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Mackfam
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I'm really benefiting from my summer Charlotte Mason book study! What a balm after a long year! In looking forward to the next year, my thoughts turn to planning these ideas and refreshing philosophies into something tangible.
In light of the recent threads about planning, and knowing that most of you are planning, purchasing and laying out ideas for the next year like me...I thought I'd link to some useful tools I found...
Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education looks scrumptious!  I'm downloading and printing this afternoon! 
Build Your Own Weekly Scheduleis a free pdf. I'm using it right now to help with the big picture planning.
Sample Weekly Schedules
Sample Daily Schedules
and...in case you're in Georgia and want to make me pea green with envy...
A Charlotte Mason Planning Getaway
ETA: Did you ever hit post instead of preview???
  I meant to add...
Care to share any other planning resource links?
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Jen Mackintosh
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JennGM
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Great links, Jennifer. Seems we're overloading Simply Charlotte Mason's website right now. I was looking earlier and trying to decide on some things.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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missionfamily
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Jennifer--I'm feeling too lazy to link right now , but Sonya at Simply CM just did a realy nice blog series on planning. If you click on the blog link on the home page, you'll see it in the recent posts. And, if you're so inclined to stop by  , I just did two blog posts on planning. I'd love your input.
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Colleen
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Mackfam
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missionfamily wrote:
| Jennifer--I'm feeling too lazy to link right now , but Sonya at Simply CM just did a realy nice blog series on planning. If you click on the blog link on the home page, you'll see it in the recent posts. And, if you're so inclined to stop by , I just did two blog posts on planning. I'd love your input. |
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Oh wow, how wonderful, Colleen! I hadn't seen Sonya's New Planning Series. I'm printing this to add to my reading basket tonight!
I was reading your blog the other day, but  was interrupted by the notification of the 3yo drawing chalk lines down Daddy's motorcycle! Yikes!
Anyway, I remember thinking the idea of post it note planning was a great idea! I've got to get back over to your place (now that I've sequestered the chalk) and read some more!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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SuzanneG
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I'm linking Colleen's posts here, as they are wonderful! If anyone blogs about their CM planning, please link!
I've found the cure
A Lively Education
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Suzanne in ID
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MarilynW
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Thanks for all the posts and links.I have a question about Sonya's post - I just do not plan out more than a year. The idea of planning for Grades 1-12 scares the wits out of me - but should we be doing this to ensure our kids have some kind of consistency?
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Marilyn
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Angel
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Marilyn,
I'm reading the planning e-book right now, and what she means by planning for grades 1-12 is not really as involved as it sounds. The e-book has a chart in it to mark what subjects you want to include in each grade. For reference, she includes a chart of the subjects Charlotte Mason taught in her schools for every grade. So it's not like saying, "In Grade 5 we are going to study tide pools using these books..." It's more like, "In the 5th grade, my child should have math, spelling, picture study, start writing down some narrations..." That kind of thing.
I was a little overwhelmed at first, too, but I think I could actually manage this kind of big picture.
--Angela
Three Plus Two
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Elizabeth
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I think the best planning resource is a like-minded friend. I have all of Sonya's planning tools and have found them useful, though I've got my own planning style after all these years. What I've really found invaluable is long, thoughtful, enthusiastic conversations with friends who are also tuned in to the vision and happy to plan. I can't encourage you enough to contact someone here privately or seek out a like-minded local friend and brainstorm together.
We sit down in the privacy of our own homes with our charts and our catalogs and our computers all linked into the library page and we think it all through and when we get stuck or we have an epiphany, we pick up the phone.
My other planning "tool" isn't a tool at all. I have found that when I pray before and during planning, it all comes together beautifully. When I barrel ahead on my own, I stall. Plan with prayer
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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Willa
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Mackfam wrote:
Care to share any other planning resource links? |
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I like Carol Hepburn's site The Little Red Schoolhouse
Lots of CM resources including this planner
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Willa
hsing boys ages 11, 14, almost 18 (+ 4 homeschool grads ages 20 to 27)
Take Up and Read
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JennGM
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Elizabeth wrote:
I think the best planning resource is a like-minded friend. I have all of Sonya's planning tools and have found them useful, though I've got my own planning style after all these years. What I've really found invaluable is long, thoughtful, enthusiastic conversations with friends who are also tuned in to the vision and happy to plan. I can't encourage you enough to contact someone here privately or seek out a like-minded local friend and brainstorm together.
We sit down in the privacy of our own homes with our charts and our catalogs and our computers all linked into the library page and we think it all through and when we get stuck or we have an epiphany, we pick up the phone. |
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Would Sonya's planner help a first time planner?
