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mary
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is there some trick to combining programs? i would like to switch from sonlight to chc or mater amabilis. i would be doing grade 3 and 1 in chc. i am very confused about what to add. chc is a tour through the countries and no history. ma has both us and world history. then, how do you decide which science to use? help! how do you decide what to add from each program?
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MicheleQ
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mary wrote:
| is there some trick to combining programs? i would like to switch from sonlight to chc or mater amabilis. i would be doing grade 3 and 1 in chc. i am very confused about what to add. chc is a tour through the countries and no history. ma has both us and world history. then, how do you decide which science to use? help! how do you decide what to add from each program? |
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Mary,
I can't answer your questions because I am not really familiar with either Sonlight or CHC's materials. I will tell you that Mater Amabilis is meant to be used in whatever way works best for your children. We have offered a framework but you should feel free to pick and choose from it as you like. Yes we have both US and world history, because as Charlotte Mason recommended, we want to set a large banquet before our children. It lends to making those all important "connections". 
You might want to join the Mater Amabilis forum if you haven't already. There are several people there who combine programs and may be able to help you navigate through all the options.
God bless!
__________________
Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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Elizabeth
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| Posted: March 03 2006 at 8:55pm | IP Logged
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Mary,
I found the CHC history/geography in the younger years pretty lean. You could stick to the country theme and supplement with children's literature (I've used mostly Five in a Row picture books and then rabbit trails from there) or you could just forego the CHC plans altogether and implement the Mater Amabilis plans for history/geography in those grades.
__________________
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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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: March 04 2006 at 6:51am | IP Logged
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Mary, you read my mind! I'm hoping to take some time to read the MA web site later this weekend. I like CHC too, but I find I rarely use the lesson plans as they were intended.
Your kids are awfully young. I guess I would start by looking at both, subject to subject, and then picking and choosing from there.
I've had a hard time making CHC's Tour A Country work. It requires regular visits to the library...something very difficult for me to do with babies and 3 yr olds.  My dd is finishing up with 3rd grade. We used some of the religion, some of the reading comprehension books (but I didn't require that she use the worksheets), and the speller and grammar books.
For history, we have used a lot of biographical historical fiction (like the Childhood of Famous Americans series) and the Little House books. She read these to herself. She has also read through the Usborne Time Traveler and some of the Usborne World History book at her own pace.
We have also done some FIAR, which is very nice, because I can include my Kindergartener. Since you have a 1st grader too, you might want to look into it. Its very easy to add saint stories in to whatever area you are studying through the book. Its pretty flexible. You *could* use it for science, history, and literature, but its not systematic. That doesn't bother some people but I always feel a bit disjointed when I teach that way. I usually use it as a supplement to history and science and I count it as literature, along with reading aloud a few chapter books throughout the year. For my 3rd grader, between what she read on her own and FIAR, I think she got plenty of history this year (she took a science class at coop so I didn't cover that at all).
I'm looking forward to looking more closely at the MA site.
~Books
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mary
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| Posted: March 04 2006 at 6:58am | IP Logged
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books, if i read your mind, it's only because i follow your posts around on this board! what would i do without you all to lead the way?
michelle, thank you for suggesting the MA forums. i have posted there already and gotten some feedback.
elizabeth, i agree with foregoing chc's history/geography and using MA. now, how do you decide about science for example? certainly MA's looks more interesting as written out with great experiments that my boys would love. so, what is left of chc? i have used the speller and language of god grammar and liked them. no idea how the MA language arts materials compare. and then which religion to pick?
i've never piece-mealed a curriculum together before. the draw to sonlight has always been that it's done for me and i'm free to tweak. the tweaking first is a whole new way of thinking for me.
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: March 04 2006 at 3:34pm | IP Logged
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mary wrote:
so, what is left of chc? i have used the speller and language of god grammar and liked them. no idea how the MA language arts materials compare. and then which religion to pick?
i've never piece-mealed a curriculum together before. the draw to sonlight has always been that it's done for me and i'm free to tweak. the tweaking first is a whole new way of thinking for me. |
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Awwww, you can do it! If you are already used to tweaking, its just a little bit more work to put it together yourself, and the finished product is truly individualized to your family, a personal masterpiece directed by the Holy Spirit himself.
I'm going to take Michele's advice and join the MA list.
You've got all summer to look at the language arts from both programs and pick what you like the best. Fwiw, it helps me a lot to figure out what pace is necessary for each subject (how many pages a day, how many days a week) in order to complete everything. Sometimes plans can feel great until we realize we have overplanned and are suddenly a slave to our own manual!  Just pick what you like the best and make sure that your kiddos are done before noon and only schedule for 4 days a week, since they are so young (well, that's my .02 for the age group, but feel free to modify). 
