Last month I was ecstatic to get my home school supplies from Cedar Ring Circle, a Waldorf Co-op. If you haven't checked out the co-op- do! They have a great selection of Waldorf art supplies & materials, toys, etc. at awesome prices. I got much of the Earthschooling first grade package and some extras; watercolor paper, Stockmar watercolors, wool yarn and hand painted knitting needles, wool roving in a rainbow of colors, modeling beeswax, and a few other things. Yay, it was Christmas in July!
Lacey over at Life as a Schoolhouse has a post up about home school and Cedar Ring Circle Co-op. I so identify with what she says about being excited to have all her materials and not have to skip projects. That was my experience last year. I'd plan lovely projects and than not be able to afford the supplies I needed for them. By the way Lacey is hosting a Cedar Ring Co-op giveaway! Some lucky winner is getting a year's membership!
This summer I've been slowly collecting some of the books we'll need for this year. I bought the Autumn Wynstones Press book at Cedar Ring Circle. I'm already in love with A Donsy of Gnomes by Sieglinde De Francesca, I bought this book directly from the author. She has not only shared these beautiful & touching gnome stories but also a few craft projects, a verse or two and a recipe. She also writes about how to create a play or puppet show with her stories. I also love The Festival of Stones by Reg Down and the Seven Year Old Wonder book by Isabel Wyatt. I bought those on Amazon.
I'm not sure how I will work in all of these stories. Hmm, anyone have any ideas? Maybe save a book for next year? How does one keep all of the stories straight? We have stories for Math, stories for form drawing and learning the alphabet. Stories for Story time. Yikes, I'm a little overwhelmed. Advice from you experienced Waldorf Mamas would be much appreciated!
I bought my Weekly planner locally. I wanted something beautiful and I fell in love with these flowers. What is it about getting a planner? I just want to fill it in! Last year's home school was challenging to say the least. We started HS in NY a month after arriving. I had some of my planning done but most of the year I felt I was running to catch up with planning. I simplified quite a bit and did what I could. So this year I'm really excited to have the year entirely planned. I've even planned in my planning! All of August I have designated by weeks. 3 months will be planned each week. I want to plan for the summer as well. I have to admit my rebellious nature (and exhaustion from my not very well planned kindergarten year) threw our rhythm to the wind this summer. What a mistake that has been! I have 2 little underwhelmed boys at the moment.
This year I'm using A Little Garden Flower curriculum for first grade. I'm also adding some of Earthschooling verses and projects as well. I love a Little Garden Flower because it's mostly planned for you. I just have to organize it in terms of our drawing, craft, baking & painting days. I'll also be adding the festival celebrations & projects and baking around that.
I'm planning our circle time. I'm using watercolor paintings as covers for my circle time index cards. I find the more artful I make it all the more fun and interesting it is for me to plan.
These little cards are also popping up all over the house. Here's a verse for winding wool in my knitting basket. I found many of these verses in Sprindrift.
A verse I placed over the sink for washing dishes.
A verse taped to the inside of the baking cupboard for Saturday pancakes. And more will be on their way. I love these little visual reminders. Speaking of my washing dishes verse, I've also added a great idea to our days. Frontier Dreams has a great post up about simplifying dishes and having everyone in the family responsible for their own. We've implemented this with awesome results! This Mom isn't washing mountains of dishes anymore! She also has another wonderful post up now about her morning rhythm. Whew, anything to simplify our days!
Also, I have to mention Pinterest! Pinterest is a visual bookmarking site that is really helping me with homeschool planning. I've grouped boards into a general Waldorf homeschooling, Toys to craft, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. All of the craft projects, baking, etc. that I find on many of your lovely blogs get organized into those categories. When I want to plan for my handwork projects, I look at the visuals for that season and pick them out. So easy and fun! I don't even have to print out the projects I can just site Pinterest in my planner.
So in any case if I'm around bloggerland a little less this month it's because I'm busy planning, planning, planning. Which according to this post by Melisa at a Little Garden Flower I'm a tad behind! Yikes! Off to that planning!
Until next time...
Posts
Whew! That's a lot to take in. But I love hearing about it. We're beginning our first home school year this year. 1st grade isn't til next yr for us so I'm happy to hear you paving the way. :-)
ReplyDeleteI was excited to read this post as we are using A Little Garden Flower's First Grade curriculum as well. I love how everything is planned out. We've done mainly Montessori homeschool work in the past but decided to include Waldorf this year as well. Looking forward to seeing more posts about your homeschooling!
ReplyDeleteHi!! I am so in love with A Donsy of Gnomes...I also bought it directly from the author (so much nicer that way!)
ReplyDeleteYou asked about incorporating all the stories into your curriculum and I was wondering how often you switch them out. At my preschool, I will read the same story for one week at a time and I realize you are talking about reading for more than just story time...but probably keeping it simple would be what I would aim for.
It sounds like you have wonderful plans for the start of the year. Are you familiar with this blog http://naturenest.wordpress.com/ ? It sounds like her daughter is older, but she also posts beautiful ideas for homeschooling. (maybe for when your boys are older)
anyway, i'm loving all your ideas here, it sounds like such a warm and loving environment.
blessings,kristin
Hi Kristin
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog reference.
I will do one story per week at story time too. Then there's bed time too. I love reading but I'm finding it difficult to tell stories, especially stories with lots of detail. I can make up stories, tho I often have trouble with plot. I need a course on storytelling! If anyone has a good book reference I'm all ears.
Thanks so much for all of your comments!
Becca
I just adore your circle time idea for making the index cards prettier!
