One of the many reasons we decided to base Earthschooling on Waldorf-inspired principles was because of the strong science base Waldorf-inspired education provides. When I share this thought with parents and teachers the first questions they ask is (something like), “How can Waldorf-inspired education create great scientists? And what do you mean – strong science […]
Lesson Blocks
Lesson Planning – A Dozen Tips
This month has been all about lesson planning for us. I’ve been spending hours every day putting the finishing touches on the new daily lesson planners for the First and Second Grade Earthschooling Curriculum for this coming year, planning our coming year and listening to everyone talk about lesson preparation and planning. With this in mind I’d […]
Adventures in Arabic Calligraphy
Wednesday Mosi (my 16-year-old) and I taught Arabic calligraphy to a class of 3rd, 4th and 5th graders. Upon hearing this one may wonder how we could teach an advanced writing technique in another language to a class of students who had never seen the Arabic language before. I was initially a bit apprehensive as […]
Natural Gifts for Kids to Make
Welcome to my post for the Des Moines Area Frugal Blog Tour! Julia McGuire, who is leading this tour is a Homeschooling leader in my community and has gathered together some amazing local Bloggers for this tour. I’m the first stop! When someone says “My child made me a gift for the holidays” one might […]
Visit to a Hindu Temple in Iowa
Sofi and I are studying the Fifth Grade Ancient Cultures block. In the first part of the block we talked about Ancient India. Since this block included information on Hinduism and Buddhism we decided to visit a temple last week. I was amazed that this even exists in Iowa and I never would have known […]
Mineralogy Block
Today we started our mineralogy block. We didn’t plan it that way but sometimes life brings opportunities you don’t want to miss out on! My dad called to say that he would be in town doing a rock show (he exhibits and sells minerals and gems around the country as his retirement job – he […]
Instant Homeschooling Lessons
If you are homeschooling you know that some days are better than others. Because of this every teacher has a bunch of “fall back lessons” or methods they use on those days when they can’t be there 100% or when the unexpected happens (like an illness). I remember when I was a child we could […]
Sixth Grade Math is My Favorite!
Sofi and I have been enjoying sixth grade math so much! We started the year by having Sofi plan her own business, and have also been slowly working through the six divisions of the circle – each one more amazing than the last! The designs look so simple but are so complex to create and […]
A Waldorf Main Lesson Book: Where are the Worksheets and Exams?
Imagine a world with no quizzes, textbooks or worksheets. That sounds like it would be a dream school for most children! This is what it is like in a Waldorf school. In fact, Waldorf education engages the student in the learning process to the extent where worksheets or exams would actually interfere with their learning […]
First Farmer’s Market
Sofi is working on the lesson Starting Your Own Business for Kids. This is her experience… Today I had my first actual store. I sold one mermaid and met a lot of people and gave a lot of people my website name. A fiber artist named Wendy came to talk to me. I showed the […]