Priorites of a Home School

I have just finished reading a delightful and insightful article written by Charlotte Mason for the 3rd volume of The Parents' Review (1892-93) called "The Home School".

I am going to do my best to narrate back what I remember from my reading......and I'm seriously fighting the urge to grab the paper and re-read it (that would so be cheating!)

Miss Mason was writing for those parents that were homeschooling their children using the curriculum provided by her school. She felt that no parent should be ashamed or disappointed if their children were unable to attend a public or private school because she was convinced that on the whole the Home School was the best teaching and training ground for children provided the parents took a serious and active role in educating their children.

I was vastly encouraged when when she stated that it is nothing for a teacher to organize and teach a class of 20 or so children of the same age and grade but a much more difficult task to teach and organize a class of 3 children in 3 different grades.....Amen sister!

Miss Mason takes great pains to enumerate on the benefits of both education and experience for the teacher. She tells us that experience is not necessarily the best teacher in all matters because so often bad habits are trained through experience when this could have been avoided through better education.
She is quick to point out though that the experience of learning is quite a different thing and when one has a teachable spirit there are very few doors that aren't able to be opened.

Next she lays out the very basic priorities that should be included in every Home School.

Most importantly is the learning of the Bible. She places the importance of learning the stories from the bible for not only moral and language learning but mostly of spiritual training. The system used in her schools was for a short portion of the scriptures to be read and then to be narrated back word for word as possible by the student. She encourages the teacher or parent after the narration to feel free to ask a few questions if this will help the understanding of the student but to never consider the answers as narration. She also encourages the teacher to add any historical notes or insights that will be a help to the student.
She very specifically points out that there should be NO written narrations by children under the age of 10 siting that it is too easy for the child to put out poor work because they are not capably ready to write good composition before this time.
I was convicted by her statement that it is much easier for a teacher to set the student to write a narration because that then frees up her time for other things but that the more difficult task is for the teacher/parent to require a spoken narration from the student because it takes her time and attention.
(for a simple bible reading plan see my Scribd documents in the side bar)

Next in importance is the learning of History. She encourages the learning of Greek and Roman history and details some of the benefits of children learning from Plutarch's Lives.

She also encourages all teachers to put much effort into Natural History, not just in reading about areas of Natural History but to get in touch with Nature.
It is very important she says for children to keep tadpoles and caterpillars and other creatures to learn first hand about them. What is read in books should be a side benefit of learning Natural History not the whole of the education.

Physical Education and drills rank high in Miss Mason's list as well and she encourages teacher/parents to not just have their children go through the motions of the drills (Swedish) but to make sure that the children are using and training their muscles in the work.

Lastly, she encourages all parents to take the brave step into the world of foreign languages. I appreciate how she breaks down the learning to just 40 lines of a french tale for 1 term as a manageable amount. Miss Mason shows of the high esteem she has for children by affirming her belief that the students will surprise the teacher/parent by how much is learned and retained by consistent work in this area.

As a closing reminder Miss Mason clarifies that these schooling priorities should never consume a child's whole day. She reminds teacher/parents that 5 of the 13 waking hours of the child should be spent in free play and 3 of those say between the hours of 2 and 5 pm should be spent out-of-doors. Short lessons as always are an important essential and she places importance on not nagging or badgering or humiliating the student who does not complete the work set before them in the proper amount of time. There is nothing like personal experience for the child to learn to value time and do the work allotted for that specific time.

I hope you were encouraged and educated a little by my narration but I would highly recommened that you read the real article yourself.
You can find it here in the Parents' Review articles posted under Volume 3, title The Home School.

52 Books in 52 Weeks Challenge

Gasp!

I just found this blog and am getting chills at the possibilities. I love to read.....no let me rephrase that, I am addicted to reading and to books. Just ask my DH, he'll tell you.

I blame my mom really, ever since I was a child she would buy a book and then crack it open to smell the inside....you know that "new book smell". Ahhh, nothing quite like it and yes, I do the same:) She also took great care to pick out the perfect book for Christmas to give to each of her children, a practice that I am doing my best to emulate.

