Poll: What is your homeschooling method?

[rafiki]

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[Melissa in Australia]

I use the WTM as my main resource:001_smile:

[hsmom]

We are very eclectic. I use a little of everything. I really don't have any main resources for teaching this method. I guess that is the beauty of being eclectic.

 

My method is I research it, buy it, try it, and then go on to the next. I always keep in mind that nothing is set in stone and I tend to change my mind a lot. Hey it keeps me and my kids on our toes. Also it is never boring here, there is always something new.

[Peek a Boo]

We are very eclectic. I use a little of everything. I really don't have any main resources for teaching this method. I guess that is the beauty of being eclectic.

 

My method is I research it, buy it, try it, and then go on to the next. I always keep in mind that nothing is set in stone and I tend to change my mind a lot. Hey it keeps me and my kids on our toes. Also it is never boring here, there is always something new.

 

what she said :D

[Plaid Dad]

I voted for classical, but since that means different things to different people, I would specify "Latin-centered classical." My main resource is, er, my book. :)

[Trivium Academy]

I chose CM b/c we fit it better than anything else on the list, we use the trivium as a determining factor for our scope and sequence (esp. history and science) but not many other classical elements anymore.

 

My main resources:

-The Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte Mason (the originals)

-Real Learning by Elizabeth Foss

-A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison

 

Our LA is heavily influenced by CM and Ruth Beechick.

[nutmeg]

Eclectic, utilizing WTM, Charlotte Mason, and a healthy dose of common sense. :001_smile:

[Jumping In Puddles]

I'm not sure what unit study is. Is that what they do in public school?

[hsmom]

I'm not sure what unit study is. Is that what they do in public school?

 

Unit study is where you pick a topic to cover and try to adapt as many of your subjects into that topic.

Like if you studied Rome, you can put in history, reading, science, math, and all of that while studying Rome as a whole.

 

Did that make sense?

[Jenny in Atl]

Eclectic with a classical twist. Kinda sounds like a cocktail. :coolgleamA:

[Jumping In Puddles]

Unit study is where you pick a topic to cover and try to adapt as many of your subjects into that topic.

Like if you studied Rome, you can put in history, reading, science, math, and all of that while studying Rome as a whole.

 

Did that make sense?

 

Thank you! That makes perfect sense :)

[Trivium Academy]

Geesh, I'm eclectic. CM, Unit Study, Classical. There I said it. I'm Classically Charlotte in Units. Lol

[Donna]

I am a classical unschooler with a CM twist and occassional unit study on the side...:D

[King Alfred Academy]

Geesh, I'm eclectic. CM, Unit Study, Classical. There I said it. I'm Classically Charlotte in Units. Lol

 

You totally made me laugh out loud! Nice description! :lol:

 

I would have to agree with that for us too!:D

[MelissaMinNC]

I think I'm a lot like Jessica - Classically Charlotte in Units, LOL.

 

I never attempted to be all one thing though - how can a human being not take in, soak up and then put to work, elements of all kinds of different processes, methods, ideas, etc.? My (academic) goals for my children are to get a broad, liberal education - get a buffet of LOTS of different subjects, so they can find what interests them and pursue it. I want them to LOVE to learn, to delight in discovering things, so that they never stop learning, all their lives. I would also like them to get full-ride scholarships to Ivy League colleges, of course. :D

 

My main resources are Charlotte Mason's Original Series, The Well-Trained Mind, lots of Charlotte Mason how-to type books, this board, the Ambleside Online yahoo group, and the Word of God, which never, ever fails to lead me to the right resource at the right time.

 

:)

Melissa

[Ellie]

it's more of a lifestyle. And I learned to think this way from John Holt.

[nmoira]

That's tough... I chose "classical" but we're probably more properly "classical-eclectic" or "relaxed classical."

[Pam Wilhelm]

I put "other" because I think we use many different methods. Predominately we are Classical.... but Science tends towards more of a Unit Study approach and we have been known to dabble in other methods when needed. Probably the greatest underlying method is one of procrastination.... procrastinate until we have no choice but to put our nose to the grind stone and get our curriculum done before the new year starts. :lol: (kind of like now :D ).

[Parrothead]

Eclectic with a classical spin.

[Lucky Mom]

Classical, traditional, and Charlotte Mason...Eclectic!

[jejily]

I think "eclectic" fits me best -- combination of classical, CM, and unit studies. And whatever else tickles our fancy.

[mcconnellboys]

I chose "other" because I tend to mix and mingle. I'm not even certain what "traditional" really means, but I think I combine aspects of primarily classical and Charlotte Mason, with some car-schooling thrown in on a regular basis, LOL.

 

What is "whole heart" and "principle approach"? I've never heard of either of those!

[LaMere Academy]

Mostly CM with some classical thrown in.

[profmom]

Classical fits us best. We were first influenced by TWTM, even though our focus has now been influenced by LCC. I also want to build up to the rhetoric-level discussions described by Marcia Somerville (TOG).

