I’m very pleased with a conversation I had with my other half. We have come to the mutal agreement that when the time comes for education decisions, we will home school our little miss, with the ideal of having her go to a Steiner class once a week as there is a new partially government funded Steiner school near us. Although she’s just short of a year, I’m so happy we have been able to agree on this as I have dreaded the thought of her having to go to school and just 4 years old, being made to wear and awful polyester uniform to fit in with the strict rules and punishments put upon our free little thinkers.

I would really like to start creating an inviting play area in my home from now, apart from sensory things ie fabrics and materials, does anyone have anything they would really recommend having while we embark on this wonderful journey?

N.B: I am not really into work books and hugely structured learning (though I know at some stage this MAY be needed) but much more fluid natural learning.

Any suggestions welcome!

Thanks and bright blessings!!!!

That’s good.

Well one thing I read (on an unschooling website/resource blog) was to never seperate the (overtly) educational from the (covert) ‘non educational’.
So if you want to buy her books, buy them, if they are factual or fictional, keep them on the same shelves. If you want to buy a work book, put it with other ‘work books’ (eg dot-to-dot books) and dont worry about her doing it any more than you’d concern yourself with how much or how often she ‘does’ her dot-to-dot books or colouring books etc.

The site author was basically saying that everything has an educational purpose (much like John Holt’s ‘Learning All The Time’), but some seem more so than others (eg building blocks and geometric shapes can still ‘teach’ numeracy and geometry, shape identification etc etc, just by allowing the child to play with them, but many parents would overlook them as educational because they are ‘just a toy’).

To be honest, for now I’d just buy toys you think she’d like Although I do prefer wooden toys to plastic (for a myriad of reasons tbh).

Thinking of a 1yr old, I’d want tree blocks, shaped building blocks like these http://www.elc.co.uk/Wooden-Bricks/123354,default,pd.html and some wooden animals (the Ostheimer ones are gorgeous).

Yup I’d go with toys, but open ended toys that allow for a lot of imagination - although, she’s a year old, did you say, well then push/pull along toys, treeblocks and the like, some lovely soft dolls of a waldorf nature, perhaps some musical bits; muscial frog, drum that sort of thing.  I’d look into some of the waldorf toy making books, as you can make qutie a bit yourself and it’s fun and educational for her too… assuming you want to continue the waldorf style learning at home as a carry on from her day at a Steiner school? 

Read books, tell stories perhaps using a puppet or a favourite doll or teddy, sing songs, go out side and explore nature, let her get mucky, experiment etc.  Even involve her in household chores.. she’ll probably love trying to pull laundry from the washing machine when the cycle is finished… giving her a cloth and dusting with her.. baking, water play, finger, hand, bum, feet etc painting

Joxy.

Oh, stacking toys are also good http://www.myriadonline.co.uk/wooden-stacking-toys.php

Lol Joxy, bum painting sounds like fun!! Might try tying that into the next persuading-boy-to-have-a-bath effort!

That’s great, Earthgem - lovely to know what you’re doing and be in agreement from the start. Enjoy.

We shall try the bum painting too!!! Hilarious idea!!! I managed to pick up a Waldorf doll (still with label!) in a charity shop this morning for £2.25!!!

Thanks for all your responses

Bright blessings

Gracious that was a heck of a bargain, I guess the shop owners didn’t realise how expensive those dolls are!

re bum painting - hehehe it is a lot of fun - I would suggest outside if possible and also have a paddling pool full of lukewarm water and bubbbles.. I find children rather enjoy bathing in the garden

Joxy.