This will be the first year that I'm doing these subjects more like how Charolette Mason's method does them. We're using Tanglewood's Curriculum almost 98%. See here:

I'm looking for online information to help me get a better grasp on using say a Nature-Notebook and Nature Studies for Science (we've used pretty traditional methods thus far, like Harcourt Science) and classical/living books for History with a Book of Centuries....

Thoughts? websites? books?

One reason why I didn't go with Story of the World or the WTM type history books is that I was told they sorta took more of a Christian approach. Thoughts? We're not Christian, and we tend to like a more secular approach to such topics.

Thanks!

Becca

Here's (http://www.donnayoung.org/history/timeline-cw.htm) a great link for info on putting together a Book of the Centuries. I did ours based on this format, although after 100ad I did 50 years per page. I printed the pages out on card stock and put them in a 3-ring binder. Donna Young has a pretty comprehensive CM site.

For info on Nature Study I highly recommend that you read "Pocketful of Pinecones" by Karen Andreola. It's a wonderful book.

Penny Gardner (http://www.digis.net/~gardnerp/) has a wonderful site with lots of information.

I know you're using Tanglewood, but the AO yahoo group is extremely active (I can't keep up!) and is a wealth of information. There are other CM groups as well. There is also a BOC format already laid out in the files section of the AO group.

Hope these help. CM can seem very overwhelming when you first start it. We've taken it slowly and added this and that and hopefully by the time my oldest is 16 we'll have everything I'd like to cover in the curriculum.

Originally posted by Rebecca

One reason why I didn't go with Story of the World or the WTM type history books is that I was told they sorta took more of a Christian approach. Thoughts? We're not Christian, and we tend to like a more secular approach to such topics.

Thanks!

Becca

Oops, forgot to address this. :D I can't seem to shut my mouth when it comes to CM.

I really like the selections for living books through AO. Island Story, Fifty Famous Stories and Viking Tales are based more on myths, but dd was extremely impressed with these books and has retained a lot of the information that we read for year 1. The d'Aulaire books are absolutely wonderful books. Dd wanted to gobble them up, but we read only a page a day to follow CM style. And for Geography, you couldn't go wrong with using the Holling C Holling books. All of these books are secular. In Island Story there is explanations of pagans and heathens and they're shown in a positive light. Dd was fascinated with that information (as was I :) ).

My older dd did year 3 and 4 and really enjoyed the books from the history reading list. She didn't want to, but waited patiently as the school year unfolded to read and retain these selections. She was very impressed with the Abigail Adams book and the George Washington book by Foster.

There are twaddle-free reading lists available online. These may help you come up with your own reading list for science and history. I've found these:

http://members.aol.com/beeme1/bookstore.html

http://www.christianity.com/CC_Content_Page/0,,PTID61309|CHID605214|CIID,00.html

Not specifically CM (http://www.classical-homeschooling.org/celoop/author.html) but a good list as well.

Here's another BOC one (http://www.homeschoolinthewoods.com/HTTA/TimelineHelps/#Anchor-Teaching%20With%20Timelines)

FWIW, we use SOTW and we are not Christian. I am sensitive to this issue, and I didn't find SOTW to be a problem. Some Biblical figures are covered, and I found the presentation to be more historical then religious. The book talks about the difference between one-god/many-gods belief systems without prejudice (IMO) and when someone like Joseph is presented, it's more like, "Joseph believed in one god. He had a dream in which his god spoke to him..." instead of "God spoke to Joseph in a dream." kwim?

Hope this helps a little.

Tara

Originally posted by queenbeaver
I know you're using Tanglewood, but the AO yahoo group is extremely active (I can't keep up!) and is a wealth of information. There are other CM groups as well. There is also a BOC format already laid out in the files section of the AO group.


Thanks for the info and links.

I assume the AO is Ambleside Online? I'll have to go check out the yahoo group -- sounds like it might be of interest.

~ Becca

Originally posted by Rebecca
Thanks for the info and links.

I assume the AO is Ambleside Online? I'll have to go check out the yahoo group -- sounds like it might be of interest.

~ Becca

You're welcome and yes, AO is Ambleside Online.