Main lesson blocks are a central feature of Waldorf education. Are you wondering, “what is a main lesson block?” Let me show you what Waldorf homeschooling has looked like over the years in our house with three children. The Morning Main Lesson The main lesson generally takes place each morning for about two hours. One…
Most Waldorf homeschoolers avoid teaching grammar. Because after all, the Waldorf curriculum is full of good stories. That’s how lessons and new material are presented. Writing and reading are built into the curriculum, so those aspects of language arts seem to be taken care of. Plus, we have no idea how to teach grammar in…
In this series, 5 Days to Homeschooling with Main Lesson Blocks, we’ll explore: What is a main lesson block? Why does main lesson block learning work? What are the essential elements? How do you plan in main lesson blocks? And how do you record the learning in main lesson books? I’m Jean, and I’m here…
Here are 3 books that made me a better parent. I read each of them at different stages of parenting and they gave me a fresh perspective. Parenting is such important work. Through our parenting, we really are changing the world one family at a time. “There is no single effort more radical in its…
Are you wondering what homeschooling high school looks like for a Waldorf family? Today, I want to share what it looked like for me and my three children. My youngest is now a freshman in college. That makes my husband and I officially empty-nesters this year. A good time to reflect back on those high…
Do you ever have one of those days when things don’t go as planned? Where you don’t get started when you intended to. Then you don’t do the lesson you planned. And you don’t feel very good about any of it. And then you yell. Do you ever have one of those days? I was…
This is a guest post by Jodie Mesler full of her wisdom on when to start a musical instrument with your child. Jodie is a music teacher and the author of The Magic Flute, a curriculum from Living Music designed to help homeschooling parents teach their children pennywhistle or recorder. She and I met when I…
As homeschoolers, there are so many moving pieces and parts to consider. We can get lost in a sea of swirling ideas. That’s why over the years, I’ve developed mantras to help me remember what’s most important. And today, I want to share with you my 7 powerful mantras for homeschooling Mamas. To remind you…
When I talk to parents about planning main lesson blocks, they often ask, “How can I easily focus on Waldorf painting and drawing?” Here’s how the conversation usually goes. I am explaining the 3-part lesson in a 2-day rhythm like this, “on Day One, you present new material with a story, and then you paint…
What exactly is involved in homeschool planning? And how do I begin planning my Waldorf homeschooling year? In my experience, we tend to fall into an illusion that once we choose our curriculum, we’re done! But the truth is, that’s just the beginning. Almost every curriculum I’ve seen has too much in it. I understand…
