Raising Compassionate and Socially Aware Children

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, November 2004 The following are excerpts from the keynote talks I gave in Fair Oaks, CA and Ann Arbor, MI at Waldorf in the Home conferences. The entire talk would be…

How To Do It!

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, October 2004 (and much has changed in our family since then!) My original topic for this month’s newsletter was something quite different than what you are about to read – I…

Get Out of the House!

Posted by Donna Simmons

My most precious childhood memories are from the brief weeks each year that I spent with my class on a working farm in the Hudson River valley in upstate New York. The Waldorf school I attended was in New York…

Practical Suggestions for Sick Children

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, May 2005 Here are a few things for parents to consider when their children are ill. It is based, in part, on what we do in our family, as well as…

Time to be Ill?

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, May 2004 How do we regard illness in our families? Do we respond with an arsenal of medicines and potions, moving quickly to get rid of whatever it is that is…

Multiculturalism

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article taken from the Homeschool Journey newsletter, April 2004 Occasionally, one reads or hears someone say something along the lines that Waldorf is not multicultural or not multicultural enough. This always puzzles me, and sometimes seriously irritates me. If…

Communication/Conversation

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, March 2004 With horror I read an article entitled ‘Now You’re Talking: For more parents, communication with their kids is getting a lot easier, thanks to instant messaging’ in the St…

Choosing Toys

Posted by Donna Simmons

This piece first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, February 2005 Following on from the above, I want to talk a bit about choosing toys. Mainly this is about toys for younger children, but some will surely be used by…

Extending Play

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, February 2004 Some of the most joyful moments I have  had as a homeschooling mom have come during our occasional ‘Boy Days’, days when my sons invite their friends over, en…

January Activities

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, January 2004, updated slightly in 2019 January can be a depressing month for many homeschoolers. Panic and guilt lurk just around the corner as well realize that the children have done…