The First Grade Basket

EP185: When is the right time to start first grade in your Waldorf-inspired homeschool? This episode captures the fascinating shift from the informal, story-rich kindergarten days to the more structured and rhythmic two-day lesson plan of first grade. Listen in for suggestions on the creation of main lesson books, bringing stories and artistic activities, and the introduction of age-appropriate stories that genuinely meet the developmental needs of your growing child.

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Chapters

• 0:09 Starting First Grade With Waldorf Homeschooling
• 15:19 Homeschooling First Grade Preparation

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:09

You're listening to the Art of Homeschooling podcast, where we help parents cultivate creativity and connection at home. I'm your host, jean Miller, and here on this podcast you'll find stories and inspiration to bring you the confidence you need to make homeschooling work for your family. Let's begin. Welcome to the Art of Homeschooling podcast. Welcome to the Art of Homeschooling podcast. I'm Jean, veteran homeschool mom of over 25 years, and I am so happy you're here for this series of episodes diving deep into each grade. We're working our way from kindergarten through eighth grade, building a wonderful library for you to refer back to again and again whenever you need inspiration and guidance about Waldorf-inspired homeschooling in the grades. And today we're diving into homeschooling first grade. One of the most delicate questions I hear about homeschooling, especially from Waldorf-inspired homeschoolers, is when should I start first grade? It's a big question. We're going to get into all of that today, along with the developing child at this stage and favorite resources for homeschooling first grade and what I might put in a first grade basket. First grade is really that first big step across the rainbow bridge from the realm of early childhood into middle childhood and particularly into elementary school. It's a big step and one that we often fret about getting right. I know I sure did when thinking about when to start first grade. I offer some food for thought here in this episode and then encourage homeschooling parents to do some research and follow your intuition. Some research and follow your intuition. After that, well, it's time to jump in. And what an exciting journey it is when our children embark on elementary school.

Speaker 1: 2:34

Today on the podcast, I'm sharing my first grade basket with you. What's in it, why and how first grade materials meet the needs of your growing child. This episode is all about putting together your first grade basket. The first thing I want to share is the difference between kindergarten and first grade, especially in a homeschool setting, because I think this will really help you picture in your mind what homeschooling through the grades is like. And then I have a little story for you.

Speaker 1: 3:12

So in both kindergarten and first grade we engage in all kinds of circle time activities artistic activities like finger plays, verse recitation and songs. We can bring age-appropriate fairy tales or other stories, create watercolor paintings with our kids and share puppet plays. All of these activities have two things in common whole body movement and engaging the imagination. These are important in the early years because young children learn through their will, through doing things, through moving their bodies. The two main differences between kindergarten and the grades are this One the rhythm of activities shifts and I'll talk more about that in a moment and we start making main lesson books with our kiddos to record the learning once they reach first grade.

Speaker 1: 4:18

In essence, we move from bringing engaging activities to crafting those activities into more formal lessons with specific skills in mind. In the kindergarten years the rhythm of the week generally revolves around a story we share at the beginning of the week. So we choose a story to read or tell and then the songs, puppet plays and artistic activities we do each day are connected to that one story. And all of these activities are just an informal part of daily life. In a homeschool setting we can weave them in throughout the day whenever it suits our family rhythm best. When we begin first grade, that rhythm shifts generally to a two-day lesson rhythm where we share a story one day and engage in some sort of artistic activity connected to the story, and then the next day we recall or retell the story and summarize it by writing a short summary into a main lesson book, or sometimes that's summarizing it just verbally, orally Sometimes, instead of a full sentence, a child is just ready to write a title of the story. So we can meet our child right where they are. But that's what the shift looks like From one story a week in kindergarten, with activities built around that, to generally two stories a week. If you're using this two-day rhythm where one day we share the story and maybe draw a picture into a main lesson book and the next day we retell the story and write a short summary of it, the following day we can bring a new story. So first grade is when we begin more direct instruction with a little bit more formal lesson time. Of course, in a homeschool setting this transition from kindergarten to first grade can be less dramatic and some families even choose, based on observing their children, to begin first grade instead of in the fall. They might begin in January, after the holidays.

