Back to Charlotte Mason...

It turns out that we miss the routine of sitting down to "do school" more than we thought we would. I have been browsing through my collection of Charlotte Mason books late at night, and decided that Catherine Levison was right when she wrote that following the CM method allows plenty of time for children to explore their own interests, since lessons are kept short and sweet. My children also adore being read to, which fits right in. So next week we're going back to CM until we feel the need to unschool again! I also want to blend in some Oak Meadow (semi-Waldorf) approaches. I want to get some nice notebooks/main lesson books, like these.

My plans include:

Saxon Math or Math Mammoth for both - they can choose which each day as long as they do one or the other.

Writing Tales for Cyrus, maybe. We barely put a dent in this book last year, and he is perfectly willing to give it another go. He also like Intermediate Language Lessons, so I think I'll give him a choice, and/or we could do some language arts ala Oak Meadow. He reads, writes something about what he has read in a main lesson book, and adds a drawing... hmmmmm.

The Reading Lesson, guided reading, and some copywork (Oak Meadow) for Cassia. She is really showing some progress reading, and I want to keep the momentum going.

Reading through American history with books I am compiling from various living book history lists. We're starting with Leif the Lucky and the D'Aulaires Norse Myths. Then we'll move into other early explorers.

Weekly nature walks (with journals, or at least the camera and a journal later), along with living books on science. Since my last posting I have found a few good lists! I plan to start The Tarantula in My Purse, and then go from there.

For art studies and music, I am not yet sure...

In geography, we have started participating in a postcard exchange and got our first one yesterday, from Michigan. We'll keep a notebook with a state map printout and some basic info.

I'm thinking about a book of centuries, or something similar.

We're reading, for pleasure, The Saturdays, Little House in the Big Woods, and Cyrus is reading How to Train Your Dragon, book 1. I want to read aloud A Christmas Carol, and some other Christmassy books.

So there are my ramblings for the day!