Mama vs. Charlotte Mason I *CHATTY* OCTOBER HOMESCHOOL UPDATE

Sharing our homeschool recap for October 2022. I'll be sharing a few stand-out resources from the month as well as reflecting on the importance of homeschooling our own children vs. being insistent on following the guidelines promoted by homeschool experts.
Timestamps
0:00 Intro
1:07 Big picture recap of October
4:28 Top Resources of the Month
4:30 Narration Journal
11:09 Developing the Early Learner
7:35 Preschool Box
15:15 Mom vs. Experts
Links Mentioned:
October Day in the Life (Quick run-through of all of our curriculum near the end): • FIRST DAY of Homeschoo...
Purely Preschool Transportation: www.wheredyoulearnthat.com/sh...
Developing the Early Learner 4-book set from Rainbow Resource: www.rainbowresource.com/produ...
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Amazon affiliate links:
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WELCOME //
I'm Rachel, a mom of two and the oldest in a family of 8 kids. I'm a second-generation homeschooler who is passionate about education. I'm originally from Michigan, but am living overseas. My two young boys and teaching homeschool lessons to my youngest sisters keep me busy, but I make time for writing and for making KZbin videos, too! On this channel, you can expect videos featuring books and homeschool curriculum, homeschool tips for hard days, our journey raising bilingual kids, and vlogs about the intentional adventure that our homeschool lifestyle allows! Subscribe to join our family here:
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Expect two videos a week, uploaded at 7:30 a.m. EST on Mondays and Thursdays.
THE CURRICULUM I WRITE//
Our family creates printable homeschool curriculum. Find those resources right here: www.wheredyoulearnthat.com
WATCH MORE //
Get to Know the Seven In All Family: • We're The Seven in All...
Limit Screen Time for Kids: • LIMIT SCREEN TIME FOR ...
Raising Bilingual Kids (Without OPOL!) • How We're Raising Bili...
Strategies for Homeschooling Gifted Learners • HELP! I'm Homeschoolin...
My DIY Preschool Learning Binder • Preschool Learning Bin...
Classroom Management for Homeschoolers (Series) • Homeschool for REAL - ...
HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES //
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DISCLOSURE //
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[@audreymcnair350]

I started both of my younger boys on AAR at 4. They are now 9 and 7 and they are amazing readers! They were very ready to start. They didn't push back. They weren't frustrated. They enjoyed it, and they still enjoy reading :) I say, follow the child's lead!

[@SevenInAll]

That's awesome! We're still enjoying AAR and progressing through--NOT at lightning speed or anything, but spending a little bit of time every day on reading activities and I love seeing his curiosity and the way he's finding words that he can read in our read-aloud storybooks now! Learning to read opens a whole new world!

[@freelandtr]

I totally agree! Go with your child’s readiness. Start sooner than later and go at your child’s pace whether fast or slow or in between.

[@SevenInAll]

Yes--once we start, we can slow down or speed up as necessary.

[@jmsilhavy]

Thank you so much for sharing this! I was a pre-k teacher so I did go through the process of having to teach so many children who were not ready, but some were definitely ready. My husband, older son, and I are avid readers and my almost 4 year is really into books and sits with us asking questions all the time. I haven't done anything formal, yet, but we have been doing a lot of sound and letter recognition through play. I feel he is ready for something more formal, but between my past experience and what the experts say, I was really questioning whether or not I should start. I now feel more comfortable going with his eagerness and helping him to formally read. Thank you again.

[@SevenInAll]

Oh, I'm so glad I could be encouraging! Each kid truly does have their own pace and their own interests...it's so fun when they naturally have that love for books! :)

[@HomechoolbythePond]

I highly disagree delaying reading personally. I learned to read at 5 and I still love to read. So many people I know who learned later don't read at all in adult life. I truly think I enjoy reading because I literally don't remember it ever being difficult. The difficulty learning part was before my memory exists and now I adore it! We're teaching Madison at 4 and she's doing amazing with early CVC words and early readers.

[@SevenInAll]

Yes, if a child is interested in learning and able to focus...why not teach them? I love how my son is starting to pick out the words he can read in the bigger books I read.

[@moniquefuselier7711]

Yes! Sometimes pursuing a new skill like reading solves frustration rather than causing it!

[@SevenInAll]

I very much agree with this!

[@theselittlesprouts]

I completely agree with your “controversial” topic. I think we need to trust our motherly instincts, often you know the signs, you know and can feel when your child is ready for different things. I love the window analogy, that is for sure where my son is right now. Full of love of learning, spending time writing on his own, asking how to spell things, putting letters together and asking if they spell anything, he is definitely there. Every kid is different and I do not think boxes are where children are supposed to be kept. 😉

[@SevenInAll]

Yes--I think it's so important to talk about what those signs of readiness and interest are, rather than decide that any specific age is the 'right time.'

