I am fairly new to homeschooling and fairly new to TWTM and Waldorf. But I combine the classical method and the Waldorf method and it works well for my children.

Regarding history in the early grades, I don’t see that much difference as in listening to fairy tale stories / saints stories. It takes the child to another land. Like someone said, a good story is a good story. So if a younger sibling hears a saints story, it is alright.

We do memorize a lot of facts but like Faiza says, it does not require the child to understand it and is akin to listening to songs/learning a foreign language. This is to take advantage that the child absorbs and retains the info much easier at this age. When they come to the material again in the higher grades, they will not spend a lot of time on the “vocabulary/grammar” of the material and is ready to go into the material deeper.

I like that Waldorf is sensitive to “mirroring” the child though stories but honestly had a tough time with it when my daughter was 6 and listening to fairy tales. Now she is 7 1/2, the fairy tales are working out better for her. But sometimes, I just feel it’s hard to tell and to be sure. I don’t feel it is necessary to wait until 7 years to start academics. It depends on the particular child though in China, formal academics also starts when the child is 7 .

I also like that Waldorf is “holistic” and is concerned with the whole child and not just academics. I think the math stories are fantastic and makes it much more fun and alive for everyone. The hand work in Waldorf is another reason I appreciate this method of education.

Anyway, I enjoy following your blog and haven’t seen this post until today.

Just to let you know, I am pretty much in the waldorf camp even as I say the following.

Your comparison, though helpful, would’ve been more accurate if you had been comparing, say, christopherus home school resources vs well trained mind. As of now, its a comparison between a philosophy (waldorf) vs a specific approach (well trained mind) to another philosophy (classical).

It seems to me that giving a child lots of things to memorize, without asking him to understand or analyze it, would be in the “willing” sphere and therefore in accord with waldorf. It does not seem to be unduly awakening, if he is not asked about it, akin to memorizing poems in a foreign language.

Getting the child to read early might be just specific to well trained mind and not to classical education, although I do not know for sure.

Thanks again, and looking forward to more!
Faiza

“First Grade – Ancients, Second Grade – Medieval- early Renaissance, Third Grade- Late Renaissance-early Modern, Fourth Grade- Modern.”

How is a child supposed to relate to that material? Might as well just throw geology in first grade too. How about a little chemistry in second grade.

As I’m currently reading Rhythms of Learning, this is most useful for me.

I’ve had many of the same feelings about WTM, but couldn’t have possibly articulated them well.

More power to the homeschooling families that finds WTM works for them, though, I’m not trying to be critical or judgemental.

Mary