Summer & Fall 2019 Mother Culture...

I was looking back at old posts and realized, I didn't share my summer reading list so I will include progress here in this post along with the fall list. Click here to see where I left off in spring.

Summer Mother Culture

Upon reflection, I actually read quite a bit this summer all things considered. Reading in community is a big push for me. I love the accountability it brings, as well as the camaraderie. I find I am most productive when reading with a group.

Here's what I read this summer....

CM Study Group

I finished A Practical Guide to Culture by Stonestreet and Kunkle in August with my CM Study Group. There were a few nuggets in this book, particularly if you are a media friendly family, and maybe more so if you are involved in public school. However, some parts felt like preaching to the choir because sadly I'm not sure those that need to hear the message are the ones picking up the book. Stonestreet and Kunkle do tackle some difficult cultural issues such as pornography, sexual orientation, gender identity, and entertainment from a biblical perspective.

There is a rhythm to the chapters so each is written in the same format, beginning with introduction, followed by bullet points or numbered action points, and closing with a review. This makes A Practical Guide to Culture an easy read, as it's in an understandable format. There are also study guide questions at the end of each chapter, which makes it a great book club or study group book.

Overall, I did quite a bit of underlining in the book and will use it for a quick reference if needed. I would most likely not read the book a second time, but would recommend it to those looking for ways to glean ideas on handling the cultural pressures on our kids today.

Convivial Circle

In June, I finished reading Beauty in the Word by Stratford Caldecott, in an effort to facilitate an online study group at Convivial Circle. I was really excited to finally read this book that had been on my list for some time. I've heard Andrew Kern, Martin Cothran, and Cindy Rollins all mention it at some point. Honestly, the book started really strong, but lagged for me toward the end. I don't know that Caldecott ever closed the circle in my mind. I was left wondering about a few points he brought up, but never finalized.

Overall, it was worthy in spite of being very philosophical. Maybe a second reading would better enlighten me. I would like to blog more about this book in the future.

Read Along

The kids, Steve, my father, and I set out to read The Pearl by John Steinbeck in August. We enjoyed our True Grit study so much that we wanted to continue. I believe dad, Riley, and possibly Steve finished, but Ruben and I did not. It's still on my nightstand and I aim to get back at it this winter.

Summer Schole Sisters

It's always so hard to see summer end, but I am left this year with extremely fond memories of reading Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset with my Summer Schole Sisters. Undset's trilogy had also been on my want to read list for some time...maybe since I first heard Wes Callihan mention it on a Schole Sisters podcast back in Episode 14. I have been thinking about Kristin periodically since finishing the book.

Kristin Lavransdatter is set in Medieval Norway. It is the story of a life beginning with Kristin as a young girl and ending with her death as a woman, wife, and mother of eight sons. I must confess, I was not hooked after Part I, The Wreath. Instead, I was actually annoyed by the ignorant ways of young lovers. However, Part II, The Wife persuaded me and Part III, The Cross, totally sealed the deal!! I can't recommend this book enough and will definitely read it again at some point.

Fall Mother Culture

CM Study Group

Our CM Study Group has moved on to When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy Today edited by Elaine Cooper. It's a series of essays from various educators contemplating the importance of a Charlotte Mason education and how to apply it one hundred years later. It's an older book, published in 2004, but certainly still relevant.

High School Book Club

Riley and I are starting a High School Book Club this year. It's a spin off of the High School Community I facilitated last year. However, we will simply read and discuss classic works this year at Riley's request and not include composition, current events, Shakespeare, and recitation. Our High School Community was fabulous, but a lot of work. Other members agreed and were not able to continue in the same format this year. This book club will follow more closely to the Middle School Socratic Book Clubs that I led a few years ago.

Riley was instrumental in choosing the five titles we will read. The two fall books are: The House of the Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson. I'll save the winter reads for another post.

My fall list is short, but plentiful. I have many other books on my nightstand. However, with the Journey: An Education for Life retreat not too far off, I'm not adding any others until winter. I will actually be speaking about Mother Culture and my reading habits at this year's retreat!

Journey: An Education for Life Retreat - Registration is Open!!

I've been busy working behind the scenes on school and retreat planning. I'm so excited to announce that registration is now open for Journey: An Education for Life retreat!! Join us, Saturday, October 19th for a day of homeschool encouragement and Christian Classical Charlotte Mason inspired camaraderie in West Central Wisconsin. Encounter ideas on mother culture, how to cultivate rhythm in your day, and spark a love of learning. Find renewed energy to start the year strong and continue throughout your homeschool journey.

Terri Woods, homeschool mom of 9 from Alabama will be our feature speaker. She has over 20 years experience home educating and has spoke at several homeschool events, including Wild+Free. You can find her on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/woodsermom/ and https://www.instagram.com/field_and_forage/ I will be speaking as well. You can register, see the schedule, and read speaker bios here. I'm still finalizing a couple breakout sessions, but will post those as soon as information becomes available. 

Lunch will be provided with regular and gluten free options. Living books will be available for purchase. Door prizes will be given. Thirty minutes will be allowed between sessions for transition, networking, brainstorming, bonding, and discussion among participants. I hope this retreat will be a day of encouragement, inspiration, calming, and fun for all involved. I'd LOVE to meet you there!!

Spring 2019 Mother Culture...

The calendar says spring, but it really hasn't felt like it yet here in Wisconsin. We've had really cold, wet weather and we're about two weeks behind as far as the growing season. That's not great for the farm, but it's been good for my literary life, as I've continued to pluck away at my reading indoors. You can see my winter reading list here. Today, I'm going to share an update on past reading and show you my current book list.

