tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21634316876479872642024-03-12T17:22:41.824-07:00Understanding CharlotteCharlotte Mason's methods for children six years old and underUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-27146119798227082402012-11-11T19:48:00.001-08:002012-11-11T19:50:28.021-08:00Wow, y'all<br />
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It has seriously been a loooooooong time.<br />
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I just wanted to pop in and tell you that we're still around, just not here...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3ueyhmGs-g/UKBxH5BLhuI/AAAAAAAAGkI/0DFk0gcBvi0/s1600/DPP_edit_birthday00057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left:1em; margin-right:1em"><img border="0" height="560" width="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-v3ueyhmGs-g/UKBxH5BLhuI/AAAAAAAAGkI/0DFk0gcBvi0/s560/DPP_edit_birthday00057.JPG" /></a></div><br />
We're older and there is one more of us now, but we're still blogging :)<br />
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<center>Come check us out at <br />
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<strong>http://www.woohooie.blogspot.com</center></strong><br />
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-48298089456578257042009-11-16T12:56:00.000-08:002010-08-01T18:14:27.077-07:00A Little Belated...<br><br />...alright, so maybe 3 weeks doesn't qualify as a "little belated", but you all will excuse my tardiness, won't you? We did have a great park day on the 27th of October (that one was more of a playground than a nature day), and several more since. But, that house of ours has kept me from posting the photos until now :) Hope to be back again this week with another post - this time on the importance of keeping the <em>big picture </em> of education in front of us. <em>I need that post!</em> For now, a few photos. Thanks for reading!<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHBCQmVJLI/AAAAAAAABHg/J4wX5nSOQRU/s1600/IMG_0793.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHBCQmVJLI/AAAAAAAABHg/J4wX5nSOQRU/s320/IMG_0793.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404813272380941490" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHBWecsnsI/AAAAAAAABHo/O_-uHWmuCHI/s1600/IMG_0802.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHBWecsnsI/AAAAAAAABHo/O_-uHWmuCHI/s320/IMG_0802.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404813619696017090" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHBz-Cr52I/AAAAAAAABHw/jH7wIp_eucU/s1600/IMG_0805.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHBz-Cr52I/AAAAAAAABHw/jH7wIp_eucU/s320/IMG_0805.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404814126393059170" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHCMXKC7aI/AAAAAAAABH4/dnmmTvlqqSU/s1600/IMG_0810.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHCMXKC7aI/AAAAAAAABH4/dnmmTvlqqSU/s320/IMG_0810.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404814545451675042" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHCgYcJM2I/AAAAAAAABIA/9jgj_LF0kjs/s1600/Kiddos-at-park.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SwHCgYcJM2I/AAAAAAAABIA/9jgj_LF0kjs/s320/Kiddos-at-park.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404814889393402722" /></a><br /><br><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-73622480324360111502009-10-26T21:46:00.000-07:002010-08-01T18:15:23.666-07:00Park Day Tomorrow - Pics to Follow<br><br />We're headed out for a long day outside tomorrow. Our housework is under control, lessons have been consistent, the forecast is glorious. Now, to get to bed so we can head out after breakfast!<br /><br />Hopefully, I'll get some decent photos :)<br /><br><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-18372438949069154092009-10-19T12:44:00.001-07:002009-10-26T21:46:26.434-07:00A Daily Rest - The Logistics<br><br />Thanks so much for the wonderful comments in my last post, ladies. I'm glad <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/09/daily-rest.html">the article</a> was a blessing to you.<br /><br />I know it's all fine and good to agree with the author <em>in theory</em>, but several readers have wondered how exactly a daily rest pans out in real life. There are definitely days that I'm left scratching my head, too :) <br /><br />I think this "daily rest" is likely to be constantly changing, adapting to the need of the moment and the phase of life. For instance, a family with a newborn in the house may have far lighter lessons for a time, enabling Mama to get those much-needed extra moments of sleep. For a family with 4 somewhat older children all doing a full schedule of Ambleside Online - Mama might check out for thirty minutes while the children all have some productive independent work to do. I've learned that what works for my family now probably will not work for my family in even six months. Schedules and routines have to constantly change and grow with us if they are to be our helps and not our masters.