Thank you to those that answered my Charlotte Mason questions below about Habit Training and Narration below. Those were some great answers. I really appreciate it. My questions and the answers have left me thinking about Habit Training...for myself.

CM recommends working on one habit at a time, then just keeping watch, which she says is easy, over the habits you have already formed. She says (very loosely paraphrased of course) a mother would do better to work at only a handful or two worth of habits in her children in the course of their childhood, than to be scattered and try and work on everything all the time.

I hope I can work on two habits in myself at a time, because I already really desire to work on the habit of fitness. I didn't get completely in my groove yet. But I did two major walks last week (and it was a crazy week with my husband patching a good deal of the siding on our house).

The other habit I want to work on is gentleness. When I correct I tend to scold. I catch myself sometimes. But, I don't catch myself every time. My parents really didn't correct at all. My dad did sometimes. If he did he scolded. My sister was a type of authority figure in my childhood, and she scolded constantly, as you can imagine (when children are left mainly to themselves). But, I spent summers with my Grandparents down in Texas for many the summer. Good memories. My Grandparents really loved me with a real sacrificial love. And, my Grandmother would correct me. And, I love her for that. She did so because she cared. Yet, she scolded. A gentle answer turns away wrath. My oldest has a tendency to talk back to me (I didn't....that's not important because...) and then I have to correct her for this. She is very sweet, actually. She doesn't "talk back" as you see many children in the world "talk back"...she isn't sassy. Yet, nonetheless, she argues with my correction. And, I have to consistently correct her for that. Yet, I've also set her up to argue with me...by scolding I am incurring her wrath.

I Peter 3:4 says

"Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."

Titus 2:4,5 says

"Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

Perhaps, I, as a woman, have been especially given instructions like these because of the special role I play in raising and training my children. I pray that God will help me change the habit of scolding and continue to keep this habit up as time goes by.

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Here is a quote from Charlotte Mason from today that I thought particularly noteworthy:

"what if the devitalisation we notice in so many of our young people, keen about games but dead to things of the mind, is due to the processes carried on in our schools, to our plausible and pleasant ways of picturing, eliciting, demonstrating, illustrating, summarising, doing all those things for children which they are born with the potency to do for themselves?"

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This is what I'm trying to put together:

I'm trying to come up with booklists and also a 36-week schedule that will take a multi-student approach to a Charlotte Mason style learning program. The only real difference say of my 3rd grader and my 1st grader is that the 1st grader has a shorter attention span and cannot read the books herself. So, I limit the amount of material covered with my first grader and i do more read alouds with her. Including having her sister do some read alouds to her, which her sister really doesn't mind. This way, they can both cover one time period. In our case we are on 1600-1850 (Late Renaissance to Early Modern). I will try and pull only living, non-TWADDLE, non-repetitive, one-author books in. I will base my selections around Ambelside Online but also take other recommendations from Baldwins and from an Old Fashioned Eduction, as well as taking selections from Sonlight and Robinson. For science, we'll mainly be covering physical science - geography, astronomy that sort of thing. Although, as always, our nature walks will predominantly be our science focus (I hope). I've spend two days compiling booklists from the afore mentioned places and labeling them according to the time period they are applicable to. Wish me blessings. I want to have everything planned out BEFORE school starts this year and take the planning of future years at a slower pace than I have this year. At least I have a clear goal in mind now.

Blessings to you and your homeschool plans! What are you all doing? It's so neat to me how God leads each person in such a unique way. :)

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I'm pondering this next year in our little homeschool. I want to put together a lesson plan for the entire year. I'm a bit of a rebel and I can't just go with Sonlight or Winter Promise. Why pay to have someone plan something out for you when you won't quite like how they tell you to teach anyhow?? Well, actually, it would probably make my life simpler if I did, but I have a passion for teaching and I just can't do it.

So, I'm here again, pondering what a Charlotte Mason education is. I was reading an article tonight (which shall remain nameless) about how a Charlotte Mason education really is classical and what the author was "concerned" about regarding a Charlotte Mason education. Yet, I believe that the author was concerned about these issues because she hasn't read (and re-read) Charlotte's work herself, nor has she ever experienced children coming alive to learning, alive to literature by being set free from worksheets. Oh, man, I have, and I just can't go back to worksheets. Yet, I admit it is a struggle to put together a lesson plan that is to my liking.

