Curriculum Choices/Plan for our 2013/2014 year

We were once on the homeschooling path, and then sent the kiddos to a wonderful Waldrof school, and now we are back on the homeschooling path.  Life can syre toss things up for a family.  This coming year we will be moving and birthing a new little person into our family -- these things will be our main priority/focus.  Although the children will learn a great deal from being involved in these processes, I am still going to try and get some homeschool time/activities in.

It is generally understood in the Waldorf path/pedagogy of education that very young children (such as preschool and below grade level) really doesn't need a curriculum but just be involved in daily life; they simply need to be involved in the rhythm/routine of the family, and some enriching activities provided for them (especially tactile and exploratory type activities).  We have found this to be very true in our experience, and the little are of course welcome to witness and participate at their level in what the olders are doing, as well. 

So, keeping these things in mind, and the comparison of various curriculum choices I did, here are some thoughts on what we will be doing this coming year. 

We will be using Wee Folk's stuff for the next year because new house and new baby, and it's versatile in all the ways I need.  I did it one year in the past, so not only do I have a good idea of it, but it was a smashing success with the kidlets who really enjoyed it. 


I tend to look at the weekly guides schedule like this: Fall unit is Sept-Oct-Nov, Winter is Dec-Jen-Feb, Spring is Mar-Apr-May, and Summer is June-July-Aug. Well, that's how I count out our "week 1", "week 2" etc, of each unit. I also like how each week is not overloaded, so it leaves a lot of room for religious ed as well as outings & preparation for any feast days or household work/chores/preparation that might come up.

Now, I also have a "grader" to consider, and one almost-grader.  I am sure they will enjoy following along with us, as well, but I also feel the need to supplement for them a bit more at their developmental level.  So, I've compared the many different reviews and feedback from other families who have experience with the following programs.  Christopherous really seems like the way to go for us. 

All this will be dependant on what the next couple of weeks bring in terms of moving, and more importantly in terms of what we can combine with our fellow homeschoolers to make work. It will most especially depend on how tired momma is with making & birthing a new baby, and how often daddah is actually able to come home and provide her with some rest.