The Web Site of the Bay Area Waldorf Home Schoolers Community

The network of Bay Area families home schooling their children with Waldorf methods is rapidly growing. Those families have chosen to home school their children for many reasons: financial, geographical (lack of proximity to a Waldorf School) or philosophical (wanting to educate their children themselves, in their own home and in the company of their siblings).

If you are a home schooling family interested in Waldorf methods or a family interested in traditional Waldorf education within a school establishment, here is a list of resources you may find useful on your journey.

This informational Web Site is a work in progress. If there are Bay Area Waldorf related resources or links you would like to see added, please contact the WebMaster at carowell@earthlink.net


Waldorf Home-Schoolers Coops

• East Bay contact: Keiki Fujita (510-524-7986)
Weekly gathering of kindergardeners for circle time, lunch, movement session with trained eurythmist, seasonal craft, Fairy Tale puppet show and snack. Fridays 9am to 1pm in Berkeley.

• San Francisco contact: Serina Lopez at s_lopez@mindspring.com
The San Franciso home-schoolers meet weekly on Wednesdays from 11AM to 2PM for circle, craft, lunch and a special session with a music and games teacher (movement, bean bag exercises, music, dramatic play, etc...). Please contact Serina if you want to participate in our Bay Area Waldorf home schoolers e-mail forum at sf_waldorf_homeschoolers@yahoogroups.com

• Peninsula contact: Lisa Liguori lisa@welcomehomeschoolers.com
Little Lupines: A homeschooling Waldorf-Inspired, parent cooperative, craft day for children ages four through nine. We meet weekly (Fridays) with a Waldorf trained teacher to further enrich our kids day together. In addition to crafts we do story telling and acting, games, music, gymnastics and much more. www.welcomehomeschoolers.com/


Home Schooling Charter Schools Supporting Waldorf Education

If your child will be turning 6 by December 2nd or is older, there are two ways (besides enrolling your child in a private school or hiring a state credentialed tutor) to legally home school your child in the State of California:

• file a Private School Affidavit (form R-4) between October 1 and October 15 of each school year to register your home as a private school and yourself as the teacher (private school teachers - and that includes you - do not need to be credentialed by the state of California). The form can be requested at:California State Department of EducationPolicy and Program Coordination Office - Affidavits1430 N. Street, Suite 4309Sacramento, CA 95814. Their email address is privateschools@cde.ca.govhttp://www.cde.ca.gov/privateschools/affidavit.html The Los Angeles Area Home Schooling web site has lots of valuable info on the topic:http://home.earthlink.net/~mav1/hsla.htm

OR

• enroll your child in a home schooling charter school with regular meetings with a state credentialed Education Specialist. In order to be eligible for enrollment, you need to reside in a county that is located in or bordering the county in which the Charter School is located. The Charter Schools provide an educational specialist (ES) that visits your home on a monthly basis to assist you in your home schooling journey and collect samples of the student's work. The ES maintains student records and manages for you a cash account that you can use to place purchase orders for curriculum materials, supplies or private classes (music, PE, etc...) through authorized vendors. The ES can assist you in adding a vendor of your choice to the authorized vendors list.The Charter schools listed below have a large list of approved Waldorf vendors. Connecting Waters, for example, purchases from: Live Education!, Mercurius, Chinaberry Book Service, "Paper, Scissors, Stone," etc... and currently allows for a yearly purchase budget of $1,100 to 1,500 - depending on the grade - per student for approved supplies and services.

• Connecting Waters Charter School http://www.connectingwaters.org/(for residents of Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Alameda. Calaveras, Mariposa, Merced, Santa Clara, and Tuolumne counties)

• Pathways Charter School http://www.pathwayscharter.org/ (for residents of Sonoma, Marin, Lake, Napa and Solano counties)

• Horizon Instructional Systems http://www.hiscs.org/ (for residents of El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sutter and Yuba counties)


Waldorf Teacher Training Programs
• Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training (San Raphael) http://www.bacwtt.org/
• Rudolf Steiner College Week-end Training Program (San Francisco and Los Altos) http://www.steinercollege.edu/


Waldorf Related Workshops/Conferences

• Santa Cruz Arts Festival (every year in July)http://www.bacwtt.org/
A chance to spend a week renewing your inspiration through painting, sculpture, form drawing, wood carving, speech and eurythmy under the guidance of world class teachers. Previous art experience not necessary. Held every summer on the beautiful campus of the Santa Cruz Waldorf School.