Blessings,
~Books
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MicheleQ
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Bookswithtea wrote:
| I'm going to take Michele's advice and join the MA list. |
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Great! I look forward to hearing your ideas!
Bookswithtea wrote:
| You've got all summer to look at the language arts from both programs and pick what you like the best. |
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Not just all summer but all of spring too.  Afterall it's only March - and it's darn cold here!
God bless!
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Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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momtomany
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Elizabeth wrote:
Mary,
I found the CHC history/geography in the younger years pretty lean. |
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I agree. Even my special needs 4th grader needed more. I got him How Our Nation Began from Emmanuel books. He can read most of it, plus he loves the workbook.
Seton's History For Young Catholics 3 isn't too bad either. It's listed as a grade 4 book in MODG.
That said, I do like the rest of CHC as a spine.
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Mary Ann in PA
wife to MIchael, mom to Elizabeth, Becca, Tim, Peter, Andrew, Sarah, Matthew, John, Leah and Joseph
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mary
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| Posted: March 05 2006 at 3:12pm | IP Logged
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ok, so i sat down and compared the three: sonlight, MA, and chc.
so the history and science are tripping me up. in sonlight, history is lean because i have pulled all of the missionary/history books. in MA, i have already covered the egypt/ancient bible stuff (sonlight core 1) and i'm unfamiliar with the intro to american history. in chc, there is no history to speak of.
as for science, i don't care to use a text (chc), i like MA and sonlight and of the two, prefer the usborne books (sonlight).
i like chc and MA equally for religion, although i did just invest in the year with god book that is part of chc's religion and really like it. some combo of the two would be fab.
language arts - my kid is doing well with chc so i'm going to stick with it.
literature - i do like both MA and sonlight.
math will be either singapore or mus and we use hwt for handwriting. MA has some wonderful electives in the picture study, music appreciation, etc.
have i missed anything?
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Bookswithtea
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mary wrote:
ok, so i sat down and compared the three: sonlight, MA, and chc.
so the history and science are tripping me up. in sonlight, history is lean because i have pulled all of the missionary/history books. in MA, i have already covered the egypt/ancient bible stuff (sonlight core 1) and i'm unfamiliar with the intro to american history. in chc, there is no history to speak of.
as for science, i don't care to use a text (chc), i like MA and sonlight and of the two, prefer the usborne books (sonlight).
i like chc and MA equally for religion, although i did just invest in the year with god book that is part of chc's religion and really like it. some combo of the two would be fab.
language arts - my kid is doing well with chc so i'm going to stick with it.
literature - i do like both MA and sonlight.
math will be either singapore or mus and we use hwt for handwriting. MA has some wonderful electives in the picture study, music appreciation, etc.
have i missed anything? |
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I don't think so.
For literature, you could easily pick and choose from the Sonlight catalogue list without using the manual...they schedule too many books a year, imho, and sometimes they aren't even appropriate maturity wise. I like MA's literature suggestions a lot, and I am hoping to get some of them on audiobook for next year to listen to during lunch and when we are out and about in the car. I'll mix their suggestions in with the literature I've picked up from SL over the years.
I've done many years of SL's science. I don't recommend their manuals...they really get away from real learning and imitate a text in the end. If you want to do something similar to SL, pick the usborne books you like, and schedule them at the rate of a 2 page spread a day. Add in a science biography or two, a living literature book or two (Magic School Bus?) and pick up some science kits at Target or in a catalogue that your child can do mostly independently. If you have the time, get some good go along videos at the library and your child will have a great science year.
I'm still working through the MA history suggestions. Its very different from what I've done in the past. I love the British approach to geography that includes earth science. I can't advise you on their history, but I would recommend picking something doable...don't lock yourself into such a large pile of books for the year that you can't get through it without turning into a grouch...I speak from experience on this one.
Blessings,
~Books
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mary
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books,
i love the idea of the audiobooks, especially because we are out so much during the week. great idea of mixing both sonlight and MA literature.
my kids have never been interested in doing the sonlight science worksheets, so that's no problem. Your science suggestions are what we have been doing and they work really well for us.
history is still bugging me. that's where i really want your advice, books! The earth science/geography is pretty neat. hmmm, off to ponder more!
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Bookswithtea
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| Posted: March 06 2006 at 11:44am | IP Logged
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mary wrote:
books,
history is still bugging me. that's where i really want your advice, books! The earth science/geography is pretty neat. hmmm, off to ponder more! |
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LOL. MA uses texts I've never seen before for Am. history so I really can't comment.
I think I am finally starting to figure out how MA works. It was throwing me off that they label one year of work "ages 6-7." I kept getting confused as I read. I wrote down the levels on an envelope and figured out what traditional American grade levels they are and now it makes much more sense to me. What a goof I am! 
