Then I went and visited a lovely friend aka best bud aka claimed sister. We had some small chats, and her beautiful children inspired me to explore new areas of education. I came home with a zeal to research, learn and try something new.
Then the real task began, what is Waldorf Steiner education. How can I implement this into our homeschool. As I read more the big question ended up being, can I as a Christian use this material? Is it ok to pick bits out and ignore the bits that don't sit right for me. Can I ignore them when Steiner himself writes verses like this:
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Deep in the ground of the human soul,Of victory assured.
The Spirit-Sun is living.
All through the winter of the inner life
The faithful heart divines it.
That is just one of many examples and the only one I could re-find.
After many hours reading and praying, I don't see the harm for my family to be Waldorf inspired in our education. What I use as resources for that I am still researching (ETA I have just purchased the Earthschooling Curriculum and it looks awesome). I am excited to use art more as a learning tool. I look forward to learning new techniques and how to really use art, music and nature. This is not something that comes naturally to me so I do need some resources to help.
Now I still love a lot of the Montessori approaches, and we will continue to be Montessori inspired. But I cannot do the full monty. We will continue to use nomenclature cards for areas of study, I will use a lot of the math resources, I love the beads, and many of the other math manipulatives. I am sure the are other things I will find over time to use. But the pressure to have it all is removed.
Looking to the Christian component of our studies. It was fairly non existent. It has been on my heart to include more. As I read and researched I looked for ways to make our house and our learning more Godly. We are going to begin our week with a bible reading and the creation of their own illustrated Bibles. Each day will start singing and thanking our Lord.
I will also be incorporating elements of the Brave Writer program, where ages 5-8 are the Jot it Down period. This meaning besides the short verses of copywork I am the childrens scribe. It gives them a chance to develop their languages skills first rather than dumbing down their thoughts to meet their writing skills. They learn how to spell and write, through reading back over their own words, and through copywork. Writing comes later when they are more ready.
The current conclusion is a brand new daily and weekly rhythm.
Monday:
- Bible Reading and verse singing
- Memory Verse copywork into their brand new bible study art folio books
- Illustration of this story/verse next to the copywork,
- Yoga
- Monty Math
- Cultural Study
- Cooking
- Quiet reading.
- Memory verse singing and dancing
- Reading of a Fable/ Poem/Rhyme/Story
- Copywork of a segment of this and illustrate (complete over the 3 days), Mr 5 will incorporate alphabet art and Miss 3 just free drawing (maybe some light elements of form drawing)
- Gross Motor excercise
- Maths
- Cultural Study/Science/Geography/Unit Study
- Handcraft
- Quiet reading
- Music (I am currently researching buying a glockenspiel instead of the handbells Montessori suggests, or the flute that I am seeing in Waldorf works).
- Self interest research, which I will scribe his findings into the new "What I've learnt" book (or titled something along those lines, any ideas please leave a comment I am a little stumped)
Tomorrow we start. Excited and nervous.
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