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To AO or not to AO?
- This topic has 8 replies, 7 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 7 months ago by
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I’ve been looking at their schedule and seeing all the great books scheduled (y1 & y2). What I don’t like is separating everyone…I can’t even imagine that with 4dc. I am wondering if I can incorporate their scheduled books somehow. For example, we are planning TQ AHYSI in another year but would it be doable to read Our Island Story now? Or even 50 Famous Stories? I don’t want a huge mish-mash with their understanding of the big picture. I don’t think that would happen but thought to ask.
And Paddle to the Sea sounds great too. Is there a certain order to the Holling books?
How do you pull some pieces of AO scheduled books into your own schedule? Do their book selections for all subjects follow their history rotation? So if we are covering American versus AO Ancients, could I still look at their Geography or Lit selections as being neutral to specific history?
Any insight appreciated.
i dont really have an answer for you, but unless someone here is doing that blending you might consider asking on their forum at least the specific questions pertaining to their geography and lit selections being specific or neutral to the history.
once upon a time before SCM existed , we made several attempts with AO and found it very daunting to keep up with as well as not liking many of the book selections. please , i mean no ill towards them , they are providing a great service to many.
Any curriculum should be our servant and not our master. as many times as I have heard that it makes me ask why i choose using a curriculum. well in a nutshell , having a general direction keeps me on course, but it must allow me to individualize for our family dynamics, the given child, etc.etc. if i find myself percentage why tweaking more of the proposed curr. than not, i jump ship. But SCM , affords me all the above, Biblical, CM, direction/structure and freedom. so for me if its a matter of just wanting to add more books not substituting , i am ok with that. In otherwords , for me if it ain’ t broke , dont fix it..
one other thing i dislike with AO, If you jump on board below the yr of your childs grade level, the books are geared for younger ages. for instance, if i chose yr 2 and my child is in grade 4 , because i wanted to begin at that history period , my childs book selections would be way too young for him .
i do like that SCM offers all grade levels, no matter where you may jump in on the history rotation.
HTH
kk
I’ve looked at AO, but haven’t pursued it because keeping all my children ‘on the same page’ is a priority to me and it doesn’t look as if it lends itself to that.
Also, I just wanted to mention that we listened to Our Island Story on Librivox and enjoyed that very much — in case you’d like that option.
I use AO – I am using it with 3 kids, with a 4yo. I don’t combine kids for various reasons. My oldest 2 have dyslexia, so we use audiobooks when possible, and I read the other stuff. My year 1 student is reading a few of her books on her own. If my oldest 2 didn’t have dyslexia they would read many of their own and it would be easier. I have to admit that this year we are not getting 1 week done in 1 week – but without the dyslexia we would be. My older kids like remembering their ear work when overhearing a chapter or a narration.
If you wanted to combine kids, I’d use AO more as a list of possible resources in making your own program using ‘Planning your CM education’
The Holling books do get harder – the order that AO does them is good.
Not all the AO lit books are linked to the ghistory timeframe. They are marked on the list or the free reads….
Personally, AO has been an addition or compliment to our schooling w/ SCM, not the whole curriculum. I love checking out the free reads and history reads on AO, then deciding if any are good to add our our schedule as a read aloud or independent, assigned book. In my opinion, following AO by itself as my whole curriculum was just too rigorous.
I do love how AO’s book recommendations are notated whether they are free Kindle downloads, on Amazon, etc. This has been wonderful for us to find free living books to download to our children’s Kindles.
I won’t use AO entirely, but I think it is a wonderful way to supplement if you feel you need more from your current program, and it’s a great place to find replacements for books you may not be enjoying.
I use AO exactly as Lindsey describes above. Works well and I love the fact that leaning on AO a little gives me more meat/options given that my kids are book-loving-crazies.
Thank you. I was tweaking it in my mind already and then read your posts about it being a resource…great idea! I’ve used it as a resource but started reading some CM Classical blogs and it sounded attractive again. I really couldn’t imagine my day if we did it full on.
A nice take away from this weekend’s SCM conference in Louisiana was the idea that Charlotte Mason provided a framework and a philosophy with methods for implementing it. She did not provide a specific or set mandate to use certain books. This idea is freeing. I adhere to the philosophy. I use the methods exclusively. I choose all my own books from anywhere and anyone I want to. Technically speaking the word “curriculum” means: the subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college. It’s just a list of subjects. Not the materials, or in our case books, used. I have to teach the chlld in front of me so regardless of what I’ve planned or chosen, it may not work out. And that is perfectly ok because what is more important is the relationship with the child and the security of the child’s emotions, soul, character, etc. Thinking of AO, HUFI, SCM, etc. in this way is helpful to me too. I aim to focus most of my energy implementing the methods of Charlotte Mason with the idividual child in front of me and much much less on the scheduling and materials I use. (meaning which good living book, not meaning who cares what books twaddle welcome) Just my thoughts this morning.
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