Can you offer advice on what to do next year? Girls will be in 5th & 6th grades.

[3lilreds in NC]

I have been trying to do CM for several years now, and I just don't love it like I thought I would. We're using Living Books Curriculum, and I have to tell you, I hate switching back and forth between books all the time. We are supposed to cover American history and World history, but the spines are not working like I'd hoped they would. The spine for world is On the Shores of the Great Sea by Synge (and the next one in this series if we ever finish this one). There doesn't seem to be a spine for American history, which is making me crazy. No one likes On the Shores of the Great Sea and I'm not sure we're getting much out of it.

 

We're going to finish this year of LBC, because we have it, and I'm not buying any more curriculum for this year. I tried really hard to do my own thing this year, and it was a flop.

 

What I'm considering for next year is Mystery of History. If you've used it:

- Do you read a lot of extra books? I am OK with reading more books - I just want them to make sense with the spine. Also, I would like to have the option not to do so. Schmooey doesn't make a lot of reading aloud possible.

- I've looked at the samples online, and love that for middle school ages she has them reading scripture to illustrate lessons. We will still do our own scripture memory, but do you feel the need for additional Bible study?

- Have you used the audio? I have one who would really prefer the audio option but I'm not sure, after listening to the samples, if we will like them.

- Have you tried the art projects? It says to consider them enough for a half credit of high school art. Are they going to be too hard for my rising 5th & 6th graders?

- Do you use the folderbooks? I HATE lapbooks. I would really rather use notebooking.

 

Along with MOH, my other thoughts are:

- Timeline - I have HTTA CDs & notebooks ready to go, if I would just print the silly things out and USE THEM.

- Grammar - FLL/WWE - as much as the scripting bugs me after a while, I think they work, and we're going to stick with them.

- Spelling - Spelling Wisdom. This seems to work for older dd, and younger can use about anything and be successful.

- Math - Teaching Textbooks for older dd, MUS for younger. Long story about why they're doing different things but I think it's important that they do that.

- Science - not sure - should be an astronomy year. Maybe Apologia or Christian Kids Explore Earth & Space? Would love some input here.

- Art - God & the History of Art, or Artistic Pursuits. Both look really good. What I'd love is to be able to GET to art. Sigh.

- Music study - not sure, could just follow along with Ambleside suggestions.

- Geography - I have Map Trek and will probably pull that together with MOH, although I have not been good about that in the past. I was looking at Mapping the World by Heart, which looks great, but something entirely different than anything else I've seen. That might not be a bad thing, but how much time is it supposed to take?

 

If you've gotten to the end of this - thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time to read it all! I'm going to bed now, but will check back in the morning.

[....]

It looks fine, but are you going to start any introductory logic? I think TWTM recommends Mind Benders or Building Thinking Skills (don't quote me on this) for 5th/6th grade.

 

Also, doesn't TWTM recommend a real-world math day for that stage...

 

Before we start a new school year, I reread the section of TWTM that applies to the new grade.

[3lilreds in NC]

I was just thinking last night that I need to figure out what happened to my copy of TWTM! :) I haven't seen it since we moved and I don't know where to look - there are a few more boxes of books. I will also request it from the library.

 

We are definitely going to do some "real world" math. I've been looking at Living Math and some other things. I think that's the only thing that is really going to help oldest dd with math!

 

And, we desperately need some logic. I'd forgotten about that. Thanks!

[JudoMom]

I have been trying to do CM for several years now, and I just don't love it like I thought I would. We're using Living Books Curriculum, and I have to tell you, I hate switching back and forth between books all the time. We are supposed to cover American history and World history, but the spines are not working like I'd hoped they would. The spine for world is On the Shores of the Great Sea by Synge (and the next one in this series if we ever finish this one). There doesn't seem to be a spine for American history, which is making me crazy. No one likes On the Shores of the Great Sea and I'm not sure we're getting much out of it.

 

We're going to finish this year of LBC, because we have it, and I'm not buying any more curriculum for this year. I tried really hard to do my own thing this year, and it was a flop.

 

What I'm considering for next year is Mystery of History. If you've used it:

- Do you read a lot of extra books? I am OK with reading more books - I just want them to make sense with the spine. Also, I would like to have the option not to do so. Schmooey doesn't make a lot of reading aloud possible.

