CMEC vs AmblesideOnline- What’s the difference?| Charlotte Mason Homeschool

This year, we changed from using AmblesideOnline to the CMEC.org for our home. In this video, filmed on the road, I share the differences between the two!
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OTHER VIDEOS ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING:
Why I switched from AmblesideOnline to the CMEC: • Switching homeschool c...
Family Subjects using the CMEC: • Family Subjects in our...
Homeschool planning with baby in the mix: • Homeschool Planning wi...
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[@LionWolverine]

We had the same issue with AO- the books were excellent but our days felt heavy and really boring. I love how CMEC has shorter readings and allows for more notebooking and hands on work.

[@karenrimshas8160]

Ah, good to know that CMEC has shorter readings. I need help with notebooking and hands on work so the CMEC sounds like it could be a worthwhile swith.

[@Mamaisawake]

In my adhd easily distracted brain I was shouting in my mind just put your hair behind your ear lol this is great information, thank you!

[@amandahohnstreiter6000]

I've been counting down the days until I can finally register this year! Thanks again for everything you have shared!

[@joycherrick]

You are so welcome!

[@JadwigaTarnopolska]

I've been doing CMEC for two years now, and I have used AO's resources in a hodge-podge way in the past off and on although that was several years ago. I love the CMEC! I have to say while nature study is a huge strength of CM type stuff (and I love the astronomy stuff in the CMEC), I feel like science/tech is always a little lacking compared to lit/history/geography. So thanks for the recommendation of science resources. A long time ago, California had this great notebooking type science program called FOSS with a bunch of great free resources, but they took it down apparently. They have a new one now, but I guess it's just for public schools. It was where you did science experiments/observations first, kept notebooks, then read about it. It was very thorough, fun, hands-on, and went through the different areas of science. I've been looking for a replacement since. I just wish the CM stuff for science was updated and a little more systematic. It just seems kind of scattered. Anyway, great video! Thanks again :)

[@Hopelb]

Loved this car chat! Thank you for sharing! My oldest has been doing AO year 1 but I'm dropping the history and going to use Truthquest because I want family learning. I have 4 kiddos coming up behind my daughter and I finally decided I don't want everyone separated doing their own thing.

[@abundanceintheson_316]

That was the whole reason I stopped doing AO

[@jamieleskanic9091]

I recently found your channel and just love your content. I’m glad you are making more!

[@ErynHjelle]

That was actually the most helpful CMEC video I have watched! It answered so many questions. Thank you!

[@heatherray2025]

A wonderful practical comparison. I also cannot figure out how to use the AO forum. We created our own this year and it has been so helpful in making our days joy filled. Sabbath Mood also has been a game changer. We love your guides, but Sabbath Mood has been great to take science to next level for my older students.

[@sarahbeth717]

That was exactly what I was looking for, thank you!!

[@desireewhittington9035]

Oh my gosh! I hope by this time next year I can also say “I AM CONFIDENT” thank you so much for this video! And I also appreciated your description of how the CMEC “goes into the weeds” with you on fine tuning your methods.

[@ddchomeschool]

This is such a great and helpful video, having done both. I look forward to sharing this with others when they ask!!! ❤

[@TheChan7]

This was so helpful. I’m considering going more towards CM. Such a hard decision. Just subscribed. Looking forward to watching more of your videos. I also have a channel mainly about homeschooling and it would be fun to be friends here 😊

[@sunshynehill]

Thank you for this comparison!

[@JA-vv8wy]

I’m hoping to start homeschooling next year but I’m feeling overwhelmed with all the different curriculums I’m seeing videos about. I don’t even know where to start and obviously want the best of all the options. How did you even know these curriculums existed and how did you decide between these over all of the other options out there? How did you peek through them to know which curriculum suited your student? Do you have to go to a homeschooling conference to view all of the curriculums? That would take hours to look through and decide which one works best for each subject. Totally lost. Thank you for the comparison video.

[@faithkfarris]

I’m curious how different the cmec is to A Gentle Feast, which also rotates time periods and does more family work!

