Why we didn't choose Ambleside Online

[@JoyfulNoiseLearning]

Fellow AGF user here! I agree with you on starting history with our country and the older books offered on AO. I resonate so much more with AGF booklists! (And I always pick some of my own ideas!)

[@kindletogetherness]

I totally agree that the book lists feel more age appopriate!

[@Honeyoc]

It’s so funny, AO history is exactly what tipped the scale in their favour for me because we’re British homeschoolers. It’s literally the only curriculum that covers a healthy amount of British history so it was a no brainier really 😅

[@kindletogetherness]

That certainly makes sense 100%. Miss Mason would tell us to teach our kids about our own country first. Then learn about its neighbors.

[@heatherray2025]

The website has definitely improved in the last few years but it is still fairly complicated to most. We have gleaned from its book list for years, and actually rarely struggle to find a copy of the books at reasonable prices. Since I've only started reading CM since I started homeschooling in 2018, I didn't understand the history thing until a couple years ago. That's when I started praying about curating my own each year. Since I have the passion for it it works. I lean heavily on lists like AOs but follow the ADE history cycle which resembles CM methods best IMO, and I add in a little state history and church history as a family. Honestly, what kept me from AO at first was the separate schedules for every age! It's too much for this mama with so many kids to keep up on.

[@kindletogetherness]

I love how you have added what you feel like your kids need. I also look at the AO lists for ideas regularly.

[@naturalmama_of_5]

AO is a lot more to put together. It's not open and go. When I had baby #4 and then #5 I really looked at AGF and considered it. It was too light. I couldn't get on board with it after doing 2 years of AO with my oldest. It felt like a step back. Now that we're (supposedly) "done" having children and my youngest is 2 - I'm glad we stuck with AO - even if it was done a little haphazardly at times 😅 My oldest is finishing up year 4, my second is finishing up year 2 and next year we'll be working on year 5, 3 and 1 - my third time teaching year 1! I'm excited! I LOVE this curriculum. The history is really great and has given ME a love for history! I noticed that only the AO ers lol Cared when Queen Elizabeth II died. Radio silence from other people even though it was a major significant moment in all of our lifetimes. AO made us acknowledge and appreciate that monumental moment! They do have American history in year 1 and 2. It's basically watching the new world be born vs just learning about it overall. It's really great. I know AO isn't for everyone. There are a million ways to homeschool! And none of them are the one "right way" but AO has worked well for our family!

[@kindletogetherness]

I giggle that only AOers cared about the coronation. I am not an AOer and I hosted an international zoom party for it so my ESL students had the opportunity to watch it and discuss. I do agree that AO requires quite a bit of work for the mother, which is one major reason I shared it can’t work for me. I don’t have the margin of time required with my work schedule etc. Good point. So happy you have a great fit for your family in AO. It’s a blessing to many families!

[@rhionahntongossemakula]

Love your comment about the death of Queen Elizabeth! That was huge, huge, huge.

[@countrywisheshomeschool]

Great video! All your reasons are the same why I eventually chose AGF instead of Ambleside. Also I noticed that with my kids they prefered the AGF's book suggestions and the slower more gentle start whereas some of Ambleside's books seem to be harder and going over their heads in the earlier forms.

[@kindletogetherness]

Ah yes! I did skip over that the pacing and scheduling of certain books seemed a bit early on AO compared to AGF. Thank you, Crystal.

[@AllisonCarbaugh]

Thank you so much for sharing this! Currently sifting through options for next year, and this was incredibly helpful!!

[@kindletogetherness]

I'm so glad!

[@singgirl82]

I really appreciate hearing your thoughts on this! 👏I’ve followed your posts on the AGF group, and just found your videos. Thank you!

[@kindletogetherness]

Awesome! Thank you! I am so happy this particular video was helpful.

[@IndiBex86]

SarahRuth, this was such a helpful video. Thank you for sharing your perspective on this. Now I have some balancing points to consider regarding whether or not to use AO.

