Greetings from Christopherus Homeschool Resources!
Since 2003 Christopherus Homeschool Resources have been creating a range of friendly and empowering publications and services designed to help every homeschooler with an interest in Waldorf education. We offer full Homeschool Curriculums for PreK through 5th grade, FREE Rough Guides for 6th-8th grade, plus a abounding array of audio and educational materials that will enrich your homeschool journey.
Browse our bookstore, join our Facebook Group: Christopherus Homeschooling Families and sign up for our monthly newsletter: Homeschool Journey.
SouleMama: Since the last time you were featured on SouleMama, in what ways has your business grown or changed?
Donna: A seemingly straightforward question – what is new with Christopherus these last couple of years? On the one hand major changes: completely new staff and premises! On the other hand nothing has changed: we continue to offer pretty much the same materials as ever. This is our 12th year as a business – the first 7 or 8 especially were years of constant work, of creation of curriculum materials, consulting with people, extending our presence in the Waldorf homeschooling world.
But when we turned 10, it was time for a rest. I needed to step back and evaluate my position with Christopherus and how I imagined it continuing into the future. One possibility was for me to sell Christopherus…I explored that with a particular possible buyer but in the end I decided that no, I hadn’t finished my time with Christopherus, that I still had more to offer.
So really, a better way to phrase this question is not in terms of how have things changed in the past couple of years – but how do I imagine they will change over the next few years. That’s where it could get exciting! There are many possibilities….For sure, more curriculum materials need to be written. Our books need updating and those that I wrote before creating the various Syllabuses need to be brought in line with them.
We have taken steps toward providing handwork kits – we would like to extend that further and be able to provide a full range of handwork and craft kits for children from earliest years though 8th grade. Many Waldorf homeschooling parents are adept handworkers and crafters – but many are not. If we can provide simple and satisfying handwork kits to enable those parents to create something with their children, to do something they have never done before, then we have accomplished a great deal! This is also the philosophy behind our approach to drawing and painting which we outline in detail throughout the Syllabuses – neither my drawing nor my painting skills are particularly noteworthy. But what I can do is break the process down and help parents who feel that being asked to draw or paint is like being asked to take wing and fly that they can actually achieve reasonably successful results!
It has been many years since I have had the opportunity to speak directly with our friends and customers. I used to run homeschooling conference; I used to consult via the phone; and I used to run a very lively online forum. As I said, I needed a break from all this. Now it is time to see what new possibilities – thanks to new technology – there are to ‘meet up’ with our many faithful and interested customers across the globe.
We hope that many of you will subscribe to our monthly email newsletter or join our facebook group so as to be able to keep in touch with new developments at Christopherus.
This weekend, Christopherus Homeschool Resources is generously offering the following gift to TWO lucky SouleMama readers:
A package of three Audio Downloads of Donna Simmon’s Talks
Topics range from “Talking Pictorially And Living Actively With Your Young Child” to “Waldorf Highschool at Home”
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To enter today's giveaway, leave a comment below (one entry per person, please). Comments will close by 9am EST on Monday. Winners will be chosen by Random Number Generator and announced in this post shortly after. Comments closed. The winners are...
Really like the way Donna approaches things. Thanks.
Posted by: Jennifer
We're big fans of Christopherus! A great giveaway!
Posted by: Rita