Hi!

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  • May 3, 2014 at 9:15 pm
    TNmama2
    Participant

    I am new to CM and will be starting Year 1 with my 6 year old….we have been schooling K and she already reads well. I am confused with all the different CM help sites…..SCM seems to be what will work for our family, AO and CMHelp seem to be more involved, am I right? And I don’t see on either site how to work the Personal Development?Character Training into the schedules…..I just need HELP!! Where do I start? Thanks!!

    May 4, 2014 at 5:57 pm
    pangit
    Participant

    Hi and Welcome!

    I have 2 girls that we are homeschooling.  They are 8 and 10.  It was such a blessing to me when I found the SCM website.  When I found it I was very discouraged (had just finished K with my oldest through a home charter school)  and trying to find anything, wether homeschool or some sort of private school, that would be a fit for my DD.  SCM was a breath of fresh air to me.

    Have you looked at SCM’s book “Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education”?  It is a great help in figuring out what you want to do for each child, subject and year.   If not, I’d recommend looking at it.

    As for character development, it can be done different ways.  We don’t spend a huge amount of time in a “class” for that.  It is just a part of life.  There are lots of good books with good character stories, the Miller’s books, Little Britches, etc.  Laying Down the Rails goes through different character traits and has different stories, poems, activities recommended for the different character traits.

    My biggest word of advice – don’t feel like you have to do everything.  Your child is only 6 and needs to be able to just be 6.  I often wish that I could go back and eliminate a lot of what we did.  They need to just play, create, and experience.

    I hope you find this site and forum a blessing to you and your family!

    May 4, 2014 at 6:28 pm
    TNmama2
    Participant

    Thanks! We also daily character train, as it truly is part of life. I just noticed on the other sites that it was on the schedules with recommended books. We would have a “class” but I have a hard time putting a name with character issues to determine how best to handle them : ) I try to maintain a budget for each year’s expenses so I am trying to determine which “teacher” sort of books are essential besides the bible for SCM. LDTR and LDTR for C, the planning book, etc…..

    I definitely learned this year doing K, that I don’t have to do everything and know what it really important and what is not. My dtr also needs to be able to “just be”.

    My husband and I both went to public school so we are battling the tendency to make sure she “gets enough”, you know?

    I have learned a ton this past year and we have also grown closer to God and realize that ultimately He is the most important and teaching our kids about Him comes before “academics”, so you can imagine what a relief it was to find Charlotte Mason : )

     

    Thanks for your help!

    May 4, 2014 at 9:01 pm
    Wings2fly
    Participant

    Welcome! I wish I had realized back in k how much more important good habits and character training are to academics. My oldest is finishing up grade 4. Have you seen the free curriculum guide here? It has been updated, but some of us still follow the old guide and it has a nice overall layout. http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/curriculum-guide/old-scmguide/

    For your days: http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/sample-schedules/daily/

    Start a good morning routine now. We are struggling in this area. I agree with language, less is more. They need time to play and create.

    Blessings.

    May 4, 2014 at 9:22 pm
    TNmama2
    Participant

    Thanks wings2fly! I went back (after I prayed about it) and looked at everything and I am seeing what my daughter will like and not like…..the only confusion I have now is if you go through the curriculum guide the new one suggests LDTR and the old one suggests totally dfferent books for each module?! I have a biblical character trait program that we already use, I was just looking for more of the “habits” and a book to help define and re-enforce them for myself and my family….I guess I am just having a hard time deciding especially since even within SCM they seem to change, were the old guides used before LDTR was published? I know I am going to get the Hearing and Reading, Telling and Writing book, language arts confused me BEFORE I found CM : )

    Thanks again for the insight~

    May 4, 2014 at 9:23 pm
    TNmama2
    Participant

    to clarify, I was hopefully obviously talking about personal development  🙂

     

    May 4, 2014 at 10:41 pm
    erin.kate
    Participant

    My most favorite home schooling resource is Laying Down the Rails for Children. I would HIGHLY recommend buying Laying Down the Rails and the two companion books. Truly, if your children are raised from these early years with Christ and good habits you will be so encouraged along the way as you progress on your home schooling journey. My children are 10, 8, 6, and 5. We choose one habit to work on every nine weeks. Twice a week I use 2-4 of the lessons on that habit in the respective companion guide. There is Scripture, poetry, snippets of stories … such good stuff! I’ve been reading Charlotte’s Volume 5 in a local discussion group and I would also encourage you to read that on your own to help guide the paths of good moral and behavioral habits, next to Scripture, of course.

    May 5, 2014 at 4:29 am
    Wings2fly
    Participant

    Yes, the other books were used before LDTR4C was published, last year. So I have been going by the older guide for a few years. The Miller books are not to be missed. They could be done one day per week, and still have time for LDTR. My kids look forward to these stories. Wisdom and the Millers, Prudence and the Millers, etc. Christian Light Publications carries these Mennonite based character development stories.

    My last line where I said I agree with language was supposed to say pangit, but the autocorrect changed it and I did not catch it. But I do have the Hearing and Telling, Reading and Writing book and it is good.

    For personal development, I really use a mixture to suit what areas we need the most work in at the time. I should focus for 9 weeks like Erin.Kate, but we do not go that long. Teach the child, not the curriculum.

    May 5, 2014 at 12:46 pm
    psreitmom
    Participant

    Welcome, TNmama2! I just want to say that I really appreciate this thread. It is so encouraging to hear others say that Bible and character training come before academics. I am homeschooling our youngest, our almost 11yo dd. She was adopted (severely neglected within her first 18 months of life), has mild CP, has dyslexia, and some processing and language expression difficulties. She is intelligent in many ways, but some of the academics just come very hard for her. Even without all of these issues, I have realized how much more important it is to train our children to be all that God wants them be in their personal lives before anything else. Not just as another curriculum and more knowledge, but because we want them to have a heart that truly loves the Lord and wants to live in obedience to His Word. I wish I would have focused on these areas more when our three older dc were homeschooled. They all love the Lord and desire to serve Him, but I know they missed out on some Bible and character development that I have been incorporating more into dd10’s ‘school’ day and into life in general. Doing academics has it’s place. But, if we don’t reach their hearts with God’s Word, we have missed the most important part of their lives.   

    May 7, 2014 at 11:50 am
    TNmama2
    Participant

    Thanks! Psreitmom….I totally agree!

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