It is that planning time of year again, and I wanted to share with you all six books that I have found really indispensable on this homeschooling adventure.  All except one will carry you through all of the grades, so here goes!

1. “Creative Pathways:  Activities That Strengthen the Child’s Cognitive Forces” by Elizabeth Auer.   This book only has 94 pages, but is oversized and actually covers a lot of material for grades one through eight in terms of projects, drawing, plays. modeling and handwork for each grade. This is one of the only places I have seen that details how to do veil paintings of a cave, talks about main lesson book binding, fourth grade main lesson dioramas and so many other wonderful ideas.

2.  “Learning About The World Through Modeling” by Arthur Auer.  This book is 228 pages long, and details modeling projects and approaches for grades one through eight, including platonic solids for eighth grade and many approaches toward modeling figures for the upper grades.

3.  “Waldorf Education in Practice: Exploring How Children Learn in the Lower Grades” by Else Gottgens.  This book, to me is a MUST HAVE for the lower grades as it details the practice children need for development of skills and HOW to do this in a Waldorf way.  I think practice of academic skills in the lower grades is an area that gets far too little discussion on the Internet.  This book is 133 pages long and is just full of gems.

4.  “The Christopherus Waldorf Curriculum Overview for Homeschoolers” by Donna Simmons.  To me, there is just  nothing else like this out on the market.  It details Waldorf Education and homeschooling, goes through what all eight grades would look like at a school and then in the home, goes through topic by topic what the progression of each subject would be by grade, includes a million resources, reading lists and ideas to think about, includes how to plan, frequently asked questions.  It is 239 pages long.   A good read for beginners or for experienced homeschoolers who need to be reminded about each grade and can use the resources and reading lists.

5.  “Drawing With Hand, Head and Heart: A Natural Approach to the Learning of the Art of Drawing” by Van James.  There are quite a few reviews about this book , so here is a link to several articles:  http://www.waldorftoday.com/2013/08/drawing-with-hand-head-and-heart-beyond-the-right-side-of-the-brain/  and  here from Becca:  http://cedarringmama.wordpress.com/2013/08/17/waldorf-book-review-drawing-with-hand-head-and-heart/.  This book includes all kinds of drawings – crayon, pencil, charcoal, portraiture, form drawing, geometric, perspective drawing – and cover the early years through high school.

6.  “Painting and Drawing in Waldorf Schools Classes 1 to 8” by Thomas Wildgruber.  Not everyone liked this book, but I certainly did.  At 384 pages and in color, there are so many examples for each grade.  This book is more plate after plate after plate of examples, some with instructions, but I think anyone with initiative and will could try to reproduce these examples with their basic art supplies and see what they get.  You need time and will to go through this book, but I still suggest it.

A few picks for your planning.

Many blessings,

Carrie