Thank you for sharing so much about the flexibility that people should have when approaching Ambleside Online. I feel like I have seen so many mothers comment on forums online about Ambleside and acting like they have to robotically follow every single thing and every single read. Personally, Ambleside has helped me learn how to structure my homeschool and help me find good living books but some books have been less impactful or important at this time and I won't be using them and that is okay!

@LizBlueandHazel

2 ай бұрын

I’m so glad you said that because the rigidity can be joy sucking if it is too much for your family. It’s 100% ok to cut a book or swap a book or combine kids for things if needed. I try to remember that many of these books (or even riches) wouldn’t get touched if we were following a diff curriculum (or diff method). I’m also learning to ask how certain things are serving our homeschool and my kids, because that’s when can make better adjustments.

I just discovered your vlog and it is so refreshing! Thank you! Keep the encouraging and honest content coming if you can. ❤️

@LizBlueandHazel

2 ай бұрын

Ah! Thanks so much for watching.

I think it is important to note that CM scheduled far less reading than AO does. We switched to CMEC (which follows the PNEU scheduesl) from AO and I was shocked at how light the timetable readings were. Then the lighter literature, biographies etc are read are leisure reads, on weekends or 'holidays'. So I feel so much better about the 4 years we used AO and being swamped with books, although they are great books, it is a LOT of reading.

@LizBlueandHazel

2 ай бұрын

Thank you for this. I wonder why AO tends to schedule so many, especially year 4 and up? Is there a spot to see previous books scheduled from the CMEC? They change each year, is that correct? Glad y’all have found something that works at a better pace for your family!

@chrissydavison3469

2 ай бұрын

I'm not sure this is true... if you do a search on page counts in AO, there's a page that talks about AO scheduled readings being between 20% and 40% lower than CM's reading standards! I've started reading Vol 6, which in the introduction, CM states she's scheduled a lot of readings with the intention that there is only time to read it once! I think that what really matters is what your child is getting out of the books you are reading, not that you read every scheduled book.. If you are happy with their progress and how your homeschool is working with AO (or CMEC), why stress about meeting CM's / AO's standards?!

Great plan! Finish the ones you like! ❤ We don’t follow the full curriculum, but I do pull books from the list. My daughter will be reading Wind in the Willows (mostly just for fun), Abigail Adams and Robinson Crusoe this Summer! She’s currently in 4th, but we use Sonlight HBL E and the readers. So this will just be frosting on the cake. 😊

@LizBlueandHazel

3 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing what you use and how you add in parts of AO! We LOVED Robinson Crusoe. That will be a fun one and there’s a couple of older movies to enjoy after. Can’t wait to do Wind In The Willows too. It’s on the year 2 AO list, but I want my oldest two to get it as well in 4th and 5th next year so I think we’ll do it as a family read aloud. Have a good summer!

This was a wonderful video! Thanks for sharing your experience. I agree with your choice on how to end the school year on a flexible note. Our children need to have that leeway for the greater good of enjoying their education.

@LizBlueandHazel

3 ай бұрын

Thank you! Yes, I’m learning that we have to be flexible in order to keep the joy in our homeschool!

I'm going to make you feel much better about not finishing some of the reading from term 3: both my year 5 and year 6 are just about finishing term 2 before our summer break!! 🥴😝🥰 Life happened, other interests were followed, and that's life!! We will start our next school year in term 3. ❤❤ It sounds like you have a great plan! Have a great summer!

@LizBlueandHazel

3 ай бұрын

Thank you thank you for being honest! It’s so helpful to me and everyone who is not finishing. Good for you for following some of their interests and being flexible when the time came! I like your plan for next year, you will get a REAL summer which sounds 🥳!

For us, we use the last 2-3 weeks to finish up books. So we will cut out anything that isn’t our unfinished books. And then read them daily until finished. Sometimes we will pick one book and read a few chapters each day until it is finished, then move onto the next one. Or we would read a chapter of each one a day until they are all complete. Hope that makes sense! As far as math or language arts curriculums… we stop where we are and pick up the next year.

@LizBlueandHazel

2 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing how you finish the year, very specific and helpful! Hope you have a great summer!

This is so helpful for me and I only have one who is starting Y1! Can you please make a video on how you're able to balance all of this in addition to housework with a toddler running around? I only have one homeschooler but its so hard to entertain our 18 month old during school time!

@LizBlueandHazel

2 ай бұрын

I’d love to do a focused video on this. We don’t have it figured out at all, but I’ll share what we have done that’s worked well (and not so well 🤪). I will say the hardest age to have while homeschooling has been that 1-2 year old stage when they don’t play alone, don’t talk so scream a lot to communicate, and are needing constant supervision. It’s hard, but it’s a short season and gets drastically easier around age 2 💕

Thank you for this video, I’m hesitating about Ambleside Online and CMEC when we start formal education so have been following people’s journey on both curriculums.

@LizBlueandHazel

3 ай бұрын

Good for you for being so proactive! Both will have a learning curve, but you’re smart to look ahead at curriculums! I don’t know much about the CMEC.

This is our first year with AO (y3 and y5) as well and I'm anticipating having a few weeks left undone. Our plan is similar to yours, choosing our favorite books to continue as free reads without worrying about narrations. I'm hoping it helps us have a feeling of completion while not weighing us down during a time when we'll need the break (expecting baby #3 during that time). It does put my mind at ease seeing someone else doing the same thing!

@LizBlueandHazel

3 ай бұрын

Sounds like a great plan and I agree, it’s nice to know I’m not the only one going forward with a lighter plan. It’s funny how a packed reading schedule can make you feel like you’re falling short, when in reality you’re doing plenty! Enjoy that new baby and don’t be afraid to lighten things when #3 comes 🥰

So helpful! We had a few we were partially through that will be free reads this summer. I feel like having multiple years going is a bit full and I need a break just as much as my kids do.

@LizBlueandHazel

3 ай бұрын

Yes, def feeling a break is needed for myself as well. The kids want it but mama needs it 😅 Thanks for sharing.

Abigail Adams was MY favorite year 4 book, but not my kids'. 😁

@LizBlueandHazel

3 ай бұрын

Haha! Love the distinction there!

I'd love to hear what books were your children's favorites.

@LizBlueandHazel

3 ай бұрын

I’ll try to do a video on this soon! I’ll have to make distinctions between their favorites and mine, because I bet they’re diff!