Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

It is exciting to be hosting the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival this month! The last time I hosted was back in February 2009, such a very long time ago.

The theme for this month's Carnival is "School-Books and How They Make for Education", and the pre reading for this theme was Chapter 15 of Charlotte Mason's School Education.

I was excited to host this chapter for a couple of reasons. Most obviously, it is all about what brings a book alive, and why we should use them in education, and that means I can take some pictures of my beloved books. But this chapter also contains one of the best known and most inspiring Charlotte Mason quotes. It is this one:

Children make large demands upon us. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. Thou hast set my feet in a large room; should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking––the strain would be too great––but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest. We cannot give the children these interests; we prefer that they should never say they have learned botany or conchology, geology or astronomy. The question is not,––how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education––but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him? I know you may bring a horse to the water, but you cannot make him drink. What I complain of is that we do not bring our horse to the water.Charlotte Mason School Education p170-1

Nebby, from Letters from Nebby talks about some of the other wonderful quotes in this chapter in her post, On Using Good Books.

"One last thought which I think bears repeating because it is so contrary to how many homeschoolers operate: we do not cater (overly much) to our children’s interests. We pick good books, inherently interesting books, and we expand their interests. In a Charlotte Mason education, the child has to do the work of learning, they are not really taught by us, but this is not really child-led learning either. We provide the path through the books we choose, they have to walk down it."

I also wrote on a similar theme at A peaceful day in Why do we educate with living books?

"I don't do this alone. I am joined by the Holy Spirit as the Supreme Educator of my daughter in all things. Not just spiritual things - all things. He will help her to know these things throughout her life, if only I will provide the introduction. With the help of living books, I'm doing my best."

Karen, at her blog, Simply...http://thesimplyblog.wordpress.com also takes a look at what Charlotte Mason has to say in Chapter 15 in her post, The Importance of a Generous Curriculum.

"She felt it was important to cultivate the intellect, to appreciate beauty, to build character and teach morals, and to strengthen the physical body…a generous curriculum with the aim to contribute to a full life."

Tammy from Aut-2b-Home in Carolina also talks about the generous life in her post, Offering a Full Life.

"Recently, a Facebook friend asked what we would like in a daycare program for special needs adults. What I described was basically a full life as described by Charlotte Mason."

Carol from journey-and-destination takes a more practical look at choosing living books in her post, Book Substitutions When Using Ambleside Online - Some Considerations.

"Two (or more) heads are better than one. Being a part of a community such as the Ambleside Online Forum provides access to a wide range of other home educators with various gifts, abilities and experience in home education and using CM's ideas. Tapping into these resources can save a lot of time and bring to light something we might have neglected to consider. Discussing ideas on the forum may also help someone further down the track who encounters the same need to modify the curriculum to suit the circumstances they are in."

Jen, on her blog, belikeFabre, tells us an inspiring story about how living books helped a young lad she tutors in How a Book Got a Boy Out Of a Snowsuit.

"It is the story in the living book that can bring strangers like us together. It is that book that can transport us to faraway places and execute leaps in our imagination."

Nancy Kelly from Sage Parnassus has recently returned from a visit to Ambleside in England. For those of us who are not able to make the same journey, she indulges us with two posts about her trip. Ambleside 2014 - Plain Living and High Thinking

"One thing that really struck home for me was that learning this philosophy and method takes time. Time to think, prepare, and put into practice."

Ambleside 2014 - The Millet Mystery

"If I was going to go to Ambleside, I had a few things that were a must-see. One of these things had to do with the artist Jean Francois Millet. Years ago, I read about how in 1900, the then-famous artist Fred Yates came to Scale How to give a the college students a talk on Millet. Mr. Yates had no prints with which to illustrate his talk but the lecture rooms had been freshly whitewashed..."

Brandy from afterThoughts makes reference to this discovery of Nancy's in her interesting post, A Note on Lectures at the Ambleside Teachers' College.

