Waldorf in the Home

Anthroposophical Society: www.anthroposophy.org

Rudolf Steiner College: www.steinercollege.org

Waldorf Education Mailing List: To subscribe, contactWALDORF@SJUVM.STJOHNS.EDU

Waldorf Home Schoolers' List, resources, books, etc.: www.waldorfresources.com/wehs.html

Live Education! Waldorf-inspired curriculum: www.live-education.com

Waldorf Without Walls (Barbara Dewey): www.waldorfwithoutwalls.com

Waldorf Resources Page: http://www.bobnancy.com

Waldorf Inspired Students at Home: www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com

Association of Waldorf Schools of North America: www.awsna.org

The Online Waldorf Library: www.waldorflibrary.org/journals.htm

Makes out-of-print books available online: www.mainlesson.com

Waldorf Without Walls, Barbara S. Dewey, 89900 Mill Hill Rd., Bowerston, OH 44695. Newsletter for Waldorf homeschooling parents, consulting, etc. See www.waldorfwithoutwalls.com

Christopherus Homeschool Resources, Donna Simmons, 847 PO Box 231, Viroqua, WI 54665. Publications, consulting. www.christopherushomeschool.org.

Waldorf Home Schoolers Newsletter,6822-22nd Ave N, Suite 345, St. Petersburg, FL 33710. On-line ournal for Waldorf-inspired home schooling families. www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com

Audio tapes by Eugene Schwartz on Waldorf Education, www.MillennnialChild.com

The On-Line Waldorf Library: many resources from journals, research, everything in print! www.waldorflibrary.org

Waldorf Resources for home schoolers: chat rooms, articles, books, many other resources. www.waldorfresources.org

Bob ane Nancy's Site offers many resources on all aspects of Waldorf: www.bobnancy.com and www.waldorfbooks.com

Renewal. Quarterly journal of Waldorf Education (see AWSNA address, below).

Gateways, Newsletter of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America (see below).

Home Again, 1825 N. 183rd St, Seattle, WA 98133. Mail order supplies for Waldorf home schooling. Main Lesson Books also available from Rudolf Steiner College Book Store (see below).

Live Education! Waldorf curriculum for K-8 and monthly consultation with a Waldorf teacher. P.O. Box 306, Aptos, CA 95001; (831) 457-4243; www.live-education.com.

Waldorf Education Resources provides Waldorf units for grades 5-8, developed by David Mollet. Order from http://members.aol.com/WaldorfEdu/

Oak Meadow, PO Box 740, Putney, VT 05346; (802)387-2021. Offers elementary-school curriculum and home teacher training; lower grades show a Waldorf influence.

Home Education Magazine and Homeschool Bookshelf, PO Box 1083, Tonasket, WA 98855

Clonlara Home-Based Education Program, 1289 Jewett, Ann Arbor, MI 48103; (313) 769-4515. Founder/Director Pat Montgomery offers curriculum and help meeting legal requirements of being under a certified teacher.

Growing without Schooling, 2269 Mass. Ave., Cambridge, MA 02140; journal--John Holt's work.

The Moore Foundation, Box 1, Camas, WA 98607, (360)835-3756. Books, workshops, etc from the work of Dr. Raymond and Dorothy Moore.

Home School Association of CA, PO Box 2442, Atascadero, CA 93423. 888-HSC-4440. Www.HSC.org.

The Baldwin Project, classic literature for downloading from www.mainlesson.com

Parents who are adapting the approach Rudolf Steiner used in the Waldorf Schools to the home setting are finding that it not only increases their understanding of child development and how to teach in a lively, artistic manner, but it can also transform and enrich all of family life.
Steiner, an Austrian educator who opened the first Waldorf School in 1919, was one of the early proponents of educating the whole child, not just the intellect. His indications for "developmentally appropriate education" were supported by the later work of Piaget and Gisell and are being upheld by recent brain research. When parents understand how children develop and learn, they are better able to counteract society's tendency to treat and educate children as if they were little adults. For example, because young children learn primarily through movement and imitation, early childhood education in the home or Waldorf preschool/kindergarten needs to provide a program rich in imaginative play, music, rhythm, and artistic activities instead of teaching early reading and math or having the child sit in front of a computer. Studies have shown that the imaginative manipulation found in play-based programs provides the best foundation for later reading and math--and it can serve as a wellspring of life-long creativity.