• Waldorf in the Home Conferencs (every Spring/Fall in Fair Oaks near Sacramento, CA - next conference April 16-17, 2005)"Waldorf in the Home” is designed for parents interested in a deeper understanding of child development, ways to enrich their home life through festivals, seasonal crafts and creative discipline, an experience of the Waldorf curriculum and what lies behind Waldorf education and an opportunity to share and network with other parents.Call for info at 303-546-0070, e-mail:info@informedfamilylife.org www.waldorfinthehome.com

• Rudolf Steiner College Courses and Workshops Program (Fair Oaks) http://www.steinercollege.edu/ The week-long Summer workshops (Fundamentals of the Waldorf Kindergarden, The Art of Teaching Grade 1, The Art of Teaching Grade 2, etc...) are designed for Waldorf teachers but are warmly open to home schooling parents. You will go home with lots of ideas and hand-outs to design your main lessons. Hands on opportunities to paint, practice music, speech, math clapping and stepping, etc...

• Karen Rivers' workshops (held mostly in the Petaluma, Nicasio, Santa Rosa area) Workshops held year round (contact Karen at karenrivers@clipper.net for more info)"The Cultivation of Truth, Beauty and Goodness - Exploring creative parenting and Waldorf education" Thursdays Sept 16-Nov 18, 2004 - 10AM to 12 noon

• The Kindergarden Forum workshops (held quarterly in Saratoga, CA)These workshops explore a different theme every time (storytelling, silk dyeing, celebrations with children, etc...) and include singing games, a supper, a keynote speaker and often a hands on session. Held at the home of Betty Peck (14275 Saratoga Ave, Saratoga CA 95070). E-mail (bettypeck@aol.com) or call (418)-867-3156 for information. www.kindergarten-forum.com

• The Juniper Tree School of Story and Puppetry Arts (Boulder, CO)The Juniper Tree offers numerous workshops in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is also starting in Summer 2005 a 3-part certificate training in puppet theater (Sacramento, CA, July 28 to August 7). Part one will focus on Early Childhood puppetry. The 3 part training consists of 10 days intensive course work for 3 summers. The three focus areas are: pedagogical, artistic (marionette focus), and therapeutic. Project work and puppet practice during the year deepens the training. Each participant designs their own project to enhance their work/life situation. This training is open to beginners and experienced puppeteers who have serious interest in the healing aspects of puppet theater and story telling. Please contact Suzanne Down early for an application as the number of participants will be limited. 1-888-688-7333 or suzanne@.junipertreepuppets.comwww.junipertreepuppets.com

• Biodynamic Gardening Workshop series (Fair Oaks, CA)This one year program meets one Saturday a month (from September to May, except in December) from 9AM to 5:30PM at Raphael Gardens - the Biodynamic farm of the Rudolf Steiner College. The topics covered include: soil, biodynamic preparations, compost, seed saving and crop rotation, tree care and animal husbandry, herb growing, cosmic rhythms and planting calendars, bee keeping and pest management. The classes involve lectures and hands on work. The series of classes culminates in a 5 days hands-on intensive in June. Series: $575-735. Individual classes: $60-80 More info at: 916-961-8727 or download the .pdf file of the program at: www.steinercollege.edu

Curriculum & Homeschooling Consultation & Support

Donna Simmons - Christopherus provides a variety of services to homeschoolers interested in incorporating elements of the rich tradition of Waldorf education into their family life. Donna also hosts a yahoo support group that is open to all families. http://www.christopherushomeschool.org

Barbara Dewey - Waldorf Without Walls - Homeschooling Curriculum & Support Individualized for each child & family.http://www.waldorfwithoutwalls.com

Live Education! - Producers of Waldorf homeschooling curriculum booklets and consultation (K-8) http://www.live-education.com/

Oak Meadow - Publishers of homeschool curriculum materials that respect the spirit of the child while guiding for academic excellence. http://www.oakmeadow.com/ http://www.enkieducation.org/

Parent-Child Groups
Many Waldorf Schools offer weekly Parent-Child workshops on their campuses. These offer a great way to begin your Waldorf home schooling journey in a supportive environment and make connections with other families with children of similar ages. Contact your local Waldorf School for more information.

