How We Continue To Mesh Charlotte Mason, Waldorf, and Self-Directed Learning

            In a Charlotte Mason education, a lot of subjects are covered each day, but lessons are short.  At the beginning of this fifth grade school year, I wrote about my struggle to choose between doing it the traditional CM way and following a CM model schedule or working more from a block rotation schedule similar to what is done in Waldorf programs and schools.  I decided to go with the block rotation ala Waldorf, and I’m happy with that decision.      

We do writing, math, poetry, art appreciation, music appreciation, and ballet on a consistent basis, but rotate out history, literature, and science.  This doesn’t mean that she doesn’t learn any history or science during a literature block.  The point of doing things in a rotating block is so that we have less things to “check off.”  In a way, it’s more to help my sanity than anything else.  I’m not left with an empty nagging feeling of…”Oh Gawd….there’s so much we didn’t get done today.” 

For now, our block is literature. S is reading My Side Of The Mountain by Jean Craighead George.  Her cursive writing practice is being done through dictation and copywork. She works on typing and grammar practice through her written narrations.  We do rotate out cursive and typing practice. If she does a written narration one day, then she would do copywork and dictation on alternating days.  She is given about twenty-four math problems each day.  The artist for this term is Van Gogh. She just finished a biography on him.  The poem for this week is “Words To An Irish Air” by Aline Murray Kilmer. 

             

Aline Murray Kilmer

Just because our current block is literature, that doesn’t mean other topics aren’t discussed or covered in some manner.  S can read or do independent online “research” on a topic in science or whatever during her free time - and I’ll help her if she wants my help.  She is currently learning about the pirates Mary Read and Ann Bonny.  I didn’t assign this in any way. She found out about Read and Bonny from the internet and is running with it.  She also loves watching survival videos.  I do count her independent self-directed learning in her yearly logs.   This independent learning is not antithetical to the CM philosophy. In fact, it fits nicely with the CM idea that afternoons should be left free for individual pursuits and interests.