TKDmom Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I read a book on Waldorf education last week, and I found myself agreeing with a lot of what it had to say. Now I am noticing how much my kids (particularly my 7yo) like to create and build things. I started looking at OM materials. I don't want to get the whole program, but I thought the activity-type stuff that they had for lower elementary looked like fun. Can I use thing like their recorder and Clay Fun books without buying the whole curriculum? I know there must be tons of handicraft resources available, but I don't know where to start looking. What type of things could I get for 6 to 10 year-olds, that wouldn't require me to know what I'm doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strawberry Queen Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 There is a website called Paper Scissors Stone that sells all sorts of Waldorfy things. They have lots of their craft supplies and I believe they have some of the individual books. I haven't actually purchased from there....I've just drooled on my screen;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alessandra Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 There is a website called Paper Scissors Stone that sells all sorts of Waldorfy things. They have lots of their craft supplies and I believe they have some of the individual books. I haven't actually purchased from there....I've just drooled on my screen;) We love Paper, Scissors, Stone too. Here is a nice blog post on handicrafts (scroll down to the last one) -- there are some good ideas here. http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/search/label/Handicrafts Two books we like, one on weaving, one on knitting: http://www.amazon.com/Kids-Knitting-Projects-all-Ages/dp/1579652417/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1315405435&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Weave-Projects-Weavers/dp/0871924935/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1315405482&sr=1-2 Also, check out Boy Scout shops - they have kits for basketry, leatherwork, etc at reasonable prices. Plus the BSA merit badge books are full of info. Another source is the Dick Blick catalogue - lots of handicraft materials. And here is a good source for Waldorf books (a lot of which are not on Amazon) http://www.waldorfbooks.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) I haven't actually used or looked at the OM books, but I'd guess that you could use them individually without the entire curriculum. Craft books tend to be that way. In general, I'd steer away from the purely "Waldorf" craft books -- the things published by Floris Books, like The Nature Corner. They tend to be really freaking expensive for what you get, and the directions are ... dreamy? vague? Waldorfy? I have stacks of this stuff, and have come to the conclusion that Anthroposophy must be philosophically opposed to the concept of an index. You can find the same thing with nice color photos and CLEAR directions by other publishers. Alas, it's been so long since I've thought about this that I'm not tip-of-the-tongue on what craft books I'd suggest. Once upon a time I could've told you which crafts to do which year (knitting in year 1, crochet in ... year 2, or is it 3? And you do it in that order because of building the "will" of the child -- the choice of which stitch to insert the crochet hook in is too much for the younger child at their dreamy stage of development, blah blah blah). I've gotta take a kid to a voice lesson, then deal with a house appraisal, but hope to stop back by later after browsing my bookshelves and also my bookmark bar on the computer. ETA: Nice book of crafts, verses, songs, recipes for the younger kids is A Child's Seasonal Treasury by Betty Jones. Honestly, though, the crafts are the same thing you could find at the library browsing the children's section. But it's a nice presentation, and pretty easy to use. Edited September 7, 2011 by GailV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlefurfamily Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Amanda Soule's books might be just what you are looking for. I'll come back later with details. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlefurfamily Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I like novanatural.com too :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Parker Martin Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 The Children's Year might be a good fit. http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Year-Clothes-Children-Parents/dp/1869890000 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swellmomma Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 There is a website called Paper Scissors Stone that sells all sorts of Waldorfy things. They have lots of their craft supplies and I believe they have some of the individual books. I haven't actually purchased from there....I've just drooled on my screen;) :iagree: I have my wishlist for this year that includes the beeswax crayons for art stuff. Handcraft wise I bought the homestead blessings dvds which are not necessarily waldorf stuff but teach skills like sewing, quilting, soap making and candle making. As well some some klutz kits to learn crocheting and knitting. I did buy some bamboo knitting needles and crochet hooks for each kid because I like them better than the plastic. This year the handcrafts we are working on are crochet, knitting, candlemaking, cross stitch, felting and woodwork. You don't need any specific waldorf books to do any of those, any DIY book or video can help you get started. I also second Amanda soule's books. I just bought one a couple weeks ago called the rhythm of the family, it is soo good and her blog is awesome too. If you do a search here for handcrafts you may come up with a lot of ideas and resources because I know we have discussed it before in conversations about CM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LAS in LA Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I can't recommend Anthroposophy as a philosophy, but the Waldorf aesthetic is very appealing! And they teach German (said the German major)! There is a magazine called Living Crafts which has good ideas. See www.achildsdream.com for the magazine and lots of supplies, kits, etc. I do like Floris books for ideas, but agree with PP that the detailed instructions are sometimes lacking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GailV Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 The Children's Year might be a good fit. http://www.amazon.com/Childrens-Year-Clothes-Children-Parents/dp/1869890000 I used to have this, but can't find my copy. I remember it being pretty good. I can't recommend Anthroposophy as a philosophy, but the Waldorf aesthetic is very appealing! And they teach German (said the German major)! There is a magazine called Living Crafts which has good ideas. See www.achildsdream.com for the magazine and lots of supplies, kits, etc. I do like Floris books for ideas, but agree with PP that the detailed instructions are sometimes lacking. I LOVE THIS MAGAZINE! I've found it at Hancock's, and I think maybe Barnes and Noble. Their website has some sample crafts and lots of info. The magazine has reviews of current craft books and ads for various suppliers -- you'll get tons of ideas of websites to visit, books to find at the library. Great resource! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LibraryLover Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 (edited) When I have a hankering to feel inadequate and like the biggest slacker on the planet, I go here: www.soulemama.com She has written two books about family and art, with a Waldorf bent. Some things we've done: We on wet painting Knitting, finger knitting for littles is pretty easy. My kids have done quite a bit of knitting. My youngest knitted a rag type doll recently. There are a few waldorf-y type knitting books Baking bread Bean bags out of wool felt Made simple, tiny gnomes out of wool felt and wool batting. Beeswax candles from rolls of bee wax comb Make play dough. My youngest still does that. There is a gluten free recipe made from corn startch. Google Gluten -free play dough Some children enjoy making blocks from pieces of sawed wood from downed tree branches. Let me warn you; this takes a lot of sand paper. :) The Children's Year is a nice resource, as is Seven Times Around the Sun Edited September 7, 2011 by LibraryLover Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shifra Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children by Carol Petrash is the easiest Waldorf craft book there is, and the instructions are not too "dreamy? vague? Waldorfy?" like Gail wrote. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NanceXToo Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 As far as I know, yes, you can buy things like their craft and recorder books separately. Their math/science/english/social studies tends to be all integrated in one or two books in the earlier years, but the stuff about crafts, and recorder, and clay fun etc. can be sold separately. Nance, who loves OM. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
littlefurfamily Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 Earthways: Simple Environmental Activities for Young Children by Carol Petrash is the easiest Waldorf craft book there is, and the instructions are not too "dreamy? vague? Waldorfy?" like Gail wrote. :iagree: I forgot about this one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kubiac Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I'm so curious, what book did you read? I don't know much about Waldorf but I would love to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TKDmom Posted September 10, 2011 Author Share Posted September 10, 2011 I'm so curious, what book did you read? I don't know much about Waldorf but I would love to learn. It was Understanding Waldorf Education. It's a black book with green apples on the cover. Sorry, I'm on an iPod and can't do links. I'm also reading Simplicity Parenting, which is written by a Waldorf educator and has a lot of wonderful ideas on improving home life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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