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TeaLady's CM Homeschool
May. 16, 2008
I'm Back; but having computer issues
I am taking a few days to plan for this coming year. Most of the children are visiting my parents now as I am having a "baby-moon". :-) The youngest of our family is now a week old, and we had complications, so, I'm off my feet, but taking care of baby & myself. Though it is a physically difficult time, I have been able to do a lot of reading & praying & planning. :-) God is good & wise.
I have been blessed with a wonderful husband who has taken great care of me during these difficult days. I have been blessed with healthy and loving children! I have been blessed with my parents who are watching the "olders" while I recover. I have been blessed with a church family who is bringing meals and checking in on us. Most of all, I have been blessed with a Lord & Savior whose will and way are always perfect.
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Jan. 31, 2008
Home-Making: Joy!
From Home-Making by J.R.Miller p 98 in the chapter on The Parents' Part:
"The home-life should also be made bright and full of sunshine. The courtesy of the true home is not stiff and formal but sincere, simple and natural. Children need an atmosphere of gladness. Law should not make its restraints hand like chains upon them. Sternness and coldness should have no place in the home-life or in family government. No child can ever grow up into its richest and best development in a home which is gloomy and unhappy."
From Psalm 100:1-2:
"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing."
What an encouragement and admonishment to joy and cheer! Certainly, this fits with Miss Mason's ideas on habit - cheerfulness is a habit. Children can be trained to the stake of being cheerful instead of gloominess. What a wonderful thing to have the children skamper down the steps in the morning with a bright smile of "good morning" and a hug!
Mr. Miller (Home-Making) also makes the point that this cheerfulness begins with the marriage relationship. Rather than having a "daily dump of the day's activities and wrong-doings", to greet one another with a smile and hug upon the husband's return from the day's work.
Yes, there will be difficult days, but the habit of cheerfulness will overcome and will be the prevelant mood rather than the exception.
Be of good cheer!!!
-the TeaLady
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Jan. 22, 2008
The Rhythm & Rhyme of daily do-ings....
We are slowly but surely getting our home organized, for the first time since we moved here almost 5 years ago. The children are relating the whole process to the tortoise & the hare. Boxes, shelves, containers.... it is hard work, but worth it. It reminds me of homeschooling. First, the vision of the long term goals, then breaking it down into workable chunks, then picking the various books, changing the plan when needed, but always keeping the final goal in sight.
Ah - but again, how similar to life as a whole, with Christ's sanctification as the process to draw us nearer to Him.
-the TeaLady
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Jan. 19, 2008
Habit = 10 natures
From Home Education p. 100-101 (Charlotte Mason):
"Why Children are incapable of Steady Effort.––Consideration made the reason of the failure plain: there was a warm glow of goodness at the heart of every one of the children, but they were all incapable of steady effort, because they had no strength of will, no power to make themselves do that which they knew they ought to do. Here, no doubt, come in the functions of parents and teachers; they should
be able to make the child do that which he lacks the power to compel himself to. But it were poor training that should keep the child dependent upon personal influence. It is the business of education to find some way of supplementing that weakness of will which is the bane of most of us as well as of the children.
Children should be saved the Effort of Decision.––That the effort of decision is the most exhausting effort of life, has been well said from the pulpit; and if that remain true about ourselves, even when the decision is about trifling matters of going or coming, buying or not buying, it surely is not just to leave the children all the labour of an effort of will whenever they have to choose between the right and the wrong."
In CM terms, it is "effort", for the business-person it is "motivation", and for principle-approachers it is "self-government". What ever you call it, it is of utmost importance to instill this ability to continue at task with an inner-will and not require constant nagging to accomplish the thing at hand. My children do well at accomplishing their 'school-work' without nagging; unfortunately, I have failed greatly in securing that same habit with regard to helping around the house - specifically keeping things tidy.
So, now the more difficult task is to re-train everyone, from Mom to toddler to be in the habit of picking up. This need for habit is in every aspect of life.
-the TeaLady
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Jan. 18, 2008
On Reading
I have muddled my way through SWR for a few years now, and although I think it is a wonderful program, I just have never been able to keep it all straight, especially since I'm teaching 2-3 children phonics at different stages at the same time. Our children are 18-20 months apart, so when one gets through "The muddy dog sat on the stoop.", the next one is not far behind.
I found a lovely little learn-to-read program from Tanglewood School called Really Reading. The best part, is that it is free, but it also uses many of the basic concepts from SWR! It is 22 lessons with intensive phonics, but very manageable considering our age distribution among children. Our 6yo DD just finished it yesterday and is ready to start reading easy books with me every day. Our 4yo DS is chomping at the bit to get started with Really Reading. He already knows all of his letter-sounds (as per SWR style phonograms).
Because I lean toward CM & Ruth Beechick styles, I like to get through the skills and get
them reading on their own, for learning & enjoyment. All of us are big readers. I keep reading to them after they can read on their own, and narration isn't nearly as difficult as it may seem. I plan to keep reading aloud until they are ready to move out on their own. :-)
-the TeaLady
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