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CrimsonGirl
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Joined: Sept 14 2006
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| Posted: Sept 14 2006 at 3:04pm | IP Logged
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Our DD is turning 4 next month and all the parochial schools in the area have strict September cutoffs. She is very bright and already knows much of the typical kindergarten curriculum so we don't want to lose a year. Therefore we'll be HS her at least for kindergarten and possibly through elementary school if the trial year goes well.
Anyways, I'm researching HS options and am intrigued by CM since I'm a big fan of experiential learning through literature, nature, art, and music. I attended a progressive school from K-3 and after that a traditional one and remember how boring the textbooks and busywork of the latter seemed after the "living books" approach of the former.
I'd like to hear from the veteran HS moms why you decided on the CM approach and also what you feel are its advantages over other methods like Seton, Kolbe, MODG, etc.
Thanks and God bless,
Claire
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TracyQ
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Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: New York
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| Posted: Sept 14 2006 at 5:52pm | IP Logged
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Welcome Claire! 
We just began our 12th year of home schooling.
We don't follow CM strictly, but she's influenced much of our learning through literature, nature, fine arts, etc.
What it's done, as I see the fruits of the approaches we've used throughout our homeschool, is to foster a love of reading, literature, and writing.
It's fostered close, better relationships, I believe, because much of our home schooling (until now in the older years) has been done together in a more nuturing, family way, where we learn a lot together.
Even now, with the kids older (16yo, 14yo, and 11yo) and having more seperate and more independent studies, I often see the three of them gravitating toward each other, encouraging each other, and learning from each other as they bring up bits of what they're learning to each other, or all read the book their older brother is writing, or have discussions and/or repsectful debates on various issues, or laugh together, or take their lunch break together, etc.
Maybe that would have happened if we used Seton or Kolbe and were seperated from the beginning by their grade for example, I don't know that for sure. But I don't think it would be as it is now. It's almost like they all feel they'd rather be still learning together sometimes.
We do some things together still, but with high school, it gets more difficult. They really still love the time we can spend together learning though. They love each other, even if they won't admit it! 
I hope this helps some.
__________________
Blessings and Peace,
Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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JuliaT
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Joined: June 25 2006
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| Posted: Sept 14 2006 at 11:25pm | IP Logged
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Claire,
Welcome! We have been homeschooling for 3 yrs. now. We started out doing Well-Trained MInd and then transitioned into more traditional classical. Last year was not a good year for us. My dd,7, did not like school at all. She complained about everything. I treated it as an attitude problem. I do believe that was part of the reason. But the more I thought of it, I realized that we had lost our joy in learning. We had lost sight of the beauty, truth, and goodness that was laid out before us in nature, literature, art and music. I was more concerned with getting our math and latin done for the week than I was about my dd experiencing God's beauty in the world.
I had tried some of CM's methods in our schooling but I decided this past summer that I was going to revamp our whole schedule and put in more of an emphasis on wisdom and beauty. I was going to do more CM. I scheduled in picture study, composer and nature study to make sure that it was getting done. I also shortened the lessons and varied them throughout our day.
We have been doing school the CM way now for 6 weeks. I cannot tell you the change in our home. There are no more tears. There is no more complaining. Picture study and nature study has become my dd's favourite subjects. We have fun in narrating the pictures. We are enjoying the books that we are reading. There is so much more depth to our learning time than there was before.
I am so glad that we changed to CM. Both my dd and myself are enjoying school on a totally different level now.
Julia
http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/Juliainsk/
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4Real Forums : Living Learning
Topic: Why Did You Decide On CM For Your HS?
