Amy Jo Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 Hi all! I am really being drawn to Memoria Press for next year. I need something that gets done, and I like their emphasis on recitation and review, as well as their selected books. I'd be looking at the 3rd and 5th grade set, probably combining the boys in Christian Studies I and Astronomy just to streamline. I'd also stick with MEP and SWR instead of Rod & Staff. (I don't think I'll get the 1st grade set, unless it's just the reading package.) I was going to do LCC next year, but MP has most of what LCC does, and it's all planned out for me. I also like CM. Reading books slowly. Artist & Composer Studies. Nature Study. Narrations and studied dictation. Stretching the child by reading difficult books, Shakespeare, and Plutarch. I love her idea of variety - a rich and generous curriculum. So what I'm thinking is continue their workboxes and fill those with their MP studies (doing some work orally). Add in BFSU for science, and some CM-style literature / living books - maybe 1 book for each school day for them to read slowly over the term or year and narrate from. (I probably wouldn't even schedule these - just a chapter a week until done.) Then for my CM itch, I really want to do a consistent morning basket time. About an hour, everyone combined. I'm thinking of the catechism, LDTPM, some Life of Fred or Minimus, poetry, lots of fairy tales and books from AO's list. Also from Ambleside: Shakespeare, Plutarch, Artist, Composer, Hymn, and Folksong rotations. (Not on the same day or even week, but rotated.) Add in a "Wild Day" every week or two for nature study. We will continue our daily quiet time with silent reading, as well as bedtime stories of course (I don't count those as school). Stock my rain gutter bookshelves (the kids tend to grab the books from there more often) with good books from the 1000 Good Books List and others. I need something laid out. I really have to use my mental energy elsewhere at this time in my life. And I like MP, even if the workbooks don't thrill me. I'd only have to plan the morning basket this way, since MEP & SWR are do the next lesson/list. Thoughts? Comments? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kfamily Posted June 11, 2012 Share Posted June 11, 2012 (edited) I think this would work. We use a mixture of classical and CM books and ideas. We use MP for Latin, (Logic, next term) Classical Studies (some....right now for D'Aulaires Greek Myths and The Golden Children's Bible and next year for Famous Men of Rome) and I've looked and planned for other books. I love their streamlined but focused approach. With this, we also use much of the methods and books from a CM approach. We use copybooks, commonplace books, studied dictation, narrations, living books, picture study, nature study (when we make it happen, :001_smile:), Plutarch and Shakespeare. Lastly, I was much inspired by the thread which included focusing on literature (over history) and working on depth and quality in the books we use. Edited June 12, 2012 by Kfamily Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knittinfarmgirl Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 Amy, I don't know that I'll help but this is very similar to what I've been planning for next year. I'd almost decided to follow the LCC guide but then I started looking at MP and felt that it was laid out very well and might work better for us. We've always schooled based on CM previously. I like the simplicity afforded by MP. I'm expecting our 4th in October and just don't have the confidence that I can get it all done. So I totally get how you feel regarding not reinventing the wheel. I also like CM. Reading books slowly. Artist & Composer Studies. Nature Study. Narrations and studied dictation. Stretching the child by reading difficult books, Shakespeare, and Plutarch. I love her idea of variety - a rich and generous curriculum. :iagree: I'm right there with you. I've purchased some of the items from MP and I don't really care for the workbooks either. I do like the maps that are included in some of them though. I figure to use the materials in a more CM way. Neither of my kids would endure the workbooks. One hates to write so I save it for the important stuff and the other is a late reader so her skills in that area aren't going to mesh well with them. I plan to include fairy tales and AO's literature and arts selections. I like your rain gutter bookshelves thought. I wish I had a place to put books that could guide the kids towards those Good Books. Ours are mixed in with everything else. All that is to say that I like your plans. :) I'm working on inputting mine all in HST so I can generate a daily list to work from. I think I'm gonna that guide. ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 Thank you both. I was also inspired to add more literature. Both for the individual children and as a group. I was just going nuts trying to figure out what, because of different reading, comprehension and maturity levels. I liked the "things to know" and "vocabulary" aspects of the workbooks - I think they will help my boys. I'm not sure about the comprehension questions, but I think I can always go with an oral narration, then we can discuss the questions. I might have them answer one or two in writing. (At the Highlands school, they all discuss the questions, together they form an answer in good sentence(s), and the teacher writes it on the board for the children to copy. That would probably also be good for my kids.) Anyway, I think we can use them in a less-intensive way. With DS9's handwriting atm (which we are working on again...), I'd rather get his answers orally. :P Eldest and I are going to try out the Charlotte's Web package this summer, just to see if it works for us. I think we will also read "Famous Men of Rome" over the summer - he likes Rome anyway. MP does have great customer support and seem really willing to make things work out. Other ideas / tips / suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knittinfarmgirl Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 (At the Highlands school, they all discuss the questions, together they form an answer in good sentence(s), and the teacher writes it on the board for the children to copy. That would probably also be good for my kids.) Ah, this is good information. I may make use of that myself. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted June 12, 2012 Author Share Posted June 12, 2012 After talking to MP (they were nice enough to give me a custom quote, even though I'm not able to buy yet), I'm leaning towards the 4th grade package for my eldest (minus math). He wants to study Rome, and he needs First Form Latin and CC: Fable anyway. Plus, I like the look of the 3rd grade grammar manual, and they hope to have the 4th grade one out by fall. I just ordered the literature guide for "Little House in the Big Woods" for us to try out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knittinfarmgirl Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 After talking to MP (they were nice enough to give me a custom quote, even though I'm not able to buy yet), I'm leaning towards the 4th grade package for my eldest (minus math). He wants to study Rome, and he needs First Form Latin and CC: Fable anyway. Plus, I like the look of the 3rd grade grammar manual, and they hope to have the 4th grade one out by fall. I'm using most of it for my 5th grader too. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 :lurk5: I keep going back and forth between MP's fourth grade or William Lyon's plan. :willy_nilly: I like the Latin and Composition in MP; I like the Penmanship/ Drawing and Singing Lessons ( as well as Declamation and Word Analysis) in WL. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Knittinfarmgirl Posted June 12, 2012 Share Posted June 12, 2012 I like the Latin and Composition in MP; I like the Penmanship/ Drawing and Singing Lessons ( as well as Declamation and Word Analysis) in WL. Medieval Mom- What is William Lyon? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted June 13, 2012 Share Posted June 13, 2012 Medieval Mom- What is William Lyon? It's an old, old book I found. (Gee-- Couldn't you read my mind? :lol: Sorry about that. I've been living inside my head lately.) Here's the link.http://books.google.com/books/about/Teachers_and_parents_manual_of_education.html?id=BgYUAAAAIAAJ Ds would begin "Plan Fifth", Boy's School, "First Junior Class" for age 9. (See page 45.) I'd probably sub Ancient History for U.S. History, since I rather have my heart set on a 5 year history scheme beginning next year and have all the booklists made for it. :D AND, I'd probably add Latin, mostly because ds has done well with GSWL, and I'd hate to just drop it until 6th. (But if I had found this plan first, who knows? I may have waited until 6th without detriment.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy Jo Posted June 14, 2012 Author Share Posted June 14, 2012 Thanks! Anyone know about how long it takes per day for the MP curriculum? We would probably do a lot of the work orally instead of written. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Mom Posted June 14, 2012 Share Posted June 14, 2012 Thanks! Anyone know about how long it takes per day for the MP curriculum? We would probably do a lot of the work orally instead of written. I *think* it would take us: 1 hour Memory work, oral math, music (not included in package) 1.5 hours Math (MP suggests 1) 1 hour Latin 1 hour English & Spelling .5 hours Composition 1.5 hours weekly subject 1 hour Literature guides Then, another hour for silent reading, then piano, typing.... Argh! I'm still wondering whether to go this route... :tongue_smilie: Mainly, I'm debating the weekly subjects vs. just letting ds read for history and science. Or, the Wiliam Lyon's plan..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbitmom Posted June 28, 2013 Share Posted June 28, 2013 Amy Jo, how did the year work out for you? Thinking of doing exactly the same thing this fall (combining MP and AO), with a 1st and 3rd grader, and wondering if it went as smoothly as it sounded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbitmom Posted June 30, 2013 Share Posted June 30, 2013 *bump* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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