So I'm taking this challenge and my only goal is not to get obsessive with it. Got to remember, slow and steady wins the race, I don't need to read 52 books this month:)

Go ahead and join yourself.....you know you want to
52 Books in 52 Weeks

Jessica

Simply Devotional

The last couple of days God has given me the promptings and alertness to make time with Him my first priority of the morning. I tend to be the type that overdoes and over plans EVERYTHING!
You know, morning devotion had to be with a hot cup of tea; sitting in my recliner; complete silence of sleeping children; and very early in the morning so that I could completely focus on my bible reading and study for a solid 45 minutes.

Yeah right!

Yep, you guessed it. It almost NEVER happened. And so I just kept feeling guilty.

But then it hit me that I could do more than nothing.
I started by implementing the repeat method with the shortest book in the bible. After all surely I could read 14 verses at least a few times a day.
Then I realized that I could do this very easily first thing upon waking.
So now I keep my compact bible next to my bed. Sometimes I'm nursing baby, or have kids bouncing on the bed but in this very simple easy way I can meet with my Lord first thing. And sometimes I bend my knees next to my bed and converse for just a few moments before the craziness starts.

Another lesson learned....simple is best!

Heart Encouragement

Life is tough right now.

Blending a new little one into a family is a joy but it is a long and sometimes difficult process and my energy and joyfulness have taken a beating.
God in His renewing mercy has led me to read these blog posts today and I am encouraged!

Choose Your View

As You Love Me

Joy Habit - My Joy has no Regard for Circumstances

Peace is a Person

Tunnel Vision

Stepping Heavenward

I have just finished reading this book for the 3rd time since I first received it many years ago. It is without a doubt one of my all-time favorites and a book I consider a must-read for all women ages 16-100!
It is a fictional account of "Katie" beginning on her 16th birthday. It is written in the manner as if it was her journal and we are taken through her years of growth as a teenager, young woman, married woman, and mother.
But this is not a "today I went here" type of journal, it is the detailing of her spiritual walk and growth in Christ. I have been so encouraged and uplifted by re-reading this and it has renewed me like no other fiction book can.
Let me just share with you the recommendations from the women on the back of my book.

"This book is a treasure of both godly and womanly wisdom told with disarming candor and humility, yet revealing a deep heart's desire to know God. We need such intimate accounts, need them desperately when the word commitment is so little understood and so seldom practiced. I do not hesitate to recommend it to men, who need to better understand the wives they live with, and to any woman who wants to walk with God."
—Elisabeth Elliot

"Stepping Heavenward is the record of a woman's spiritual journey deep into the heart of Christ. This book will serve as a guide for today's Christian woman ho desires to leave behind the dull, dry indifference of spiritual mediocrity to discover the rich, deep joy of knowing Jesus more fully. This woman's spiritual journey is so inspiring. I can see how god will use it in a dramatic way in the lives of many."
—Joni Eareckson Tada





