What curricula are you using to teach your dc character training?

[Testimony]

I found this curriculum called Lessons in Responsibilities for Boys. We just started it in January. I wanted to know if anyone has done it. I also wanted to know what character training curricula are people using.

Thank you everyone!

Blessings,
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Sue G in PA]

We started it and then stopped. NOT b/c I didn't like it...it's great. We just didn't have the time and I figured character training was best taught w/in the context of everyday life. I liked the curriculum b/c it was all oral, discussion-based, no busywork type stuff. My dc didn't need any more "work" on top of their normal workload. Charc. Building for Families has 2 books (Vol. 1 and 2). We have Vol. 1 One does not build on the other so you can just choose which topics you are interested in and choose which book best suits you. I also have Character Building Copywork that we use for copywork (it has scripture verses, famous quotes, etc.) along with selections from History, Science and Literature. Whatever you do, I'd say keep it light.

[Beth in Central TX]

We used A Personal Help for Boys: Building a Foundation of Godly Character for Tomorrow's Men from Pearables. I found this series at a homeschool book fair.

[Testimony]

What did you think of the one you used? Was it helpful? What worked and didn't work?

Blessings,
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Beth in Central TX]

What I liked best about this program are the topics covered and the approach. We would read a Bible selection and then answer questions based on what we read. The questions are usually open-ended, but they also have some fill-in-the-blank.

For us, this helped our boys read the Bible, think about it, and then learn about how to apply it to their lives. For example, a section under Chapter IV is titled, "A Boy Should Have Well-Thought Out Plans". They read a selection from Proverbs 3 and answer questions. Proverbs 3: 5-6 has 3 commandments in it: trust, lean, acknowledge. Instead of reading this verse and saying, "Yes, that sounds good", the workbook has the boys draw out those commands from the verse and then look at the promise associated with the commands. At the end of the section, there's an open-ended question on how they will apply this to their lives. Depending on the age of the child, there might not be much discussion, but it is laying a groundwork for future Bible study: read the passage, summarize what it is saying to you, and think of how to apply it to your life.

The only down-side to the workbook is the written format. We started this young, so most of the work was done orally.

[Trivium Academy]

- through the Bible, parables and Bible stories
This can take many forms and goes over many years, we use books, videos, songs and teachable moments

- through Fables, and other stories designed to focus on a particular moral

-through family responsibilities and behavior training, learning of manners

- through community and learning how society works

Curriculums are nice but I feel all learning in this area must come through the parents as models. Teachable moments are much more effective than any curriculum could be. A parent can prepare themselves for these though through reading and modeling the behaviors they wish for their children to adopt.

I think using what fits you best, what allows you to do your job as a parent is the best character training tactic.

[kayinpa]

We use "Character Sketches" from Bill Gothard. My husband does this with the children at night after supper.....which is nice for me.

[chiguirre]

For younger kids, Five in a Row has a lot of character lessons. In the main volumes these are not religious but there is a Bible supplement. The main volume social studies lessons almost always include a character lesson: not boasting, thinking about how others feel, taking responsibility for our actions, obeying rules, etc. They're usually good conversation starters for us.

[LisaNY]

We started it and then stopped. NOT b/c I didn't like it...it's great. We just didn't have the time and I figured character training was best taught w/in the context of everyday life. I liked the curriculum b/c it was all oral, discussion-based, no busywork type stuff. My dc didn't need any more "work" on top of their normal workload. Charc. Building for Families has 2 books (Vol. 1 and 2). We have Vol. 1 One does not build on the other so you can just choose which topics you are interested in and choose which book best suits you. I also have Character Building Copywork that we use for copywork (it has scripture verses, famous quotes, etc.) along with selections from History, Science and Literature. Whatever you do, I'd say keep it light.

These are my all-time favorites! I used the first volume for a few years when my girls where younger. I consider it time well-spent, as my dh and I saw much fruit come from these studies. :)

[Rhonda@LivingWater]

We do this at night as a family and dh leads this.I ordered it from Rainbow Resource and may order Volume 2 in a few weeks. Also much of our copywork is character type verses that help to cement good character traits. I make these up myself straight from the Bible.

~HTH

[kalanamak]

-
snip
Curriculums are nice but I feel all learning in this area must come through the parents as models.
snip


a-MEN, as my mother would have said

She also pointed out hypocrisy when she saw it. "Do as I say, not as I do" she'd bellow, if you can imagine a sarcastic bellow.

Other pithy comments: All mouth and no trousers; some men [people] will do anything for money; his chickens will come home to roost.

I have a favourite of my own. Sitting at a light behind a truck with the bumper sticker "Life is going duck hunting. The rest is a waste." (Yes, I really saw it, and it was a homemade bumpersticker), or yesterday cruising behind a 60+man chain smoking in a white Corvette with a very noisy engine, he with his window open oogling the women walking on the water front (and holding up a long line of cars behind him), I said
"And I bet he has exactly the family he deserves".

[DB in NJ]

We've used Volume One for YEARS. I just recently bought Vol. 2, and we're working on Stewardship now.

We all gather together in the living room with our Bibles first thing in the morning. I lead the discussion, but the kids participate by looking up the scriptures and taking turns reading them. All 4 of us use different versions for reading out loud, which makes it REALLY good, actually. We have the KJV, NKJV, NIV, and NIrV (for my 8 yo).

Sometimes it takes 10 minutes; sometimes we could go on forever. Regardless, it is ALWAYS time well-spent. Always.

We've tried other "curricula" but always return to these books. These times together have been precious; we've made memories to last a lifetime.

[Eliana]

I think that using a program for this misses the point. Character training is not a 'school' subject, though it is the most important teaching we can give our children.

