Welcome to A Little Garden Flower & Waldorf Essentials

Coming to Waldorf Late

The past two radio shows focused on coming to Waldorf during the grade school years.  I want to address some of the key points that we feel are important when you are new to Waldorf homeschooling.  Most people only think of the beeswax crayons, nice pencils and paint - these are great, but what do you do with them?  It all starts with good planning and understanding the curriculum, otherwise the materials are just things - they aren't the heart and soul of Waldorf.  Below are some sets for each of the grades (you can find full descriptions in our store), purchasing these bundled sets directly from our blog will save you some money as they are discounted from the full price.  Be sure to visit our radio station to listen to both shows on the topic.

Our daughter showing some grade 1 work

Grade 1 (age 6-7):  While you want to make sure you have a good grasp of the grade one basics, be sure you also do your background work.  I recommend studying Steiner himself where possible.  I also recommend this bundle below that includes: A Journey... audio series (in download mp3 format), Coloring with Block Crayons DVD set, Form Drawing DVDs, Waldorf Homeschool Planning DVDs, e-book versions of our Grade 1 curriculum and our Grades 1-5 math book.  $125

Our daughter with her grade two Saint Patrick drawing.

Grade 2 (age 7-8):  In many ways, grade two is an extension of grade one.  Some children are reading well and some are still coming along.  When you come to Waldorf at this stage, you will need many of the foundations that we recommend for grade one, the exception being that you will want our grade two curriculum instead. This bundle includes everything above substituting with grade two. $120

Math wheel

Grade 3 (age 8-9):  Consider not working on the regular Waldorf festivals this year but rather celebrate Jewish festivals and ease into your year.  Remember to keep any history to an age-appropriate level.  You can skip the fairy tales and the fables at this point unless you want to use them as extra stories.   This bundle includes: A Journey...downloads, e-book copies of our Grade 3 curriculum and Math book, Block Crayon DVDs, Planning DVDs, and Form Drawing DVDs. $122

Grade four lesson from Norse myth, past, present & future.

Grade 4 (age 9-10):  If you begin with Waldorf this year, you will want to be certain you fully understand the man/animal main lesson as this will give you a foundation of what is to come in the upper elementary grades.  You may also consider some drawing classes or our block crayon DVD.  For this year's bundle we recommend: e-books of our Grade 4 curriculum and our Math book, A Journey downloads, Planning DVDs, and Form Drawing DVDs.  $90

Grade 5 Geometry drawing

Grade 5 (age 10-11):  You should consider doing the 4th grade man/animal lesson block before the botany block.  Be sure not to skip form drawing and geometry.  The fifth grade bundle includes: Grade 5 curriculum and Math both e-books, A Journey downloads, Planning DVDs, Form Drawing DVDs, and Geometry e-book & DVDs. $120

Example of grade 6 map drawing

Grade 6 (age 11-12):  This year will start off great if you have a good understanding of the history covered in grade five through ancient cultures.  Take the time to understand the time periods and the geography.  Spend time covering zoology and botany.  The bundle for this grade includes: Grade 6 curriculum e-book, A Journey downloads, Planning DVDs, Form Drawing DVDs, and Geometry DVDs. $97

**Although I didn't bundle our Block Crayon DVD for the upper elementary grades, it can be a great tool for you as a resource on learning how to make beautiful chalk board drawings - the processes are very similar.  Also, while I did not mention it in each grade, handwork is an important part of Waldorf education.  We have many handwork supplies in our shop.

From grade seven through high school, Waldorf can be a bit trickier to integrate.  My best suggestion is to go through the base history curriculum to be sure your child has a good understanding of the work and how we got to where we are as a society.  Be sure to cover the sciences in depth. 

Remember that Waldorf is about allowing the child to develop through age-appropriate material and activities.  Stand back and watch them blossom - do not be in a hurry.  Be sure to take the time to plan and understand the material for yourself.  You can do it!  Welcome to Waldorf!

Blessings.

Melisa Nielsen

Planning a City in Grade 7

As we are continuing to work on our grade seven curriculum, we have still been working with our own son who is in seventh grade.  We laid out the plan to include the entire time period of the Renaissance between now and Christmas.

We began working through some of the religious figures of the time period.  There were many ties between the various individuals, but not a lot is written for the level of a seventh grader so they will have to rely on information from you or what they find in research books and websites.  There is a fair amount to be found on Thomas More as he was very influential with his work Utopia.  Our seventh graders are at the point where they can begin to understand why someone would plan such a place, a place of peace and unity and order.  Even though the book was written about a place that didn't exist, many groups have used it as a blueprint for a perfect society. 

With so much going on in the world that bombards our children, the work of Utopia is a fresh lesson for them as they begin to have opinions about how our world should work.  I had our son spend two weeks on the concept of building a perfect city.  I gave him parameters (see our questions below) and also a book by one of my favorite authors, David Macaulay.  The book City was a great resource for my son and even though it details a Roman city, it was a great transition for him into our study of Utopia.  What my son did was something I didn't expect - he took the research questions and turned it into a much bigger project.

