Dianne-TX Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I read your sig. line in another topic and it said you "read, play, take nature walks and then do school". I'm interested. Would you mind sharing what you do. Your children's ages are close to my children's ages. I have a ds7, almost 8 and dd5, almost 6. I'm feeling like we need to change things up a bit and your approach intrigued me. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 HAHAHA! For some reason seeing my name in a title scared me! We've had a weird year because we moved (in town - but it was still insane), so we took a month "off." So, in that time, I looked into Ambleside onlinehttp://www.amblesideonline.com. We've been doing it for a month and we LOVE it! We've always been a little laid back about school. Even when I want to "buckle down" life seems to happen. So, this year, I decided I'm not going to stress so much and it's working well. The girls and I get up around 7:30-8:00. We eat breakfast together, we get dressed/cleaned up all together. I stress the "all together" approach because I used to try and get up before them and I am just not that Mom:D. Mondays have been our Nature Walk day, but I'd like to go twice a week. Partly because they like it so much and partly because our new house doesn't have a big backyard. They do play outside most mornings, they just play soccer (it's hilarious). Then, sometimes we start school by 10:00, but if they're having a lot of fun, or if I'm working on something else, we'll start later in the day. I do like to get an hour or two in before lunch because of the day getting away, but I'm not as rigid about our schedule anymore. I also don't stress about getting things done in a certain order (anymore:lol:). Ambleside is really good for that. Because you're doing things the Charlotte Mason way you can take the list of books for the week and work at your own pace. If you've never heard of it, it's kind of like Sonlight, but free (no teacher's guide:001_smile:). Also, history is still Chronological - a big thing for me. I kind of include my little one, but we do Five in a Row together while big sis is working on something independantly. I used it with my oldest and should have known she'd enjoy something similar when she got older. So there you have it! We use other stuff (Horizons and Exploring Creation Through Botany), but Ambleside has been such a blessing. It just doesn't FEEL like school. And, I discovered how creative my kids are when left to their own devices, and I want to encourage that more. When I'm less stressed about the schedule, more gets done. Isn't that funny? Thanks for asking! What are you doing so far? I love learning about other people's experiences and methods. I always walk away with new ideas and "food for thought." By the way, I'm a firm believer in doing what works for you this year. So, this is all subject to change next year:lol: Blessings! Dorinda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianne-TX Posted November 2, 2008 Author Share Posted November 2, 2008 I got more structured this year and it went like clock-work for the first several weeks and then life happened, like you said, and it keeps happening! We use a spelling program, Shiller math, Pathway readers, ETC, copywork and we're reading the Little House series with the Prairie Primer. We haven't started the History cycle yet and we don't have a science curriculum, just mainly library books for topics that come up in the Prairie Primer. However, it's become more of a "do three pages, now do this, do that..." type of schooling and it just doesn't seem like it's working. He's learning, but sometimes I feel like it's no different from the public school. Plus, my son had a moment one morning of leaving and saying he did it because he didn't want to do school and he was just leaving for the day. So, that halted things right away! So, with "life" happening each week and having some signs of my ds resisting, it was time to rethink. I'm also accepting that I'm not "that" mom either and we just have slow mornings. :) I recently asked about a CM style for 2nd grade and Ambleside was mentioned. Did you just jump in and start or did you study it first? Thanks for sharing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coffeefreak Posted November 4, 2008 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Hey Dianne! I PMed you:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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