Have you seen Sonya’s site yet? It’s simply called Simply Charlotte Mason. Here are the goodies you’ll find:
Thanks for all your work Sonya!
I ordered TruthQuest American History for Young Students 1 yesterday. I hope it gets here soon as I have been really wanting to get my hands on it. I have been drawn to it for some time now. For whatever reason I want to dive into America History next year.
The other night I began writing out our schedule for next year using Ambleside Online’s (AO)Year 1 & 2 and Linda Fay’s (HUFI) Year 1 & 2. But with my desire for American History it just wasn’t meshing together quite right. AO doesn’t even really cover American History yet and some of the books I like in HUFI Year 2 don’t really go with the topics of Year 1. And since I don’t want to start American History in the middle (Year 2), I think I will have to pull my own history and literature together. But that’s okay … I like planning 
It’s funny, I was reading some of Charlotte Mason’s writing yesterday about Systems & Methods of education (Home Education, Some Preliminary Considerations). She said the following:
Method a Way to an End.––Method implies two things––a way to an end, and a step by step progress in that way. Further, the following of a method implies an idea, a mental image, of the end of object to be arrived at. What do you propose that education shall effect in and for your child?A System easier than a Method.––A ’system of education’ is an alluring fancy; more so, on some counts, than a method, because it is pledged to more definite calculable results. By means of a system certain developments may be brought about through the observance of given rules.
System––the observing of rules until the habit of doing certain things, of behaving in certain ways, is confirmed, and, therefore, the art is acquired––is so successful in achieving precise results, that it is no wonder there should be endless attempts to straiten the whole field of education to the limits of a system.
If a human being were a machine, education could do no more for him than to set him in action in prescribed ways, and the work of the educator would be simply to adopt a good working system or set of systems.
But the educator has to deal with a self-acting, self-developing being, and his business is to guide, and assist in, the production of the latent good in that being, the dissipation of the latent evil, the preparation of the child to take his place in the world at his best, with every capacity for good that is in him developed into a power.
Though system is a highly useful as an instrument of education, a ’system of education’ is mischievous, as producing only mechanical action instead of the vital growth and movement of a living being.
I realized that I was looking at AO schedules and HUFI schedules as systems and trying to implement them as such. But they are just helps that some precious ladies have made to assist us to see the big picture, put it all together and navigate the CM method.
Freedom … that’s what a method allows. And that’s what I desire in our homeschool. That’s one of the reasons that I like the CM method so much. But I do need to get it into my head – METHOD, not system. What do I propose that education shall effect in and for my child? That’s the question and the answer to that question will lead my planning. I like freedom …
Charlotte Mason talked about how important oxygen and sunshine were for a child. Today we spent the afternoon soaking up both on this glorious day that the Lord has made. I thought I would share some pictures of what we did today …
We got this idea from Family Fun Magazine’s latest issue. I took a sheet (all I had was a fitted sheet) and hung it up on a make-shift clothesline. Then DD took her watercolors and went to town. She had a lot of fun. I’m trying to teach her that art is more than just the finished work — the process is also very important and should be enjoyable.
My littlest DD decided that she wanted to get in on the action too. Of course, as of yet she has no idea how this works, so she thought she would “paint” my camera …
And here’s the final work of art. I think it’s pretty neat.
She’s wondering how we’ll hang it …
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Now we’re enjoying our daily quiet time. It’s a good day …
Next year is really coming together! YAY! I am excited about it all and want to sit down and plan out the year already. Last night I wrote out all the subjects and what I would be using or wanting to cover for each one. Being a planner by nature I find this fun I hope to have my year 2 booklist and schedule done sometime soon and then I will post it. In the meantime, if you are really wanting to use Charlotte Mason methods and are just intimidated by it all, I found this site – http://www.livingbookscurriculum.com/ – it says “Literature-rich curricula inspired by the work of Charlotte Mason”
Enjoy!
You know that song, You Talk Too Much from the ’50s? I keep getting that tune stuck in my head and inserting the word “think” for “talk”. But I think I may have figured out next year (“YAY!!!!,” says my husband).
Last year I wanted to do Ambleside Online (AO), but didn’t because of fear and not understanding, etc. Now that I have a couple of years of school under my belt it makes more sense to me. After having a year that was planned out for me, I want something that I plan out for myself. As much as I thought I wanted that, I don’t thrive that way. I do much better planning it all myself.
That being said, I will use Ambleside Online’s Year 2 modified just a bit for us. I am so excited that I have this figured out!! You just don’t know how much I have been thinking about it and trying to decide just what I want to do (okay, if you know me IRL then you do know LOL).
