Hallelujah! We have finished our OT block! (Grade 3)

The Ten Commandments: A Classic OT Movie

Phew!!  We have finally finished our unit on the Old Testament (suggested by the Waldorf curriculum for grade three).  I made the final decision to go as far as the story of Moses in the bible, at which point our culminating activity was to watch The Ten Commandments movie (although there may be some differences from what you might read in the bible, it is close enough for our purposes).

I have to say, this having such a long block of the same theme has really been a challenge. We've had to break it up quite a bit in order to keep our stamina for what ended up being a long haul.  I'm not sure how far "regular Waldorf schools" (tm) tend to go, or how in-depth they explore each story they come across in the OT (or which stories they go into vs. which ones they sorta skip or gloss over).

I used the below "timeline" as my guide for which stories I wanted to focus on:

So, we made it up to Joshua and the 12 Spies, so maybe about 35% - 40% of the way through? Regardless, it seemed like a good place to stop, since we have been at this since around September.  That's far longer than blocks were really intended to last (but again, we take breaks from it and only do OT 1x/week).  I would like to do more OT work, but I think it will be more something we can do in our "spare time" for something different to break up what we're otherwise working on. My reasoning is that I want the kids familiar with these stories so that they can compare works of literature (as well as other belief system stories) later on in life.  Next year, as I keep mentioning, we'll be working on Norse mythology, and I plan to be doing some comparing some of the Norse myths with the stories in the OT.  I want the kids to think about how we (humanity) have tried to explain our origins, or deaths and spiritual side, as well as (attempt to) establish "law and order" and the pecking system of societies.

Here is an example of one of the OT pages in my son's main lesson book:

(Don't worry, we discussed how languages more likely developed in different parts of the world after this particular story)

I can already hear the argument from some quarters that if my children are not intrinsically interested in these topics, then why should I be exposing them to these topics? 

I will answer as I always do:  1.) If my children were truly not enjoying these topics, I would quickly wrap it up and move on to something else  and 2.)  I want them to be as well-rounded as possible and to be familiar with many skills and pieces of knowledge that will help them make (and be accepted into) various decisions later on in life.  We have a general atmosphere of appreciation for academia and learning in our home, and as such it hasn't occurred to our children to reject "different" ideas from some line of thinking that says that if you wish upon a rainbow unicorn, all of your needs will be met without any effort, and therefore being exposed to things you aren't familiar enough with to be interested in is somehow stealing your soul.

The fact is, we do still live in this world.  We can choose to live outside of the mainstream to a certain extent, which is fine, but we should not completely shut out what the mainstream is learning about or ignore how they live and work together. We cannot pretend their belief systems do not exist...even if we were miraculously able to live atop the tallest mountain in the world with no roads up and all the food and materials we need at our disposal without having to deal with the outside world.  Even barring that sort of life, we DO still need to deal with the world as it is. Sure, we can try to be the change we want to see in the world, but we (in our home) feel strongly that understanding the world as it is, and discussing this deeply and critically, allows for deep understanding that will hopefully lead to compassionate (and educated) action forward.

My children ARE being taught that they could totally go off the grid, but I feel it is only fair that they understand where their materials are going to come from to make that happen. Someone makes the solar panels....and someone in your home therefore must understand basic electronics in order to ensure your solar panels have the proper upkeep, repair, etc.  Someone mills that wood you build your home with, and so someone in your home should have some basic idea of carpentry in case something needs repair/replacing or if you actually might want to do some of your own carpentry yourself! Someone made the car you'll potentially drive around in, and so you should know a little something about basic engine repair, changing a flat tire, putting oil in the car, etc.

So, even if my children decide not to become doctors, they should still understand basic first aid, use of herbs for illness, etc.  Even if my children do not want to become accountants, most things they'll need for living will require money...and even some very sophisticated barter system is going to need record keeping!  Even if they do not want to work at McDonalds to earn money, they should know how to cooperate in a team and, maybe more importantly, how to cook tasty meals for yourself and your family.

There are many aspects of life that if you TRULY want independence and freedom, as some suggest is the goal of many child-led philosophies, you STILL need to live in this world to some extent. It is for that reason that we want our kids truly and fully prepared to do that.

We feel that giving them a well-rounded body of knowledge and skills will help them have the tools they need to then live as freely as they possibly can. They will be free, because they understand the system, they've been encouraged to be critical of it and will have been given opportunities to think of "work arounds" for it, and can therefore exist alongside it as much as they choose. 

Now THAT is freedom.