What are you going to do next year?

This is a question I have been getting asked a lot recently.  For those of us who are planning on homeschooling but our kids are still young, it is hard to not go ahead and jump in full force.  I know Sam has accused me of wishing my kids were older just so we can start school - and he is a little right.  I have been collecting books for a year now and am anxious to start doing all these things I've been reading about.  However, in my attempt to give 100% Charlotte Mason a chance before I start corrupting her, I am holding off.

This is hard.

Carter will be 5 a few days before the cut off for Kindergarten attendance so technically if I was going to send him to public school, he could go.  Shudder! 

He is so not ready to be in school.  And I'm perfectly fine with that.

As an 8th grade teacher for 7 years I could pick out the boys with summer birthdays - their maturity was seriously lacking.  Before I decided to homeschool I vowed I would not put him in school until he was 6.  Yes, it makes a difference.

Anyway - since I am planning on using Ambleside Online as my curriculum, and the literature is pretty advanced, many people recommend you wait until 7 to start year 1 so there is a little more student maturity.  And Charlotte really does not encourage any formal education before the age of 6.  I'm fine with that too.  We will do a K year when he is 6 (pulled from different Ambleside users who have made K years for 6 year olds) and Year 1 when he is 7.

So what to do this year?  Charlotte would say nothing the child doesn't want to do.  I agree.  I don't want to turn my kids against "school" before we even start.  However, I feel a little pressure to teach him  a few things that I feel he needs and wants to learn (I cringe everytime I hear him being asked to write his name in church as he cannot with out guidance).  Unfortunately, if I don't plan and structure something, it won't happen.  Heck, half the time when I do plan and structure things they still don't happen!

So this is my plan for next year.   I am mainly typing this post for myself.  I really needed to "get down on paper" what we are going to do.  You just get to see too!

First, work on being consistent with the "extras" of a CM education (not really extras but necessities) - nature study, foreign language, art, composers, hymns, and folksongs.  We will also try and do one activity a day that deals with handwriting/letter.  Of course Bible and memory verses are a part of every day as a given.

Bible - Continue reading our Jesus Storybook Bible and memorize the verse that goes with our letter for the week from ABC Bible Verses.  We also have the Word and Song Bible CDs that we love to listen to - Carter listens to them during his quiet time.

Foreign Language - Spanish - We love Rock 'n Learn Spanish that we checked out from the library and will keep listening to that to learn more.   I also found Rock 'n Learn Spanish Vol 2 that I will try and get a hold of as well.  Several people have recommended the Little Pim videos that I would like to get as well.  I would love to find a Spanish class for preschoolers taught by a native speaker - I just haven't looked yet.

Nature Study - I am going to try and plan on going on a nature walk every week - I know that is ambitious but I'm going to try my best.  I want to make a little 3 ring notebook for Carter to start a nature journal where we can "draw" some of the things we see.  I will probably just have him draw some on paper then we will put it in his notebook.  I'm also going to try and make sure we draw some of the birds that are coming to our feeder. I also want us to press some flowers and leaves to learn the plants in our area. There is a great document that Jennifer Spread put together about time outdoors.  She has gathered many of Charlotte's quotes about outdoor time and categorized them.  It is very useful in identifying what we should do outside.  If you are interested, let me know and I can email it to you.

Composer/Artist/Hymn/Folksong - I will follow Ambleside Online's rotation for these subjects.  Right now they just have the Composers up for the coming year.  Hopefully they will soon have the others (I'll post them when they are up).  As far as these go I am planning on making a CD with the term's songs and have us listen to them daily.  I may find some basic info to informally share about the composers and songs.  As far as the Artist goes I will print the pictures (AO usually posts them on one of the yahoo groups) through Walmart and put them up in our "school area".  I will probably just randomly let the boys tell me what they see in the pictures.

Composer
2010-2011 TERM 1 (This term's artist is Albrecht Durer -1500, Renaissance) Ludwig von Beethoven (1810) (Classical/Romantic)
    Listening selections for this term:
    Piano Sonata 8 (Pathetique) Opus 13
    Piano Sonata 14 (Moonlight) Op 27
    Symphony No. 3 (Erocia-meaning 'heroic') Opus 55
    String Quartets opus 59, no.1-3 (Razumovsky Quartets)
    Piano Concerto 5 (Emporer) Op 73
    Symphony No. 9 (the one with Ode to Joy at the end) Opus 125

2010-2011 TERM 2 (This term's artist is Carravagio 1600, Baroque) Antonio Vivaldi (1730) (Baroque)
Listening selections for this term:
    Gloria (choral work);
    The Four Seasons;
    Trio Sonata in C major, RV.82;
    plus 3 concerti - Maybe one for violin, one for guitar and
    one for a woodwind instrument such as oboe or bassoon.

2010-2011 TERM 3 (This term's artist is not yet determined) Frederic Chopin (1840) (Romantic)
Listening selections for this term:
    Op 09 no 2 Nocturne in E flat maj
    Op 10 no 3 Etude in E-maj
    Op 10 no 12 Revolutionary Etude in C minor
    Op 21 Piano Concerto number 2 in f minor
    Op 28 Preludes no's 15, 20 and either 16 or 17
    Op 53 Polonaise in A flat, Heroic

Folksong
2010/11 school year
term 1: Waltzing Mathilda
term 2: Tall Men Riding:
term 3: Botany Bay, version 2:


Writing/Letter - I was going to us Handwriting Without Tears but figure I can make do with free stuff on line for a little while.  I will be using some of Confessions of a Homeschooler's Letter Activities and 1+1+1=1's Raising Rockstars Preschool activities.  This is in an ideal world and may not be done all at the same time in the day.  I usually let Carter come out of his room during quiet time after an hour and a half so we may spend some time just the two of us working. 

Here is my general plan:  You can see Carisa's sample lesson here
Monday - Introduction of Rockstar stuff (Carisa's Day 1) and make letter in tray of flour, sand - something.
Tuesday - Review daily,  Dot painting of letter and Giant Push Pin letter from CH, complete Getting Ready sheet and verse sheet with big lettter (1st 2 items on Carisa's day 2)
Wednesday - Review daily, Do both sets of letter cards
Thursday - Review daily, Carisa's Day 4, try to make several letters on handwriting paper
Friday - Do Power Point from Carisa's Member's Only

That's all I have planned for now.  I have some math stuff but that will be mostly done as games and informal activities.

I always want to make sure we are reading great books and spending most of our time outside.  After all, Charlotte did say, "Never be within doors when you can rightly be without."