tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2682457774245843924.post5907985541163042690..comments2024-03-23T08:55:43.666-07:00Comments on Joyous Lessons: Schooling with Littles :: Independent WorkCelestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05834674328751444179noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2682457774245843924.post-6691426966801184882017-07-31T21:35:52.938-07:002017-07-31T21:35:52.938-07:00Hi Samara,
I'm going to respond cautiously he...Hi Samara,<br /><br />I'm going to respond cautiously here because I think what matters most is that we're all really thoughtful about how we arrange our days. So I don't want to give a one-size-fits-all answer. ;)<br /><br />First, yes, I do think there is definitely room for homeschooling without a strict timetable while still holding to CM's principles. In fact, I think a strict timetable can be *counter* to CM's principles in certain situations -- like, if in doing so, it causes your home atmosphere to be very stressed and anxious. I actually have a whole post I would like to write about this, so I won't go into that too much here. But ultimately, the timetable is a tool to meet the principles; it isn't a principle itself.<br /><br />That said, the timetable is a great way to make sure you ARE holding to the principles. Some of the principles I think we can pull from CM's words in general would be: short lessons, alternating subjects to keep attention fresh, plenty of free time, and the child knowing what to expect for her day's routine. These principles are probably most easily accomplished by using a timetable, but obviously they could be met through a less specific routine as well.<br /><br />When I wrote this post, I was speaking of my two oldest kids, who were fast, eager readers and excellent narrators (they still are). And I was speaking of Year 2, which has a lighter load than Year 3, which you're asking about. My current Form I students would not be able to handle Year 3 (which I'm doing now) in 2-3 days. We could not keep short lessons or short-ish days if we were trying to do that, or the reading would crowd out the other important tasks that keep our minds fresh, like picture study, songs, etc. However, we DO keep a 4-day week, and if we really needed an extra weekday free, we could also move some school to the weekend without trouble. So there is room there for some re-ordering.<br /><br />I'll also say that although we don't necessarily spread the reading out evenly over all the days, we still do make sure to alternate kinds of work. It really does help the habit of attention. My kids can and often do do two readings back to back, but we never do more than that, and I really prefer to stick something like a quick chore in between at the very least. :)<br /><br />So my overall advice would be: in my opinion, all your days do not have to look all the same and you do not have to keep a strict timetable to be doing a CM education. BUT you do still want to keep the principles in mind that make this education efficient and joyful.<br /><br />I hope that helps a little! Please let me know if anything I said was unclear and I'm happy to expand more.Celestehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05834674328751444179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2682457774245843924.post-21007382059572001852017-07-31T18:06:33.789-07:002017-07-31T18:06:33.789-07:00 Hi Celeste! There is a lot of talk right now abo... Hi Celeste! There is a lot of talk right now about doing things on a strict timetable and varying the lessons. However, I really like the way you are doing it. My question is, is it really OK if my year 3 daughter does most of the readings in a couple days to leave the other days were free for outside activities or more free time? For some reason I had this idea that we should not do more than a couple readings per day . Thank you so much for this blog!Samara Roothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07254223409882947132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2682457774245843924.post-12021753599539258432014-03-07T18:03:42.891-08:002014-03-07T18:03:42.891-08:00Hi Lisa, thanks so much for stopping by! :) Bran...Hi Lisa, thanks so much for stopping by! :) Brandy's posts that I linked at the bottom of this post have been great for thinking about moving toward independence--I'm looking forward to reading more from her on this topic, because I'd like the children to be even more independent than they already are by the time my next daughter starts Year 1 (she'll be kindergarten-aged this fall). And I actually just ordered a full set of Math Wrap-ups, so I'm glad to hear you guys enjoy them.<br /><br />(My husband is Filipino and I'm Italian, so the children are half and half...sometimes we get comments that they look Asian, sometimes Hispanic. Except for my youngest son, who definitely looks fully Asian--not like me at all! LOL)Celestehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05834674328751444179noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2682457774245843924.post-83834814613262658622014-03-07T17:28:45.139-08:002014-03-07T17:28:45.139-08:00Thank you for sharing this series. I have been try...Thank you for sharing this series. I have been trying to figure out how to move toward more independent work in some areas. We just got some math wrap ups (which are a big hit!) and piano and copywork are independent as well. I love your idea of having a stack of books at the beginning of the week and having them read when it fits. I think I'm going to try that. <br /><br />(Btw, as I was reading your daily routine post I was noticing how much your girls look like mine, and then my oldest dd came and looked over my shoulder and said, "Who is that? She looks just like me!" :)Lisa Ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04496990920896461103noreply@blogger.com