CM Study Group

In March, we finished reading The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis. We also read the section on C.S. Lewis from The Great Tradition by Richard M. Gamble. In April, we discussed The Lost Tools of Learning by Dorothy Sayers. That was a re-read for me, but much more interesting the second time around. I will be posting more on that in the future.

In May, we began discussing A Practical Guide to Culture by John Stonestreet and Brett Kunkle. There are four parts so we will discuss a different part each month over late spring and into summer. I am also discussing this through Voxer with a couple gals I met on the Schole Sistership. I believe very strongly in reading in community. If there is no one in your area, technology has made it amazingly easy to find someone online.

Convivial Circle

I didn't finish Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot, which was on my winter reading list, but will pick it up again at some point in the future. I did, however, read Finish by Jon Acuff earlier this year, which is a current book being studied at Convivial Circle.

I am also leading a study on Beauty in the Word by Stratford Caldecott at Convivial Circle, which is amazing so far! I will be blogging on that in the future.

High School Community

Our High School Community concluded in March, but I did finish reading Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen and A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens at that time. Both of which are excellent!

Read Along

Riley, Ruben, Steve, my dad, and I all finished reading True Grit by Charles Portis in April. It was such a fun study! When we were finished reading and discussing, we watched both the 1969 and 2010 True Grit movies. Reading along with family is another great way of reading in community. Create your own family book club!

Schole Sistership

I have joined a group of women being led by Cindy Rollins through a reading of Seeking God by Esther De Waal and The Rule of St. Benedict. However, I haven't started reading yet. I do aim to over the next couple of weeks as we are just finishing up school this week, which will afford me more time.

Literary Life

If you haven't joined Cindy Rollins and Angelina Stanford on their Literary Life journey, you should! They've started a podcast that explores all aspects of life cultivated by books and stories. I listened to the first episode and loved it! They are currently hosting a study of Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers, which is also on my list to be read. My only Sayers' read thus far was The Lost Tools of Learning mentioned above. I have heard a great deal about her mystery stories and can't wait to get started.

Summer Schole Sisters

Lastly, I will facilitate discussion locally as we read through Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset beginning this spring and running into summer. We will study Book I for June, Book II for July, and Book III in August. I'm nearly done reading Book I, The Wreath and am really looking forward to our June 2nd discussion! I love this summer group!

You may remember in past summers, we studied Anna Karenina, The Grapes of Wrath, and Les Miserables. We meet at a local restaurant one Sunday evening a month over the summer (typically June-August) to discuss our read. Several women in the area were asking to continue the gatherings this year. This will be our third summer and hopefully, we can continue for many more!

What's included in your spring reading list? Please share in the comments below...

Winter 2018-2019 Mother Culture

Following up from my Fall 2018 Mother Culture list, here is the Winter list...

CM Study Group

We finished reading Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass in December and will begin discussing the following two books in January...

The Great Tradition by Richard M. Gamble - We are just reading the first sections on Plato for Jan. Then we will see the overall feeling of the group to determine if and how to proceed.

The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis - This looks to be a quick read, albeit, I've heard it's dense. We are reading the first chapter for Jan and again, will determine future reading from there, but there are three chapters and I would suspect we will do a chapter a month.

Convivial Circle 

Convivial Circle was started by Mysie Winckler of simplyconvivial.com. According to the site, "It is a community of women, checking in on their specific, homemaking & family management goals with each other, celebrating the small wins and cheering each other on in the midst of the mundane." I met Mystie a few years back online. We then did a homeschool planning chat together in 2016 and finally got to meet in real life at GHC last April 2018. I joined the Circle shortly after that time. I'm excited about the 2019 book club suggestions there and plan to participate in the Jan/Feb discussion by reading....

Discipline: The Glad Surrender by Elisabeth Elliot - I will read and discuss according to the Circle calendar.

High School Community

I finished The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, as well as, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, from the first semester, but I'm still working through The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. I'm about half way finished and plan to continue because all the students greatly enjoyed the story. We also read A Midsummer Night's Dream by Shakespeare in community throughout the first semester.

For our second semester, which falls in my Winter Term, we will read the following two books....

Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen 

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

We will also read Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare throughout the semester in community.

Read Along

I'm still working through The History of the American People by Paul Johnson and The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni with RileyAnn. I was set to begin John Adams by David McCullough after Thanksgiving, but unfortunately, with the holidays and Ruben's accident, I haven't gotten to it. It's still on my to-be-read list though.

What does your Winter reading list look like? Please share in the comments below.

Schole Sisters - Les Miserables...

You may remember this past summer I was planning to read Les Miserables by Victor Hugo with my Summer Schole Sisters. I've been waiting to post a review until now because I was going to attend the Broadway musical Les Miserables and I wanted to compare and contrast the two. This weekend, I had the privilege of seeing the musical, but first, let's back up to the book read last summer.

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo was originally published in 1862 in French. There are several good English translations, of which, you can compare here. I personally, ordered each translation from the library and read the same excerpt from each book before settling on the Norman Denny translation as my reading copy. I did so because I liked the readability of it, as well as the fact that Denny maintained much of Hugo's original work. He did move a couple lengthy passages to the back of the book, but they were still there if one chose to go read them.

I did also buy the Isabel Hapgood translation because it matches the Librivox audio and the C. E. Wilbour translation because it was the first English translation and was written only one year after Hugo's original publication. A couple of moms in our group chose the Julie Rose translation and loved the extensive end notes in that edition. I plan to go back and re-read Les Mis in a different translation at some point. Either way, I would encourage you to find an unabridged version regardless of translation.

