Advice needed: SL, Ambleside, or Simply Charlotte Mason?

[SandBeach]

I'm trying to get some advice for next year. I'm getting burned out by what I'm doing this year. Too much grammer and spelling. I try to get everything done and I am schooling all day. Next year, I will add a 1st grader in the mix, in addition to my 4th grader. I'm trying to decide between Sonlight, Ambleside, or Simply Charlotte Mason Curriculum. Anyone used these with good success, or tried them and didn't like them?

What are your votes to avoid burnout next year?

 

Thanks,

Sandy

:bigear:

[dragons in the flower bed]

Simply Charlotte Mason is not really a curriculum. It's a planner. I use it so that my kids know what to do each day, in lieu of a paper schedule. Saves my recycling bin a whole ton of paper.

[at the beach]

I'm trying to get some advice for next year. I'm getting burned out by what I'm doing this year. Too much grammer and spelling. I try to get everything done and I am schooling all day. Next year, I will add a 1st grader in the mix, in addition to my 4th grader. I'm trying to decide between Sonlight, Ambleside, or Simply Charlotte Mason Curriculum. Anyone used these with good success, or tried them and didn't like them?

What are your votes to avoid burnout next year?

 

Thanks,

Sandy

:bigear:

 

Well, we use Ambleside, and we love it! We're doing Years 1 & 3 this year. I have a d 8 and dd 11 using AO. There are yahoo support groups and the website is wonderful. A CM education is rigorous yet still gentle in the early years. AO years are not really equal to grade levels. AO years are challenging. Year 3 is a challenge for my 11 yo. It includes the original Pilgrim's Progress, Parables of Nature, and other difficult lit. I am convinced CM is the way to go for my children, and AO provides me with the ability to do it because I need the schedules and book lists. I couldn't, nor would I want to, put it together myself. It allows me the time to actually enjoy doing homeschooling with them and not spend my time planning what to do with them, kwim? I do have an outside job, though, so that means my time is very limited. To have a no stress year with AO, I believe, it's best to pick a year for each child that is challenging but not too easy. Then, start slowly, doing just the schedule and SLOWLY add in artist and composer study, art, handicrafts, etc. Let nature study initially just be lots of outdoor time and then gradually add in journals and more observation. Also, don't add things to the program thinking AO needs more (like grammar) in the early years. This will create too heavy a schedule and cause stress. AO is meant to be a complete program and adding to it makes it unmanageable IMO. Trust that it is a complete program. One mom, who used strictly AO as written with her child from 4th grade one, recently posted that he is a National Merit Finalist. Also, don't let subjects take over--like spending hours a day on math (something I was guilty of for a while!) if you still want to get the rest of the stuff done. Once I set a timer for math, we all felt much better and more able to do the schedule.

 

I believe Simply Charlotte Mason is, in fact, a curriculum. Or at least what I think a curriculum is. They don't tell you what to cover each week that I am aware of, but they do give you the lists of what to cover over the year and what materials they recommend using. It looks very manageable and doable. It also looks like you can coordinate history years with your kids, using easier level books for your younger. Pathway readers are used in the early years and they are wonderful. I love their series Spelling Wisdom. It does look to me like the high school lit selections are not as challenging as Ambleside's. Of course, you are teaching young kids at this point so I wouldn't worry about that. For the younger years, the lit selections look great with Simply Charlotte Mason. I don't know how much online support there is for this program, if any. But it looks like it could be a great low-stress way to go.

 

Sonlight looks good, but I have heard people say there is SO MUCH reading that it can be overwhelming. I know with AO, you read books slowly over time, which to me makes more sense. Sometimes less is more.

 

HTH,

Anita

[Dayle in Guatemala]

We use AO for Plutarch, Shakespeare, Poetry, Art and Composer studies and it's working well for us. We really love it. It's challenging because they recommend you read as much as possible in the original works, so it's a stretch, but, we still like it. I haven't looked at the other stuff in depth, but, I can tell you that I have used ideas and books from the lists and it's been good for my dc.

[Rebecca]

I would recommend Living Books Curriculum! You might want to add that one to your list of choices!

Rebecca

[dragons in the flower bed]

I believe Simply Charlotte Mason is, in fact, a curriculum. Or at least what I think a curriculum is. They don't tell you what to cover each week that I am aware of, but they do give you the lists of what to cover over the year and what materials they recommend using.

 

Really? That would be neat to take a look at. Do you have a direct link? I thought I'd been all over their site.

[Melissa B]

Really? That would be neat to take a look at. Do you have a direct link? I thought I'd been all over their site.

 

http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/

 

You have to click on the subject heading on the left to see their actual suggestions for each year.

[dragons in the flower bed]

http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/

 

You have to click on the subject heading on the left to see their actual suggestions for each year.

 

Thank you. How did I never see that before? I'm sorry for hijacking the thread with my dorkiness, Sandy.

[Kim in Appalachia]

The reason is because Sonlight moves too fast. They try to squeeze every good thing in. AO takes 12 weeks on a book. You read different books at the same time, but slowly. I find AO's schedule less hectic.

