Thanks for doing such a comprehensive review, Hana. For a person with no Waldorf experience, do you think the Live Education curriculum is user friendly? I find the books a bit intimidating. I am going to try to incorporate the drawing method for our lessons next year. Your main lesson books were so inspirational.
Project Happy Home Hey Tanya, initially I would say that it is not user-friendly. But after years of using it and hopefully breaking it down for other people I would hope that it is more user-friendly than if you just got it on your own without any background information on the Waldorf philosophy. One of the biggest things that was confusing for me was how the main lesson blocks worked in conjunction with the other smaller daily lessons. Putting that aside you can certainly do art with any curriculum that you have, you wouldn't need the Waldorf Live-education curriculum to do that. But what really like about the curriculum is how the subjects are chosen and taught in a way that is responsive to the child's development. This curriculum is also teacher led and teacher involved. Let's chat more.
Hello! Good question. I haven't tried meshing two curricula that are similar, but I have tried to mesh curricula/philosophies that are not similar and it didn't work well for me. I tried with Charlotte Mason and Waldorf for our lessons and it was disastrous for me. However, I do think where philosophies overlap or can mesh without compromise, it's great to combine to make it authentic for your family needs.
Hi Hana, me again :) i wanted to ask you more about the teacher led approach is it like this beginning with the younger years? I love the curriculum and exploring it further with the older grades. I am a former nursery school teacher and accustomed to the idea of child led but don't really have an idea what that might look like for the older grades or beginning with 1st. Could explain to me a bit more? It sort of turns me off a little but do you feel there are ways to set it up so that it's not so teacher led? Thanks!
I think I see what you mean. And yes, it's teacher led the whole way through. In part, this curriculum is one that the teacher presents. The curriculum isn't one in which you hand it to the student and he reads through it and draws his own drawings and writes his own narrations. So it's teacher led in that respect. It's also teacher led in that specific subject areas are chosen for each grade to match the development of the child, so there's relevance to teaching Greek and Roman mythology in 5th grade and the shelter building in 4th grade. Being a homeschooler, you can do a curriculum how ever you'd like. But you would be disappointed if you thought you could hand over a book/workbook to a child. The Oak Meadow may be child led in that no teaching is needed to be done by the teacher/parent, but it's not child led in the interest sense. The student who wishes to be truly child led is probably best suited with an unschooling approach.
I appreciate this review. You have some great insights and tips. I am considering homeschooling next year again, and although I like the idea of the simple layout and ease of use of the Oak Meadow, I really love the traditional Waldorf subject matter and method of teaching something from your own being. I like the idea of incorporating the main lessons for various grades. This could make the whole thing more feasible. I was considering the idea of taking on extra students who are disenchanted with our local public school, which might make the whole endeavor more economically feasible. It breaks my heart because this year school is mostly online, and my son (5th grade) tells me he "hates school." I just do not believe that kids should hate school, so I am trying to find a good solution for him. There is a good charter school one hour from our home, but the travel time seems daunting. I homeschooled my own 2 kids Waldorf style until last year, but have been working at the school this year as a Headstart Teacher Assistant. (It seems that next year I would be offered a position as a Pre-K teacher in the same program.) I am considering Alternative Licensure Program or undergoing the Waldorf Teacher training from the Sophia Institute. I would love to be a Waldorf teacher, but there are no schools near us. I wonder if I could start a small group of homeschool students which would also give my kids a community, and maybe help ease up some of the homeschooling power struggle dynamic that can happen. I also would like to incorporate elements of the "forest school." We live in a beautiful remote place surrounded by wilderness. I would appreciate any insight you could offer. I am a bit overwhelmed by making a decision for next Fall. Any insights you can offer are welcome. Thanks, Claire
Wow Claire! I'm so impressed by your potential endeavor. It takes a lot of work, a ton of work to do something like what you are wanting to do, but the rewards are tremendous. I know Live Education provides consultation and they have helped many startups and schools. We can also connect via Instagram if you want to message more.
Very interesting! I just curious do use the key to books as independent review for your children or do use them to reach the concept and then they do the worksheet independently. We are very much a mastery math family and anything to help them become more proficient is worth looking into!. thanks for sharing! I'm really more and more inspired to add some Waldorf into our homeschool. You have sind a beautiful light on how it works!
