FAQs

• Do you have an early childhood (prep/kindergarten) program for purchase?

Steiner Home Education Australia offers a home education program based on the indications of Rudolf Steiner, and as such we do not encourage formal schooling before the child is at least six, turning seven years old. This is around the time of the second dentition, which sees the child’s baby teeth begin to fall out and be replaced by the adult teeth, indicating that the formative forces of the body are now freed up to be directed towards more academic/cognitive work. Before this time the home-educated child is far better supported by a rhythmic and predictable home life, combined with wholesome and simple artistic and home activities, surrounded by adults engaged in meaningful work that provide them with healthy role models for their imitation.

• Do you offer your curriculum term by term?

Our curriculum is based upon a three-day-rhythm, which means that the same content is experienced three different ways over three consecutive days in a rolling fashion. It has been designed and delivered as a whole, and is therefore optimally taught in the sequence described within each Grade’s curriculum, in a seamless and integrated way. Teaching it in parts outside of the recommended sequence may deliver inconsistent and variable results, and as such, we only offer our curriculum by the year.

• Are all of the subjects/key learning areas covered in your curriculum?

All of our main lesson programs are integrated units of work which incorporate numerous learning areas in the one lesson, particularly the Arts. This means that the content is brought wholistically, contextually and artistically, allowing far deeper understanding and connections to be established across learning areas. For example, our Herb lessons encompass not only Science, but also English, Geography, Physical Education and Visual Arts. This is very different to the compartmentalisation and separation of academic content often found in other educational frameworks.

• Is your curriculum religious or secular?

Steiner education is neither religious nor secular, but is based on a spiritual perspective. This perspective is taught out of but is never made explicit to the child, as its goal is to expose the children to many of the great spiritual perspectives and traditions of the world, now and throughout history, so that they may be free to engage with a spiritual life in adulthood based on their understanding of humankind’s spiritual heritage.

Stories from many mythologies and spiritual traditions are brought to the child throughout their primary education, and these do include stories from the Old Testament in Grade Three. Steiner specifically prescribed these stories be told to the eight/nine year old child as they speak to the inner experience and consciousness of the child at this age. They are brought to the children through story in the same way that Norse myths will be brought in Grade Four and Greek myths in Grade Five; as stories pregnant with meaning that have been important to the spiritual life of many human beings throughout history, but not as the one ‘truth’.

• How do I access the curriculum? Do I receive lifetime access?

The curriculum packages are all accessed on our secure server via our website. All of the digital content (videos and audio files) are accessible on our site, but cannot be downloaded onto external devices. This is to protect our exclusive content from being shared or viewed without permission. Our program documents, work samples, resource lists, etc. are all available for download however, as they form the foundation of the day-to-day application of the curriculum.

All of our curriculum packages include lifetime access to our resources. This means that you need only buy a Grade’s curriculum once and you can teach it to all of your subsequent children as well. Lifetime access to curricula cannot be sold or transferred by our members to any other party.

• Do you offer a payment plan?

Whilst we don’t offer our curriculum on a term-by-term basis, our curriculum resources can be purchased on a four-part payment plan through PayPal. This allows full access to the Grade’s curriculum without the need to pay in full upon purchase.