[@kindletogetherness]

Glad it was helpful! You won't mess up your kids with a curriculum, so go with what you will feel excited about!

[@singgirl82]

Yes about the books! I had the same issue with the library and about not wanting to read off screens all the time. 💜

[@kindletogetherness]

Yeah. Folks say it’s gotten better. It may have. For us, this was a big issue.

[@sydneydimenna5567]

"Smell the books!" 😅 I'm with you on that 100% Thanks for much for this video. I've been waffling over AO for next school year and conflicted about the history timeline especially. Starting with what my kids know makes so much more sense.

[@kindletogetherness]

I definitely had that struggle myself. Have you peeked at A Gentle Feast? I have quite a few videos on it if you want some inside details.

[@sydneydimenna5567]

@@kindletogetherness Thanks! I think I've watched all your other videos on A Gentle Feast, too. I think I'm sold on it!

[@kindletogetherness]

@@sydneydimenna5567 There is a sale on AGF through July 15th. 💕

[@TheGLOSSette]

I think its important to learn history chronologically. Both America and us in Canada our forefathers came from UK/Europe. So I personally feels that's where history should start. Also, I find most of the books at least Y1 can be found from Living Book Press, Amazon, Thiftbooks, Book Outlet etc. And they've recently redone some of the reading lists in various grades to make sure the books are not out of print. I also don't like reading from a tablet. I like physical books. AO has been around for 20,+ years and many have graduated from it and went to college. So clearly this curriculum works for some people and isn't a complete dud. I understand that not all curriculums work for everyone. There's many curriculums that have been around for 10-20+ years old and I don't find it a fit. But we do love AO. We don't follow it strictly. We pick and choose what we want.

[@kindletogetherness]

Yes, for sure not a complete dud! Actually, a wonderful curriculum with many merits. I go to the book lists and search their plans at times myself.

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

Great video! I was just contemplating between AO and Sonlight and this has helped solidify my decision!

[@kindletogetherness]

What did you go with?

[@laurenrasmussen7997]

Sonlight ❤

[@latoyav5963]

I appreciate your thoughtful, honest experience with AO. I can see all your reasons for choosing something else. I didn't find CM until year 3 of homeschooling from the beginning and after piecing together from many other sources, I am planning to go all in with AO this year. I'm interested to check out AGF but I'm hesistant because similar ones included too many lacing and alphabet cards, etc. and not much for my older kiddos.

[@kindletogetherness]

I know that AO can be a wonderful curriculum for many families! So nice to hear you are finding what CM curriculum works best for you and your family. I will note that AGF has ZERO lacing and alphabet cards. It is an authentic CM curriculum with a list of living books you read aloud. It is just well organized and you can grab a printed manual which I found so helpful since I enjoy staying offline when I am doing lessons with my boys.

[@latoyav5963]

@kindletogetherness that's helpful to know, thank you!

[@intentionallymade]

We have started using ambleside online and I am actually so excited to dive into British history. I find myself very confused about wars and situations because I don’t have a good understanding on the prequel but I also agree in starting where kids are. Developmentally I’d like to expose them to both what’s in front of them and what the foundation is for growing knowledge. I look at it similarly in how I disciple. I want my kids to know God and the foundation even if they don’t understand because at some point they will and they will have that truth and rock to stand on. So I think it’s about perspective too. I like your thoughts because I hold value to those who have read all the volumes. I am working on it through AO free reading but I would rather have the volumes in my hand to highlight and chew on. With that being said, I am still very much eclectic and naturally like to create my own thing. I don’t necessarily want to change the AO set up but would like to have more knowledge in how CM created her book selection and the goals for why and when so that if I do feel the need to switch a book out I will be accomplishing it under CM principles. Any direction on that? I have enjoyed Christy over at simple studies because she shows what books they use for their curriculum CMEC and it looks like she has more knowledge too about what to choose for each form. I like scrolling yesterdays classics website because it breaks down what they have for each curriculum too. I find most of my books on ThriftBooks or Abe books or fb marketplace and half price books. Love knowing I’ll have my library built for my younger ones I as I get books for my oldest and I’m probably in the minority that enjoys separate years for students. Thank you for this video. I would love more CM breakdowns of what subjects are covered in what volumes and how to go about reading those too since the language can be difficult at times.