Once I began reading Les Mis, I met with my Summer Schole Sisters five times from June through August to discuss it. We broke up assigned reading by volumes, meeting after each of the five volumes. There were six regular attenders in addition to myself, which made for great discussion. All of which were home educating moms, with the exception of one grandma. It was awesome to have that perspective in our group!

Les Miserables is set in the first half of 19th Century France after the defeat of Napoleon at Waterloo. Hugo's novel shows the social injustice of the people and the long term effects of the French Revolution on it's society. In Andrew Pudewa's talk on Fairy Tales and Moral Immagination, he judges stories in four categories. The second being "Healing Stories". I would qualify Les Mis as a healing story, in which good is good, bad is bad, good does not always win, but grace prevails. It is the story of redemption, love, loss, grace, and forgiveness.

Hugo's beautiful and unforgettable characters have incredible depth. It's hard for me to pick a favorite. Jean Valjean would most likely be at the top, as the evolution of his faith was paramount to the story. Fantine was a close second for me. As a mother, my heart ached for her and I felt like she was a child herself in such an unfortunate circumstance. She unselfishly gave everything she had to provide for her daughter, which cost her life. Then of course, the Bishop of Digne, Gavroche, and Cosette were right up there. I even fell for Eponine. I felt her character was redeemed when she handed Cosette's letter over to Marius upon her death.

There is a great deal of French history and politics in Les Mis, making it a wonderful high school read for that time period. One can also learn about the 200 year old sewer system of Paris, which is now open for tour in our modern day. In addition, the reader sees examples of good vs. evil character and romantic vs. familial love. The question of justice was a constant conversation in our book discussion. Can one ever overcome their criminal past? Les Mis has several subplots, which is part of what makes it so rich.

Regarding the musical Les Miserables, many of the subplots and depth of characters mentioned are missed on stage. I did enjoy the music immensely, but I was feeling sorry for those that had not read the novel because I don't think one can get the full understanding without that written knowledge. Also, the musical's vulgar language and sexual innuendos are not included in the book. It's unfortunate if the musical is your only experience with Les Mis because it diminishes Hugo's christian side of the story and the whole redemptive point of the book. On the other hand, the set and costuming in the Broadway Les Miserables were phenomenal. In addition, it was a bonus to me that almost every character looked as I envisioned.

Overall, I LOVED Les Miserables! I highly recommend everyone read it. As stated, the musical is good as well, but please read the book first. Or, if you've already seen the musical, do yourself a favor and go back and read Hugo's intended story. It is lengthy, but oh so worthy. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Fall 2018 Mother Culture...

I've decided to start a new series of blogs about my personal reading and Mother Culture. This is not entirely new as I have posted my reading lists in fits and spurts in the past, but now, I would like to make it a regular part of this blog. If you're a recurrent reader, you may remember my Summer Mother Culture and Schole list back in June. I did finish Les Miserables and The Liberal Arts Tradition and will do a follow-up post on each book in the near future. Unfortunately, I did not finish Westward Ho!, but still hope to find time this winter. I will continue to read from Charlotte Mason's volumes as they are an ongoing project that I draw from on a regular basis.

The plan going forward is to share quarterly lists and progress, most likely aligning with the seasons. These posts are not meant to show off or make you feel less adequate if you are not reading. Instead, I aspire to inspire and demonstrate how this busy mom makes time to read. I feel mother's reading is as important to your child's education as mother reading directly to child. My hope is to give ideas and encourage you in your reading journey.

With that said, here are is my fall list....

CM Study Group

Know and Tell: The Art of Narration by Karen Glass - 2 chapters per month for group discussion

High School Community

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin - started in Aug for discussion in late Sept.

Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving - short stories, finished for Oct 26th discussion

The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper - will attempt to read throughout Nov for end of the month discussion

Read Along

The History of the American People by Paul Johnson - very slow read over the course of three years alongside RileyAnn, approx. 4-6 pages a week

The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni - 1-3 chapters weekly over 18 weeks (I am slightly behind my daughter, but not worried about catching up now that the weather has turned colder.)

You may notice that I like to read with people and read very little by myself. I do this for accountability. The books I read are for myself, but I like to have others to discuss and share ideas with. I believe this is part of schole. For this reason, I read books with groups. This may be as little as one other person, like the read alongs I do with my kids. However, there is still accountability.

What are you reading? I would love to see your lists in the comments below!

How I Started a High School Community

When I think back on the social life and times of my two high school graduates, one through public school and one through homeschool, I see pros and cons of each. As I look ahead to high school again, I want to attempt to remedy one major con we experienced. The con of public school affording too loose of structure with peers and not enough constructive adult interaction. And, on the other hand, homeschool affording too much parent only structure and not enough constructive peer interaction. It is my experience that both situations can lead to unbalanced adults. With my rising high schoolers, I endeavored to find a happy medium.

There are many opportunities in my area for home educated high school socialization from co-op courses to sports. There are also a few clubs and organizations one could get involved with. However, everything has a price and because we live rural, it usually involves quite a bit of travel, which makes those opportunities cost prohibitive. After much thought, I realized that I personally have always loved book clubs and got a great deal of socialization from them. Having a book to discuss gives the group something in common right from the start and usually opens up a whole gamut of other conversations. Some of which, have developed into great friendships and relationships. And, usually book clubs are of little or no cost once you obtain the book. Hence, I decided to put together a free high school community for home educated students to come together to discuss great books and ideas, which to my knowledge, is not something that exists in my community.