Here are some of my thoughts on education and what I think would be an ideal education, most of it based off Charlotte Mason, but gleaned a little bit from here and there as well.

First off, the Robinson Curriculum appeals to me, not for breadth of subjects, for sure, but for it's goal of teaching the children to teach themselves. Also, because it is a literature rich education. Yet, a richer education (a liberal education) would be more of my goal.

I start with Phonics. Bob Books and other phonics readers. Also, sometimes I'll have a young one read a line of a book I am reading to them, even if it is a little hard for them, just enough so I don't lose their attention. I also have phonics cards from Abeka and some phonics sheets I copied from Writing Road To Reading, which I borrowed from the library. I thought that text to be a particularly helpful phonics program. I was personally unhappy with Phonics Pathway which I found repetitive and babbly. For spelling (and also a little phonics) Spelling Workout A, B, C, etc. seemed solid, but seemed like busy work for my older girl (who is more in the gifted category). I may use Spelling Workout with my second girl, who is a slow reader, but who loves repetition. We'll see. But, I'm not sure that kind of program is universally needed. If a child catches on quickly to phonics and spelling, then I think what Charlotte Mason recommends is sufficient (to note each instance of a spelling mistake and correct it). I note the phonics rule or a hint on how to remember the spelling for my kids and they do really well with spelling, including my step-daughter and my non-reader, ironically.

I like what The Well-Trained Mind (classical education) teaches about rotation of subjects. I don't, however, believe in their emphasis on worksheets, nor their strict interpretations of educational stages. For history you rotate through:

• Ancient History (about 5000 B.C. - 400 A.D.)
• Medieval History (400 A.D. to 1600 A.D.)
• Renaissace to Early Modern History (1600 A.D. to 1850 A.D.)
• Modern History (1850 A.D. to Present).

It seems to me the Charlotte Mason resources out there seem a little weak on Ancients and Modern and it will be up to me more to figure out how to teach these and still follow a living book. I'd love for input from other Charlotte Mason educators out there on how they cover these topics without going to a source like Sonlight.

For science, Classical Education generally has you follow the following rotation:

• Biology/Botany
• Earth Sciences
• Physics
• Chemistry

I love the God's Design For Life books and they are written in a friendly non-textbook manner and are interesting and also have fun activities at the end of each chapter. We spent two years on Biology and are now moving into Earth Sciences. I don't believe in the concrete separation of learning stages, but I do believe that covering topics in such a way that the topics are covered thoroughly and covered at least twice during the years at home. I also believe if our children are awoken to real learning, and not turned off by long, dry, and/or lifeless lessons, that in the end they will be better off for it, not because they will know more facts that the child down the street, but because they will be lifelong learners.

So here is a list of subjects I plan on covering this next year:

• Bible study (my plan is simple to read through the Bible)
• Math (I use Saxon. I keep it to two worksheets a day so the lesson isn't overly long, and also do natural math activities - for instance counting by groups of 2's, 3's, 4's with beans - pre-multiplication, etc.)
• Science (We do lots of nature walks and talk about what we see. We also use God's Design For Life as a backbone, which I've found to be pretty un-textish.)
• Typing (I want my eight year old to learn to type - www.typing-lessons.org offers a free typing tutorial. I think once a week lessons would be helptful.)
• Copywork/Writing - daily copywork assignments, leading into cursive lessons with my eight year old this year, also I think a weekly creative writing assignment would be helpful to add this year for 3rd grade. Give her a topic, have her write, critique it in a positive manner. How To Teach Your Child To Write is an excellent book to read for ideas on how to encourage your child in writing.
• History/Literature/Oral Narration - reading and oral narration of what has been read - reading lists from Ambelside Online and An Old Fashioned Education
• Poetry - we plan on memorizing one poem or one stanza of a poem each week (my oldest child really enjoys doing this)
• Spelling - track all mispelled words in a spelling notebook, also http://www.everydayspelling.com/spellinglist/ has basic spelling lists 1st-8th grade broken down into 36 week chunks
• Grammar - I am going to continue to orally review Simply Grammar by Karen Andreola with my girls. When they are older I may seek a more thorough Grammar text, but the idea is to not make Grammar too repetitive.
• Language - I am planning on doing some Latin work this year, with Rummy Roots (Latin card game), a Latin textbook, and/or an online text.
• Geography - I've ordered some map books. I want to make some lapbooks about various places and base it off some reading we are doing.
• Music - Violin primarily, if I can find a new teacher for Natalie. She lost her old teacher.
• Art - I love the Artistic Pursuits books. Also, I have picked up a few books about various artists to do artist studies. I'd like to do a few lapbooks on those as well.
• Physical Education - Dance primarily. We have decided for my sanity's sake not to do soccer this year.
• Handicrafts - Sewing, gardening, and photography all count.