"One thing to note is that, for the most part, they were not learning how to teach these subjects. They were learning the subjects themselves. Mr. Yates' secrets regarding the teaching of his daughter were far less significant than his lectures, or his wall sketches that can still be viewed at Ambleside to this day."

And finally, Cindy from Our Journey Westward tells us about a photography nature study project that was a hit with her little man in A Nature Study Photography Project For Any Age.

"My little plan worked. Not only was he super-motivated for this scavenger hunt of sorts, it meant he had to observe differences, make comparisons and look for detail. He also naturally wanted to know the flower names, which we talked about. And, he was honing his macro-photography skills!"

And that brings us to the end. What an amazingly interesting Carnival this has been. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have.

Why do we educate with living books?

(C)hildren have not altered. This is how we find them––with intelligence more acute, logic more keen, observing powers more alert, moral sensibilities more quick, love and faith and hope more abounding; in fact, in all points like as we are, only more so; but absolutely ignorant of the world and its belongings, of us and our ways, and, above all, of how to control and direct and manifest the infinite possibilities with which they are born.

Charlotte Mason School Education p172

Do we underestimate our children? Do we look at Charlotte Mason's programmes and booklists and feel the panic rising up in our throats, suspecting that the standard is impossibly lofty, the bar much too high for our modern child? Our children can't understand the original Swiss Family Robinson, so we'll give them the children's version - at least they'll know the story - it's a classic. Only the story of The Swiss Family Robinson robbed of all its intricacies is soon stripped of all its value too, and the story alone is just plain weird. Family get washed up on unrealistic tropical island filled with plants and animals from every region of the world, which they then proceed to kill and eat. Or not to eat. Maybe just kill because they like to shoot. Ahem. So then we decide to look at the principles and we teach those instead, leaving out the story altogether, and taking just the morals. Shooting is good. Talking disparagingly of your children to their siblings is good. Treating your wife like an incapable child is to be encouraged. Yep. Great morals there. Okay, that book's out, on to the next one.

Charlotte Mason believed that this underestimating of children - the false impression that children take time to develop moral and intellectual being, and must therefore be spoon-fed pre-digested pabulum, was responsible for the the dumbing down of books that she was seeing in her day. How much more-so the literature of today!

I love the Charlotte Mason idea that children are born persons - the idea that children are born with intelligence, logic, powers of observation, moral sensibilities, love, faith and hope, but that they lack knowledge and experience of the world, of mankind, and above all, of themselves. Mason recognised that that our children need our guidance and control so that they can learn how to direct their lives and bring to fruition the amazing possibilities that God has prepared for each one of us, and she believed that it was the diet of ideas that would feed the child's soul. And where were these living ideas to be found? In the pages of books. Books written by authors who know and love their subject, who can barely contain their enthusiasm for the truths they're trying to impart. We call these books Living Books.

(W)e perceive that the great work of education is to inspire children with vitalising ideas as to every relation of life, every department of knowledge, every subject of thought; and to give deliberate care to the formation of those habits of the good life which are the outcome of vitalising ideas. In this great work we seek and assuredly find the co-operation of the Divine Spirit, whom we recognise, in a sense rather new to modern thought, as the supreme Educator of mankind in things that have been called secular, fully as much as in those that have been called sacred.

Charlotte Mason School Education p173

Once we grasp this important idea, we begin to realise why good books filled with inspiring ideas are so important in a child's education. We realise that we need to set before our children a feast of empowering thoughts and ideas. It's a daunting brief that we have before us, isn't it? Mason tells us that the responsibility for introducing an immense number of interests to our children lies with us. We owe it to them, she says. Notice that she doesn't say that we must give our kids these interests - ours is only to provide the introduction. And her criticism lies with those who fail to do this, providing their children not with food for the soul, food rich in living ideas, but instead with pre-digested compendia of facts.