[@kindletogetherness]

Hello! What a thoughtful response! I would encourage you to read the volumes for sure. Every family gets to choose for themselves how to implement Miss Mason's ideas. I was clear about my understanding of her premise for geography and history and it totally lines up with modern research about child development. It isn't even about them not understanding British History, they can be made to understand, I suppose. It is more that it holds next to no relevance until they understand the world around them that they interact with daily. Even Miss Mason's books she wrote for her students/schools deal directly with their environment and what they know and can see first...not some far off and abstract concept. That type of "give it to them and one day they will know and understand and have a foundation" philosophy lines up more with a neoclassical philosophy of education (think Classical Conversations). As to understanding how to swap out books, I think living books are what you are getting at maybe. In that case, I find the more you are exposed to living books, the more you know what they are not. My suggestion is to continue to follow and read along with those you respect in CM circles and you will start to formulate what you would know as a living book. Then if you decide you'd like to try choosing some of your own books for your students, you know what to grab. Hope that helps.

[@intentionallymade]

@@kindletogetherness thank you for your great response! So funny you pointed thought I had out because I do find myself sway somewhere in the middle with CM and NEO classical at times with some things.😂 been an interesting journey with my own education and redefining how I learn. It’s been a fun process. And great point on the living books. I’m slowly gaining more confidence. Thanks again.

[@ChrisTina-ce4ut]

Good critique and very fair analysis. Agree with your points about history and library borrowing! We subbed Mystery of History which is CM and goes chronologically through 4 volumes beginning with the Creation. Although we homeschooled since kindergarten we didn’t start AO until year 7 so I totally didn’t get Our Island Story. I use it mainly for literature and the riches, and it’s annoying that the library won’t extend our borrowing period for any reason. I probably won’t switch at this point because we’re in the middle of year 10 and my kid is starting dual enrollment next year. I also agree the AO website is just too troublesome to bother trying to navigate! If it can be searched on fakebook ok but I’ll never bother with AO website. Meh- we’re almost done but if we had more years/ kids I’d probably go with CMEC or Pam Barnhill.

[@kindletogetherness]

Thanks for weighing in. Sounds like you figured out how to make AO work well for your family. It is so important we all find those resources.

[@captain7471]

I agree it can be hard to find the books, but on the Facebook page many moms have gathered all the free public domain books into a “reader” that can be printed off and put into a binder. I have not been able to find almost any of the AO books at my library, but being able to have options on listening online or reading for free has been such a blessing. I do not like their history being broken down like it is, but we chose to give it a fair shot and have fallen in love with all the AO books. I’m sure that there is better books out there for history than what AO offers, but it’s hard to beat free. I do have a question for you, what specific books did you see that you didn’t care for that made you choose another curriculum? Was there something you thought of as not so good?

[@kindletogetherness]

I’m glad you’ve found ways for AO to work for you family. If a “free” curriculum was essential to us, I’d likely quit my side gigs and put in the grunt work to pull my own CM plans together. I just don’t have the time due to working a couple part time jobs (mainly for myself). As to book choices with AO, I’m not sure I’ve ever said any of them were bad. I just feel like they use multiple books at younger ages than I find developmentally appropriate. Especially since there are many other selections that children ages 6-9 could be enjoying that cover history and the other topics in a beautiful and more engaging manner for early childhood. Most of the AO books, we wind up reading. We just choose to do them when our kids are more ready for older English, or lengthy passages without any images at all. It’s about delight in the early years for us. I want my kids to love and enjoy the works. I also want it to whet their appetite for more. I find that AO uses books like Our Island Story, Robin Hood, etc. at ages when my kids wouldn’t have engaged with the text the way they can at 9 plus years old. 💕