Waldorf education poses certain answers to the question "How will our children be able to cope with the challenges of an increasingly technological world? How will they be able to determine its proper uses and avoid its misuses?

Around the country, many examples exist of groups of Waldorf home schooling families coming together to create community and support for their efforts. The following are offered as examples of a few such Waldorf enrichment groups. Because they are constantly evolving, the information printed here may change, but it is offered to spark your thinking with things you might do in your area.

The wonderful energy, voice, enthusaism and high expectations of Christiana Quick-Cleveland have gotten many of our Waldorf in the Home conferences in Fair Oaks off to a great start! Now you can bring her enthusiasm and expertise into your own home through her songbook and quality CD "Songs for the Elementary Classroom."

A wonderful resource for Waldorf homeschooling families--and parents with children in Waldorf schools who are wanting to learn more or research a specific topic--is the Online Waldorf Library.

A mother asked about why Waldorf waits until first grade to teach the letters.
Rahima replies:
In the Waldorf approach, reading and writing are introduced in first grade, starting with the letters; then children learn to read at the end of first grade, from what they have written. The letters are introduced imaginatively, through a story and a drawing in which the letter can be found in one of the figures that starts with that sound (for example, the letter "k" might be illustrated by a King who is standing sideways, with scepter raised, blessing his subjects.).

Waldorf Without Walls
by Barbara Dewey

Barbara Dewey is internationally known as a consultant on Waldorf Home Schooling. Based in Ohio, she is a frequent presenter at Waldorf in the Home conferences. Here Barbara answers questions about her services. For more information, see www.waldorfwithoutwall.com. --Rahima

I provide individualized homeschool curriculum planning and support for you and your children, resources used by waldorf teachers, specific suggestions for your child, and answers to your questions as they come up throughout the year. This is accomplished through the Internet, fax, mail, or e-mail.

Meeting the Needs of Your Growing Child
Workshop by Daena Ross

How do children perceive the world at different ages? How do they learn? Understand the developmental and physiological changes children go through from early childhood through adolescence and why the Waldorf curriculum fits the growing child so well. An excellent overview of the Waldorf approach--what is taught when, and why.

A wonderful resource for books on Waldorf education and home schooling is the Rudolf Steiner Library, which lends books by mail throughout the US, from its location in Ghent, NY.

The Rudolf Steiner Library has over 27,000 volumes and lends books for no charge to member of the Anthroposophical Society in America and for a small fee for those who join the library only. Their collection inlcudes all available Rudolf Steiner titles in both English and German, as well a hundred of his unpublished manuscropts of essays and lectures. In addition, it has a wide collection includig waldorf education, alternative health and nutrition, holistic sicenc, Goethean studies, death and dying, world mythologies, and world religions.
Their website and an online public access catalog can be viewed at http://www.anthroposophy.org/index.hph?id=31 (library webpage) and
http://rsl.scoolaid.net (library catalog)

For membership materials, call 518-672-7690, or you can email the libary at rsteinerlibrary@taconic.net.

Creative Therapy for Children with Autism, ADD, and Asperger's -
Using Artistic Creativity to Reach, Teach, and Touch Our Children
By Janet Tubbs

323 pages from Square One Publishers; $18.95
www.childrensresources.com

Homeschooling Program in Boulder
with Sage Hamilton, Director

Let us honor spirit that moves in all things and
know ourselves better through
creative expression and community.

Waldorf and Learning to Read
by Barbara Dewey, Waldorf without Walls

Reading is not required in Waldorf schools until the end of grade 3. The Waldorf curriculum is based on the developmental interests of children, rather than skill levels, and does not require reading in the early grades. Material is presented by the teacher in dramatic, interesting ways and the children make use of the material in their play and hands-on dramatic and artistic activities.