Charlotte Mason on Habits...

 

At our last CM Study Group, we watched the SCM Learning and Living DVD titled, Laying Down the Rails: The Power of Good Habits.  In researching Charlotte's writings, I found many references to the power of good habits, including....

Habit, the Instrument by which Parents Work. - 'Habit is TEN natures!'  If I could but make others see with my eyes how much this saying should mean to the educator!  How habit, in the hands of the mother, is as his wheel to the potter, his knife to the caver, - the instrument by means of which she turns out the design she has already conceived in her brain.  - Charlotte Mason (Vol 1, Home Education, p 97)

The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children. - Charlotte Mason (Vol 1, Home Education, p 136)

The mother devotes herself to the formation of one habit at a time, doing no more than keep watch over those already formed.  If she be appalled by the thought of overmuch labour, let her limit the number of good habits she will lay herself out to form.  The child who starts in life with, say, twenty good habits, begins with a certain capital which he will lay out to endless profit as the years go on.  - Charlotte Mason (Vol 1, Home Education, p 136)

This notion of instilling good habits was critical to Charlotte's philosophy.  It seems quite common sense to me and yet I find it very difficult to cultivate the habits I desire, not only in my children, but in myself.  I appreciate Charlotte's direction of "one habit at a time".  Habit training is definitely lifelong work. Rome wasn't built in a day! ....and so we keep plugging away :)

For further thoughts on habit training, you may consider this post at Simply Convivial.

Yellowstone Art Trail....so many handicrafts!!

 

We went on the Yellowstone Art Trail and it was fabulous!!  Riley and I visited seven of the locations yesterday.  Ruben, Riley, and I finished touring the other six locations today.  We saw and spoke with a variety of artists including painters, potters, spinners, weavers, and woodworkers.  I cannot even pick a favorite because they were all so impressive.  And to think, there are so many wonderful artisans in my neighborhood, I had no idea! 

While on the tour, I was struck by a particular artist who hand hooks wool rugs among other things.  I was expressing my awe in all the talented folks along the trail and she said something about the importance of continuing to make "useful items".  Once again, I was reminded of Charlotte Mason and her idea of handicrafts. 

“The points to be borne in mind in children’s handicrafts are: (a.) that they should not be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like; (b.) that they should be taught slowly and carefully what they are to do; (c.) that slipshod work should not be allowed; (d.) and that therefore, the children’s work should be kept well within their compass.” – Charlotte Mason Vol. 1 Home Education, p. 315

I believe the crafts we saw on the Yellowstone Art Trail are exactly the types of handicrafts that Charlotte would have thought worthy.  So many of these crafts are a lost art.  Many of our products here in the U.S. are mass produced and imported therefore, the young people have no idea where they come from or how they are made.   

After finishing the tour, I felt inspired to create.  I definitely see the importance of teaching our children to make useful things whether for themselves or to give/sell to others. Riley learned several useful skills last school year while participating in a Keepers of the Faith group.  I am so excited to continue that knowledge not only through Keepers this year, but possibly through apprenticing under some of the artisans we met on the tour.  I want to create a mosaic, hook a wool rug, and hand paint a Russian & Byzantine Icon.  :))

If you ever get the opportunity to follow the Yellowstone Art Trail, I highly recommend it!   

Language Arts Connection...

Today, Riley and I made connections in language arts.  I just love that!  First we did Logic of English, in which we finished up lesson 4.  We've been spreading each lesson over 3 days.  Day one introduces/teaches any new concepts.  Day two we study spelling words and day three is spent on grammar.  Today was grammar day and we learned about three articles, "A", "An", and "The".  This also happened to be our first week using Michael Clay Thompson's Language Arts.  Riley is studying the Town Level, in which today she learned about the three articles listed above.  It was ironic that both programs covered this in the same day. 

One of the assignments in MCTLA was "Write a statement of twenty words, with as many nouns as possible.  Then write one of twenty words with as few nouns as possible.  Discuss the difference."  At first, I thought about skipping this, but I am so glad we didn't!!  Here is what Riley wrote on the white board...

The cat climbed the tree. The lamb said baa.  The cow said moo.  The pig laughed.  The cat did too.  

The fuzzy black cat ran up the big leafy tree.  The wooly white lamb jumped up and down saying baa. 

Next, I asked her which statement she liked best.  Initially she said she liked the first one because it was funny, rhymed, and mentioned more animals.  Then I had her close her eyes and I read the first sentence of each while she visualized the scene, then the second sentence of each, again while she visualized the scene.  She quickly changed her mind and decided the second statement was much better because it was more descriptive and helped you develop an image in your mind. 

It then occurred to me that in order to use many nouns, we had created short choppy sentences.  This prompted me to think of an exercise we did in our Charlotte Mason Study Group while watching the SCM Learning and Living DVD series.  On DVD number two, Sonya Shafer teaches about living books and narration.  She mentioned avoiding "twaddle" and how to tell it apart from a good book.  She talked about being careful to avoid books with short choppy sentences that are dumbed down.

The MCTLA exercise also made me think of Levi and the way he learned to talk.  When he first began speaking, he spoke primarily in nouns, naming things....cup, water, mommy, daddy, Riley, Ruben, tractor, kitty, etc.  He then progressed to adding a verb....drink water, play Riley, drive tractor, etc.  Eventually he added pronouns and some adjectives...I take you, I thirsty, I want tractor, etc.  This made me realize that short choppy sentences are really primitive.  They show up in early speech and again in early composition.

The point of all this being, it really solidifies the importance of staying away from "twaddle" with "short choppy sentences" and reinforces the idea of filling our children's mind, especially young children, with rich and interesting language, so that when they learn to speak and start composition, they have a rich vocabulary to draw from.  Hence creating much more interesting speech and composition. 

All this to say, so far I'm liking MCTLA and Logic of English.  And of course, I LOVE Charlotte Mason's methods!!  I'm pleased with the connections we are making :))

Art, Music, and Mathematics with Charlotte Mason....

Art

There are few subjects regarded with more respect and less confidence in our schools than this of 'Art'.  Of course, we say, children should have their artistic powers cultivated, especially those who have such powers, but how is the question.  The neat solution offered by South Kensington in the sixties, - freehand, drawing, perspective, drawing from the round, has long been rejected; but nothing definite has taken its place and we still see models of cones, cubes and so on, disposed so that the eye may take them in freely and that the hand may perhaps produce what the eye has seen. But we begin now to understand that art is not to be approached by such a macadamised road.  It is of the spirit, and in ways of the spirit must we make our attempt.  We recognise that the power of appreciating art and of producing to some extent an interpretation of what one sees is as universal as intelligence, imagination, nay, speech, the power of producing words.  But there must be knowledge and, in the first place, not the technical knowledge of how to produce, but some reverent knowledge of what has been produced; that is, children should learn pictures, line by line, group by group, by reading, not books, but pictures themselves.  A friendly picture-dealer supplies us with half a dozen beautiful little reproductions of the work of some single artist, term by term.  After a short story of the artist's life and a few sympathetic words about his trees or his skies, his river-paths or his figures, the little pictures are studied one at a time; that is, children learn, not merely to see a picture but to look at it, taking in every detail.  Then the picture is turned over and the children tell what they have seen, - a dog driving a flock of sheep along a road but nobody with the dog.  Ah, there is a boy lying down by the stream drinking.  It is morning as you can see by the light so the sheep are being driven to pasture, and so on; nothing is left out, the discarded plough, the crooked birch, the clouds beautiful in form and threatening rain, there is enough for half an hour's talk and memory in this little reproduction of a great picture and the children will know it wherever they see it, whether a signed proof, a copy in oils, or the original itself in one of our galleries. - Charlotte Mason (Vol 6, A Philosophy of Education, p 213-214)

In Charlotte's schools, students studied art for both expression and appreciation.  She describes her method of appreciation above, using picture study to get to know an artist.  The children then drew on this appreciation of art, as well as the beauty of their natural surroundings, to create their own masterpieces through painting, drawing, clay modeling, etc.  Charlotte also encouraged handicrafts as part of expression.  Whereby, the children would create useful items through knitting, sewing, carving, leathercraft, sculpting, etc.

The points to be borne in mind in children’s handicrafts are: (a.) that they should not be employed in making futilities such as pea and stick work, paper mats, and the like; (b.) that they should be taught slowly and carefully what they are to do; (c.) that slipshod work should not be allowed; (d.) and that therefore, the children’s work should be kept well within their compass. – Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1 Home Education, p. 315)

We love Simply Charlotte Mason's Handicrafts Made Simple DVD series!  Riley is working through Hand Sewing.  

Music

Music, the Great Joy we owe to Hearing. - Hearing should tell us a great many interesting things, but the great and perfect joy which we owe to him is Music.  Many great men have put their beautiful thoughts, not into books, or pictures, or buildings, but into musical score, to be sung with the voice or played on instruments, as so full are these musical compositions of the minds of their makers, that people who care for music can always tell who has composed the music, they hear, even if they have never heard the particular movement before. Thus, in a manner, the composer speaks to them, and they are perfectly happy in listening to what he has to say.  Quite little children can sometimes get a good deal of this power; indeed, I knew a boy of three yeas old who knew when his mother was playing 'Wagner,' for example.  She played to him a great deal, and he listened.  Some people have more power in this way than others, but we might all have far more than we possess if we listened.  

How to get the Hearing Ear. - Use every chance you get of hearing music (I do not mean only tunes, though these are very nice), and ask whose music has been played, and, by degrees, you will find out that one composer has one sort of thing to say to you, and another speaks other things; these messages of the musicians cannot be put into words, so there is no way of hearing them if we do not train our ear to listen. - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 4, Ourselves, p 30-31) 

Again Charlotte taught music through appreciation and expression.  The children studied various composers much in the same way as studying artists, by reading a brief biography about the composer and listening to some of their works.  The children also sang and learned to play piano as part of their music study.  

In Music their knowledge of theory and their ear-training should keep pace with their powers of execution. - Charlotte Mason (Vol 3, School Education, p. 302) 

In an effort to use Charlotte's methods in our homeschool, this year, I've incorporated singing and artist study.  The children and I are leaning to sing one hymn and one folksong per term.  The first term we are singing The Star Spangled Banner and Come Thou Fount.  We will also be reading about misc. artists and composers including Francis Scott Key, Benjamin West, and John James Audubon.  The children draw as part of their nature study and narration.  In addition, they produce handicrafts as noted above. 

Mathematics

The practical value of arithmetic to persons in every class of life goes without remark.  But the use of the study in practical life is the least of its uses.  The chief value of arithmetic, like that of the higher mathematics, lies in the training it affords to the reasoning powers, and in the habits of insight, readiness, accuracy, intellectual truthfulness it engenders.  There is no one subject in which good teaching effects more, as there is none in which slovenly teaching has more mischievous results.  Multiplication does not produce the 'right answer,' so the boy tries division; that again fails, but subtraction may get him out of the bog.  There is no must be to him; he does not see that one process, and one process only, can give the required result.  Now, a child who does not know what rule to apply to a simple problem within his grasp, has been ill taught from the first, although he may produce slatefuls of quite right sums in multiplication or long division.  - Charlotte Mason (Vol 1, Home Education, p 254) 

Let his arithmetic lesson be to the child a daily exercise in clear thinking and rapid, careful execution, and his mental growth will be as obvious as the sprouting seedling in the spring. - Charlotte Mason (Vol 1,
Home Education, p 261) 

Though Charlotte references mathematics many times in her six-volume series, there is not a lot of practical application.  I find her writing on this subject to be more philosophical.  This frustrates me since my black and white brain likes clear instruction, particularly in mathematics.  This is one subject, and may be the only subject, where I want Charlotte to tell me exactly how to teach x, y, and z.  

Some things I have come to learn over the years about Mason's teaching of mathematics are...

1. Charlotte used textbooks for math teaching.  She did not use living books for math.
2. Mathematics was used to train both mental and moral habits in Charlotte's schools.   
3. Children must learn the why behind the how.  Charlotte believed in starting mathematics teaching with manipulatives so children could see and physically manipulate the numbers. 
4. Charlotte believed the study of mathematics necessary, but she commented multiple times on being careful not to give math undue importance at the expense of a full and generous curriculum.  

But education should be a science of proportion, and any one subject that assumes undue importance does so at the expense of other subjects which a child's mind should deal with.....In a word our point is that Mathematics are to be studied for their own sake and not as they make for general intelligence and grasp of the mind...To sum up, Mathematics are a necessary part of every man's education; they must be taught by those who know; but they may not engross the time and attention of the scholar in such wise as to shut out any of the score of 'subjects,' a knowledge of which is his natural right.  - Charlotte Mason (Vol 6, A Philosophy of Education, p 231-233)

Simply Charlotte Mason published an invaluable book written by Richele Baburina titled Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching.  Baburina studied Charlotte's writings as well as several sources used by Charlotte's teachers and parents and then compiled the book as a means to practically apply Charlotte's methods to the teaching of mathematics.  I own the book, but shamefully have not given it the habit of full attention.  I'm adding this to my to-do-list ;-)

Year 4 & 5 Term 1 Checklists...

This is the final piece of our 2014-2015 curriculum posts. Last week, I gave a complete listing of the resources we will use this school year. This week, I posted our Year 5 Term 1 Schedule and our Year 4 Term 1 Schedule. Today, I will share the weekly checklists for years 4 & 5 to show how each resource is scheduled per day. You will notice that some subjects vary each day. Also, the number indicated before each subject is an estimated amount of time the subject will take. My attempt in creating these was in keeping with Charlotte Mason's method of cultivating the habit of attention with short lessons and varied order of subjects. We do not necessarily study each subject in the order listed.

Riley Year 5 Daily Checklist

Ruben Year 4 Daily Checklist

Year 4, Term 1 Sample Schedule...

Monday, I posted RileyAnn's Term 1 schedule. Today, I'm posting Ruben's schedule. Again, the items in blue are things he will complete on his own. The black items we will complete together. As with each of our children, this schedule has been built to personally meet Ruben's needs. I LOVE this about homeschooling. We teach each child where they are at!! You may notice that Ruben does not have a "Free Reading" list. Due to his dyslexia, we do most subjects together. I pick and choose books according to his reading level, which fluctuates. Rather than trying to anticipate his future reading level, we will choose books weekly wherever he's at.

Drywood Creek Academy Year 4 Term 1 Schedule

Year 5, Term 1 Sample Schedule

Last week, I posted our 2014-2015 curricula.  Today I'm sharing Term 1 of RileyAnn's schedule to show how it all comes together. 
Blue indicates items Riley will complete on her own. Black items are subjects we work on together, some as a family, and some just her and I.

Drywood Creek Academy Year 5 Term 1 Schedule

2014-2015 Curriculum...

I've hesitated to post this because I don't want anyone to feel pressure.  Disclaimer....We do not do every subject daily and RileyAnn is not reading all the books listed at one time. 

Quite honestly, our first week of school didn't kick off quite as strongly as planned.  Life took over!  But, we will pick up and try again next week :)  So, without further ado, here are our 2014-2015 curriculum choices...

Family Study

Bible Study Guide for All Ages
Scripture Memory
Beautiful Feet Geography
Misc. History books covering approx. 1800-1865 - Lewis & Clark to the Civil War
God's Design for Heaven and Earth
Artist Study
Hymn Study
Folksong Study
Nature Study
Handicrafts
Life Skills


RileyAnn Year 5

Plutarch using North's Translation and Anne White's Study Guides
This Country of Ours by H E Marshall
Lincoln's World by Genevieve Foster
Of Courage Undaunted by James Daugherty
Narcissa Whitman by Jeanette Eaton
The Ocean of Truth by Joyce McPherson
Swimming Creatures of the 5th Day
Hitty Her First Hundred Years by Rachel Field
Hiawatha by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Story of Clara Barton of the Red Cross by Jeanette Nolan
Beautiful Feet History of the Horse
Poetry for Young People Rudyard Kipling & Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Study John Greenleaf Whittier & Paul Dunbar's Poetry
Michael Clay Thompson - Town Level
The Logic of English Essentials
Strayer-Upton Practical Arithmetics
Latina Christiana
Lambs Tales from Shakespeare
Book of Centuries
Typing

Ruben Year 4

The Story Book of Science by Jean Henri Fabre
Misc. reading books
Explode the Code
The Logic of English - Cursive
Daily Grams
Aesop's Fables
Misc. math - skills to include multiple digit addition/subtraction; multiplication tables; continuing time and money

Back to School...

It's back to school week for many, including us here on Drywood Creek...though it's been a bit crazy with the holiday and misc. appointments.  We kicked off our studies for the 2014-2015 school year on a lighter note.  Riley loves it all and Ruben not so much.     

I also had the privilege of attending the  P.M.E.U. fall book discussion Tuesday evening.  Gathering with other homeschooling families is such a treat!!  The Farmer and I drove over 4 hours to attend.  I cherished our time alone together and was encouraged by the fellowship of other Charlotte Mason families.  