[@captain7471]

Would you consider doing a video of other books you have enjoyed for history? I agree some of the AO books are hard and some of the history books are randomly placed but I think they did that so a child can get a basic idea of important American figures while still doing ancient history, but I’m no expert so I don’t know for sure. I felt it a bit out of place but AO is the only curriculum we can afford since it’s free, so I’m giving it a fair shot. So far we love the books and what we have read. I agree some of the harder books like Robin Hood or the original Pilgrims Progress probably would be enjoyed more at a later time.

[@knitwittery]

I’m kind of surprised you didn’t mention the difficulty in aligning multiple students into the same history stream. That’s why I left AO after the 1st year homeschooling my oldest - I knew I’d never be able to juggle all the different ages. We did the CMEC this year and while I liked it, the kiddos did not so we are switching to AGF.

[@kindletogetherness]

They have actually remedied this fairly well, believe it or not. They have some things set up that make it easier now.

[@wolverinediogo1944]

I'm curious how you like AGF? We've followed basically the same path - AO, CMEC and now maybe AGF.

[@fairwhether1]

AO homeschoolers here! (Returning after two years of using A Modern Charlotte Mason which were enjoyable but just not what we need for the upcoming year. We went with AMCM over AGF because it has a 6-year history rotation like AO does so it was easy to jump in.) I think that all of your reasons are valid, and I'm sure that AGF is a beautiful and rich curriculum--I wish it would have been an option when we were starting but it came out a few years too late! It would be nice if AO would break the weekly schedule down into a daily one as that would help me immensely, but I understand why they leave it as a weekly schedule. For us, though, I do appreciate the British foundation that AO mixes into our American history, especially as the British Isles is a major chunk of our family's ancestry, and for that, it feels personable. We were also blessed to be able to travel to England so we have those connections and memories. Really, I think that whatever CM curriculum you choose, you can't go wrong :)

[@kindletogetherness]

Thanks for sharing your take! It is such a blessing to have so many options.

[@nathashapagan6221]

Yes my main issue with amblesideonline is I have 5 kiddos and I just can’t afford to purchase all the books . So I am creating some unit studies printing some free ones and let’s see how that goes

[@kindletogetherness]

You definitely have to get creative with lots of kiddos!

[@brookelewis8958]

I love Ambleside online but ultimately chose to go with AGF. It’s rare that I find any books from Ambleside or AGF at the library. But thankfully, I am able to purchase the books little by little!

[@kindletogetherness]

Yes, I do wind up buying our AGF books. I don’t like having a small window with a book. Haha. The library serves a purpose, but I’m grateful for ThriftBooks so I can get deals on what we will use.

[@AsraTora]

What is AGF?

[@YasminB-u9d]

I haven't had any issues with finding books, especially since Living Books Press is reprinting some of the ones that had gone out of print. I purchase most books from thriftbooks. I absolutely LOVE their chosen book for British history and I don't mind that their history starts with British history since I'm an anglophile and my grandparents are from there. Here is the one thing I don't love about AO: I believe they start some of these terrific books too early. A 6 year old is not going to understand or narrate well Our Island Story and I think it's a shame to have all of those interesting stories thrown away like that. So I'm holding that one back a year. Other than dealing with that one book, I find AO to be simple to use.

[@kindletogetherness]

I definitely agree about starting some wonderful books too early. My 10 year old is doing Our Island Story now and he LOVES it. He would have been utterly lost at 6 with that book.

[@PerfectPromiseAcademy]

This is my first year using Miss Mason’s method. You hit the head on the nail with how I was feeling about AO. I will be looking into AGF 👍

[@kindletogetherness]

There are some amazing options out there! I’m glad you’re checking out more than one.