I will be forever grateful to Ambleside Online for making this task a little easier for me. To have access to a curriculum filled with books expressly chosen for their quickening thoughts and ideas makes the task just that much easier for me. Every day my daughter is exposed to living knowledge through the eyes of those who really love their subject, and who treat their readers as intelligent, moral beings who just need to learn the possibilities that are set out for them. Mason tells us that the outcome of living ideas, and the formation of good habits will help our children along this good path. That's what I want for my daughter. In fact, that's what I want for myself.

Charlotte Mason's last sentence above, is what gives me hope when I look at the responsibility that is mine. I don't do this alone. I am joined by the Holy Spirit as the Supreme Educator of my daughter in all things. Not just spiritual things - all things. He will help her to know these things throughout her life, if only I will provide the introduction. With the help of living books, I'm doing my best.

 

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

One of my very bestest bloggy pals, Richele from Barefoot Voyage, is hosting this month's Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival.

Hop on over and take a peek. While you're there, have a look at the rest of her blog. It's one of my daily must reads. She is really an inspirational homeschool mum.

Thanks Richele...you're great!

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

Welcome all to the 35th Edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival.

For those of you who haven't met me before, allow me to introduce myself...

My name is Jeanne. My husband and I have three delightful children, the youngest of whom, Jemimah, is homeschooled using an Australianised version of the Ambleside Online curriculum. We live in a small country town of around 1200 residents in Central Victoria in Australia. (That's why I spell strangely and celebrate odd holidays!!)

Our isolation means that we have little opportunity for meeting or socialising with other homeschooling families. Co-ops and other homeschooling groups are an unknown commodity around our neck of the woods!! Most of what we learn about homeschooling and Charlotte Mason has been gleaned from books and the Internet.

Relatively recently I discovered the blogosphere, and suddenly an entire world of like-minded homeschoolers was opened up to me. I've met Amblesiders in New Zealand, England and Canada. I've read about nature study in China and in the snowy US of A. I've rejoiced with mums in South America - and in South Africa as well. What's more, I've had the opportunity to get to know other mums following Charlotte Mason's methods closer to home in Australia and even...goodness me!..in Victoria!!

Recently I had the opportunity to meet one of these mothers on a weekend trip to Melbourne. Kylie has been homeschooling her son for a number of years, but only recently discovered Charlotte Mason's philosophy. Our meeting was an opportunity for her to ask all of those burning questions that all of us have when we make big decisions in how we educate our kids.

Since you're here, why don't you join us in our chat and we can all help Kylie with her questions! I'd appreciate your help - I'm sure she will too!!

Kylie: There are a few questions I have about Miss Mason's philosophy compared to what I've been doing with my son. What actually makes a Charlotte Mason curriculum different?

Theresa: One of the things I love best about using the Charlotte Mason approach to learning are the short lessons in the morning. We have our afternoons FREE! Afternoon's free.

Jennefer: I've been using Classical Education, and I might be able to help with your question, Kylie. Take a look here: Comparing Charlotte Mason and Classical.

Kylie: You mention the study of art, music and poetry as core subjects, Jennefer. How on earth do I do that?

Molly: One of the very first books I ever read as a new homeschooler was the Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola. I especially loved the chapters on Picture Study, Music Appreciation, Poetry, Shakespeare and Nature Study. You can see some of my thoughts here: Whatever is Lovely: Art Appreciation.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom: I think copying a picture after artist study is like copy work in language arts. It's a great way for learning how to draw. Drawing With Children-Think of It As Copywork.

Jimmie: We're studying Picasso. My daughter's even made some cubist style art! Picasso Artist Study.

Candace: We're looking at Van Gogh this month. Our next artist - Van Gogh. I think I've found the perfect book for Artist Study! Van Gogh art project.

Me: We particularly enjoy composer study. This term we're studying the beautiful music of Bach: Refreshment of the Soul.

