"I am, I can, I ought, I will." ~ Charlotte Mason, A Generous Curriculum

25 May 2010
Well, we are almost ending our school year, our first homeschool year-that is. Boy how I have enjoyed the kids being home and learning together. Of course we have had our ups and downs through this year, but nothing I wouldn't change; except the curriculum. LOL!!

I love A Beka books because finally, we were able to read about Christ in our textbooks...some of the reason to our decision to homeschool. Also, it was laid out for me, planning and all... It really helped me to become more organized and helped me decide in which direction to go to next. It also helped me to understand more of how my children 'like' to learn...it's not so cookie-cutter, for example, as with public school; hence homeschooling works for us.

I am so excited about learning, I think we are going to start during the summer and just go with the flow. Another homeschool mom, during a chat discussion, mentioned that she was glad to see another Charlotte Mason 'HSmom' because usually 'in the 'military community' you usually see traditional methods or something more like K12. So far this year, I have realized that no two homeschool curriculum/families are alike; unless of course you do use a traditional method--which are perfectly fine and I have used this method this year.

I like the Classical aproach too, but I am a little apprehensive with all the material. I still want to be Christ-centered with our core. I did buy some A Beka book readers for my 4th grader, still will use A Beka Bible for my 7th grader too, plus A Beka Spanish 1 for him also. The spelling, math, history, english are from different materials other than A Beka- that I have researched and would like to try.

Our spelling is Spelling Power, so that should last us forever! Our devotional is from Doorposts; again last forever! Lots of my materials to add-on will be from my year as a TOS Crew Member....I am so thankful and grateful for that opportunity as well...I tell my DH (dear husband) that my case of CDs is my handy-dandy notebook!! You didn't know an adult could have one too?? HA HA HA. Well this one does.

Our history is so AWESOME!! Ancient Civilizations & the Bible family pack written by Diana Waring for Answers in Genesis. I can't WAIT!! :)

Learning should be FUN and not boring textbook...but you say "You have tons of books listed for your curriculum..." Yes I do, but the difference is in the way you present the material to the children.

Here is our curriculum, but still waitng on our English & 7th graders Math~ definitely but not limited to only what is in the photos.





Some of my favorite CM sites are these:

1. Scripture Memory System ~ I will implement this system once the PX gets in some index card boxes. Seriously, I have been waiting over a month now... (that's another story) *And yes I should just buy off-post, but oh well. Germany is fun, but buying a 5 Euro or 8 USD plastic box, isn't my idea of being frugal.

2. Free resources and e-books from Simply Charlotte Mason

3. Ambleside Online, of course.

4. The Original Homeschooling Series, by Charlotte Mason on-line

5. Living Books Curriculum, get the free get acquainted sample pack!! It's awesome. I will be using their Nature Journal for nature study.

Here are my guidlines for next year:
a. 7th grade curriculum book list
b. 4th grade curriculum book list


6. An Old-Fashion Education, awesome links on this site.

7. Music Appreciation Curriculum by Charlotte Mason Help

8. Picture Study by Charlotte Mason Help *Hint: buy at art calendar for art prints or go to the library and check out famous art print books.

9. What Drew Me to a Charlotte Mason Education , article by Karen Andreola

10. A Charlotte Mason Education , on the www.thehomeschoolmom.com website, a description of the Charlotte Mason method

11. A Charlotte Mason Homechool ~ a great free audio interview with Diana Waring interviewing Catherine Levison.

12. Education Is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life....a free e-book by by Sonya Shafer


My previous post on Course of Study for SY 2010-2011 can be read here.

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11 comments:

Richele McFarlin said...

I am a Charlotte Mason addict! Your curriculum looks amazing! I will be spending a good amount of time going through your blog! :)

Unknown said...

Thank you Richele!! I will stop by to 'see' you!! If you are an "CM addict" -- I need a mentor!! :) LOL!! Thanks for stopping by.

Unknown said...

oh, you probably saw I already have you in my resources!! ;)

Sam said...

Why Spelling Power over All About Spelling? I just returned SP in favor of AAS. Our curriculum choices look similar,and I have a recent post that looks just like yours!
http://samkelley97.blogspot.com/2010/05/curriculum-2010-2011.html

Unknown said...

Hello Samantha!!

Well, I haven't used Spelling Power officially yet...but the reason I want SP over AAS is because of the time... This year we used Abeka spelling and for my 3rd grader he had 23-25 words per week and my 6th--anywhere from 30-50 words per week. It was a bit much per week--to say the least.

I like (with SP) that it is multi-level curriculum and I can use this throughout the years at 15 mins or so for spelling... I think I will look at AAS again though. I only reviewed AAS--but did not use it as the core for Spelling. I have level one and two.

I will probably use AAS with my younger two though...in fact I have been using it with my pre-k (he is almost 4)...the CD and the flashcards.

Thanks for stopping by and I will sure visit your blog too!! Thanks!

kewkew said...

Loved seeing the Answers Magazine in your curriculum. I love Answers in Genesis.
Charlotte Mason is one "approach" I am looking into. At least for using some of the ideas. My friend at church told me about Ambleside Online. Hopefully I will have some time to take a closer look at the links.

Unknown said...

Thanks Kewkew!! I love AiG just as much as my boys do!! I went on their website to catch some sales...I ordered almost all previous issues!! Well, hope you find the curriculum that works for you guys! :) Have a wonderful summer! WE officially started today.

Kelly said...

Loved this post. We lean more classical then CM, but they are very similar. Have you read The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise? If not you may want to - you can pick it up at the library or read it at Barnes and Noble. I have been modifying their base to make our curriculum. it looks like a lot until you jump in and do it. I think some of their resources aren't as Biblically based as I would like, so I've made some adjustments. I've started a series of posts on my blog to talk about how we do classical. We also use Spelling Power so that all children could be using it at the same time. It is wonderful and also can be helpful for all learning styles with their activities to help with words that they get wrong. It only take a few minutes each lesson so that's another plus in my book. Well this is a long post so I'll stop rambling.

Unknown said...

Thank you Kelly for your comment! :) Yes, I did go out and buy the book, The Well-Trained Mind. I LOVE THAT BOOK!! It is so awesome! I do like the classical for sure, but I really feel CM is our way...we shall see! LOL!

Thanks for commenting on Spelling Power. I am excited to using this for all my boys...I hope that we are all successful using it...

I will check out your blog, Thank you so much for stopping by! ;0)

Jessica

Jennifer said...

I read one post then another and ended up at this older but still relevant one. I'm enjoying reading your blog.

Unknown said...

Thank you Ms. Jennifer. I haven't been frequent with my postings, but trying to get there! Thank you for visiting. :)

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts!! Come back soon! Sincerely, Jessica

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