Preschool Curriculum
updated December 26, 2020
The most Waldorf-y of curriculums is written by Live Education!
However, I prefer to take that money and put it into more specific books, spending the same amount of cash
but receiving much much more detailed information. Actually the same amount of money spent at
Bob & Nancy's Bookshop (a popular Waldorf bookstore) and
Amazon.com
(a great place to find used books) gets you hundreds and hundreds of pages worth of curriculum ideas! I have estimated a $300.00 cost to set up a preschool program,
including a dozen books and the initial art & craft supplies you'd need.
How much more you spend depends, of course, on what you choose for your activities each day.
Having done Waldorf with my small children for a while, here is the list
of essential preschool books I recommend to families who ask what they should buy just
starting out.
By purchasing all the books listed, you will have an excellent group of Waldorf resource books and you can blend them together to give you everything you need. I can help with the transition if you aren't sure how to put them together but you will receive...
a description of a preschool daily schedule, ideas on how to set up the classroom, recipes, verses to use throughout the day, many seasonal projects, finger plays and games, directions for making all the toys you'll need, specific painting lessons, songs to sing, ideas for celebrating the festivals of the year, beginning eurythmy lessons, parenting suggestions, child development information and much more.
I love Waldorf and am truly pleased to be able to share this booklist with you.
Renee
Relevant Articles
The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy by Rudolf Steiner
- essential reading
Dolls for Boys (and why to buy them) - article by Treasure Box Toys
Plain and Simple: A
conversation with Simplicity Parenting founder and author Kim John Payne about helping our kids thrive more by doing less
interview / blog post from hellolunchlady.com.au
Find more articles listed on my website under "Curriculum
for the Preschool Years".
(The units you'll find there were the ones I wrote when I was just starting out with Waldorf and
struggling with how to implement it. If you need some support with your transition, please visit
this part of the site.)
Favorite Stores for Waldorf Books, Toys & Household Things
blog post
School "Subjects"
Music & Movement
Art
Nature
Cooking
Play
Handwork
Helping
Storytelling
School Materials
There is an endless variety of school materials and it's easy to fall into the Waldorf "trap"
of wanting to buy everything for your child all at one time and have the perfect Waldorf home instantly...
I recommend taking it slowly and using Toymaking with Children
to guide you in making your own toys. You'll have much more success if you go slowly.
Some things you may need to purchase include silks, beeswax crayons, watercolor paper and paints, modeling
beeswax, wool felt and unspun wool. This will cost about $100.00. I recommend
Nova Natural Toys & Crafts, an excellent vendor. You can purchase
all of these items through their website. For help or to place an order, call toll-free (877) 668-2111.
There are many many Waldorf books, and some new ones may be added to your library as you go further on into the Kindergarten
years (which include more storytelling and puppetry, circle time games, and so on). Here is my list
of the essential books for Preschool. Used together, they will give your child the absolute best
Waldorf start. If you have questions why I chose any of these books, or would like
a more detailed book review, please don't hesitate to ask. Many of the books fall in more
than one category, but I have grouped them generally.
Please note: Prices were at the time of writing & are subject to change.
Music & Movement
Art
Nature
Cooking
Play
Handwork
Helping
Storytelling
Recommended Preschool Curriculum Books
TOTAL COST approx. $200.00
12 books
You can find many of these books used through Yahoo groups such as waldorfcurriculum.
|
