The first three weeks of August we were quietly homeschooling. It was never really something I had ever planned on doing but with the start date of school being pushed back I felt I needed to DO SOMETHING.
It took practically all summer to research, and plan, and print (and two ink cartridges later) we started. There has been some tears (both mine and the girls) but there has been some really good moments, too. Maybe I just needed to prove to myself I could teach at home. Whatever the reason (or calling?) it has been a blessing.
We utilized the free Charlotte Mason inspired Ambleside Online curriculum and it has been a very fulfilling and beautiful process learning about her teaching principles. A tenant of a Charlotte Mason lesson is reading "living" books to inspire creativity and enrich thought life.
The nature of living books is typically narrative in style and written by an authority on the material /or/ by someone with a passion for the material /or/ someone who has experienced the story first hand. And very much likely to be an older and sometimes out-of-print book- so what to do?
•Read the texts for free on your phone or device by searching The Gutenberg Project or Manybooks. Sometimes the Kindle editions are free or super cheap.
•Check your local library branch. I was able to search my library database and several books on the list were available! You can search local (to you) libraries for book titles using World Cat it may be one of my new favorite websites.
•Used bookstores are your friend. I feel like a winner every time I go and the price-points are *chef's kiss*. If you don't have one near you, here are several that are great (but definitely price compare! You can use Book finder to do this too!)
And here are some of my favorite learn at home blogs. These ladies were/are so helpful on my homeschool venture, please check them out (you won't regret it.)
We officially finished our first week of Virtual Learning. There was a slight learning curve (for me, haha) but both girls have been pretty receptive, and on some days, even excited to begin. At least now I know, if it doesn't work for us, we can easily go back to our Ambleside curriculum and do just fine. What a peaceful understanding.
How is schooling going for you? Praying for a good school year!
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