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lovemy4
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| Posted: Aug 25 2009 at 10:27pm | IP Logged
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Hi
Well, at this last minute we are changing gears for the school year. I started reading Charlotte Mason and Elizabeth Foss a few days ago and am convinced this will be a better fit especially for my 6 yr boy.
I haven't read in depth but trying to wrap my mind around this...what does a school day look like with this method?
My six year old boy reads decently but *does not like* school as we have been doing it  (The main reason why I know we need a change). He loves cars and always wants to know how things work like slide projectors, and other mechanical / electrical things . Any suggestions for Living Books he could read at his level or I could read to him?
It has been very hard for me to get him motivated or interested in anything outside of his narrow area of interest so any tips would be GREAT! I just don't want him hating this thing called learning!
Thanks in advance.
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SuzanneG
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| Posted: Aug 25 2009 at 10:56pm | IP Logged
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Hi, lovemy4 ~ This isn't answering your question directly...but you wrote this:
lovemy4 wrote:
| He loves cars and always wants to know how things work like slide projectors, and other mechanical / electrical things . |
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And I wanted to link this book before I forget:
The Call to Brilliance is a great book that I think will inspire and encourage you!!!!!
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Suzanne in ID
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Aug 26 2009 at 7:38am | IP Logged
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Hi lovemy4!
I think you and your son will find the use of Charlotte Mason's ideas and philosophies in your home so edifying! Her ideas are fundamental to so many of us here.
Ok...let me give you a couple of threads to read and think about...
Is it best to follow CM's advice fully? - this is an old thread, but has such wisdom and thoughtful ideas! Read this first!
And then read the follow-up thread which was discussed just recently - Charlotte Mason: Remember This One?
In that thread, Jenn quoted Kathryn, and it's a very important quote and distills quite a bit down. I'm going to include a few more of her words because I think they're important to the idea of implementing a Charlotte Mason education in the home:
Kathryn wrote:
A CM education as CM herself intended it - broad, structured and in line with her philosophy of education - is one way of providing an excellent education. IMO, a CM influenced education can also be excellent. I think Richelle is right to say that the absolute essential is CM's philosophy, not any particular aspect of her method. I'd go further and say that CM's philosophy can be reduced to one phrase: "For the children's sake". Her idea of an excellent education was not one in which children learn a fixed body of knowledge, or learn to jump through particular educational hoops, but one in which children are given the skills and knowledge to become fully the people that God wants them to be. This is why CM fits so beautifully with a Catholic education.
I think a CM style structured education, with short lessons, a broad and varied curriculum, a mix of interesting reading and worthwhile activities, and an emphasis on the child telling what he knows rather than being tested to see what he doesn't know, is a great way to provide an excellent education. I don't think it is the only way.  |
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There are two sites that have done much of the thinking for you and both include a generous amount of information about day-to-day implementation in the home...
** Ambleside Online
** Mater Amabilis - Catholic Charlotte Mason
These two sites have most generously provided detailed plans for implementing a Charlotte Mason education in the home.
There are a few other resources you might be interested in as well...
From Simply Charlotte Mason -
** Education Is... - ebook, free download
** Masterly Inactivity - ebook, free download
Now...
lovemy4 wrote:
| what does a school day look like with this method? |
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This can vary a lot! Generally lessons are kept very short, about 10 - 20 minutes long. This takes care of a lot of the overwhelming hammering in of something to a child, and it allows for a generous variety of information to be read and shared.
If you're looking for a great *practical application* book of implementing this philosophy I recommend, When Children Love to Learn - A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today by Elaine Cooper. Michelle Q (one of the author's of Mater Amabilis, and quite knowledgeable in CM's philosophy) also highly recommends this book! In addition to being an excellent distillation of Charlotte Mason's philosophies, there are sample timetables and curriculum samplings so you can begin to see a vision of how this might look in your own home.
Our own home has been so blessed by a very wide and generous offering of literature and books and ideas thanks to Miss Mason's ideas. This manner of educating is such a gentle, thoughtful way which delights in the simplest observances!
