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kristinannie
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I have spent the last couple of weeks preparing to consecrate myself to Mary. They have been a prayerful two weeks since I was not online, watching secular TV or shopping (except for necessities such as food).
I have come to the conclusion that CM is the path for our family. I am still using Singapore math and our handwriting workbook (since DS5 loves it and he is still learning to form each letter correctly). I might still use Explode the Code as a review since DS5 enjoys that as well and it helps him to cement previously learned concepts. Other than that, all workbooks are gone.  Bring on the living books, hands on activities, picture study, composer study and experiments. We were already doing a lot of this anyway, but now I am committing. As I was making my schedule for this week, I started to get nervous because there are so many subjects covered in a day (with short lessons). The list was LONG! It is exciting to see the breadth of the
learning we will be doing though! We can cover so much more in an hour without the workbooks and hopefully it will be much more meaningful!
The biggest leap of faith for me is in language arts. I am trusting in this method and will start copywork as soon as DS can formulate all of the letters correctly. I would love to hear where you all get your copywork ideas from (or even a book to use for quotations and Scripture) since he is almost to that point now.
I am sure I will have tons of questions for you guys, but I just know that this is the way our homeschool should be run.
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John Paul 8.5
Meredith Rose 7
Dominic Michael 4.5
Katherine Elizabeth 8 months
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stellamaris
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Cheering you on!
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In Christ,
Caroline
Wife to  dh 30+ yrs,ds's 83,85,89,dd's 91,95,ds's 01,01,02,grammy to 4
Flowing Streams
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Grace&Chaos
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Ditto, 
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Blessings,
Jenny
Mom to dds(00,03) and dss(05,06,08,09)
Grace in Loving Chaos
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kristacecilia
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I made the leap about two years ago and have never looked back! Our lives have been so much richer for it, too. God bless you!
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God bless,
Krista
Wife to a great guy, mom to two boys ('04, '06) and three girls ('08, '10, '12!)
I blog at http://kristacecilia.wordpress.com/
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Mackfam
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| Posted: Dec 31 2011 at 11:10am | IP Logged
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 Cheering here, too!
And you are at a wonderful time to begin this journey with your oldest being 5! It's a simple, gentle start that allows you to ease into the methods of CM based language arts, which you expressed some concern with. CM language arts at this stage consists of reading fabulous books! How great is that?!!!!!!!! 
kristinannie wrote:
| I would love to hear where you all get your copywork ideas from (or even a book to use for quotations and Scripture) since he is almost to that point now. |
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Sources for beginning copywork can be so varied! I like tailoring this somewhat to an individual child because their interests and abilities are all so unique at this age. Some children may be writing well and with ease around 5, while others are not. And both are JUST FINE! Each child has a very individual timeline in terms of this reading/writing development. All that is to say that my choices for copywork try to fit where the child is at the time, and selections which they find interesting. This, to me, is one of THE strongest and most compelling strengths of Charlotte Mason's ideas and methods: they fit the child where he is. Period. They are not generic or plastic, but rather malleable in such a way that when the method of CM meets the idea of CM it fits and speaks to the child as person, rather than the child as a-Kindergartner-with-all-the-skills-and-abilities-a-measured -average-Kindergartner-should-have. I know....that doesn't really answer your specific question. What I'm trying to say is that your source for copywork should be WHATEVER literature you and your son are working on at the time he's ready to begin some basic copywork. It should come from whatever he's enjoying. Whatever you're reading that is noble and worthy and good and inspiring. And the length and composition should fit where he is. I like to plan and keep lists, so I know how exciting it is to have everything squared away and ready to go! But this is definitely one of those cases where it isn't necessary to over-think things. Choosing copywork is just as simple as it is. And isn't that a relief?!!!!
Now, I can't leave you without a few sources that have become favorite treasures of ours over the years (this assumes a child knows his alphabet and can form and write all the letters and is beginning to read...usually around 6):
** Any of the basic prayers of the Church, and usually just one line, like: Hail Mary, full of grace.
** The child's name, the date
** A short selection from their reading (or reader) from the day - a simple sentence.
** The Life I Live by Lois Lenski - a collection of fun little poems that have been universally enjoyed here!
** Mother Goose
** Favorite Poems Old and New by Helen Ferris (the shorter poems)
** Liturgical picture books (choose a simple sentence)
Hope those give you some ideas to consider!