It's a project I've been working on since last spring. Initially, I put a post out on our local homeschool forum gauging interest in a high school community. I immediately received over a dozen responses. From there, parents gathered to brainstorm what the community might look like. I did research ahead of time and presented a couple models to draw ideas from. I also shared some of my potential concerns and expectations of what a community of this nature should and should not be.

I wanted the community to be parent led, meaning each family with a student participant must have an adult participant. I like this idea for a few reasons. Namely, to keep cost down and save time. As home educators, we are all busy and often living on one income. If one person has to coordinate and teach all subjects, it gets to be a lot of time and energy for that one person and they should be compensated. However, if each family has an adult willing to organize one subject of study, we will all be working together for the greater good of the community. It's a divide and conquer mentality. We split up the tasks to lighten everyone's load. 

I also love the idea of parents reading and learning with their children, even and especially at the high school level. Often times, busy moms will hand over the books to their high schoolers so they have more time to work with younger children or do other things. I'm all for students gaining independence in their upper level studies. However, completely handing off everything withholds a great opportunity from parents to connect with their teens. If you've ever had a cranky child, there's nothing like putting distractions aside and snuggling up together with a good book. It is no different at the high school level. Reading together quite often builds relationships. It gives you a different focus rather than stewing over bad attitudes. Then once you have your child's heart, it's much easier to develop positive character that offsets the negative. Reading alongside your kids helps you stay connected while fostering independence. 

Another bonus of parents participating in the high school community is "schole" and "mother culture". Mystie Winckler defines schole in this post and links to some wonderful video lectures of Dr. Christopher Perrin explaining schole. Mother culture, a phrase linked to Charlotte Mason, is the habit of reading for mothers. LindaFay has an excellent post here explaining the origin of mother culture and why it's so important. 

We must value education enough to pursue it ourselves. If we want our kids to be life long learners than we must model this attitude. In time, the attitude we portray in the atmosphere of our home and the knowledge we acquire in this pursuit will greatly benefit our children and others around us in their aspirations of truth, beauty, and goodness. I liken the aim for schole and mother culture reading to filling a cup. One cannot pour from that which is empty. We must refill in order to pour out. It is important for us to value education enough to desire to continue striving for it ourselves. Not only will we personally reap the benefits, but so will all those around us.

We do not plan to grade high school community work within the community. However, since we are doing academic related work, parents are free to grade individually and use time spent toward high school credit. I did not want this group to be added on to what people were already doing at home, but rather a compliment to it. It shouldn't be a dreadful burden, but an aid to their existing high school plan.  

After our initial meeting, I created a survey of the ideas presented there and sent it to all interested parties. The survey included questions regarding subjects to be taught, volunteers to teach those subjects, frequency of meeting, and dates/times/locations of meeting. It also included questions about younger siblings and who was willing to entertain them while the high school community met. There were ten families that took the survey. I then sorted the survey responses and shared results with all interested parties, highlighting majority responses and offering suggestions on how to proceed. We hashed out a few details by e-mail and I asked for a more formal commitment. Unfortunately, a few families were not able to make it work due to scheduling conflicts and a few were not ready to make a regular bi-weekly commitment. However, there were a handful of families still interested. 

Those interested parents met last night to finalize the details. We currently have a group of four families with five students, 3 boys, 2 girls committed to joining, and the possibility of three additional students from three more families (2 boys, 1 girl) still considering it. I did create a deadline for them to decide so we can advance with ordering our materials. Subjects, leaders, and meeting dates have been set!

We will meet bi-weekly on Fridays for twelve weeks from September to November. We will take a break in December and resume in January, meeting bi-weekly over the course of twelve more weeks through the end of March. We are anticipating approx. 2 to 2 1/2 hours of time will be needed for each meeting, with possibly up to 3 hours the first meeting so we can include introductions. Together we will study Literature and Composition, Shakespeare, Recitation, and Current Events. 

Literature with a Composition component 

I will facilitate student learning through the five titles pictured above using the Teaching the Classics/Socratic method of discussion. The students will be expected to read on their own and also research assigned online sources. With each book, we will look at an author bio and historical context, as well as related music, art, and poetry from the time period. I will also assign writing projects to be worked on independently at home based on the Excellence in Literature - American Literature modules by Janice Campbell. In addition, each student will keep a commonplace book to copy passages that interest them as they read.

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
Rip Van Winkle & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

Shakespeare

Another mom will lead the students through the study of Oxford School Shakespeare - A Midsummer Night's Dream. They will read/discuss a retelling such as Lamb's Tales in order to understand the play/plot for the first class. After which, they will read the original work together, breaking up parts and reading subsequently one act per class. We will pick a second play at a later date for the second term. 

Recitation 

Each student will pick a passage/poem of at least six stanzas to memorize throughout the first 12 weeks of class. The lead mom is drawing from The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist, but the students are free to use poetry resources they have at home or can find online. The goal is to memorize and recite at least one new stanza at each class so by the end of the term, each student can recite a full poem at least six stanzas in length. The students are welcome to recite longer poems if they'd like, but they can be no shorter than six stanzas.

Current Events

We are basing this subject off the Ambleside Online suggestion for current events. Each student will keep a journal/notebook of current events that interest them, listing 1-2 per week or 2-4 per class. For example, they would write, "This Week in History, September 7, 2018" and then give a short synopsis/summary (narration) in their own words in the notebook of the event to share in class. They should also cite their source. Maybe they want to track a major development over the course of several weeks or maybe they want to choose different events each week. It is at the family's discretion. AO has provided a list of possible current event sources that students can draw from or they are welcome to use personal family favorite sources if they have them.