Amanda: I think Vivaldi is probably my favorite composer because I love the violins. Here is a video of Vivaldi's movement Winter from his Four Seasons. I also have put together a free PDF notebooking page to go along with a study of Vivaldi, if you would like to use it: Vivaldi- Four Seasons- Winter.

Laura Lee: Ive been curriculum planning recently. Here are our composer and artist plans, if you think they'd be helpful: Charlotte Mason Moments: Curriculum Planning.

Kylie: Okay, I'm inspired! I think I understand art and music better now. What about poetry though?

Jessica: I've recently been inspired in our study of poetry. Here are my Thoughts on Poetry Memorization.

Kylie: Does anybody know of any Living Books for Grammar? They would certainly make my life easier!

Kris: This one's great, and what's more, it's in the public domain and online! Grammar-land.

Kylie: Narration always sounds scary to me - and to my son!. How do you approach that?

Jacci: My daughter was a bit tense about starting narrations too. I might be able to help, Kylie: Encouraging Your Child With Narrations - Keeping Things Light.

Penny: This year we are moving on to picture narration and written narration in our homeschool . Do you suppose this is how the great literary giants learned to write?

Laura Lee: You can listen to my daughter narrate here! Charlotte Mason Moments: Sassafras Narrates!

Kylie: Wow! It all seems so simple when you show it like that! I think I understand now. My son loved his workbooks. Can you use any workbooks in a Charlotte Mason curriculum?

Lisa: I find most workbook programs fit nicely under the heading "twaddle." Sometimes I"Charlotte-Masonise" our workbooks: Charlotte Mason-izing a workbook program.

Kylie: I assume you all use workbooks for maths. How do you do maths in your Charlotte Mason homeschools?

Kris: I use MEP maths, but I find manipulatives very important. They demonstrate the concepts concretely, and this will help our kids better understand what they are doing in their books. Concrete Math.

Emma: I've been making Tangrams for my kids! Tangrams.

Kylie: How do I approach science then?

Kris: I am just starting a new project called Science Saturday. On Saturday I will post a science experiment for you to try out during the week. Introducing Science Saturday.

Kylie: That will certainly make experiments easier - thanks, Kris! I don't suppose anybody will be able to help me with nature study though... the thought terrifies me!

Barb - Harmony Art Mom: This might help you get started with a nature journal: Watercolor Crayons-Complete Leaf Sketch Video . I hope it might make you more confident in giving it a try!

Renae: The birds have been coming back to our bird feeder. They're great for nature study. For the Birds.

Kim: We are planning a year long study of trees in our yard, based on an idea I found in Charlotte Mason's Home Education. Winter Tree Study.

Lizzie: Today in the Burgess Animal Book, we read about elk! Elk.

Kylie: We don't have elk here, but it would be wonderful to learn about them! How do I go about modifying my homeschool for my particular circumstances?

Lisa: My vision of Miss Mason is one of lovely girls in Edwardian dresses sitting at her feet, listening adoringly as she reads them poetry, or Sir Walter Scott or something like that! I wonder what she'd have thought of the way we often do lessons in the car!! Charlotte Mason in the car.

Emma: We're staying at Mum and Dad's at the moment. The children needed a specific place where they could put their things, and do their work. I came up with an innovative solution! The new Schoolroom.

Me: We add a lot of Australian content. Here's a book we are using for Australian literature. You may find it interesting! Australian Just So Stories.

Shannon: Our homeschool's ever changing! Let me show you the latest incarnation! The Ever Changing Shape of our Homeschool.

Kylie: Goodness! I feel absolutely exhausted hearing all of you!! How do you cope?
Richele: Mother Culture - taking care of yourself is really important!! Have a look here... Mother Culture (tm).

Anna: Miss Mason recommended Masterly Activity - not only for school time either! I even apply it to my toddler! French kids don't get fat: The Best Way to the Stomach is Through the Heart.

Lynn: The discipline of habit is important too. Education is a discipline, and Miss Mason has much helpful advice on this issue too. See how we apply her methods to our Sundays here: Our Sunday Box.