One last thing...
lovemy4 wrote:
| My six year old boy reads decently but *does not like* school as we have been doing it (The main reason why I know we need a change). He loves cars and always wants to know how things work like slide projectors, and other mechanical / electrical things . Any suggestions for Living Books he could read at his level or I could read to him? |
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Yes! My son is loving David Macauley's The Way Things Work. In fact, it is his entire science spine this year. I have a list of library books that I offer that further discuss the individual workings of the different parts of the machine...from another thread...
The only thing I've changed with this approach is that we found a neat set of K'nex simple machines kits - levers and pulleys, gears, wheels, axles and inclined planes that are perfect complements to David Macauley's book! Something like this might make a fun science program for your son, although you might have to do a lot of the reading aloud (most of the books would be just fine read aloud and the detailed sketches in The Way Things Work are so great! I'm doing this with a 4th grade fella!
I sure hope something here helped! 
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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lovemy4
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| Posted: Aug 26 2009 at 10:22am | IP Logged
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Oh my goodness...this list is amazing and EXACTLY what I needed. So many resources. I can't wait for tonight to look through all the links etc. provided....I am resisting temptation to sepnd too much time doing this now!!!!!!
Since I have a first grader I'm not sure how I will implement....writing etc. is still problematic...but I'm sure he'd love to at least have me read to him. And perhaps daddy can help him with projects!
Thank you so much...and thank you Suzanne for the book recommendation.....I am going to check if my library has it!
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Mackfam
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lovemy4 wrote:
| Since I have a first grader I'm not sure how I will implement....writing etc. is still problematic...but I'm sure he'd love to at least have me read to him. And perhaps daddy can help him with projects! |
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With a 1st grader, read lots and lots!!! Let him narrate back to you, this is the beginning of language arts for him and these narration times are such treasures to me! No stressing on the writing part (for example, NO BOOKREPORTS!!), but you could gently assist in penmanship skills and very short copywork. Work on assisting him with his skills of observation as part of nature study, things like, "lets see what we can find outside in the front gardens...what treasures will we find there?" and "did you see that ant? where is it going?" Come inside and read about the ant. Then, read some more books! That sounds like a lovely year to me! Simple. Gentle. Time for being together and observing. Time for talking together. Time for creating things. Short lessons. It's gentle enough that I suspect you'll find a child that enjoys learning alongside you!
I hope I didn't overwhelm with that booklist! If I were going to do something like this for a 1st grader who was really interested in this subject as your son is, I'd probably read from David Macauley's book and investigate the library for a lot of those Lets Read and Find Out Science Books. Those are FANTASTIC and there are many that would work with a "How do things work?" science theme! They're perfect for your son's age! Then, let him build something with his new knowledge! Use legos, or some of those great K'nex sets.
This will give you a great jumping point to see what a 1st grade year *could* look like.
 Your year will be fantastic and I'm excited for you as you embark on this journey. I'm excited because I know the sort of treasures that are waiting for you and your son along this path!
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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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Keep in mind too, that CM didn't advocate for a formal education until age 6, so keeping it very gentle would be very "CM" right now.....A BIT of seat work.....and still, really if he's not opposed to it. And, if he is, then setting things up to make them more attractive and fun and desirable for him.
ie: if he HATES sitting and writing a few letters/words, then do everything you can to make drawing and writing more attractive for him....fun writing tools, great markers, fun paper, set up in a special way, stencils, family drawing/writing time, etc. Pick a short poem about fire trucks or an animal that he LOVES and encourage him to copywork that a little at a time.
He's still quite young, and I'd follow his lead, doing things he finds interesting, with a big focus on nature and lots of hands-on activiites, and letting him play with all his "stuff"...taking it apart, etc. Spend your money on discarded appliances from the thrift stores instead of "curriuclum" at this point, and let him go to town!!!!!! Read rich books, and talk A LOT!