Originally, the survey indicated the subject of Debate as a favorite, but as time went on no one stepped up to lead it, so it has since been dropped. That's not to say we can't add it in the future, but for now it feels like we have a solid start on this community with the four planned subjects.

My dream of a low or no cost high school community with parent participation is now becoming a reality. I am very excited! I think this high school community will be an excellent opportunity for our students to socialize in a constructive and fun atmosphere while learning alongside parent mentors. It will also be a great occasion for parents home educating through high school to connect and support one another. I pray that it's a win/win for everyone involved. 

Summer Mother Culture and Schole....

I realized I've been diligently working through reading my summer Mother Culture/Schole list of books, but haven't shared it with you. So, without further adieu, here you have it...

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - We have tickets to the Broadway Musical in December! I have never attended the musical, or watched the movie for that matter, so I thought it would be fun to read the book before attending. Earlier this spring, I re-assembled my Summer Schole Sisters reading group from two years ago and Les Mis it is. Being five volumes, it's a huge book! We plan to meet every couple of weeks to discuss one volume. We already met to discuss Vol. 1, Fantine, which was incredible! Next week, we will meet to discuss Vol. 2, Cosette. I can't wait! It's so delightful to have a group of friends to read and discuss with. I really do recommend finding your sister(s)!

The Liberal Arts Tradition by Clark and Jain - You may remember this book being on my Mother Culture list a couple of years ago. Sadly, I never made it through. However, my CM Study Group decided to pick it up this spring and now we are already nearing the end, with only one section left. I do plan to post a series of blogs, sharing my notes later this summer on The Liberal Arts Tradition. We've had great discussion!

Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley - This is a book I had scheduled for Riley in her third term. We both started, but didn't get through it so we vowed to finish this summer.

Vol. 1, Home Education & Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason - My CM Study group also read and discussed both of these volumes in the past. However, I will be returning to them this summer as I look ahead to our 2018-2019 academic year planning. Oh, and I still need to finish blogging through Vol. 1....ahem!

What books are you reading this summer to re-fill your mama cup? Feel free to share in the comments below...

Reflecting On My 2017 Literary Accomplishments...

I've been looking back at the books I read in 2017. Most of my reading was books read aloud to the kids for academic purposes. I did manage a couple for Mother Culture, but not as many as I'd hoped. However, this seems to be a reoccurring theme over the past few years as it's the season I'm in. I am learning to adjust my reading habits and savor the slow reads. Here are the books I read in 2017....

School Reading

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
The Call of the Wild by Jack London
Julius Caesar by Shakespeare
Alexander the Great by John Gunther
The Story of the Ancient World by H.A. Guerber, reprinted Christine Miller
Genesis: Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick
D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths by Ingri and Edgar D'Aulaire
The Golden Days of Greece by Olivia Coolidge
The Trojan War by Olivia Coolidge
Cleopatra by Diane Stanley
Augustus Caesar's World by Genevieve Foster
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
City by David Macaulay
Birds of the Air by Arabella Buckley
Plant Life in Field and Garden by Arabella Buckley
Galen and the Gateway to Medicine by Jeanne Bendick
An Illustrated Adventure in Human Anatomy by Kate Sweeney
Exploring the History of Medicine by John Hudson Tiner
How To Be Your Own Selfish Pig by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay
Whatever Happened to Penny Candy? by Richard Maybury
Beowulf by Micheal Morpurgo
One Thousand and One Arabian Nights by Geraldine McCaughrean
King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green
Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite de Angeli
The Pied Piper of Hamlin by Robert Browning
Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle
Magna Carta by C. W. Hodges

Mother Culture

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Consider This by Karen Glass
Mere Motherhood by Cindy Rollins
Home Education, Vol. 1 by Charlotte Mason - Though I read the majority in 2017, this will carry over to 2018

In addition, I read a passel of picture books throughout the year.

Overall, I enjoyed all of the Mother Culture titles immensely. My top five School Reading books were, in no particular order, Oliver Twist, Augustus Caesar's World, The Bronze Bow, Beowulf, and Black Fox of Lorne. I was a little disappointed with Genesis: Finding Our Roots. I'm a huge Ruth Beechick fan and had been looking forward to reading this book for some time. Though there were some interesting facts, the book felt long and drawn out. It wasn't as living as I expected. All in all, it was a good year. I look forward to the possibility of more Mother Culture in 2018!

My Current Mother Culture - Oct 2017

 What we need is a habit of taking our minds out of what one is tempted to call "the domestic rag-bag" of perplexities, and giving it a good airing in something which keeps it "growing."  - Parents' Review, Volume 3 1892/93, Mother Culture

Mother Culture is growing one's mind through reading, handicrafts, nature, and fine arts to keep it fresh. It's what Charlotte Mason suggested mother's do for themselves to avoid burn out. As my kids get older, I find it more difficult to keep up with their reading and continue to do my own. Therefore, I have taken up reading some of RileyAnn's school books for my Mother Culture. I didn't find time this summer to pre-read and yet I wanted to be aware of what she was reading. One, to answer questions she may have and two, to have meaningful discussion with her. Therefore, I have decided to make my Mother Culture list based on her academic reading. Here are my latest reads....

English Literature for Boys and Girls by H. E. Marshall (AO Year 7-10)
Watership Down by Richard Adamas (AO Year 7)
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott (AO Year 7)

I am also reading aloud some of Ruben's books. We recently finished Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo and One Thousand and One Arabian Nights by Geraldine McCaughrean. Next week we will begin reading King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green. It's all about Medieval History this year. Of course, there's also our Morning Time reads, which afford me much to contemplate. In addition, I recently started notebooking along with Riley and Ruben as part of my creative outlet.

Lastly, my CM Study Group is still working through Charlotte Mason's Vol.1, Home Education.  And, I have several stacks by the bed in case I ever have time to dive into something else. Mother Culture is a must! One simply cannot pour out for others from an empty pitcher.

What are your current Mother Culture reads? How are you feeding your mind in order to give to your family? Feel free to share in the comments below.

2017-2018 Reflections - Week Four...

At Home

Last school year, I wrote 2016-2017 Weekly Reflections, reflecting once a week on our academics, as well as various happenings at home and linking articles around the web. Since these were popular posts, this year, I hope to continue in that same vein. However, the posts may or may not be weekly, depending. I'm undecided at this point. I'm actually hoping to spend less time on the computer and more time with my nose in a book this school year, so we'll see how it goes.

For now, I want to report that we are four weeks into the 2017-2018 school year. Riley has begun in earnest. You can find her Year 8 books here. She's enjoying most of her studies, particularly her science selections. She's made some great notebooking pages based on her readings. She also likes that her online math class is two days per week this year, versus one day last year. She said it's good to be able to touch base more frequently with the teacher, particularly if you have questions.

Riley's also loving her Beautiful Feet Medieval History study. She drew by hand, this beautiful world map on tag board over the first couple weeks of school...

I have been reading the following titles along with her as part of my Mother Culture. Also, in order to be able to understand her narrations and have more meaningful discussions...

The History of English Literature for Boys and Girls by H. E. Marshall - AO Year 7
The Once and Future King by T. H. White -  AO Year 7
Watership Down by Richard Adams -  AO Year 7
Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott -  AO Year 7

This week, Riley and I have jointly decided to drop The Once and Future King. We had just finished chapter six in week three, when she came to me and wondered how it was going. Truth be told, my enthusiasm started strong, but quickly dissipated after week two. I was disappointed when they turned into sea creatures. At this same time, Riley was also reading King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green for her BF study. She decided to continue one more week of The Once and Future King, reading chapters 7 and 8, at which time, we talked again and decided to drop it. My thought is, there are too many great books to read a just so, so book that's not sparking ideas. To some, The Once and Future King is excellent. To us, it is not. I believe we gave it a fair shot and who knows, maybe down the road, we will revisit it. For now, the BF King Arthur book is satisfactory.

Ruben is also reading Ivanhoe and Watership Down along with us via audio. Ivanhoe is going just OK, but I feel it's too important to give up. I want us all to have a Sir Walter Scott experience and so we shall keep plugging on with this book. We are all loving Watership Down! Ruben actually got way ahead of Riley and I, which was OK since we had to return the audio to the library and wait our turn to get it back again. I may just break down and use my Audible credits for it.

Ruben and I are also reading Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo as part of his IEW Medieval History Themed Based Writing Lessons. Riley already read this same version of Beowulf through Beautiful Feet. Ruben's written two papers so far with IEW and he's doing a great job! I'm really glad I chose this program for him. It seems to be a good fit. Here are Ruben's paragraphs....

Week 2

 Life in the Middle Ages

          In the Middle Ages, knights and kings were thought to have lived in massive castles. It was not a glorious time for Europe. In the 400s the Western Roman Empire was crumbling. Sadly, warriors stormed and seized parts of it. They were not interested in arts or learning so it was called the Dark Ages. Knights and castles did not appear until the late 900s. Peasants worked from sunup to sun down for the noblemen. There were many hardships. Education and the glorious Roman culture were forgotten.

Week 3

The Anglo-Saxons

When the Western Roman Empire fell, the Anglo-Saxons crossed the North Sea. They invaded Britain. Angles settled the southern part of the island. They called it Angleland, which is modern day England. The Angles gave us the English language. Anglo-Saxons brought pagan gods. Woden, who was an Anglo-Saxon god, gave us our word Wednesday. In 598 AD, a monk named Augustine intrepidly came and enthusiastically preached to the Angles. He converted many of them to Christianity. The Anglo-Saxons proudly ruled England until 1066 AD.    

I have not officially started math with Ruben yet. I've been so busy working on the Journey: An Education for Life retreat among other things that I didn't have time to get organized. However, we will begin soon. His Year 7 book list is here. 

In regard to Morning Time, I need to do some reassessing. You can see our original 2017-2018 plan here. I'm really on the fence about How to Be Your Own Selfish Pig by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay. We're three chapters in and I don't really feel it's applicable at this point. I think I may wait until Riley and Ruben are older and revisit it. I also dropped Idylls of the King by Tennyson this past week, which makes me a little sad. I couldn't find the beat and we were all suffering. However, I may bring this one back when life slows a bit. I think it's an important read and I want my kids to experience it, but with the busyness of life, now may not be the time. 

All things considering, we are off to a good start. I really do look forward to some down time over the next couple of weeks to focus more on our studies. We have also opted to take a semester off from participating in our local homeschool choir. This is bittersweet as it's such a great opportunity. Yet, as mentioned, we really need some down time right now. Riley actually thanked me when I shared our decision to wait until spring. This solidified that it was the right decision for now.

