Charlotte Mason Help - any experienced users?

[Bay Lake Mom]

I know a lot of people talk about AO, but I'm curious if there are any users that have used CM Help (or Higher Up Further In) successfully or if anyone can provide any opinions?

I really like the book choices, and I've been looking for an alternative way to teach world history (other than SOTW).

Edited July 5, 2016 by The Substitute is a Westie

[Guest]

It is thorough and well-done. And helpful :laugh:

 

 

[beka87]

I use AO and several other sources, plus lots of my own research, to make my own CM style curriculum.  If all you ever did was AO, your children wouldn't suffer.  It IS thorough and it IS well done.  BUT.  It isn't the only way to implement Charlotte Mason's philosophy and methodology, and I think it is unfair that AO gets represented as the sole option.

 

The book choices all looked great to me, too, when I first looked at it.  The more I researched their selections, however, the more I saw a bias in their history and a decided lack of science.  If you want to use AO as written, again, I think your kids will get a good education.  But I'd recommend doing the research - even if you just research one year at a time before you use that year - to be sure that those books are in line with your family's beliefs and preferences.

 

Part of what makes AO so effective is the work of the parents using it day to day, doing their darnedest to follow CM's advice and instructions on HOW to educate children (because she had a lot of pretty awesome stuff to say about that ;) ).  Speaking from my own experience, choosing high quality books and then putting your energy into habit formation and consistency over time will be effective - no matter where the list of quality books came from. AO even warns parents against using their curriculum without understanding the methodology and philosophy that it was written for.

 

That said, if you and your family like all you see on AO - jump in.  Education through living books; the skills of narration, copy work, and dictation; the ability to focus the mind and listen or observe; the inclusion of beautiful things such as poetry, Shakespeare, and great artists not as an "extra" but as integral to the whole education.....this way of bringing our children through their school years is truly wonderful and worth the effort.  Just be aware that you don't NEED AO to do it.

[Bay Lake Mom]

I use AO and several other sources, plus lots of my own research, to make my own CM style curriculum.  If all you ever did was AO, your children wouldn't suffer.  It IS thorough and it IS well done.  BUT.  It isn't the only way to implement Charlotte Mason's philosophy and methodology, and I think it is unfair that AO gets represented as the sole option.

 

The book choices all looked great to me, too, when I first looked at it.  The more I researched their selections, however, the more I saw a bias in their history and a decided lack of science.  If you want to use AO as written, again, I think your kids will get a good education.  But I'd recommend doing the research - even if you just research one year at a time before you use that year - to be sure that those books are in line with your family's beliefs and preferences.

 

Part of what makes AO so effective is the work of the parents using it day to day, doing their darnedest to follow CM's advice and instructions on HOW to educate children (because she had a lot of pretty awesome stuff to say about that ;) ).  Speaking from my own experience, choosing high quality books and then putting your energy into habit formation and consistency over time will be effective - no matter where the list of quality books came from. AO even warns parents against using their curriculum without understanding the methodology and philosophy that it was written for.

 

That said, if you and your family like all you see on AO - jump in.  Education through living books; the skills of narration, copy work, and dictation; the ability to focus the mind and listen or observe; the inclusion of beautiful things such as poetry, Shakespeare, and great artists not as an "extra" but as integral to the whole education.....this way of bringing our children through their school years is truly wonderful and worth the effort.  Just be aware that you don't NEED AO to do it.

 

I'm actually not drawn to AO so much.  I don't care for their book choices regarding history.  Charlotte Mason Help (or Higher Up Further In - HUFI) is the curriculum that I'm interested in.  Their book recommendations are great!  I am aware that a CM education isn't through only books.  It's more about the lifestyle and approach.  I am wondering if anyone has actually used CM Help (or HUFI) and has experience they can share.

 

Edited July 5, 2016 by The Substitute is a Westie

[EmilyGF]

I'm actually not drawn to AO so much.  I don't care for their book choices regarding history.  Charlotte Mason Help (or Higher Up Further In - HUFI) is the curriculum that I'm interested in.  Their book recommendations are great!  I am aware that a CM education isn't through only books.  It's more about the lifestyle and approach.  I am wondering if anyone has actually used CM Help (or HUFI) and has experience they can share.

 

 

Try rephrasing your first post because it is a bit confusing. :-)

 

Emily

 

[KeriJ]

I wouldn't say that I have used it as written, but I have referred to it quite often when making my own plans. So I don't have any great thoughts other than to say that I think it is very well done. I wish she hadn't taken down her older levels and stopped blogging. I found her very helpful and easier to follow than AO.

[lorisuewho]

I wouldn't say that I have used it as written, but I have referred to it quite often when making my own plans. So I don't have any great thoughts other than to say that I think it is very well done. I wish she hadn't taken down her older levels and stopped blogging. I found her very helpful and easier to follow than AO.

 

I completely agree with this.  I always refer to her site every year when making my plans.  When I first started with dipping into the Charlotte Mason method, this site was so much more accessible to me than ambleside.

[caedmyn]

I'm not sure this is quite what you're looking for, but like some of the PPs, we use her plans as a framework and then I tweak.  I did a lot of it as written for afterschooling/summerschooling for DD's 1st and 2nd grade, then a lot of it for our 1st year of HS'ing for 3rd grade and K.  Last year I used a lot of it but dropped some of the books because it ended up being too much, and some things I tweaked because there were other things I wanted to use or I didn't like the book choices (like Lessons in Responsibility for boys...I just don't like that series).  As I'm planning this coming year, I'm again using it as a framework but will end up tweaking a lot, finding ways to combine some things into family subjects, and dropping some and doing some of it in different way (not directly assigning some of the books, for instance, and listening to them as audiobooks at lunchtime instead or letting DD read them in her free time with a incentive at the end for each one she finishes).  Besides my inherent need to tweak everything, I can't keep up with the number of books at this point with two younger kids and a new baby coming, plus my school-age kids both have signs of dyslexia and ADHD and everything just takes longer and is harder and I have to adjust for that to keep things manageable.  I have entirely dropped the two streams of history, because I don't like that approach.  I'd much rather keep the same spines and go-alongs and, say, do CHOW for 1.5 years then Am. history (don't like TCOO very much so I subbed for that) for 1.5 years instead of doing both slowly for 3 years from 1st-3rd grade.

[beka87]

HUFI is one of the sources I use when making my own, in addition to AO, A Mind in the Light, and others. 

[beka87]

I'm actually not drawn to AO so much.  I don't care for their book choices regarding history.  Charlotte Mason Help (or Higher Up Further In - HUFI) is the curriculum that I'm interested in.  Their book recommendations are great!  I am aware that a CM education isn't through only books.  It's more about the lifestyle and approach.  I am wondering if anyone has actually used CM Help (or HUFI) and has experience they can share.

 

 

Ha!  I read the OP all wrong...sorry!  I have the same issue with AO history.  I like HUFI, but even that needed tweaking to work in my house.  Plus, it only goes through 6th grade (at least that's all I ever found).