The discussion covered Ourselves Book I by Charlotte Mason (Vol. 4) pp. 179-203 regarding opinions, principles, and justice to ourselves.  After the book discussion, we were treated to application of theory by Nancy Kelly of Sage Parnassus.  Nancy spoke of the significance of the flowering rush, or the "Humble Plant", and its representation of humility in Mason's schools, referencing Ourselves, Book I, Part III, Ch 10, p 126-130.  I will not give away her talk in case you ever have the opportunity to hear her speak.  We also practiced written narration through drawing an illustration as well as oral narration.  It was an enjoyable evening. 

An Opinion worth having. - We may gather three rules, then, as to an opinion that is worth the having.  We must have thought about the subject and know something about it, as a gardener does about the weather; it must be our own opinion, and not caught up as a parrot catches up its phrases; and lastly, it must be disinterested, that is, it must not be influenced by our inclination. - Charlotte Mason, Ourselves, Vol. 4, Book 1, p 180

Charlotte Mason on Language Arts....

Unfortunately, uttering the term "Language Arts" today among homeschoolers often brings mothers to tears.  It is a new term, not spoken in Charlotte Mason's day.  However, language arts is certainly not a new concept.  Language is the method of human communication either spoken or written.  Art is a branch of learning.  Therefore, the study of language arts is the act of learning to communicate. 

If we think in terms of communication, language arts has four components: listening, speaking, reading, and writing.  You've actually been teaching your child language arts since birth!   They listened to the sounds you made, watched your lips form words, and then started speaking. 

To begin our discussion, I'm going to focus on writing or composition since this is often the part of language arts that freaks people out...including myself before finding the Charlotte Mason method.   Much to my chagrin, I am guilty of getting out my red pen and going crazy on Angel's papers.   Truth be told, I also royally screwed up dictation.  Anyway, thankfully, I feel like I'm finally getting on the right track  :)

Composition comes by Nature. - In fact, lessons on 'composition' should follow the model of that famous essay on "Snakes in Ireland" - "There are none."  For children under nine, the question of composition resolves itself into that of narration, varied by some such simple exercise as to write a part and narrate a part, or write the whole account of a walk they have taken, a lesson they have studied, or of some simple matter that they know.  Before they are ten, children who have been in the habit of using books will write good, vigorous English with ease and freedom; that is, if they have not been hampered by instructions.  It is well for them not even to learn rules for the placing of full stops and capitals until they notice how these things occur in their books.  Our business is to provide children with material in their lessons, and, leave the handling of such material to themselves.  If we would believe it, composition is as natural as jumping and running to children who have been allowed due use of books.  They should narrate in the first place and they will compose, later, readily enough; but they should not be taught 'composition'.  - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 247)

OK, so I don't know about you, but this was a huge relief to me!  Reading great books and requiring the child to narrate serves as composition lessons in the early years.  Charlotte actually did not start formal composition until high school.  She was able to encourage the elementary students to explore the four types of writing (narrative, expository, descriptive, and persuasive) via narration. 

Charlotte used copywork to teach handwriting....

Set good copies before him and see that he imitates his model dutifully: the writing lesson being, not so many lines, or 'a copy' - that is, a page of writing - but a single line which is as exactly as possible a copy of the characters set.  The child may have to write several lines before he succeeds in producing this. - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 235)

An ah ha moment for several of us moms regarding copywork came while watching SCM's Learning and Living DVD series.  Charlotte did not encourage copywork until the child was able to read.   She also didn't encourage a full page of the letter "b", for example.  Rather, she required "a single line which is as exactly as possible a copy of the characters set".   In other words, the children were to produce one perfectly written line. 

Regarding spelling....

Early Spelling. - Accustom him from the first to shut his eyes and spell the word he has made.  This is important.  Reading is not spelling, nor is it necessary to spell in order to read well; but the good speller is the child whose eye is quick enough to take in the letters which compose it, in the act of reading off a work; and this is a habit to be acquired from the first: accustom him to see the letters in the word, and he will do so without effort. 

If words were always made on a given pattern in English, if the same letters always represented the same sounds, learning to read would be an easy matter; for the child would soon acquire the few elements of which all words would, in that case, be composed.  But many of our English words are, each, a law unto itself: there is nothing for it, but the child must learn to know them at sight; he must recognise 'which,' precisely as he recognises 'B,' because he has seen it before, been made to look at it with interest, so that the pattern of the word is stamped on his retentive brain.  This process should go on side by side with the other - the learning of the powers of the letters; for the more variety you can throw into his reading lessons, the more will the child enjoy them.  Lessons in word-making help him to take intelligent interest in words; but his progress in the art of reading depends chiefly on the 'reading at sight' lessons. - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 203-204)

The above passage intrigues me.  I agree and disagree at the same time.  I totally get what Charlotte is saying here and in theory she has many good points.  However, my dyslexic kiddo would never read or spell if I solely relied on the sight method of teaching him because of the irregular patterns in English.  I believe in phonics teaching over the sight method. 

Charlotte always taught spelling in context, again using good literature.  First the children looked at words and recreated them, "word-making" as she called it.  Then the children did 5-10 minutes of copywork, eventually transitioning into transcription of longer passages.  Finally, Charlotte used prepared dictation to teach spelling. 

Steps of a Dictation Lesson. - Dictation lessons, conducted in some such way as the following, usually result in good spelling.  A child of eight or nine prepares a paragraph, older children a page, or two or three pages.  The child prepares by himself, by looking at the word he is not sure of, and then seeing it with his eyes shut.  Before he begins, the teacher asks what words he things will need his attention.  He generally knows, but the teacher may point out any word likely to be a cause of stumbling.  He lets his teacher know when he is ready.  The teacher asks if there are any words he is not sure of.  These she puts, one by one, on the blackboard, letting the child look till he has a picture, and then rubbing the word out.  If anyone is still doubtful he should be called to put the word he is not sure of on the board, the teacher watching to rub out the word when a wrong letter begins to appear, and again helping the child to get a mental picture.  Then the teacher gives out the dictation, clause by clause, each clause repeated once.  She dictates with a view to the pointing, which the children are expected to put in as they write; but they must not be told 'comma,' 'semicolon,' etc.  After the sort of preparation I have described, which takes ten minutes or less, there is rarely an error in spelling.  If there be, it is well worth while for the teacher to be on the watch with slips of stamp-paper to put over the wrong word, that its image may be erased as far as possible.  At the end of the lesson, the child should again study the wrong word in his book until he says he is sure of it, and should write it correctly on the stamp-paper.  - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 241-242)

I did try prepared dictation last year with RileyAnn and it was much more successful than I thought it might be.  I do plan to continue at some point with her. 

Lastly, I want to touch briefly on grammar...

Grammar a Difficult Study. - Of grammar, Latin and English, I shall say very little here.  In the first place, grammar, being a study of words and not of things, is by no means attractive to the child, nor should be hurried into.  English grammar, again, depending as it does on the position and logical connection of words, is peculiarly hard for him to grasp.  In this respect the Latin grammar is easier; a change in form, the shape of the word, to denote case, is what a child can see with his bodily eye, and therefore it's plainer to him than the abstract ideas of nominative and objective case as we have them in English.  Therefore, if he learns no more at this early stage than the declensions and a verb or two, it is well he should learn thus much, if only to help him to see what English grammar would be at when it speaks of a change in case or mood, yet shows no change in the form of the word. - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 295)

Charlotte postponed grammar until around age ten.  She used a text book for teaching.  Then followed with living books/literature for practice.  Charlotte was very straight forward in her teaching of grammar as she believed grammar was abstract knowledge, which is difficult for young minds.  She talked specifically about being careful not to dumb down the lessons. In fact, she said....

But a child cannot dream parts of speech, and any grown-up twaddle attempting to personify such abstractions offends a small person who with all his love of play and nonsense has a serious mind. - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education, pg 210)

Hopefully, I've given you some food for thought regarding teaching language arts using Charlotte's methods.  For further interest, a while back, I posted some notes regarding Ruth Beechick's philosophy on teaching reading here and writing here. 

Terrible Two's...Really?

They say two's are terrible.  Yeah, we have our days.  But really two is my favorite age.  Just look at this little stinker who is not supposed to be playing with the telephone! 

Living Books for Learning - Part 2

This post is a continuation about subjects in which Charlotte Mason used living books.  You can read Part 1 here, which covers Bible, History, and Geography.  Today's post will cover Science, Literature, and Poetry.

Science

"Books dealing with science as with history, say, should be of a literary character, and we should probably be more scientific as a people if we scrapped all the text-books which swell publishers' lists and nearly all the chalk expended so freely on our blackboards." - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education, p. 218)

Charlotte used books such as Life and Her Child by Arabella Buckley and Madam How and Lady Why by Charles Kingsley with younger students in her schools.  The children narrated after each reading.  Charlotte also used nature study as a means for children to connect with natural science and the out of doors.  One day per week, the students went outside for the afternoon and "notice for themselves" natural things in their surroundings.  Students kept nature journals/notebooks of their findings.  Charlotte wrote the following on nature study...

"Science - In Science, or rather, nature study, we attach great importance to recognition, believing that the power to recognise and name a plant or stone or constellation involves classification and includes a good deal of knowledge.  To know a plant by its gesture and habitat, its time and its way of flowering and fruiting; a bird by its flight and song and its times of coming and going; to know when, year after year, you may come upon the redstart and the pied fly-catcher, means a good deal of interested observation, and of, at any rate, the material for science.  The children keep a dated record of what they see in their nature note-books, which are left to their own management and are not corrected.  These note-books are a source of pride and joy, and are freely illustrated by drawings (brushwork) of twig, flower, insect, etc.  The knowledge necessary for these records is not given in the way of teaching.  On one afternoon in the week, the children (of the Practising School) go for a 'nature walk' with their teachers.  They notice for themselves, and the teacher gives a name or other information as it is asked for, and it is surprising what a range of knowledge a child of nine or ten acquires.  The teachers are careful not to make these nature walks an opportunity for scientific instruction, as we wish the children's attention to be given to observation with very little direction.  In this way they lay up that store of  'common information' which Huxley considered should precede science teaching; and, what is much more important, they learn to know and delight in natural objects as in the familiar faces of friends.  The nature-walk should not be made the occasion to impart a sort of Tit-Bits miscellany of scientific information.  The study of science should be pursued in an ordered sequence, which is not possible or desirable in a walk.  It seems to me a sine qua non of a living education that all school children of whatever grade should have one half-day in the week, throughout the year, in the fields.  There are few towns where country of some sort is not accessible, and every child should have the opportunity of watching week to week, the procession of the seasons.   

Geography, geology, the course of the sun, the behaviour of the clouds, weather signs, all that the 'open' has to offer, are made use of in these walks; but all is incidental, easy, and things are noticed as they occur.  It is probable that in most neighbourhoods there are naturalists who would be willing to give their help in the 'nature walks' of a given school.