[@simplycece]

I think the heart of the “experts” and “veterans” is ultimately to look at the child in front of you. This message definitely gets lost in social media and especially on the Facebook homeschool curriculum “support”pages where moms are often actively shamed for making any mention of their 3 or 4 year old doing a thing.

[@SevenInAll]

I think you're right that the message gets lost in short form, dramatic social media posting. Just this weekend, I saw an instagram post with a parent writing that she would not teach her eager kindergartener reading yet, because she knew that her child wasn't the right age according to the child development arc and that early or late, all kids are reading around the same level by 3rd to 4th grade...that may very well be a good decision for her child, but...we really should not apply age recommendations to all kids. Interest and motivation matter a great deal, and although I was hesitant, I'm glad I took my mom's advice to not miss the window of interest. I think it would be more helpful for parents to know what the signs of reading readiness are, what to look for, versus merely thinking "not in preK or kinder!"

[@roonie85]

I am a firm believer of teaching to the child. Isn't that why we homeschool? My youngest is a gifted learner, and I just cannot imagine how it would have been to wait until he was six to read, especially since was reading at four and is a voracious reader.

[@SevenInAll]

The general and popular advice regarding education and child development tends to leave gifted children out of the equation (which is exactly why I like to talk about homeschool with gifted kids). I don't consider my son to be gifted--but there are also kids like him who are just bookish by nature and intrigued by the world of letters--the gift of homeschool is that we CAN teach to the individual child.

[@lorriel9629]

No clutching pearls here. Lol. I always learn something new from your videos. Thank you

[@SevenInAll]

Oh, thank you for watching! I'm glad to hear that!

[@RockSimmer-gal4God]

We love 4 day week curriculums!!! Adventures are a better word than field trips!!! The narration journal is awesome!!! The box looks awesome!!! I love it when my daughter acts out books and Tv shows!!! I remember my older kids especially my older daughter doing it at that age!!!i started all about reading with a 4 year old girl, she’s was joining in with phonics teaching with my older kids who struggled with only being taught sight words!!! As a ex pre school teacher I say it can start between 4 and 6!!! We started chemistry with a 7 year old as she was ready and naturally joining me with my studies and we took it slowly and gave it it a try and she flourished and at 11 she does independent science!!!

[@SevenInAll]

That's awesome! And yes, to me, "adventure" just feels much more like something I want to do versus 'field trip'. :)

[@jaclynfisher5587]

My daughter started learning words by sight just from us reading books at 2.5 years old. I started AAR 4 months before she turned 4 (after finishing the good and the beautiful k primer) but she was already "reading" by that time. We just do 2-3 times a week at 20 min each time (or until she starts showing signs of getting tired) and at the beginning she got through a lesson each time. Now at lesson 37 (age 4.5 after not doing it over the summer) and she is just starting to have to sound some words out that she doesn't know from sight....but even so it comes pretty easily and once she reads it once she rarely has to sound out the same word again. I completely agree that it depends on the individual child and that some are ready early and others shouldn't start until 6/7. I love the content of your videos! Thanks for sharing your input!

[@SevenInAll]

Thank you so much for watching and sharing some of your own experience! I think it's so important to embrace a child's natural pace of learning...rather than making assumptions about what that pace ought to be--for some it will be slower and for others, much faster! We can get so caught up in worrying about what the pace 'ought to be'...when what really matter is the exciting adventure of learning that they are on--whatever pace that is.

[@angel.wilder]

Thank you for sharing about how you are using All About Reading with a 4 year old. I recently started Logic of English with my 4 year old (3rd child) who is just showing the curiosity and desire to do the curriculum. I also have the expectation of working on his interest level day by day.

[@SevenInAll]

Yes! Keeping interest level in mind can have a big impact on how the day goes.

[@simplyjoyfulhomeschool8627]

My 4 year old daughter loves books. She actually asked for "lots of books" for Christmas. She is doing The Good and The Beautiful level K and loving it. She can read simple books and is so proud of herself. I am a true believer of following the child and not putting them in a box based off their age. Great advice from your Mom❤️. Thank you for this!

[@SevenInAll]

Aww! That's awesome! I was that kid who loved books from an early age and they have a special place in my heart!