<br /><br />Here's a peek into our day today as an illustration -<br /><br />It's a Monday and we haven't been outside at ALL today, even though it's gorgeous outside. We have houseguests coming for Punkin's 5th birthday (!) this weekend and there are literal MOUNTAINS of laundry to do. Additionally, we did very light lessons last week as the house and its <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/09/so-what-exactly-have-we-been-up-to.html">many projects </a>took precedence for a bit (I'm sure our houseguests will appreciate a door on their room!!! - ha). So, we've done a lot of housework and a lot of school work. It's now 3:30, we just finished a history lesson, and I'm totally fried. Punkin and Little Dude are still napping, and probably will be for another 30 minutes or so. Shug is reading, SweetP is making beaded bracelets. I am blogging - shame on me! So now I'm going to log off and try to get some rest before I hear my little man calling out to tell me he's not interested in staying in bed anymore. Monday nights are Sam's late nights - he'll probably be home at 7pm or a little later. It's very important that I rest now to help me carry out the rest of the late afternoon and early evening. I'll get maybe 20-25 minutes. Less if I don't wrap this up pronto :)<br /><br />As we add more and more into our school days, it becomes increasingly difficult for me to have time alone with the Lord in the afternoon. If I don't wake up before the children and have time to read the Word and pray then, it's likely it won't happen at all. In the afternoons, if I grab a break, I nap. In the evenings I read just a chapter or two of a book. Last night I read a chapter of A Tale of Two Cities. Tonight I think I'll read the second chapter of Adler's How to Read a Book. Maybe the secret to fitting in a little reading and a rest is to keep both short. You needn't read 100 pages of a book in one sitting to benefit from it :) In fact, less is likely to be more - especially if you can think on it a bit while you do dishes or fold laundry the next day.<br /><br />I wouldn't cut down on time in the Word or prayer, though. That's one area where longer lessons are better :)<br /><br />Anyway, glad you all enjoyed the article! Thanks again for the comments! Now, time to crash. Oh, and just in case I hear my boy moments after my head hits the pillow - I whole-heartedly agree with the readers who left this bit of wisdom for us all:<br /><br /><blockquote>"However, I have to agree with what Nikki said about resting in the Lord. I tend to guard my quiet time so jealously that it can become an idol that I selfishly feel like I can't do without."</blockquote><br /><br />Amen, Heather & Nikki. I often say that Motherhood is Selfishness Boot Camp :)<br /><br />Have a great one, ladies!!!<br /><br><br /><br><br />P.S. Oh, and I have to admit something - I had a rather substantial cup of strong black tea at 3:15 ;)<br /><br><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-89725364018634330732009-10-07T12:54:00.000-07:002009-10-07T20:57:10.004-07:00A Daily Rest<br><br />Here's another Parents' Review article to get your minds working. This one is called <a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR12p958SimpleThings.shtml"><em>Simple Things - A Daily Rest</em> </a>(again, about Mother Culture). I hope you enjoy it! I'll be back in a few days to share my thoughts on it, and hopefully hear yours as well :)<br /><br><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-31379487440240361392009-09-28T19:22:00.000-07:002009-09-28T21:03:26.181-07:00Our First Autumn '09 Park Day & Some Thoughts on Masterly Inactivity<br><br />Ahhh... today was brisk. I love brisk days. It was windy, too, and one of those days that just seemed to announce the arrival of autumn. Everyone slept in very late this morning (we had storms last night - let's just say not many of us slept well). So, with morning lessons basically shot anyway, I decided to wake the children up by telling them we were going on a park day. <br /><br />All of the normal hustle and bustle followed and, before too long, they were running out to the van. The cool breeze had them seriously giddy. They just kept spinning around in the driveway exclaiming about how much they <em>loved</em> fall. "Isn't fall your favorite season, Mama? Oh, it's <em>mine</em>! It's such a beautiful day. Don't you love it?". It was a twenty minute drive to the arboretum and they prattled the entire way there.<br /><br />I took my camera along...