Jasper Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Hi There! I am really hoping this amazing crew can give me some advice regarding character training. I have two sons, 11 and 6. When I can, I try to find curriculum they can both benefit from. This is not easy with five years between! We recently moved into a subdivision with oodles of boys their age. I thought this might be nice considering the oldest is craving someone to play with other than his little brother. Also, being homeschooled, I thought it might be just enough social interaction to keep everyone happy. I WAS WRONG! There are a couple of lovely boys, but the others are far too mature for my liking. I know I can not keep them in a bubble, but this is overload! My question is in regards to character training, especially for the 11 y/o who has been influenced the most. I really like the We Choose Virtues homeschool program. I know my 6 y/o would do well with it. I also think the message is applicable, regardless of the childish cartoons. (Which I do think are cute and appealing.) Would this work for my 11 y/o? I need something quick and easy that will reach both of them. Thank you in advance for taking the time to share your thoughts with me!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smarson Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 My kids are younger but I am using the Child Training Bible (just google it) with my kids and it's great! It has all kinds of specific issues kids face with siblings and friends and it addresses the issues through Biblical instructionand wisdom. Also, it has benefitted my kids in knowing the reasons we put certain parameters in place is for their safety and they're not just our rules, but that the Bible has something to say about their behavior as well. Maybe you could incorporate that into your homeschool? Perhaps even just pick a trait each week and read all the scripture every day and discuss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Targhee Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I think my 8 year old would love a curriculum, but my 10 and nearly-13 year olds would feel patronized and be unlikely to have their heart in it. Instead we choose quality literature to read aloud and discuss the qualities/characteristics of the people in the stories, asking lots of questions in more of a Socratic discussion style. There's something about the distance between real life and a book that makes it easier to evaluate and think critically about the characters and then ourselves. For example we just read about Lycurgus, the Law Giver. I asked if he made good laws, if it was just to require citizens to "redistribute wealth" and eat at a community table, if being laconic and (what we would term) hardened like the Spartans was admirable or if they were missing something, if infanticide was right because it decreased the drain on the community and family resources, etc. we tied in scripture, contemporary world affairs, U.S. founding principles, and other historical figures. This got all my kids thinking deeply. It became their own evaluation of ideas instead of just "I (or anyone else) told you to be dutiful so you should be dutiful." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamiof5 Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Another vote for Child Training Bible. Recently found out about it and I am still in the "set up" stages...but I really like what I have seen so far. They also have a Virtue Training Bible, which emphasizes in virtues we want to develop (instead of behaviors that need to be corrected). Both are wonderful! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Susie in MS Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 I'm not sure if this would fit your needs, but I'll put it out there just in case. http://bfbooks.com/Teaching-Character-Intermediate-Reading-Pack 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mohop Posted August 21, 2015 Share Posted August 21, 2015 Laying Down the Rails published by Simply Charlotte Mason seems really nice. I think I am going to finally break down and splurge on it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bay Lake Mom Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Have you considered Trail Life USA? It's a scouting program with a focus on character! We belong to the girl version - American Heritage Girls. We love it. It surrounds the kids with like minded kids who are focusing on building skills while having adventures together. Their website states : Trail Life USA is a Christian Outdoor Adventure, Character, and Leadership Program for boys and young men. Here's a link to their website incase you're interested. http://www.traillifeusa.com/ The fall session is just starting so now would be a great time to check them out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparrowsNest Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Laying Down the Rails published by Simply Charlotte Mason seems really nice. I think I am going to finally break down and splurge on it. We are using this in our Morning Time and I really, really like it. It is everything I like in a curriculum -- open and go, gentle but meaty, firm in its convictions without being 'preachy.' And I like how it tackles a character trait or 'habit' in so many ways, through song, anecdote, scripture, poetry. And of course, the lessons are short (5-10m), so it's not overwhelming our day. And, no busy work. Can you tell I really like it? :) 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 Probably not really what you're looking for, but we're using CLE Reading for the first time this year. It feels like it doubles as character education to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bree Posted August 22, 2015 Share Posted August 22, 2015 http://characterfirsteducation.com/c/curriculum.php This is what we use for my kids 5-10 right now. There is a lot of free stuff to so some people don't even buy it :) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 Yeah, with an 11 yo you're going to need to move on from We Choose Virtues, mercy. You may have figured this out already, but those kids he's playing with are being exposed to a lot more in the school (drugs, s*x, etc.), so you've got quite a few topics to talk about. I agree with the suggestion to just plain get him more busy, so he's in better situations. A sport, classes at the Y, a club (chess, FLL, whatever) could be good... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomatHWTK Posted August 23, 2015 Share Posted August 23, 2015 You might take a look at the book Sword Fighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer132 Posted August 24, 2015 Share Posted August 24, 2015 The Modest Mom Blog sells a program called Character Badges (I think) which reminds me a little of We a Choose Virtues. You might take a look at that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calihil Posted August 25, 2015 Share Posted August 25, 2015 www.kidsofintegrity.com Its free! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cottonwood Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 i preview and choose what I want from this..print it and we go over it together. I don't consider all of it appropriate or relevant, but it's easy to print off only what I want. http://goodcharacter.com/MStopics.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ewe Mama Posted August 27, 2015 Share Posted August 27, 2015 Another fan of Laying Down the Rails here... 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PagesandFields Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Sorry to hijack sorta... But I have always LOVED simply Charlotte Mason's materials... I LOVE the laying down the rails book... I've been meaning to put together my own progressional study with it... my kiddos are really small... so with picture books, passages, activities and the like... I keep looking at hthe Companion book sample, the student book with the lesson plans. I REALLY want to try it... but it is pricey... if anyone reads this as a follow up, how prevalent are the bible passages and Christian habit training or morality? We read some bible stories and I am completely fine with some... but I need something that is also somewhat adaptable to our multi-faith family... (Catholic and an Eastern religion)... Thanks! OP... the original Laying Down the Rails book (the one for parents) truly might be enough for you to start... I find the way she organizes her books really wonderful, and they are all very inspiring... It might work as a sort of parent plan... Basically you could use it as a loose lesson plan, in terms of your inspiration and organization, then just pick out books or sources that you think would encourage that habit. Also focusing on certain aspects of that habit you want to improve. It might work really well for such a big age difference... Requires some planning still though. It's what I was planning on doing but I'm really feeling the need to focus on habits again and need a bit more of a hand to hold in the planning/strategizing... :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momacacia Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Laying Down the Rails here too. Focuses on habits we create which make our "character." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SereneHome Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Question - how Christian is Laying down the rails? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murmer Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 Its not a curriculum for homeschoolers specifically but I really like Alexander's Amazing Adventures...its not religious in nature but it is based on a book Teaching your child values by the Eyres (who are LDS but nothing is in it that is LDS). It has lots of good ideas for all ages and uses audio stories to help teach the values. ETA: Its available through the Power of Moms website. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSinNS Posted September 8, 2015 Share Posted September 8, 2015 For Laying Down the Rails, often the quotes and stories are older and feel old-fashioned (not in a bad way), and they do refer frequently to God. So pretty religious, but at the same point, it's not particularly "Protestant" or "Evangelical" or anti-certain groups that I can see (not having read the whole thing, but I haven't found anything yet I would leave out). And it's not overly preachy about God, just refers to Him. More "cultural Christianity" maybe than direct preaching about God. That being said, it would be quite hard to secularize completely. Edited for clarity and a few clearer thoughts added 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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