Practical Waldorf at Home: First Grade Syllabus by Donna Simmons A complete Waldorf-inspired First Grade curriculum 275 pages, 8½"x11", spiral bound - $125.00 See below for discounts on selected Christopherus publications when purchased together with this Syllabus

We are sure that people looking for a complete, step-by-step, clear and friendly curriculum born out of the riches of Waldorf will find the support, inspiration and materials they need for a joyous year of First Grade at home! Born out of our commitment to Waldorf education and to bringing do-able and empowering resources to homeschoolers, this First Grade Syllabus is unlike any other curriculum currently available. It includes:

• All the language arts stories needed

• All the math stories needed

• Tips, hints and advice to create your own science (nature) lessons based on your geographical location (some stories, crafts and lesson plans included to get you going)

• Advice on working with either a recorder or pentatonic flute including many ideas for building listening and pre-playing skills

• Full of teaching advice so you can adapt your lessons to your child's needs and abilities

• Many, many craft and handwork ideas including instructions, tips, patterns, verses and stories

• Full schedule for daily, weekly and yearly plans, all based on the Main Lesson approach and with much guidance on how to tailor this to one's own needs

• Fully illustrated (black and white) with pictures for you to copy and present to your child

• Lists of Waldorf and non-Waldorf books for teacher prep as well as read alouds for your child

• Ideas on celebrating festivals with your child as part of your year's  work together

• Advice on working with children of different ages

And much more! (See below for sample pages) This is the only Waldorf-inspired First Grade curriculum available written by someone who has not only been involved with Waldorf all her life as a student, teacher and parent, but is a homeschooler as well!

Please note: To use this Syllabus fully, you will need our Form Drawing for Beginners book for the first Main Lesson block scheduled (unless, of course, you're already confident with this subject and the sequence in which it is taught). We feel it is extremely important that these first school lessons be Form Drawing as this therapeutic art is a wonderful and gentle introduction to formal learning for the young child. (Form Drawing for Beginners covers lessons for 1st through 3rd Grades).

You will also need our new book,  Joyful Movement,  which is a resource chock full of ideas to help bring balance and harmony to your child's listening skills, senses and fine and gross motor skills. It is full of games, fingerplays, songs, verses and movement exercises, as well as tips and advice to bring a healthy rhythm of active and quiet times to your child's education. Again, if you have plenty of such resources already you can probably get by quite happily without Joyful Movement!

Lastly, we would invite all people wishing to work with our First Grade Syllabus to consider purchasing either or both our Waldorf Curriculum Overview for Homeschoolers and From Nature Stories to Natural Science. These books will considerably broaden and enrich the homeschool parent's way bringing Waldorf to her homeschool. If either or both of these books are purchased together with the Syllabus we will give you a 10% discount on those books. (Please note that this offer only applies to individual customers and not to educational institutions.) To take advantage of this offer, you must use the Add to Cart buttons next to the First Grade Package Deals:

The sections and chapters of the First Grade Syllabus are as follows:

"I just completed reading through and then planning out my blocks for first grade using Christopherus Homeschool Resources’ First Grade Syllabus. What a wealth of information and help! I have always chosen to use a more labor intensive curriculum and have avoided the ones that are laid out for you day by day. Donna’s syllabus strikes the balance between “here it is, spoon fed to you” and “here are a few ideas, now go make up your own”. I feel that with her syllabus I have the freedom to meet my first grader’s interests and needs as well as make sure he is receiving a good solid Waldorf first grade education.

"I was pleased to find Donna’s scheduling ideas, her advice on teaching and storytelling, as well as the stories! Each subject is discussed in ample detail and then each block is laid out for you to use. Each block contains ideas as well a good direction and choices for what to do on the subject. And, the true help for me….the part I have difficulties with…..she has a Lesson A and B for each block (recorder, painting, drawing, modeling, baking, etc.) there too! No more sitting with all my Waldorf books piled around me looking for crafts that I don’t have the stuff to do.

"Because I also have a 5th grader this year, and it looks to be a very intense year, Donna’s syllabus has saved me so much time and struggle. I am not entering this year as prepared as I wanted to be, but I have great confidence that my load will be lighter using Donna’s syllabus.

"Thank you Donna for making a Waldorf education possible for my children, and thank you for making it easier."

K.P.

I ordered a first grade syllabus along with a few other curriculum books from Christopherus about 3 weeks ago. I just wanted to let you know how wonderful all of it is. It amazes me how thorough and organized it is. It is exactly what I had been hoping for in my homeschooling adventures. I just want to let you know how impressed I am. Once I get a bit more organized, I will surely be using more of your resources. Thank you again!

Lia, Madison, WI

 Returns policy: if you receive your books and decide that one or more of them was a mistaken purchase, please contact us within 7 days to arrange to return your unwanted purchase. Obviously, any book will need to be returned in the condition in which you received it and we will fully refund the cost of the book but not the shipping and handling charge.