Cultivating Childhood

For those of you who have talked to me about homeschooling, you know that I've been very influenced by Charlotte Mason and her approach to children and their education.  I've tried to model what I thought her method would look like in our home, and I have been pretty happy with how it has been going. One of the biggest reasons I like it is her philosophy on who children are.  In fact, she had 20 Principles which speak of the nature of children how they should be taught.  Here are the first four (see link for modern day paraphrase): Playing at Garden Tots Children are born persons . They are not born either good or bad, but with possibilities for good or for evil. The principles of authority on the one hand, and of obedience on the other, are natural, necessary and fundamental; but-- These principles are limited by the respect due to the personality of children, which must not be encroached upon whether by the direct use of fear or love, suggestion or influence...

So this kid started Kindergarten over a month ago! Educating at home has been a learning curve for sure.  I started out with a plan, then changed it up a week before school began, and have been tweaking it ever since.  I think we've finally figured out what we are doing for the year.  The curriculums ( AO or SCM ) that I'm hoping to use in the future don't start until 1st grade so I've been kind of on my own trying to find something to do with him during this transitional year. N is very much a self-learner.  He already reads a lot  so that has made my life a lot easier in terms of what I can do with him.  Here is what our curriculum looks like now that we are in our 6th week of school. Bible We've been alternating between reading a selection from Leading Little Ones to God and The Jesus Storybook Bible .  We do LLTG on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday when we can do it with Z as well.  On Tuesday and Thursday Z is at preschool, and ...

One of the things that burnt me out with doing preschool a couple of years ago was all the crafts.  I really didn't like all the paper and glue and buttons and pom poms.  The end results may have been cute, but they weren't really anything that I wanted to keep.  They weren't useful and if they weren't cluttering the walls of our house, they were filling our trashcans.  It seemed like a lot of work for little reward. Then I discovered the concept of handicrafts.   Charlotte Mason Help  has a good article on the subject, but it really comes down to four key concepts: 1. The projects should be useful and/or decorative: if it doesn’t make the home more beautiful, it is not worthy of the child’s time. 2. The child should be taught slowly and carefully what to do; no slipshod work should ever be allowed. 3. It should suit the child’s abilities. 4. It should bless others. Basically, handicrafts should be handy .  I love this!  Ever since then, I...

I hated science in school.  I even told my husband that if we were going to homeschool, he'd have to be responsible for the science part because I disliked it so much.  He, on the other hand, thought I was crazy and was more than happy to take over what he thought was the "fun part" of the schooling process.  You know what?  He was right. (He usually is... grrr...=) ).  I've since discovered that science doesn't need to be all dry facts and memorization.  The boys LOVE science, and we are having so much fun doing it together.  Of course, my husband finds his way to stay involved too which makes my heart happy! Our Pre-K science consists of actually two different parts.  We love doing science experiments, and we also try to follow the Charlotte Mason approach to Nature Study.  Both of these have found their way into our curriculum. Nature Study Let them once get touch with Nature, and a habit is formed which will be a source of delig...

Routine has never been something that our family has been good at.  We like to be spontaneous and with daddy working from home and mommy staying home with the kids, we don't usually have to coordinate who gets the car for the day or even what needs to happen in any given day.  As much as we like this flexibility, it also has it's drawbacks.  Sometimes we decide too last minute what we want to do and stress ourselves out trying to get out of the house to make things on time.  Other times we say we'll do one thing and switch it up, and that can be a disappointment to the kids if they were looking forward to doing something different (and with two kids it seems like one always wants to do the new activity and another wants to do the old!) Yet as the kids get older, we've seen that it is time to find a better routine in our lives.  Buddy especially likes to have a schedule to follow and will remind me if I haven't updated the sign from the day before.  It h...

We've officially started our trek into the land of homeschooling.  Although we feel like learning is always going on in our home, it's quite fun to actually have a means and method to go along with it.  Not that we don't chuck it out the window whenever it is convenient for us!  ;-)  Buddy and Button are very excited that they finally get to touch the school stuff.  We actually started a week earlier than I had planned because I couldn't keep them away any longer! So what are we doing?   Some days it feels like we are doing a lot and then other days nothing at all.  This stage is great because we have no outside factors that need to weigh in on what needs to happen on any given day or anything that needs to be tested or recorded.  Basically, Pre-K can be just plain fun!  If you've read this blog for any length of time, you'll know that I'm in love with the Charlotte Mason method.  We're trying to follow her method as much as possi...

The children should have the joy of living in far lands, in other persons, in other times--a delightful double existence; and this joy they will find, for the most part, in their story books. (Charlotte Mason - Home Education p. 153) We will be beginning our version of Pre-K in the fall, and one of the things that I'm excited about is reading through A Treasury of Children's Literature .  The pictures are lovely, and the stories are timeless.  Of course, at age 4.5, Buddy is not yet ready for narration, but I'd love for him to really enjoy the stories.  So, for our form of narration, we will be acting out our stories every week.  The boys love to do this.  They've already performed The Three Little Pigs , but they've also recently enjoyed their lion masks that they made at church to perform the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den. It really is amazing how much they remember if they "narrate" the story.  Daniel and the Lion's ...

I'm excited that there is a new free e-book by Simply Charlotte Mason !  Sonya Shafer's newest book is called The Way of the Will .   Here is her blog post about it and a brief synopsis from her site: Is your child strong-willed or weak-willed? Charlotte Mason’s thoughts on the matter may surprise you, but they will most certainly help you. As Charlotte said, “Children should be taught to distinguish between ‘I want’ and ‘I will.’ ”  Join Sonya as she explores Charlotte’s helpful ideas and practical tips on the Way of the Will.  Personal —From one mommy’s heart (Sonya’s) to yours. This book is not for your children; it is written for you, to keep you growing and flourishing in your role as a mother.  Encouraging —Practical chapters will both challenge and equip you in your role as a mother.  Christian —As was common in her writings, Charlotte’s comments grew from a strong love for her Savior and respect for God’s Word. Inspiring —More than fifty Charlo...

I've recently had a few friends asking to pick my brain about homeschooling.  As I still haven't actually officially homeschooled my children at ages 4 and 2, I sometimes think it's funny that I get asked about it.  The following sites are where I get most of my information.  I've also read quite a few books, but that will have to be in a follow-up post.  I just love these blogs and websites! Charlotte Mason Websites: Ambleside Online  (and their yahoo groups )* Simply Charlotte Mason * Charlotte Mason Education  (must login) Charlotte Mason Home Education Charlotte Mason Blogs: Fisher Academy International (usually hosts the CM Blog Carnival as well!)* The Passionate Homeschooler Sage Parnassus * Practical Pages Jimmie's Collage Living Charlotte Mason in California Piney Woods Wildflowers and Marbles Nature Study: Handbook of Nature Study Arts/Crafts: Housing a Forest Harmony Art Mom Preschool/Early Elementary Blogs (may o...