The conversation is just getting interesting now. You've all been really helpful, and Kylie and I have really enjoyed getting to know you all. We all share so many things in common, and Charlotte Mason has given us a common language to express our wants and desires for the education of our children. It's getting late though, and Kylie and I need to be getting home. We both have long journeys, and we'll need to watch for kangaroos on the roads in the twilight. They can do terrible damage to the front of your car, you know.

Thank you for allowing me a little fantasy in this edition of the Carnival. Of course, our wonderful meeting didn't really happen...not in real life anyhow. Here in cyberspace anything is possible!! Thank you to all the wonderful mums for their fantastic submissions. If any of you don't like the words I've put in your mouth, as it were, please let me know what you would actually have said in the circumstances and I'll change it for you!! Please don't take offense though...

Adventures on Beck's Bounty will be hosting the next edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival on 17th February. You can submit your blog article to that edition of the carnival using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

Now I need YOUR help!!

For many of you the Australasian School Year is about to begin. My email 'inbox' is full of lovely emails from appreciative mums organising their schedules. Stationery is being bought; book orders are arriving in the mail; timetables are being finalised.

The beginning of the school year is exciting, isn't it?

I hope that for many of you my little blog has been useful in your planning. That's what I write it to be, an inspiration, a little encourager that you can do this with your family. Homeschooling the Charlotte Mason way works for us...it can work for you too.

In two weeks on February 3rd, A Peaceful Day will be hosting The Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival. That's where you come in, you see!

If you have a blog, I'd really love it if you would submit an article for this edition of the carnival...really love it...

I've met some wonderful cyberfriends in the past 4 1/2 months. I've even met one family in the flesh as it were!! (Hi guys!) We had fish and chips on the beach and just talked and talked and talked. Wow! What an experience - to meet a family with the same values that we have using the same curriculum as we do was just awe inspiring. I'd never met a real AO family before...come to think about it, I'd never met a real CM family before either...

But that's just it you see. I'd never met a CM family in real life before, but I know lots and lots of you in the blogosphere. You inspire me every day. Some of you live in Australia or New Zealand; others of you live in the UK, USA, Canada or South Africa; others in (to me) more exotic locations. I'd love to meet the blogger who has visited my blog from her (?) home in Iran - or the ones in Ghana or Bulgaria. Now that would be something.

You know what? We'd even have plenty to talk about, because we would all be educating our kids using the same CM philosophy. We would all be on the same page about lots of the things that really matter in life.

That's why The Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival is so useful to me. Here's how it describes itself:

A carnival of Charlotte Mason homeschooling blogs. Carnival topics center around CM educational philosophy and the practical application of Miss Mason's works. Please limit your submissions to topics that are relevant to a CM homeschooling experience. Topics might include narration, nature study, dictation, living books, CM schedules, poetry, Shakespeare, Mother Culture, CM quotes, reviews of living books, slow reading of books, habit training as outlined in the CM volumes, character training, or other various topics that would help a homeschooling CM method using family.

So anyway, if you have a blog, you've probably also got a relevent article, I reckon!!

Perhaps you might be able to write about what a Charlotte Mason education looks like in your home. I'd like that. I'd also like to know what adaptations you've had to make because you live in Chile or Hong Kong, Turkey or Estonia...or Sydney or Auckland or Lancashire.

If you've still got writers block, here are some ideas to get you started. I'd love to read about:

• How you adapt nature study for where you live


• How you find living books for your country, state or region and what they are


• What worked wonderfully last year in your home and what you're going to try in 2009


• Your secret Living books - those that are not on every list


• Education is an Atmosphere. How do you implement this in your home?

All your submissions need to be submitted by Monday February 2nd - at the latest (preferably much earlier!) You can do that here.

One more thing if it's not s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g the friendship too far: Could you encourage others to submit when you see a good blog post on their sites as well?

Thank you all.