Just an opening post for anyone coming into AmityMama looking for other Enki-inspired homeschoolers. I am always here, and look forward to 'seeing' everyone.

~jo

Hi Jo,

I'm here!! Although, I'm dashing off to bed!

Thanks for setting this up!

Peace,

Jo,
Hello! I am new to Enki, just got part of my Homeschoolers Teaching Guide and loving what I am reading! I believe a letter you wrote is in there? The name Torin sounds familiar!
Just wondering, is the yahoo group still up and running? I was told that when I get the teachers guide, I would also get an invite to join the group, but I didn't.
Looking forward to chatting!
-lisa

Hi Lisa,

Glad you are enjoying your first Enki books! They are quite amazing, especially the teachers guide.
There are a few quotes from me in the guide, and the letter I wrote about the first conference is in the first book I believe.

The old discussion list was closed a couple of weeks ago, but there is a new list independently run by a group of us who use the Enki materials and other holistic/developmental approaches. If you pm me your preferred email I can have the list owner add you. That is where the majority of our discussion is happening now. I am hoping to inspire people to use this forum too, but of course we must be very cautious of copywrite issues in our discussions.

~jo

Okay, color me silly :P But what is Enki? Is there a link where I can get a good idea of the philosophy behind it? :D

Not silly at all, it is a very small company and a fairly new philosophy founded by Beth Sutton based on the work of Steiner,Piaget, Montessori, and many others.
www.enkieducation.org

The last post in my blog gives a bit more background about what I think of this type of education and the whole blog is about the co-op of kids that I lead using mainly the Enki materials.

~jo

It sounds really great. Thank you for posting that link, Jo. If it wasn't so out of my price range I'd look into it more. ;)

I'm still going to be reading in this forum though if that's okay with you just because it has peaked my interest. :D

EVERYone who is interested in holistic education methods is welcome in this forum. I like to blend several methods, but Enki does suit me particularly well!

There are lots of ways to delve into this style of education. Kytka's site www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com is a great place to learn about the waldorf style and there are tons of books on sensory integration (out of synch child is one) that would address that area.

If you can swing it, the Homeschool Teachers guides are definetly worth the money from the EnkiEducation site.

~jo

I am here, but I am incredibly ill (kidney infection) and am barely functioning on the homeschool front. I've read the first 2 Enki homeschool guides, but have been using Donna Simmon's Christopherus 1st grade Syllabus.

Kimberly

Did Beth Sutton have anything to do with the Montessori-inspired Preschool Power videos?

Natalia

No, that's not her. Beth training is predominantly Waldorf/Steiner. she was a Waldorf teacher for 15 years.

~jo

Jolene,
When I have more time I am going to spend time reading your blog.
Is Enki age appropriate for younger children or can it be applied to teens.

I struggle with being organized often times and get busy with my home business and trying to finish herbal school as well and I honestly struggle.
I have 2 children in public school that I woudl love to bring home but I just dont know how well I will help them learn at this point.

My 15 year old is h/s as well as pre k with Ben....
Does this curriculum work for many ages?

I am impressed with the Euro (such as Waldorf) education as they really seem to learn much more it seems.

Hey there Kristerae,

Enki is an awesome learning modality for any age- I'm finding it very helpful for my own learning. That said, the packages of 'curriculum' aren't available and who knows when they will be. I do think that the teachers guide for homeschool are invaluable for any age, though they address more of the philosophy than any specifics.

Waldorf materials are more widely available and are out there for the highschool ages too.

The only thing I know about Enki for highschool was what Beth Sutton told me at training. We spoke of what came after eighth grade and she felt very similarly to what I always felt in my own heart- that in highschool time is best spent on in depth learning of many varied subjects, internships, aprenticships, capstone projects, independent research, teaching of their passions to others... ect.

Personally I hope that my kids by then are ready for a combination of college level auditing of courses, aprentice work and are generally just passionate about life and learning, as I am sure is your goal as well. I don't know what, if any, type of curriculm material we would use then. But for now, having the Enki materials and many Waldorf sources gives me a ground to lay for them that is founded in development and wholeness.

I struggle with organization- really struggle. I wonder some days if I can possibly provide what these children deserve and need. I try to get perspective by watching them closely for a few hours... I usually- no always- wind up seeing tthat they are becoming whole, intelligent and happy people just being themselves and being together. I always feel better then :)
Juggling your school and raising the kids with homeschooling... oy! It's a serious job, big and overwhelming for certain. And you have a lot more of them :)

Feel free to ask specific questions, and if you are at all interested in introducing some waldorf style you can use Kytka's page www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com for a great start. donna simmons site is great too www.christopherushomeschool.org



Hopefully Enki is shipping at least the guides- worth their weight in gold!! www.enkieducation.org

I hope that my blog can help give some insight about a fraction of what Enki/Waldorf/Developmental/Holistic whatever-you-want-to-call-it homeschooling can look like. I'm having a lot of fun, and I'm growing immensly by doing it!



jo

Hi Jolene and Everyone,

Welll....I signed up for this group...then forgot to subscribe to the thread (Ack!)....and got caught up in Just Surviving while my husband spent the last month working in New Orleans helping with the diaster relief. So....now he is home...and we are all settling back into our routines.

I don't know if I have introduced myself on Amity's....so here is my brief bio! :P

I live in Texas where I homeschool my three little ones. My husband and I have been together for 11yrs, and I basically threw a bomb in his lap when I was pregnant with our oldest and announced that we would be homeschooling! He's gotten used to it by now...in fact...is actually a big help and supporter! :happy:

My oldest is 6.5yrs old, and we are doing First Grade with him. My daughter is 5yrs, and my youngest is 4yrs; and one of my biggest challenges is not planning our whole family's life around the First Grader....it is just so tempting to plow ahead with all of these great ideas! But...I'm discovering (through major trial and error!!) that our family is still very much at the Pre-School/Kingergarten level....and our whole "family being" needs the nurshiment to mostly come from that level.

I discovered Waldorf Education about 4yrs ago. For the past three years, my primary materials have been the Enki Education materials....but this year...I'm finding that I need to diversify to meet my son for his Grade One work. I call it diversification...my DH calls it 'curriculum collecting' !! I have Barbara Dewey's books...Donna Simmons' Books....Eric Fairman's Grade One....and my new *love* is Allan and Susan Whitehead's Spiritual Syllabus (http://www.users.bigpond.com/goldenbeetlebooks/). The Whitehead's have 55 books in their Golden Beetle Collection....including the Spiritual Syllabus that discusses the individual subjects for specfic grades. Each book is 14.00, and they can be purchased individually. I'm very into the esoteric aspects of essetial energies and how these can be utilized in my children's homelife and education...and these really fit the bill.

I am currently finishing up our first Grade One Math block....and I am using some great math resources popular in the Waldorf community and available for sale from Bob and Nancy's bookstore (http://www.waldorfbooks.org). I'm using:
'Active Arithmetic' by Henning Anderson

'A Beginner's Guide to Constructing the Universe: The Mathematical Archetypes of Nature, ARt, and Science' by Michael S. Schneider

'Teaching Mathematics in Rudolf Steiner Schools for Classes I-VIII' by Ron Jarman

'The Power of Limits: Proportional Harmonies in Nature, ARt, and Architecture' by Gyorgy Doczi.

These have been really great for me to be able to open my eyes and see the mathmatical possiblities in our play everyday. While I've been learning to play around with forms and patterns...I've also been culling ideas from my curriculum sources to pull together our individualized math block. I'm very pleased with how this has come together.

At any rate....just wanted to pop in and say Hello!

Peace,

[,

I hope that my blog can help give some insight about a fraction of what Enki/Waldorf/Developmental/Holistic whatever-you-want-to-call-it homeschooling can look like. I'm having a lot of fun, and I'm growing immensly by doing it!



Hi Jolene, where would I find your blog?
Thanks!
-Lisa

Lisa, if you go to the top of the page you'll see a link for the Amitymama blogs...

here is a direct link :

http://www.amitymama.com/plog/jolenes_holistic_homeschooling_journal
It's about the one day per week group I created right now, hopefully soon I will get into adding what we do outside of the group. We are still primarily a Kindy household like Kimberly said, and Sage is a Kindy/First because she Just turned 6 but had reached all of the big markers other than lost teeth. The combo seems to be working well... 1 day of formal first grade stuff, 1 day in the woods and three days in regular rhythmic household/kindy life.

Kimberly, Glad your here... as always you are my inspiration!!! :heart:

~jo

Kimberly -- I had borrowed your kindergarten Enki books for a little while. And the video. Remember? You drove to Denton to meet Natalie and me because of something to do with the North Texas Waldorf Initiative (that I used to maintain -- but no longer). Anyway, I'm "officially" home/un/schooling my 5yo now and thinking of Enki again, but the thought of those huge notebooks just fills me with fear. How easy is it to actually follow the curriculum?

Thanks!
Mary

Hi!