<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26340245@N02/3964087801/" title="The children with the arborteum's resident collie by theheavensdeclare, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2597/3964087801_9a3d59f3bb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="The children with the arborteum's resident collie" /></a><br><br /><br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26340245@N02/3964854614/" title="Shug just after arriving at the park by theheavensdeclare, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2615/3964854614_f9b2a6601e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Shug just after arriving at the park" /></a><br><br /><br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26340245@N02/3964852670/" title="Little Dude and clover by theheavensdeclare, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2543/3964852670_9b87181e7d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Little Dude and clover" /></a><br><br /><br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26340245@N02/3964850578/" title="Snuggled with Punkin by theheavensdeclare, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2587/3964850578_b1532b8ccc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Snuggled with Punkin" /></a><br><br /><br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26340245@N02/3964848998/" title="SweetP picking clover by theheavensdeclare, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2513/3964848998_ea1ec11a59.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="SweetP picking clover" /></a><br><br /><br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26340245@N02/3964084653/" title="Mama and Little Dude by theheavensdeclare, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3964084653_5be03f0eac.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Mama and Little Dude" /></a><br><br /><br><br />We just had a sweet time lying on a blanket in the sun, collecting acorns, enjoying the mild weather. The children played house with rocks, dirt, and sticks as their props. They jumped off of benches, climbed boulders, tried to catch grasshoppers. Lovely :)<br /><br />I'm wondering if someone is going to comment on Little Dude being so near the water (he's two and a half). Charlotte Mason frequently mentions leaving children "be" when outdoors - letting them play, and pretend, and imagine on their own without constant prodding or directing from Mother. It can be difficult to keep quiet, as a mother, at first. Eventually, I think you start to find your own feet and figure out how much to "leave alone" and how much to step in. However, there do have to be some parameters. If for no other reason than just to keep the little guys out of harm's way. The children are largely allowed to play as they will on our outings, but they have already learned what the boundaries are beforehand. It's not a lawless, wild time where they get to rule the roost. <em>Authority</em> is always right there, lovingly watching through her sunglasses as she sits on the blanket. Ready to speak up if the need arises. <br /><br />I let Punkin lie with me on the blanket for a while this morning, chit-chatting and snuggling. After a bit, though, I gently encouraged her to go enjoy the day and play with the others. We had our nice time together, but she engages in a <em>different</em> kind of learning without me right beside her. I wanted her to have some growing time without me, too. I'm never far away, of course :) She brings her little bouquets of flowers and interesting rocks and all that. But it's good for her to spend a while just filling acorn caps with mud and then scraping it all out again with a stick... <em>on her own</em>.<br><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/26340245@N02/3964082377/" title="Punkin and Acorn by theheavensdeclare, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2654/3964082377_67eabf38a6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Punkin and Acorn" /></a><br><br /><br /><br />Miss Mason refers to this letting children alone as "Masterly Inactivity". When coupled with well-trained habits, it makes up a sort of educational double whammy. Each makes the other stronger and neither can be safely left out of the picture. This post is already too long to get into that more tonight, though, so I'll save further thoughts on Masterly Inactivity for later. To help you think through the subject some until then, I'll just leave you with this :)<br><br /><br><br /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="400" height="300" data="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000"> <param name="flashvars" value="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=8bccdce519&photo_id=3964185340"></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377"></param> <param name="bgcolor" value="#000000"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=71377" bgcolor="#000000" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="intl_lang=en-us&photo_secret=8bccdce519&photo_id=3964185340" height="300" width="400"></embed></object><br><br /><br />By the way, in the video I'm calling Little Dude "Brother". I guess that's what you wind up being called when you're the only boy :)<br /><br />Enjoy the last few days of September! My favorite month is right around the corner!!!<br /><br><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-77183445645167485412009-09-25T12:49:00.000-07:002009-09-25T13:17:13.047-07:00So, What Exactly *Have* We Been Up To?