[@capturinglifeinprogress1999]

You and your mom are absolutely right. When my daughter was 2 she knew all her letters and their first sounds, and she started trying to write letters. She asked me about things and I told her she'd learn them in school. I didn't know then what I know now. I pushed it away because I had no clue what else to do. When she turned 3 and started preschool, I thought her teacher would see her needs and help her. After a couple months we had our first parent-teacher conference and her teacher told me my daughter was still learning her letters. I regretted right there and then not having encouraged her more sooner, not having kept her home and homeschooled her from the started. She was showing me she was ready for the next step and I crushed her curiosity. I completely missed that window of opportunity. Her sister had no interest in letters until she was already 3, which is normal, but I didn't know. At 4 she started blending sounds together and reading CVC words. I wasn't planning on starting her that young, but we did. We started phonics then (we use Logic of English) and she loves it!! She loves being able to read Bob Books and such. It's all about the child.

[@SevenInAll]

Yes, the individual child matters so much--and so does that window of curiosity and interest!

[@lisaroper421]

Love the update! My oldest boy (5 in December) has been *so* eager about learning! He is coming to me with his books before I have even started my breakfast. I definitely feel like when a kid is eager and excited you should go with it! Of course, this is also my first year of homeschool, so all I've got is intuition! ;)

[@SevenInAll]

We can't underestimate the role that motivation and interest can play in their learning! Granted, there will be times you may need to teach something they're not super motivated to learn...but when they are motivated? I'm glad I took my mom's advice to not 'miss the window.'

[@user-xe6qz1cy8k]

So my husband was playing Chinese character flashcards with my 2-year-old. She can't talk yet, but can make plenty of animal sounds. 😂 And she got the characters right about half the time (neighing for 马 and so forth). I need to capitalize on this.

[@SevenInAll]

Chinese characters can be beautifully interesting to small children! It's great to have some fun with them so they can build a good relationship and not think of character learning as drudgery.

[@CharlotteMasonTT]

Thanks for update - very productive Sight words and flash cards are the best for that age even starting from age 2. 1/2- we do sounding out phonics from age 6 if they aren’t fluent in reading and spelling. I’ve developed our scope and sequence for reading -spelling based on orthography triangle.. in the earlier years they discover a lot by themselves instead of being explicitly taught

[@SevenInAll]

Yes, and what they don't catch in the first few years they will likely need to be explicitly taught as they get older. Brains are pretty amazing!

[@erinashley1910]

I think the "expert advice" is to avoid overeager mothers who push their children to read too early. However, I think some take those recommendations a little too far. Personally, I've had 2 early readers. I started reading instruction with my four-year-old boy as well this year, and he is doing GREAT. My older son was also reading at four, except that he was self-taught. He knew his letter sounds, and without me teaching him, began sounding out words on his own. Because I followed the "expert advice" to not teach reading until 6, we then had to go back and teach some basic phonics. Now, he has zoomed ahead and is reading on a 4th grade level, though he is "only" in "first" grade.

[@SevenInAll]

Yes! There are many kids who won't be ready to read until 6 or 7...but maybe, we should focus more on sharing about what signs of readiness for reading really are (i.e. attempting to write or copy words, pointing out letters and words in books) rather than standard age recommendations.

[@destinationdero]

Nice homeschool update

[@SevenInAll]

Thanks for watching!

[@theselittlesprouts]

Sounds like you guys had a great month! Hiking in the jungle, how cool is that!??

[@SevenInAll]

This was our first time doing that particular hike with the kids--it's a tough one for little guys, but they did great!

[@CarolynnMarkey]

we love the charlotte mason method. have you read any of her books? I think you would love them--they are highly philosophical. You should actually read Charlotte Mason not just listen to what "People" "say" about her, because there is so much that people say she said that she never said. she does not say to delay. she says a 3 and 4 year old should not be doing a full load of work like a 6 and 7 year old. she actually says the average child reads fluently between 6-9 based on the children she taught, and she was fighting against the new kindergarten fad that was coming out for 4-5 year old where they were pushing reading for hours

[@diannaannette6956]

Carolyn Markey Do you have specific books about Charlotte Mason that you recommend?

[@SevenInAll]

I have not read all of her books--I've only read some of the "Home Education" book and Catherine Levinson's Charlotte Mason Education (very short summary-type book). I think there are elements of education that she was very right about...but I'm a little bit too much of an individualist and have some different thoughts in a few areas (I feel like there is no surprise there)--I think it's so important to watch the individual child for signs of readiness in different areas. There will be 6 or 7 year olds who aren't ready for a 'full load" of school. I personally think preschool and kindergarten are very important and precious times...although my idea of what to focus on for preschool education might look quite a bit different from many. I wouldn't say that every 4 year old ought to do kindergarten reading and math...but I will teach it with this one who thrives with it. My reflection is concerning teaching the child you actually have vs. focusing too much on the recommendation of any expert/pedagogy/curriculum, etc.