Free copy available here

Book from Amazon

Staying Sane and Enjoying Life during the busy years

Well it's been a rather odd year for me and I thought I'd share a few things that I've learned in hopes that other mamas of lots of little ones will benefit.
It's been almost a full year since I began dealing with postpartum hyperthyroidism
and while I've had a few good months where I thought that I was "normal" again I mostly have to judge things on a day to day basis. Some days are good, others are bad to very bad. But one of the blessings in all of this is that it has forced me to be a bit more creative than I normally would have been and it has forced me to slow down.
Two things have been absolutely key to maintaining sanity for all of us.
First, training my children to clean and help and then actually utilizing them. I don't think I would have realized how much they are really capable of and how much they enjoy helping if it hadn't been absolutely necessary for me to rely on them. My older three are amazing little cleaners! They can each clear and wipe off the table and highchair, unload and load the dishwasher, and sweep floors. All four of the older ones are very adept at emptying trash cans and carrying dirty laundry downstairs to the laundry room and then bringing clean laundry back up (some days I'm not physically able to walk the stairs). I'm currently expanding their work experience portfolio to include washing, and drying dishes by hand and wiping down counters. The other day I needed the fridge cleaned out but didn't know how I'd get it done so I assigned them to the job and they all worked like a well-oiled machine to empty, wipe down and return the food! What a blessing they all are to me:)
The second "must" has been inspired by other mama's. It is a daily "Quiet Time". Every day from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. you will hear classical music playing from the radio but no other noise except the rustling of pages. I am blessed to be able to separate each child to a different room at this point but can see it working just as well if I had to separate them in different parts of one room. For now Wesley and William lay down in their beds and 90% of the time take a nap, while Alissa, Tom and Emily take turns spending their hour at the kitchen table, the livingroom couch or my bed. I spend my time parked in the recliner with my feet up, a book in my lap, a cup of water and tea by my side and a piece of dark chocolate melting in my mouth:)
I cannot tell you how wonderful and refreshing this time is for all of us. The kids get to do their own thing during that time without having to share or take turns which means that when they come back together to play they are much more equipped to play well together. I let them choose books to read or listen to (with headphones), puzzles to put together, paper dolls to play with, coloring books and crayons to use and other "quiet toys". My only requirement is that they must return everything they use to it's proper place at the end of the hour.
Most days I spend my time reading for the first 30 mins and then napping for the remainder of the time. I have found it best to turn the ringer off on the phone so that none of us are distracted by the noise and I do require that if any of the kids do any talking that they whisper.

That's about all I have to share for nuggets of wisdom today:) Now I think I"ll follow another good piece of advice and get myself to bed!

step by step,
Jessica

Time for Tea

Happy Valentine's Day!

Alissa asked me this morning if we could have a tea party and since it's been awhile since we've done that I decided today would be a nice day to celebrate with tea and cupcakes. I think that this will be a new tradition for us on Valentine's day.
I picked up a flyer from the local extension board that gave detailed instructions for brewing tea and it was fun to use something besides the microwave. I may just have to pick up a tea kettle after this because the flavor was definitely better.
So pull out your tea kettle and gather your little princes and princess around for a delightful afternoon tea.

1. Start with fresh cold water
Use fresh cold water rather than hot tap water or water that has already been heated for making your tea. Hot tap water and reheated water have less oxygen and give a "flatter" flavor. Let the water run from the tap for a few seconds to incorporate more oxygen. Unless the directions for you tea state otherwise, heat about 8-ounces of water for each cup of tea you plan to make.
TIP: Use bottled or filtered water if your regular tap water has an unpleasant flavor. 2. Preheat teapot of cup
While waiting for your water to heat, preheat the teapot or cup in which your tea bag(s) or loose tea will be steeped by filling it with hot water. It's OK to use hot tap water for preheating. If the heated water for your tea is poured into a cold teapot or cup, the water temperature may drop several degrees and decrease the flavor extraction from the tea.
TIP: If steeping tea directly in a cup, you may wish to cover the cup both while warming it with hot water and while the tea is breawing to retain the heat. Your saucer is a possibility for a cover. You also can purchase tea mugs with lids.

3. Use correct amount of water and tea
As a general guideline, use about 1 tea bag or 1 teaspoon of loose tea per 8-ounce cup of tea. Check package directions. If your tea is too strong, add more hot water after your tea has brewed. If your tea is too weak, either use more tea or less water the next time you make tea.
4. Brew at correct time/temperature
Follow the directions that come with your tea for the recommended brewing time and temperature.
Generally, for black teas—bring the water to a rolling boil. Immediately pour the boiling water over the tea. Allow black tea to steep for 3 to 5 minutes.
For green tea, which is more delicate than black tea, use water that is about 160 to 180 degrees F or just below boiling. At this temperature, you will see some steam rise from the water. This lower temperature helps protect against a bitter or astringent taste in green tea. Brew green tea for about 3 minutes, or as directed on the package.
TIP: If heating your water for green tea in a whistling tea kettle, flip back or remove the whistle section so you can see when steam starts rising from the spout.
TIP: Avoid letting tea over steep—this also can make it bitter. It may be helpful to use a timer in brewing your tea—the color of the tea isn't necessarily and indicator of the tea's taste.

5. Don't overcrowd loose tea
If you use loose tea leaves rather than tea bags, your tea will taste best if the leaves have some room to expand. Place the tea leaves directly into a teapot and strain the brewed tea with a fine mesh strainer into your cups. Or use a basket infuser or a large tea ball in your teapot or cup. A tea ball or basket infuser should be filled no more than half full with tea so the leaves have room to expand for the best flavor.

I added stevia for sweetener and our cupcakes where just a plain scratch white cake with a packet of strawberry kool-aid added:)

Taking the Moments

Today, I went for a walk.......alone.
Admittedly it has been awhile and only a sick at home hubby, two boys napping and a balmy 50 degree day made such a feat possible. It gave me a chance to think, and ponder over this last year, my first as a CM'er, and take note of all the ways that it has changed me.
Of course there are all the ways her teachings have affected my approach to teaching and training my children but I see just as many changes in how I approach my days and how I see things.
Until last year I had enclosed myself in a very narrow cocoon of daily duties and habits feeling that as a young mom with 5 small children I could not "waste" my time and energy on anything but what was right in front of my face. But as I made my way through "Home Education", a desire began to stir within me that had almost been forgotten.

A desire to know;
A desire to learn;
A desire to experience.

I began to remember all of the joyous hours I spent throughout my growing years in the pastures, fields and orchards around my home and began to wish that I could experience some of that again.
You see, I myself am a homeschool graduate and unwittingly grew up under many of Charlotte's methods, especially of being "left alone" for hours to discover nature myself. I also had the opportunities to learn several handicrafts and enjoyed "crafting" at every chance.
But that was years ago! Now what could be done? I didn't have the time and bless me if I did I certainly didn't have the energy. And yet, there it was, this itch that must be scratched; this wrinkle that must be smoothed. So I began to look and to seek for times, for moments to learn. And in the seeking I found!

For starters I hung a cheap bird feeder from a tree limb outside my kitchen window at the beginning of spring and was amazed at the prolific amount of birds that soon gathered to eat. Not only birds, but squirrels and rabbits. I would spend my dish washing time watching and learning. It didn't take me long to do some internet searching for the names and songs of these different birds. We've lived here for years and I had no idea that American Gold Finches gathered here in such large numbers!


While hanging laundry out on the line I grew curious to know more about trees and after a bit of research found that we have red and silver Maples, two Sycamores and a row of Elms in our backyard. Of course I shared both of these ventures with my children but I also found moments to treasure just for me.
Some days instead of checking on the kids from the windows I would grab the baby and walk outside. Sometimes I would just stand on the porch taking deep breaths and watching the clouds. Other times I would walk around the yard picking lavender blossoms and breathing in their scent. My favorite experience was to stand in just the right spot in the backyard where I could catch the perfume from the wild plum blossoms in my neighbors backyard. I love keeping my windows open during the spring and summer as much as possible and spent many delightful moments listening to the cacophony of bird songs coming in.
Lately I've taken to standing on my front steps and just breathing deeply and taking note of the clouds in the sky, the wind blowing through the trees, the early spring birds singing and watching for signs of spring growth. It is amazing at how much just an extra few moments taken to be still will refresh my soul and rejuvenate me for the remaining hours in the day.
Other ways that expand my portfolio of knowledge and skills have been to learn new crafts and handicrafts and to hone the ones I already know. I have taken up crocheting again this year by making woolen soakers for my baby and have learned something new by dyeing the wool yarn that I purchased to make the soakers. I also spent some time working on knitting and although I'm still not very good or fast at it I did make some small progress.
I have always been a "bookworm", not in the sense that I'm really brainy or anything but I am always reading something. I started reading at a young age and haven't stopped since, lol. I have found that as a mom I have needed this tool more than ever.
For me reading encompasses many different methods. I read books, I listen to books on tape, I subscribe to and read magazines and I read blogs and website articles on the internet. I have found that keeping several books going and always researching and expanding my knowledge in practical and daily ways have been vital to staying sane. Most days I enjoy reading thoughtful and "stiff" books as this gives me things to think on and meditate over throughout the hours. I also read articles and books on child training and homeschooling so that I keep a fresh perspective on the daily things going on around the house. I also enjoy diving into books on decluttering and organizing and often sit down to go through my files to reread papers that I have saved over the years.
You may be thinking right now that there is no way that you could find the time to pick up a book and actually get any "real" reading done so I will let you in on a little secret of mine. Shhhh, make sure you don't spread this around too much because it is rather, well, improper. But, most of my best reading gets done on the ....toilet! That's right, one of the few places where you can actually close the door and be left alone for a little bit. Honestly this is a trick I learned from my mother (a homeschooling mama) and have utilized with great success. I keep at least one book on the back of my toilet and often a homemaking, homeshooling or parenting magazine sits there as well.
On occasion I pick up a book from the library and have participated in a few summer reading programs for adults, and while I don't always, in fact hardly ever, get all the books on my list read I do make progress. It has taken me over 6 months but I am only a few pages from finishing Charlotte's first book "Home Education". I also take a bit of time most every day to read a few blogs and I am currently making my way slowly through one of Beth Moore's bible studies.
Which brings me to the last and most important area of creating your "mother culture". Nothing renews me as much or lifts me up more than my daily "talkings" with Jesus. Yes, it has been hard and some days I am more heedful than others, but I have made this a priority and have been utterly blessed by the ways and areas that my Lord has ministered to me. I meditate weekly on a bible verse from my Clean Heart, Clean Home journal (courtesy of dandelion seeds blog); I spend 20-30 minutes every morning delving in and studying about God's tabernacle in my daily bible study; I spend time everyday on my knees in prayer for my children and husband and I offer to God my thoughts, prayers and praise as I go throughout my day.
So as you take stock of the culture that you have created for yourself I hope that I have given you some inspiration and ideas. Remember you are the source of most of the learning your little children will have in the early years and if you are excited and inspired with learning new things for yourself then they will pick up on that same enthusiasm. Try to find at least one thing new to learn or study every month and I guarantee you won't regret it.

My Wish List

I've been thinking lately of all those things that I would like to do or learn but never seem to have the time to do. I don't think it's that I don't have the time it's just that I'm not purposely moving in the direction of doing these things and making the time for them. So here are a few things that I would personally like to learn or do. No special reasons just......because.

Wish List 2008

• Make Homemade Soap
• Read two classic books (maybe Great Expectations and Wuthering Heights?)
  
• Start a copywork and narration journal of great literature (if it works to expand kids vocabulary why not mine!)
• Begin and regularly use a Nature Journal
• Learn Watercolor painting
• Write poetry
• Memorize 3 poems

"Mothers should cultivate their souls, that in turn they may cultivate the souls of their children."
Billy Graham

Poetry

I have always loved poetry and am now getting back in the mood for writing some. I pulled an old book off of my shelf the other day knowing that it was poems of Robert Louis Stevenson but never having read any. What a treasure! There is just something that breathes and lives and awakes in me when I read poetry. Thought I'd share a bit from him.

Picture-books in Winter

Summer fading, winter comes--
Frosty mornings, tingling thumbs,
Window robins, winter rooks,
And the picture story-books.

Water now is turned to stone
Nurse and I can walk upon;
Still we find the flowing brooks
In the picture story-books.

All the pretty things put by,
Wait upon the children's eye,
Sheep and shepherds, trees and crooks,
In the picture story-books.

We may see how all things are
Seas and cities, near and far,
And the flying fairies' looks,
In the picture story-books.

How am I to sing your praise,
Happy chimney-corner days,
Sitting safe in nursery nooks,
Reading picture story-books?