<br><br />I took quite a long break from Understanding Charlotte. Although, it's good to be blogging again some, I'm still not able to post as frequently as before. Among other things, lessons are taking more time now with SweetP getting a little older and with Punkin asking all the time for more <em>"school". Don't worry - she still does very, very little in the way of lessons :) </em>But, one of the main reasons I've been so scarce in the past year has been that <strong><span style="font-size:180%;">we've moved</span></strong>. And the new house isn't anything at all like our old one. It needs some love. That's okay. With all of the work, there have been ten times as many blessings. And, in its own way, the work itself has been a blessing, too. So, that's what we've been doing. Loving up a "new" house :) Would you like to see?<br /><br /><br /><br /><center><a title="DSC_0405 by JamandSacky, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3954136132/"><img height="298" alt="DSC_0405" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3467/3954136132_a17dde2c25.jpg" width="448" /></a><br /><br /><a title="DSC_0579 by JamandSacky, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3954137960/"><img height="333" alt="DSC_0579" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2577/3954137960_7c9785ef89.jpg" width="500" /></a><br><br /><br /><a title="IMG_0417 by JamandSacky, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3954137684/"><img height="375" alt="IMG_0417" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2441/3954137684_1dbd7282c5.jpg" width="500" /></a><br><br /><br /><a title="IMG_0364 by JamandSacky, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3954138028/"><img height="336" alt="IMG_0364" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2528/3954138028_86bf2e6d4f.jpg" width="448" /></a><br><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3954137736/" title="IMG_0114 by JamandSacky, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2630/3954137736_5700cb48b4.jpg" width="448" height="336" alt="IMG_0114" /></a><br><br /><br /><a title="IMG_0360 by JamandSacky, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3953358905/"><img height="448" alt="IMG_0360" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2624/3953358905_7d1b5a0c0b.jpg" width="336" /></a><br><br /><br /><a title="IMG_0116 by JamandSacky, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3954150890/"><img height="336" alt="IMG_0116" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2626/3954150890_9e06f2b391.jpg" width="448" /></a></center><br><br /><br />Have a great day!!!<br /><br><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-34228971050100865402009-09-19T20:08:00.000-07:002009-09-20T12:46:11.609-07:00Parents' Review Article: "Mother Culture"<br><br /><br /><div align="left"><br /></div><div align="left"><em>Note: The following is a narration of sorts - a kind of "telling back" to myself all of the principles I've just read. I'm not an expert on Mother Culture, I'm learning and narrating the thoughts of someone who knows far more than I do about the subject :) I in no way come close to this ideal - I struggle to find balance everyday. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, too!<br /></em></div><div align="left"><br />Volume 3, no. 2, 1892/93<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR03p092MotherCulture.shtml">Mother Culture</a> (click to read the article)</div><div align="left"><br /><br />The main goal of Mother Culture is that the mother continue <em>growing </em>as an individual. It is that she continue learning, gaining experiences, developing as a woman. What do you think of that notion? That message could sound just like a feminist reaction to "stifling" activities like cleaning bathrooms and other forms of senseless drudgery (aka home life). Is Mother Culture all about nursing discontentment at home by running away whenever possible? A cup of tea and a trip to the art gallery and now I'm a whole woman? It can sound as though we are encouraged to demand our rights. Certainly not. We are not our own, we were bought at a price. What, then, is to set our growth apart from this restless pursuit of "me time"? </div><blockquote>"though she may do much <em>for her children</em>, she cannot do all she might,<br />if she, as they, were growing!" (emphasis mine)<br /><br /></blockquote><div align="left">There is a little prepositional phrase that clears things up for us. For her children. Our growth and continuing education as Christian mothers is to be <em>for others</em>. At its heart, Mother Culture must be others oriented. Although the author never says as much, I think it's critical to stress that wives and mothers who feel the need for a little time to themselves to think, to create, to grow must be able to say that it is <em>for the glory of God </em>that they do so. He is the Big Other - Christ Jesus first and foremost.<br /><br />When I first began reading about Mother Culture, I just couldn't honestly say that taking time for myself on a regular basis would be glorifying to God. The Lord has given me this home, this wonderful man, these blessed children to care for and work for and spend myself for. Wouldn't time for myself be nothing but selfish escapism? How is <em>that</em> glorifying God?