Speaker 1: 6:42

So now comes that question right. Let's talk about the age question, of when to start first grade. It's not as cut and dry as you might think. I get so many questions about this because a lot of homeschooling parents are confused about how old a child should be when you start first grade or when should you start first grade. So the general recommendation is that during the first grade year the child is six turning seven. That's the general baseline. So now we're going to talk about well, when? When are they six? When are they turning seven? That's the general baseline. So now we're going to talk about well, when? When are they six? When are they turning seven?

Speaker 1: 7:19

Some Waldorf schools recommend that the child turn six before Easter or early spring, before the start of first grade. Others recommend that the child turn six by sometime in June. And then some brick and mortar schools, more traditional schools, don't require a child to turn six until late summer or into September. So just to give you an example and you might want to find out what this is, where you live, our closest Waldorf school to where I live in Ohio has a birthday cutoff date for grade placement of June 1st. Public schools in Ohio can choose the cutoff date of either August 1st or September 30th. That's a wide range, though from early spring to September 30th, that is a huge range. So how do you decide? Well, you can observe your child, you can find out what schools in your area do and then make your own decision. So you know your child best and you get to decide when to start first grade. If you want to hear more about this big question of is my child ready for first grade, head over to the Art of Homeschooling podcast archives and dig up episode 37. How do I decide homeschool grade level? This is a detailed discussion about determining your homeschooled child's grade level and you'll find the link in the show notes to this episode at artofhomeschoolingcom slash, episode 185.

Speaker 1: 9:05

Let's talk about the first grade child, about the development at this stage and age. The most important thing is that your child connects with and is deeply nourished by the story material and themes of the first grade year. That's why we often, when we're planning curriculum or thinking about the lesson plans and the curriculum, we start with the stories. Skills development can unfold around these themes at your child's own pace. The first grade child often feels this sense of the world and I are one.

Speaker 1: 9:48

At this stage, children are shifting from learning through the will, from doing and imitating in the kindergarten years to learning through feelings and the imagination in the early elementary years. The first grader may also express with his or her words curiosity about the world, giving that sense of I'm ready to learn. Children at this stage love their parents and teachers and often want to do what is asked of them. They're ready for learning, they're ready for direct instruction and their capacities for learning and taking in knowledge are put to good use. One thing to note is that in a homeschool setting the transition, like I said, from kindergarten to first grade isn't always as distinctive as it might be in a brick and mortar school, and that just means you can experiment and see how it goes with your kiddos and see what they're ready for. Some first graders connect with the stories but aren't quite ready to make main lesson books, like my boys and others have seemed ready for months and just dive right in.

Speaker 1: 11:03

I'm going to share some ideas about how the first grade materials are designed to meet the needs of this curious, radiant little being. But I also want to quickly mention that if you would like a printable of these ideas, please go and grab my free Ages and Stages Guide if you don't have it already. It helps you discover the wonders of each stage of learning, from kindergarten through eighth grade, so you can bring your children what they need at each stage. I'll leave a link in the show notes for you at artofhomeschoolingcom slash episode 185. Now on to what we want to have on hand at this stage. Here are some of the materials that I have in my first grade basket. The first is beanbags one of my favorite supplies in a homeschool setting for lots of lively and playful learning. Beanbags are great for tossing while reciting a poem or singing a song. The rhythmic movement in particular can help a child memorize the words and also helps get the rhythm into our bodies.

Speaker 1: 12:21

A collection of fairy tales or folkt tales for introducing the alphabet through story With the Waldorf approach. We usually read or tell a fairy tale or folk tale, then draw a picture and show how a letter can be found within the image. It's a magical process that is meant to mimic how humans first created written language with symbols that emerged from pictures. I'll share a couple of my favorite resources for the stories coming up. Next up is Chuckboards or even dry erase boards, large and small, for learning to write and decode the alphabet by copying words, titles, captions for illustrations and building up to simple sentences. Sand trays and sidewalk chalk are also really fun for this.

