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Overwhelmed
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I have one child, a 13-year-old daughter, whom I’ve always homeschooled. She has hated school from the beginning, even though she does pretty well in most subjects. We use mostly Rod and Staff curriculum, with which it seemed she would get a good, basic education with Christian values. However, most of the lessons are sort of dull and hard to retain. Now we are in the middle of her seventh grade year, and school has become a dreaded and meaningless routine. I know we need a change, and I desperately want to give her a fun education that she will look forward to daily. It would be so wonderful to see her deriving pleasure from learning, rather than feeling pressured and frustrated. I’ve always wanted to try the Charlotte Mason approach, but have never been quite clear on how to go about it. I’ve been reading up on the Charlotte Mason method, and am feeling quite overwhelmed with all that needs to be changed about our homeschool. If anyone can give me some simple suggestions on how to change from dry textbooks to a more joyful form of learning, please comment. We live in a rural area with no access to museums but we do have a library that does interlibrary loans, and we have plenty of access to nature. I just really need some concrete guidance. Thank you.
First of all, I want to say what a good mom you are! You are trying to make positive changes for you and your dd.
Second…relax. It will happen, but maybe not all at once. Changing everything at once may very well be overwhelming, so pick a few “subjects” and keep adding new ones. This will be a fluid journey…you will find some books work and others don’t. Don’t be afraid to adjust and realign!
Thirdly, I would highly recommend the seminars by Sonya here @ SCM. She has the most gentle way of guiding you and truly simplifying the whole process.
If you can’t afford that right now or just want to start immediately, this site has some good guidance:
http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~cheps/organized.html
And lastly, don’t compare yourself to others! There may be examples you see online that make you think “I’d never be that good or do that much.” Just re-write those thoughts if they pop up and remind yourself that we are STRIVING for better but we will never be perfect! Just like in our walk with the Lord! Be patient with yourself and your dd. Learn together and learn more about each other.
God will show you how! Be still!
Blessings,
from someone who is still learning and trying to do better herself!
Oh, and I wanted to add some sites with free materials:
http://www.mainlesson.com/main/displayarticle.php?article=feature
http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php
http://oldfashionededucation.com/
http://www.amblesideonline.org/
The last one may be a little overwhelming (still is for me a little), but it’s a great source of information.
My advice is to take a few weeks “off” from regular school. I know you don’t have museums near you, but you can take advantage of what you do have. Perhaps schedule a few nature days where you go hiking or visit a new place – or visit a familar place you enjoy. Maybe you could plan a day trip to a historical place or something just for the two of you to enjoy. Is there a town nearby with some used bookstores and coffee shop? Visit a craft store and pick out a project. You could take a few days to work on the new crafts, listen to some music (composter study!). I’d spend some time with the “fun stuff” of Charlotte Mason – nature, crafts, music – as you think about the transition. Also, perhaps start a read-aloud together of a classic book just for the fun of it. You can ease yourself into narration by talking about the book if you like.
I have a daughter your daughter’s age and one way to engage her in a subject is to read a biography. Sonya has so many books listed on this site that are engaging – I would start right here with book ideas. As you take time off from your schoolwork, you can use the time to research more about the CM method and gather what you need.
I think this is an exciting time for you and your DD, and I hope you feel encouraged, not discouraged about the change.
We began our homeschool journey in a very traditional style. I wouldn’t say it was boring all the time, but it was not very meaningful, ykwim?. When I began learning about the CM approach, (by accident, really) I just started adding in one subject/change at a time. I believe the first thing was the 106 Days Science (your daughter may be a little old for that), then a living book, then shorter lessons, etc. all the while still using the stuff we had. Then I began taking away what we did use and replacing it with the items from SCM or a recommendation from the Curriculum Guide. I did add Copywork pretty early on and used the free copywork from this site. My kids really enjoyed that. My 8yo still does copywork but now I make my own based on his interests. My almost 12 yo does copywork from the Spelling Wisdom (from this site) and has a Book of Mottoes.
I had to start slow and in increments I could digest and then help my kids with the transition. The Curriculum Guide seemed a little overwhelming at first but the more I read (even the discussion forum) the more clearer it all became. When I really sat down and planned out this year I took the CG and just went down the line (for each child) and made choices for each subject, that simplified it for me (they have receommendations so you don’t necessarily ‘think’ it up yourself). Always keeping in mind that we do not have to do every single subject every single day/month/semester. Sonya always reminds us in her dvd’s that is YOUR CM Education, so make it your own.
I must go…I just wanted to encourage you to take it one step or subject at a time and to be patient with yourself and your daughter. BTW, I’m no expert…I’ve just been in your shoes (feeling overwhelmed, looking for a change, needing to make hsing more meaningful, etc.).
That should have said (they have recommendations so you don’t have to ‘think’ it up yourself). I just wanted to clarify that you do not have to go by the CG verbatim. They are all suggestions. I do use MANY of the suggestions, but just not every single one.
Hi and welcome! We are new to this as well. We came from a cm/classical style boxed curriculum so I kind of had an idea of what we were getting into before we made the plunge. These are my simple recommendations, continue your research a bit at the time. It took me 2 months of research before I made any changes, then I was so excited when it clicked, I jumped in with both feet! Continue with your language arts and math for now if that is working well. You can easily switch your science to living books (we are enjoying My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George right now), and you will be amazed at what real science you can learn with that approach. My kids are enjoying it so much they don’t even realize that they are learning! We are doing Truthquest History. You can check it out at http://www.truthquesthistory.com. Truthquest Guides are inexpensive and go all the way through highschool using the living books approach. You can check out the SCM free curriculum guide for other suggestion and check out the sample weekly/ daily schedules for guidance. Those things and this board have helped us make this transition seemlessly. Hope this helps!
Heather
This little series on Making the Transition might give you some ideas for going step by step. And don’t worry, any new thing is overwhelming at first. Take it a little at a time and relax. You’re already miles ahead by focusing on teaching the child, not just teaching the curriculum. You’ll do fine!
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