The Charlotte Mason Girl

HEAV - The Extras that are Not Extra

One thng Charlotte Mason was insistent about was that every child should be given the opportunity to to have a rich and varied education.  A well-educated person doesn't just know the three R's.  A rich education includes all kinds of wonderful, fun, enriching, brain-growing, enjoyable subjects!  I get to finish up the weekend at HEAV with one of my favorite topics - all the aspects of a rich education!   At 4:30 on Saturday, in Room E-24, I'll be giving a talk titled The Extras that are Not Extra.  I can't wait!  From the conference brochure:

 

"Music, composer study, artist study, handicrafts, folk songs, hymns, foreign language, free reading, and poetry. Do these subjects seem to be just out of reach, or the icing on the cake? Do you feel you have too much else to do, and you just can’t fit in all these ‘fun’ studies? Are these just special treats reserved for the super-organized mom sitting next to you at homeschool group? Well, I would like to encourage you that you CAN do these, and give your children the excellent education you desire for them! These subjects are just as vital to your curriculum as history, math, and science! Come, learn how you can have that icing on the cake – and give it to your children, as well—even first thing in the morning! (Now whose mother ever told them to have dessert first?)"

I am really looking forward to this conference and I hope to meet you there! Please, stop by our booth and introduce yourself to us - we love making new friends.  I pray that this weekend will be a blessing to you and your family, and I'm thrilled to be given an opportunity to be a part of it!  

HEAV Workshop - Nature Studies

I can't wait to get to HEAV!  I am so looking forward to sharing the wonderful aspects of a Charlotte Mason Education.  I obviously love this method, and I love to encourage and inspire others to use it and gain the great benefits of it.  

 

At 6 pm on Friday, June 8, I'm going to get to share about one of our family's favorite studies - Nature Study!  We love to get outside - whether it's a local park, our yard, or our woods, we love to get outside and see the Creator through His creation.  The description from the conference brochure reads:

 

"Nature Studies sound so wonderful—and intimidating! We are blessed to have a wonderful guide for us in Miss Charlotte Mason! She advocated getting children out-of-doors every day, in all kinds of weather, and in all kinds of spaces. Whether you have no yard of your own at all, or you have acres of land right outside your door, it IS possible to give your children an excellent education about God’s creation. Join us at this session to discover how!"

 

It really is a fun study, and it's BEST introduction to science.  Imagine learning about the life cycle of a butterfly through observing a caterpillar spinning a cocoon and waiting to see that butterfly emerge.  Sure the life cycle can be easily demonstrated by a circle of pictures of the various life stages of a butterfly, but once you've lived out waiting to see that butterfly emerge, you will never forget the anticipation and just how long that wait was!  

 

There are a lot more wonderful aspects to Nature Study - be sure to come to room E-23 at 6pm and see what it's all about.  Looking forward to seeing you there.  But first, what keeps you from doing Nature Study?  Leave a comment and join the conversation!  I want to encourage you as you take this homeschooling journey.  

Conventions

I am going to suspend my normal routine on the blog, and share some upcoming events, instead!  We have two more conventions we are going to this year, and they take place in the next few weeks.  On June 7-9, I'll be speaking at HEAV in Richmond, VA.  I'm so excited!  We will also have a booth there - look for Ancient Paths Christian Bookstore at booth number 524 - almost in the center of the Exhibit Hall.  Over the next few days, I'll be sharing my talk topics with you.  If you'd like to see some of the items we'll have with us at the conference, you can just hop on over to Ancient Paths Christian Bookstore and see what we have to offer!  

 

First, I'll be sharing about a topic near and dear to every Charlotte Mason fan - How to Teach Your Child with Living Books!  I'll meet you in Room B-10 at 4:30 in the afternoon.  From the HEAV conference brochure:  "You know 'Living Books' are vital to an excellent Charlotte Mason education for your children.   You may wonder, however, what IS a ‘living book’?  Is any book at my local library a living book?  How can I tell?  In this hour, I will define what a living book is, share examples of living books, and give you a guide on how to evaluate a book to determine if it is genuinely a living book.  I will also share with you exactly how to use a living book in your child’s education, and show you just how EASY it is to use living books."

 

What questions do YOU have about using living books in a CM education?