I tasked him with answering these questions:

1. If this were your city project, what would you include?
2. What would be the purpose of building this new city?
3. How many people would you serve?
4. What would your city do for commerce?
5. How would your city be governed? (I was very loose with this question since we haven't really spoken deeply about governments.)

To my surprise he took this to the next level and came to me with two papers, one, a letter to a king (Harrison the Great, lol!) and another letter from the king to his subjects.  Below is the text from the king's builder's union to the king.

"Dear Harrison the Great,
We, the Builders, think that you need another city in your kingdom.  A city that 1,000 people can live in.  It will be located at the far end of your kingdom and the center will be a stronghold. Your city will provide water, food, trees and barracks for your soldiers.  We have included a sketch of your new city.  We would like to order stones, wood and tools and would like to begin to forge the metal we need for the project.  We would like the work to be done by September 30, 1412, two years from now.  We would like to start soon.

From, Thomas
Head of Builder's Union"

I was expecting a simple project and he turned it into something much more fun.  He wrote his final drafts on parchment and used the wax seal for the signature of the king.  His final blueprint reminded me of a military base, complete with farmland to feed those who live there, aqueducts to bring water to all the homes, apartments... he was so detailed.

Next week, our lessons will take us deeper into Utopia and why More may have written it, and how it ties to his thoughts of the growing and corrupt Catholic church of his time.  This same church that he didn't always agree with, made him a saint after his death. 

Enjoy!

Hold back? Move ahead?

I recently had a chat with a mom new to Waldorf.  She has older children and was worried about the placement of her daughter in grade six.  She was worried about the fact that she wasn't up to speed with her math or writing, and questioned if her daughter should go back to grade five or even four to get the entire curriculum.

This is a good question and one that I get often.  I assured her that Waldorf education is so different than anything else whether in the homeschool or public school arena.  With Waldorf, you can keep a child at grade level developmentally and work independently on their other skills.  The method of presenting subjects and the sequence of presenting them is directly in line with the development of the each child's being.  A child of 12 years could be studying Rome (grade six) and understanding the concepts and stories while working to strengthen their writing and math skills of previous years.  It is as much a journey for them as it is for us.  We must remember that educating a child in this method is an art, and that as a parent-teacher we are refining and as we refine ourselves the children will come along.  Sometimes we notice that there might be an imbalance in skills so along comes the next main lesson block and a perfect opportunity to strengthen them.  Teaching in lesson blocks allows us to spend concentrated time to grow each area and then let it sleep for a while to work on something else.

There have been many times when I began to get frustrated with the level that one of my children was working at only to meditate and decide that it should go to sleep for a while.  Every time we have encouraged this "sleeping" it has paid off.  They always come back with renewed strength to dig back in. 

After about grade four, it is appropriate to do daily math practice (outside of a math main lesson) via 5-10 math problems per day - not new material, just problems that keep their skills active.

There is no substitution for prayer, meditation and planning when it comes to homeschooling with Waldorf or any method.  Take the time, you will be glad you did.

Many blessings.

Melisa & Erik Nielsen
www.alittlegardenflower.com

Grade 7 Joan of Arc

While researching for grade 7, I stumbled across a great resource for teaching history; it is a collection of articles from Waldorf teachers about teaching history through the grades. In the collection, I found a beautiful piece by JØrgen Borgen about Joan of Arc.  I took it with me to an appointment, and found myself moved to tears while reading it in the waiting room.  I knew the story, having read it as a young adult, even written about her, but the beauty in this retelling was fantastic.  I knew right then that it must be the basis for a grade 7 lesson.  Along with our geometry review, my son plunged into the history of Joan. I began to lure him with the story from my own recounting which instantly hooked him and he wanted to know more.  We headed over to Barnes & Noble and found "Joan of Arc: Heavenly Warrior" for just $5.95.  After reading his book, he noted how impressed he was by this young girl and her mission - not to mention the fact that wasn't much older than he is.  Angry at the way she was treated and frustrated by being told she was too young, my son did just as JØrgen Borgen suggested he would.

This excerpt from our new book might be helpful in bringing Joan to your child:

"If you have already studied the middle ages, then I would suggest starting the school year with a quick study of a Joan of Arc.  She’s a wonderful historical figure and while separate from our other studies this year, her story is a great one for this age group and can bring about some wonderful questions to ponder.  One Waldorf teacher (JØrgen Borgen) suggests that children will have some of the same questions that Joan’s executioners did. 