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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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kristinannie
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Thanks, Jen for the ideas! I think I will let him pick his copywork for the rest of K (once he gets those last few letters done in his workbook). It is so freeing to realize that homeschooling can be so much easier and so much more natural for everyone. It is a leap of faith to realize that my kids will learn what they need to know, but I really trust you ladies and the people who have been following this for over 100 years.  I think my kids will thank me for the lack of grammar workbooks...
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John Paul 8.5
Meredith Rose 7
Dominic Michael 4.5
Katherine Elizabeth 8 months
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kristinannie
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We just finished our first day of CM homeschool and...WOW...it was the best day of school we have had. We got a late start because we went to morning mass (and it starts at 9am) and then I had to go get some stuff from the old house before it started snowing. The day flowed so well. There was no complaining. We read from several living books. The kids did illustrated narrations (which they loved). They really wanted me to write things down on their pictures when they were done. I obliged! We even started learning German today.  It was a great day!
I know that things won't always be so wonderful, but CM is just such a natural way for kids to learn. The workbooks were seriously killing my children's love of learning and we didn't even do that many workbooks! Thanks for all of your advice and support. I never would have felt confident to make this change without the information you ladies have provided. And the proof that CM does work for those of you who have older kids...
God bless!
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John Paul 8.5
Meredith Rose 7
Dominic Michael 4.5
Katherine Elizabeth 8 months
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Mackfam
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That sounds like an absolutely lovely day, Kristin! I'm excited to share in this journey with you!
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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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jawgee
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So excited for you!!!!
kristinannie wrote:
| The workbooks were seriously killing my children's love of learning and we didn't even do that many workbooks! |
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I found this, too!
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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kristacecilia
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Kristin,
We found the same thing, too... workbooks were killing all of our love for learning. I am sure that for some kids they work well, but mine really hated it. CM-style is very natural for us and I have never regretted taking that leap.
Glad to hear your day went so well!
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God bless,
Krista
Wife to a great guy, mom to two boys ('04, '06) and three girls ('08, '10, '12!)
I blog at http://kristacecilia.wordpress.com/
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keac
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kristinannie wrote:
| The biggest leap of faith for me is in language arts. I am trusting in this method and will start copywork as soon as DS can formulate all of the letters correctly. |
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Leap of faith?! Sometimes it felt more like a plunge or a death-drop!!
A few things were big helps to me when I faced that precipice:
1. To remember that you can always incorporate a more concentrated focus on an area down the road if you feel you need to.
I never did dictation with ds15 until a year ago. Primarily because writing by hand was such an ordeal. I figured he would pick up spelling indirectly through his reading as he was such a voracious reader and loved words so. Which he did!! But this year, I decided he would be well-served to spend one year with a focus on spelling. I called it a spelling intensive and made sure to cover the *whys* of the spellings...even though most words he could already spell. (He still hates to write by hand, so we used the computer to type dictations.)
The point is, that you can always shore up a weakness with more time/effort later on. Don't know about you, but that knowledge made the leap less frightening for me.
2. Don't compare!!! Trust. If you look out there in the cyber world---this website, for starters; the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival is another that comes to mind; Child Light, another --- you will find many, many personal testimonies and research that supports CM's LA recommendations. You are in good hands. But beware of comparisons! Nothing undergirds a mom's confidence and enjoyment in the process than second-guessed decisions and comparisons to the homeschool down the street!
3. Stay the course! God's grace is bigger than my limitations and mistakes. And unless He directs me otherwise, I resist even entertaining other options. I do so love looking at educational materials! But because I know that too much *for me* can lead me to change tracks mid-trip, I limit even what I read or view online. I prefer to choose websites and journals that will encourage and facilitate me, than those that might lead to insecurity. Does that make sense? Hopefully you are not like that!!
What a thrill to be where you are!!! Enjoy the journey!
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: OK...we are going full on CM!