Here is a list I always find helpful and helped keep things in perspective:
"A Formidable List of Attainments for a Child of Six"
A reprint of a curriculum outline from a CM school in the 1890's. from Summer 93 Parents Review pub by Karen Andreola
1. To recite, beautifully, 6 easy poems and hymns
2. to recite, perfectly and beautifully, a parable and a psalm
3. to add and subtract numbers up to 10, with dominoes or counters
4. to read--what and how much, will depend on what we are told of the child
5. to copy in print-hand from a book
6. to know the points of the compass with relation to their own home, where the sun rises and sets, and the way the wind blows
7. to describe the boundries of their own home
8. to describe any lake, river, pond, island etc. within easy reach
9. to tell quite accurately (however shortly) 3 stories from Bible history, 3 from early English, and 3 from early Roman history (my note here, we may want to substitute early American for early English!)
10. to be able to describe 3 walks and 3 views
11. to mount in a scrap book a dozen common wildflowers, with leaves (one every week); to name these, describe them in their own words, and say where they found them.
12. to do the same with leaves and flowers of 6 forest trees
13. to know 6 birds by song, colour and shape
14. to send in certain Kindergarten or other handiwork, as directed
15. to tell three stories about their own "pets"--rabbit, dog or cat.
16. to name 20 common objects in French, and say a dozen little sentences
17. to sing one hymn, one French song, and one English song
18. to keep a caterpillar and tell the life-story of a butterfly from his own observations.
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Suzanne in ID
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SeaStar
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I wanted to add that the Sonlight catalog has lots of great read aloud suggestions for that age.
You can view their book list on line (the catalog took a long time to arrive at my house).
We started the K read alouds last year.
My kids especially loved:
Dr. DoLittle
Cappyboppy
The Family Under the Bridge
One Grain of Rice (especially appeals to the math/engineering minds out there).
Also- we have a local thrift store here that does not take electronics but has them dropped off all the time. So they are put into a "free for the taking box".
My 6 yo son has so far enjoyed taking apart a free mouse, keyboard and printer (all old, outdated models, but he doesn't care).
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allegiance_mom
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For the boy who wants to know how things work:
"The Way Things Work" (or "The New Way Things Work") by David Macaulay. Your library probably has a copy so you can preview it first.
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Mom to two boys, 14 and 8, and one pre-born babe in Heaven (Jan 2010)
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lovemy4
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These are all GREAT IDEAS>...thanks so much...believe it or not, my library did not have either of the Macaulay books...  I see a used one on amazon so I think I will bite the bullet and get it....I have 3 boys....it's got to work for one of them at some stage right?
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Mom to 5! Four here, one with Him.
DS 6 DD 6 DS 4 DS 15 months
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Mackfam
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lovemy4 wrote:
| These are all GREAT IDEAS>...thanks so much...believe it or not, my library did not have either of the Macaulay books... I see a used one on amazon so I think I will bite the bullet and get it....I have 3 boys....it's got to work for one of them at some stage right? |
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Oh, yes! It will!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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JennGM
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lovemy4 wrote:
| These are all GREAT IDEAS>...thanks so much...believe it or not, my library did not have either of the Macaulay books... I see a used one on amazon so I think I will bite the bullet and get it....I have 3 boys....it's got to work for one of them at some stage right? |
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I bought one this spring. It's been my son's constant companion. That and How Science Works
G was just beginning to read when I bought these and is now just devouring them.
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Jennifer G. Miller
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ekbell
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My oldest dd loved the _The Way Things Work_ when she was six (and when she was seven, eight, nine, ten ......at eleven she's agitating for the _The New Way Things Work_ book... )
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Paula in MN
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If you didn't buy it yet -- I have two of them. PM me.
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Paula
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JennGM
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The New Way Things Work -- can someone explain the differences between ? Is it an update of the original?
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Jennifer G. Miller
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Mackfam
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I don't have it, Jenn, but I believe it has many of the explanations of the old book (The Way Things Work) but is updated to include the digital offerings/explanations available since the first book was printed (1988). The description says it includes 80 new pages. I'm waiting to find a very inexpensive used copy.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Wildflowers and Marbles
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Need some ideas wrt Charlote Mason
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