Questions about curriculums

I’m not familar w/CMH, but have heard good things.  To keep things simple, I agree that you’re probably better off here at SCM than w/AO…AO stressed me a bit:)  As far as combining, my kids are also 3 yrs. apart.  I choose to keep them together in history, so I just pulled my youngest in where my oldest was…and then he’ll just keep going a few years after she’s done.   For Science, if you’d like to do the 106 Days, I’d probably wait until you could do it together and just read some good living books on Science for now with your oldest…maybe Christian Liberty Nature Readers or Parables of Nature (if not too challenging) or something…and go on nature walks w/both kids. 

I’m not sure what you mean about mastery, completing ‘x’ things.  But the CM way involves guiding children w/living books, great thoughts, etc. where they can make connections on their own and narrate them back.  It’s not about learning a bunch of facts to regurgitate (and forget later…as I did with most of my schooling!)  But making a connection with characters, ideas, etc. that make an impression that sticks with them.  A CM exam would entail asking kids about what they DO know….not catching them in what they DON”T know.  The world is full of more than we can ever learn….we just need to try to guide them so they’ll hopefuly be life-long learners. I hope that all helps some:)  Blessings, Gina

You should try to word it in a different way when asking for a narration. I never say what do you know or what happened. Instead, say something like what was your favorite part of that story. My daughter is 10 and doesn’t know what the word narration means. Instead I ask something like what was Cleopatra’s life like. You could also have her draw pictures of her favorite part or act out part of the story with dolls or puppets. This worked for us. My daughter’s favorite answer use to be I don’t know too!

The skill of narration does take time and effort to develop.  Your dd is still young, I wouldn’t worry about it yet.  I didn’t do full CM until more recently….but CM said not to worry about  formal school until 6….so for now you could just enjoy your books together.  Then when around 6 start asking for narrations on short passages…Aesop’s fables are a great place to start.  Then gradually increase the amount you read before asking for a narration.  I’m comfortable as along as my kids are moving along in their skills (math, learning to read, handwriting). All the other stuff is gravy, I think, in the early years. 

That said, I have become concerned when a child still can’t remember something like 1776!  But I don’t want to drill it away and steal enjoyment from the stories.  So, what I’ve recently done is adapted SCM’s Scripture Memory System (awesome!) and added in some history and science facts that I think are pertinent to know as an adult.  With the system, they study a passage/poem/fact daily.  When know it well, every other day, then weekly, then monthly.  I use different colored notecards for ea. subject.  It may sound complicated, but really simple once you get going!  Anyway, this has taken away my stress of worrying whether they’re remembering facts…but confining memory work to 10-15min. a day and then just enjoying/narrating our books.  Hope that made sense and was helpful:)  Gina

P.S. Oh, and if you get a lot of “I wasn’t listening” or “I don’t know” (if passage is age appropriate), I’d work on the habit of attention.  I tell my kids (older) that they’ll have to read on their own later if they’re not paying attention and wasting my time:)

btw – my son was the type that if his Dad asked him “So what happened today?” – and a Circus parade had gone down our street with a giant orange elephant and 3 lions that got loose in our yard that a fire truck had to come on our lawn to help catch them….  he would say “nothing”.   (of course none of that ever happened…. but you get the idea)

It has taken some time – but now that he is 8, he can give an “ok” narration – brief still – but ok.

I have found that he HAS to draw pictures – apparently to get the information in his head – or at the very least for him to be able to get it out of his mouth.  I really discovered this with his Cub work.  He would work on a badge, know it all – get to the badge tester – and it would be like he had never done it.  He couldn’t remember a thing.   But have him draw a picture of what he is doing – and take it with him – and he apparently has no problem discussing it.  (I’m now looking at a few requirements he did back in November, for badges he hasn’t tested yet – figuring out what we need to go over and draw.)

So yes – I know what it is like for a child to say “I don’t know” when you ask – and also when that happens with someone else testing them….

Oh and I agree – no official narrations until they are 6 – and then expect it to take a while to develop.  Some kids narrate naturally (like CM said) – but some really don’t.

Hi and welcome BetsyR. Sounds like you are hoping to ‘reprogram’ yourself from the get-in-all-done-cram-it-all-in mentality. I would HIGHLY recommend reading the Early Years book published by SCM. (Link to the bookshop here http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/early-years-charlotte-mason-preschool-handbook/) It is an organized, annoted compilation of all of CM’s thoughts on educating young children – applicable from preschool-early elementary years. When I read it I was trying to push my dd (4.5 at the time) to read and we were both beating our heads against the wall in frustration. Reading this book was like a breath of fresh air and gave me the permission I needed to relax and take things at a slow and steady pace. I had read some about CM philosophy before this, but this was the book that totally sold me on it. This same dd is 6.5 now and doing really well academically – the further we go the more I am sold on a slow and steady pace and short, focused lessons. Another little gem that I took away from reading the book “When Children Love to Learn” (CM philosophy applied to the modern school-room, but with lots of applications for home educators as well) is: ‘The goal of a first grade classroom is to whet appetites so students will grow to love books and desire to feed themselves.’ My dd is still developing the skill of narration (it takes time!) and sometimes I am tempted to get frustrated when she doesn’t remember as much as I think she should. But then I remember that these early years are MORE about developing a love of learning than for mastering all of history or science or whatever. This has helped me to relax when she doesn’t remember all of the details of something we’ve read – my goal right now is NOT mastery, but of developing a love of learning. The rest will come in time as she continues to grow as a narrator and we continue to read together – we still have another 11 years before she’ll be done with high school anyhow. =)

HTH some!

Blessings,

Jen