Both of my girls taught themselves how to read at age 3 and by 3rd grade were reading at high school level...I don't understand how people could think that it averages out. By that age, my oldest had read almost all of the Harry Potter books and the entire Hobbit and LOTR books independently, and standard 3rd grade books are Little House in the Big Wood and Charlotte's Web. I wonder who is doing this study... I think also that academic maturity and emotional maturity can be vastly different. My girls have always been multiple grades above level academically, but were prone to acting very babyish and pitching tantrums like a much younger child. It has always really thrown people and can cause a lot of presumptions and judgement.

My oldest LOVED Descartes' Cove and I am about to start Ko's Journey with my youngest.

I guess it depends. It isn't that science and math are not taught and don't fit into anthroposophy, it is just that they are taught differently and in a more ethereal and imaginative way. Not so much facts and figures as much as curiosities and wonder. Like thinking about the meaning behind numbers and equations instead of just doing rote math practice, or studying the beauty and design of a tree instead of only learning the anatomy and processes. My 16 year old is now a full-time university student majoring in artificial intelligence and robotics, and we homeschooled her using Waldorf methods. She did attend a Waldorf school for 3 years when she was little, and I have to agree that if she were to solely have that education and no supplementation from me, it could have been a different story. However, using Waldorf methods and combining them with classical or CM at home can produce great outcomes.

You have a great point, and it can be confusing how different contradictory philosophies can be combined to teach children well. As a homeschooling mom with over 11 years of experience, I have seen the outcomes of combining curriculum and it can be done. We started out with Waldorf materials, but because we have two profoundly gifted children it was impossible to "tame" their curiosities and deeper interests in learning. The classical approach really meets this need, but I did not want to lose the beauty and sweetness of the Waldorf way. When I tried going all Waldorf or all classical, it was either too thin or too dry, respectively. Over time I learned that I could combine the materials in a symbiotic and beautiful way. For example, when we do work in the Alpha Omega history and geography for grade 5, I will read the passage aloud, then have my daughter work on a fully illustrated map in her main lesson book using Waldorf materials and artistic techniques. We used a combined approach with our 16 year old, who is now a full-time university student. It can work, but I agree that you really have to know what you want to accomplish before you try to combine materials. For example, I knew exactly which elements I wanted to keep from each aproach, and which elements I wanted to lose. Actually, the Montessori method can actually work quite well with unschooling, if you make sure to surround your child's environment with the Montessori materials. However, if you just put out a few bead chains with nothing else to promote understanding then it will not work well. Montessori is extremely child-led, and so is unschooling, so I can see how those can go well together. Same thing for classical and Waldorf - they are both very teacher-led and follow a fairly rigid structure. Anyway, great comment and very thought-provoking!

We have always found that using Waldorf with classical methods has worked out well for us.

I agree with you here. I have two PG daughters and also use Waldorf curriculum as a base. THey both learn very, very fast and I struggled with how I was going to go about teaching Waldorf without grade skipping. The solution I cam up with was to combine the Waldorf curriculum with another curriculum, keeping Waldorf at their age level and the other at their learning level. For example, I combine Christropherus and Earthschooling at grade 4 with Alpha Omegaat grades 5 and 6. This might be controversial and taboo in the Waldorf community, but it helps me give my girls the Waldorf approach while catering to their academic needs.

Christoperus nd Earthschooling offer the best form drawing instruction, inmy opinion.

I have tried just about all of these and really love Christopherus the best. It has the instruction I need, the traditional approach that I love and enough pictures and examples to help me understand what to do. I love Live Education as well, but agree that it is VERY costly and does not have enough instruction. You can also find great supplemental books at AWSNA.

We have used Oak Meadow in the past and found it helpful if you need a lot of instruction, but it is not as traditional "Waldorf" as other curriculum, like LIve Education or Christopherus. It is more like a cross over between Waldorf and classical I think.

I love homeschooling with Waldorf methods though. It really allows you to use what you love and leave the stuff you don't out.

(((HUGS))) :grouphug: You are not alone...Hang in there!!!

:iagree:

K12 by far...a few times actually. The advertising kept sucking me in. What a nightmare.

ICELAND! YES!:w00t:

:grouphug::grouphug::grouphug: