Is My Child Ready for School?
How do you know if your child isn't ready for school?
What age is best for a child to start school?
How do you know if you are ready for school?
Such a hotly debated subject in some circles, while in others it is not even thought about. Mainstream wisdom would have us thinking that earlier is always better and a child who starts at school or homeschooling at age four might have an advantage over others. Sounds right doesn't it? The sooner the better! Well I invite you to stand back a bit and examine how children really work, it is easy to see these little sponges and think that they are just waiting for us to fill them up by putting them in the “right” learning environment, it is often forgotten that they have been in the right environment since birth and this is where they should stay until they are ready to move on. So what is that magical age?
Steiner on Early Reading
Common questions:
I came across this great Steiner quote today that I wanted to share. Really, to me, it comes down to whether or not you have a strong testimony of this method of education - do you believe Steiner's work to be inspired... if your answer is yes then trust nature. If however you do not have a testimony of his work, then you may need to stand back and evaluate things for yourself. Now I don't believe that in this text he is addressing those who naturally read on their own, only the abstract nature of teaching a young child to read before giving them an artistic, living background through writing and pictures first. Plus one other VERY important thing to remember when you begin comparing your child to Johnny down the street is that reading is a process. Johnny's teacher might say that he can...
Saturday Share : Louis Farm, Nature-Inspired Magazine for Children Ages 3 to 11
As a seasoned Waldorf parent, I always appreciate it when I can get a little help in the story telling department! I absolutely love making up stories for my children, just as Steiner recommended, but I always remind myself that for all his brilliance, Rudolf Steiner was not a parent! Making up all the stories is a lofty goal but not exactly practical all the time. Through the years I’ve enjoyed the content in my favorite series by Wynstones press, these have a certain charm between the music and the stories - stories that you can tell time and again. Now I’ve been impressed with a couple new publications that I am excited to review. I’ll start today with Louis’ Farm. It's a sweet little 45ish page … magazine. This isn’t your ordinary magazine though, there are no ads and no strange glossy images. Instead you have beautiful matte pages of watercolor, transparencies, painting instruction, board games (that are perforated so you can pull them...
What Age is Good for 1st Grade in Waldorf Education?
What age is good for 1st grade?
Instead of getting caught in the debates of Waldorf grade 1 compared to first grades in other schools I encourage you to learn to observe your child. 
A lot of discussion happens on when to start first grade. It makes me sad to see so many mothers confused on what to do and who to trust. One mom emailed me just yesterday and said she was just beside herself because the advice she received from one source was just so counter to what she felt Waldorf was all about and in the face of all the other pressures she was under from her husband, in laws and neighbors, she was sure she'd get the right answer from someone she trusted.
I am now and will always stick to what I believe Steiner recommends for...
What is Waldorf?
It's common to wonder:
What is Waldorf education?
How do I find the best Waldorf curriculum for our family.
Is Waldorf secular or religious?
Waldorf is a method of education that explores cultures through history as a means to connect children to this world and those that live in it.
Let’s take a brief walk through the literature aspects of the curriculum.
In grade 1, children learn through fairy tales. Some are happy, some are sad, all do an amazing amount of work on our children’s souls. The child of seven is very much in a place of working through good and bad, they are seeing the world with different eyes than they did a year ago and they need stories that nourish this new place. Feel uncomfortable with fairy tales? Check out our blog post specifically talking about Grade 1 and fairy tales here.
In grade 2, children learn through the stories of...
Why Do We Tell Fairy Tales in Waldorf Education Grade 1
What is the importance of fairy tales in Waldorf education?
I get this question a lot, some of those Grimm's tales are so dark to adults and parents are often concerned about giving them to their children. We have some great information in our grade one curriculum about these stories. There is also some wonderful information at the Waldorf library, I pulled some articles here to ponder:
The Value of Grimm's Fairy Tales
Choosing Fairy Tales for Different Ages
The Interpretation of Fairy Tales
Fairy Tales and Legends
The full video of Ms. Tiffany and I's conversation is available on our Patreon.
We are dedicated to the beauty cultivated in the conscious relationship of parenting and we are excited to help you on your homeschooling journey.
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