[@Hookhamhomestead]

The website and history reason is exactly why we didn’t do AO too! We have been loving the CMEC!

[@kindletogetherness]

I have heard great things about the CMEC. Glad you found such a good fit.

[@Youmayhavepeace]

We adore CMEC. Going on our 3rd year!

[@BirthingBravelyandBeyond]

I agree with the booklist comment. Have you ever considered Alveary? I’m intrigued by the booklist. As for history, I’ve heard that you need to understand British history before understanding American.

[@kindletogetherness]

It’s an interesting premise to believe kids must know about a far away land to understand the one they live in. It’s not been my experience yet with my sons. Albeit, my eldest is only in 5th grade/Form 2. He is doing British and Ancient history alongside US history now and he seems to be loving it and continues to tell me about how he sees different connections, etc. Since Miss Mason clearly shared children should study their own country first, I’m content to stick it out how we began. As far as The Alveary, it does look lovely and I know many who use it!

[@kedrewashington3203]

Totally agree, which is exactly why I looked elsewhere.

[@kindletogetherness]

I’d love to hear what you landed on! Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@mwolfe7883]

I didn’t know about AO until my oldest was in 5th grade. I enjoy borrowing ideas off the booklist, but you are correct- it’s hard to get them from the library (ours got rid of many older books), and I’m not on online reader. We already had certain books and habits that worked for our family. I also have a huge concern about their set up for science for middle and high school as someone with two science degrees. Students really benefit from learning how to read and use textbooks to their learning benefit especially if they wish to go on to secondary education/science degrees. I also had to purposely work on US history with mine because you are correct, that isn’t happening well in AO.

[@kindletogetherness]

Science is big! Tell me more. Based on your professional insight, what are some sciences you like for homeschooling?

[@mwolfe7883]

@@kindletogetherness I reviewed several biology courses last year while teaching a HS Biology. Any of them would work. Some have more info than others or are presented more from a certain worldview. The thing is, if you have a teen who wants to go into a science field, go talk to someone in college currently in that field and have them show you their books and you will see what I mean. I still own some of my college textbooks even though they are “old” because anatomy doesn’t drastically change and there is amazing info that I can’t keep all of it in my brain. Science can be challenging enough, but having students not reading textbooks at all and acting like they are terrible ( which is not you but something I’ve observed in the CM community) is really troubling to me and appears to come out of a place of ignorance of the subject. Reach out to people in the field and see their books and how they used them and use it to set a student up for success!

[@singgirl82]

I agree about starting with the child’s own history!

[@kindletogetherness]

100% We love starting with what they know and can see. It just makes sense.

[@homeschoollifemom]

Does A Gentle Feast carry books from one year to the next? That’s another things I find challenging with AO. It’s almost like you have to start at the beginning or you’re screwed. I have just learned about Charlotte Mason and wanting to start with her methods of Science and History etc but I have kids going into 5th grade which dumps you in the middle of books which I don’t feel is feasible to do. And I also agree when I look at the book lists for the older grades I’m like these books sound so boring.. 😬🙈 so I’m happy to hear that AGF uses a mix of old and newer books!

[@kindletogetherness]

There are some books that are carried over from year to year occasionally but it does make sense when you are starting in a later history cycle. E.G. A book covers the history of England through 20th century England. If you start your students in cycle 3 (which covers the Civil War through reconstruction and then briefly the beginning of westward expansion) you’d want to begin that book where the history period you’re studying it. It doesn’t make sense to start in ancient times.

[@homeschoollifemom]

@@kindletogetherness that makes sense. I plan to start at cycle one so that won’t be an issue.

