Starpath Learning vs Lavender's Blue: Which Waldorf-Inspired Curriculum Fits?

Starpath Learning is ours, so we're one side of this comparison.

Start with your child's age. If you have a kindergartener, Lavender's Blue is the one that fits, because Starpath begins at grade 1. For grades 1 to 3 both work, and the choice comes down to how you'd like to pay and what you want around the lessons. Lavender's Blue is a one-time purchase with detailed daily plans, audio for circle time and songs, and lifetime access to the files. Starpath is a monthly subscription, or $19 a block, with a planner, portfolio and compliance tools built in.

What they share

Both are Waldorf-inspired homeschool curricula written for a parent teaching at home. Both cover grades 1 to 3 today, and both have grade 4 on the way. Both work the way a Waldorf classroom does: stories, form drawing, wet-on-wet watercolor, beeswax modeling and main lessons, with the arts running through every subject rather than set aside as extras. And both have a parent community, so you're not working it out alone.

Where they differ: who wrote it

Lavender's Blue is written by Kelly, a former kindergarten teacher with a background in developmental neuropsychology, who describes herself as an experienced homeschooling mother. It calls itself secular and welcomes families of all faiths. Grades 2 and 3 use stories from many traditions without religious instruction. In grade 3 that means legends from Native American, Chinese and ancient Hebrew sources.

Starpath is written by Sophie, a Waldorf class teacher with more than 10 years' experience.

If you're starting in kindergarten, Kelly's background fits that year closely. If your child is starting grade 1, you may care more about someone who has taught a Waldorf class through the grades.

Where they differ: grades

Lavender's Blue: kindergarten to grade 3, with grade 4 in development.

Starpath: grades 1 to 3, with grade 4 being added. No kindergarten.

This is the plainest difference between them. A family with a five-year-old and a seven-year-old could use Lavender's Blue for both. With Starpath, the younger child would wait.

Where they differ: how the year is laid out

Lavender's Blue gives you detailed daily lesson plans in a PDF you can read on its members site, download or print, with MP3 audio alongside. For grade 1 that's a 541-page PDF and 63 audio tracks. There are daily main lessons in form drawing, math, language arts and nature. Around them sit watercolor, beeswax modeling, active math and circle time, plus a 14-week container story. Grade 2 is a 735-page PDF with 28 original stories. Grade 3 runs 35 weeks. It covers farming, building and woodworking, gardening and cooking, with measurement, times tables and cursive.

It also includes video training for you as the parent: knitting and recorder in grade 1, and painting, modeling and storytelling in kindergarten. If you've never held knitting needles and you're about to teach a seven-year-old to knit, that helps.

Starpath is organised into main lesson blocks of two to four weeks, the way a Waldorf class teacher plans a year. You go deep into one subject, say form drawing or the letters, then set it down and move to the next. The planner holds the blocks on your calendar and the portfolio keeps your child's work as you go.

If you want every day of the year written out in one place, Lavender's Blue does that. If you think in blocks and want to see your place in the year at a glance, Starpath is set up that way.

Where they differ: price, with one grade 1 year worked out

Prices checked September 2026.

	Lavender's Blue	Starpath Learning
Kindergarten	$327 for the year, or $117 a season	Not offered
Grade 1	$367, one time	$47/month for grades 1 to 3, or $19 a block
Grades 2 and 3	$397 each, one time	Same $47/month, or $19 a block
Trying it first	All sales are final	14-day trial for $7; free plan with planner, portfolio and compliance tools

Here's one grade 1 year, side by side.

Lavender's Blue: $367, paid once. The PDF and audio are yours for family use, with lifetime access. If a younger sibling reaches grade 1 later, you already have it.

Starpath, monthly: $47 a month. Kept for all 12 months, that's about $564. If you pause over the summer, the total comes down. The subscription covers grades 1 to 3, not just grade 1.

Starpath, block by block: $19 a block. If you want to try Waldorf form drawing before committing to a year, one block is $19. Five blocks bought singly come to $95.

So for a single child doing a full grade 1 year, Lavender's Blue costs less over the year. Starpath costs less to start, and lets you stop after one block if it isn't right for your family.

Where they differ: records and support

Lavender's Blue is a digital curriculum: PDFs and audio, plus the video training and a private online community included with every purchase. No planner or progress tracking is described, so if your state asks for a portfolio or a year-end report, you'd keep that separately.

Starpath has a parent community, and the planner, portfolio, homeschool legal requirements tool and compliance report export are built in. The legal requirements tool shows what your state or country asks for, and the portfolio keeps your child's work in one place, ready to export. Starpath doesn't offer coaching.

In a state with more paperwork, like Pennsylvania or New York, that record-keeping can save you real evenings. In a state that asks for little, it matters less.

Choose Lavender's Blue if...

• You have a kindergartener. Starpath starts at grade 1. Lavender's Blue has a full 36-week kindergarten year with stories, circle time audio, painting, modeling and seasonal crafts.
• You want to own the files outright. You pay once and keep lifetime access to the PDF and audio for family use.
• You want audio for circle time and songs. The MP3 tracks mean you don't need to know the tunes before you begin.
• You'd like video training in knitting, recorder or painting before you teach them.
• You want every day of the year written out in one book.
• You're teaching one child through one grade and want the lowest cost for that year.

Choose Starpath if...

• You want to buy one block to try. A single block is $19, or the whole curriculum is $7 for a 14-day trial.
• You want records and compliance reports. The planner, portfolio, legal requirements tool and compliance report export are built in.
• You want the year in main lesson blocks of two to four weeks, planned by a Waldorf class teacher.
• You'd rather pay monthly and pause when you're not teaching.
• You'd like to see a guide before you decide. The free grade 1 form drawing guide walks you through the first block. It moves from the straight line and the curved line to arches, spirals and zig-zags, over about 10 teaching days.

What to do this week

1. Write down your children's ages. If one is in kindergarten, look at Lavender's Blue first.
2. Check your state's requirements. If you need a portfolio or annual report, that points toward Starpath.
3. Read one real lesson. Download the free grade 1 form drawing guide and read the Lavender's Blue grade page for your child's year. Picture a Monday morning with each.
4. Decide how you want to pay. Once and keep it, or monthly and a block at a time.
5. If you'd like to see the other options, our Waldorf homeschool curriculum comparison puts eight curricula side by side.

Related reading

• Waldorf homeschool curriculum comparison 2026
• Best Waldorf homeschool curriculum for grade 1
• Waldorf Essentials vs Lavender's Blue
• Waldorf Essentials vs Starpath Learning