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It's Monday, but it's Memorial Day and we've had a busy three day weekend here. I am not going to do a summary of Charlotte Mason's original works this week, but I'm just checking in to let you know what I'm thinking about regarding Charlotte Mason's teaching style here in the last week.

I'm re-reading Catherine Levinson's book, A Charlotte Mason Education, which is really just a brief summary of the Charlotte Mason style of learning. I am all the more encouraged with the direction I am taking - that is works and that it is a very efficient form of learning which awakens the desire if implemented gently, but seriously. Catherine re-iterates that her children thrive on reading and narration, on short lessons, and giving their reading their full attention. In the end of the book she lays out a Charlotte Mason schedule. Especially for the young grades (K-3), the lessons themselves should really only take a few hours (three hours or so). This leaves time for that 2 plus hours of outdoor time during poor weather and 4 plus hours of outdoor time during good weather. My kids crave this, and they are all the better for it. Also, as far as I can tell, our goal is to teach our children to be self-educated - to be lifelong learners. So, although lessons will take more time as they get older, lessons shouldn't get harder for you, the mom. Especially if you implement a good dose of habit training with your child. Reward them with independence when they are capable of it.

Here is a great link I found today, with links to free resources for a Charlotte Mason Education:

An Old-Fashioned Education

It is much like my favorite website, but organized by topic rather than by school year.

Ambelside Online

As of this last year, I use their outline for curriculum as the basis for my homeschool curriculum - with the addition of Saxon Math, Artistic Pursuits, and God's Design For Life Science texts. I do wish I could find a good geography source - perhaps I will like some of the resources at this new website. And, hey FREE is soooo good.

Attention Art Enthusiasts

From the above site, I found this link:

Michaelangelo Artist Study - Gutenberg Ebook

I love the idea of taking a classic text - supplementing with a modern picture book, sure, but using the classic text as the foundation...because...it's a classic for a reason, because it covers the topic well.

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I have been getting so much out of my Charlotte Mason reading. It is challenging reading since it is written in 1925 and since it has so many deep concepts in it. But, they are the kinds of concepts that I NEED so I can decide how to teach my children, and more importantly so I can gain assistance in how to raise them in a Godly and an well-rounded manner. I would highly recommend to any mother out there (including non-homeschoolers who want to play an active role in raising and educating their children) to read the original Charlotte Mason homeschooling series - starting with Home Education. A Charlotte Mason education is, surprisingly, to me, not so much an educational means centered around reading Twaddle Free books (although Charlotte does teach that), but is a bigger picture lesson of HOW to motivate children in their learning and character.

This chapter in Home Education is no less inspiring that any of the previous chapters I have read. Here are some highlights from the chapter:

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Series - Home Education

Chapter 4 - Some Habits Of Mind - Some Moral Habits

Charlotte starts the chapter by re-iterating that not letting a habit slip is paramount in training our children. Yet, realizing that this task can seem daunting, she encourages us by reminding us that we mothers only need to keep a close eye on one habit at a time and to keep a general watch over habits already found.

With a child with some repetitive behaviors and lack of understanding of other's point of view, I find the one habit at a time concept to be harder than Charlotte writes, at least with her. Yet, whether I can take a more relaxed position with that child or not, it is still glaringly important that I not let habits slip with this child, or it only becomes harder for me. Perhaps you have a child with ADD or a developmental disorder, it might be harder because some habits are so ingrained in them, but don't tune out, these subjects are important to you as well.

Charlotte tells us that if we just choose 10 to 20 habits which we will fully work with our children on during their childhood - and if we take them one at a time and don't let them slip, that our children will be the better for it in their lives.

