I don't pretend to be an expert on homeschooling. I am learning along side my children as we trek through their childhood days. When my daughters were little I read "You are Your Child's First Teacher" by Rahima Baldwin. Waldorf education quickly became my first love. I love the concept of an educational process where the only "workbook" is a blank sketch book slowly being filled with my child's impressions of the world. I enjoy the idea of having a rhythm to my day rather than a schedule. The idea of surrounding my children with natural toys and music celebrating the changing seasons appeals to the naturalist in me. Likewise, I could never embrace an educational program that did not involve long days of hiking in the woods, and playing in the dirt.
I do not, however, follow an anthroposophical approach to life. It better suits my family's philosophies to observe the natural year and changing seasons. My parenting philosophies are more closely aligned with Alfie Kohn, Aletha Solter, and Marshall Rosenberg than Rudolf Steiner. I suppose, our homeschool is a hybrid of sorts. I am not a traditional Waldorf schooler nor am I a radical unschooler. Ideally we are taking what is best of Waldorf schooling and combining it with consensual living. It should be an interesting journey for all of us.