For the most part, I'm using the Key To Curriculum to introduce the concepts, but that's not authentic to the curriculum. For instance, in grade 4 fractions are introduced in a worldly practical way with farming. Some math is completed during that main lesson block, but the following year in grade five, the workbooks are used to practice what was learned the year before. I personally struggled with the presentation of fractions in grade 4 and so we only did it poorly with one child. Now I just do more living practical math long before using the worksheets to 'introduce' the skill. But the Key To workbooks are the official intro to many concepts on paper, but it's not like the kids haven't already heard and used the concepts in real life.
Thanks! This is a great comparison. Live Ed seems easier to navigate than the Spiritual Syllabus Series by Alan Whitehead. That was difficult to work with in the highschool years.
You know, Live Education doesn't have a high school program, so I'll have to check out Spiritual Syllabus in case others are curious what to do with high school. Or even for my own kids!
I got my answer to my IG message to you. I will check out the "Key to" math series. Thanks for a detailed explanation between the 2 programs. I was not aware how Student led Oak Meadow was so it is helpful. Thanks for the math game book recommendation. Thanks for a great video and you can ignore my IG ping. 😊
I have been enjoying the convo about Oak Meadow and Live-Education and I hope it continues. I'm eager to see how you and Linda work through the curriculum and personalize it along the way.
Pepper and Pine also, if possible, can you make more videos on how you incorporate islam to the waldorf approach ? That would be great, thank you! Ps: love love love your videos, you are doing a great job !!
Great review and comparison! Thank you so much something for me to think about for Mia's 5th grade curricula choices.
Remind me what grade Mia is in? Have you decided what you're going to do this upcoming year?
Thanks for doing such a comprehensive review, Hana. For a person with no Waldorf experience, do you think the Live Education curriculum is user friendly? I find the books a bit intimidating. I am going to try to incorporate the drawing method for our lessons next year. Your main lesson books were so inspirational.
Project Happy Home Hey Tanya, initially I would say that it is not user-friendly. But after years of using it and hopefully breaking it down for other people I would hope that it is more user-friendly than if you just got it on your own without any background information on the Waldorf philosophy. One of the biggest things that was confusing for me was how the main lesson blocks worked in conjunction with the other smaller daily lessons. Putting that aside you can certainly do art with any curriculum that you have, you wouldn't need the Waldorf Live-education curriculum to do that. But what really like about the curriculum is how the subjects are chosen and taught in a way that is responsive to the child's development. This curriculum is also teacher led and teacher involved. Let's chat more.
Hi Hannah! (Apologies if spelling is wrong) do you utilize both curriculums? Could they potentially mesh well?
Hello! Good question. I haven't tried meshing two curricula that are similar, but I have tried to mesh curricula/philosophies that are not similar and it didn't work well for me. I tried with Charlotte Mason and Waldorf for our lessons and it was disastrous for me. However, I do think where philosophies overlap or can mesh without compromise, it's great to combine to make it authentic for your family needs.
Hi Hana, me again :) i wanted to ask you more about the teacher led approach is it like this beginning with the younger years? I love the curriculum and exploring it further with the older grades. I am a former nursery school teacher and accustomed to the idea of child led but don't really have an idea what that might look like for the older grades or beginning with 1st. Could explain to me a bit more? It sort of turns me off a little but do you feel there are ways to set it up so that it's not so teacher led? Thanks!
I think I see what you mean. And yes, it's teacher led the whole way through. In part, this curriculum is one that the teacher presents. The curriculum isn't one in which you hand it to the student and he reads through it and draws his own drawings and writes his own narrations. So it's teacher led in that respect. It's also teacher led in that specific subject areas are chosen for each grade to match the development of the child, so there's relevance to teaching Greek and Roman mythology in 5th grade and the shelter building in 4th grade. Being a homeschooler, you can do a curriculum how ever you'd like. But you would be disappointed if you thought you could hand over a book/workbook to a child. The Oak Meadow may be child led in that no teaching is needed to be done by the teacher/parent, but it's not child led in the interest sense. The student who wishes to be truly child led is probably best suited with an unschooling approach.