- I've looked at the samples online, and love that for middle school ages she has them reading scripture to illustrate lessons. We will still do our own scripture memory, but do you feel the need for additional Bible study?

- Have you used the audio? I have one who would really prefer the audio option but I'm not sure, after listening to the samples, if we will like them.

- Have you tried the art projects? It says to consider them enough for a half credit of high school art. Are they going to be too hard for my rising 5th & 6th graders?

- Do you use the folderbooks? I HATE lapbooks. I would really rather use notebooking.

 

Along with MOH, my other thoughts are:

- Timeline - I have HTTA CDs & notebooks ready to go, if I would just print the silly things out and USE THEM.

- Grammar - FLL/WWE - as much as the scripting bugs me after a while, I think they work, and we're going to stick with them.

- Spelling - Spelling Wisdom. This seems to work for older dd, and younger can use about anything and be successful.

- Math - Teaching Textbooks for older dd, MUS for younger. Long story about why they're doing different things but I think it's important that they do that.

- Science - not sure - should be an astronomy year. Maybe Apologia or Christian Kids Explore Earth & Space? Would love some input here.

- Art - God & the History of Art, or Artistic Pursuits. Both look really good. What I'd love is to be able to GET to art. Sigh.

- Music study - not sure, could just follow along with Ambleside suggestions.

- Geography - I have Map Trek and will probably pull that together with MOH, although I have not been good about that in the past. I was looking at Mapping the World by Heart, which looks great, but something entirely different than anything else I've seen. That might not be a bad thing, but how much time is it supposed to take?

 

If you've gotten to the end of this - thank you so much. I appreciate you taking the time to read it all! I'm going to bed now, but will check back in the morning.

 

Overall, it looks like a good year to me.

 

For Logic this year, my oldest 2 have completed the first 2 books in the Blast Off with Logic series and we're working through the third.

 

For music next year, I really want to get the Young Scholar's Guide to the Composers.

 

I tried using the first edition of Mystery of History 1 last year, and I'm sorry to say that I didn't care for it. We didn't do a lot of extras (like craft projects, etc), and I felt that reading it on it's own it was weak. I ended up using Biblioplan to combine it with SOTW and other texts.

Edited April 13, 2011 by JudoMom

[Kfamily]

Hmmm, well this is just my humble opinion... but I agree with you about Living Books Curriculum. I wanted to like them, but for many reasons could not. I agree they make following American History difficult. I, too, could not and still have not found an American History spine that I liked well enough to use in a CM style. (I've made my own sequence and did not choose a spine.) I also did not care for the Synge books. I have more but I'll refrain...:001_smile: Are you looking for a new history/literature approach? It seems you have much in place already so you won't need too much to finish it. Do you prefer having a schedule made for you?

I have MOH vol. 1 and while I did like that it tied biblical history and ancient history together chronologically, I did not care for the writing style. I felt that as my dd (older one only at the time) grew she needed a writing style that contained more depth. I don't think we did many of the projects but it is nice having them available. Which volume are you considering with MOH? I know there are others here that use MOH and really like it so hopefully they could give you some more input.

I do have to say that I'm a firm believer that you could choose your spine and still have a very CM approach to your curriculum. If you and your dc love the books you are using then you are almost there. You could also choose an Ambleside Year for both of them such as Year 4 or 5. But, I'm not sure if you like their main spine for American History, This Country of Ours?

Sorry, I'm not sure this was very helpful...:001_smile:

I feel like I'm forgetting another option...

[3lilreds in NC]

Hmmm, well this is just my humble opinion... but I agree with you about Living Books Curriculum. I wanted to like them, but for many reasons could not. I agree they make following American History difficult. I, too, could not and still have not found an American History spine that I liked well enough to use in a CM style. (I've made my own sequence and did not choose a spine.) I also did not care for the Synge books. I have more but I'll refrain...:001_smile: Are you looking for a new history/literature approach? It seems you have much in place already so you won't need too much to finish it. Do you prefer having a schedule made for you?

I have MOH vol. 1 and while I did like that it tied biblical history and ancient history together chronologically, I did not care for the writing style. I felt that as my dd (older one only at the time) grew she needed a writing style that contained more depth. I don't think we did many of the projects but it is nice having them available. Which volume are you considering with MOH? I know there are others here that use MOH and really like it so hopefully they could give you some more input.

