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Ideas for a light intro to CM for summer work
- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 7 months ago by
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Due to several different factors, i have had to pull my 6 year old (almost 7) and 8 year old out of PS before the end of the year. Their school has already promoted to the next grade, so they are in 2nd and 3rd grade. We will begin HS for the first time this fall. Our lives are very full and we will be moving this summer. I need to keep them busy and at the same time would like to introduce them to some of the CM things we will be doing during the school year.
I would appreciate any and all answers as to what I could introduce this summer. I am in the process of reading CM’s Series and any other info I can get my hands on.
Thank you for your time!
Welcome!! How exciting that you are going to H’school!
Here are some links I found on the blog that might be helpful
Main Link: You can find really great Free E-books here that are VERY helpful with learning the CM method as well as some other great stuff.
HTHS
I think, in order to start them off with some really relaxing and fun summer type CM learning, focus on nature study, listening to classical music from a favorite composer (do this mostly as background music for “ambiance” for some relaxing summer naps or while gardening etc.) and pick a couple of wonderful children’s classics to read together in the evenings. If you are to busy to read yourself you can get something in an audiobook format and listen together while you work on supper cleanup or packing and the kids are snuggled up in their p.j.’s before bed. Don’t even tell them that it is “school”. Just have fun with it and it will be a great intro!
HTH,
Miranda
Don’t forget, their minds and bodies have been “trained” to follow the routine, habits, and way of thinking/learning that the public school implements. They will need some time to break loose from that training, called de-schooling. Summer vacation really doesn’t function as de-schooling. Why? Well, for a couple of years now, they have been well aware of the fact that Summer has a different routine, and when September (late August?) rolls around, we step into the “school” mode.
In the Fall, their minds will have to get used to what it means to be learning at home vs. the school routine. It is generally recommended to allow 1 month per year they have been in public school for de-schooling. (K/1st grade = 2 months; K/1st grade/2nd grade = 3 months.) It doesn’t mean you will spend Sept. through Nov. in free play time, but I would continue the gentle read-aloud times, nature study, listening to music, occasional zoo & museum trips during that time. You can simply tell them that you will add in more schoolwork shortly. Prepare them for the schedule you wish to follow just a bit before you start, and each year we usually add in a subject or two a day over the initial week or so until we are up to full schedule capacity.
Don’t worry about them “falling behind” because you take time to de-school. They will still be learning things, and you’ll be surprised how much they have accomplished by the end of next school year. After awhile, they’ll probably end up “ahead” of their public school counterparts in some areas.
Sue
I have to agree with the advice given above – read aloud! Find some great books and read them together – bedtime is my favorite time but also a reading outdoors followed by playtime or a walk – or nature study time. Nature study – this can be very relaxed, just enjoying nature and maybe making a note or two, keeping a list of birds you see, maybe taking some pictures or samples or drawings of plants and flowers from your current home to compare to those at your new home. Look at the Handbook of Nature Study blog for ideas if you need something more.
One other thing you may like to do during the summer is start a Book of Centuries or timeline. Just make the entries yourself, like those related to your read aloud, or a movie you watch, or a painting you look at, or a composer you listen to – let the kids see you making the entries and show them the timeline and how the entries relate to it – add some family history if you know any to your timeline. If they show an interest in making an entry or ask you to make one for something they notice – be enthusiastic.
Your kids will never suspect that they are establishing the core of your learning program as you all play, read together and enjoy the outdoors! Enjoy your busy summer, and I hope you have a great school year.
Thank you ALL for your responses. I appreciate the ideas and will use them! 🙂 Simple, yet CM and easy to pull off with a busy schedule.
Sue – do you have any articles, etc on deschooling? I have read about it on here a couple times, but haven’t seen it anywhere else. It is really intriguing and I like the idea, and could see how it would be very beneficial. From that stance, do you think it is unwise to do any of the items mentioned in this thread? Trying to get a feel for how deschooling actually looks! Thanks!
The whole point of deschooling is relieve your child’s mind, emotions, stress, etc. that have become a “second nature” association with school and learning that your child may have. How do you relieve your stress? Don’t you ever wish that everyone would leave you alone for awhile? When you get that chance, don’t you find yourself ready and or prepared for life again? Very similiar…
http://www.homeschooloasis.com/art_deschooling_tips.htm
This was a good article. I let my girls “veg” for several months with no stress and no academics. I couldn’t believe that people said to do this, but I tried it and it was amazing. After a while my 11dd started reading and askig questions. Then she was excited to poke around the backyard, beyond the toys. Pretty soon, we were doing all kinds of things, like field trips etc. And everyone was liking each other again… =) (They were also transitioning their diets through out all this to gluten/wheat/dairy/yeast free so that helped me, as chief cook and recipe hunter…)
We started school 2 weeks after our PS, and were still somewhat structured with textbooks. It wasn’t a month before everyone was sighing about school. Then I found this site and CM. We transitioned everything I could, and bought my new resources. After a months break, we started completely CM. HUGE HUGE difference. We love it.
Not knowing the reasons for your decision to homeschool makes it hard to give hard advise to not try this mentioned stuff, but since it is the fun part of education, you can add it in gradually as fun day trips or whatever and they won’t even feel like it is school. If I was doing de-schooling now, I would let it be a “natural” thing to share, but I would not ask for narrations or anything else “schooly”. I’d just let them enjoy it. Then when you officially start your HS year, you can gently start demonstrating a narration and asking them for one. The
Please do not think that the art, music, nature study, and literature etc should wait until you have all the basics covered. Those are the easiest to implement and really help the kids to realize that homeschool IS different and FUN! Math and science can be lead into gently using the “fun” stuff. =)
BTW, if you are super busy but want to add literature in during your deschooling time, Librivox is a great place to get wonderful free audio books to listen to. I downloaded the books and burned them on CD so I can take the books with us. I have my kids listen while we do dishes, est lunch, draw, etc… We are listening to the Burgess Book of Animals and Heidi. My oldest never wants to stop! I LOVE it because I can listen and get other things done at the same time. =) Of course, once you start “formal” HS, keep on listening. It’s a good thing!
We did a series of articles a while back on Making the Transition to CM that might also give you some helpful ideas. Most of the information in those articles is also included in our free Getting Started in Homeschooling book.
Jordana, I was going to weigh in on the question of articles about “deschooling,” but I’ve been unusually busy this week. However, I have read the article linked to in sheraz’s post, and it explains things pretty well.
If you’d like more specific info as to the “why” of deschooling, let me know and I will look for further articles this weekend.
Sue
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