<br /><br /></div><blockquote>"So many mothers say, 'I simply have no time for myself!' 'I never read a book!'<br />Or else, <em>'I don't think it is right to think of myself!'</em> They not only starve<br />their minds, but they do it deliberately, and with a sense of self-sacrifice<br />which seems to supply ample justification...She must see which is the most<br />important--the time spent in luxuriously gloating over the charms of her<br />fascinating baby, or what she may do with that time to keep herself 'growing'<br />for the sake of that baby 'some day,' when it will want her even more than it<br />does now." (emphasis mine, again)<br /></blockquote><div align="left"><br />Ouch. That last part made me chuckle and wince all at one time. Our children are still quite young. We think the occasional tricky doctrinal question is tough stuff right now, but how well equipped am I for what lies ahead? Spiritually steering young men and women through the trials and pains of life? Am I growing enough to help them grow, too? At the very least, Mother Culture - and the intended personal growth - should include time studying and memorizing the Scriptures. It should include time to pray and meditate and worship and be still before the Lord. That's not so easy to do with little children, is it sisters? Yet, I don't think any of us would say that it isn't important. Surely, if we are to be godly women who would raise our children to the glory of God, we should have regular time really alone with Him. Seeking spiritual growth. </div><div align="left"> </div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br><br />Such planned time isn't selfish - it's needful. Mothers have a need to continue to grow spiritually. The author of this PR article is basically taking a broader view and including all areas of a mother's individuality. We talk about educating the "whole child", and Mother Culture seeks growth in the "whole Mother" :) Mothers need to continue to grow, not in blatantly spiritual areas only, but in many different facets of their person. Mentally, physically, socially. The message of Mother Culture is really all very simple...<br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;"><blockquote><span style="font-size:130%;">Mothers need to be continually <em>bettering themselves </em>so<br />that they can be <em>better for others</em>.<br /></span></blockquote></span><div align="left"><br />("Others" meaning better mothers and, I might add, better wives and more faithful stewards of our gifts, too. We don't want to focus too much on just the children as motivation!). With this perspective, it begins to make more sense. Is it glorifying to my Father when I work to become a better mother? When I work to become a better wife? When I take personal stewardship seriously and make use of the gifts He has given me? Wow. Yes. <em>Yes. </em></div><div align="left"><em><br /> </div></em><div align="left"><br><br />Now, a word of caution. Time intended for the glory of God and the blessing of others will all too easily morph into full-blown selfishness. God is not honored when, in the name of Mother Culture, we happily type away on some blog while our 2 year old cries and throws his lunch. Wisdom is needed, ladies, and we must pray for both the wisdom to know what we should do with our time and the grace to do it.</div><div align="left"><br />The author recommends half an hour each day, set aside for mother to have quiet moments to herself. To read, think, journal maybe? If you have been having a difficult time consistently meeting with the Lord in private, this is the perfect area in which to begin setting aside time away from the children and demands of daily life. <em>Purposed time. Alone. </em><em><br /></div></em><div align="left">If you already have regular time to read, pray, worship, and memorize God's Word, maybe a few minutes in the afternoon for reading would be useful for your growth. Blogs are fine, some are very good. Ask yourself if you are really growing from reading them. Ditch the ones that aren't profitable (even if it's my own!). The internet is okay, too. But, this might be a better time for something a little more highminded. Maybe you have never really learned to appreciate poetry or art. Read through a few pages of children's poems or thumb through a Van Gogh coffee table book. Maybe you've never read Shakespeare or one of the classic books on next year's AO free reading list. Pick one up. Maybe you've been wanting to read a book about gardening or part of Miss Mason's original volumes. Well, here's your chance. You could paint in watercolors or knit something, for that matter. Pray through World magazine. You get the idea :)</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">I liked this last quote. I might put it up in my kitchen.