[MerryAtHope]

I lean towards CM, and I use Sonlight, The Writer's Jungle, copywork & dictation, odds & ends... I'm ready for this nice weather & some days in the woods now!

 

Merry :-)

[Melinda S in TX]

I picked eclectic. We lean toward a CM approach, but add other things to the mix.

 

Melinda S in TX

[Lovedtodeath]

What is "whole heart" and "principle approach"? I've never heard of either of those!

 

I want to know too! And I have to say I was surprised CM was not chosen more. I have seen quite a bit of CM talk on the boards.

 

I chose classical because...

 

1. TWTM is my main influence and considers itself classical.

 

2. I have dabbled into CM and I really have chosen TWTM over CM for the most part.

 

3. It is the best way to describe our schooling method to someone who does not know much about homeschooling methods. (No one I have spoken to IRL has heard of CM.) Though literature based is a good way to describe it as well.

 

I am taking LA a little slower than TWTM but doing more than CM. Science and Social Studies follow TWTM with subject matter and curriculum suggestions, but I intend to take some time for American history and more time on biology and earth science, squishing physics and chemistry into one year, and completing only two full cycles.

 

I get most of my resources from Sonlight and Winter Promise, or used from yahoogroups and ebay as suggested from TWTM and the former mentioned catalogs.

 

And now my answer is the longest, so I am satisfied. LOL:lol:

[WTMindy]

I voted classical, but it is really more neo-classical a la WTM.

[dangermom]

WTM classical. I have other books, too, but I find that I use WTM almost exclusively.

[swellmomma]

I voted eclectic because I do utilize WTM in a relaxed way, use sonlight which is like CM, do unit studies, appear to be unschooling at times when I decide to tackle housework instead of schoolwork, love montessori materials and waldorf feel and basically just use a little of this and a dash of that depending on our moods that day.

[ummix3]

I love Montessori for the little ones and as they get older ease into classical.

 

Michelle

[Tokyomarie]

I have graduated two whom I afterschooled while they attended Japanese public school & international school in Japan, and then homeschooled full-time after a move back to the USA. I am homeschooling a 13yo boy who attended pre-school in Japan but has been home full-time since K. I'd have to say that I'm of the "whatever works and gets them where they need to go" philosophy. :D

 

I marked eclectic. Because we tend to be highly academic in the middle school and high school years, I'm finding I'm eclectic with a classical bent. I tended to be more relaxed in the elementary years.

 

One of the earliest books I read on education was Susan Schaeffer MacAuley's For the Children's Sake. I learned about Charlotte Mason from this book. I've read lots and lots of other homeschooling and parenting authors, however, so my thinking is a blend of ideas I've read over the last 23 years.

 

My current primary influences are Sonlight Curriculum (both the curriculum and the ongoing discussion at the forums) & TWTM (book and forum). I've used SL since 1997 and first read TWTM in 1999. These have shaped my thinking during the last 10+ years as much as anything. Though I've used most of the SL levels for history, geography, and LA, I also use and have used other curriculum in addition to or instead of depending on the child. I also have tended to rearrange or stretch out the SL levels so we are doing roughly a 4 year cycle of history. I add logic/critical thinking, which is optional in SL, and one of my children has studied some Latin. One more might begin this year, but the middle child did not study Latin.

[Rhonda in TX]

We also don't follow the method strictly. It is, however, my ideal.

 

Resource? I have several

 

- Ambleside Online site

- Karen Andreola books

- Catherine Levinson books

 

I am attempting to read Charlotte Mason's books, but it's slow going. :)

[Narnian]

Relaxed Classical, if that's even possible. :)

[JumpedIntoTheDeepEndFirst]

Mostly Classical with a Charlotte Mason influence.

 

Most often used resources: WTM and books by Karen Andreola.

[Peela]

I voted Charlotte Mason because that is where I am heading, but I actually consider CM as one of many branches of Classical, rather than a completely separate type, which is why it works so well with neoClassical. I have been very WTM influenced, Latin Centred influenced, and influenced by many specific curriculum like CW at times. I respect the people who express their own flavour of Classical and I appreciate their influence on me.

In the end, I digest everything I am attracted to, integrate what works for me, and move on. I am not loyal to anything but my own sense of what works best for us.

At the moment, I am really relishing aspects of CM that have always attracted me but I have neglected in the past, like prioritising creative free time, nature study, keeping lessons a reasonable length, art and music appreciation.....and I am using AO and HEO as my main support.

I don't want to go the way of just making my kids work more and more so that they can do well at university- I want our lives to be rich and fun, with plenty of time for following personal interests, so that the teenage years are a time of them getting to know themselves, as well as academic progress. I don't want these years to be a grind.

