What Homeschool Method Do You Use ?

In short, My natural approach to teach is Fröbel. My family history of educating and a partial nurturing is Fröbel as well. In fact, some of the toys My half cousins and I played with were Waldorf. At least from first glimpse that is what they look like to people who know Waldorf method or was educated in a Waldorf school. I have know doubt that they toys we played with other than Créole traditional toys were German in nature and not solely Waldorf toys. Like Fröbel, other German toys creators and educational methods such as Herbart has been long forgotten. The Lone Waldorf, created by Swiss German Rudolf Steiner is remembered. Funny, just thinking about this I have a half cousin who middle name is Astoria. She was named after the Waldorf Astoria hotel which has it's link to Steiner because he named his method of education that he borrowed from Fröbel and added his believes and etc for the workers of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel's Cigar factory children. It would be fair to get into a more depth explanation of the Waldorf Astoria and Steiner in a later article and just touch on the Fröbel method.

Since I am a Louisiana Créole with a French Speaking Great Grandmother (Native Tongue), French speaking Great Uncle (Native Tongue) and parents who spoke spotted French through my childhood (words and phrase here and there), I would have chosen a French method of Homeschooling. Or at least mirrored the local Ecole school of New Orleans and chosen the National French curriculum to homeschool our currently four children. Despite the French, Créole and Native American tribal languages and French and Native American cultural elements of my family, German culture and influence was around also. It is not a surprising thing with Louisiana Créoles such most of us are descendants of German/Swedish ancestors. My last name is Teutonic (Germanic} French. It is pronounced using High German linguistic instead on Low German. And is extremely rare surname in the Louisiana Créole community. My last name, as of current genealogy research has provided, comes from the Concordia parish/Adams County Natchez, Ms area. There is a lot of German influenced in Louisiana Créole culture especially in New Orleans. And even more so in the Adams County/Concordia parish connect of Natchez area of La/Ms.

Toys we played with

It is the Louisiana Créoles tradition and believe that whatever toys the child plays with, this is what he or she will become when they grow up. The toy is the prerequisite for the occupation/profession the child enter. I think with more assimilation into the Américan culture, this notion and tradition is dying out and Créoles, like Américan homes have a lot of toys with not thought of this having an influence of what their children will become, toys are simply just toys. A past time.

A play kitchen

I had a play kitchen with dishes in my room. Know wonder I am a good cook. I love to cook and try to get better and better as I cook food for my family. It is reward for me to fix wholesome meals in the Louisiana Créole tradition. I am glad our children have taken an interest and learn how to cook and prepare food in our tradition. When my cousin and to visit, which was often, or when they stayed with us, in my early childhood that was often as will, they played in the kitchen with me. I still remember that kitchen with my cupboards, stove, it's burners, the tiny pots and fake food. Like I mentioned above, to most people this would resegnate with Waldorf and Waldorf principles. Yet, the concept of playing with a toy Kitchen, with toy pots and fake foods where concepts principle before Waldorf. And I am fair to say that this concept was probably a principle among children and their guardians before Fröbel (Froebel).

Playing Doctor and Nurses at the Hospital

My half cousins on my mother's mother side of the family liked playing doctor and sometimes nurses. When I would visit my grandmother (Opelousas-Créole), my half cousins would play this role playing game with the costumes, the doctor medical utensils and bag. Especially if we weren't outside playing in the courtyard. I wasn't really interested in this game. I would soon loose interest. Playing with the kitchen and house was more my thing. I enjoyed emulating my mother and grandmothers. I would help my Mother and Great Grandmother (my mother's father's mother) in the kitchen and around the house thought out my adolescence and teenage years.

Playing House