Some Ambleside Online Thoughts

I have always like the Ambleside Online site, as well as the several Charlotte Mason resources I have here.  I love real books.  I don't always "teach" with them effectively, but that doesn't keep my from plugging away.

Ambleside Online is a treasury of wonderful resources, schedules and book lists and thoughts from others following the CM philosophy. 

In keeping with our determination to not only do nature study with more planning, but to thrive with it, we'll be keeping tabs on some ideas from not only The Handbook of Nature Study book itself, but the wonderful blog challenges Barb shares as well, and this suggested flow from Ambleside Online:

Nature Study Schedule
If you follows the whole 6 year rotation, every subject in the book will be covered; the plant/animal section being covered twice.
If you'd like to add poetry to your nature notebook, this site has lots of nature poems.

Year 1
Summer/Fall Term - mammals
Winter Term - birds (bird poems; bird songs; hummingbird birth)
Spring Term - wildflowers (Northeastern wildflower guide)

Year 2
Summer/Fall Term - insects/invertebrates
Winter Term - trees
Spring Term - garden flowers and weeds

Year 3
Summer/Fall Term - reptiles
Winter Term - flowerless plants/crops
Spring Term - fish and amphibians

Year 4
Summer/Fall Term - mammals and wildflowers (Northeastern wildflower guide)
Winter Term - rocks and minerals (also lessons on brook and soil)
Spring Term - birds (bird poems; bird songs; hummingbird birth)

Year 4 - alternate schedule for second repetition of the year 4 for those choosing to use the 3 year rotation with years 4, 5, and 6 instead of the 6 year schedule.
Summer/Fall Term - rocks and minerals (also lessons on brook and soil)
Winter Term - birds (bird poems; bird songs; hummingbird birth)
Spring Term - mammals and wildflowers (Northeastern wildflower guide)

Year 5
Summer/Fall Term - trees/insects/invertebrates
Winter Term - climate and weather
Spring Term - garden flowers and weeds

Year 6
Summer/Fall Term - crops/flowerless plants/fish
Winter Term - the skies (astronomy)
Spring Term - amphibians and reptiles

I am sort of leaning toward trying out more of the CM/Ambleside Online schooling for our summer term here.  Just to feel it all out more.  We'll keep our English and Math through Rod & Staff going, but there's no reason we can't really flesh out a great curriculum using these wonderful books.  Maybe my idea of starting at the beginning of the Handbook isn't the best way to go.  I would sort of lose some 'seasonal' variances...ahhh, you know me...I'm always thinking too much!

Now to see what our local library has to offer as well as really digging into my own assortment of books here.