We supplement this direct 'nature walk' by occasional object-lessons, as, on the hairs of plants, on diversity of wings, on the sorts of matters taken up in Professor Miall's capital books; but our main dependence is on books as an adjunct to out-of-door work - Mrs. Fisher's, Mrs. Brightwen's, Professor Lloyd Morgan's, Professor Geikie's, Professors Geddes' and Thomson's (the two last for children over fourteen), etc., etc. In the books of these and some other authors the children are put in the position of the original observer of biological and other phenomena.  They learn what to observe, and make discoveries for themselves, original so far as they are concerned.  They are put in the right attitude of mind for scientific observations and deductions, and their keen interest is awakened.  We are extremely careful not to burden the verbal memory with scientific nomenclature.  Children lean of pollen, antennae, and what not, incidentally, when the thing is present and they require a name for it. The children who are curious about it, and they only, should have the opportunity of seeing with the microscope any minute wonder of structure that has come up in their reading or their walks; but a good lens is a capital and almost an indispensable companion in field work." - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 3, School Education, p. 236-238)

Literature

"As for literature - to introduce children to literature is to instal them in a very rich and glorious kingdom, to bring a continual holiday to their doors, to lay before them in a feast exquisitely served.  But they must learn to know literature by being familiar with it from the very first.  A child's intercourse must always be with good books, the best that we can find." - Charlotte Mason ( Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education, p 51)

I think using living books and narration for the teaching of literature is a no brainer.  Living books are beautiful and speak to our soul.  Again, I've written more here regarding living books. 

Poetry

"Poetry. - Poetry is, perhaps, the most searching and intimate of our teachers.  To know about such a poet and his works may be interesting, as it is to know about repousse work; but in the latter case we must know how to use the tools before we get joy and service out of the art.  Poetry, too, supplies us with tools for the modelling of our lives, and the use of these we must get at for ourselves." - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 4, Ourselves, Book 2, p 71)

"Poetry takes first rank as a means of intellectual culture.  Goethe tells us that we ought to see a good picture, hear good music, and read some good poetry every day; and certainly, a little poetry should form part of the evening lecture.  "Collections" of poems are to be eschewed; but some one poet should have at least a year to himself, that he may have time to do what is in him towards cultivating the seeing eye, the hearing ear, the generous heart." - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 5, Formation of Character, p 224)

In Charlotte's schools, poetry was read aloud and enjoyed frequently.  The students narrated occasionally, but not after every reading as in other subjects.  A variety of poets were studied, perhaps one, for a period of time - "at least a year".  The children memorized and recited poetry each term.  Poetry was used for copy work and dictation.  Charlotte believed the students could deepen their character from studying heroic and noble poems.  Poetry teaches to speak beautiful words in a beautiful way.   I was surprised to learn that Shakespeare was studied as part of poetry.  I was thinking of it as an entirely separate subject. 

"And Shakespeare?  He, indeed, is not to be classed, and timed, and treated as one amongst others, - he, who might well be the daily bead of the intellectual life; Shakespeare is not to be studied in a year; he is to be read continuously throughout life, from ten years old and onwards.  But a child of ten cannot understand Shakespeare.  No; but can a man of fifty?  Is not our great poet rather an ample feast of which every one takes according to his needs, and leaves what he has no stomach for?  A little girl of nine said to me the other day that she had only read one play of Shakespeare's through, and that was A Midsummer Night's Dream.  She did not understand the play, of course, but she must have found enough to amuse and interest her.  How would it be to have a monthly reading of Shakespeare - a play, to be read in character, and continued for two or three evenings until it is finished?  The Shakespeare evening would come to be looked on as a family festa; and the plays, read again and again, year after year, would yield more at each reading, and would leave behind in the end rich deposits of wisdom." - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 5, Formation of Character, p 226)

Living Books for Learning - Part 1

Most people who've heard of a Charlotte Mason education have heard the term "living books".  I recently wrote this post using Charlotte's quotes to illustrate what a living book is.  Today, I will focus on the subjects Charlotte taught using living books.

"History, Geography, the thoughts of other people, roughly, the humanities, are proper for us all, and are the objects of the natural desire of knowledge." - Charlotte Mason

History

History Books - "It is not at all easy to choose the right history books for children.  Mere summaries of facts must, as we have seen, be eschewed; and we must be equally careful to avoid generalisations.  The natural function of the mind, in the early years of life, is to gather the material of knowledge with a view to that very labour of generalisation which is proper to the adult mind; a labour which we should all carry on to some extent for ourselves.  As it is, our minds are so poorly furnished that we accept the conclusions presented to us without demur; but we can, at any rate, avoid giving children cut-and-dried opinions upon the course of history while they are yet young.  What they want is graphic details concerning events and persons upon which imagination goes to work; and opinions tend to form themselves by slow degrees as knowledge grows."  - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 287-288)

History readings afford admirable material for narration, and children enjoy narrating what they have read or heard.  They love, too, to make illustrations.  Children who had been reading Julius Caesar (and also, Plutarch's Life), were asked to make a picture of their favourite scene, and the results showed the extraordinary power of visualising which the little people possess.  Of course that which they visualise, or imagine clearly, they know; it is a life possession. - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 292)

Charlotte used living books and narration for history.  Around age 10, children also started to keep their own Book of Centuries. 

Geography

"Geography is, to my mind, a subject of high educational value; though not because it affords the means to scientific training.  Geography does present its problems, and these of the most interesting, and does afford materials for classifications; but it is physical geography only which falls within the definition of a science and even that is rather a compendium of the results of several sciences than a science itself.  But the peculiar value of geography lies in its fitness to nourish the mind with ideas, and to furnish the imagination with pictures.  Herein lies the educational value of geography."

"...the child's geography lesson should furnish just the sort of information which grown-up people care to possess.  Now, do think how unreasonable we are in this matter; nothing will persuade us to read a book of travel unless it be interesting, graphic, with a spice of personal adventure.  Even when we are going about Murray in hand, we skip the dry facts and figures, and read the suggestive pictorial scraps; these are the sorts of things we like to know, and remember with ease." - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 271-273)

"There are two rational ways of teaching Geography.  The first is the inferential method, a good deal in vogue at the present time; by it the pupil learns certain geographical principles which he is expected to apply universally.  This method seems to me defective for two reasons.  It is apt to be misleading as in every particular case the general principle is open to modifications; also, local colour and personal and historical interests are wanting and the scholar does not form an intellectual and imaginative conception of the region he is learning about.  The second which might be called the panoramic method unrolls the landscape of the world, region by region, before the eyes of the scholar with in every region its own conditions of climate, its productions, its people, their industries and their history.  This way of teaching the most delightful of all subjects has the effect of giving to a map of a country or region the brilliancy of colour and the wealth of detail which a panorama might afford, together with a sense of proportion and a knowledge of general principles.  I believe that pictures are not of very great use in this study.  We all know that the pictures which abide with us are those which the imagination constructs from written descriptions. 

