Ambleside Online?

[Heidi {AK}]

I was referred to this website in another post and just looked at it.

 

Okay, I have to admit, I go curriculum-crazy. Is this easy to do, or am I crazy? I am now CS teaching, but want to homeschool by K or 1st grade.

 

What is necessary to make this kind of curriculum a success? :confused:

[Susan in KY]

What is necessary to make this kind of curriculum a success? :confused:

 

1) Planning and plenty of it, and 2) some understanding of Charlotte Mason's principles.

 

We used AO in years 0 and 1 for my dc, along with some FIAR. I really liked it, but in the end I didn't have the right resources to add in the things my dd needed to make it hands-on enough. For my very auditory/visual ds, it was a perfect curriculum!

 

Lately I am considering moving back to AO from MFW, which we switched to after grade 1. I now feel that adding in resources like the SOTW activity books would make AO a success for dd. I have continued using short lessons and narration ever since AO, and generally like the results that has wrought.

 

What made AO a success for us was putting the work into a grid-style lesson plan and making sure we checked off everything as we got to it. It kept me on track with everything I wanted to get done, and we finished all our work in good time in year one. I found I missed doing that planning with MFW, so this year I essentially chucked the MFW plans and decided to do my own, adapted to our four-day work week. It's gone beautifully so far, and we are even set to end our semester early!

 

Hope that helps you.

Susan

[jelbe5]

Ambleside can be very easy to use. There are links on the main website for yahoo groups which have weekly schedules which you may print out.

 

Many of the books are in the public domain, so you can read them online, or print them out if you so desire. You may also find them cheaply at used bookstores/library sales, etc. This makes the plan inexpensive.

 

I enjoy how they incorporate art/music/poetry/hymns and folksongs.

 

The biggest challenge is you will probably have to do most of the reading in the early years. Librivox.org is a great resource if you want to download free audio recordings of some of the AO books . . . these are in the public domain. Then you can listen along with your children or have them listen on their own . . .

 

I think the most important thing about the AO curriculum is making it work for YOU and your family. Charlotte Mason advocated short lessons, which I think is great. If you can't find a particular book you can substitute it with one you have. If you and your children don't like a particular book, drop it and read something else. YOU are the master of the curriculum. You don't HAVE to do it all . . . you can pick and choose and I think families who do this enjoy the most success.

 

Adrianne in IL

[Heidi {AK}]

Thank you SO MUCH for all this helpful information. My DS is also hands-on, so which curricula would work for someone like that? I'd love an open-and-go, or a relatively low-planning system...

[jelbe5]

Have you seen Winter Promise? It is an all-in-one program which has hands-on activities. It has a schedule, so I believe it is all laid out. This may be of interest to you . . .

 

http://www.winterpromise.com/

 

Since we have never had the funds for such a program I go to the library to look for hands-on project books. Also, Story of the World and the Activity Guide offer this for history . . . we have a nice library system and enjoy going to the library so I don't mind making trips to check out project and supplemental reading books.

 

Adrianne in IL

[Jennefer@SSA]

One other thought...I have found Simply Charlotte Mason much easier to navigate and glean from that AO. AO is a wonderful place and full of so much great stuff; it's just the way I am wired, I think. I love the SCM newsletters that are delivered right to my email inbox, the articles, the way the curriculum is set up, the lectures you can purchase and on and on. I use AO for booklists and for reading CM's original works (I chose to read them in the modern English translations for time's sake) but other than that I am usually at SCM. Also if you do decide to read her works I was encouraged to start with Volume 1, then read Volume 6. Those are the most practical and give you the main overall themes of a Charlotte Mason education. Then go back and fill in with Volumes 2-5 for more of the nitty-gritty of how to apply it all.

 

I am a Classical educator with strong CM leanings. I have learned so much from CM. I always say that Classical is the head of our school and CM is the heart. I feel like CM fleshed out so much of our school and inspired me to be a much better educator for the whole child than anything else I have ever read or encountered - other than the Bible itself!

 

Blessings on the journey!

[Susan in KY]

My DS is also hands-on, so which curricula would work for someone like that? I'd love an open-and-go, or a relatively low-planning system...

