Note: this is a compilation of comments and experiences of
other people. At the time of this post, I do not have any first hand experience with these. Many of the materials for these can be purchased second-hand, and the cost/prices listed are directly from the curriculum's main website. There are more options out there than are discussed here. Presented below in alphabetical order are thoughts & review notes on BEarth/EarthSchooling, Christopherous, Enki, Live Education, Oak Meadow, Waldorf Essentials, and Wee Folk.
– affordability: $85 ($650 for family
membership)
– through 8th grade
– can buy just parts of it, a year's
curriculum or just subject blocks, or purchase a lifetime membership
– a lot of information offered and to
go through
– offers many additional and
supplemental classes, workshops, and skill teaching, and some free
online resources and articles
– not pre-prepared for the parent teacher, and at
the time of this blog entry the information was hard to sort through
because the file name & organization on the site was not
consistent
– affordability: $275-$475
– generally considered very true to
the Waldorf method of child developmental stages
– names after the legend of St
Christopher who carried the Christ child across the river
– 1st grade through 4th grade
available as of this blog post; guides for subsequent grades, and
more coming out each year
– written by a Waldorf trained
teacher who also homeschooled, and written specifically for the
homeschooling environment
– generally considered very true to
the Waldorf method of child developmental stages
– simple to follow; laid out in very
easy to find and follow blocks
– guide books have a lot of detail
– ways to incorporate the daily
activities of the home into learning opportunities
– affordability: $325-$750
– Waldorf-y with a Buddhist bent;
name “Enki” after an ancient symbol of flexible wisdom
– as of this blog post, it is only up
through grade 3, and adding more each year
– focus and drive behind curriculum
choices is to provide a multi-cultural exposure
– moves from teacher-led, to
peer-led, to student-led learning
– does not provide a day by day
approach to home education, requires additional work by parent
– offers teacher training and
consulting packages
– affordability: $420-$480 (note:
can't buy just the books without also purchasing consulting)
– very true to the philosophy behind
Waldorf education
– kindergarten through 8th grade
– LE is like a bunch of how-to
books, or instruction manuals that teach the parent how to teach
Waldorf style; like teacher training; similar to what would be done
in a school/institutional setting
– comes with a personal consultant to
guide & answer questions
– offer a block (3 to 4 weeks) of
lessons to present for each block subject. The parent then creates a
similar block to rotate into the schedule later in the year. It's not
hard because you already have the template and the info to plug into
the lesson, but it is more work, more time-consuming that a
completely prepared syllabus
– requires additional research,
reading, parent-education, organization and preparation; parent has
to create additional lessons beyond what is directly/immediately
offered
– a flexible, sequential curriculum
that can be adapted to the family’s needs
– not a day-by-day syllabus/template,
but rather about the subjects and how to approach it, what to cover,
presentation of it
– an abundance of add-on material to choose
from
– affordability: $130-$450
– general characterization: Waldorf
inspired, quite a bit of Montessori influence
– has a Waldorf flavor, but it's not
very true to the philosophy behind Waldorf education, takes aspects
of it like crafts and art; does not have all the stories and fairy
tales
– preschool through 8th grade
– is fundamentally set up differently
and starts academic, alphabet, and reading/literacy work earlier;
considered more mainstream
– does not follow the Waldorf/Steiner
year-by-year to build upon the child's developmental stages
– well established & lays out day
to day lessons
– OM is scheduled out for you by the
week
– often considered “too academic"
for those following a Waldorf path, or "not academic enough"
for those expecting their children to be reading and doing math early
– some say it's labor intensive for
the parent teacher, others say it's easy to follow and to
dive in as an untrained teacher
WALDORF ESSENTIALS
- affordability: $40-$550
-
purchase individual grade components, notes, and guides, or buy a
lifetime membership that gives access to all materials of all grades and
includes mentoring and coaching
- very Waldorf authentic
- creator has schooled all her children through all grades
- a lot of parent support and availability to answer questions, includes possible parent guides and parent lessons
- has home rhythms and school rhythms laid out
- main complaint is that requires a lot of inner/personal work on the part of the teacher, which is also a major bonus to a lot of people
Wee
Folk's Curriculum Guides
– affordability: free to download
– preschool-kindergarten (4-6 years old)
– four seasonal 12 weekly units laid out by week and not
day-by-day
– moves with the seasons; stories and related crafts/activities
– easy to do, no pressure, easily modifiable and does not take
large chunks of time nor every single day
– generally kids love it; easy to present at several ages
all at once
– easily modifiable, allows a lot of flexibility for the
household schedule; go at whatever pace you want/need
