Wanting to move back to more CM methods for HS and away from classical

Hi Julie,

I have no experience with MFW or the classical method, but just wanted to encourage you in this decision your family has made.  Have you looked at the Free Curriculum Guide here on this site to start making some decisions on what your dd would like to study for next year? Does your state have certain requirements? And, have you looked at Charlotte Mason Help (website)?  There are some great HS suggestions from that site and of course if you search High School on this forum, I’m sure you’ll find some great discussions.

We are just starting HS next in the Fall with a ds and I’m a bit nervous that I will plan enough to challenge, but not too much to overwhelm.  My ds is not a fast reader but he enjoys reading and discussion following.

Sorry I didn’t link the discussions for you. I can try to in a bit if you end up not finding any that meet your needs.

Hi Julie,

While we use some Classical memorization tools (especially in the early years,) we are more CM by nature when it comes to homeschooling. The memory work we do is quick practice and sort of acts like a spine/mental timeline for history, science, and other topics. We use living books for real study. 

It’s certainly possible to move from Classical to CM for highschool. A good list of books, conversation (oral narration and discussion,) and “blue book” type exams (written narration) are CM highschool tools.

We’re not Shakespeare fans (no rocks, please,) so I have them tackle Julius Caesar either during their study of Rome, or government. Macbeth is studied along the way, too, but that’s it. Other families read all of his plays and act them out in dramatic productions. 

Basically, it boils down to building strong reading and math skills early on, or in some cases as later as in the case of two of our five DC. Then, help them manage to “eat” a feast of living books during their highschool years. Our older kids keep a BoC, their own Commonplace books (as they are led, not as a mandate,) and study subjects in a similar time frame as some would study textbooks for their highschool “credits.”

For our older three, I just kinda winged it and had to fill in toward the end with, “Oops! I never had you study this, or that, but there’s still time.” Using suggestions from SCM’s Planning Your CM Education took the mystery out of setting up a path for each of our two younger children. 

I planned out the rest of our 13yos’s education when he was nearing 12 and got twelve years planned out for his younger sister at the same time. I am having them study Texas history and health & nutrition for a year prior to highschool. Living books and a timeline of events in Texas history are used along with field trips to historical landmarks and museums.

The Bible, Nourishing Traditions, and other resources like Red Cross CPR classes and possibly a life guarding course are notes I’ve written down for health and nutrition in the possibilities category. We try to use both living books, traditional foods resources, and practical life skills to give them a solid look at how to live a healthy lifestyle.

I do use IEW methods for writing  after informal grammar with Serl’s Language Lessons.  OMT or Essentials are the only other grammar we use, but it’s a choice left to them at the time on an as needed basis. I think our youngest will have a solid grasp of grammar after Serl’s. I’ll likely just have her write and maybe review w OMT if necessary for entrance type test review if necessary. 

I have them follow a “Government 101” outline, read source documents, watch some videos, read living books, and listen to lectures to prepare to write essays on the subject. Our younger two will likely have the Uncle Eric series added to their reading lists. 

For Economics, we like Economics in One Lesson, Godonomics, and other resources. Oh, I have them read On that Day Began Lies during their gov’t/Eco studies. 

As a family, we enjoy art and music appreciation. During “11th grade,” the kids get season tickets to the symphony. Picture study continues through highschool. Nature journals are not mandatory for them at this age, but kept as they are led to do so. 

Our children live life outdoors. We have all sorts of animals and, from early on, they learn to care for and train those they consider their own. Fence building/repair, care and feeding, medical attention, and more are a part of everyday at our house. We’re a fresh eggs and raw milk family and our milk cow, Madeleine, think she’s just as human as the rest of us…or does she think we’re bovine? ;0)

Basically, to pursue a CM highschool education, you must decide to choose life!  It’s about living, loving, and laughing while learning. I’m not sure how to express a written lesson plan other than to stress that the best resource I’ve used to plan it out, feel relieved to “see” how living books can accomplish it all, and see things fall into place easier than winging it is to use SCM’s Planning Your CM Education. Even in those places that we choose a not so CM resource to accomplish a goal, it helped to draw the picture of the education I wanted our children to be free to pursue. 

Hope that helps a bit. 

Blessings,

Becca<><

Yes! I’ve seen Food Renegade in the past. Thanks so much for reminding me that I need to get this for the fall! Whew! I’m excited to use it. Have you used it?

Hi, I’m pretty new to this forum but wanted to respond to this post because I’m in a similar boat!  We did MFW’s Ancient History this year with my 10th and 9th graders.  I liked a lot of it, but all year I kept going to SCM’s website, and reading, and kind of drooling.  I figured we had already started down the other road and couldn’t switch, but the more I heard about Charlotte Mason and read her works, the more I wanted to incorporate it.  I did incorporate quite a bit of it into my younger kids’ schooling, but it was more difficult with the older kids in AHL.  I love how it was all laid out for me, but that ended up being a weakness as well!  I guess we can’t have it both ways, lol.

Long story short, we did decide to make the switch to using SCM.  It really helped to go to Sonya Schafer’s workshops at Teach Them Diligently, and to talk to her about our specific situation and how to get in what my oldest needs for his last 2 years of school.  He has Asperger’s Syndrome, and I can see from how it’s helped my younger children that my oldest will stand to gain so, so much from using CM’s methods.  I’ll probably have him do lots of his narrations orally, because he struggles with his speech.  I am so looking forward to the next few years!