Modifying Ambleside Online: Splitting Year 4 into Two Years
We’ve been using Ambleside online since I began homeschooling my daughter. We began year 1 a couple months before she turned 6 years old. I know, I know, she wasn’t actually the recommended age to begin AO year 1.
For starting early, she did remarkably well! She was motivated and excited to learn. The first 3 years went by without much trouble. Halfway through AO year 3 I started doubting how year 4 would go. I looked over the booklist and compared my options with year 3.5. I fully committed myself to year 4, bought the books, wrote the plans and then had a full moment of panic. More than gentle doubts, I realized I didn’t have the capacity to manage another year of Ambleside.
After discussing my thoughts with my husband, we came to the conclusion; split Ambleside year 4 in half. Academically, N could handle the rigor of year 4 but I needed something more gentle. After making the decision I talked to close friends who also homeschool using the Ambleside program and know N personally.
We came to this conclusion for several reasons:
-Our daughter is on the younger side of the grade. According to the district, she should be in 3rd grade but we had her in 4th. By splitting her year, we would have her in the correct grade at the end of next year. This also allows her maturity to catch up before she’s exposed to harder text in the future grades. Yes, I know grade levels don’t always matter in homeschool, but I do want to align her with an equivalent grade for record keeping purposes.
-We wanted to leave space for her own interests and abilities. Particularly in science, different unit studies, and math. N loves having a variety of projects and I want to respect that aspect of how she learns.
-We need the time in the day to focus on a second language. N has a passion for language learning. We’re currently working on Spanish and French, which takes time in the day.
-I manage a chronic pain disease. When I’m in a flair I need to have the time and space to manage the homeschool day well. If I’m overstretched and overwhelmed, it can prolong my pain. While I don’t have the capacity to do everything. What I am doing, I wanted to do well. The limited schedule gives me more time to focus on habits and increases our opportunity for success in the winter.
After committing to the new plan, I needed to figure out how to implement it. I went about this by coming up with 3 areas.
Books to eliminate by reading in the summer: Answering the Cry for Freedom, Gregor Mendel.
Books to read in year during year 4.1: Minn of the Mississippi, Storybook of Science, Gospel of Mark, Paul Revere, Rip Van Winkle, Sleepy Hallow, Incredible Journey, Abigail Adams, Poor Richard, the Book of Samuel
Books to Read in year 4.2: Madame How and Lady Why, Ocean of Truth, Robinson Cruso, Kidnapped, the Book of Joshua and Judges, revisit Paddle to the Sea (in preparation for a trip the the Great Lakes)
Books to continue reading over both years: This Country of Ours, George Washington’s World, Age of Fable, Shakespeare, Plutarch
We decided to stick to the original Shakespeare rotation outlined on the AO website but do Midsummer NIght’s Dream first to give us a successful start. We also decided to use The Children’s Plutarch for the first 2 terms before jumping into Plutarch Lives.
Everything else about the Charlotte Mason Method will continue: grammar, nature study, handicrafts, SOLFA, geography, narrations, dictations.
Even with a modified year, we still end up doing lessons for 5-6 hours a day with a lunch break and a nature walk.
I know in a Charlotte Mason homeschool you want to “spread the feast” and expose your child to all the beauty of different subject areas. One commonly said thing is that we can’t omit any area because we don’t know which part our child will connect with. I agree, I don’t want to omit subject areas from our home, but I also didn’t want to be so stressed out with our readings that I couldn’t get to the beauty of the method either.
We’re 3 weeks into our school year and so far we’re finding so much peace and joy with our new schedule. I’m able to meet the needs of my toddler during the school day and focus on the academic needs of my daughter. During the summer, she and I chatted about how she feels homeschooling is going and she wanted more input on her education. She loves unit studies and having the time to do that has been wonderful for us.
That is the beauty of homeschooling, isn’t it? You’re able to adjust and change based on the needs of your family. I’m not saying splitting the year in half is the right decision for every family, but for us, I went from feeling dread with the year coming to peace and joy.
I can’t wait to see how the next couple years progress with our homeschool and get back on schedule for year 5!