Around the Web

I hadn't been reading blogs or listening to podcasts for about 4-6 weeks prior to the Journey retreat because I didn't want my talks to be skewed by someone else's thinking. However, today, I broke my fast and read a few articles that I really enjoyed....

Will This Curriculum Prepare My Student for College Level Writing? by Lisa Kelly is a commonly asked question. As a matter of fact, I was asked it last Saturday after one of my talks. So many mamas want to know if a CM education really will prepare their kids for the modern world. My answer is there is no better time than the present for a Classical Christian Charlotte Mason education!

I really liked Karen Glass's post on The Perfect Charlotte Mason Curriculum. Again, this was right in line with my first talk last weekend, in which I outlined 5 key ideas of Charlotte's philosophy on education. Personally, Vol. 6, A Philosophy of Education, is my favorite so far, but our CM Study Group is currently reading Vol. 1, Home Education, and it's a close second. 

Have you seen Celeste's Reading Journal? It's beautiful!...and something I've been desiring to begin this year as I read along Riley and Ruben. I actually did something similar for a bible study a couple of years ago, but it became too time consuming so I gave it up. However, I'd like to get back at it this winter. I'll keep you posted on my progress. 

Lastly, I'm working through Richele Baburina's 3-part Physics series at Sabbath Mood Homeschool. I look forward to hearing Richele's ideas. I greatly appreciated her Mathematics guide published by Simply Charlotte Mason. 

Jayber Crow....

Well, after five months of slow reading, today I finished Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry. I'm still trying to find words to say other than, WOW! The last two paragraphs brought me to my knees. Beautiful, would definitely be another word to describe Jayber Crow. Berry's writing is slow, beautiful, and poetic. There is not much action in Jayber Crow, and yet, so much is happening....longing for a sense of place, mourning the loss of rural America, transcendental love....the list of larger than life topics goes on and on.

In the early chapters, we learn that Jayber Crow was conceived out of wedlock and is eventually orphaned at age 4, around the small town of Port William in rural Kentucky at about the time of WWI.

The marriage was a have-to-case. I was not thought of until too late, and this was something I seem to have known almost from birth. Around here it is hard for an interesting secret to stay a secret. (Ch 2, p. 12)

After that, "Aunt" Cordie and "Uncle" Othy take Jayber in and love him as their own until their passing, when he is orphaned a second time at age 10.

I was a little past ten years old, and I was the survivor already of two stories completely ended. (Ch. 3, p. 28)

From there, Jayber is sent to The Good Shepherd, a church orphanage, where he lives for eight years. After which, he became a "pre-ministerial student" at Pigeonville College. Jayber eventually leaves college and makes his way back to Port William, where he becomes the town barber. In subsequent chapters, we see the story of Jayber's adult life unfold through and along with the patrons of his shop.

I will not spill the rest of the story, but suffice to say, it's a must read! Whether you too have a heart for rural America or even a calling for a beautiful story from a simpler time, Jayber Crow delivers. It is a modern novel written like a classic. It is conversational poetry. I felt like I was sitting on the porch listening to Berry's story fan before me. His writing is slow, as good writing should be, and yet, so satisfying. Tim McIntosh, in a CiRCE Close Reads podcast, said, "The book is like melancholy you want to wrap up in - to wear like a robe." This is exactly how I felt. Jayber Crow is beautifully sad. It's also romantic without the physical sex, violence, language, and other ploys many modern authors use in an attempt to hook the reader. Wendell Berry is a patient story teller, who masterfully weaves his craft.

Jayber Crow was my first Wendell Berry novel, but will definitely not be my last. As a matter of fact, a few days ago, I checked out Nathan Coulter from my public library because I want to go back to the beginning and not miss a bit. Although, I'm hesitant to start another book too soon because I want to let this one settle. Jayber Crow is deep, leaving the reader with much to ponder. My only regret is not having someone to discuss the book with. Jayber Crow would be a wonderful book club book!!

While reading Jayber Crow, I listened to all the CiRCE Close Reads podcasts, starring David Kern, Angelina Stanford, and Tim McIntosh discussing the novel. Here are links to each podcast with chapters discussed...

CiRCE Institute Close Reads Reading Schedule

Podcast 6 - Chapters 1-2 
Podcast 7 - Chapters 3-6
Podcast 8 - Chapters 7-9
Podcast 9 - Chapters 10-12
Podcast 10 - Chapters 13-15
Podcast 11 - Chapters 16-18
Podcast 12 - Chapters 19- 22
Podcast 13 - Chapters 23
Podcast 14 - Chapters 24-25
Podcast 15 - Chapters 26-28
Podcast 16 - Chapters 29-32

I've lived in rural America my entire life. The Farmer and I have never left our native town. We both come from a long line of agrarians and are still living on his family farm. Our native community is a village of approx. 1400 people. Berry's Port William was like home to me. His characters were like family. I have seen the unraveling of rural America first hand. I have felt the emptiness of loss. Jayber Crow felt like an acknowledgment of my life on many levels. I have pages and pages of commonplace entries, but will leave you with only a few, as I hope to wet your appetite for more so you go read for yourself....

You would need to draw a very big map of the world in order to make Port William visible upon it. In the actual scale of a state highway map, Port William would be smaller than the dot that locates it. In the eyes of the powers that be, we Port Williamites live and move and have our being within a black period about the size of the one that ends a sentence. It would be a considerable overstatement to say that before making their decisions the leaders of the world do not consult the citizens of Port William. Thousands of leaders of our state and nation, entire administrations, corporate board meetings, university sessions, synods and councils of the church have come and gone without hearing or pronouncing the name of Port William. And how many such invisible, nameless, powerless little places are there in this world? All the world, as a matter of fact, is a mosaic of little places invisible to the powers that be. And in the eyes of the powers that be all those invisible places do not add up to a visible place. They add up to words and numbers.

