Botany (Waldorf Education Resources)

I have purchased other books by Charles Kovacs for our homeschooling material that we do enjoy. I give Kovacs credit for taking a more lively approach to botany. But, this one is just not something I want my children to read. I feel his style here is subtly demeaning to children (and plants), with such ideas as likening species of plants to "...a child that it not yet clever enough for kindergarten", while he assigns other plants energies with purpose and stature "...like an adult." I was shocked by the insinuation that a toddler is not clever! And, although he writes of good qualities in some of the plants, his comparisons dishonor others. Why put these ideas into the mind of a child? While I can see the message in his work (and it is better by far than other children's botany books), the undertone is not what I want my children to hear.A better way to teach children botany is to allow them to see and feel it for themselves. An extremely wonderful book is The Secret Teachings of Plants, by Vermont author Stephen Harrod Buhner. This book is for parents or older children. It will enliven your soul and re-awaken the connection we've lost. Read Buhner's book and you will guide your children with ease.

This is a short,lively introduction to botany. You won't be bogged down with scientific terminology. Kovacs uses stages of human development as an analogy for the different kinds of plants. I wanted to go collect moss and lichen to observe under a microscope. You know it's a good book when it inspires action!

This was exactly what I hoped it would be. I am a Waldorf homeschooler, so this was another lovely 'piece' to add to my collection of teaching books.It arrived at my house very quickly, I have no complaints.

If you teach with Waldorf methods, then I highly recommend this book. It is very well thought out and progresses though the plants and trees in order of growth.This is not the normal way of seeing the plants and trees, but a whole new way for those not accustomed to the Waldorf theories. There are no pictures. Each chapter is a short story/guide to the plants life. One chapter a day can be easily covered. It seems to be just the right amount of information for the student to grasp. My student loved this more than anything we did this year.

We purchased this book to us in our 5th grade Waldorf curriculum, but quickly realized we would have to replace it.Mr. Kovacs, born in the 1930's, can be forgiven his antiquated worldview of Higher and Lower Orders due to the world he grew up in. However, there is absolutely no sense in carrying this damaging perspective forward into future generations.The entire structure of the book relates various plants to the various stages of the life of a child. I normally approve of this type of analogy in Waldorf, especially when it comes to Steiner's linking of the development of civilizations to the development of the child.Calling fungi the toddlers of the plant world, describing them as simple betrays a utter lack of knowledge about the organisms. Stack ranking life in terms of Higher and Lower orders is a world view that no longer serves us.

In the Waldorf education movement botany is introduced to children in the 5th grade. Charles Kovacs takes a Goethean approach to the study of botany and as is true with most subjects taught within our curriculum, we teach from the whole to the parts. This book will begin by teaching the children how plants relate to the earth and to the sun as well as to insects. The study appeals to children by comparing the non-flowering plants such as Fungi, Algae, Fern, Lichens and Mosses, etc. to the developing child from infant through childhood. This book is valuable to any Waldorf teacher or homeschooling parent that want to awaken a sense of beauty and reveal to the child, the metamorphic nature of plants. The chapters are laid out in described order, from non-flowering to flowering plants culminating in a study of grasses and trees.

I have homeschooled for the past five years and this book is a great resource for teaching botany. It was interesting enough for both of us to read and written in a way that "speaks" to the student appropriately for this age group(about 10-12).

This is a very readable book, perfect for reading aloud, or retelling the information to one's students. It is not cutting edge science and feels a little old fashioned and cosy but it has been a perfect "spine" for my fifth grader's botany main lesson block.

splendid purchase - thanks

Es ist eine Freude mit Büchern von Charles Kovacs als Lehrer zu arbeiten. Schöner könnte man mit Pflanzenbetrachtungen nicht arbeiten.