"We have considered the wisdom and duty of 'a wise passiveness,' 'a masterly inactivity,' in the bringing up of children. It remains to glance in detail at the various points in a child's life, where this principle should govern us. And, first, as regards children's play. There is a little danger in these days of much educational effort that children's play should be crowded out, or, what is from our present point of view the same thing, should be prescribed for and arranged until there is no more freedom of choice about play than that about work." - Charlotte Mason, Vol. 3, pg. 36

Why is it that we feel guilty if we allow our children to play with Legos instead of doing their structured schoolwork for a day?  Why is it that we feel we have to rush to and fro from activity to activity every day, never having a moment to just relax and play.  Because I have found that when this time is allowed, amazing things happen....like...

"It is probable that parents as a class feel more than ever before the responsibility of their prophetic office. It is as revealers of God to their children that parents touch their highest limitations; perhaps it is only as they succeed in this part of their work that they fulfil the Divine intention in giving them children to bring up––in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." - Charlotte Mason, Vol. 2, Pg. 41

What is it that I want to accomplish by homeschooling my children?  Is it to raise a child who can recite a large amount of information?  Or raise a child who can write fluently and read multiple chapter books a month?  Or is it to raise a child that can work complex mathematical equations?  While all these things are lovely and impressive, what is most significant and eternally impressionable is whether or not I have been a "Revealer " of the love of our Lord and Savior.

I'm for sure that I've spent way too many days wastefully worrying that I'm not teaching my children enough facts.  I've at times wore myself out trying to pour information into their brains in order to claim that indeed I've produced "smart" children.  But, I'm coming to realize more and more that above all, my duty rests in the one profound fact that I must show and teach my children how to follow and love our God and Creator.  This is the fact that is everlasting.  The one that reaches far beyond this earth.  This fact is not a priority or even a thought to many, for us it must be the daily breath of life in our homeschool.

On the happiest days, we have seen our Lord amongst the laughter and joy.  And when the dark times have set in on our family, it is our faith and love of God which has carried us through to the other side.  Yes, this fact is eternal.  While we are admist our daily language lessons, we have learned to use our language to give praises to Him, or while we are reading a particularly good chapter book we have taken note of Him amongst the pages, and while we have identified a beautiful flower or bird we have given Him the glory as their Creator.  The more we have taken the time to honor Him, the more wisdom and knowlege finds us.

There have been many school days where we have accomplished very little off the academic checklist, but have moved mountains with character, relationships, and faith training.  They have seen me joyfully singing and dancing and they have seen me on my knees in tears and praying.  They have seen me disciplining them in love and affection and they have heard me many times ask for forgiveness for really messing up.  I have found, for me, it takes great faith and courage to let a math lesson go to focus on issues of the heart.  But there are times when that has to be done.  For that is eternal.

"Their keen sensitiveness to spiritual influences is not due to ignorance on the part of the children. It is we, not they, who are in error. The whole tendency of modern biological thought is to confirm the teaching of the Bible: the ideas which quicken come from above; the mind of the little child is an open field, surely 'good ground,' where, morning by morning, the sower goes forth to sow, and the seed is the Word. All our teaching of children should be given reverently, with the humble sense that we are invited in this matter to co-operate with the Holy Spirit; but it should be given dutifully and diligently, with the awful sense that our co-operation would appear to be made a condition of the Divine action; that the Saviour of the world pleads with us to 'suffer the little children to come unto Me,' as if we had the power to hinder, as we know that we have." - Charlotte Mason, Vol. 2, Pg. 48

Welcome to the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival! In my neck of the woods Spring has sprung, and I am beginning to reap the huge benefits of sunshine and warmer weather. And I've also been enjoying the vast benefits of reading these fantastic articles! So without further ado, shall we get started so you can do the same?

Dictation

• Kristy at Living, Loving, and Learning does a great job outlining her 5-day plan for dictation lessons with her son, as well as giving some helpful advice on getting started with a good foundation in her post, Dictation.

Nature Study

• Andrea at Harvest Academy has a very encouraging post for Moms just starting to get their children interested in nature study, at Green Hour Challenge #7.  Her three boys are not only starting to catch on, they are getting right down excited!  Way to go Mom!

• I was giggling out loud and learning at the same time when I read Barb's post from The Heart of Harmony at Reptiles for Nature Study: Mustering Up My Enthusiasm!  She teaches us how she is learning to overcome her feelings of reservation and feelings of being inadequate to teach some things that her boys are interested in, such as reptiles, and gaining the blessings from it.

• My first article to present is entitled Finally - The Elusive Pileated Woodpecker.  In it I share with you a glance into a recent school day when we were visited by a very special bird.  And how I've learned to unashamedly put down regular studies to encourage and nourish my children's love of God's creation in nature.  

Music and Art

• Barb at The Heart of Harmony also provides us with two excellent online resources to use when studying composers at AO: Composer Study Term 3 Berlioz/Saint-Saens.  And more specifically gives the direct links for listening to the music of Hector Berlioz and Camille Saint-Saens which are the two composers to study this term on the Ambleside Online Plan for Music Study.  Thank you Barb for continuing to help us find great resources!

• Amy from Growing Fruit presents Listen Up, giving us a view of the way she is just beginning to include art and music into their homeschool using a book which makes it easy to combine the two subjects.

• I would also love to share my entry entitled Music and Art Friday - Vivaldi and Watercolor Project.  In it I explain how I am learning to be creative by sometimes combining our composer and art lessons together to make a wonderful project!

• Don't miss Mr. Mozart is Coming for Lunch! a delightful entry by Shannon at Song of my heart.  She gives a precious view into how she fits composer study in with her young children over PB & J sandwiches!

• Amanda at Hearts and Trees brings to our attention a new controversial high-tech method of studying art in What Would Charlotte Mason Think?   I was shocked to view the video!  Check it out and see what you think.

• Keri from Sunny gives a review of the Simply Music Program at Simply Music.  I'm definitely checking this one out for our family.  Thanks Keri!

Habit Training

• Who doesn't need help and constant encouragement to form habits in their children?!  MomToCherubs at Adventure's on Beck's Bounty gives a great reminder of the importance of forming habits in our children using an overview of Miss Mason's writings on the subject at Concerning Habits.  She also provides a list of habits and some great thought provoking questions.

Math

• Read about the great benefits of using logic matrix as well as view some great resources as Cindy presents Math and the Logic Matrix at On Our Journey Westward.