I do have to say that I'm a firm believer that you could choose your spine and still have a very CM approach to your curriculum. If you and your dc love the books you are using then you are almost there. You could also choose an Ambleside Year for both of them such as Year 4 or 5. But, I'm not sure if you like their main spine for American History, This Country of Ours?

Sorry, I'm not sure this was very helpful...:001_smile:

I feel like I'm forgetting another option...

 

I have looked at AO again, and again, and again. The main problem I have with it is that they use so many books in the public domain. *I* love the books, but my younger dd in particular does not. She would rather listen to audio books than read for herself, and getting her to read AO books for herself would be such a battle... I'm not sure it would be worth it.

 

We did not care for This Country of Ours, but I suppose we could try it again. The girls were a lot younger when we read it; younger dd in particular was not a fan. I was looking at using the pre-year 5 schedule for next year, thinking that would get us where we needed to be in the history cycle.

 

I do like having a schedule made for me, which is one of the things that makes LBC hard for me. I was thinking about making a weekly schedule for the girls and showing them what they need to do, but I still feel like there is a lot that needs my involvement. I *like* being involved, but the fact is I have a 3 year old boy who is determined that we will not do any schooling while he is awake! Since he's about to give up his nap, this becomes even more problematic. Bless his little pea-pickin' heart. :lol:

 

I suppose I could take another look at MFW also. I moved away from them after K/1 because I wanted a more purely CM approach, but since that's not working...

[Heather in VA]

Have you looked at Heart of Dakota or Trail Guide to Learning? They both have CM qualities. I agree with the previous poster that while MOH is nice, the writing in the first book especially is just a bit light and young for your kids ages.

 

Heather

[Kfamily]

With regard to AO, is your younger dd not happy with the book selections because they are online (in the public domain) or because she doesn't like the older writing style? The older writing style does take some time to learn to like. Some dc just need more time. I know the idea with AO is that Year 4 is when they should be reading more on their own, but not all dc are ready then. My older dd was not ready to read these books at that age either. She needed another year or two. She now has no trouble reading the books for her level and really enjoys it too. You should definitely feel free to replace or substitute wherever you like. Also, I think it would be fine to use some audio books. Could your two older dds read a book together? If they take turns and narrate to you separately then this would be one less book for you to have to handle as a read-aloud and your younger dd would not have to read independently. If you did this for at least one book per term and used an audio book for one book per term, would this help? I'm just throwing out some ideas so feel free to ignore them if they don't work. I understand that at some point AO can be a bit of burden when trying to adapt it. It is especially hard with more than one student. I'm working on a curriculum guide at my blog, but it is still early in being ready. I love AO, but it does have some aspects that are hard to navigate. I do think that the high regard for book choices is one of the most important aspects of a CM style education. I'm really starting to see the benefits in my older dd. She is years ahead of where I was at her age. Not only can she handle, but she actually prefers it.

 

I haven't looked at MFW in a while, but it could be helpful.

[mama25angels]

Kfamily, I know this is totally off topic, but I love your blog and I hope you don't mind, but I might "borrow" a few of the things you're planning for your 3rd grader next year to do with my own stb 3rd grader.

[Kfamily]

Thanks,:blushing:. Please, "borrow away"! I share it just for this reason...and because I like to write it out. I'm so strange that way...I love to write out curriculum ideas!

[Jami]

Hi Beth,

 

I have a rising 4th and 5th grader and we're doing (mostly) American history this year. Explorers to 1815 basically. I use the Veritas cards to give me a general structure for pegs, then use spines I like to fill those in. We're reading from H.A. Guerber's Story of the 13 Colonies and Story of the Great Republic for our narrative spine. We're using the edited one by Memoria Press, but the Nothing New Press or Yesterday Classics versions would work too. Then I built our literature list from Ambleside Year 4 and 5, Veritas, and Sonlight. We also have SOTW 3 on CD to fill in some of the World History.

[mama25angels]

3lilreds- check out the Simply Charlotte Mason website, they have guides that you can buy if you want to have everything scheduled out for you or you can just use the free curriculum guide. Also check out the free guesthollow american history curriculum. Since you have maptrek, if you do decide to go with MOH, you should look at the curriculum integration guide at the knowledgequest website, it lines the maps up with various publishers. I don't know if MOH allowed this to be done, but it's worth a shot.