I appreciate this review. You have some great insights and tips. I am considering homeschooling next year again, and although I like the idea of the simple layout and ease of use of the Oak Meadow, I really love the traditional Waldorf subject matter and method of teaching something from your own being. I like the idea of incorporating the main lessons for various grades. This could make the whole thing more feasible. I was considering the idea of taking on extra students who are disenchanted with our local public school, which might make the whole endeavor more economically feasible. It breaks my heart because this year school is mostly online, and my son (5th grade) tells me he "hates school." I just do not believe that kids should hate school, so I am trying to find a good solution for him. There is a good charter school one hour from our home, but the travel time seems daunting. I homeschooled my own 2 kids Waldorf style until last year, but have been working at the school this year as a Headstart Teacher Assistant. (It seems that next year I would be offered a position as a Pre-K teacher in the same program.) I am considering Alternative Licensure Program or undergoing the Waldorf Teacher training from the Sophia Institute. I would love to be a Waldorf teacher, but there are no schools near us. I wonder if I could start a small group of homeschool students which would also give my kids a community, and maybe help ease up some of the homeschooling power struggle dynamic that can happen. I also would like to incorporate elements of the "forest school." We live in a beautiful remote place surrounded by wilderness. I would appreciate any insight you could offer. I am a bit overwhelmed by making a decision for next Fall. Any insights you can offer are welcome.
Thanks,
Claire
Wow Claire! I'm so impressed by your potential endeavor. It takes a lot of work, a ton of work to do something like what you are wanting to do, but the rewards are tremendous. I know Live Education provides consultation and they have helped many startups and schools. We can also connect via Instagram if you want to message more.
Very interesting! I just curious do use the key to books as independent review for your children or do use them to reach the concept and then they do the worksheet independently. We are very much a mastery math family and anything to help them become more proficient is worth looking into!. thanks for sharing! I'm really more and more inspired to add some Waldorf into our homeschool. You have sind a beautiful light on how it works!
For the most part, I'm using the Key To Curriculum to introduce the concepts, but that's not authentic to the curriculum. For instance, in grade 4 fractions are introduced in a worldly practical way with farming. Some math is completed during that main lesson block, but the following year in grade five, the workbooks are used to practice what was learned the year before. I personally struggled with the presentation of fractions in grade 4 and so we only did it poorly with one child. Now I just do more living practical math long before using the worksheets to 'introduce' the skill. But the Key To workbooks are the official intro to many concepts on paper, but it's not like the kids haven't already heard and used the concepts in real life.
Can you please tell me where you got your main lesson book that has alternating lined and blank pages? I am desperate to find some.
Thanks! This is a great comparison. Live Ed seems easier to navigate than the Spiritual Syllabus Series by Alan Whitehead. That was difficult to work with in the highschool years.
You know, Live Education doesn't have a high school program, so I'll have to check out Spiritual Syllabus in case others are curious what to do with high school. Or even for my own kids!
Very thorough! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Challice :)
I got my answer to my IG message to you. I will check out the "Key to" math series. Thanks for a detailed explanation between the 2 programs. I was not aware how Student led Oak Meadow was so it is helpful. Thanks for the math game book recommendation. Thanks for a great video and you can ignore my IG ping. 😊
I have been enjoying the convo about Oak Meadow and Live-Education and I hope it continues. I'm eager to see how you and Linda work through the curriculum and personalize it along the way.
This was very inspiring! Is there a waldorf curriculum in French that you would recommend for francophones ?
Oh I wish I knew of a Waldorf curriculum in French, but I'm sorry I don't. I can ask around.
Pepper and Pine yes please!❤❤ I've been looking everywhere but it seems like there isnt a curiculum in french for homeschoolers (yet) :/
Pepper and Pine also, if possible, can you make more videos on how you incorporate islam to the waldorf approach ? That would be great, thank you! Ps: love love love your videos, you are doing a great job !!
For sure, Inshallah :)
This is so awesome!! Thank you so much!!!
Thank you :)
At what age do you begin using Main Lesson Books?
Cara Wales you begin Main Lesson books with grade one around seven years old.
Pepper and Pine Thank you!