I believe very strongly that the heart, so to speak, of character training has to be organic; it has to grow naturally out of what we read, see, hear, do, say, and are. ...and it is part of every subject we study and every part of our lives. The key, imho, is to know your child well - know her strengths and weaknesses, know what speaks to his heart, what motivates her, what discourages him. It grows out of shared experiences, regular discussions, shared references, mutual trust and respect, and unconditional love.

When my kids get to 11 or 12 or so, I sometimes point out to them the shelves of 'mussar' books we have (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mussar_Movement), and other works about spiritual, moral, and ethical growth, and if one of them is struggling with a specific area, I might suggest specific resources... but essentially, by this age, it is between the child and G-d, and my role is not to direct but to facilitate connection.

Another tool we use, is references to things we've read or seen as a family - Middlemarch was part of a discussion about integrity, as was Pericles (in a whole different way). Literary works often illustrate a character type, a philosophical approach, or a situation in ways that facilitate discussion... but I would run the other way if someone proposed using a program based on this... it has to be individual, and spontaneous to be real, to be effective; it has to be about connecting to a child's heart and revealing one's own deepest beliefs, hopes, values, and struggles (as much as is appropriate for a given child). It cannot be packaged, or planned, or laid out for us.


:o I seem to have some strong feelings on this! Of course, each of us must follow our own instincts about what will best work for our family, our children, and ourselves and despite my passion, I mean no disrespect to those of you who choose a different path.

Eliana

[Lucy in Australia]

I believe very strongly that the heart, so to speak, of character training has to be organic

I agree. I started off using a book for character studies but quickly realised that both my sons were learning every lesson word-perfect but were unable (or unwilling) to relate what they were learning to real life. I got rid of the book, and we use our Bible readings as the basis for our learning, then try to apply whatever we're focusing on that week to real life. I try to pick one quality every week (honesty, diligence, forgiveness and so on...). I've also found that many of the classics we read are perfect for reinforcing this kind of learning.

The boys were the first to point out that doing it this way is much harder than just having the "head-knowledge" :)

[mcconnellboys]

Next year, I will be using a book entitled A Child's Book of Character Building, Ron and Rebekah Coriell. Also, I'll be using A Little Book of Manners for Boys, Bob and Emilie Barnes; The Family Book of Manners, Hermine Hartley; Tiger and Tom and Others Stories for Boys; and the Book of Virtues.

Regena

[MIch elle]

nt

[GreenKitty]

I've never used that but I can recommend wonderful books. I didn't see the ages or missed it, though here they are:

Created For Work by Bob Schultz
Boyhood and Beyond by Bob Schultz
The Squire and the Scroll by Jennie Bishop

Also, CLE is good for character training.

[cajun.classical]

We use Character Building for Families in our Family Devotions. I also try to integrate it in other areas as well. History and Literature are great places to teach character.

[LisaK in VA]

Right now, we use daily devotions in the morning -- but once we move into our new home (which affords us a table to sit around), and I no longer have to work the store at night -- we'll be adding family devotions after dinner using Character Sketches. I'm really excited about these. I loved them when I was a child.

We also will have our "Sunday's Finest" Dinner. Using our fine china, silver -- the works. Everyone has to "dress" for dinner -- and we will focus on using our best manners, learning proper etiquitte, etc. Something else I'm really excited about!!

I've also taken to really praying about my husband and myself as role models -- because this is more important than anything else we could do.

[Amy in MD]

by Sally Clarkson. I love the format and how you spend a week at a time on one of the topics. Good scripture references, memory verses and the questions have brought out thoughtful discussions. We enjoy this first thing before school. My children are a little old for the coloring books that go with them, but still enjoy coloring while I read to them.

Amy

[GraciebytheBay]

Thank you for this discussion. I have been looking for something that sounds like CBFF. I think I'll order it. Yes, modeling is ideal. However, I have one ds in particular who definitely needs something in addition.:rolleyes:

[DianeJM]

"A Hive of Busy Bees", which you can buy from Rod & Staff and probably elsewhere too. It has short stories to read aloud with an emphasis on character. The stories are good for cuddle time on the sofa with younger kids, but even older ones will enjoy them. They work as bedtime stories too.

Rod & Staff publishes many story books along these lines; you should look at their catalog. They also have a periodical called "Wee Lambs" with stories for young children along the same lines as the above; some of the plot lines are pretty "intense" :rolleyes: such as someone disobeys and then they are "punished" lol. We subscribed to that one year when our big kids were little; they enjoyed them.

Also, we read the Pathway Readers. Those stories have character in them as well, such as when a boy doesn't do his chores he doesn't get to go on an outing with Dad. Right now my ds in 3rd is reading many of those stories during his independent reading time. We talk about them afterwards; there always seems to be a lesson one of the characters in the book learns.

It doesn't take much, I think, for a story to encourage a young child to do the right thing. (Whether they actually do the right thing in response may be another subject.)

We sometimes get to talk about the stories when a character issue comes up in daily life.

[Malenki]

I found this curriculum called Lessons in Responsibilities for Boys. We just started it in January.

How do you like it? It looks interesting to me but I can't figure out the age ranges... it shows up too small on the screen for my old eyes. Can you tell me what ages you are using it with?

[Testimony]

How do you like it? It looks interesting to me but I can't figure out the age ranges... it shows up too small on the screen for my old eyes. Can you tell me what ages you are using it with?

My boys are ages 8 and 10 years old. The program is from ages 6 and up. Book one is for ages 6 and up. Book two is for ages 10 and up.

I hope that helps.

Blessings,
Karen
www.homeschoolblogger.com/testimony

[Malenki]

Thanks, Karen, that does help! Looks like the first book might be a good fit for our oldest.