 

But if you want something completely laid out, you will want Sonlight. The day to day schedule is nice. My oldest dd did Sonlight for one year (it was her pick). She liked it a lot. But she was older, I didn't have to do all those read alouds.

[Michelle My Bell]

I would second that you take a look at Living Books Curriculum. They look fantastic. I also talked to them recently at my homeschool convention.

 

Michelle

[Another Lynn]

I used AO with ds for two years... got away from it for most of this year... and have just recently run back to it again. He is doing a modified year3.5. Other ds is starting yr 1 now (will finish it next year). I will also add in a 5yo next year... at some point I may not be able to keep up with all the different years (at which point I may look at Tapestry of Grace) but for now I really like it for us. I do speed up some of the history readings to keep us closer to a 4 yr cycle (instead of 6 yr).

 

I don't have experience with the other curriculums mentioned, but I DO think AO would cost a lost less and therefore you could try it out without investing a lot of $. If fact, if you just want to try it for 6 weeks or 12 weeks, you could hold off on purchasing books and read many of the suggested readings online for free. THere are also very helpful, free, term schedules on the various yahoo groups (I think they're linked from the site). There are also yahoo groups for their artist studies with the artwork already formatted to specific sizes - if you have a color printer and some photo paper you are good to go!

 

I have found that I needed to approach language arts a little differently, but for literature, history, nature study readings, composer study, artist study, hymn singing, etc. I couldn't be happier right now!

[Lenora in MD]

I have been using ao and I really like it. My children enjoy most of the books very much. I am using year 1 with my 1st and 4th grader. I am using year 6 with my 6th grader. I do not use all the books. For my 6th grader, I usually have her read from four different books each week, plus poetry every day. That way, she has to read on chapter plus poetry each day. In addition, we do bible, and a lunch time read aloud together as a family. She does one or two written narrations a week. She also does Writing Strands. For my younger students, I read the books aloud to them and they narrate back to me orally. We only read from one or two books each day, plus poetry. I like ao, because I can start with their recommendations and then substitute or eliminate if I need to. I like that they cover fewer books, more in depth. I don't feel overwhelmed, like we have to get so many books in. I add in sotw as well for a read aloud all together. I also use the sotw activity guide and Truthquest for additional book suggestions, for our book basket. These are mostly picture books for the younger ones, or audio books for the car.

 

I use Simply Charlotte Mason for an outline of what to cover in the different subject areas each year. Also, I like her suggestions for character study reading.

 

Sonlight has always looked like too much for me. But, if I am looking for some extra resources, they seem to everything!

[jg_puppy]

There are also yahoo groups for their artist studies with the artwork already formatted to specific sizes - if you have a color printer and some photo paper you are good to go!

 

 

Could you post the link or PM me with it? I am just starting AO with my almost 8 year old. I love it so far. I am slowly working my way to adding more and more from AO.

 

Jan

[Another Lynn]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AO_HEO_PictureStudy_I/

 

I think this is the link for the yahoo group with 8.5 x 11 prints. There are other groups for the same prints formatted smaller. (Some folks like the postcard size - and print one for each child to keep in their own notebook or to play games with, etc.)

 

Hope that works!

[jg_puppy]

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AO_HEO_PictureStudy_I/

 

I think this is the link for the yahoo group with 8.5 x 11 prints. There are other groups for the same prints formatted smaller. (Some folks like the postcard size - and print one for each child to keep in their own notebook or to play games with, etc.)

 

Hope that works!

 

Thank you. That is perfect.

 

Jan

[Tami]

to read Miss Mason's Volume 1 or 6? I get most of my ideas from there. Since CM is a method and not a curriculum, that's where it will be most helpful to start.

 

I'm not sure how to advise you, other than to read the original volume (which you may have already done!) They are just so very helpful. Each modern CMer and CM author reintreprets Charlotte's work. There really is no substitute for going straight to the source.

 

My reinterpretation of CM (not pure by any stretch) is at my blog. I have a couple of posts about CM scheduling. I hope you find something helpful!

 

As far as curriculum, take what appeals to you, and modify what doesn't. For example, I don't care for AO science, so we do our own thing for that. We still use many of the books and methodology.

 

HTH!

Tami

[Peela]

Or, you could just back off on grammar and spelling and not try to do it all :001_smile:

 

I have burned out in the past and I am using more and more of Ambleside myself, while still staying with the 4year history cycle, which I just prefer. So I am using the Ancient history part of year 6, and intend to go onto year 7 after that.

There is a lot in common with TWTM at the upper school (HEO) level. Latin, grammar program,Logic. But I am giving "just narrations" a try, rather than using a formal writing program. For now. I am happy to focus on writing more intensely later, but we have already done that for years. And, we haven't done much grammar for a while- we will focus on it intensely with Analytical grammar- then drop it again. We have done so much grammar in the last few years, it's not a weak area.

 

However, I could easily end up burning out on anything I do, and grass is greener syndrome is very contagious. I think I have just been through a shift where now I am willing to let go and say, enough is enough, we don't have to do it all today, time to go and play. I have spent years focusing on language arts, and I feel to broaden our focus. This year feels like a creative one.