Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Homeschool Resources

Sara asked me to write a little about ambleside.org. I found this website a few years ago and liked it very much even though at the time I was not ready to fully use it. It is a free curriculum following Charlotte Mason's philosophy. It is such a rich website I hardly know where to start. There are helps for those who are just beginning to homeschool and for those who are veterans. Many of the books they use can either be found at libraries or online for which they provide links. At first glance the curriculum may seem daunting because of all the books they suggest, but they are quick to let you know that you are free to pick and choose what would be best for your children.
I would encourage everyone to at least visit the website whether or not you are familiar with Charlotte Mason. On the homepage there are five headings from which to choose, the first being an introduction. That's the best place to start because it will answer many questions. For those of you who have tried to read Charlotte Mason's books but have given up because of the language, they have rewritten the whole series in modern English, which you will find right on the website.
This website has enabled me to take better charge of my homeschooling and has provided me with so many suggestions of books that I might never have known about. Some are books that I should have read years ago, but are enjoying now with my sons. We are encouraged to spend more time outside learning about God's creation. The boys and I even enjoy reading Shakespeare plays together making our voices sound different to try to fit the parts. Sometimes we just end up laughing.
Ambleside.org is a great website that I highly recommend. The homeschooling mothers who have put it all together are to be commended for all their hard work. There are also many groups on Yahoo that are part of the ambleside family some of which I have found very helpful. One group in particular that has helped me is the Year 5 Notebook group. One mother has gone through the entire year's curriculum and posted the weekly readings so all I've had to do is download and print them weekly for Robert to read. There is a wealth of information at ambleside.org and I hope you will all visit sometime.


3 comments:

Anonymous said...
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Anonymous said...

Just want to mention that the school years listed at ambleside do not necessarily correspond with regular school grades. If you start your children with ambleside when they are older you may want to start a year or two behind the school year.

Sara said...

Thanks for sharing this! If you look at the side bar, you'll see I've added the link.

I probably won't use the whole curriculum, not for a few years, anyway, but I certainly find the reading lists and links to free online books to be a great resource.