 “Who was she? Was she, as her judges proclaimed, a lying seducer of the people and the royalty, a pagan, a false prophet, a witch? Was she a devil or instrument of the forces of evil? Or was she what she always professed? Was she indeed guided by higher, godlike powers that gave her the abilities and courage to act in ways that defied human reason?” '

 

I suggest using Joan of Arc as a bridge between the Middle Ages and the Renaissance as she is a lively character in history, sure to be enjoyed by girls and boys alike.  Using some of the suggestions from above, why not have your child start with a writing assignment about Joan.  If your child is like mine, you will notice that changes have taken place over the summer; they are beginning to think differently, their sense of justice is starting to take hold, and their tendency is to see cause-and-effect more clearly.  Steiner warns us to not bring history to them simply as cause-and-effect because it is much deeper than that.  To simply view the correlation between events takes from it, so with our children we have to bring history to them in a symptomatological way.  This approach, as Roberto Trostli points out in his book, "Rhythms of Learning", views historical facts as elements of history but also looks deeper to the symbolism in the facts.  In one of Steiner's lectures, he says:

"The real essence of humanity lives in historical impulses; what is gather together in the impulses lives in external historical events, which in turn have their effect on individual human beings."

This is a wonderful time for you and your child.  For you, dig into history in a whole new way - while I love to use a time line to help them understand the passage of lifetimes, I never use it in a testing matter - I would rather my children know how Joan felt than have them beat themselves up over not knowing the exact year!  

Enjoy this time!  Blessings.

From Our Home to Yours...

Melisa & Erik Nielsen
A Little Garden Flower & Gnomes Home Radio
www.alittlegardenflower.com

A Journey through Waldorf Geometry

There are few things that really strike fear into the hearts of some moms like the thought of geometry.  Geometry was not like this for many of us in school... I remember *getting it* but hating it!  And I didn't get everything, only bits and pieces and Pythagoras was certainly not my favorite dude. So when I decided I was going to write a geometry resource, I knew I had to overcome my own bias before I could get into it and bring it to others.  I did a lot of reading... a lot of praying... more praying... more reading... then I finally picked up the compass and just got busy.  To my surprise, it was easy!  Ok maybe not easy but enjoyable!  Better than the dentist.  Better even than pasta... not better than pie.

The set comes with: FULLY laid out geometry lessons for grades 5-7.  12 lessons for each year for a total of 36.  These are laid out in in ebook format with full color pictures for nearly every lesson, over 40 pictures total.  There are also two DVDs that walk you through all major constructions. The presale goes through the end of August and is $25.  After that the regular price is $35.

Below you will find a sample lesson from our book (grade 5, lesson 12) and also a segment from our DVD. (be sure to click on the pictures below so you can see a full view!)  Enjoy!  Get excited - hurry up - go get a compass! get some paper... go on.. do the lesson below and see how easy it is.  Just do it.

Lesson 12

This is by far the hardest lesson you will do in grade five geometry – we saved the best for last!  Really though, it looks hard but isn’t once you get going.   Today you will construct a flower within a dodecagon.  What is a dodecagon?  It is a 12-sided shape with 12 angles.  A regular dodecagon has 12 equal sides, this is where our focus will be today.

 

While twelve sides seems overwhelming at first, it can be done easily by using the instruction for constructing the hexagon.  Being certain that your arcs for your hexagon go both through the center and through the original circle, you will create extra points.  Before joining all over your points, count them, there should be 12.  See this lesson on our DVD.  From each of these extra points, create another arc until you have constructed 12 total.  Now it might look like a mess! Refer to our finished picture  and start coloring in the center, erasing the lines that are not needed.  Soon your shape will emerge.

Back to School Sale!

It's that time... you see school supplies and backpacks in every store... well we don't have backpacks but we do have a sale!  AND a new book too!

First the sale:
10% off our store from now until July 31st.  The coupon code is school2009. 

Now the book:
We just finished our geometry book and we think you will love it!  This project has been so much fun!  Here's the description from our store:
A Journey through Waldorf Geometry is a simple addition to your math program for grades 5, 6 and 7. With 12 or more lessons for each block plus suggestions for additional activities, you will have everything you need to confidently present geometry lessons to your fifth through seventh grader. The detailed instructions with accompanying illustrations will help even the most math-phobic parent implement the lessons.

This set includes a CD and two DVDs. The ebook is on the CD and individual pages can be printed if needed. The DVDs contains video demonstrations for you of all of the base constructions both on the chalkboard and on paper. In addition, each lesson in the book has step-by-step photos. Some of the constructions you will learn are hexagons, octagons, equiangular spirals, nested octagons, and many more.

Never fear - geometry made simple is here!

Other great things are happening too!  We hired more staff - we are really so excited about this.  We know it will decrease shipping times and get things into your hands faster than ever!  We have hired Tammy, Manager of Operations to over see our Idaho warehouse and get things whipped into shape!  We also have Betsie joining us as our Director of Marketing.  Both ladies are wonderful Waldorf mamas who have both older kids and younger ones, they know Waldorf and they are committed to helping us grow so we can continue to bring you great resources for your journey. 

Now go!  Shop... and then enjoy your summer some more! *wink* 
Blessings!

Great Astronomy Site! Grade 7

A dear friend sent this to me (thanks Tammy!) - there are different pictures and a description for each day, great archives - who knew our galaxy was so pretty!  Enjoy!

http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html