I am new here and am *hoping* that I'm doing this right. I'm from Australia and am homeschooling our 5 year old son. We spent the first half of 2005 in Japan and have been in Germany since. We will be in Germany for the rest of this year. I am looking at integrating the Enki approach with what we've been doing in 2005 and am excited about that. However, I've only JUST discovered it and am trying to gather as much information as I can. It seems at the moment that the curriculum is not currently available? I have sent an email to the Enki website but would love any feedback/guidance any of you can offer. I'm looking forward to being a part of this group!

Cheers
Nicole

Hi Nicole,

You did post correctly, there is just a real lack of people working with Enki specifically who actually have the time to post at Amitymama. I am the owner of AmityMama and so when the old Enkiyahoogroup closed I started a forum in hopes that people would use it, but alas no one really does. The business behind Enki Education is in real upheaval right now, and I have no idea when it will get better. Do you have any of the Enki books that are available? I can recommend the teacher's guides as a wonderful resource but please do go into it knowing that you will be gathering from other sources still because currently not all materials are ready or for sale. I personally own Kindy and One and the teachers guide and wouldn't trade them for the world; however as we outgrow these grades we will probably look into creating our own materials combined with Live Ed or Christopherus etc.

Let me know how I can help you and I will try :)

~jo

i can see this thread isn't being used much, but i just wanted to say hello. wanting to keep my enki conections even through all the upheaval. I am not using the resouces as a homeschooling mama (not yet- my first is due in may!) but have been attracted to it as a holistic teacher. I would love to hear about peoples experiences with groups or co-ops as there is a group here that is interested in forming and i would love be part of using the enki ideas in this way...
hope all the enki-ites are doing well...
taisa

just saw this forum - I am interested in learing more and plan to check out the links. THanks!

hello,

i am planning on purchasing the enki kindy package for early childhood and kindy. wondering if there is still anyone out there on this thread. would love to converse and learn of anyone also purchasing this package for the same use. also is there a yahoo group? should we start one?


-brooke

Hi Brooke,

Welcome to AmityMama!

I still use the Kindy resources for my younger two children and plan on it for the forseeable future. I used first grade for my older daughter last year, but this year am making my own plan for second grade from an amalgam of resources.

There is no active yahoogroup, there was one but it was deleted last autumn. As far as I know you can't use the name Enki in the title of any new group, because they want clarity that it is not Enki-endorsed.

If you have questions or want to chat though, bring them up!

~jo

Hi! I'm Sally from SC, soon to move to VA. I discovered Waldorf last year (almost year, anyway) through mothering magazine. I have found WaldorfCurriculum and the Christopherus sites to be amazing! I agree with a lot of it, but I admit that some things are hard for me to swallow -- no academics! I was a K teacher, and got my training in a strong contructivist (inquriy-based math and science, whole language, etc) school. Still, the idea to not get books in kids' hands?:drop:
But, the rest of it I really dig!
Sooooo, then there's Montessori. I find it a big more to understand, mostly just thinking how mostly great it is, but that I'd need to either have gone to school as a kid in M, or gotten the teacher training in it -- it's so much!

Then i started spotting ENKI here and there, so I finally checked it out, and the website makes it sound to me a nice balance between the two. I could be wrong, so please correct me. I have read everything online there, but when I try to open the samples of what she has to buy, nothing comes.

can you tell me more about what it's like? Does she "lesson plans?" How is the day set up? I have a very small business with baby carriers and childbirth classes, as well as at some point taking doula clients, so i go go go during the day....

HELP!!!! I don't want to "start homeschooling" in the fall, but start sliding into it NOW. My 6yo DD went to a 1/2 day kindergarten in a play-as-learning school in my small town, so she has an idea of what "school" is like, but i don't think I have to do any "decompression".....maybe for me....

Sally

I JUST ordered my K Enki program! My DD is actually 6 and a "graduate" of a 1/2 day K program in a typical ed program (though it is a private thing, and it's play-oriented). Based on a number of things, we decided that moving through K with Enki and moving on to 1st when things were more aligned would work best for us.

I would really like to hear what others are doing, how it is working.etc...
sally

Welcome Sally!

Hopefully you will soon receive your invitation to join Holistic Family, which is one of the support groups available for new users.

We're using Enki grade 2, and struggling to find a way to make it work for us with mixed ages and special needs. It's a fantastic philosophy, and hopefully we'll start a foundation guide study again this summer.

I am so interested in Enki! I joined the yahoo group and am going to try to do the prepurchase conference call this MOnday night. I have just decided to homeschool. I have a Kindergartener and a preschooler. Oh and a newborn, who just woke up and needs me so I've gotta jet for now. I am very interested in learning more about Enki.