A town such as Port William in this age of the world is like a man on an icy slope, working hard to stay in place and yet slowly sliding down hill. It has to contend not just with the local mortality, depravity, ignorance, natural deficiencies, and weather but also with what I suppose we might as well call The News. The obliviousness of Port William in high places unfortunately is not reciprocated. The names of the mighty are know in Port William; the news of their influence is variously brought. In modern times much of the doing of the mighty has been the undoing of Port William and its kind. Sometimes Port William is persuaded to approve and support its own undoing. But it knows always that a decision unfeelingly made in the capitols can be here a blow felt, a wound received. (Ch 13, p. 139-140)

But the mercy of the world is time. Time does not stop for love, but it does not stop for death and grief, either. After death and grief that (it seems) ought to have stopped the world, the world goes on. More things happen. And some of the things that happen are good. My life was changing now. It had to change. I am not going to say that it changed for the better. There was good in it as it was. But also there was good in it as it was going to be. (Ch 26, p. 296)

Why is hate so easy and love so difficult? (Ch 29, p. 328)

It is not a terrible thing to love the world, knowing that the world is always passing and irrecoverable, to be known only in loss. To love anything good, at any cost, is a bargain. It is a terrible thing to love the world, knowing that you are a human and therefore joined by kind to all that hates the world and hurries its passing - the violence and greed and falsehood that overcome the world that is meant to be overcome by love. (Ch. 29, p. 329) 

2016 Back to the Classics Challenge Wrap-Up....

I finished the 2016 Back to the Classics Challenge, reading books in six of the twelve categories. The books in each category that I read were...

A classic in translation - Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

An adventure classic - Robinson Crusoe by Daniel DeFoe

A fantasy, science fiction, or dystopian classic - The Hobbit by J.R R. Tolkien

A classic which includes the name of a place in the title - Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

A classic which has been banned or censored - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Re-read a classic you read for school (high school or college) - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The 2017 Challenge is just around the corner. I see there are a few new categories this time.  I'm still on the fence as to whether or not I'll participate.  Last year, I was able to read nine of the twelve categories.  I didn't do quite as well this year. I find myself reading so much to the kids that I don't always have time for my own reading...ahem!

Did you complete the challenge?  I'd love to hear about it.  Please free free to comment below.

Mother Culture and Summer Schole, My Reading List...

..."I always keep three books going--a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel, and I always take up the one I feel fit for!" That is the secret; always have something "going" to grow by. If we mothers were all "growing" there would be less going astray among our boys, less separation in mind from our girls. ---The Parents' Review, Mother Culture, 1892/93

With the coming of Memorial Weekend, I thought I'd unveil my summer reading list.  I'm not sure I'll make it through the entire list, but these are books I plan to draw from this summer in my quest for Mother Culture.

Novels  

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy - After finishing our Charlotte Mason 20 Principle Study, our group wanted to continue to meet so I presented the idea of starting a Schole Sisters group for summer.  The idea was well received and it was decided we would start by reading Tolstoy's novel.  We are currently reading Part I and II and will meet for our first discussion Friday night.  I'll keep you posted :)

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck - I've chosen this book as my "Re-read a classic you read for school" in the 2016 Back to the Classics Challenge.  I first read it over twenty-five years ago for my high school English class.  Steinbeck is a favorite author of mine and I can't wait to re-read The Grapes of Wrath through adult eyes.

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens - The kids and I started this book a few months back, but unfortunately, life took over and we're only about half way through.   It's a great novel and I aim to finish it soon.

Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry - This book has been on my radar for some time, but I have yet to obtain a copy.  When Andrew Kern suggested I read it, I moved it closer to the top of my to-be-read list.  Maybe this will be the summer for completion.

Academic

The Liberal Arts Tradition by Ravi Jain and Kevin Clark - I purchased this book last year, skimmed through it, and set it aside where it continues to lay on the nightstand by my bed.  A local friend and Charlotte Mason educating mother recently told me it was on her reading list as well so we decided to read it together, having discussion by e-mail.  I'm very excited to find a study buddy.  Assembling a book study group doesn't have to be a major production.  It can be as simple as finding one like-minded friend to bounce ideas with.

Consider This by Karen Glass - Here's another book I ordered and began over a year ago, but didn't finish.  Our CM Study Group is contemplating this as our next read so I will wait until that decision is made before beginning.  Either way, I aim to finish it this year!

Home Education by Charlotte Mason - Since finishing A Philosophy of Education, I've wanted to begin another of Charlotte's volumes.  I've been trying to decide between Home Education and School Education since I have children at both levels.  I think I will go with the first because sequentially it makes sense.

Simply Charlotte Mason Presents Enjoying the Early Years - I realize this is not a book but a DVD.  However, since I'm watching it this summer to learn more about teaching our preschooler, I'm including it here.  I've skimmed the book in the past, but recently bought the DVD at the Great Homeschool Convention in Ohio.  I'm looking forward to approaching the early years in a more Charlotte Mason like way.

There are other books on my list as well including read-alouds for the kids and pre-reading for the kids' upcoming school year.  However, those books I view differently than Mother Culture so I will not include them here.

What are you reading this summer?  Please share in the comments below....