Our second block of the fifth grade school year was Ancient Cultures, which combined language arts, history, social studies and geography. As an aside, anytime we are not in a math block we always start our day with some math practice on the board, so that those skills do not get forgotten. Our first area of focus was India and it covered two weeks. As usual, we began by mapping India and studying the indigenous plants and animals. We learned the origin story Manu and the Flood. We found references to Atlantis and compared it to Noah's ark. For any of the myths or history stories, we follow a two day schedule of learning. On the first day I tell the story, usually with a chalk drawing I have prepared, and Jack will make a main lesson page drawing. On the following day he will retell the story, in his own words, while we work on language mechanics. Some days he just writes, but if it is a complicated story I may help him make an outline first to make sure we don't leave out any crucial information. We found a beautiful version of the Ramayana in the book A Year Full of Stories. We really enjoyed learning about the faith of India through the Bhagavad-Gita and comparing it to our own values. \ Since the boys are in the school room together, they often hear parts of their brother's main lessons. Will was halfway paying attention to the story of Rama and Sita when he heard mention of the Monkey King, Hanuman. I guess the idea of a Monkey King proved irresistible to Will and he immediately had to drop his own project and get his vision on paper! This is one of my favorite things about homeschooling: that we have the space for this kind of work. Our third week of study focused on Buddha. Again, we compared our own values and faith with The Eightfold Path and the Noble Truths. For our final week of study, we spent the first day mapping Persia. The following day we covered Zarathustra. Again, this was a great opportunity to compare and contrast all of these world religions with our own. How wonderful to see so many core values in common. Later in the week we looked at Xerxes and the wars with Greece. Jack is excited to get to the Ancient Greece block (thanks, Percy Jackson!), so he was eager to hear mention of Sparta. We may have taken more of a Greek focus than was intended, but it's nice to have the student so eager!
In the first grade, the child still feels connected to the world of fairy tales with their inherent archetypes of good, evil, kindness, humility, rewards, punishments and transformation. Those who have been good and kind or have been transformed, live happily ever after. The seven-year-old child, is nurtured within these images - finding that all is right with the world, in the end. These stories are also interweaved into another tale, one of four children from four corners of the world that hav
Main lesson blocks are a central feature of Waldorf education. Are you wondering, "what is a main lesson block?" Let me show you what Waldorf homeschooling has looked like over the years in our house with three children.
Create your own homeschool curriculum plan for main lessons with this outline of the traditional Waldorf block rotation for homeschoolers.
An exciting aspect of the sixth grade Waldorf curriculum is a new area of study: Geology! Of course, students have been studying the earth since the beginning of their academic journeys: agriculture in third grade, gardening class, and more! This block is sometimes given the title “Mineralogy,” w
Ingredients:2 cups apples, diced (such as Granny Smith or Gala)1 cup celery, chopped1 cup red grapes, halved1/2 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped1/2 cup
We chose Waldorf education as it addresses our concerns about societal development, including our disconnection from nature and each other.
I’m so excited to announce that my Waldorf 6th Grade Physics Guide is finished! If you’re getting ready to teach 6th grade, you’re in luck! Because I’ve been working on putting together my 6th grade materials so now I’ve got just what you need to make the year go smoothly Sixth Grade Basics will give […]
Learn the reason behind losing patience with toddlers, how to break the cycle of being impatient with kids. When you keep losing your temper with toddlers.
Martinmas Martinmas is another one of those fantastic holidays, like Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) that most Americans either have never heard of, or only heard of through Waldorf schools. It i…
Preview: Find inspiration and ideas in simple activities and crafts for 3 year olds. In a constant search for new developmental activities, I looked for specific crafts for preschoolers. As I found many beautiful craft ideas and beneficial activities, this time I focused on Waldorf inspired crafts. Mostly inspired by the natural materials and
Find out where to get free Waldorf resources to use in your homeschool.
Happy fall! (Well, almost. Can you tell we’re just a little excited for the change of seasons?)
As I write this post we just finished up with Letter V and are on the home stretch to finish up our first year with The Peaceful Preschool curriculum . I knew when we started this curriculum that I would be repeating it again, and my kids and I are already getting excited to start again with Letter
In this post I'll walk you through why and how to do modeling in the early years and kindergarten and what materials to use. I also have a bonus step-by-step guide to modeling with beeswax for you. Scroll down to the bottom of the page to download and print your copy. xo, Kelly
A summary of the beginning of our Waldorf Inspired Homeschool year for Grades One and Three.
Now that 8th grade graduation is behind me, I’m starting to get all geared up for 1st grade. I’ve got just 3 weeks before my family and I head off for our big summer trip, so I’m wasting no time getting going on my summer prep. Years ago a former colleague of mine put together […]
Let’s dive into the Waldorf upper grades curriculum resources available here at Waldorfish.com! Through art, science, and geometry, Waldorf upper grades curriculum (for grades 5-8) meets the growing student right where they are in their transformation from child to teen. From online homeschooli
Before I had Ocean, I knew that I wanted to take a different type of approach when it came to raising her. I knew I wanted to do a lot of a...
Spring is a busy time for Waldorf teachers. Don't finish the year feeling like you're crawling across the finish line. Get these 6 tasks on your calendar and get busy!
Waldorf is a holistic educational model that strives to teach the whole child... head, heart, and soul. It's appealing and exciting, but can also feel overwhelming! Kirtsee Raki explains how you too can gift your children a Waldorf-inspired education.
First grade is such a sweet, memorable year. It’s the bridge between the kindergarten and elementary years. Like the kindergarten child, the first grader still thrives on days full of play, connection, and rhythm. (For more on supporting these needs, see this post on How to Teach Kindergarten ). Yo