That said, if my envelope is right, then your first grader would be in level 1B and your 3rd grader would be in part 2 of level 1A. Since both include American history that makes things easy, don't you think? You could have your first grader cover just one part of it, while your third grader moves through it faster, I guess. I don't know enough about the book to judge how fast you would want to move through it, though. I'd still have your 3rd grader use American historical fiction as at least some of her reading practice daily, as SL does. That's easy enough. There are tons of books at the library in this genre. You could do field trips too, with both of them. I'm all for combining whenever possible, kwim?
Do you know anyone who has the text so you could get a better look at it?
I do know the Egypt materials they use in the 3rd grade, and they are excellent. I own all but the timeline and have used them before. They are recommended by several other 'living books' curriculum providers, too.
If you decide to use CHC for history, you will want to add in saint stories and more literature (like FIAR) for the tour a country plans. It won't be chronological like MA, but it will be gentle and fun, and at the 3rd grade level, that's just fine, too. You could always move into chronological history at a later date.
Sorry I can't be more help to you.
~Books
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mary
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| Posted: March 06 2006 at 12:59pm | IP Logged
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hey, just having someone look at the same stuff and think about it is helpful. i appreciate your opinion and advice.
i had to sit down and write each subject down with the material below before i figured it out. i don't know if there is a less confusing way for it to be presented or if i just need to see it all on paper before i get it.
i have never heard of the american history text. i'm also a bit surprised to see a text on their list. it must be worthwhile because there don't appear to be any other texts used!
as for history: we are working through core 1 currently - and have pretty much covered egypt and ancient bible. i'm not all that keen on repeating it. if i were continuing with sonlight, we would be covering dark ages - modern time. sonlight's history isn't all that much either. i've thought about keeping the sonlight history and padding it to replace the missionary stuff i've removed. then, i wondered about doing both year 1 and 2 of the geography/earth science at the same time. we've read some of those books already, so it might not be as crazy an idea as it sounds? it would allow my 3rd grader to 'catch up' in the geography/earth science without repeating the history we have already covered. if it were math i'd never push because that's already a struggle with him. but, the science material is something he happily eats up.
whatcha think of that plan?
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mary
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| Posted: March 06 2006 at 1:25pm | IP Logged
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books, the american history text is free online.
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mary
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| Posted: March 06 2006 at 1:29pm | IP Logged
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serial posting, i know. oh happy day, the american history text starts with the sonlight core 2 history (what we would be doing in sonlight). 
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MicheleQ
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I also have it in a pdf file that I would like to offer free to anyone who wants it. We use to print and sell it as a book but it's really not cost effective anymore and since I have it all nicely formatted as a book (thanks to my dh's months of hard work) I want people to have it. The problem is it's a big file and I haven't been able to upload it or send it to anyone. I do have high speed internet but it just won't go. If anyne can help me figure out how to compress it I'll gladly upload to my site and/or the Ma yahoo site files so that anyone can use it.
God bless,
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Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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MicheleQ
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MicheleQ wrote:
I also have it in a pdf file that I would like to offer free to anyone who wants it. |
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UPDATE:
It's already available for free in a nicely formatted pdf file:
http://www.merrill.org/ebookz/pdf/This_Country_of_Ours.pdf
God bless!
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Michele Quigley
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http://michelequigley.com
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Jen L.
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Thanks, Michele!
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Jen
dh Klete,ds (8/95),dd (12/97), dd (11/00), and ^2^ in heaven
"...the best state in which to glorify God is our actual state; the best grace is that of the moment..." St. Peter Eymard
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Mary G
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mary wrote:
as for science, i don't care to use a text (chc), i like MA and sonlight and of the two, prefer the usborne books (sonlight).
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Mary,
The science text for CHC's 3rd grade is the Behold and See which is an absolutely beautiful book that could be used as the spine. I know you said you don't want to use a text, but this one is so great you might want to take a second look at it. The first and second grade levels for CHC -- Easy as 123 and Scinece Stories are also great spines to help with ensuring coverage of all the science topics.
Just my $.02!
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MaryG
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my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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mary
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| Posted: March 08 2006 at 1:56am | IP Logged
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Michele, thank you! wow, that's a lot of pages. i was thinking of printing it out and having it spiral bound with a cover.
Mary G. i appreciate hearing that the chc science books are excellent if i choose to use them. so far, i have avoided them because i have a grad degree in science and because my oldest son seems to happily eat up any science i give him. perhaps i will add a science spine later or for my other children if they are not as interested in science.
books or anyone who has done core 2 in sonlight - i have heard that the read alouds are not all that great. so, i'm thinking of just using MA's literature suggestions. anyone have any feedback on sonlight core 2's read alouds?
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Topic: question about chc and mater amabilis
