Collecting Books for AO 8

I believe that I might now have THE most serious mind that I have ever had concerning AO... { Ambleside Online }

I've visited their website for YEARS picking up booklists and perusing their schedules... but when it came to actually committing to doing the curriculum I would chicken out every single time.  When you schedule over 25 items/books to rotate through each week one becomes altogether overwhelmed and entirely intimidated by it all.  Then, you also need to be able to source all the resources and books, yes, so there's that.  My third objection had been that I was fully addicted to my little worksheets - I feel I can mostly dispense with those for high school though, I hope.  So, as it were, I have never actually put my hand to attempting the curriculum as laid out per se, until now......  ha ha, I'm always the Johnny Come Late.....  

I've visited a few AO blogs very regularly over those years as well, even though we didn't use it.  Books are a high attraction.  In fact, you will still find after all these years links to Oh Peaceful Day and Journey and Destination from my blog here to there.  So if AO interests you, they are my first two go to's; they are also Australian.  These two ladies in particular have been huge encouragements over the years.  I also sought out some of their recommended books to put on the shelves. Naturally, they were the first two blogs I turned to when I wanted to get serious about implementing AO these last couple of weeks.  And of course, the main website and forums too.

Now that we are putting our hands to high school.... I am finding current school texts altogether repulsive.  No real purpose except busy work and wasted time with a mediocre and general education at best.  I am innately abhorring them, well, except the Math surprisingly.  This might be the very year for that remedy.  Thus it brings me to face AO once again...  

{ To Churchill or Arnold-Forster }

Before I continue, I must tell you that we Robinson pretty regularly.  We also have some classical education background as well.  I am hoping that by having those types of things in the backpack that the transition will be easier than had we not had them.  So I don't think we'll drown.  We might splash and thrash a little, but we won't drown.

At any rate, I am sure that you are at least curious as to know how much of AO we'll have to start with, whether its full or lite, which books we will use, and what will it look like in practice? 

I am hoping to toggle between lite and full until we get our feet solid. 

{ Bible }

Let's move from a workbook to just reading the scriptures all by themselves.  Yep.  Pretty novel.  

OT: 1 Samuel

NT: Matthew
Psalms

I haven't added a devotional to begin - if all goes well I will slowly and incrementally add more books as we go along.  Also wondering if you want to know chapters etc... as well?

{ Math }

This will remain the same since it's working.  Chloe is currently working from Maths Quest 8, Maths Online, and we'll be adding in some Foldables because she's just started a unit on Geometry and I think having some interactive notebooking will be fun and useful for those formulas.

{ History }

Churchill

History of England

Makers of History: Elizabeth

Now, I don't know which history would be better for us, so I put both of them in and we'll try it out for a few weeks to see which one trumps.  Also, because we haven't done Churchill yet, at all, I am thinking perhaps we should just start at Volume One, instead of Two as per AO 8.  See, keeping it lite.....  :)

{ Literature }

Marshall's English Literature

Watership Down

Westward Ho!

Now, I do own a bound hard copy of Utopia, but I don't know.... I've read some of it but I'm not entirely sold on Chloe being ready for it just yet.  She could be, and I may add it in when I do the next portion of the schedule.  I'll think about it.

{ Geography }

I haven't been sold to AO long enough just yet, so she'll still be stuck with a textbook until I can settle on what we shall do.  I imagine it won't take long to remedy as I am going to pull down Lay of the Land today and check it out.  :)  Another thought I had was a country jump through - Using Geography of the World and doing a notebook page and drawing.

{ Science }

Great Astronomers

The Wonder Book of Chemistry

First Studies in Plant Life

We'll actually pick up the Wonder Book of Chemistry after I flesh out a couple of Science Foldables and what nots that I need to dispense with first.  And guess what?  I just found The Various Forces of Nature by Michael Faraday ON my shelves.  Wondering where he might fit in?  

{ Nature Studies }

Nature Studies in Australia

The Handbook of Nature Study

{ Citizenship }

Ourselves

Francis Bacon

Oh! What a happy find Ourselves is.  I've had Charlotte Mason for donkey yonks, but just having the books doesn't mean that you read everything in them.  ha ha, so yes, I envision that I will be reading right alongside of Chloe, especially for this one.  I have seen Francis Bacon before but now we shall be serious with him.

{ Hymn }

Yes, we'll be picking up a new little Hymn each week.  I sort of thought this would work super well as one of her copywork portions too.

{ Grammar }

There is a very good reason that I keep those CLE workbooks and the grammar is one of them.  So they will stay at present.  I suppose I could add Grammar Land for pure fun.  That is on the shelves.  :)

{ Poetry }

Classic Australian Verse

{ Art }

Drawing

Picture Study

Handcrafts

We shall just continue with our group Art as we do each Art Monday, but at some point we will also start including the picture study.

{ LOTE }

Elementary Greek 1

First French 1

They schedule these in for several days, if not all five days of the week.  Not sure how this one will go....  we might end up doing French as the predominant subject and she might even let me put Latin on the table in place of the Greek.  ha ha ha, this could get interesting.

{ Shakespeare }

While he's only a weekly, and we've actually visited with him in the past, I'm just going to put Lambs Shakespeare on the table as it will be an easy transition while we get the rest of the round robin going.

{ Plutarch }

Another weekly.  We've also visited with a couple of lives previously over the years, but I want to pretend we have a clean slate with him.  So I pulled down my Penguin Classic to use this time.  I can still go and use Anne's notes as well. 

{ Music }

Great Men of Music

I think we need to find the cord to the keyboard and get that back up and running as well.

* * * * *

Somewhere along the line we will also need to add things like:

Mapwork / drills

Book of Centuries

which shouldn't be too hard since the Arnold History book has dates and key events.

Some free reads too

* * * * *

If you are feeling a little faint, I want you to know that I am too, and possibly a little nauseated as well.

I am doing this against my naturally compliant personality towards governing bodies that want me to do things not really worthy of our time.  I don't like to step out of my comfort zone, but I feel lead to do so at present.  Good-bye secular public school, I am going to do my best to keep Chloe away from your clutches, for as long as I can.