Is or Can CM be taught online?

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  • 4my4kids
    Participant

    So I love CM methods of teaching my kids. With more and more children arriving it has become more stressful to recognize and cover everything for their specific grade/year. My question to you all is:  do any of you know of a place online that is taught like an online school but uses some or all Charlotte Mason methods?

    If no one knows of an online school like that, what are some things do you think that I could create for myself online that would be CM style and that I could have in my personal library via computer for my children?

    Basically if  there is not an option online already (which I Really hope there Is) I’m looking for ways that I could record via audio or video that I could then use for my other children as they reach that age/grade.

    Any advice or options would be greatly appreciated!

    greenebalts
    Participant

    I’m not sure exactly how to answer, but I’ll give it a shot. It may be helpful to know the ages of your kiddos. Maybe you could also give an explanation of skills or knowledge your hoping to gain that’s similar to an “online school”.

    If you’re looking for CM-like schedules, you may consider…

    Ambleside Online – http://www.amblesideonline.org/index.shtml

    An Old Fashioned Education – http://oldfashionededucation.com/index.html

    Charlotte Mason Help – http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/

    If you’re looking for free online living books, you might consider clicking around for links on any of the above sites or…

    Project Gutenberg – http://www.gutenberg.org/

    The Baldwin Project – http://www.mainlesson.com/main/displayarticle.php?article=feature

    Easy Peasy All In One Homeschool offers online lessons directed at the student….

    http://allinonehomeschool.com/

    I’m not sure if there are actual CM Online Schools. I think this may be hard to achieve because it’s more of a method than a curriculum. Maybe someone else will chime in with more knowledge.

    Blessings,
    Melissa
    http://reflectionsfromdrywoodcreek.blogspot.com/

    jmac17
    Participant

    I don’t think there will be a full CM program available online.  I’m not sure how it would be done.  Perhaps a set up similar to EasyPeasy, but with links to ebook chapters to read and narrate, passages for copywork, pictures to study and discuss, music to listen to, and so on.  I  think it would lose a lot of the quality and beauty of a CM education, though.

    Is it simply the independence that you are looking for?  I don’t know that an online program would be any more independent than simply having a good checklist for students to be able to know what to do next.  There is still much that you would be doing as a family, but a checklist can help streamline the independent activities.  Perhaps you could set up links to activities in the SCM Planner or other online planner that your children could use to access online materials.  I don’t use it, so someone correct me if that wouldn’t work.

    We do use various online or computer based tools, so here are some ideas.  For the audio content you are looking for, I use Librivox for free audiobooks quite a bit.  Audible is another source of audiobooks, but they are not free.

    My kids do much of their narrating on kidblog.org  or simply on a word processor.  It enables them to do written narrations without the challenge of physical writing, so that they actually will choose to do written narrations more than oral, even though they are young (7yo and 9yo.)

    We use http://classicalcomposersmonthly.com/  as a good source for artist and composer study.  It’s fairly ‘open and go’ that way.  I display the pictures on our TV screen so everyone can see easily.

    We use Duolingo for Spanish (I use Rosetta Stone for myself as well, but it isn’t as user friendly for young kids.)

    We use many ebooks (from BaldwinProject and Heritage History, and other sources.)

    I know there are several online math options.

    Interesting question.  I hope you find something that will work for you.

    Joanne

    missceegee
    Participant

    You might also look at Gateway to the Classics by Yesterday’s Classics. It may help with living books at a good price, scheduled and online for you.

    RobinP
    Participant

    And many of the Gateway to the Classics titles can be listened to as audio books there.

    4my4kids
    Participant

    Thank you all for your advice.

    Bramble
    Participant

    Hi, I don’t know of an online school. How old are your children?  I have six, ages 3-13, so I thought maybe I could share what has helped me.  My three oldest are 9, 11, and 13.  They are nearly completely independent.  The only subjects we currently do as a family are a lit read aloud, Bible, hymns, picture and music studies.  The older ones check in with me, narrating, and proving they have completed their work.  This is what keeps me sane right now.  If you have all young children, it has to be more involved and you have to choose your priorities.  Honestly, I would concentrate on the 3Rs and enjoy books together. 🙂

    Karen
    Participant

    I want these next words to be an encouragement, not criticism.  Please understand I’m not criticizing.  I’ve waited so long to post on this thread because I wanted to try to say what I’m thinking so that it comes across as a hug and not squeeze.

    One of the main foundations of the CM educational philosophy is that education is the science of relations.  I’m wondering if perhaps you’d be better served by searching the forum archives and the SCM blog for the “simple” posts.  My concern is that by “farming out” the educating to the computer, you might miss the aspect of relationship with your children.  And, because of the impersonal nature of a computer, your children might miss the relationship with authors, scientists, etc. that would be formed by a family time of reading aloud or something along that line.

    So, by being overwhelmed, perhaps you’re in a position to simplify – or to cover less but cover it more in-depth or over a longer period of time.

    As an example, I teach a teenage Sunday School class.  I’m reading aloud to them a biography (one of the Benge series).  Here’s the thing: I only have about 10 minutes to read to them each class time…..and I only teach on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Sundays of the month!  So, they only hear (in a good month) 20-30 minutes of the book — that’s maybe 6 pages.  Per month!

    What has struck me is that the class remembers where we left off, and they can remember what’s going on!!!

    So, perhaps you can cut back whatever is stressing you to do that subject less per week…..or fewer minutes each day…..or however it would work best for your situation.

    Just a thought — because the relationships are one thing that I think is so fabulous about homeschooling– relationships between parents and children, between siblings, and between children and what they’re learning.

    Best wishes!

    Jen
    Participant

    Hi! I definitely understand your challenge. We have 8 children ages almost 14 -almost 3 and I have struggled with chronic health issues for all of their school age lives. A big heartache is not being able to implement all of CM’s wonderful, rich ideas.

    I wrote a few blog posts about things that I have found helpful in still aiming for a CM style education, while also working through Real Life challenges (Lots of audio, video and computer resources) :

    http://www.benotweary.net/search/label/How%20to%20Homeschool%20When%20You%20Can%27t%20Get%20Off%20the%20Couch%20Series

    The Lord is faithful! Put your needs before Him and He will provide. I’m learning that although I have had to let go of a lot of my best laid lesson plans, the Lord has a bigger plan for our family that will be even better. 🙂

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