CC to MP, full cores next year? HELP!

[Heathersaysyeah Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Heathersaysyeah]

First, I LOVE MP.
I started my daughter with Kindergarten but struggled to teach it well. I dropped the enrichment half way through, even though it killed me! I then attempted 1st, again not teaching it very well.
I gave myself a break and didn't do MP 2nd with her this year. I kept looking and drooling and wishing and overthinking... I've watched Sodilatas videos, read articles on the MP site and I now feel I could teach K-2 more effectively and semi-accurately. I tried to skip too much to appease my strong willed first child.

I have since figured out that i need to teach what i love and have conviction for (and of course, what shes interested in BUT she can't rule the curriculum. I'm learning.)

We started 2nd grade lit with my 2nd grader and FSR with my K son last month and its going great.

I wanted to give CC a try this year ('18-'19). See what its all about and be able to more easily incorporate the enrichment we were missing with my failure at MP enrichment. Which is amazing and beautiful and so wonderfully comprehensive! While my experience has been fine and the kids have loved it, I've been underwhelmed. Nothing against CC or my community...basically---its not MP, which is my first love.

I love the scope and sequence of MP. The simplicity and the depth. I've since realized, I prefer and agree with K-2 being about the world around the child, not diving straight into ancients.

(I sound like i'm talking myself into MP ha)

I need encouragement!!!

Any experience with doing CC and returning to MP? Your thoughts on the the different methods? I don't want to have to give up this beautiful curriculum again. What I did like about CC was that my kids were learning their memory work in a class environment. They saw that everyone is doing this--so they to, too. Recitation wasn't a chore because of positive peer pressure and the song format they use.

This year ('19-'20) I'm looking at doing 3rd and 1st grade. We'll only switch out math.
Thank you for any wisdom you have to give!

[pickandgrin Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pickandgrin]

Heather,
I'm here to encourage you! We started MP in third and first grades cold--turkey coming from Sonlight. I'd just say to dive in where they are and go from there. Those are fantastic places to begin with MP. For the read aloud, just use the first grade weekly picture book for everyone in the family. Dad can read at night; whatever, flex it out. For third grade read alouds I'd listen to on audio in the car. Check. check. Those are covered. Enrichment from first grade is on a mom-has-bandwidth basis. I prefer exposure to the poetry, music, and art to the Thursday/Friday activities if you can't do it all. You can do that for the whole family, not just the first grader.
Third grade has a gentle pace which will give you time to ease in. You can start the older child a few weeks early to help them learn the ropes and establish what, if anything, can be given as independent work.

If you will be quitting CC but want community, why not host a Friday afternoon enrichment or similar? Your house, everyone brings lunches, you read aloud the picture book, learn a poem, listen to a piece of music, look at a piece of art. Then moms visit and kids play... Students can recite a poem they've memorized, whatever. If you want support with Latin, consider instead starting a Latin club that will do Latina Christiana at half pace. Again-once a week, your house, dvd, do the lesson together, etc.

If the community you need doesn't exist, you can form it. And from my experience the sooner you start the better! The older your oldest gets the more difficult it will be to find classically educating peers. They don't grow on trees. CC families need Latin before Henle/7th. This may even be a way to keep some of those friendships intact.

Plenty to think about. Can you get to Sodalitas this summer? Welcome back to MP!

[KF2000 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close KF2000]

Chiming in to simply offer support to what Jessica said. Stick with what you love, and then try to build your own community. Baby steps can work wonders in even just a year or two!

AMDG,
Sarah

[KikaMarie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close KikaMarie]

Hi! Just chiming in to say - if MP is on your heart then stick with MP!! Jessica has given you lots of great ideas to make it work for you and your family. I can share a bit of my experience, which I promised myself I would do if anyone said they knew they loved MP, but was unsure about moving forward with it.

I looked at and wanted MP when we starting homeschooling (4.5 years ago) with our grades 2 and 1 sons (after doing public school), but I could't figure out how to teach my sons at home or what were reasonable expectations. I had no idea what a "forum" was, or how to stay steady when I faced lesson-resistance, nor did I understand all the help that was available from MP. So, I spent the next few years trying to invent any number of variations of something that would resemble a classical education. I was also probably too proud to admit that someone else could put a curriculum together better than me. I finally found my way back to MP curriculum a couple of years ago and have been learning so much from this forum the past year. I regret not having the insight to stick with MP when I first found it, but I trust the Lord and MP to help me fill in the gaps. While MP may not be for everyone, my view is that when the Holy Spirit presses it on our heart, it's an opportunity to move into something very rich and grace-filled, not only for our children, but for ourselves.

All the best as you create a life-giving learning community for your family!

Monica

[pickandgrin Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pickandgrin]

Monica, I love your term "lesson-resistance" and am going to appropriate that phrase. It's so true!

[Heathersaysyeah Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Heathersaysyeah]

Thank you for the encouragement! I guess I just need to hear the I can do it. It so daunting when 'lesson resistance' happens. Its a hard thing to overcome. I"m slowly learning how to combat it with grace and diversions. Like chocolate

We do already have a different co/op apart from CC. Two a week! I can't do it anymore! Especially with planning on doing full MP cores.
Really good ideas with enrichment and Latin. I have a friend using MP and i think that could be an option to get together with them.

My heart really does say MP!! This is my thrid year homeschooling and I'm getting more confidence and realizing what works for us.

Thank you thank you! I look forward to bugging you all more.

[Colomama Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Colomama]

Chiming in to say I opted to start an enrichment gathering. We have two other families join my three kids in an otherwise unused Sunday school room at church.

We start with the art poster for the week. Discuss what we see and whether we like it and why. We move to reading the story. Today was Velveteen Rabbit from second grade. Next, they start the art project while I read the poem and play the music through my phone. An hour and a half. Done.

Today we skipped art and instead did show and tell with their favorite lovey. Went well with the book. They all loved it.

Neither family classically homeschools. One is a dyed in the wool (literally) unschooler. The other believes her girls should know how to do basic arithmetic and run a household. To say we're an interesting mix is an understatement. But, it works. The kids are meeting different ages and beliefs. The adults are excited to expose their kids to something that they otherwise wouldn't have the time to do...and the craft supplies aren't scattered on their kitchen table.

Today the parents starting discussing end of year testing requirements amongst ourselves as the kids played. We talked about pros and cons of different tests and options. It was really enlightening to the one mom, unschooler, who was like...."what?" Ha!