But your advice rings true for me. The many people I know locally know I've been asking and writing away for personal experience and advice. And I also have advice from moms in far away lands, like Wales and Austrailia. We find like-minded friends and they are a comfort and a help!
Meeting people at IHM and discussing over tables helped me more than poring over the curriculum.
Elizabeth wrote:
My other planning "tool" isn't a tool at all. I have found that when I pray before and during planning, it all comes together beautifully. When I barrel ahead on my own, I stall. Plan with prayer
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Amen to that!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Angel wrote:
Marilyn,
I'm reading the planning e-book right now, and what she means by planning for grades 1-12 is not really as involved as it sounds. The e-book has a chart in it to mark what subjects you want to include in each grade. For reference, she includes a chart of the subjects Charlotte Mason taught in her schools for every grade. So it's not like saying, "In Grade 5 we are going to study tide pools using these books..." It's more like, "In the 5th grade, my child should have math, spelling, picture study, start writing down some narrations..." That kind of thing.
I was a little overwhelmed at first, too, but I think I could actually manage this kind of big picture.
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I like this -- we have to plan and then keep in mind our long term goals. It has stuck in my mind the conversation Elizabeth had (don't have the link) when she was helping Michael with his transcripts to get into college. I can't give a direct quote, but Michael voiced some regret that he wasn't pushed as much in certain subjects that he found difficult, so some of those areas were weak, and he found it harder to fill in those gaps. That has helped me see we have to keep the long term goals in front of us.
Lifeline: The Religious Upbringing of Your Children by James Stenson is another book I'm rereading, but corresponds so closely to the planning. He talks about "Long-term vision", which of course eternal destiny as the end-point, also seeing what kind of men and women they will be in character and conscience, while also keeping in mind considerations of college and career.
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Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
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Elizabeth
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I think it does help to have a big picture. I thought I had one but my experience with Michael has changed that vision a bit. For instance, Rachel and I had rambling foreign language conversation (not in a foreign language ) that really crystallized the longterm vision for me. I think you have to have some vision for the longhaul and it needs to be specific to some degree. This doesn't preclude "delight-directed" or "interest-driven" learning. CM (and definitely Real learning) leaves room for that--both in those long afternoons and within the context of morning work within certain parameters.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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MarilynW
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I am panicking totally - I do not have a big picture. I have homeschooled for 3 years - started off with a strict Jessie Wise and WTM mindset - but it did not work with us. So the second year we did a much more CM based approach. Third year - we did a unit study approach. We have found many things did not work and have had to change style. Should I have made a plan and stuck with it?
I am most worried about history. First I followed a Classical approach - so we started with Ancients - but then never really did - so we have done history with no rhyme or reason.
Now I am trying to do a plan - I am worried - should I be on some kind of track before dd reaches high school? I have looked at MODG, Kolbe and STAA for ideas on how high school should go
Options - Greek, Roman, Old World, New World or Ancient, European, American
Sorry - I know this sounds garbled - but I am starting to feel like I have not been organized enough - but each year has had its life challenges - hyperemesis, new baby, illness etc etc. How to combine this with a big picture.
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Mackfam
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Elizabeth wrote:
| I think it does help to have a big picture. |
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I agree. I sort of balked at the idea of the K-12 big picture outline at first wondering if it was really necessary, but decided to take the time to give it some thought. It wasn't difficult. Nor did it take a great deal of time. But, I felt I had so much more direction - so much more of a plan - after I was done. S. will be doing some work this year for high school credit. I realized I really need to get this big picture in place right now so that I'm planning a cohesive, coordinated, sensible plan for lessons each year with an end goal in mind. Otherwise, I may plan and purchase needlessly and in the wrong direction entirely. This one simple activity allowed for a bit of a compass.
I do believe, as Elizabeth mentioned, that there is room (wide margins Colleen calls them) for rabbit trails and enjoyable distractions in our learning, but with a big picture plan I will have the roadmap needed to guide the children on the beginning of their "life" unit study.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Elizabeth
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Marilyn
DO NOT PANIC! It's plenty soon to get a big picture. Plenty soon. Your oldest is only eleven. Anything you would have studied in history, you'd have to study again at an older level. It's all good so far. You've laid a foundation. You've gained some experience together. You've raised a beautiful, lovely young lady. There is absolutely nothing there to "undo." What wonderful place to be. The future stretches in front of you and there's nothing there but hope. And all the challenges you've faced recently as a family? Those are virtue training in the best school of all: the family.