Charlotte also encourages us moms by mentioning that habit forming, if we stick with it, will actually become a habit for ourselves. That's right, if we stick with habit training with our children, it will become EASY because we will have formed a HABIT! Yeah. And, as she said in the last chapter, many a mom thinks she is going easy on her child (or herself) by letting up on a habit. Then the habit is no longer a habit and becomes hard work again. What an important subject which in the long run will make our lives easier.

The Valuable Habit - The Habit Of Attention

Our minds are never idle and are always busy thinking. Those thoughts, however, left to themselves, simple follow the law of association and flit from topic to topic. The habit of attention must be cultivated (doesn't come naturally) and be started to be trained as early and infancy by showing a child an object (such as a daisy) and having them turn their attention to it longer than they otherwise would. As we move on to school age children, Charlotte prods us to not let your child dawdle (space out) over their work (whether it be math, copywork, reading). When it has come to that, you know it is time to put that lesson away and turn to another lesson as much the opposite the first lesson as possible. Charlotte talks about this subject a lot. Keep lessons short. If a lesson isn't working, turn to another topic (reading after math for instance) so that the lessons are kept fresh. When planning your lessons - plan for alteration of types of lessons - ones that are brain heavy and ones that aren't. For instance - Math - Music - Copywork - Art - Reading - Science - Life Skills.

Teachers (us moms in the case of homeschooling moms) should be qualified enough to know how to change lessons enough to keep the child's attention and to bring various parts of the brain to work so the child is rested. This can be a challenge, I think, especially when we are new to a Charlotte Mason education, and haven't thoroughly thought these things through.

Charlotte teaches us that each lesson for the child eight and under should be twenty minutes or less. And, we should build natural incentives into the child's work so that if the child gets her lesson done well and early, that he should have free time for having done so.

I have found this idea revolutionary and have just now began implementing it. I find a half hour time period easier to remember - and if they get their lesson done early - the children can do what they want. Today, at least, this was motivation better than any treat.

Charlotte points out that as our children get older, we want them to be self-motivated to stay focused. Teach your child the value of sustaining their attention and how it will actually make their life easier as they will learn faster and get things done more quickly - freeing up time for leisure. Charlotte points out that (and I love this quote): "But truly, one of the most fertile causes of an overdone brain is a failure in the habit of attention. I suppose we are all ready to admit that it is not the things we do, but the things we fail to do, which fatigue us, with the sense of omission, with the worry of hurry in overtaking our tasks.

The Habit Of Application (Working Quickly)

Charlotte points out that even a child who naturally plods through their work can be trained to work more rapidly. Your little tortoise can be trained to move a little quicker every day. One thing necessary to encourage this is the aspect of something interesting ahead (the time out, the continuation of an interesting story, the right amount of length of a given lesson to not tire the child).

The Habit Of Thinking

What Charlotte means by thinking here isn't that loose association of ideas - for we all do that. True thinking is the noticing of the details, the understanding of cause and effect, the thinking ahead what will happen next or what is happening over there. We need to be cognisant of our need to help our children connect the dots. Teach them to think about things - encourage them to share their thoughts with you.

The Habit Of Imagining

Charlotte goes into the Twaddle concept here. She suggests that books be deep and leave a lot of room for the imagination. She says the book should include lives and cultrures and situations different from their own - but nonetheless real, not silly. Here she gives the example of Alice In Wonderland as a silly book and Swiss Family Robinson as a good book. She admits that there is some room for comedic and silly books (Bearnstein Bears comes to mind right now), but that they shouldn't be the mainstay of the child's reading menu.

The Habit Of Remembering

One point Charlotte makes here is that ideas need to be connected. Connect one lesson with a previous lesson. Another point she makes is that knowledge learned and never used is lost. We should continue to use our knowledge and exercise our brain so that we remember what we were once taught.

The Habit Of Perfect Execution

To me the habit of perfect execution goes hand in hand with the habit of application (working quickly). What good does it do us if our children can work quickly, but get their spelling wrong, have messy hand-writing, don't come to thoughtful conclusions, and get their math sums wrong?? We must emphasize and require both things. Part of this is our expectation and our not letting this habit slip as a mom, and then the other part of this is adjusting the curriculum (the lesson) in order to make it interesting and just the right size. In the long run, when we have taught them to give proper attention to everything they do, then our children will be able to do more, for longer, and with greater perfection than they would otherwise.

The Habit Of Obedience

Charlotte mentions how this is the essential habit. For we obey our earthly parents as we will obey our Heavenly Father. It is the "whole duty of the child". She mentions that those with overly harsh discipline miss true obedience and that consistent moral training "for it is right" is the way to train our children in obedience. As a natural reward, the children who are obedient are given a lot of liberty - a lot of freedom - for they can handle that.

The Habit Of Truthfulness

Charlotte states that lying can be caused by three situations (all serious):

1. carelessness in ascertaining the truth
2. carelessness in stating the truth
3. deliberate intention to deceive

You can tell that all forms of lying are serious when you consider that a man's reputation and status in society can be permanently harmed by any of these.

In order to secure that your child learns this good moral lesson, train your child to give completely accurate statements. Teach her not to change a story to his own advantage, avoid facts, and stall. She can be humerous, but without embellishing facts.

A Habit Of Temperament

Charlotte reminds us about a few other areas for habit training. She tells us that temperament isn't born into a child, but is only a tendency, and can be trained in or out of them.

Do You Have Something To Share?

If you have applied any of these Charlotte Mason concepts in your homeschool and want to share about them, then please feel free to make a link to your post below with Mr. Linky. I'd love to hear about it.

I am reading through the Charlotte Mason Home Schooling Series each week, and am sharing on line for my own learning and in order to keep myself on task. I am posting something most Mondays. The next chapter is: "Lessons As Instruments Of Education". To read about other previous chapters, go to my Charlotte Mason category.

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I am still not feeling well, so I will have to postpone my book report on Charlotte Mason until next week. But, thank everyone out there for making me accountable about reading the Charlotte Mason book. It's a challenging read since it's written during another time than now, but it is one that I feel is important to the education of my children.

The previous chapter was on the importance of Habits. This current chapter I am reading is on specific habits we should cultivate in our children. I am finding this chapter to be more practical than the last. The tried and true Charlotte Mason philosophy about changing a subject if a child is having trouble maintaining their attention is talked about in more detail in this chapter. If you don't have the Charlotte Mason series, I recommend you get it or at least borrow the first book and set some goals to read through it yourself. There is so much that Charlotte Mason teaches that is profound, yet is hard to summarize. Surely, today's schools would do well to pay attention to her tried and true educational philosophies - under which children are both challenged and allowed to be children.

Have a great week!

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I missed posting a Charlotte Mason post last week. Between a new calf being born and needing extra (more than usual) care, and sickness in our house, I just wasn't able to do so. Here it is this week though. This week's topic is habits.

Charlotte Mason - Home Education

Chapter III - Habit Is Ten Natures

The chapter "Habit Is Ten Natures" could really be retitled "Good Habits Are Worth Ten Times More Than Good Genetics".

OK, that would be a bit long. Really, though, this phrase persists around much Charlotte Mason literature and has always confused me. And, this chapter follows Charlotte's chapter on Nature Study. So, coming into the chapter, I thought maybe Charlotte was saying that habit was worth ten nature studies. But, that isn't what she is saying at all.

In fact, Charlotte reminds us at the beginning of this chapter on habits, that she placed the other chapter on Nature Study, before this chapter because, "the child - his business in the world during the first six or seven years of his life - is to find out all he can, about whatever comes under his notice, by means of his five senses;" and "put him in the way of making acquaintance freely with Nature and natural objects;" .

Charlotte first came to be interested in habits because she was frustrated in her work as a teacher. She found it hard to make an impact on a child who had bad habits. And she found that either children basically had good habits based on the care they had been raised with, or they didn't. The true impact was left with the parents.

Charlotte tells us that the child must not be left up to his own self. She says, "it is unchangeably true that the child who is not being constantly raised to a higher and a higher platform will sink to a lower and a lower." She compels us that our human nature in not invincible, that with gentle training it can be tamed, much as a horse being gently worked with froma young age, with bit, bridge, hand, and voice.

Habit grows stronger with exercise. Yet, if habit is to be used to lift a child, it must work contrary to our human nature. Sometimes mothers even raise their children up inadvertently with good habits - there are certain priniciples those mothers will not, under any circumstances, allow their children to neglect.