So here is how it breaks down:
Bible -
Read through the New Testament in the Narrated Bible
Language Arts -
Narrations and Copywork from readings
Queen Homeschool’s Learning to Spell through Copywork (I may not need this as I am trying to learn how to do spelling the Charlotte Mason way)
Language Lessons for the Very Young (Queen Homeschool)
Notebooking various subjects (History, Geography, Science)
Math -
Horizons Math 2
History -
Ambleside Online
An Island Story***
This Country of Ours***
A Child’s History of the World
The Discovery of New Worlds***
Leif the Lucky by D’Aulaire
Columbus by D’Aulaire
Trial and Triumph
The Little Duke***
Joan of Arc
Book of Centuries
Wall Timeline
Geography -
Paddle to the Sea by Holling
Tree in the Trail by Holling
Seabird by Holling
Uncle Josh’s Outline Maps CD-ROM
Notebook
Science -
Exploring Creation with Zoology 1
Burgess Bird Book ***
Notebook
Foreign Language -
Elementary Spanish on United Streaming ***(GA homeschoolers)
Poetry -
Walter De La Mare***
Eugene Field***
James Whitcomb Riley***
Christina Rossetti***
Literature -
Tales from Shakespeare***
Pilgrim’s Progress***
Parables from Nature***
Understood Betsy***
The Wind in the Willows***
Robin Hood***
Art -
Artistic Pursuits K-3
Picture Study a la Charlotte Mason and AO
Music -
Progressive Recorder Method for Young Beginners Book 1
Music appreciation a la Charlotte Mason and AO
Additional Books for Free Reading -
Heidi***
A Wonder Book***
Tanglewood Tales***
Five Little Peppers and How They Grew***
Hans Christian Andersen***
Pied Piper of Hamlin***
Benjamin Frankiln by D’Aulaire
George Washinton by D’Aulaire
Buffalo Bill by D’Aulaire
Five Children and It***
Little House on the Prairie
Farmer Boy
The Story of Doctor Dolittle***
Mary Poppins
Brighty of the Grand Canyon
Mr. Popper’s Pernguins
Otto of the Silver Hand***
Chanticleer and the Fox
Along Came a Dog
The Door in the Wall
**FREE online***
The other day I was reading Narration – Getting Started over at Higher Up and Further In. I’ve always liked the idea behind narration and how it works. But I have found myself not doing it quite correctly. I will repeat things for fear that she won’t get all the informaiton that she needs to (at 6-years-old – how silly is that?!). So, I came across this in the post I reference earlier:
Don’t read a passage more than once, no matter how badly it has been narrated. It is permissible to ask, e.g., ‘Don’t you remember the bit about the horses?’ If the children say ‘No’ the proper response is: ‘What a pity! Now you will never know that bit. You must listen better next time.’ The children will miss something, but they will have learnt a lesson in concentration.
So on Thursday we were reading The Child’s Story Bible and each chapter (usually) is divided up into 2 sections. I read one section, ask for a narration and then move on to the next section. But I’m usually really bad about repeating or rereading. Not that day. I asked her, “Don’t you remember ________?” and she said, “No.” So I then said, “What a pity. Now you will never know that part. Let’s move on.” She was shocked. And guess what? When we read the next section her narration was pretty complete! She realizedthat I wasn’t going to repeat it and paid close attention to the next section. I was surprised as well. But it worked!
If you want to learn more about narration, you can read some posts on Higher Up & Further In here.
Okay, okay … driving myself nutso here! Last year I wanted to do Ambleside Online(AO) Year 1 with my oldest DD and didn’t. I think becuase I was intimidated or I wasn’t sure how it would work. Now having 1st grade under my belt I see that it would have worked great. So …. Here I am. I really like Charlotte Mason’s (CM) philosophies and Ambleside Online’s lists and Schedules and even better Linda Fay’s lists and schedules. What to do … what to do. I am feeling a little pressure since our state convention is in 3 weeks and I would really like to purchase some things then.
Some things in AO are similar to Linda Fay’s list, and some are different. Overall I like Linda Fay’s lists and schedules better. Really, I need to just sit down and figure it all out. But who has the time? I guess I’ll just have to make the time ….
 | Heather on Yes, I’m still here … |
 | Paige on Yes, I’m still here … |
 | Candace on Beatrix Potter Music Coll… |
| Heather on Beatrix Potter Music Coll… |
| Candace on Beatrix Potter Music Coll… |