 

Check out My Father's World. It really is a nice curriculum. It uses a 5-year history cycle, and it has a nice mix of projects and whatnot. When you add in the book selections, it's thorough.

 

When using MFW, though, there are a few things you need to be sure to practice in order to cover your Charlotte Mason bases. Making sure you do narration is one example. You can check out reasons for why narration is so important on the AO website, and Susan Wise Bauer has a series of talks on writing that you will find particularly useful if you are going to use narration intentionally to lead into formal writing instruction.

 

If you want a well-organized, open-and-go curriculum that draws from CM principles and combines it with a classical history rotation, MFW is a good bet. MFW 1st has a great phonics program and does an overview of the Bible in a year, so it's nice for the littles. Adventures is a year of US history before getting into the 5-year rotation, which I was glad for. (Without it, the student must wait until Middle school for US history.) Exploring Countries and Cultures (abbreviated as ECC) is a year of geography and praying for missions, which is then followed by 4 years of history starting with the ancients.

 

You may want to do a search on this board for MFW or My Father's World and see what you find, pro and con. There have also been recent threads on WinterPromise, so you can compare and contrast. I have never used WP, so I can't speak to that.

 

As I said before, I am considering moving back to AO from MFW because I think now I can make AO hands-on enough for my dd if I add in the SOTW activity books and other projects. I also find that I LOVE the planning, which I don't get to do much with MFW. YMMV.

 

Hope this helps! I wish you all the best on your journey. :001_smile:

 

Susan

[Susan in KY]

I am a Classical educator with strong CM leanings. I have learned so much from CM. I always say that Classical is the head of our school and CM is the heart. I feel like CM fleshed out so much of our school and inspired me to be a much better educator for the whole child than anything else I have ever read or encountered - other than the Bible itself!

 

 

Well put! :)

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Thank you SO MUCH for all this helpful information. My DS is also hands-on, so which curricula would work for someone like that? I'd love an open-and-go, or a relatively low-planning system...

 

We use Oak Meadow alongside Ambleside Online. Winter Promise was a bust. Simply Charlotte Mason was intriguing, but I could never tie everything together like I wanted. Ambleside made more sense to me.

Edited November 8, 2010 by Cindie2dds

[Joyofsixreboot]

We are doing all the readings from AO yr 1 along with our other curriculum. I haven't used just AO but I have to say my kids really respond to the short readings. They are easy to fit in and most are easily accessible from the internet or can be found used at low cost.

[woolybear]

If you don't mind spending the money http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com is pretty open and go I believe. It's basically CM in a box.

[Heidi {AK}]

I'm actually intrigued by the SCM website. Thanks for that. I had heard of WP and of MFW. Right now, I like the CM leanings but before I had found out about CM, I had purchased the FIAR materials. Now I'm wondering what we do. The books I had bought would take us from PK through grade 3. However, I like the richness of the CM approach, and the schedule on the CM website was helpful. I'll check out the narration materials too. Thanks, everyone!

[sarahv]

I love AO because it gives me the richness of a literature program, but still allows me to use all kinds of different curriculum. I love so many different programs that I couldn't satisfy myself with just one boxed approach. AO gives me structure (a "spine" so to speak) - gives me the philosophical approach - that my homeschool needs, yet the freedom to add-in what I want. I've been to SCM, but just didn't click with me. I've read different CM books by contemporary authors that were ok, but not what I wanted. AO was perfect. Just read tons of different approaches and you'll find that perfect place for you. :001_smile:

 

For us, AO is very relaxed (I have one boy in Year 1 and one in Year 0). We do our 3 R's and then read and read and read. I try to give my children reading that will help us all to experience all the different subjects. Then we also add in drawing lessons, music practice, science projects, karate, our Bible studies and memory work, and tons of lego play. :) Our days are full and fun.

 

I love our homeschool. :)

[MamaNurse]

I love AO because it gives me the richness of a literature program, but still allows me to use all kinds of different curriculum. I love so many different programs that I couldn't satisfy myself with just one boxed approach. AO gives me structure (a "spine" so to speak) - gives me the philosophical approach - that my homeschool needs, yet the freedom to add-in what I want. I've been to SCM, but just didn't click with me. I've read different CM books by contemporary authors that were ok, but not what I wanted. AO was perfect. Just read tons of different approaches and you'll find that perfect place for you. :001_smile:

 

For us, AO is very relaxed (I have one boy in Year 1 and one in Year 0). We do our 3 R's and then read and read and read. I try to give my children reading that will help us all to experience all the different subjects. Then we also add in drawing lessons, music practice, science projects, karate, our Bible studies and memory work, and tons of lego play. :) Our days are full and fun.

 

I love our homeschool. :)

 

This is us exactly...even down to the Legos. :)

 

We've been using AO for 3 or 4 years, now. Some years, I'm looser. Some I'm stricter. I do not think it takes a lot of planning. I follow the schedule on their site and also use schedules from the yahoogroup dedicated specifically to that. There are also individual schedules in each individual year's yahoogroups. I'm not a big planner....don't like it. AO has been very navigable for me.

 

AO does not cost a lot of $$. It's virtually free. The first year, we read from online sources and listened to stories on librivox. I have now collected most of our books (for several years) from thrift stores, with a few used book and amazon purchases. :)

 

A big reason I love AO, is that I LOVE, LOVE the reading selections. I enjoy sitting and reading them to my boys. They have enriched my life and healed some of the lacking I felt from a bland ps education. History has come alive for me.

 

Amy....mama of 3 boys ages 4-11 and one precious boy on the way.

[5LittleMonkeys]

I have a question...if the op doesn't mind sharing her post. How long do you spend reading from each book each day? I'm looking at doing the history and literature selections.

 

Thanks!

[Heidi {AK}]

Share away! That is a great question, 5LittleMonkeys!

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Well, we're only in Year 1. All of the readings per week take less than 5 hours. When I type it out, it doesn't seem like much, but we discuss the readings afterward. We've really enjoyed all the books much more than I ever thought we would. :)

[5LittleMonkeys]

Well, we're only in Year 1. All of the readings per week take less than 5 hours. When I type it out, it doesn't seem like much, but we discuss the readings afterward. We've really enjoyed all the books much more than I ever thought we would. :)

 

Oh that is good to hear. I'm looking at year 2 and I scheduled an hour a day for the reading from AO. I was thinking about 20 min. for history, 20 for literature and another 20 for the extra books that are "not to be missed". Thanks for the info!

[Susan in KY]

I had purchased the FIAR materials. Now I'm wondering what we do.

 

We used FIAR right alongside AO, and just did the fun stuff with the FIAR books. The dc loved it.

[mom24boys]

Well, someone has to say it, might as well be me! ;)

 

We love Heart of Dakota...definitely open and go. Very CM-like. Check it out!

[Heidi {AK}]

Do you find it to be meaty enough, Cyndi? I looked at the sample pages on the website, and am a little leery to try it. In other words, is it too good to be true, or true? It is SO open-and-go! How many supplies do you need, and are they listed? DD loves to just converse, but DS will need more...

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Well, someone has to say it, might as well be me! ;)

 

We love Heart of Dakota...definitely open and go. Very CM-like. Check it out!

 

I bought LHTH, LHFHG and BLHFHG and planned to use at least one of them for the past three years. :lol:

 

HOD is a complete program with an amazing book list. You really couldn't go wrong with it. The main reason we didn't use it is because I just couldn't get into the daily setup. It's just a personality thing with me. I like AO's weekly schedule better (along with Oak Meadow's weekly schedule). The less scripted, the more it works with our lifestyle.

[Heidi {AK}]

Cindie, I tried to PM you, and I didn't show any sent messages. Will you please let me know if you don't get one from me? Thanks!

[AngelBee]

I bought LHTH, LHFHG and BLHFHG and planned to use at least one of them for the past three years. :lol:

 

HOD is a complete program with an amazing book list. You really couldn't go wrong with it. The main reason we didn't use it is because I just couldn't get into the daily setup. It's just a personality thing with me. I like AO's weekly schedule better (along with Oak Meadow's weekly schedule). The less scripted, the more it works with our lifestyle.

You should sent them all to me! :tongue_smilie: I have been eyeing up HOD for a long time.

 

I love AO but my children would like a bit more hands on. It is difficult for me to oraganize for that many littles.

 

I was thinking HOD may help with that.

 

Still thinking it through though.

[Heidi {AK}]

Angelbee, the more I read and ponder, the more I think so...I have been eyeing HOD for the past 3-4 months, and am so close...once I can get a few questions answered, I might be on to it too...

[Guest Cindie2dds]

I sold them on the HOD yahoo groups. A great place to buy used guides. I use Oak Meadow for our hands on crafts, among other things. Hope you find what works for you. :)

 

Heidi ~ you have to change your pm settings to keep sent messages for viewing. HTH!

[AngelBee]

I sold them on the HOD yahoo groups. A great place to buy used guides. I use Oak Meadow for our hands on crafts, among other things. Hope you find what works for you. :)

 

Heidi ~ you have to change your pm settings to keep sent messages for viewing. HTH!

I have looked at OM too.

 

So many options! Seriously! :confused: Makes me crazy! :tongue_smilie:

 

I looked at some of the guides used but I thought the prices where high on the yahoo group. I should look again though.

[mom24boys]

I'm not sure but maybe Cindie answered your questions already (via pm). But just in case I (Cyndi) will answer what you wrote to me. My brain feels a little foggy tonight, so please excuse any rambling. :)

 

I believe you said K and 1st which is exactly what I am doing. I think it's just right, meat-wise, but I am only familiar with LHFHG (5-7 year olds). The more I use the curriculum the more wisdom I see in it. She really uses the curriculum to develop skills in the child that will be used later and to develop more independence for future guides. It kind of seems easier than it is.

 

Reading, writing, and math are all done at the level of your child and you can choose your own or go with her suggestions. You can make this part as meaty as you want!

 

Having said all that, I do think the science is a light at our level (but I think that is a CM thing in general) so I am supplementing with astronomy for fun. The curriculum also leaves time for other interests or ideas you may have (Spanish, piano, and soccer in my house). It takes us about 2 hours to do all of HOD-LHFHG which is fantastic! :D

 

She makes school fun. The boys love the rhymes (at first I thought they were kinda hokey, but they really do like them). She has them shooting baskets to memorize Bible verses. The music matches the Bible verses (most of the time) and is really helpful for memorizing. For Goliath, she had us draw his face and tape it to the wall, and the kids each got 5 "stones" (pairs of socks rolled up) and tried to hit Goliath. Easy, but fun for the kiddos. It brings me great comfort to know that she has 4 boys (as I do)...I'm sure there must be a hands-on learner in her bunch! There is also drama...most of the time we act out the storytime scene with our assortment of webkinz.

 

I don't have to think about prepping for school. There is a list of supplies on the HOD Yahoo group in spreadsheet form. Most everything you will have around the house. We're on week 13 and the only thing I didn't have was barley (related to Ruth gleaning in the field). I have 2 younger children and HOD works well for us.

 

I think the catalog is a better representation of the product than the website. (This may merely be that the layout/format of the information in the catalog was easier for me to digest.) Request one on their website. That helped me make the decision and see where she is going. Also on the HOD forums there is a sticky at the top about the reasons behind Carrie's (author) choices. That is really enlightening.

 

I'm happy to answer any other questions you have, but I did want to let you know that the HOD forums (and the HOD Yahoo group) are full of knowledgeable/helpful ladies that have more experience than I.

 

Hope this newbie's thoughts are helpful!

[mystika1]

Hi,

I use FIAR and add in AO literature for good reads. I love Fiar and my dd(7) is doing extremely well with it(my 3 year old likes to listen to the stories also) so I just can't drop it. I have yet to find something so effective for us. I also tried AO to its fullest but with me babysitting two additional children(age 3 months and 1.5) it was impossible to get all of the reading done. When I would sit down to read it's like the younger kids would start band practice or something:D and the baby always needed something. I also had to skip some of the titles because my dd is a bit sensitive to bloody battles. I do think it is wonderful and well worth using but for now I will stick with what works the best which is Fiar with AO literature. This way, I don't stress out when I can't get all of the books read. I think you could try using Fiar in the morning and read AO titles in the afternoon. You could cover the history titles on Monday, the Science titles on Tues. and so on and have the child/children narrate back to you. I read the AO materials 30 min before bed. It gets them nice and settled in for sleeping and is much quieter in the house.:)

 

HTH,

 

Penny

[Heidi {AK}]

Penny, do you just use the AO literature as readers?

[ChrisOR]

We used FIAR right alongside AO, and just did the fun stuff with the FIAR books. The dc loved it.

 

We did too. I will do similar with my next child too.

[coffeefreak]

1) Planning and plenty of it, and 2) some understanding of Charlotte Mason's principles.

 

What made AO a success for us was putting the work into a grid-style lesson plan and making sure we checked off everything as we got to it. It kept me on track with everything I wanted to get done, and we finished all our work in good time in year one.

 

Hope that helps you.

Susan

 

:iagree:

 

We did Ambleside Year 2 and really enjoyed it. The only thoughts I would add are:

 

1. Be flexible. Some books you will LOVE, others will be a bust. Don't stick with the books you're not enjoying. For us it was "The Little Duke." DD hated that book! So I scraped it after 2 weeks.

 

2. Place your child correctly. I wanted to do year 3 but realized it would be ahead of dd. So, we did year 2.

 

Don't let all the other suggestions of MFW, HOD and WP confuse you. I didn't find planning for Ambleside hard at all. I have Homeschool Tracker and I just printed off the reading list for each week and plugged it into the assignments grid. Easy peasy. You'll have to add in hands-on activities, but because the curriculum is so simple, you might find it easier to add-in.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

[Guest Cindie2dds]

 

Don't let all the other suggestions of MFW, HOD and WP confuse you. I didn't find planning for Ambleside hard at all. I have Homeschool Tracker and I just printed off the reading list for each week and plugged it into the assignments grid. Easy peasy. You'll have to add in hands-on activities, but because the curriculum is so simple, you might find it easier to add-in.

 

HTH!

Dorinda

 

Wow, solid piece of advice. I got my head turned around looking at various curricula (all because of this board), bought and sold a ton, then went back to AO again. :tongue_smilie:

 

Seriously, though, this place is a wealth of information that I have been so grateful for. I wouldn't have found AO and OM as soon as I did, and they have been the best thing for us. I have had to take many a forum break because I thought I just had to do [fill in the "box"]. The simplicity of AO has helped me to be able to use OM for 1st. (OM doesn't have any history in 1st grade, and no literature). For us this combo is great.

 

I would sit down and think about what works well for you, your family and your lifestyle. Daily schedule, weekly schedule; very detailed plans, loosey-goosey plans. That might help you decide.

[Heidi {AK}]

Cindie, I'm there. My head is swimming. Already, too, I've bought and gotten rid of SL, and bought FIAR. I really like FIAR, and would love to do it, but I guess I am glad I came across CM way of education. I don't think my kids are CE-type kids, or they're too young, but I figure if we start with CM and decide to switch, we can. So, I don't want to necessarily buy something else until I know if I want it, but I really am curious about the HOD program. I wonder if I can wait till our HS fair in the spring!!! LOL!

 

We do have time, but I really want to do some stuff with DD4 over the summer. She'll be 5 in July 11 (same as your Mater, Cindie)...

 

AO and SCM sound great, as long as the book lists are available. Our local library doesn't seem to have very good titles, and I know we'd have to purchase a bunch of books, it looks like.

 

When the time comes (1st or 2nd grade), I'd like to do Apologia science and Singapore math.

[mystika1]

Penny, do you just use the AO literature as readers?

Hi,

I just use the AO material as Read Alouds for now because my dd is building her reading fluency. I find this works great. Everyone is constantly looking for good literature to read aloud to children and AO has great choices. I feel like I am getting the best of both methods because I get to keep FIAR and use AO with narration for my CM fix.:001_smile:

 

HTH,

 

Penny

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Cindie, I'm there. My head is swimming. Already, too, I've bought and gotten rid of SL, and bought FIAR. I really like FIAR, and would love to do it, but I guess I am glad I came across CM way of education. I don't think my kids are CE-type kids, or they're too young, but I figure if we start with CM and decide to switch, we can. So, I don't want to necessarily buy something else until I know if I want it, but I really am curious about the HOD program. I wonder if I can wait till our HS fair in the spring!!! LOL!

 

We do have time, but I really want to do some stuff with DD4 over the summer. She'll be 5 in July 11 (same as your Mater, Cindie)...

 

AO and SCM sound great, as long as the book lists are available. Our local library doesn't seem to have very good titles, and I know we'd have to purchase a bunch of books, it looks like.

 

When the time comes (1st or 2nd grade), I'd like to do Apologia science and Singapore math.

 

Our library is very, very pathetic. I would have to do an inter-library loan costing $1 a book with only a three-week check out time. We either buy our books or print them out. AO Year 1 yahoo group has a PDF of all the public domain books broken down by weeks, so you can print out a week at a time, including Anna Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study. I bought LHTH for Mater to do this fall since she wasn't going to be ready for OM's K until next year. It was just too scripted for me (as was Apologia), but that's not necessarily a bad thing for some people. I really, really loved HOD's book selections, especially for Beyond and after.

 

AO does has plenty of resources available if you want to make it work, so don't let it scare you. The AO yahoo group has everything put together for you. I thought the titles would be too mature for her, but she really likes them, even Pinocchio, which most people shy away from.

 

I would read a couple of the books online and see if you like them; if not, you haven't wasted any money. :)

 

From Penny ~ I feel like I am getting the best of both methods because I get to keep FIAR and use AO with narration for my CM fix.:001_smile:

 

:iagree: Except I use OM in place of FIAR. :)

[Heidi {AK}]

I did get the feeling that HOD was a bit scripted, and that was a little turnoff too. However, if AO/SCM are as user-friendly as you say, then maybe that wouldn't be a bad place to go. With Apologia, everyone, EVERYONE I know here LOVES it. Makes me wonder about it!!!

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Well, SCM was hard for me to put together. Sonya is an amazing woman with a gift for instruction; however, I thought there were too many books and it felt a bit scattered with no schedule. AO at least has a weekly schedule and an extensive files section in their yahoo group; all for free of charge. I really didn't think SCM was user friendly, but they do have another fantastic book list from which to reference.

 

Apologia (another personality issue with too much scripting). There was a lot of scripted talking about God. That doesn't sit well with me because I think my Faith is something I want to naturally impart on my girls through our daily walk. The books are beautiful and my homeschool buddy and babysitter absolutely adores them also. I'm the odd duck. ;)

[Heidi {AK}]

I just signed up for AO Year 0. I hope there's no expiration on membership! DD is not even in Year 0 yet. What do you use for science? Math?

[Guest Cindie2dds]

Science is really nature study, which AO describes and OM makes fun. I won't do any formal science until at least 4th grade. Our state doesn't require science ever, and I don't think they will get much out of it until they can wrap their head around more math.

 

Math, that's a whole other can of worms. :lol: We use Miquon as our foundation, just finishing Red. I also pull from Saxon workbooks for drill and MEP just to mix it up. Singapore is great, we just stopped using it because there was too much physical writing for her.

 

The AO Year 0 yahoo group is great! They have wonderful ideas for preschoolers. It's a very active group. :)

[Heidi {AK}]

Cindie, you are such a wealth of info! I can't wait to get accepted to the group and start looking at the titles they have on public domain. How cool to be able to have access to such great books without buying them or relying on our (poor) library too.

 

I wanted to just get out there what I think I am right now, as far as preference goes...

 

Weekly planning/Daily planning - I am a fairly detailed person. I like to know what I am doing on a given day, but I also like to have the big picture. I like having it laid out for me so I don't have to pick what to do.

 

I also think both DD and DS will like doing hands-on activities. That's what drew me to FIAR.

[Guest Cindie2dds]

I would look at all of what you are interested in and buy nothing for a year. You have FIAR, have fun with that. :D (coming from someone who has bought and sold way too much and wish she hadn't)

Edited November 12, 2010 by Cindie2dds

[Heidi {AK}]

LOL! Thanks! I'm getting the feeling I need to back away from the boards now!!! :D My head is full!!! Thank you!!! :grouphug:

[RobinM]

I know this is an old thread and I don't want to hijack but can some of you ladies chime in and help me understand more about the differences between AO and SCM?

 

I've read about the SCM history guides and it sounds like that would be pretty easy to follow... is it not that scheduled then?

 

I'm with Heidi... I want to do CM style (and I have FIAR too so will supplement with that)... but I'm completely new at this homeschooling thing so I don't want to be too overwhelmed with having to plan and pull things together.

 

Thanks!

[delaney]

:lurk5:

[stripe]

If you are looking at "pre-done" CM type curricula, you should also look at Mater Amabilis as well. If you're not Catholic, you could skip the religion stuff or use something else. They took their structure from the PNEU stuff.

[Susie in MS]

Me too!

:lurk5:

[FO4UR]

I did AO 1 last year and am doing my own CM thing this year b/c we have so many good books found at library sales for pennies, and it made more sense to read what we have rather that buy brand new. Plus, I wasn't so happy with the history selections for year 2. (I am using SOTW.)

 

I'm big on keeping things simple (check my siggie;)). I have 3 energetic dc to keep up with and I'm not a detail oriented person by nature (read: scatterbrained clutterbug) so things have to be simple if they are going to get done. I admit that I do love making schedules and planners (they are so beautiful:001_wub:), but I really stink at keeping up with them. So...I bought a pack of those little post-it notes and those are my book marks. I schedule in the *time* for reading, but I don't schedule what chapters or even what books we are going to read that day. We keep the books in current use on a handy shelf and pick up where we left off. I keep bunches of picture books related to the books of my choosing around so the kids will ask me to read them. (stealth education:D) Every now and then I get the hankerin' to plan and put chapter numbers into little grids :willy_nilly:, but then I remind myself of the dozen plans I've made that were kept for about 3 weeks before being abandoned for common sense.

 

If you look closely at AO schedules, you'll see a pattern of history, nature stories, fairy tales, Shakespeare, etc...and it's pretty easy to just plug books into those slots and go from there.

 

Please read all you can about CM's philosophy b/c that is the heart of it all. The advice to amble over a book instead of gobbling it up in one sitting is priceless, for ex. One can read the entire AO booklist and not give a CM education. The rigor of CM is found in what you do with the readings after they have been read...narration. I don't think my dc have caught on that reading & narrating are the bread and butter of their schooling...they think school is math and spelling. They love retelling stories!

[Heidi {AK}]

The hijack was welcomed! I'm learning a lot too! MASTERING THE BASICS...awesome, 3blessingmom!!!

[lovinmomma]

Fabulous post!

I did AO 1 last year and am doing my own CM thing this year b/c we have so many good books found at library sales for pennies, and it made more sense to read what we have rather that buy brand new. Plus, I wasn't so happy with the history selections for year 2. (I am using SOTW.)

 

I'm big on keeping things simple (check my siggie;)). I have 3 energetic dc to keep up with and I'm not a detail oriented person by nature (read: scatterbrained clutterbug) so things have to be simple if they are going to get done. I admit that I do love making schedules and planners (they are so beautiful:001_wub:), but I really stink at keeping up with them. So...I bought a pack of those little post-it notes and those are my book marks. I schedule in the *time* for reading, but I don't schedule what chapters or even what books we are going to read that day. We keep the books in current use on a handy shelf and pick up where we left off. I keep bunches of picture books related to the books of my choosing around so the kids will ask me to read them. (stealth education:D) Every now and then I get the hankerin' to plan and put chapter numbers into little grids :willy_nilly:, but then I remind myself of the dozen plans I've made that were kept for about 3 weeks before being abandoned for common sense.

 

If you look closely at AO schedules, you'll see a pattern of history, nature stories, fairy tales, Shakespeare, etc...and it's pretty easy to just plug books into those slots and go from there.

 

Please read all you can about CM's philosophy b/c that is the heart of it all. The advice to amble over a book instead of gobbling it up in one sitting is priceless, for ex. One can read the entire AO booklist and not give a CM education. The rigor of CM is found in what you do with the readings after they have been read...narration. I don't think my dc have caught on that reading & narrating are the bread and butter of their schooling...they think school is math and spelling. They love retelling stories!