It's Never One Size Fits All

Hey there , dear homeschooler Jean here from Art of Homeschooling , and today I want to talk about something that trips up so many families on this homeschooler Jean here from Art of Homeschooling , and today I want to talk about something that trips up so many families on this homeschooling journey curriculum , specifically the idea that there's one perfect curriculum out

there that'll solve all your homeschooling woes . You know that phrase one size fits all . Yeah , well , I think we all know that it's a bit of a myth . I mean , try putting on a one size t-shirt on a toddler and then on a teenager . Not happening . When it comes to Waldorf homeschooling , I've come to believe that curriculum is not even one size fits most .

It's more like one size fits none . And here's why let's take it back to the roots for just a second . Rudolf Steiner , the philosopher and educator behind the Waldorf approach , encouraged teachers to teach the children before you .

That's actually what he said during the teacher's seminar over a hundred years ago , in 1919 , the training that he did for 12 teachers who would open the very first Waldorf school . Teach the children before you , not a generic child , not a textbook ideal , not even all children of a certain age or grade , but the actual children in the room .

So in your case , that means your children right there in your home , the ones right in front of you , with all their quirks and curiosities and personalities bursting at the seams . Here's an interesting fact Back in the early days of homeschooling and even Waldorf schools , there were not any Waldorf curriculum packages you could buy . They just didn't exist .

Teachers and homeschoolers had to craft all their lessons from scratch .

Now , when I was homeschooling our two older kiddos early on , that was the case and , yeah , we were making it all up as we went along , a little time consuming , sure , but deeply personalized . Absolutely . In those days we had no idea there would ever be any other way to do this . And that is what Steiner had in mind .

He never wrote down a curriculum because , remember , he wanted teachers to customize lessons for the children right in front of them . Fast forward to today and the pendulum has swung in the opposite direction . We have so many options for curriculum . It's hard to even know where to begin .

And the danger now thinking that choosing the right curriculum is your main job and that once you buy a curriculum you're done , good to go , no more planning needed . Spoiler alert you're not done . Curriculum is a starting point , not the end game .

You still have to take it and shake it up a little , sprinkling your own magic , and craft it into something that fits your family , and you don't even have to buy a curriculum package at all if you don't want to . Waldorf homeschooling is rich , layered and , yes , it's a big commitment . Between grades one through eight , I calculated this once .

We're talking about an average of six or seven main lesson blocks a year , that comes to around 50 blocks . Multiply that number by the number of kids you're homeschooling and , whew ,

you've got yourself a boatload of planning . And then inside each block , oh , just a few things like stories , summaries , drawings , watercolor paintings , movement games , verses , songs , modeling and work . No biggie , right ? Okay , yes , it feels so big and I get it .

So , yeah , it's no wonder that we're all tempted by those shiny , supposedly open-and-go curriculum packages that promise to do it all for us . But let me tell you I've tried many of them and more often than not they're like trying to squeeze your family into someone else's shoes . It might work for a step or two , but soon you'll

be hobbling around wondering why it feels so uncomfortable . And , honestly , there is an easier way and I'm going to get to that in just a moment . But first let me give you a little behind-the-scenes story from my own homeschooling journey .

One summer , feeling overwhelmed with planning and trying to juggle multiple kids I have three , in case you didn't know I decided to buy a curriculum package for my fourth grader she's my youngest curriculum package for my fourth grader . She's my youngest .

Now , the curriculum I got has this a little bit of a Waldorf flavor , but it's not built around main lesson blocks , those periods of I like to say a month , but it could be three to five weeks where you're focused on one subject or topic for that period of time . And this particular curriculum was not set up that way .

It still exists and it's more of a do a little bit of every subject every day kind of vibe , like a mainstream school .

So that summer I took on this epic project of turning this grade level curriculum into a main lesson block plan , because , after all , main lesson blocks are one of the unique aspects of the Waldorf approach and I've seen it work so well in homeschooling with my kids , with others' kids , and

that's what I wanted , right . So I took the time to do that . Now , by the way , if you want to learn more about this teaching approach , go have a listen to episode 107 , main Lesson Block Learning .

