We're doing a 3 hr a day French language camp for a week, and that's about it this year unless something else turns up. We are big fans of long, lazy summers. :-)

I'm going for it...last minute! I have such a big age gap (5 and 10 year old) but they love to do this kind of thing together. I may just start at the beginning and see how we get on with it. :-)

I think there is supposed to be some math component in the activity books...at least according to their website. :001_smile:

I am in the same boat with my almost 4 year old. :001_smile: I'm thinking about just using this: http://books.coreknowledge.org/product.php?productid=16295&cat=364&page=1 and the activity books that go with it: http://books.coreknowledge.org/product.php?productid=16296&cat=364&page=1 I just don't have tons of prep time for him and this looks like it might be easy enough to pick and choose activities from. I think They might be available on Amazon, too.

It doesn't sound like OM is a good fit for you. You could always bring certain artistic elements to the stories and content you end up choosing for him. Have him draw, paint or model something from the literature, do puppet shows, etc. You could also add in some of the Waldorf stories for his grade as a nourishing supplement to the already good stuff you have in mind. For grade 2 there would be animal fables (Aesop's, Jataka tales etc) and heroes/saints, for example. Christopherus is OK. I have used certain blocks of hers in the past couple of years when I wasn't on top of it enough to create my own content. It's definitely not bad, but the magic of Waldorf only really shines through when the lessons spring out of your own heart. :001_smile:

Well, OM isn't really Waldorf so you could place him wherever he fits best. :001_smile: Have you looked at their sample lessons for each grade?

I think Waldorf education is easily misunderstood. They do start academics later, that is a fact. But once a child reaches the grades, what is emphasized is the lesson content...various themes and stories which meet the child developmentally and feed their "souls". The academic work that accompanies this content should be tailored to the individual child. So for first grade, perhaps there is a child still struggling to write their letters well so they focus on that and another might be an excellent writer and could write a short summary to go with each story, etc. You wouldn't jump grade levels, you would just step up the work that goes with each main lesson, or take it down a notch if that's what the child needs. Waldorf can meet any child right where they are with exactly what they need, but the one presenting it has to bring it to them. By way of necessity, any boxed curriculum has to try and hit a common denominator...but if you are given the themes and the basic content, one can adjust it from there. It doesn't come without a good amount of prep time, though. Personally, I like OM. I like to have a copy of the syllabus, at our grade level. I pull lots of ideas from it. I could never follow a boxed curriculum lesson for lesson, but I like that it gives a do-able foundation and I can go from there...adding things in, substituting other things. Also, we do so many other things...foreign languages, music, Waldorf arts and handwork, extra math...I wouldn't want something so time consuming and challenging that I couldn't add our other stuff on top of it. Good luck! Also, try to get a copy of the syllabus used if you decide to give it a try. I have always bought them that way....for WAY cheaper!

ok, that's it...I'm heading over to that site tonight. I've heard so much about it. I'm a big fan of Vi Hart http://vihart.com/ and I think she has teamed up with Khan as well, so time to check it out. :cool:

Thank you so much for starting this thread! I have just ordered two of the recommended books...perfect for summer vacation read alouds. :001_smile: