If you are like many homeschooling moms, you are looking at what you haven't finished yet for the year and starting to feel a bit frustrated... frustrated at yourself maybe for not staying disciplined enough or frustrated at the events that came up that took you off course or even just frustrated that you want to be done and don't feel like you can be... but that sun calls you to be outside... parks seem to be begging to your children... and popsicles sound much more fun than poetry! 

I totally understand!  Sometimes life gets in the way...one thing I have realized is that even when I plan (and you all know how much I preach about planning!) it can be hard to take all scenarios into consideration!  We had a couple of those this year and so it has me standing at what is the end of the year for many of my homeschooling friends and pouting!

After I decided pouting wouldn't get me very far, I decided to make a plan - something I am good at - a plan that would work for all of us and not h...

**PLEASE NOTE THAT WE ARE DISCUSSING GRADE 1 AND UP. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO KINDERGARTEN.**

Being attracted to Waldorf's beautiful lessons is a great place to fall in love, but then there is often a gap in translating that to our homes. It takes time and a great deal of practice. When our curriculum gives instruction to tell the story and draw/paint or model on day one and recall and summarize together on day two, what exactly does that mean? What is your planning part and how do you make that happen?

Let's break it down - first, this is NOT a replacement for proper planning, but consider this post a bit of a crash course.  What sets Waldorf apart is that it touches the WHOLE child.  The main lesson drawings are part of this WHOLE child approach.  This means that each main lesson touches the child: THINKING, FEELING and WILLING.  As part of your learning with Waldorf, it should be your goal to fully take in all that Waldorf is so you can bring it to your child. Just do it one step at...

I love THIS article. Of course it is by one of my favorite Waldorf authors, Roberto Trostli. He speaks throughout the article about balance, he also speaks tenderly about something we all worry about as Waldorf teachers... TIME.  Steiner suggested his teachers teach for two hours a day and have the rest of the time for preparation - of course that doesn't happen, even in the schools, but we can expect to put in 2+ hours for a lesson that may only last for 30-60 minutes. Sounds like a TON - it is.  How do we make this manageable?

Trostli says:
"The amount of time we need for preparation depends on how we go about preparing. If we think of preparation as a process of gathering information, we will probably spend a great deal of time trying to become well-informed, and we will probably never feel sufficiently prepared. If, however, we think of preparation as a process of becoming, a learning process that engenders interest and enthusiasm for what we will be teaching, we may not feel suffi...

Don't assume that because someone has a pretty blog picture of some beautiful brand new Waldorfy wooden bowl or awesome accessory that their whole house is that way. More likely than not, you are seeing this person's favorite spaces in their home. We all have these. We all have things that we have worked really hard for and while they don't mean much to most people, they mean the world to us. Find nooks and crannies like this in your home. Even if your home isn't exactly what you want, find things about it to love. Waldorf can be done anywhere that there are children, from tiny apartments to farms to modest city dwelling. You don't have to have a big set up with a lot of space.  Chalk boards are nice but you can do without.

You have to learn to really love your home. I know that is a tall order, I have rented a good portion of my adult life and I can’t say there were many that I *loved* - but I did decide early on that if I didn’t find  way to love my house, then the children wouldn’t...