Category Archives: Homeschooling

First Grade Fairy Tales For Teaching

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I am gathering my list of fairy tales for first grade – you can see the tales I choose the first time through first grade here: https://theparentingpassageway.com/2008/11/25/great-fairy-tales-for-waldorf-first-grade/   (and here were a few more thoughts for those of you who are wondering what Dr. Steiner himself said about introducing the alphabet:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2010/05/20/infusing-waldorf-elements-into-your-christian-homeschool/)

 

This year, I am planning the following: (# in the Pantheon Edition Grimm’s Fairy Tales) Continue reading →

July Homeschool Planning

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 How is everything going for everyone?  I know a lot of mothers who have gotten their curriculum and are reading through everything now.

 

So, my challenge to all of you who are homeschool planning for fall is to make time this month and into August to work on your plans daily if you are not already doing so.  You can get quite a bit done even in fifteen minutes!   I know many homeschooling families who will start mid to late August or right after Labor Day, and the time will be here before you know it.  I am knee- deep in planning for fourth and first grade with a toddler in tow; I think it is going to be a great year!

 

I would love to hear from you all what you are working on and what plans you have. If you have a blog and are posting plans, I would also  love for you to include the link to your blog.

 

Can’t wait to connect with everyone,

Carrie

Guest Post On First Grade Readiness: A Comprehensive Look Through High School

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(7/16/2011 – Comments on this post are now closed!  Thank you for all your comments and questions!)

Our guest post today comes from Donna Simmons of Christopherus Homeschool Resources (http://www.christopherushomeschool.org/home.html).  This is a very comprehensive look at the topic of first grade readiness.  This article includes her perspective as a Waldorf educator, but also as a parent and homeschooler, and includes a deep understanding of the foundation of Waldorf Education, but also includes more mainstream resources for those of you seeking those.

This article is long, but I encourage you to read all of it.   Donna will be answering your questions left in the comment box in regards to this post, and we both look forward to hearing your thoughts. 

Here is Donna….. Continue reading →

Working With “Brambly Hedge” for First Grade Form Drawing

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I have gotten a few emails asking me about how “form drawing with Brambly Hedge” is going.  I first wrote about this idea here:  https://theparentingpassageway.com/2011/01/22/two-ideas-for-firstsecond-grade-blocks/

 

When we start school, it will still be very summertime weather here in the Deep South.  So, my first thought was to incorporate the summer and autumn Brambly Hedge books into this two-week form drawing block.  I picked a two-week block as opposed to a three or four week block because I think this particular child will be fatigued by a longer block of form drawing at this point in time.

 

My fourth grader will be doing local geography and as such will be creating a map of her room, our home, the yard in the first part of this block, so I thought it might be fun for my first grader to have something “map-ish” as well…. So: Continue reading →

Deconstructing Grade Two

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Grade Two promises to be an interesting year as not only is there a wide variety of stories to choose from (legends, tall tales, Saints, Jataka Tales, animal stories, Aesop’s fables, trickster tales) but also a wide range of academic, social and emotional abilities and levels amongst eight year olds.

Here are a few thoughts for heading into grade two: Continue reading →

Deconstructing First Grade

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So, I am busy planning a second go round with first grade (along with fourth).  First grade is really fun, simple to plan (I know it probably doesn’t feel that way when you are going through it for the first time, though!), and can be simply magical.

I think there are several things to consider when planning First Grade. Continue reading →

Deconstructing the Six Year Old Kindergarten Year

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Have you ever heard of a deconstructed salad? It is a salad that has all the components separately instead of mixed all together.  For those “When Harry Met Sally” fans, it is kind of all “on the side.”

I think the six-year-old kindergarten year is a bit like that; sometimes we have to really analyze the separate components and tailor those components.

This last year of kindergarten need not be intense, but I  think six- year -olds do need something “more”.  And we are fortunate that in the home environment we able to meet our child where they are. Continue reading →

Waldorf School Graduates

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Three phases of research findings regarding graduates of Waldorf Schools in North America are up for free at The On-Line Waldorf  Library.

These study findings are really much too long to be summarized in a blog post in any manner that will do justice to them, but I think a few points can be pulled out.  I do encourage you to go and read all of the findings so these things are put within the proper context. Continue reading →

Guest Post: One Mother’s Experience With A Waldorf-Inspired Third Grade

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(This guest post is written by a friend of mine who lives in my region of the U.S. She writes in):

As I write this I am enjoying a homemade sourdough English muffin, topped with homemade cheese and homemade strawberry jam. This, my friends, is the real reward of doing a Waldorf-inspired third grade year! We have just finished Grade 3, and what a fun year it has been. Although I have always homeschooled my boys, this has been our first year using Waldorf-inspired methods. I began our year by meditating on my son, Vincent, who turned 9 this past December. My number one goal for him was to get him out of his head a bit (well, a lot), which meant less reading and more physical activity. I also wanted to try to calm his mind and focus him to finish a task. Lower on my list of things to accomplish was to teach him all 4 processes in math, as we had only done addition and subtraction previously. And of course, there is my constant quest as a parent to encourage reverence, empathy and connection in both my boys.

Continue reading →

Getting Fathers On Board With Homeschooling

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This topic comes up frequently: how do I get my husband or partner on board with homeschooling?

This is a great topic, and a very important one.  In order for homeschooling to work, it really has to be a family endeavor and one in which both you and your partner are on the same page. Continue reading →