Delightful World of Waldorf Homeschooling
The wonderful artistic world of Waldorf teaching.
NOTE: Waldorf homeschool style is COMPLEX. As I have researched and learned, I have found there are a vast amount of resources and angles to this education style. Be prepared that this may require a substantial amount of time and prep before choosing to do schooling this way.
What is Waldorf Education?
Waldorf was founded in the 20th century from the insights and principles of Rudolf Steiner. An Austrian educator who opened his first Waldorf school in Germany. He did it because he wanted to create schooling contrary to the teacher-centered schools in Germany at that time that only allowed a select few students to continue to advanced schooling. He believed all students should achieve whole sense of self.
Waldorf is based on experiencing the subjects through life. It nurtures a holistic approach of intellectual, artistic and practical skills. This is
What is Waldorf in Basic Terms? What does it mean for your child?
Does your child have a natural inclination to sing, dance, perform and create? If so, or if you want to explore this more to see if your child is interested in the artistic aspects of academics, try Waldorf. It is an investment but worth it.
Waldorf education has its foundations in anthroposophy.
At the heart of anthroposophy is the belief that humanity has the wisdom to transform itself and the world through one’s own spiritual development. [1]
A very simplistic but helpful resource website to learn more about Waldorf start: W Curriculum
- Early Years: Explore curiosity with storytelling, music and play. Routines and general well-being to engage with the world.
- Grade school: Academics such as languages, history, math, science and history. Many of these subjects have aspects of visual and performance arts.
- High school: Critical thinking, advanced academics, arts, social and community interactions.
What does this mean in the day to day?
For the young child (preschool age)
Non-academic. No structured concepts. Children are building skills through stories, repetition, social interactions and imagination. Natural child centered aspects.
(1) Emphasis on storytelling. “By heart” not memorization.
(2) Integrated arts with theater and creation. Moving with clapping, drawing, creating paintings, learning math and numbers through color. This has aspects of multiple intelligences. Pneumonic devices.
(3) Same teacher looping so child has the same person – in homeschool this is a no-brainer.
(4) Main Lesson Books – no text books. Children don’t have several subjects. Just one main lesson block for 3-4 weeks like a month long study of a subject (Roman History, Legends and Heroes) 2 hours everyday. Take lessons and write and illustrate their own textbook based on what they learned.
For the grade school child (1st-8th)
More academic with some structure. Children start critically thinking about their readings and environment.
(1) More complex storytelling and readings.
(2) Integrated arts with theater, design and music. More conversation and designs for deeper concepts such as Roman History, Time and Money, Light and Heat.
(3) Same teacher looping so child has the same school teacher – for homeschool this is a no-brainer.
(4) Main Lesson Books are more complex and detailed. Children read the books and spend a month on a unit studying, reviewing and creating their own “text” about the concepts and make art with it.
For the high school child (9th-12th)
On this chart – it shows how the texts become more complex such as modern writers, zoology, geometry (essentially these are the “texts” you would normally get but now they are taught through readings)
Resources and materials for these grades are not as easy to find.
(1) General content is complex reading books with concepts such as Don Quixote, American Tools, Africa, Astronomy for Young an Old, Oliver Twist and more.
(2) Getting the child ready for adult world through honing more specific skills (more speech, theater, problem solving, critical thinking and essay writing)
How to Implement Waldorf Education
- Research
- Find a group or school for support
- Buy books and materials
- Live-Education is a great start to the basics
- Select your “blocks” of schooling with those books
- Example for Grade Two (courtesy of Art of Homeschooling)
- Fables: Aesop’s, Celtic and others (1 or 2 blocks – 1 or 2 months)
- Legends of Saints (1 or 2 blocks – 1 or 2 months)
- Local Folklore or Native American Tales (1 block – 1 month)
- Math (3 or 4 blocks – 3 or 4 months): times tables through 12, number patterns, column adding, situation problems, time, money.
- Example for Grade Two (courtesy of Art of Homeschooling)
- Let your child guide the learning as they age – such as more nature walks or music if they prefer those. Integrate more emphasis on the arts or production or problem solving.
Pros/Cons of this Style:
Pros:
- Creative
- Exploratory
- Child-led
- Great for music lovers
- Great for multiple intelligences
- Positive hands-on
- Engages out of the box thinking
Cons:
- Can be expensive
- Requires lots of resources (for arts/music/crafts)
- Complicated
- Requires lots of research and implementation
- Can create gaps in some skills
- Focus is mostly on arts (so some children may not benefit as much)
Overall
Waldorf is a creative genius when it comes to education. It has aspects of multiple intelligences and Montessori methods. It incorporates a heavy emphasis on storytelling and arts. In my research I found that a lot of the Waldorf educational methods are in brick and mortar schools. However, the Waldorf homeschool groups are trending and growing.
I recommend finding a group nearby if you live near a big city, or finding Facebook and YouTube videos to learn more. This was an enlightening project as I learned about Waldorf. I am considering implementing some of these concepts with my middle son who is musically inclined. There is no “wrong” way to homeschool. Therefore, if you wish to implement ideas from multiple teaching styles, you can. It is what is best for your child. And I have found that some of these Waldorf concepts are wonderful and engaging. You may find it works for your style of teaching and homeschool as well.