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><blockquote><div align="left">"What we need is a habit of taking our minds out of what one is<br />tempted to call 'the domestic rag-bag' of perplexities, and giving it a good<br />airing in something which keeps it 'growing.' "</div></blockquote></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left">You know, the rag bag looks a lot less raggedy if you've stepped away from it for a little while. If nothing else, time to be quiet and think tends to give some much needed perspective. It helps me to think of Mother Culture as growing for God and growing for others. <em>For God</em> in the sense that I am seeking to glorify Him in the exercise of my gifts, talents, and abilities. For Him, also, in any way that I might be made better for service to His kingdom - both within and beyond my home and family. <em>For others</em> in the sense that my growing makes me a better lover and help to my husband. For others, also, as my growing is a blessing and source of encouragement, wisdom, strength, and instruction for my children and - hopefully - those around me. It is, like all good things, completely by the grace of God. It is His Hand that has given us minds, enlightened thoughts, talents, gifts. There is no room for boasting and no room for seeking selfish gain. There is room, though - needful room - for a mother's personal growth. Here's a catchy little phrase you can take with you in your thoughts today, if you'd like:<br /><br /></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:180%;">Mother Culture - daily growing in order to glorify God and be a blessing to others.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-size:180%;"></span></div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><br /><br />May the Lord help us all to use our time wisely and seek His face.</div><div align="left"></div><div align="left"></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-50056828731153271392009-09-17T12:00:00.000-07:002009-09-17T20:03:48.750-07:00Mother Culture<br><br />If you've been reading here and there about Charlotte Mason and her philosophy of education, you may have come across the phrase "mother culture". I admit that when I first began researching CM methods, I thought it sounded awfully odd and... well... self-absorbed. There is such a strong voice coming from the world these days, telling mothers that they need to "put themselves first" and claim their rights to "me time" and all that. I was leary. Mother Culture? Hmm... next page, please.<br /><br />Fast forward several years (and a few extremely stressful seasons) and I've become more educated about Miss Mason's ideas of mother culture as well as more appreciative of her insights. I'm going to blog more on this topic and share my own thoughts with you, but first - some homework for those who might be interested :)<br /><br />This is what I'm <a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PR03p092MotherCulture.shtml">reading through tonight</a>, narrating as I go (in the form of the next blog post!). Would you like to read it too so we can talk about it in a few days?<br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-19552291028767132212009-09-13T20:19:00.000-07:002009-09-13T21:00:43.159-07:00What Was the Parents' Review?<br><br />Did you know that Charlotte Mason founded schools across Victorian England? If you thought she was solely related to <em>home</em> education, that fact might come as a surprise to you. After all, in recent years she's been crowned the "founder of the homeschool movement". It is true that many mothers taught their children at home using Miss Mason's methods, but, yes, she founded out-of-the-home schools as well. To give you the super quick run down, her schools were originally formed as Parents' Review Schools (PRS), while later the titles evolved into what became known as Parents' Union Schools (PUS). Got those acronyms down? Good, because there are a few more :)<br /><br />Before the inception of the first Parents' Union School, however, Miss Mason formed a club of sorts with parents and likeminded educators. This club sprang out of a series of lectures Miss Mason presented, detailing her educational philosophy and calling for change in England's educational system. The club was called the Parents' Education Union - later, the Parents' National Education Union. That's right! The PNEU :) Sound familiar?<br /><br />We all know how deeply Miss Mason believed in the absolute necessity of ongoing education and she fervently wished to equip parents and educators to teach thoughtfully "for the children's sake". Before long, a magazine (with articles written by PNEU members and edited by Miss Mason) was published regularly in effort to keep the PNEU unified and focused. Can you guess what it was called? That's right - The Parents' Review (PR).<br /><br />Whew.<br /><br />Can you narrate all of that back to yourself after a single reading? ;)<br /><br />I mention all of this because I plan to take a close look over the next few weeks at several PR articles available through Ambleside Online. Before all that, I wanted to make certain everyone was clear on what the PR even was. AO's advisory has graciously permitted me to link directly to these pages. If you would like to do the same, I encourage you to ask their permission as well.