[tonya in sc]

eclectic. That's what I put down, anyway. How about eclectically classic? I read TWTM twice many moons ago. Of course, I try to read some homeschooling book every summer. It helps me gear up for the coming year. I've read most of the "resources" mentioned here. I keep coming back to the same conclusions about education:

1. I don't know what God has for my dc.

2. I must prepare them, as best I can, for whatever God may have for them.

3. Ultimately, He will give them what they need as they pursue His plan.

4. I am really bad at math.

Why does classic have such appeal to me? Because I think kids give what you expect. I expect great things, like knowing who Justinian is and how to do math in their heads and where Chad is and why Swift wrote Gulliver's Travels.

Why do other methods have appeal? Because little bits have short attention spans (CM). There are spiritual issues involved in education (whole-hearted). The mind naturally wants to make connections between things (unit studies). We live in a nation with a rich spiritual history (principle). I hate math (great books/Jefferson). I have 5 kids, my dh is self-employed, and we have competitive gymnastics in the mix (carschool).

 

Sorry this got so long, but the thread got me thinking. Not good in the a.m.:tongue_smilie:

 

blessings,

tonya

[Closeacademy]

I would say that the heart of our homeschool is classical but we are at times influenced by Charlotte Mason, Montessori, Waldorf and unit studies.

 

I have found mainly Drew's book The Latin-Centered Curriculum, The Classical Teacher (Memoria Press' catalog/magazine), and The Well-Trained Mind to be my main influences.

 

We do grammar, Latin, the progynasmata, mathematics, science and history are the core of our homeschool but we do short intense lessons, whole to parts, very visual lessons.

 

Short lessons are Charlotte Mason

Whole to parts, visually apealing, arts and crafts are Waldorf

hands-on is Montessori

Fun school weeks are usually unit studies/lapbooking

 

But the core is traditional, Classical education.:001_smile:

[Kim in Appalachia]

maybe I should have clicked on Eclectic.:)

 

My approach has always been CM, but I started more relaxed (that would be the Whole-Hearted Child influence). The Classical structure saved our homeschool.

 

I also like that both CM's and Classical's main focus is the formation of the character/soul. Neither are really about stuffing as much knowledge as possible into the child's head.

[runningirl71]

as I have been following TWTM suggestions for 3 years now, almost to a T. But, in this past year I've been searching for a little simplification and I may move toward LCC. I haven't read the book yet (it's on its way) but I'm hoping to incorporate some of the thinking into our homeschool. :)

[Wendy in ME]

I voted for classical but for me that means following LCC pretty closely.

[chiguirre]

Right now we're more or less traditional in that we use textbooks for our skill subjects. I think this is more an ages and stages issue than a philosophy of hsing issue and next year we will use more WTM resources (SOTW, FLL and WWE). I don't think that I could follow only one method because every method has some good ideas and has enriched our hsing.

[Lovedtodeath]

I have been loving the longer posts and explanations as of late. I have to say that if you read what CM expects a child to know and do by certain ages you may feel it is less "relaxed". Also that TWTM has a schedule with minutes and it should take less than three hours a day for early grades. Both expect young children to memorize. I don't think they are opposites by any means.

[jail warden]

I chose Classical because The Well Trained Mind is my starting point, there is very little I choose to do exactly as they say, but it helps me know what I'm looking for.

[Alenee]

I voted other only because it's taking me some time to fully engage in the Classical method. There are a few areas I'm iffy on. I sort of bounce between the Bluedorn's philosophy and TWTM. We're going for a Classical approach however I think I fall under eclectic occasionally. I can't seem to fully get into narration though I see the logic in doing it. And I don't read aloud as much as I should...

[dragons in the flower bed]

& What are your main resources for teaching this method?

 

I would say classical, too, and my main resource for teaching via this method is Latin.

[amyable]

I voted eclectic because I do utilize WTM in a relaxed way, use sonlight which is like CM, do unit studies, appear to be unschooling at times when I decide to tackle housework instead of schoolwork, love montessori materials and waldorf feel and basically just use a little of this and a dash of that depending on our moods that day.

 

This is a lot like what we do, in general. On another board I was talking about this past year and I said, " So we've been kind of eclectically tidally semi-unmindfully-unschoolingly schooling with Sonlight" That pretty much sums it up. :lol:

 

This year I'm going to try to stick to SL as is (I've never pulled that off before) with Apologia elementary science and CM-ish pursuits for music/art, but who knows what next year may bring.

[Julie in GA]

If that doesn't make sense, let me know, and I can clarify that.

[April in NC]

We use ideas from TWTM, CM, and others to come up with mostly our own thing! Lots of living books, of course, along with more multimedia/high tech stuff than it seems most homeschoolers like to admit.:lol:

 

I think we were pretty relaxed as far as preschool/kindergarten/first grade goes, and we are gradually moving towards more rigorous materials and expectations as the children get older. We tend to add in more "fun" stuff than I think the classical methods generally include - we like to add in lapbooks every now and then, and we use videos and computer games (shhh!) as well as lots and lots of good books.

 

 

[ChristusG]

Can someone explain what all of those terms mean? LOL! I'm a new homeschooler....I'll have a kindergartener this year. I know what Unit Studies are, but I have no idea what the other terms mean.