 

 

Memorial Day

We will be spending our Memorial Day at our church's annual Memorial Day celebration picnic. We will enjoy eating the hamburgers and all the goodies that everyone brings.  We will enjoy the games that we play - softball, volleyball, frisbee, and the playground games are always a hit with the younger members of the crowd.  We will enjoy fellowship with each other.  We will enjoy having the freedom to do all these things with relatively little to worry about for the day - all because so many have stepped up and given so much so we can do these things.  It's not just about us being free to have a good time, though.

 

Because of these men and women who have sacrificed so much - and today is all about remembering those who sacrificed everything - we are free from tyranny.  We are free to live our lives as we see fit.  We have a constitutional republic in which we have the freedom to elect our leaders (and remove them from office), the freedom to practice our chosen religion without government interferance, the freedom to do and say just about anything we want to without fear of retribution from our government. 

 

So, what do we do with all this freedom?  Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law."  

 

May we honor the memory of all those who gave their lives for us by living a life that is honorable.  And, may we never forget the ones left behind.  Thank you all for giving so much for us.  

 

 

This photo is showing up all over facebook.  I couldn't find the original to give proper attribution.  Just know it's not mine.

Friday's Fun - Launching Children

No, I haven't sent my children to join the circus human cannonball act!  Rather, I am now able to bless others with my children.  Truthfully, there were days I thought we'd never get here.  Training children to be faithful and diligent is hard work, and I often didn't feel that we were getting anywhere in our training.  However, I can now offer hope to you!  

Our 17 year old daughter went to her grandparents' home this week to spend a few days.  Her grandmother had major back surgery, and our daughter was able to go a spend some time helping out.  She prepared meals, cleaned, helped her grandmother move around, kept her company, and generally just helped where she was needed.  My father in law was able to rest a bit, and go help his son (my brother in law) with a roofing project at his house.  

 

Our 14 year old son has spent several mornings this week at his uncle's house, helping with a roofing project - yes that same project my father in law has been working on!  Our son has spent most of the days on the ground doing what needed to be done there, but yesterday, he actually got to get up on the roof and help there.  My brother in law is very safety conscious, and he is teaching my son how to safely do the job.  

 

Today, my oldest daughters - the 17 year old, and the 11 year old - are helping their father at the dentist office he works at.  Each year they do "Dentistry with a Heart Day".  They do free dentistry for people in need.  My girls help get people registered and into the office at the right time, so they can get their teeth cleaned, get needed fillings, and get extractions if needed.  

 

Now, some folks might not consider all this working to be fun.  I understand that.  It is a blast for me to see my children able to bless others, however, and they are having fun learning and doing grown-up things!  The Lord has also seen fit to encourage us with words of blessing from others this week.  This has been an exciting week around our home.  Others are enjoying some of the fruit of our labors, and we are enjoying watching our children grow up.  (Yes, I'm in denial about how close we are to the birdies leaving the nest, but I'm going to stay here just a little bit longer.)  This is one of the fun parts of parenting, and I'm so glad I get to enjoy it now!

Thursday's Resource Review - Handicrafts Made Simple

I have not yet posted about one of my favorite extras-that-are-not-extra ~ Handicrafts!  I love to craft, and I love to turn my children loose on crafting.  Well, NOW I'm good with it - but for a long time, I let the fear of the big mess keep us from a lot of fun we could have had.  Well, now I know better.  How about you?  Do you need some inspiration to let your children explore their creative side?  Sonya over at Simply Charlotte Mason has put together 3 different instructional videos that will teach your child (and you!) a handicraft.  These are all skills that will be useful to your child throughout life.  You can choose from Hand Sewing, Crochet, or Cardboard and Paper.  Sonya's daughter, Rebekah, is the host, and she does a great job of demonstrating the skill she is teaching.  

 

If you want to see for yourself, hop on over to Simply Charlotte Mason and see what this series is all about!

Welcome Homeschool Freebie of the Day Subscribers!

I am so glad you found us!  Don't you just LOVE that Homeschool Freebie of the Day email?!  I have found some great resources there, and I am so excited to be able to offer you some encouragement on your homeschool journey.  I hope you have already downloaded your free mp3 of my workshop entitled "An Introduction to the Methods of Miss Charlotte Mason".  

 

I'm so glad you stopped by.  Please, sit and stay for awhile.  I'd love to meet you!

 

I hope you took the time to sign up for my email list.  I send out a notice to you each time I write a new post.  The purpose of this site is to encourage you as you strive to give your children an excellent education.  I also love to hear from my readers.  When you comment, then we are having a discussion, and that is so much more fun than one-way communication!  I also have a facebook page.  We have some fun discussion there, too.  

 

I'm a homeschooling mom, just like you, and I have the same challenges you do - maybe in different forms - but, challenges just the same.  I think we can encourage each other to greatness in our chosen profession.  Miss Mason had high ideals for our children's education.  We have high ideals for our children's education.  We need each other - to cheer each other on - to achieve that goal of an excellent education.  Please, let me know what your questions are, your successes, and what you struggle with.  Together, and with the Lord's help, we can do this!  

Time Flies! Conferences are Coming

Once again, I've gotten so enveloped in preparing for conferences, teaching school, and the spring activities, a great new project (I can't wait to tell you about that one!), that I've not been posting!  I've really missed the interaction I get with you all here and on facebook!  By the way, if you've never liked my page, please go to The Charlotte Mason Girl's page and like it. 

 

We have been busy here preparing for our final two convetions this season.  We'll be in Richmond, VA at HEAV June 7-9, and then we'll be in Akron, OH two weeks later for CHEO.  I hope to meet many of my online friends from Virginia and Ohio while we are there!  

 

I'll be speaking at HEAV on the following topics:

How to Use Living Books Like Charlotte Mason

The Extras That Are Not Extra, and 

Nature Study, the Natural Way

 

When we are at CHEO, I'll be speaking on:

Language Arts, Naturally the Charlotte Mason Way

Our Journey to the Charlotte Mason Method in Math

Scream and Shout! (about a mother's struggle with anger)

and finally - Teaching Your Child with Living Books

 

I can't wait to see many of you there!  Be sure to go to my facebook page and like me to get quick, up to the minute updates on my conference speaking schedule.  

Shakespeare resource - Can't wait!

I know that I usually save the resource reveiw for Thursday, but this week, it can't wait!  I will make this short and sweet - you need to go sign up for Homeschool Freebie of the Day right now!  One of the resources for this week is a Shakespeare quotations copywork book.  If you sign up today, I think you'll get the current offerings, and then you'll get a new batch of free resources every week.  

The other great thing about today, is that they are offering a huge bundle of Shakespeare resources for a VERY low price.  I don't think I'm allowed to tell you how low.  I will tell you, however, that I picked up this resource a couple of weeks ago, and we have been having a blast using it.  It's called Shakespeare for the Ears - and it includes audio recordings of radio presentations of his works, an audio book of Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare, study guides and so much more!  We have been listening to the audio recordings as we eat lunch or breakfast - and it's kept the kids quiet and eating during meals!  

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed being on this mailing list, and I can't recommend it highly enough.  Go check it out!

CM Quotes - Shakespeare

"And Shakespeare?  He, indeed, is not to be classed, and timed, and treated as one amongst others, - he, who might well be the daily bread of the intellectual life; Shakespeare is not to be studied in a year; he is to be read continuously throughout life, from ten years old and onwards. But a child of ten cannot understand Shakespeare.  No; but can a man of fifty ?  Is not our great poet rather an ample feast of which every one takes according to his needs, and leaves what he has no stomach for?  A little girl of nine said to me the other day that she had only read one play of Shakespeare's through, and that was " A Midsummer Night's Dream." She did not understand the play, of course, but she must have found enough to amuse and interest her. How would it be to have a monthly reading of Shakespeare —a play, to be read in character, and continued for two. or three evenings until it is finished?  The Shakespeare evenings would come to be looked on as a family festa; and the plays, read again and again, year after year, would yield more at each reading, and would leave behind in the end rich deposits of wisdom." p 238, Home Education Lectures

When describing the curriculum in her schools (in volume 6 of her Series), Miss Mason  mentions the Shakespeare reading for nearly every level - which demonstrates the importance she placed on exposing all children to his excellent story-telling!

"In IIB they read their own geography, history, poetry, but perhaps Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, say, Scott's Rob Roy, Gulliver's Travels, should be read to them and narrated by them until they are well in their tenth year. Their power to understand, visualise, and 'tell' a play of Shakespeare from nine years old and onwards is very surprising. They put in nothing which is not there, but they miss nothing and display a passage or a scene in a sort of curious relief." Vol 6, pg. 182

"How is it possible, it may be asked, to show originality in 'mere narration'? Let us ask Scott, Shakespeare, Homer, who told what they knew, that is narrated, but with continual scintillations from their own genius playing upon the written word. Just so in their small degree do the children narrate; they see it all so vividly that when you read or hear their versions the theme is illuminated for you too." Vol 6, pg. 182