.

If you don’t know how to do handwork, there is an abundance of resources online that can help you learn. You might even find local classes or another homeschool parent willing to help. Handwork sessions would be a unique way to build community with nearby families.

Free Resource: Handwork Possibilities

In the Library, there’s a free resource you can use to reflect on your own handwork knowledge and make plans for your child. Enter your password to access the Library, and then look for “Handwork Planner.”

If you don’t have a password yet, you can get one by subscribing to Homeschool Rest and Restore by filling out the form below. I’ll also let you know about other free resources and new curriculum.

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It didn’t take any convincing for me to get on board with incorporating seasonal rhythms into our lives. I love being in nature and seeing how it changes through each season. Flowers push up through soil wet with snow runoff and spring rain. Summer thunderstorms roll in. Orange and yellow leaves crackle, their scent mingling with smoke from backyard fire pits. And in winter, snow falls to blanket the earth with a quiet known only in the stillness of that season.

In the spring, my daughter pulls on her rainboots and happily splashes in puddles. She loves running through the sprinkler and picking cherry tomatoes in the summer. In autumn, she collects leaves on our nature walks, and in winter, she sets out water in pails so she can break ice on the driveway.

We run outside to feel the heat of the sun, and months later huddle under blankets. We bundle up in scarves and hats and boots and then store them away when the sunshine and warm breezes return. Since our lives change in response to the changing seasons, it makes sense to me to embrace these seasonal rhythms and use them to fuel my daughter’s education.

Rhythm is a huge part of Waldorf education. Even as young children struggle to understand time, rhythms help them interpret their lives and surroundings. Like a beating heart, seasonal rhythms will carry them through the years. They will remember the sights, sounds, scents, and tastes of childhood and the unique traditions we share with them.

There are many ways to integrate the seasons into your lives. You can make it as simple as observing what you see outside throughout the year. If you wish, you can add special songs, stories, and recipes that relate to the time of year. There’s a good chance you’re already doing this in some way, whether it’s baking pumpkin donuts in the fall or drinking hot cocoa after building a snowman. When I lived in Florida, seasonal changes were more subtle, but winter was the time to go to the beach and find treasures like sea beans washed ashore.

Seasons also contain festivals, which is a broader term that includes any holidays you celebrate. Getting ready for festivals by making decorations and special food add a special touch to the seasons.

Seasonal activities and celebrations will be unique to your family. As a child, I lived in a town whose pride was the high school football team, so Friday nights were spent at the stadium. Raking leaves and jumping in leaf piles filled many autumn days. In winter, we baked Christmas cookies and went to church on Christmas Eve. Winter into spring was basketball season, and even though I always read books during the games, my parents took me with them. In the summer, we went to Scottish bagpipe band competitions on the weekends and made our annual trek to Myrtle Beach.

What is unique to your family? What do you want your child to remember from each season and celebration you spend together?

Free Resource: Seasonal Rhythm Planner

In the Library, there’s a free resource to help you think about how to embrace each season with your family. Enter your password to access the Library, and then look for “Seasonal Rhythm Planner.”

If you don’t have a password yet, you can get one by subscribing to Homeschool Rest and Restore by filling out the form below. I’ll also let you know about other free resources and new curriculum.

I’m cleaning up the dishes when suddenly there’s a growl at my feet. When I look down, there’s a cheetah — in the form of a four-year old girl. Yesterday she was a kitty, and a dragon the day before that. Cushions have been piled on the couch to make a castle, and a blanket draped over chairs makes a fort. The laundry room floor is water, and somewhere in the hallway dangerous quicksand must be avoided. Oh, and I mustn’t forget the dark forest in the living room that we trek through at night. My daughter is full of play.

A play-based childhood is ideal from birth through the kindergarten years. In this scenario, formal academics begin in first grade.

In these early years, children learn through self-directed play, where they choose what, when, where, and how to play. Of course parents set boundaries around some of this, such as time of day for free play and what rooms of the house this can happen in. But children direct much of their play, and the way they choose to play with an object might be different from the object’s original purpose. Cushions become towers. A length of yarn transforms into a snake. You may not have a clue why the new pack of pipe cleaners has been scattered around the house, but your child knows why.

Free play, when possible, should make up the majority of a child’s day when he or she is not eating or sleeping. This doesn’t mean you can’t read books together or go to the grocery store, but it does mean to be intentional about including time for free play in your days.

You don’t have to stay at home for free play, either. You can spend time in nature, enjoy the sandbox, go to a playground, or visit a children’s museum. The libraries near me have children’s areas with toys, and the local art and history museum has a sensory room with toys and puzzles.

In self-directed free play, a child learns to use his or her will. The will needs to develop so a child can learn to make choices and follow through on their decisions.

There are many other benefits of play. Children grow in their imaginations. They learn how to entertain themselves. When they encounter something frustrating, they can choose to walk away or push through the frustration. In their physical development, they learned how to grasp a toy and crawl and walk without being taught. In a similar way, they will build skills as they play without being told what they should do next.

Over the years, academics have been pushed lower and lower in the grades to the point where preschoolers are doing activities that aren’t developmentally appropriate, such as sitting to do worksheets. There is no need to push academic skills when there is so much benefit from time spent in play. A child gets only one childhood, so let the children play.

Free Resource: Making Time for Play

In the Library, there’s a free resource you can use to take a look at your week and see if your child has enough time for self-directed free play. Enter your password to access the Library, and then look for “Making Time for Play.”

If you don’t have a password yet, you can get one by subscribing to Homeschool Rest and Restore by filling out the form below. I’ll also let you know about other free resources and new curriculum.

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At the 3 Rs Homeschool, Jesus Christ is first in our lives. That means we want to honor Him with everything we do, including the way we homeschool. We include God in our day through reading the Bible, praying together, and loving each other.

We believe that parents, not the church, are responsible for raising their children to know Christ. The church assists with this through ministries for children and families.

We set an example with our words and our actions. My husband and I teach our daughter Bible verses, and we pray with her. We read Biblical stories to her and talk about sin and forgiveness. At church, she sees us serving others, and at home, she sees us reading scripture.

The 3 Rs Curriculum will not include material that Christians, in general, find objectionable. If you have a question about whether or not a specific topic is included in the curriculum, please send me a message through the contact form on this website.

Free Resource: Honoring God Through Homeschool

In the Library, there’s a free resource you can use to plan how to put God first in your homeschooling day. Enter your password to access the Library, and then look for “Honoring God Through Homeschool.”

If you don’t have a password yet, you can get one by subscribing to Homeschool Rest and Restore by filling out the form below. I’ll also let you know about other free resources and new curriculum.

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Email:

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Powered by AWeber Email Marketing