Answering Amy

Today, Amy posed these questions, seeking some advice, and I thought I would answer in full in case anyone else might be blessed, too:

"Why did you choose to deviate from [Ambleside Online] a bit, and how do you choose your books?"

I'm a big fan of Ambleside Online, but not so much of H.E. Marshall's This Country of Ours.  I wholeheartedly believe that there are better books with which to cover American History--books written by patriotic Americans at that.

Plus, although Charlotte Mason was a pioneer in education, whom I admire from the gray hairs sprouting from my head down to my pinky toes, she was pioneering her theories and methods in England, not America.  Therefore, I am not convinced that, if she were alive today and living in our beloved country, her curriculum choices would be exactly the same, which is what Ambleside Online purports to attempt.  So, from this perspective, and the fact that I am legally bound to teach our state's history in the elementary grades, I follow Ambleside Online almost to a "T" until Year 3, when we pick up a focused study of American History, using the Truthquest guides and book-lists for younger students, and then spend a full year (#6) in Ancient History, before tackling the near-college level studies of Year 7.

During these three years of American History, we continue and finish Our Island Story, based on the time periods covered, and Struggle for Sea Power is part of a series written by M.B. Synge, entitled The Story of the World, which is written in the choicest language from a very solid Christian perspective and beloved by all my children who've had the pleasure of hearing it or reading it for themselves.  I discovered this series at a website called Main Lesson, or otherwise known as The Baldwin Project, which offers many free domain books recommended by Ambleside Online either to read online or download and print; they even have a handful or two of books which they print themselves for very little cost in comparison ((and I love the large and lovely typeset for both wee and aging eyes)).  I choose to have my children read selected chapters of these books as it applies to the time period being covered, in order to continue to introduce world events into their historical diet.  

Finally, it makes the best sense to me to cover our state's history where it best fits in the history of our nation, and I just happened to stumble upon this little living book written for children which deals solely with the history of California.  Since California has such a prominent place in national history, its pretty easy to plot the chapters we need to read as appropriate in our timeline of studies.

Other than the extensive book-lists contained in the Truthquest guides, one of the best resources for finding books that pertain to a particular time period or nation's history is All Through the Ages, written by Christine Miller and published by her company Nothing New Press.  It is my total "go-to" resource when I start to plan another term or year.  It is very much Western-focused and arranged by time period and then again sectioned off into actual events, biographies, historical fiction, literature, and culture, including an extensive timeline and additional book-lists for "don't-miss" world events which happened during the same period in American History you may be covering.  Plus, there are separate portions of the books that lists books by country, if you'd like to do a more focused study of a particular place, such as the birthplace of your ancestors.  And, as if it could get any better, it also contains a list for studying the history of science, the history of the arts, and the Great Books of Western Civilization.  Obviously, I could go on and on, singing its praises...but I'll stop here.  Check out the link and discover the new and improved THIRD Edition ((I didn't even know!))!

At the core of it, I choose books that promise to edify the heart and mind while feeding the soul--classics, word-of-mouth recommendations, and reviews from respected leaders in the home school community.  Sometimes, as with The Sea Around Us, by Rachel Carson, a book fails to meet my expectations, but I don't stress over it.  The beauty of homeschooling is the freedom we have to shape the hearts and minds of our own children by saying simply yes or no.  It did not happen overnight--believe me!  I am one who loves structure and desires to follow the rules.  But, after two years of being frustrated and discouraged, I realized that in our school, we make the rules based upon our convictions and as Our Savior leads.  I pray I do it wisely and by His grace, for in Him alone there is freedom and peace in all things, even homeschool.

Be blessed, not stressed!!  :D