Today, while putting together the first six weeks I felt a real sense of... I don't know... heaviness? panic? or just an overwhelming feeling of not being well prepared for this journey. I love learning. I love knowing about things. I love classical music, classical literature. And... I love nature and the natural world.
So I got to thinking... where is this "nature" in my yearly plans? Yes, yes, we are studying animals for 20 weeks I know. But where is the day to day nature study? The phases of the moon? The seasons? The bird migration? The plant life? The natural rhythms of the earth and of our bodies?
I really really REALLY like Waldorf Education and its philosophy but instead chose Classical. I know I won't regret the really good foundation that Classical education provides. I won't. She won't. (Latin in third grade? Oh yeah!) But will I regret not using the Waldorf method later on down the line? Maybe.
Can I create a fusion of the two? I really hope so and now as the rubber meets the road, I intentionally plan to. I want Athena to really feel connected to this earth, the soil, the seasons, the phases of the moon and circadian rhythms. And really, shouldn't we all?
(photo credits: Paul)
4 comments:
mom, remember that book Seven Times the Sun? Maybe you could look through that again and incorporate some of those ideas into your days.
I think you can fuse the two and your interest in nature will undoubtedly be mirrored by Athena.
You're going to have a great year!
That's the beauty of homeschooling! You absolutely can make it exactly what you want. I smiled when I read this, because I taught my daughter using mostly classical education philosophy for k-3, then switched to a more Waldorf approach from 4-5. I thought the results were quite successful.
The photos in this post are gorgeous!
Meld the philosophies to your heart's content! I can't wait to read all about it. :)
Post a Comment