• East Bay Waldorf School's Parent/ Infant program- for babies three-four months old to newly walking (El Sobrante) http://www.eastbaywaldorf.org/youngchildgroup.html In an atmosphere of quiet observation you will have a chance to explore the unfolding stage of very early childhood. Each week, different themes are presented to help participants understand the foundations of movement development, the importance of rhythm, working with the senses, and building healthy habits.

• East Bay Waldorf School's Parent/ Toddler program (El Sobrante) http://www.eastbaywaldorf.org/youngchildgroup.html This series of weekly classes allow parents of young children (walking to age 4) to exprience circle time - with songs, movement, and rhythmical verses, a story, an activity or simple craft, a nutritious snack and free discussion time for the parents. This structure and the related activities help to create a self-fulfilled, creative child and a peaceful, observant parent.


Waldorf Schools
These schools offer workshops of interest to home schooling families throughout the year and various family fairs with vendors, music, children's games and puppet shows (usually Harvest Fairs, Winter Fairs, May Fairs)
• East Bay Waldorf School (El Sobrante) http://www.eastbaywaldorf.org/
• San Francisco Waldorf School http://www.sfwaldorf.org/
• Summerfield Waldorf School (Santa Rosa) http://www.summerfieldwaldorf.org
• Waldorf School of the Peninsula (Los Altos) http://www.waldorfpeninsula.org/
• Greenwood School (Mill Valley) http://www.greenwoodschool.org/
• Willow Wood Waldorf School (Sebastopol)
• Santa Cruz Waldorf School http://www.scwaldorf.org/index.html


Waldorf Methods Charter/Public Schools
These public schools follow Waldorf methods and California State standards. They are funded by the state of California and do not charge tuition.• Novato Charter School http://www.novatocharterschool.org/• Monterey Bay Charter School http://www.slv.k12.ca.us/CHARTER/TITLE9/• Napa Valley Charter School http://www.tresd.k12.ca.us/nvcs.html• SunRidge Charter School (Sebastopol)• John Morse Waldorf Methods Magnet School (Sacramento) http://schools.scusd.edu/johnmorse/parent/guild/guild.htm• Lagunitas School District Waldorf programWaldorf-inspired Kindergarden started in Fall 2004. Plan to add one grade every year thereafter. For more info: http://www.lagunitaswaldorf.org/ and http://lagunitas.marin.k12.ca.us/default.htm


Waldorf Pre-Schools
These small home pre-schools offer part-time care and are operated by certified Waldorf Kindergarden teachers (*) or students in their third year of Waldorf Teacher training

• Children's Sonnenhaus- Wiebke Larson (Berkeley) 510-204-9346 (*)
• Redwood Garden - Lauri Miller (Berkeley) 510-524-4606
• Roots and Wings- Maribeth Lockhart (Oakland) 510-652-9511
• Carissa's (El Sobrante) 510-669-0477 (*)
• Mamma Bear's Play Care- Carol Thompson (Pinole) 510-741-8242
• Danielle Epifani (Berkeley Hills) 510-528-8897


Investing/Charitable Donations
Put your money where your heart is with options that support Waldorf related initiatives throughout the world...

• Rudolf Steiner Foundation http://www.rsfoundation.org/ RSF is a cutting-edge non-profit financial service organization with a long and successful history of assisting individuals and projects to meet their financial goals. Its mission is to create social benefit through innovative approaches to working with money that reflect the highest aspirations of the human spirit.
...or in your local community
• Raphael House/Sophia Project (San Francisco/Oakland) http://www.raphaelhouse.org/welcome.html The mission of Raphael House is to help families at risk achieve stable housing and financial independence, while strengthening family bondshttp://www.raphaelhouse.org/welcome.html

Donations of household goods to Thrift Stores
• Raphael House Thrift Store (San Francisco) Proceeds from the Thrift Store are turned over to the shelter for operating expenses. Donations can be dropped off at 1065 Sutter Street (between Hyde and Larkin Streets) on weekdays and weekends. Call for more information 415-474-4621. • Second Wave Thrift Store (Sacramento)Benefits the Sacramento Waldorf School
Additional Resouces & Site of Interest
http://www.wehomeschool.org/
http://www.waldorfresources.org/
http://www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/
http://www.openwaldorf.com/academicresources.html
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sf_waldorf_homeschoolers/ http://www.waldorfinthehome.com