....vivid descriptions, geographical principles, historical associations and industrial details, are afforded which should make, as we say, an impression, should secure that the region traversed becomes an imaginative possession as well as affording data for reasonable judgments.  The pupil begins with a survey of (insert particular country) followed by a separate treatment of the great countries and divisions and of the great physical features."  - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education, p 227-228)

Charlotte started geography with young children out of doors much like natural science. "A pool fed by a mere cutting in the fields will explain the nature of a lake, will carry the child to the lovely lakes of the Alps to Livingstone's great African lake, in which he delighted to see his children 'paidling'...."

"Give him next intimate knowledge, with the fullest details, of any country or region of the world, any country or district of this own country."  Charlotte preferred living books and travelogues giving personal experiences to texts that give "dry facts and figures".  These books were read aloud to younger children followed by narration.

In our homeschool, geography is tied to Bible, history, literature, etc.  As we read about people, we study the places they lived, worked, and traveled.  "Great attention is paid to map work; that is, before reading a lesson children have found the places mentioned in that lesson on a map and know where they are, relatively to other places, to given parallels, meridians."  It's important that students relate people to places, not just memorize facts about places.

"Then, again, geography should be chiefly learned from maps.  Pictorial readings and talks introduce him to the subject, but so soon as his geography lessons become definite they are to be learned, in the first place, from the map."  After introducing children to geography in their natural environment outdoors and reading books about people relating geography to those people, Charlotte used map work.  This Simply Charlotte Mason blog post on teaching geography describes map drill more in depth. 

Bible

"Of the three sorts of knowledge proper to a child, - the knowledge of God, of man, and of the universe, - the knowledge of God ranks first in importance, is indispensable, and more happy-making."  - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education, p158)

"We are apt to believe that children cannot be interested in the Bible unless its pages be watered down - turned into the slipshod English we prefer to offer them.  

...But let the imagination of children be stored with the pictures, their minds nourished upon the words, of the gradually unfolding story of the Scriptures, and they will come to look out upon a wide horizon within which person and events take shape in their due place and in due proportion.  By degrees, they will see that the world is a stage whereon the goodness of God is continually striving with the wilfulness of man; that some heroic men take sides with God; and that others, foolish and headstrong, oppose themselves to Him.  The fire of enthusiasm will kindle in their breast, and the children, too, will take their side, without much exhortation, or any thought or talk of spiritual experience."  - Charlotte Mason (Vol. 1, Home Education, p 248-249)

Method of Bible Lessons - Read aloud to the children a few verses covering, if possible, an episode.  Read reverently, carefully, and with just expression.  Then require the children to narrate what they have listened to as nearly as possible in the words of the Bible....Then, talk the narrative over with them in the light of research and criticism.  Let the teaching, moral and spiritual, reach them without much personal application.  

....The learning by heart of Bible passages should begin while the children are quite young, six or seven.  It is a delightful thing to have the memory stored with beautiful, comforting, and inspiring passages, and we cannot tell when and how this manner of seed may spring up, grow, and bear fruit; but the learning of the parable of the Prodigal Son, for example, should not be laid on the children as a burden.  The whole parable should be read to them in a way to bring out its beauty and tenderness; and then, day by day, the teacher should recite a short passage, perhaps two or three verses, saying it over some three or four times until the children think they know it.  Then, but not before, let them recite the passage.  Next day the children will recite what they have already learned, and so on, until they are able to say the whole parable." - Charlotte Mason (Vol 1, Home Education, p 251-253)

The Bible is the ultimate living book!  Charlotte believed in reading directly from Scripture having the children follow with narration.  She then had discussion, often times based on a reliable commentary.  The children memorized and recited God's Word daily.  I just love the way Charlotte talks about studying Scripture!  I'm intrigued and looking forward to trying Simply Charlotte Mason's Scripture Memory System this year with Riley and Ruben.

Since this post, is getting much longer than anticipated, I will continue with Part 2 covering Science, Literature, and Poetry . 

Thursdays of Thanks....

Riley's flower planter; Hometown parade, Charcoal chicken; A husband for Liz; Safe travels to and from ND; Being able to fix my washing machine; Phone call from Tara.....

Haymaking....

John Clare (1793-1864). “Haymaking”
from The Later Poems (1984).

Among the meadow hay cocks
'Tis beautiful to lie
When pleasantly the day looks
And gold like is the sky 

How lovely looks the hay-swarth
When turning to the sun
How richly looks the dark path
When the rickings all are done 

There's nothing looks more lovely
As a meadow field in cock
There's nothing sounds more sweetly
As the evenings six o' clock 

There's nothing sounds so welcome
As their singing at their toil
Sweet maidens with tan'd faces
And bosoms fit to broil

And its beautiful to look on
How the hay-cleared meadow lies
How the sun pours down his welcome heat
Like gold from yonder skies 

There's a calm upon the level
When the sun is getting low
Smooth as a lawn is the green level
Save where swarths their pointings shew

There the mother makes a journey
With a babbie at her breast
While the sun is fit to burn ye
On the sabath day at rest

There's nothing like such beauty
With a woman ere compares
Unless the love within her arms
The infant which she heirs.

Keepers of the Faith....