[@joycherrick]

I wish I could be more helpful here! I have not looked deeply into it. My impression of A Gentle Feast is that it’s more workbook centric/formulaic and has a bit more guard rails- ie and “open And go program” whereas CMEC is not- it is more robust, it seems

[@karenrimshas8160]

We have been using AGF for around two years. I am yet again looking into CMEC. For me, I needed a simpler open and go format so I chose AGF. That being said, it doesn't go into subjects deep enough for me. I also was used to having more options to teach and more books to choose from. I missed that with AGF. I can only speak from our experience with cycle 1. I don't regret using AGF, but I may change now that my kids are getting older and need more of that beautiful Charlotte Mason curriculum. As for family subjects, we could have done better. It just didn't work out for us this time period.

[@liztefft5312]

Thank you for sharing, Joy. Question: Do you feel CMEC would be valuable for someone homeschooling one child, age 15? We just discovered CM just under two years ago and I love her methods but still consider myself a beginner. We've been using Simply Charlotte Mason for our history, and I've already purchased the materials for the upcoming year. I wonder if CMEC would still be helpful even if we continue with SCM for history?

[@joycherrick]

This one is up to you. The CMEC is more of a place to get teacher training from women who study and implement Charlotte Mason's ideas with grace and thoughtfulness. There is a whole section on the website for homeschooling high school. I know those resources would be an encouragement. I would be worth emailing them any questions you have. And certainly ask about their high school resources.

[@liztefft5312]

@@joycherrick thank you!

[@heather48692]

Great video, thank you! We are just starting out in our full out homeschool adventure (we had done a hybrid option previously) and I was drawn to AO for the richness of their booklists and overall feast. I was able to find a way to combine the children for history (ages 8-14, plus a sweet 4-year-old tag along), and we are all loving 'Our Island Story' and looking forward to 'This Country of Ours'. You had mentioned that AO had the best book list yet you loved CMEC for all the support and training -- what are your thoughts on using AO for the spine and CMEC for the support and training? In your experience, would this be a viable option or would be better to go all in CMEC?

[@joycherrick]

Honestly, they draw from very similar books. They both use the ideas from Norms and Nobility by David Hicks for their upper years - Great Books list. I still use many books from the AO lists for my older children because there are some I just don't want to miss. But once you have a grasp of the logic around how and why certain books are scheduled, then it's easy enough to swap it out. I think you could definitely use CMEC for their support and training and just go with the AO for Groups style list (where you combine ages). I end up customizing our program anyway because we have a pretty robust library for the younger grades and there were many AO books that have been big hits that we don't want to miss. (There are also some that flopped and we get to add new.) The biggest thing with CMEC vs AO is that AO has WAAAY more reading than CMEC. I found this to be a burden because we weren't enjoying the process. CMEC has helped us slow down and learn how to respond through using notebooks. It's such a simple practice and yet it's really helped all of us take the time to enjoy the pursuit of knowledge instead of feeling like we were cramming books into our heads without taking the time to respond. I really enjoy the training I've gotten from the CMEC - they do have a lot of content to wade through - which I find to be cumbersome - but I'll take that over feeling lost at sea with AO. Hope that helps!

[@heather48692]

Yes, very helpful! Thank you!

[@annagracehayes]

Very helpful overview

[@FostersFollowingJesus]

May I ask why you didn't go with AGF and went with CMEC instead?

[@mwolfe7883]

My biggest issue with CM curriculum is actually the science. I’m fine with nature study and the books for elementary, but for middle and high school, I think many drop the ball. I’m not impressed with sabbath mood for science in high school. Those books might be nice side reads (although one of them I would not give a teen at all)- but if you have a science minded, college bound student, it’s better they work through a more traditional science curriculum. It’s a big disservice to avoid “textbooks” because you are CM. I was homeschooled with a mom who did CM methods not knowing who she was and making textbooks work for me- and I have two college science degrees.

[@joycherrick]

What science publishers would you recommend? What Sabbath Mood does is combine the knowledge found in the books with hands-on experiments and experiences. Where can we find that sort of support for the homeschool?

[@sierrabookishlife]

I KZbin AO info and your video pop up, but what is CEMC ???

[@joysilas4724]

I am YR1 with AO and I love their book list but I agree I don’t feel like the curriculum is coming to life for us. I’m torn since I want to keep on the AO booklist but I really need more guidance and support. And AO doesn’t offer that.

[@joycherrick]

I hear you! Check out the CMEC free download that gives an overview of what they offer. I’ve been so grateful for the support and training!

[@sarahsmith5077]

What is CMEC?

[@joycherrick]

@@sarahsmith5077 theCMEC.org is a Charlotte Mason curriculum developed by Amy Snell from the Charlotte Mason educational Center (co-op in Pennsylvania)