ReplyDeleteI tend to keep my circle and story times for two weeks. I feel like that gives us enough time to really let the story sink in. I might just tell the story the first few days, and then maybe add a picture book version or create a table play or tell a different but related story at another time as the weeks go on.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHi Annette! Is this for first grade that you do stories 2 weeks long? My son always complains about repeating stories. He always wants a new one. Great ideas for keeping it new.
ReplyDeleteBecca
hi...it's me again...in answer to your comment that you need a course on storytelling...i'm curious that your first grader wants a new story all the time...but i work with preschoolers, and as we know at that age, one year can make all the difference!! Through my Waldorf training we were taught that in early childhood it takes a good week of telling the same story to really get it to sink in...but by 6 or 7 that could be so, so different!! I took Lifeways training and had the good fortune of having Suzanne Down as a teacher. We often do as Annette suggests and tell the story, then act it out through puppetry. It's a great way to bring the words to a visual place.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to your response to my earlier comment, when I tell my 7-year-old bedtime stories, I often takes bits from my childhood, but instead of me being the protagonist in the story...it is a 7 year-old boy...he really loves to hear these stories as he can identify with them...anyway...at my lifeways training we did talk alot about stories that work on the "soul" of the child...i.e. lessons that may not appear to be very influencial, but that the child feels on a different level...if you are interestd, i'd be happy to look through some of my course work to find such a reference...
(sorry this is so long)
one thing i love about Suzanne Downs teachings is how she incorporates puppetry into her story-telling. If you happen to subscibe to Livng Craft magazine, she used to be a frequent contributor...she would include a story with a puppet YOU can make or one you can make with your children. check out her website here... http://junipertreepuppets.com/
I recommend signing up for her newsletter as she sends those out wiht her stories and accompanying craft ideas.
xx,kristin (k_leas@hotmail.com)
Thanks so much Kristin! I so appreciate your knowledge. My son, who will be in first grade this year, he's almost 7. He was always wanting a new story in Kindy too. But I wonder if he was feeling my uncertainty about storytelling? Because when we would play the story out with simple puppets he would really get into it, even if it was a repeat.
ReplyDeleteLove your idea for telling childhood stories with your child as the protagonist. I will do that! I would love any info you're willing to send my way. And thanks for the link!
Becca
I haven't homeschooled, but I taught first grade before. I think that some of the stories could be bedtime stories? Isn't that the beauty of homeschooling? That you can stretch things out like that? If you have specific questions in regards to the curriculum, I've taught half of 4th, 5th, 1st, 2nd, 3rd before & getting ready to do 4th again. I also have a boy who's done all 9 years (counting Kindy) and a boy who's going into 6th. I love to answer questions. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Cadi! I would love to hear what you think, Kristen too, about the "seven year old wonder book". I'm reading it now and it seems to be a good one for bed time as she always has her story at bed time. Did you read this one with your boys? Did they enjoy it? Any book recommendations for boys in first grade? Starting to see how the stories will fit together.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much!
I will be starting our school year in 3 weeks as well and am also in the throws of planning! This year, I have a 4th grader, 1st grader, a kindy (last year of kindy) and a toddler to boot :-) It certainly can be a bit overwhelming at first...wanting to do it all, but really, less is more! And there will always be time to fit it in throughout the year! For my family, we will have our stories for school and then a kindy story worked in the day (a new one every week b/c he is older). Bedtime stories are usually read (this is where we may read Tiptoes, A Donsy of Gnomes, The Seven Year Old Wonder Book, etc.) I think once you actually get into your rhythm, you will see where some of these can be worked into the day (for example, telling stories while kneading bread, gardening, handwork). As far as more book recommendations, I would either invest in the Waldorf Student Reading List (my go to book every time!) or visit The Parenting Passageway. I know Carrie did a great read aloud post for 1st grade in the past. Right now, we are reading Tumtum and Nutmeg and the boys love it! Lots of adventure!
ReplyDeleteTruly great ideas! I'm with you on the 'making things pretty' part. It's WAY easier for me to get inspired when I see beauty in them...& thanks so much for mentioning the giveaway--we LOVE our big box of materials and CRC.
ReplyDeleteHow exciting, you have some wonderful ideas for your new homeschool year. I have loved Seven Times the Sun and All Year Round since my children were young, even though they are teens we still celebrate holidays with many of the ideas from All Year Round, great book!! Your other book selections sound wonderful, I have bookmarked them all to check out later. What a very inspiring post!!
ReplyDeleteI love pinterest and would like to see your boards. Do you mind sharing your user name so that I can look you up. Mine is Ronnie Pearce and I have several waldorf / seasonal boards :)
ReplyDeleteHi Ronnie, My name on Pinterest is simply Becca or you can click on the "Join me on Pinterest" button on the right sidebar here on my blog. I'd love to see your boards!
ReplyDeleteBecca
I really like the idea of taping up rhymes in parts of the house where I'll use them! and such pretty painted paper...a great excuse to dabble in the paints myself :)
ReplyDeleteI always save stories, sometimes for years later. With The Seven Year Old Wonder book we usually read it each year during the time of the festivals it celebrates. So autumn until winter, we do that with the Tiptoes Lightly Festival of Stones book too. I guess we sure do have lots of stories in the autumn, and then we have advent stories too. In the cozier indoor months we often read aloud for lesson, afternoon story, and bedtime story. (Perhaps too much for a very young child but I have a 7 and 11 year old..)
ReplyDeleteI save crafts too, and have many 2nd hand and vintage books hidden away in the closet for just the right time.