[@CarolynnMarkey]

yes, and Charlotte Masons focus was on God, teaching the whole child...she started schools in very poor areas and wrote for classrooms. she did write for the homeschooling mother too, but she implemented her ideas into whole, large, schools. they schooled monday-Saturday, with sunday being the only day off. I don't know what she would think with people calling their education "charlotte mason education" she just wanted everyone to have access to education and she saw a lot of things that were determinantal to a child (The children are to be seen and not heard thing of the 1900s) that she vehemently disagreed with. she's fascinating. she loved Jesus and believed that was the foundation, the cornerstone of all education--getting the child closer to his or her creator.

[@CarolynnMarkey]

​@@diannaannette6956 I love her original volumes, home education, parents and children, formation of character....ourselves (which she wrote for teens) and there are "translations" of them into today's English as well. (her original books have a victorian-English feel and can be hard to read at times) she was a wonderful educator who loved God and most of all children and wanted to reform the educational flaws of her time.

[@alissadimov3174]

Thank you for sharing this. My mum told me the same, don't miss the learning window. My 8 year old never really was interested though, and is still struggling with sounding out words. We're homeschooling, so we can go at his pace without any pressure. Confident that this is the year it will take off... probably for my 6yo and 3yo too 😅

[@SevenInAll]

Sound advice from our moms!

[@amandab.6815]

Rachel, this is so encouraging! I have had an inner conflict about starting my youngest with more formal reading lessons. I may have mentioned before, but he has pretty much taught himself to read at 3.5 years old. He can read the early reader books with a few sentences on each page. I have been holding off because I was afraid it was "too early". Well, he just turned 4 last week, and I finally accepted that I shouldn't hold him back anymore and allow him to move forward freely. So we are starting AAR 1 tomorrow and he is stoked to be doing reading lessons like big sister, who is in AAR level 2. But since I held off so long, he has already mastered the first half of AAR 1, and probably won't be getting anything new until some of the later digraphs are taught. So I'm guessing he will likely breeze through level 1 and be joining his big sister in level 2 before the school year is through. However, I am guessing that the blending procedure will annoy him. He doesn't sound out words in the same way most kids do. He can just glance at them and spit out the correct word, even if it's completely new to him, as long as it follows the phonics rules he knows. He seems to bypass the vocal process and puts the sounds together in his head very quickly. So we might have to adapt the curriculum a bit so he doesn't have to drudge through unnecessary things. You almost made it through the video this time without getting choked up, but I think I caught it a bit at the end there with the comment about homeschool allowing us to get to know our kids 😉

[@SevenInAll]

I very much understand the inner conflict. "Let them be little" but some of these little ones so dearly want to read and write. They can be both. They can be very little kids who find the world of letters utterly irresistible. I suspect that you will definitely have do a good bit of adapting and skipping of many of the practice exercises (although if he's willing to practice, that's great! It is helpful, even for kids who learn to read independently, to know how to break words apart into sounds. I try so hard to keep it together in these videos, man...but when I feel deeply...I'm a crier. :P

[@simplycece]

If you want to hear it from someone else, I think you should totally start your kid one level 1! My son turned 4 last month and we will finish AAR level 1 this week! He can read much farther than the curriculum and often does on his own, but I’m seeing a great benefit to him reading aloud simpler text. Because he generally reads well, (probably late first grade level at the moment), he often picks up books past his actual ability, so he is becoming more accustomed to skipping words that don’t immediately look familiar. When he reads aloud below his level, I get to remind him to read every word and to practice correct speech, and he realizes that he does know all of the words, but he needs to look at it closely. I feel like if I waited until much later, then he’d gain some bad habits that might make it more difficult to correct and (I’m speculating) harder for him to actually learn to tackle actually complicated words. I never force a lesson and my son loves reading and is very confident! If you can keep it fun and enjoyable, it can be a great experience for both of you :)

[@amandab.6815]

@@simplycece yes, that's very good to hear. Very good points.

[@amandab.6815]

@@SevenInAll yes, the rules for breaking words into syllables with be new to my son, and very helpful when the words get longer and he has to figure out long vs short vowel sounds. And the context for life that the stories provide with new vocab words and experiences that are new are also a great aspect of the program.

[@ericarivera38]

I truelly need your help and I dont know what to do with my 4 year old. How can i get help

[@SevenInAll]

You don't know what to do regarding--a homeschool routine or resources or...something else? If you have something specific you're looking for, I might be able to point you toward helpful resources.