Okay , so that summer I spent two whole weeks outlining , mapping out and translating this curriculum I'd purchased into a main lesson block rhythm that would hopefully work for us .

Right At the end of those two weeks I had two blocks kind of mapped out and a rough sketch for the rest of the year and phew , it was a lot of work , a lot of focus and brainpower spent on this project . So the homeschool year began , and guess how long we lasted ? Two and a half weeks .

It was tedious , too much reading , too many worksheets , too much jumping around and not enough hands-on , creative , immersive goodness that my kiddos were craving . It just wasn't us and it was too much of everything . I've seen this happen again and again with my own family and with the families I mentor .

Now I've tried many Waldorf curricula through the years , mostly with my youngest because , as I said , they weren't really available with my older two .

But while each has its own strengths , none of them fit just right out of the box , Because no curriculum can know your child the way you do , or understand your unique rhythm or the way your family needs to flow through the day .

This is really the heart of what I teach inside the Inspired at Home community how to customize and personalize , how to take the pieces and parts and turn them into something that works for you . Because here's the truth Homeschooling isn't about perfection . It's not about following someone else's plan . It's about presence .

It's about tuning into what works for your family and trusting your intuition , observing your children so you can see what it is that they need . And if using a curriculum takes all of your mental energy trying to follow it , well then that leaves a lot less energy for you to be present with your kiddos .

So here's what I want you to take away from this episode you do not have to do it like anyone else . You get to create your own path . Buy a curriculum or don't buy a curriculum . Just don't expect it to work right out of the box .

Either way , I want you to recognize that you'll need to make your own decisions about what to do , when , how much to do and how to bring your whole family together . And if you don't want to purchase a curriculum , that works just as well . Sometimes it's even simpler to build your own blocks , one little piece at a time .

This is something that I talk about a lot , and when things are chaotic , our life is crazy . It's actually more effective to scale back and then add from there , building one little piece at a time . I know curriculum can feel overwhelming , like there's a secret formula you just haven't figured out yet .

But , friend , you are the secret sauce , not the shiny package , not the guru you .

So , whether you're just starting out and want a curriculum as a framework or you're ready to go full , diy and craft it from scratch , I'm here to help you simplify the process and personalize it . That's what I do .

Inside , inspired , at Home , we take these big , complicated ideas and break them down into bite-sized steps that make sense for real families , for your family . It's not about having it all figured out . It's about having a place to turn when you're stuck and crafting a realistic plan you actually want to follow .

If you are longing for a community and would benefit from access to a library of masterclasses on how to do this , plus three group coaching calls a month with me . Come join us in Inspired at Home . I'll put a link in the show notes at artofhomeschoolingcom slash episode 222 .

One last thing keep in mind that our job is not to fill our children's minds with facts . We know that right . That's why we're choosing to homeschool . But let's look at how Waldorf brings learning alive rather than staying stuck in the abstract .

I remember this series of books that came out when my boys were young and each had a title , something like what your Fourth Grader Needs to Know . They were interesting to look through , but the way the Waldorf approach works is so different than that . Teaching children is not a checklist of what to cover .

It's about awakening our children's imagination and curiosity about the world . With Waldorf we start with stories that meet our children where they are developmentally and spark their interest . When we start with those stories and add in the lively arts , our children can engage with the lessons more deeply , can engage with the lessons more deeply , and then we can take

all that content knowledge and use it to develop skills in writing , reading , math , history and observation to lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning . That's the beauty of going beyond curriculum in recognizing that curriculum is never one size fits all .

So if you've ever bought a curriculum and feel like this just isn't working , know this you are not alone and you're not doing it wrong . You're just ready to homeschool in a way that fits you and your family . And that , my friend , is a beautiful thing . Keep going . You're doing better than you think .

There's beauty in the mess , wisdom in the waiting , and growth in that ebb and flow of day-to-day learning . Thanks so much for being here and remember there's no one right way to homeschool . There's your way , and I'm cheering you on every step of the way . See you next time .

That's all for today , my friend , but here's what I want you to remember Rather than perfection , let's focus on connection . Thanks so much for listening and I'll see you on the next episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast .