Who is currently using Ambleside Online?

[mbosh237]

You know, I was terrified of AO for years. Every time I looked at the site I got horribly overwhelmed.

 

What I found was the each time I went back to look, a little more became clear. There's no shame is starting at an earlier grade. AO is not light by any means.

 

I put my 10th grader 'back' into year 7 so she could transition more smoothly.

 

I was in the exact same boat. I was so overwhelmed by the website. The first time I looked at it I just didn't get it. I stumbled back onto the website after about a year, and after I had read more into the CM education. Luckily, that time it made so much more sense and I understood it so much more. It was then that I really became interested in the AO education.

[FlutterbyMommy]

I use their methods and booklist, but not as our "core" history program.

Kim

 

:iagree:

[Mommyfaithe]

Not doing AO as of yet, but I keep peeking.;) We did SL last year...part of Winter Promise S&S this year...and I'm in the process of figuring out how to finish this year.

 

What I like about SL is that I can group the kids together so easily, and it's really easy to follow because it's all laid out. However, I'd prefer AO's classic reading material over SL's readers.

 

I don't knouw. I feel very drawn to CM in general, and particularly to many of the AO choices -- looking at BF too -- obviously still quite undecided!

 

The BF guides are very inexpensive...and I have used them with AO studies. The way the BF guides are set up is per book, so they are easily used with AO.

 

HTH,

Faithe

[Another Lynn]

You know, I was terrified of AO for years. Every time I looked at the site I got horribly overwhelmed.

 

What I found was the each time I went back to look, a little more became clear. There's no shame is starting at an earlier grade. AO is not light by any means.

 

I put my 10th grader 'back' into year 7 so she could transition more smoothly.

 

:iagree: regarding AO years and grade levels. I used years 1 and 2 and most of 3 with my oldest when he was 1st, 2nd, and 3rd. Then I began to speed us up (thinking I wanted to follow a 4 year cycle) and made up my own Year 3.5 to wait on ds's reading skills to catch up and slowly drifted away from AO. I wanted to do AO2 with the youngers and AO7 with the oldest so we would stay in the same time period. He has read many, but not all the books, from AO 1-6.

 

So, if I'm not derailing the thread too much.... I see my options this way....

 

1) Keep everyone in the same time period using years 2 and 7 though it would stretch my oldest.

 

2) Back up my oldest to an earlier year - messing up his history cycle and putting him in a different time period from the youngers.

 

3) Keep everyone in the same time period using Year 2 as my guide but picking and choosing resources for my oldest and creating an "upper level year 2" for him.

 

He has found many things we've tried this year boring because he already knows a fair amount of history. Maybe year 7 would challenge him more. I don't expect anyone to have an "answer" for me, but I appreciate the opportunity to think it through.

[Kfamily]

Hi Lynn,

 

I've sort of been in the same place as you are now with your oldest. My girls are so far apart in age, yet academically not as far as their age, (if that makes sense :lol:) so I wasn't as concerned about keeping young ones together. But, I was concerned that Year 7, as written, would be more than dd could handle. I chose to adapt Year 7, but then remember that at this age they change so rapidly! Mid-way through 7th grade, my dd really began to mature academically. She is/was a later bloomer so I say that and yet I know that she still wasn't leagues ahead of many dc her age. But, she really did show a new ability to handle more complex works and, most importantly, was interested in them. Suddenly, difficult works encased in big books didn't scare her anymore. Anyway, all this to say that your ds may prove to handle more than he originally might have. I should also say that Churchill's books were not appealing to dd and are still not today. I replaced the Churchill book this year with Renaissance and Reformation Times by Dorothy Mills. This has worked perfectly. Had I owned her books (D.Mill's books) for 7th grade, I would have replaced the Churchill book with her Middle Ages book. You can still do Year 7 but adapt it. You can add in any books from Year 2 that you think he would still enjoy, change out the history and add a few challenging books from Year 7. We didn't do Year 7 as written, but this was the year she became ready. Now we are doing Year 8, still adapted:D, but with more books as written than before.

 

Hope this helps a little.

Edited January 23, 2011 by Kfamily

[Another Lynn]

Hi Lynn,

 

I've sort of been in the same place as you are now with your oldest. My girls are so far apart in age, yet academically not as far as their age, (if that makes sense :lol:) so I wasn't as concerned about keeping young ones together. But, I was concerned that Year 7, as written, would be more than dd could handle. I chose to adapt Year 7, but then remember that at this age they change so rapidly! Mid-way through 7th grade, my dd really began to mature in academicallly. She is/was a later bloomer so I say that and yet I know that she still wasn't leagues ahead of many dc her age. But, she really did show a new ability to handle more complex works and, most importantly, was interested in them. Suddenly, difficult works encased in big books didn't scare her anymore. Anyway, all this to say that your ds may prove to handle more than he originally might have. I should also say that Churchill's books were not appealing to dd and are still not today. I replaced the Churchill book this year with Renaissance and Reformation Times by Dorothy Mills. This has worked perfectly. Had I owned her books for 7th grade, I would have replace the Churchill book with her Middle Ages book. You can still do Year 7 but adapt it. You can add in any books from Year 2 that you think he would still enjoy, change out the history and add a few challenging books from Year 7. We didn't do Year 7 as written, but this was the year she became ready. Now we are doing Year 8, still adapted:D, but with more books as written than before.

 

Hope this helps a little.

 

Thank you Kfamily! It helps a lot!

[happyhomemaker25]

I too was very overwhelmed and did not know where to start. Instead of jumping in I used the AO year one as a reading list and using that we learned narration. I used it for the whole family, even my 12yo.

We'd never done anything like this before and while she catches on quick I still wanted her to be confident in narration.

In the fall I want to jump in even more and figure out where everyone should be and work through it that way.

[poetic license]

I was in the exact same boat. I was so overwhelmed by the website. The first time I looked at it I just didn't get it. I stumbled back onto the website after about a year, and after I had read more into the CM education. Luckily, that time it made so much more sense and I understood it so much more. It was then that I really became interested in the AO education.

 

I feel like this right now--confused at all of the info over there. Can someone explain to me how they use AO in the early years? We're not ready to do anything formal per se from it but I'd like to have an idea what to do down the road.

[AngelBee]

I feel like this right now--confused at all of the info over there. Can someone explain to me how they use AO in the early years? We're not ready to do anything formal per se from it but I'd like to have an idea what to do down the road.

Here is some information/book lists that fits were your children are now:

 

http://www.amblesideonline.org/00.shtml

 

My main suggestion would be to sign up for the yahoo groups for your childrens age and for the age older (so AO year 1). There is a lot of great advice and you are able to see how real mamas use AO in their families.

 

Also I would read CM first book. Just take it in bite size chunks. No need to rush. :)

 

At this point, the main things for your children would be to be read to daily. Good quality books.

 

Playing outside daily when possible. That is NOT happening here in MN lately as it is freezing! lol

 

Start sparking their curiousity about the world around them, especially nature. This book is great as a starting point for mama:

http://www.archive.org/stream/handbookofnature002506mbp#page/n5/mode/2up (free online) You can also buy it in printed form. It is used in Years 1-3 (maybe farther) as well. This blog has blessed many people as well in showing application for nature study: http://handbookofnaturestudy.blogspot.com/

 

Not sure if that helps at all. :) If you have more questions, I would love to assist you. We have used CM for quite sometime. I have more recently (last 2 years) added in WTM ideas as well.

[michelle l]

Have you read the Charlotte Mason Companion? I got my copy out this week to spend time reading over it again. It makes wonderful reading for this time of year when it's so very cold outside. I love the gentle way that Karen Andreola describes the CM thought of schooling.

 

Yes, I read it this summer. Actually, I took it on vacation and read teh entire book sitting by the pool.;) I'm reading Catherine Levison's books right now, and plan to read Charlottes own works as well -- I'll start online then hopefully purchase. Anyway, I really enjoyed Karen's book and felt like THAT was what I wanted for my kids. Then I read WTM again and felt like THAT was what I wanted for my kids. Then I'd look at the SL site and feel like....well, do you see a pattern here?:blush:

 

I'm finding that we do well with programs that give consistent assignments (LOF, MUS, GWG, WWE), and we do well with reading and narrating, but we aren't successful doing projects or other assignments related to our reading. Our days are full enough that I don't feel like I can add more project/assignment type things. Sorry....rambling.

Edited January 24, 2011 by michelle l

[Poke Salad Annie]

Anyway, I really enjoyed Karen's book and felt like THAT was what I wanted for my kids. Then I read WTM again and felt like THAT was what I wanted for my kids. Then I'd look at the SL site and feel like....well, do you see a pattern here?:blush:

 

I'm finding that we do well with programs that give consistent assignments (LOF, MUS, GWG, WWE), and we do well with reading and narrating, but we aren't successful doing projects or other assignments related to our reading. Our days are full enough that I don't feel like I can add more project/assignment type things. Sorry....rambling.

 

If it makes you feel any better, I'm reading through my 1st edition of WTM again---stayed up very late last night as I found so many things I didn't see before. So of course, I'm swerving over that way. It's hard to keep that car on the road...;)

 

I know what you mean about those projects, and I've let that sway my course again lately. I really looked hard at those $1 sale items at Scholastic website, but in the end, I don't think there's much I really can use. I am seeing more simplicity and straight-forwardness (is that a word?:confused:) in the first edition of WTM. It is really speaking to me, and helping me to right this ship (car, boat, motorcycle, whatever I'm on lately). Sorry I don't have any answers, and I'm realizing we can't go full-fledged AO since I want to follow a more WTM style in our school.

[freeindeed]

I feel like this right now--confused at all of the info over there. Can someone explain to me how they use AO in the early years? We're not ready to do anything formal per se from it but I'd like to have an idea what to do down the road.

 

I, too, felt overwhelmed until I actually started using AO. We are doing all of AO right now, with the exception of the artist & composer studies. We are going to add those in this coming week, during "tea" time in the afternoons. Just start, take it slowly, and add to it as time goes by.

[Amy Jo]

I feel like this right now--confused at all of the info over there. Can someone explain to me how they use AO in the early years? We're not ready to do anything formal per se from it but I'd like to have an idea what to do down the road.

 

Just pick one thing and start. If you have a reading time and your kids are old enough, try having them narrate (one of AO's books or just the one you are reading from). Go out and do some nature walks. Study an artist and consider making a Book of Masterpieces. (Printing photos is pretty cheap at places like Wal-Greens, even my 4yo has his own Book of Masterpieces. I recommend cherry picking your first few artists to match your children's interests.)

[MyFourSons]

Yes, I read it this summer. Actually, I took it on vacation and read teh entire book sitting by the pool.;) I'm reading Catherine Levison's books right now, and plan to read Charlottes own works as well -- I'll start online then hopefully purchase. Anyway, I really enjoyed Karen's book and felt like THAT was what I wanted for my kids. Then I read WTM again and felt like THAT was what I wanted for my kids. Then I'd look at the SL site and feel like....well, do you see a pattern here?:blush:

 

I'm finding that we do well with programs that give consistent assignments (LOF, MUS, GWG, WWE), and we do well with reading and narrating, but we aren't successful doing projects or other assignments related to our reading. Our days are full enough that I don't feel like I can add more project/assignment type things. Sorry....rambling.

 

There are yahoo groups for each AO year that have the public domain books in printable pdfs organized by week. So, you can print off all the readings for whatever week you are on, put them into a folder or binder, and then the student works through the week with a checklist. I know this is not exactly the same thing as an "open and go" or boxed curriculum, but it is a big time saver for me as the kids work very independently. We only use AO for literature, nature study, poetry, composer study and picture study, so we skip the history and religion.

 

Here is the group for the Year 2 notebook, which includes pages for a parent notebook as well:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AO_Year02_Notebook/?yguid=155399373

 

Here is another year 2 group that has the readings organized by book, but also has a file with copywork selections from each book, and exam questions for year 2:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AO_Year02/?yguid=155399373

 

There are also AO groups with printable files for picture study for each artist in their rotation:

 

Complete list of Picture Study groups:

 

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AO_HEO_PictureStudy_IA/ (1999-2000 - 2007-2008)

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AO_HEO_PictureStudy_IB/ (2008-2009 -

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

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

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

Each group has the files in a different format and/or size, organized by artist.

 

As I said, ee are only using AO for literature and "fine arts." We do not do the history or religious readings. We are also using LCC, and WTM, and we study Latin each day and do language arts using WTM resources. We are also studying US history this year.

 

Although we adapt AO and don't use it exclusively, I still found these resources to be quite helpful, and they did make the AO curriculum seem less overwhelming to implement if you were going to make the switch.

[mackenziefoust]

I love AO, we are transitioning to Sonlight because I need a more laid out approach right now. But AO has the best book list around for sure!