Back to "school" Edition submission

8.6.08 there it was the challenge:

For submissions to this special edition, we would love for you to answer any of the following questions:

1. How do you tailor CM to your family? Plans for the year that are a little out of the ordinary are welcome.

2. Reviews of CM sorts of products or links to products you are going to try this year.

3. Organization tips for CM topics like picture study, nature study, narrations, or anything else.

4. How do you pick your books for the year? Is everyone following closely to the Ambleside Online suggestions?

Many of these questions I've already sorted through because we home educate year round in order to take a day off here or a week off there, especially for a High Holy Day/Feast.

in june we were wrapping up Year 1 as is over at AmbleSide and I realized that yes narration is the best way to remember something but my son was totally bored. He is, what the curriculum review guru's would label as, a wiggly. I also realized he wasn't quite ready for Year 2 so I have him in a Year 1.5 that will last until the winter is over and then we'll pick back up with Year 2.

I wanted to find something that was still Charlotte Mason based and yet included some activities for my wiggly son. Mamma Squirrel said a truth recently, "Most seven-year-olds don't totally get maps, or dates. They don't get abstract ideas, cause and effect, or political things. But they do like stories, characters, heroes, villains. They do remember what happened and who did what, if not always why."

SO as of this posting of the carnival we're on week #7 of 34 as found in Beyond Little Hearts for HIS Glory by Heart of Dakota. I really wanted to dive into American History with my son and using stories seems more appropriate than a bunch of dates and names. Those are there too but surrounded by lifes of characters who lived during that time.

At first DS, then 6 when we started Beyond, would complain about having to do school-work. Now, which currently we are in week 5 as I type this and DS just turned 7 last week, he's warming up to it.

There is a weekly song to help with the Bible Memory verse and one or two craft projects and a geopgraphy lesson each week. There's also storytime with a book every 20 days from a different genre and we're making a timeline as well. Math and Science both have hands on activities which DS really enjoys.

Yes, we're not doing as many subjects it seems as we did with Year 1 and yet I know this fun intermission will help DS to mature with the extra time on the 3 R's and make Year 2 much more attainable. After all, this is about his education and what he's capable of and encouraging him to keep reaching for higher goals.

in the photo below is a shield we made the first week to go with Psalm 18:2 and the image on the shield is a Shofar.