RileyAnn participated in Keepers of the Faith last year.  It was a great experience. Her group met two times each month.  They worked on a variety of skills as well as character traits.  At the beginning of the year, the girls sold Pastry Puffins to earn money for projects throughout the year.  Not all families chose to participate, rather they just paid out of pocket as we went along.  Mom's took turns teachings skills and character traits.  Some of the traits she worked on were diligence, attentiveness, and truthfulness.  Here's a run down of each month's project(s)...

September - Tie Dye

October -  Canning Vegetables & Applesauce

November - Card Making

December - Christmas caroling at a local nursing home

January - Hand Sewing & Cake Decorating

February - Sewing a Skirt

March - Cooking & Basket Weaving

April - Basket Weaving

May - Banquet

At the banquet, each girl was awarded a pin for each "badge" she earned throughout the year.  They all wore their skirts they made in February.  It was sweet. 

I believe Keepers was a positive experience, where Riley learned a variety of useful handicrafts and life skills.  Unfortunately, several families have opted out this year, due to time commitment.  We are undecided as to whether or not our family will participate.  Each meeting was approx. 70 minutes round trip from our home.  I do intend to go to the upcoming planning meeting to learn what's involved this year.  RileyAnn really enjoyed the group and loved the projects she created. 

Revolutionary War - Term 3 Book List

Well they say, "better late than never" and that's the way I feel about this book list.  Spring came and went so fast with graduation.  Then  softball, baseball, mixed with haying season here on Drywood Creek and I didn't get to post this. So without further ado, here is our American Revolution family read aloud third term book list....


Meet Felicity - American Girl
If You Lived in Colonial Williamsburg by Barbara Brenner
A Window on Williamsburg by Lewis, Walklet, Ford, & Sheppard
A Williamsburg Household by Joan Anderson
Mary Geddy's Day by Kate Waters
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
**The Story of the Thirteen Colonies by H.A. Guerber
**The Story of the Boston Tea Party by Mary Kay Phelan
**The Boston Massacre by Alice Dickinson 
Boston Tea Party by James Knight
Boston Tea Party by Pamela Duncan Edwards
What's the Big Idea Ben Franklin? by Jean Fritz
The Boston Coffee Party by Doreen Rappaport
A Voice of Her Own: The Story of Phillis Wheatley, Slave Poet by Kathryn Lasky
King George's Head was Made of Lead by F.N. Monjo
**The Liberty Tree - The Beginning of the American Revolution by Lucille Recht Penner
Where was Patrick Henry of the 29th of May? by Jean Fritz
Can't You Make Them Behave King George? by Jean Fritz
America's Paul Revere by Esther Forbes
And Then What Happened Paul Revere? by Jean Fritz
Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - illustrated by Paul Galdone
The Battle of Lexington & Concord by Neil Johnson
George the Drummer Boy by Nathaniel Benchley
Sam the Minuteman by Nathaniel Benchley
If You Lived at the Time of the American Revolution by Kay Moore
Sam Adams - The Boy Who Became Father of the American Revolution by Fayette Richardson
Trouble at Otter Creek by Wilma Pitchford Hays
America's Ethan Allen by Stewart Holbrook
Guns for General Washington by Seymour Reit
Uncommon Revolutionary - A Story About Thomas Paine by Laura Hamilton Waxman
George Washington by Ingri & Edgar D'Aulaire
Cities of the Revolution: Charles Town by Susan & John Lee
Katie's Trunk by Ann Turner
Thomas Jefferson: A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin
The Hatmaker's Sign: A Story by Benjamin Franklin retold by Candace Fleming
The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Norman Richards
The Story of the Liberty Bell by Natalie Miller
The Story of Monticello by Norman Richards
The 4th of July Story by Alice Dalgliesh
Seventh and Walnut by James Knight
Journey to Monticello by James Knight
George Washington: A Picture Book Biography by James Cross Giblin
Daughter of Liberty: A True Story of the American Revolution by Robert Quackenbush
Silver for General Washington by Enid LaMonte Meadowcroft
Aaron and the Green Mountain Boys by Patricia Lee Gauch
The Revolutionary John Adams by Cheryl Harness
Buttons for General Washington by Peter & Connie Roop
The Winter at Valley Forge by James Knight
Molly Pitcher by Jan Gleiter & Kathleen Thompson
Will You Sign Here, John Hancock? by Jean Fritz
Abigail Adams by Alexandra Wallner
Betsy Ross by Alexandra Wallner
The American Flag by Michael Friedman Publishing
The Secret Soldier: The Story of Deborah Sampson by Ann McGovern
The Story of Bonhomme Richard by Norman Richards
Fourth of July Raid by Wilma Pitchford Hays
The Story of the Surrender at Yorktown by Zachary Kent
Adam & the Golden Cock by Alice Dalgliesh





As you can imagine by this list, Term 3 did not fit easily into a 12 week box.  It carried over into summer and may carry over to fall.  :))  You may notice Term 2 and Term 3 meshing.  Because the topics were so closely related, there was not a clear dividing line.  The books with asterisks (**) indicate books we did not read fully, rather we referenced or read sections from them.  You can view Term 1, Exploration, here and Term 2, Colonial America,  here.
 



 

I would like to continue this time period with the following resources, but not sure how time will permit....


Steven Kellogg's Yankee Doodle by Edward Bangs
The 18 Penny Goose by Sally Walker
Toliver's Secret by Esther Brady or Tree of Freedom by Rebecca Caudill
The Boy Who Loved to Draw: Benjamin West by Barbara Brenner
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry
Boston Bells by Elizabeth Coatsworth
A More Perfect Union by Betsy & Guilio Maestro
Shh! We're Writing the Constitution by Jena Fritz
If You Were There When They Signed the Constitution by Elizabeth Levy
Dear Benjamin Bannaker by Andrea Pinkney
Molly Bannakay by Alice McGill
What are You Figuring Now? by Jeri Ferris

If we don't get to them this summer, we will start off with them our fall term.   So many books....so little time :))