Charlotte argues that not only our outward actions are habits, but that "We think, as we are accustomed to think;". The child that has been trained to find reward and fun in their learning and reading - won't tend to be led astray by idleness. Just as our body becomes accustomed to use and un-use - so our brains become accustomed to being used or not, or being used in a certain way. Thoughts tend to follow a rut – our brain pathways have a way of least resistance.

Charlotte says that "the actual conformation of the child's brain depends upon the habits which the parents permit or encourage; and that the habits of the child produce the character of the man, because certain mental habitudes once set up, their nature is to go on for ever unless they should be displaced by other habits." "It is necessary that the mother be always on alert to nip in the bud the bad habit her children may be in the act of picking up."

Around our house, we deal a lot with doing things in a slow manner or a distracted manner, something Charlotte called dawdling. Charlotte said this was a habit of indecision, that the child and/or the parent needing to learn the habit of doing the next thing.

Charlotte then goes on the point out one of the biggest pitfalls in habit training - letting a habit slip. We often let habits slip because we feel sorry for the effort our children are making and feel they should have a break. Yet, as the child is making progress on the habit, it is becoming easier for him. This is the crucial time not to let the habit slip. Charlotte points our that we should be encouraged because habits actually become a source of pride and joy and make life easier in the end.

In order that we can train our children in habits we must train ourselves in the areas of "tact, watchfulness, and persistence".

Charlotte says that good habits begin in infancy - from a healthy schedule, to cleanliness, to neatness, to decency and modesty, to taking care and pride in possessions. She says a child of two can be taught to get out and put away her playthings in their place. She encourages moms to teach their children to not just put things away, but to put them away with taste. Have the kids arrange their playthings. Have your girls make flower arrangements. Have reproductions of classic pieces of art in their rooms. Have the children exercise each day. Drill them in good manners. Teach them proper pronunciation of their vowels and of their words. Have them listen to music and learn to sing and read music.

As I read Charlotte Mason, there is always a lot to think about when it comes to teaching and training my children. Yet, as she said earlier in the chapter, I must not let myself be caught up in indecision, but must demonstrate choosing the next thing to conquer in our lives.

If you are following Charlotte Mason's principles in your homeschool and this chapter applies to you in some way and want to make a link to your blog post, please do so below. Of course, you are always welcome to leave a comment as well.

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Charlotte Mason's chapter on the out of door life for school at home is a hugely substantial one. It is over 50 pages long and covers a lot of details.

A good portion of the chapter is spent discussing the physical benefits of being out-of-doors in a way that is now out of date. Charlotte talks about blood chemistry in a manner unfamiliar to us and we now understand she is talking about vitamin D. She talks about light and we know that light on our eyes is necessary to keep us from being depressed. She talks about fresh air and oxygen. Certainly, we can see that a jaunt into the country is healthy, not just because of the scenery, the chance to unwind, the vitamin D, and the light; but because we breathe fresh, oxygen rich air mostly free from exhaust and other such city issues.

I've read about many a city dweller talk about nature study and mention that while they aren't able to observe this or that because they aren't in the country...but, that they get in their own nature study - studying birds and flowers and grasses and local trees. Truly, this is a great start. And something that Charlotte encouraged, as she encouraged us to have our children be familiar with every tree in every season within their neighborhood. But, somehow, many think that Charlotte was writing to a time where nature was more prevalent and available. I think on the contrary. This chapter is full of references about traveling away from the city to give your children opportunity to roam and to observe nature fully.

4-6 Hrs Outside A Day During Good Weather

Another surprise in this chapter is how much nature study and how little formal study Charlotte Mason believed our children should have (at least in the younger years - which goes up to at least the age of seven). In the spring & summer months (or all days when the weather is tolerable) Charlotte encourages us to give our children four, five, even six hours DAILY to romp outside. Not just "free time in the back yard" when you are finished with school, but as a type of school itself.

2-3 Hrs Outside A Day During Poor Weather

In the winter months (or I would say for some southern dwellers perhaps in the summer months - as 100 plus degree weather is definitely not tolerable for four, five, or six hours), Charlotte tells us our children should have two to three hours outside per day - divided into one to one and a half hours in the morning, and one to one and a half hours in the evening.

What Are We To Do Outside

We are to:

• Train our children to observe things
• Let our children have a substantial time left to themselves
• Make sure our children play vigorously for an hour or two
• Get detailed descriptions of things our children see and hear from our children
• Make sure our children tell us about things with a full and exact vocabulary - rewarding the child by listening to them and praising them when they describe things clearly
• Get the children to look at something - then close their eyes and recall what they have seen with detail
• Teach our children names of field crops and all aspects of their farming
• Teach them about the flower and plants they see and their history
• Expect our children to know the name of every wildflower in their neighborhood
• Have them collect flowers - press them, learn their latin and english name and habitat
• Have them identify trees - in Winter, in Spring, in Summer
• Teach them about plant reproduction - pointing out the seeds
• Have them track FIRSTS of the season - where seen and when
• When able to write, have them keep their own NATURE JOURNAL
• As young as five or six have our children paint pictures of nature
• Have our children hold and observe bugs and other critters from a young age
• Collect a caterpillar and/or a tadpole, bring them home and watch their development
• Have our children notice differences between plants and animals and make note of them
• Have our children take up natural objects (sticks, rocks, etc.) and examine them - reasoning how they came to be the way they are
• To familiarize our children with local geography and geographical terminology
• Have our children notice the position of the sun and it's effects on shadows and light
• Have our children note the weather
• Have our children notice distance - first with feet, then yards, then 100 yards. Have them notice how long it takes to walk a mile.
• Teach our children about direction and landmarks using the sun and shadows and landmarks and later a compass (maybe now...even later geo-caching)
• Once a week or less we should point out colors or some loveliness of the landscape
• Have the children play, sing songs, play games, play tag, skip rope, do sports, and generally be as loud as they wish to be - she mentions swimming to be a good outlet
• Keep a FAMILY DIARY of things the family notices - or guesses about, which they come across
• Charlotte appears to encourage war games (which she refers to as scouting)
• Silently and with all attention "sneak" up on wildlife in order to watch them in their natural behavior (she refers to this as bird-stalking)
• To follow the sounds of birds and learn (starting in the winter months) the sounds of the birds and how to differentiate them

We are not to:

• Entertain our children
• Make learning too bookish or too pressured
• Talk too much

I thought this an excellent quote from the chapter:

"The power to classify, discriminate, distinguish between things that differ, is amongst the highest faculties of the human intellect, and no opportunity to cultivate it should be let slip; but a classification got out of books, that the child does not make himself and is not able to verify for himself, cultivates no power but that of verbal memory,"

Another point I thought well worth mentioning is:

"Watch a child standing at gaze at some sight new to him - a plough at work, for instance--...he is, in fact, taking in the intellectual food which the working facultry of his brain at this period requires. In his early years the child is all eyes; he observes, or more truly, he perceives, calling sight, touch, taste, smell, and hearing to this aid, that he may learn all that is discoverable by him about every new thing that comes under his notice."

The only mention of a "real lesson" in this chapter is the mention of a ten minute French Lesson - of which Charlotte mentions that the mother should have contact with real French speakers so that her accent is good. Charlotte emphasizes learning a living, practical language.

If you are following Charlotte Mason's principles in your homeschool and this chapter applies to you in some way and want to make a link to your blog post, please do so below. Of course, you are always welcome to leave a comment as well.

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Well, it's not really Charlotte Mason Monday #3. But, stay tuned, next Monday I will be reviewing the chapter, "Out-Of-Door Life For The Children" from Charlotte Mason's book "Home Education". This is quite a long and meaty chapter and I have been enjoying it very much. I find myself reading parts repeatedly, however, so I must put off making a report until next week.

Let's just say that nature study and time out doors is central to Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy. In fact, in the early years, during good weather, according to Charlotte Mason, A LOT of time should be spent out doors, with just a lesson or two completed. Inspiring your child's sense of natural observation, Charlotte argues is of far more value to him than anything learned through rote memorization out of a text book. This book is specifically for the younger years, which my children qualify for. Yet, Charlotte continues to make natural observation and learning by your own efforts (such as drawings of nature, making notes about nature, making visual and oral pictures about nature, and classifying things in nature) to be of foremost importance in the education of children. How much better will an individual so inspired by God's creation apply himself to the sciences when he or she is of the age to concentrate on them?

Well, more next week....It will be a long summary I fear, but a good one.

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