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Elizabeth Foss is no longer a member of this forum. Discussions now reflect the current management & are not necessarily expressions of her book, *Real Learning*, her current work, or her philosophy. (posted by E. Foss, Jan 2011)
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MarilynW
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Mackfam wrote:
| S. will be doing some work this year for high school credit. . |
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Jen - what kind of work will S. be doing for college credit and how do you figure this out?
Maybe I should take Elizabeth's advice above and schedule a telephone conversation with you...
(as usual - we were posting at the same time )
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Marilyn
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MarilynW
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Elizabeth wrote:
Marilyn
DO NOT PANIC! It's plenty soon to get a big picture. Plenty soon. Your oldest is only eleven. Anything you would have studied in history, you'd have to study again at an older level. It's all good so far. You've laid a foundation. You've gained some experience together. You've raised a beautiful, lovely young lady. There is absolutely nothing there to "undo." What wonderful place to be. The future stretches in front of you and there's nothing there but hope. And all the challenges you've faced recently as a family? Those are virtue training in the best school of all: the family. |
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Thank you Elizabeth. Before posting I was actually going to call you and "spill over" onto you - but Steve is on a very long telephone conversation to his parents in the UK - and also I figure that with all the problems you are having with your computer and washing machine (not to mention hyperemesis), I did not need to stress you out even more. So I typed up my incoherent panic above!!!
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Mackfam
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MarilynW wrote:
I am panicking totally - I do not have a big picture. I have homeschooled for 3 years - started off with a strict Jessie Wise and WTM mindset - but it did not work with us. So the second year we did a much more CM based approach. Third year - we did a unit study approach. We have found many things did not work and have had to change style. Should I have made a plan and stuck with it?
I am most worried about history. First I followed a Classical approach - so we started with Ancients - but then never really did - so we have done history with no rhyme or reason.
Now I am trying to do a plan - I am worried - should I be on some kind of track before dd reaches high school? I have looked at MODG, Kolbe and STAA for ideas on how high school should go
Options - Greek, Roman, Old World, New World or Ancient, European, American
Sorry - I know this sounds garbled - but I am starting to feel like I have not been organized enough - but each year has had its life challenges - hyperemesis, new baby, illness etc etc. How to combine this with a big picture. |
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Don't panic, Marilyn! I think the big picture planning would help you sort through some of your thoughts and questions. You can get an idea of what it looks like if you download the sample of the "Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education" ebook. (I'd link but it appears SCM is down for a few minutes - there is a link above though in my original post.)
Once you big picture plan, it might help to think through the subjects individually as Elizabeth was mentioning with the languages. Hash it out here if you need to in order to discern what's doable and the best fit for your family. You can step back and decide for ex...I want to cover Ancient History 7th and 8th grade, Time of Christ up through the Middle Ages 9th grade, Middle Ages to the 17th century maybe in the 10th grade, and then a thorough study of American History in 11th and 12th. That's just an example, but you see what I mean. Once you have that big picture so you decide what subjects you want to teach in what grades, you can step back and look closely to see what topics you will teach under those subjects. I'm really just paraphrasing Sonia's planning blog posts here.
You're not married to the big picture either - I think it would be healthy to re-visit it often. It's just a map, it's helpful for me to think of it that way. You may, in your journey come across a better way to get from point a to point b, change direction and change your map - but the point is that you're moving forward with a map to guide you.
For me, the map/big picture is comforting especially during those times of crisis. It is during those times that I completely lose focus and my ability to make sound decisions is compromised. It is then that I most need the big picture.
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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Eeek! We were all posting together.
Marilyn,
S. will be working her way very slowly through Algebra I this year for high school (not college!) credit. We'll take two years to get through it. It was a decision that was made after a great deal of reflection and discernment. She is capable (not gifted) in math. I considered continuing along our current trajectory, but kept feeling uneasiness in this decision. I brought the decision to Rob and to Our Lord and let go of it. In the end, Rob and I decided that putting S. in Algebra I now would allow her to move very, very slowly allowing time for mastery. It would allow us to continue keeping lessons short while allowing for some diversity in her math work with games, etc.
Facing this decision prompted me to want to really put thought and prayer into the big picture planning.
I do think Elizabeth is so right with her words. Be not afraid, Marilyn!!! We'll ride this one out together!
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Jen Mackintosh
Wife to Rob, mom to dd 19, ds 16, ds 11, dd 8, and dd 3
Wildflowers and Marbles
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Mackfam
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I forgot to say...call anytime, Marilyn!
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Jen Mackintosh
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4Real Forums : Planning and Ordering our Days
Topic: CM Planning Resources