[mama25angels]

Thanks,:blushing:. Please, "borrow away"! I share it just for this reason...and because I like to write it out. I'm so strange that way...I love to write out curriculum ideas!

 

:iagree: me too!

[mama25angels]

Hi Beth,

 

I have a rising 4th and 5th grader and we're doing (mostly) American history this year. Explorers to 1815 basically. I use the Veritas cards to give me a general structure for pegs, then use spines I like to fill those in. We're reading from H.A. Guerber's Story of the 13 Colonies and Story of the Great Republic for our narrative spine. We're using the edited one by Memoria Press, but the Nothing New Press or Yesterday Classics versions would work too. Then I built our literature list from Ambleside Year 4 and 5, Veritas, and Sonlight. We also have SOTW 3 on CD to fill in some of the World History.

 

 

Thank you for posting this, this is what I was thinking of doing with my rising 3rd grader. It's nice to know it's doable, if I decide to do that. He'd probably use CSOA, since that's more at his level.

[Heather in VA]

3lilreds- check out the Simply Charlotte Mason website, they have guides that you can buy if you want to have everything scheduled out for you or you can just use the free curriculum guide. Also check out the free guesthollow american history curriculum. Since you have maptrek, if you do decide to go with MOH, you should look at the curriculum integration guide at the knowledgequest website, it lines the maps up with various publishers. I don't know if MOH allowed this to be done, but it's worth a shot.

 

I just came back to suggest Simply Charlotte Mason, but she beat me to it :-)

 

Heather

[Kfamily]

I like the Guerber books too. If I chose any spine at this point for Am. History I would probably get these. I like how Jami has handled it.

[3lilreds in NC]

With regard to AO, is your younger dd not happy with the book selections because they are online (in the public domain) or because she doesn't like the older writing style? The older writing style does take some time to learn to like. Some dc just need more time. I know the idea with AO is that Year 4 is when they should be reading more on their own, but not all dc are ready then. My older dd was not ready to read these books at that age either. She needed another year or two. She now has no trouble reading the books for her level and really enjoys it too. You should definitely feel free to replace or substitute wherever you like. Also, I think it would be fine to use some audio books. Could your two older dds read a book together? If they take turns and narrate to you separately then this would be one less book for you to have to handle as a read-aloud and your younger dd would not have to read independently. If you did this for at least one book per term and used an audio book for one book per term, would this help? I'm just throwing out some ideas so feel free to ignore them if they don't work. I understand that at some point AO can be a bit of burden when trying to adapt it. It is especially hard with more than one student. I'm working on a curriculum guide at my blog, but it is still early in being ready. I love AO, but it does have some aspects that are hard to navigate. I do think that the high regard for book choices is one of the most important aspects of a CM style education. I'm really starting to see the benefits in my older dd. She is years ahead of where I was at her age. Not only can she handle, but she actually prefers it.

 

I haven't looked at MFW in a while, but it could be helpful.

 

We don't use the books online - I have hard copies. She just doesn't like the older language. I suppose I should just make her learn to read it; we've gotten more used to the Synge book this year and she has to admit it's gotten easier to understand as we've gone along. She resists mightily every time I tell her she has to read for herself, no matter what it is, because she doesn't like it. I don't mind audio books for some things, but she *does* have to read.

 

You've given me some great ideas - having her share reading with her sister is awesome. She does try to get her sister to read to her when I tell them they need to read something. :) Maybe if they share the reading, the sister will be more willing and it will give Abbie practice too.

 

I've actually been wondering if I had her read on my iPad, how she would like that. It sounds silly, maybe, but I have an easier time reading "hard" stuff on my iPad/iPod. I don't know why. It could be the smaller screen - I tend to skim when I read books, but with the little screen, I don't seem to do that as much. I've considered getting the girls Kindles for school; iPads are fabulous but expensive. The nice thing about the iPad is that we could just use the Baldwin Project for so many of the books.

 

I'm going to print out Pre-Year 3 again and take a look at it. The fun thing is that we would get to do Paddle to the Sea and Pagoo, which we've not done yet.

 

Everyone I know who uses AO loves it. I want to love it, too, but I know it will take a lot of hard work to get the girls into it. It's not that I'm against hard work but right this moment I'd really like it if something could be easy! :lol: