Transitioning from School to Homeschooling

Posted by Donna Simmons

Taking your child out of public school or a private school in order to homeschool is a major life decision for the family. In my experience as a consultant, this decision can often occur in early elementary, middle school, or…

TAKING STOCK- A Midwinter Evaluation of Your Homeschooling

Posted by Donna Simmons

January or early February is a good time of year for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere to take stock of where we are with our homeschooling. Here are a few suggestions to keep your homeschooling rhythm on track:…

Managing Multiple Main Lessons

Posted by Donna Simmons

(written by Barbara Benson) It takes organization, dedication and some flexibility to homeschool multiple children. The simple fact is that you are not going to be able to follow each syllabus thoroughly with each child. As a parent of five…

Transitioning to High School

Posted by Donna Simmons

The following was written by Barbara Benson, mother of 5 children, all homeschooled with Christopherus and other materials through high school. The Waldorf inspired curriculum at Christopherus is largely focused on grades 1-8, those years when a homeschooling parent is…

Role of Non-Teaching Spouse

Posted by Donna Simmons

  Many couples that do Waldorf inspired homeschooling share similar values on education and adopting a Waldorf inspired rhythm to homeschooling. There are times, however, when one person "discovers" Waldorf and is determined to augment it into the family lifestyle,…

The Rhythms of Reverence in Homeschooling Daily Life

Posted by Donna Simmons

By Barbara Benson The Rhythms of Reverence in Homeschooling Daily Life Why is it important to instill a sense of reverence into our homeschooling daily life?  Reverence is a fundamental ” mood of the soul”, a sense of love and…

What is a Trained Waldorf Teacher?

Posted by Donna Simmons

For the first time in 12 years of business, my lack of having a certificate from a Waldorf teacher training institute has been queried. How interesting this whole question is to me! First, thank you to the homeschooling mother who…

Summer Learning

Posted by Donna Simmons

This article first appeared in the Homeschool Journey newsletter, July 2004 About a week after I wrote the last newsletter, I realized that what I had written was potentially open for misinterpretation. I had written that although we do not formally “do school” during…

Immunization… a parent’s decision (or not)

Posted by Donna Simmons

I’m more then disappointed with California’s recent passage of bill SB277.  The law takes away the basic parental right of deciding what is right for their child if that child is enrolled in a public or private school. For now…

Thinking About Toys

Posted by Donna Simmons

Although most young children – and many older ones – will be attracted to flashing, noisy toys, with care and forethought, one can create a family culture whereby the values of what is true, beautiful and good are embodied in…