Another pair of beloved shoes is officially far too small for my little one to squeeze her foot into. I hate getting rid of items like these, but I really want to simplify our lives more, so the quest to de-clutter and downsize our belongings continues.
I have mentioned in previous posts that I try to incorporate some Montessori and Waldorf principals into my home and homeschool (aren't they really one in the same, when you get right down to it?). I have been doing a great deal of research online (which is where you are supposed to be able to find pretty much anything you want, right?) and have discovered something somewhat interesting:
Free info is guarded closely in many situations.
I challenge you to try to find some free Waldorf songs online with the lyrics. The closest I have come is Joseph Anthony, but otherwise it is very difficult to find many others. I also wish it was easier to find a free full curriculum online available. Sure, you may find the occasional song or a few samples, but full curriculum and enough songs to get you through a basic day are few and far between. What you tend to find are songs sung by the children themselves - without lyrics - which is a bit tough sometimes to decipher into something usable to the average homeschooler.
So, I have decided that perhaps I would like to put some stuff together. I don't claim to be an expert on Waldorf education. I prefer to think what I'll put together will be Waldorf inspired. Thinking about the word inspired, one can pick out "in - spirit", or in the spirit of. I'm no musical expert and don't necessarily carry a tune very well, but I am thinking about putting together a good handful of songs to be worthy of a day's worth of basic tunes.
I hope that others who are interested in Waldorf (and other similar styles like Montessori) will consider also carrying the baton of providing resources online for free for others. If we all pitched in, we can learn from one another. I am not suggesting that there is no value in buying some of the resources sold by some very wonderful vendors. What I'm suggesting is that not everyone can afford to do so. When homeschooling on a shoestring, we are often faced with financial decisions...and the budget does not always allow for too many yearly purchases (as much as we might love to do so!).
So, this is my challenge to myself. I would like to make more videos and provide some more ideas to keep in the spirit of a Waldorf inspired homeschooling experience.
I'm a teacher by heart, after all....
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