The Fourth Grade Basket

EP197: Looking for tips and strategies to transform homeschooling your fourth grader into an inspiring and manageable journey? Welcome to this episode of the Art of Homeschooling podcast, where we uncover the secrets of homeschooling fourth graders with a Waldorf-inspired curriculum. This unique stage of learning, often described as a year of "fire and ice," beautifully balances the child's growing awareness of both their inner and outer worlds. In this episode, we highlight how elements of the curriculum like Norse myths, zoology, fractions, and local geography can help children understand conflict, confrontation, and their place in the world.

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Chapters

• 0:09 Fourth Grade Homeschooling Curriculum Insights
• 10:31 Creating Connection in Homeschooling

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. Do you wonder how homeschooling lessons begin to shift as children move up in the grades? Well, listen up, dear homeschooling friends. Today on the podcast, I'm excited to share with you my insights about homeschooling fourth grade. This episode is part of a series where we're diving deep into each grade with a profile of the age and stage of that grade. We already have available episodes on kindergarten, first grade, second grade and third grade. We're 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. If you have a child in kindergarten or grades one through three, check out the show notes of this episode for links to all of these previous episodes, and be sure to share this series with a friend who you think might benefit from it. You can find the show notes at artofhomeschoolingcom slash episode 197. And if you have a child in grade five or up, stay tuned as we release a new podcast in this series every month. Also, a quick reminder that I have a free printable guide to the ages and stages of Waldorf-inspired homeschooling over on my website. It's a handy resource for your homeschooling reference library as it offers highlights from each grade, kindergarten through eighth grade. You'll find a direct link to the ages and stages guide in the show notes if you'd like to grab that.

Speaker 1: 2:26

Okay, now that we have that housekeeping out of the way, let's chat about fourth grade. So fourth grade is often described as a year of fire and ice, as the Waldorf curriculum suggestions for this year include many images of opposing forces and conflict year include many images of opposing forces and conflict. The child meets these forces through the Norse myths, stories of a land literally shaped by fire and ice. The fourth grade child is 10, turning 11. We've moved into double digits. It might feel like your child has said goodbye to early childhood and is firmly dwelling in that golden hour between the nine-year change and the onset of puberty. So enjoy these years with your kiddos. For the child, there is now a strong experience of an inner and an outer world, of an inner and an outer world, the inner world of me, myself, versus the outer world of you, the parents and others is becoming more and more distinct.

Speaker 1: 3:39

The fourth grader has begun to turn the corner from early childhood. Having resolved and made peace with this sense of separation from the world, they become full of energy and eager to learn in some detail about their surroundings. With a good sense of themselves, they begin to develop more personal responsibility. They're also developing a new interest in the world around them as they become more observant and aware. The fourth grader is ready to take in the details of their surroundings and begin to organize their thoughts about the world. To meet the child where they are, the fourth grade curriculum provides them with many expressions of conflict and confrontation, meeting both their curious and mischievous inclinations. The curriculum helps children understand that as human beings we have special gifts and we can make choices about how we use those gifts. Here are some highlights of a holistic fourth grade curriculum Inspiring stories from northern lands, such as Norse myths, or ancient stories which explore themes of conflict and confrontation, mischievousness and strength. Exploring gifts of the animal kingdom through zoology. Organizing the world through fractions and mathematical patterns and discovering patterns and discovering local geography and a sense of place. The fourth grader is finding their place in the world.

Speaker 1: 5:23

When my oldest was this age, I remember the year being full of so many aha moments. I could just see the light bulbs going off in his head. During our local geography block, we took lots and lots of field trips. One wonderful experience was paddling on a lake in a big canoe, just like the voyagers had come across Lake Erie from Canada. My son was amazed when he gazed across the enormous Lake Erie, the great lake that really looks more like an ocean, because most days you can't even see the other side. His eyes got really big as he realized that early settlers had paddled canoes like the one we experienced all the way across this great lake. Oh, to see the world through the eyes of a 10-year-old Now.

Speaker 1: 6:23

Just a quick note here to remind you that your role as the parent-teacher is changing as well. As our children grow, we begin to gradually turn more and more responsibility over to them. So I encourage you to start to think about how you might do that in some really small ways, because gradual is the operative word here. We're still partnering with our children on the learning journey, but we want to begin thinking about what learning independence looks like, so that we can begin to move in that direction and get there by the time they're in high school. Lots of time here, but you might start by assigning a book for them to read independently, related to one of your blocks, your main lesson blocks this year. Or ask them to complete some of their lessons on their own Because, remember, it is their learning journey.

Speaker 1: 7:25

Now for what's in the fourth grade basket. In thinking about what we want to have on hand at this stage, keep those colored pencils and other supplies you may already have around, like chalk boards, dry erase boards, large and small, for writing practice that's expanding into paragraphs and even longer. Blank books mean lesson books or blank drawing paper and a folder or a binder for recording the learning. Also, math practice books and perhaps a fraction tiles board. I'll put a link to one in the show notes and keep in mind that you can make a fraction tiles, something like a fraction tiles board, with just colored construction paper. You may also want a non-drying plasticine modeling clay for some projects, an air drying modeling clay for other projects, and tools for measuring, like rules, a balance scale, various pictures and containers for measuring volume and maybe even a measuring wheel, which some libraries, some local public libraries, have available in their media or learning collection to check out. Now for some resources to add to your fourth grade basket.

Speaker 1: 8:48

This is a good year to add in maps and atlases, especially maps of your local area and region. I also encourage you to have some great books about animals on for your block, comparing humans and animals. Here are some of my favorite reference books to include in your basket this year and I'll put direct links to these over in the show notes. So, first of all, a good map or atlas of your local area or region. We found really interesting maps along with stories of the first peoples in our area at our local historical society and other history museums. A math overview or dictionary to have on hand is a very handy reference for you as the parent to review math skills. A couple favorites include All the Math You'll Ever Need and the Usborne Illustrated Math Dictionary.

Speaker 1: 9:51

Next up is a great resource for helping your child memorize math facts. From Jamie York you can download this free guide. It's called the Fourth Grade Flashcards and I just love the Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Comstock. It's a great reference book when you are exploring and studying different animals. A book of Norse mythology, like Dallaire's Book of Norse Myths and the tasks and content of the Steiner-Waldorf curriculum. Content of the Steiner-Waldorf curriculum. And there you have it.

Speaker 1: 10:31

I hope this fourth grade basket has helped you picture what homeschooling fourth grade might look like at your house. Check out the show notes for this episode for links to all the recommended tools and resources, along with links to previous episodes in this series and the Ages and Stages Guide. Find the show notes at artofhomeschoolingcom slash episode 197. And be sure to subscribe to the Art of Homeschooling podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, so that you don't miss any of the upcoming episodes on how you can create homeschooling lessons you love that are simple, inspiring and doable. Catch 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.