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New to CM, New to Homeschooling
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Hi,
As the title states I am new to Homeschooling and new to CM. Any advice is appreciated greatly. My children are not school age yet but I am researching all that’s available so when the time is right I am ready. I have seen many people that seem to jump from one method to another. Is it not better structure for the children to stay with one method? Or does going from one to the other help them? Like I said new to all this and just trying to understand, not passing judgement on anyone’s methods.
I can only speak to my own experiences. I’ve been homeschooling since my 14 year old was tiny (we knew we wanted to homeschool before she was born). We started out doing mainly unit studies with lots of good books to read as well. Fast forward to 9th grade, with 7 more children and another one due soon. We still enjoy unit studies occasionally but for the last several years have been more CM in our methods. We didn’t start out CM because I simply didn’t know about it. So for us it was a shift that came as we learned more about the possibilities of other methods. (When we started we really only found resources for three methods: unit studies (which you had to come up with on your own), classical (Susan Wise Bauer’s first book on it was available), and textbook (saw companies like Bob Jones and Abeka). Remember, it was also a time when internet was not nearly like today. There were websites, forums were relatively new so there weren’t homeschool forums that I could find, and nobody in my area homeschooled.
Do I think it is best to stick with one method? Yes and no. I think our family uses the principles from one main method to guide our learning journey. That framework gives us our overall methods for education. Within that we can flex to include other things (like the occasional unit study) to meet the needs or interests of a particular child at a particular time.
Thank you, I’m just trying to see what the reasons behind switching are. Being new to Homeschooling and feeling wholeheartedly that it is what will be best for my children I want to understand each method and why people seem to like CM better. I am partial to what I have read about the CM method and think that it will benefit my family and how we already teach and learn things now.
You are lucky that you are able to research and make educated decisions and not be flitting from place to place trying to figure it out while in the trenches. =) That is not an easy place to be.
I firmly think that understanding the philosophy AND methods of a CM education are the best because once you understand them, you are able to tailor a living education to your child that will suit them, stretch them, and spread a wide variety of living ideas that will inspire them to be the best that they can be in every aspect of their lives.
Have you watched this video? It talks about the 5 main styles of homeschooling and helps you to choose what would be suit your style.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrpgDC0Rosc
If, once you have taken this test, and are still interested in a Charlotte Mason living education, then there are several resources we can recommend.
There are the free ebooks from this site which are wonderful introductions to Charlotte Mason. You can download them here:
https://simplycharlottemason.com/store/product-category/product-free-resources/
All of them will give you a great overview of the various components of Charlotte’s thoughts and methods. They are worth the read even if you don’t choose to use her methods. 😉
Here is a list of CM books that I have compiled on my blog that I have read and learned from:
https://mysouldothdelight.wordpress.com/charlotte-mason-resources/history/
I am very thankful for every opportunity to learn from others and their experiences. To find out what worked or didn’t work in certain situations, helps everyone. Thank you for the video and links provided. I am checking them out now 😉 .
The reason some people switch is because they find out that every child is different. Not every child will fit nicely into a certain method. When I first started I had a lot of time to research, and I was convinced that I had found the method/curriculum that I would use all the way through with my children (not CM). It made so much sense to me. I then found CM it made even more sense! The three of mine that I are school age are all very different. I love the ideas of CM, and I use many of them. However, as time goes on I realize that I have to teach the child not the method or curriculum.
My oldest (13) asked to use a textbook this year for history. I was shocked! It seems extremely dry to me. As she gets older she is becoming more of a “just the facts” kid. I have to go with what she finds interesting not me.
My middle daughter and son (11 & 9) are extremely active kids. For years I tried to just read and have them narrate (maybe with a coloring page thrown in). They did fine with that. However, I have learned that they thrive when they can do a hands-on project. I have had to add these on. Now instead of being just ok with history they love it. I used to feel that projects were a waste of time, and struggled with what CM said about such things, but in the end I have to do what works best for the children.
There are other examples of how we have had to change things, sometimes only for a season, but you get the idea. I personally don’t believe there is any one method that works for all children. I used to struggle with this, but now I keep my options open. Just remember to be aware of your child and their needs. Have a method as the backbone for your school, but don’t be afraid to try something new.
I didn’t mean to imply that you can only do CM and nothing else is valid. I was trying to explain that if you want the same results she had, it is very helpful to understand the WHY’s of something she had you do. So much of what we do in a CM school is organic and natural in a variety of subjects which then is used as a building block for the next thing. If you pick and choose without understanding the basis for certain things, you can easily miss a necessary building point.
Once you understand the philosophy and methods, you can adapt a large variety of things to help your child learn. That’s the beauty of methods and philosophy versus a set curriculum that tells you exactly what to say and when. You are teaching a child, so you use what works for them. =)
Thank you all for your insight and help it is really appreciated. Is there a certain website or program that has helped you get the teaching materials needed for a cheaper price? I see a lot of people mentioning Amazon. Is it worth it for a homeschool mom to join the prime membership they offer or to just order as needed?
We have a Prime membership (and love it), but I don’t think it’s needed. We live in a rural area, so we order much more than just books from there.
As far as curriculum, some things are cheaper at Amazon and some things are cheaper at Christian Books or Rainbow Resource. I place several orders from Rainbow Resource each year (they have free shipping at $50) and several from Amazon. I also found quite a few of our history books through Amazon in their used book program.
For used books, I buy from betterworldbooks when they have a sale like 6 for $15, free shipping. We also go to Friends of the Library book sales and Goodwill. We had Prime at one time because of the streaming shows like Netflix. The Prime shipping was a nice bonus. But now I just order as needed, about once a month.
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