[@SimpleGiftsFarmhouse]

So Interesting. I always have been able to find almost all of the Ambleside books for reasonable prices and I have been using AO for 8 years! Another things is that I can use all the books with eaxh child too so it is definitely worth purchasing for me! I also don't quite agree about the history in AO not being chronological. I have found that it is very chronological and my kids have a really good grasp of history compared to friends who have used a few other CM Curriculum (not AGF). In yr. 1 there is the history tales (50 Famous Stories), that is the only thing that really jumps around. I also didn't like that AO started with British history. So with my older son we started with American. But it didn't feel complete. So with all my other kids we started with British. It has been really good for them and their understanding seems greater. Anyway I enjoyed your video and we are all making the choices thatbare best for our families!

[@kindletogetherness]

I am so happy you have found the perfect fit for your family! That is such a great feeling.

[@sarahhaowright]

I did look into Ambleside and also noticed the "free" curriculum had some very difficult to obtain spines. 🤯 I also noticed in their social media group, people who use the curriculum tend to take a very hard line on CM philosophies which isn't what I want for my homeschool.

[@kindletogetherness]

It’s for sure necessary to be able to find the books. What did you finally land on for your homeschool curriculum?

[@Cheezitkids]

That subscription bell makes me jump every time 😂 very informative video!

[@kindletogetherness]

You’re the best kind of friend! I love and appreciate you so much! Sorry for the alarming alarm, but did it make you subscribe 😆🤣

[@paulpatti-dh2no]

@@kindletogetherness it hurt my eardrum since your voice is so low volume I had the volume all the way up to hear you.

[@annacbrown1986]

Our library has zero of the books listed (except for free reads like Little House on the Prairie). We have to buy everything.

[@kindletogetherness]

For Ambleside Online? Or A Gentle Feast?

[@homeschoolandme]

This is so helpful. I’m pouring over the AO website and schedules and I’m so jumbled with it. I like to do as much as possible together with my two boys 7 and 9. On top of it I have to teach Canadian history so adding all that in 🤪. Would love to see AGF’s Canadian resources walk through… no one has any overview of it and it’s hard to commit without knowing if it’s worth it (is it a complete curriculum that can stand alone or just a couple supplementary books to add to the existing AGF schedule, as AO does)? Is it just a book list or scheduled? SOS from Canada 😅🇨🇦

[@kindletogetherness]

Haha! I wish I could do a walkthrough of the CAN section of AGF. I don't feel quite well versed enough to be that person. I did go into my membership just for you and peeked at the CAN plans. Here is what I noticed: there are many of the same books scheduled where it makes sense (natural history, Form 1a/b Geography, etc.) but there are specific book swaps where it makes sense as well. In our AGF membership, the CAN plans are their own section and they are specific for CAN families. As to if AGF is a book list or scheduled, it is scheduled out for you. I have some videos on AGF and how it all works if you want some details on that.

[@PalmerAbel-h9f]

Miller Angela Perez Betty Lopez Carol

[@kristadavis2825]

I know this is off topic but I need information on how you head cover and dress so cute! I head cover and seriously struggle with matching outfits.

[@kindletogetherness]

This is so sweet! I always feel so frumpy, but I get comments like this sometimes. I cannot really explain my personal style. The older I have gotten the more comfortable I am being in the clothing I like. I go for cotton and linen when I am able. Old Navy is a favorite place for dresses that I can layer easily for most seasons.

[@StephanieMT]

Homeschool methods are like religion and politics. Everyone has a different view of how it should be done and some are ride or die for a certian way. I just do what works best for my family and myself.

[@kindletogetherness]

Sounds like a perfect plan to me.

[@angelaparker1504]

Hi! Thanks for you thoughts on Ambelside and history. Do you have any thoughts for TCK’s (third culture kids) who are American but growing up overseas, at least for several years of their lives, to include the beginning school years?

[@kindletogetherness]

I think I would personally still include US history as the base for their education journey in the earliest year. I might add in some simple Geography and history for the local culture/country. Example: in form 1, geography would be local to where the child is and what they actually know and experience.

[@lillahigdon771]

😊

[@kindletogetherness]

💜