Speaker 1: 13:18

Next up is blank books, what we often refer to as main lesson books, or you can use blank paper or a folder or even a binder for recording the learning Children record their learning in these main lesson books so that they can learn to read their own writing first before trying to read the printed word. If you're new to main lesson block learning, I'll be sure to link a previous podcast episode for you in the show notes about main lesson block learning. I'll be sure to link a previous podcast episode for you in the show notes about main lesson block learning and main lesson books are really a way to capture the story summaries and they take the place of textbooks or worksheets. Next, it's great to have acorns, glass gems or beans on hand for counting and introducing all four mathematical processes addition, subtraction, multiplication and division. Having a basket of these little manipulatives are great for telling spontaneous number stories so that children can have lots of hands-on practice visualizing number quantities and adding or taking away. It's also nice to have some chunky wool yarn and size 10 knitting needles, wool felt embroidery floss and quilting needles or other natural crafting materials for developing fine motor and practical life skills through handwork. I also recommend having liquid watercolor paints and heavy watercolor paper high quality watercolor paper for exploring the stories you share and the world of color, and then time in the outdoors for experiencing the awe and wonder of the natural world through nature study. This is really the foundation of later sciences.

Speaker 1: 15:19

Now I want to tell you a little story about first grade at my house, because it did not go the way that I expected. I'm a mama of three homeschooled children and the oldest two are boys. So boy, boy, girl. And the boys are only 16 months apart. So when it came time for the oldest to start first grade, the younger one was still in kindergarten. But I got the main lesson books, the crayons and I thought that I would start first grade with the older one while the younger one just played nearby. But that was a total failure. The younger wanted to be part of everything that we were doing and the older one wasn't at all interested in writing in a main lesson book. In the end I opted for a slower start to first grade. For the older ones. I would read stories and we learned all kinds of songs and movement, finger plays, played with beanbags, did watercolor painting. We did a lot of the artistic activities and I shifted to the two-day lesson rhythm during that year. But I opted for a slower start to save my sanity. So we didn't formally begin first grade in the full sense until the following year, when both of the boys were ready to focus more and write in their main lesson books. In retrospect, I'm so grateful that we were homeschooling because my kiddos got to spend so much extra time playing outdoors playing in the mud, climbing trees and all of that and we got to begin more formal lessons at a time that was developmentally right for them and worked for our family.

Speaker 1: 17:08

Now for the last part of the first grade basket. As a homeschooling parent, what materials can support you to prepare to teach your first grade kiddo? Here are a few of my favorite resources for first grade, aside from the supplies mentioned above. Number one is a really good resource for fairy tales or folk tales. The traditional book to use for this is called the Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales from the Pantheon Library with an introduction by Padreac Column. It's harder to find these days, but I will be sure to put a link in the show notes for you if you want to get a copy. I also love the book Best Loved Boat Tales from Around the World by Joanna Cole. I'll link to that as well.

Speaker 1: 17:58

Another great resource is a free article from the Waldorf Online Library Such a great resource. This article is called Choosing Fairy Tales for Different Ages, by a Waldorf teacher named Joan Allman, and it gives you like. Here are great fairy tales for age four, age five, age six, and it can be so, so helpful. Plus, you should go explore the Waldorf Online Library because there's so much there. And then another resource I highly recommend are courses from Waldorfish. Their first grade painting is phenomenal. I'll link to that in the show notes as well. Or if you're entirely new to the Waldorf arts of painting or drawing, like watercolor painting, crayon drawing, chalkboard drawing, I highly recommend Waldorf Art for Beginners from Waldorfish. This course is actually available as one of the masterclasses, one of the 35 plus masterclasses, as a matter of fact, inside the Inspired at Home community that I run, I'll link to all of these resources in the show notes, which you can find at artofhomeschoolingcom slash episode 185.

Speaker 1: 19:14

To wrap up, I want to share a little encouragement for homeschooling parents who are starting first grade for the first time. You've got this, honestly and truly. You can take a deep breath and just begin. The early elementary years are really for focusing on writing, reading, introducing the four math processes and laying a foundation for science through time in nature. It's really quite simple Choose the stories you bring to your child based on where they are developmentally and then help them expand their language arts and math skills by starting right where they are and helping them make progress. This is the beauty of Waldorf-inspired homeschooling. So put together your first grade basket and enjoy the learning journey with your kiddos.

Speaker 1: 20:11

Thanks so much for tuning in today. I hope this first grade basket has helped you picture what homeschooling first grade might look like at your house. And if you missed the kindergarten in a basket episode, you'll find a link to that in the show notes. Be sure to subscribe to the Art of Homeschooling podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, so you don't miss any of the upcoming episodes on how you can create homeschooling lessons you love that are simple, inspiring and doable. 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. Thank you.