I wanted to share a recent Instagram post I made, because I think this is information that needs to go beyond that particular app. We need more expansion in the homeschool realm.
A book series recommendation + some mysticism. Warning this may get long.
The other day, I posted on my private IG account about this book series. My 11 year old found them with zero percent input from me. I was only vaguely aware of her choices when I got an email from the library about an overdrive from the series being available for her to check out.
Here’s what I’m excited about:
1️⃣ The storyline sounds badass in and of itself.
2️⃣ 11 year old has been studying India as part of her Eastern Hemisphere reading with history from @bookshark
(This is my absolute favoritist history curriculum EVAR in case I haven’t already mentioned that 🤣)
3️⃣ Here’s the mystical part: Indian Mythology is part of the Waldorf Year 5 developmental approach to main lessons.
(This kid’s birthday makes her entering Year 5 for Waldorf purposes, Eventhough she’s in 6th for state purposes 😝)
I became super interested in Waldorf following my oldest child’s OBSESSION with mythology. My friend told me about Christopherus Homeschool Resources (not tagging because this is the most un-Waldorf post ever & I feel like it would be insulting to Donna, maybe idk 🤣), and I found an audio recording by Christopherus about teaching history through stories. Specifically it discussed the development of the human soul, and how certain kinds of stories help the spiritual and moral development of the child. (I believe this was the talk, called From Myth to History, although I cannot find the recording at this time.)
It really resonated for me & I have witnessed several “coincidences” similar to this one, where my children were craving stories that were in alignment with the Waldorf based timeline for spiritual development. It’s pretty interesting cosmically 💫 ✨ honestly. Which is why I felt compelled to jump on here and wrote this novella.
My librarian friend also pointed out that this book is part of an effort by Rick Riordan to launch other authors (all non-Euro centric format what I’ve seen so far), which is pretty freaking cool. Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is part of that same project, although it focuses on African Mythology (and my 11 year old is also reading & recommends that book too!)
Around this time last year, I met an Indian mom who was considering pulling her middle schooler to homeschool. We discussed how Indian mythology is rarely if ever covered in public school. We also discussed the parallels between Indian Mythology and other myths. For example, India has its own flood myth, as do most other mythological cannons. It also has a story similar to Achilles, as does Norse Mythology.
The point is that Indian Mythology has a lot to offer, and I am glad to see that Rick Riordan is offering a platform for it to break into the maintstream. We shouldn’t let it stop there, though.
I personally recommend the Kovacs book as well as the Christopherus approach to create a truly full picture of the beauty Waldorf can bring.
Bookshark’s selections create a fuller picture of the social, economic, and political structures of India that have a LOT to offer our children.
Additionally, Indian homeschoolers are also growing as a group, and they have a lot to contribute to the landscape of the homeschooling movement. I hope that these kinds of curricular offerings and stories continue to grow in order to match the increased demand.
Please let me know in the comments some of your favorite Indian Mythology or Indian homeschooling resources!
P.S. This post is what eclectic homeschooling looks like! 🙂