<br /><br />For those of you interested in a more in depth look at the Parents' Review, you might enjoy reading <a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/PR/PRPhoto.shtml">the synopsis </a>AO offers or consider taking a look at the <a href="http://charlottemason.com/parentsreview.html">reproduced issues </a>Karen Andreola has available for purchase. Or, for a more general overview of Miss Mason's work, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlotte_Mason">Wikipedia article </a>is actually pretty thorough. Shhh... don't tell, but I used it to double check my chronology :)<br /><br />More to come.<br /><br />Have a wonderful day!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-79666001750442771742009-09-10T19:49:00.000-07:002009-09-10T19:52:26.934-07:00Still here and realizing...<br><br />... that I don't take nearly enough pictures of my children when I'm not blogging :)<br /><br /><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3908693640/" title="DSC_0881 by JamandSacky, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3528/3908693640_02538a79ac.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0881" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/42374297@N04/3908687314/" title="DSC_0994 by JamandSacky, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3471/3908687314_169149948f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="DSC_0994" /></a></center><br /><br />We began lessons on Monday! Regular posting is in the near future.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-17144870875687597032009-07-25T23:34:00.001-07:002009-07-25T23:35:12.931-07:00Still Here Y'all...<br><br />... and we're gearing up for our new school year. More soon!<br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-45904189468924189792009-02-05T11:53:00.000-08:002009-02-05T13:10:24.311-08:00Word Building: Lesson 1 (Part Three)<center><strong>This post is intended to give an example, step-by-step, of an <em>actual lesson</em> with an <em>actual child </em>(mine!) using the Charlotte Mason method for teaching a child to read as detailed in <em>Home Education</em>. I hope to post a more concise version in Word format soon for others who may wish to try these CM reading lessons with their own children.</strong></center><p align="left"><br /><br />For both types of our reading lessons, "word-building" and "reading at sight", Miss Mason's description of the first lesson has really taken<em> full three lessons</em> to complete. Our first reading at sight lesson took three separate days, and now our first word-building lesson has taken just as long. I think this is good for others to know ahead of time :) If I had tried to cram all of the material into one initial lesson, that lesson would have easily been 45 minutes long - which would have been miserable. Instead, we broke the lesson up over several days. This post covers the final portion of the first word-building lesson. (As before, Miss Mason's words will be represented in italic).<br /><br /><em>"Accustom him from the first to shut his eyes and spell the word he has made. This is important. Reading is not spelling, nor is it necessary to spell in order to read well; but the good speller is the child whose eye is quick enough to take in the letters which compose it, in the act of reading off a word; and this is a habit to be acquired from the first: accustom him to see the letters in the word, and he will do so without effort." Home Education pg. 203</em><br /><em></em><br />Punkin completed the first two parts of our first word-building lesson last week. This week, we started out with the third and final part. Just as we had done before, I placed the card with the syllable "at" in the center of the table. Then, I asked Punkin to choose a letter card to add to "at" to make a given word. Like this:<br /><br />"Okay, baby, here's the first card. What does it say?"<br /><br />"At".<br /><br />"Very good! Now, can you find a letter that will make the word, 'bat'?"<br /><br />Punkin scans over the choices I have placed out before her. She takes the 'b' card and slides in front of "at".<br /><br />"Great! Now, what does that new word say?"<br /><br />"It says, 'bat'."<br /><br />"Good! Now, today we're going to do something a little differently. I'm going to have you cover your eyes and tell me how to spell the word 'bat'."<br /><br />"I don't know how to <em>spell </em>it, Mama."<br /><br />"That's okay, today we're going to learn. So, you've made the word 'bat', very good. Now, I want you to really look at the word. That's right, now close your eyes... good. Can you tell me the first letter in 'bat'?"<br /><br />"Yes, it starts with 'b'."<br /><br />"Yes!!! That's great! Now, what comes after 'b'? Can you spell the word?"<br /><br />"b....a....(some pausing)....b....a....(sounds it out)....b-a-t."<br /><br />"Woo hoo!!! That's so good, sweetie! You spelled it! You spelled, 'bat'! Now, let's do another one. Put the 'b' away, and now choose a letter to make the word, 'fat'. "<br /><br />And we repeated the steps until Punkin had spelled all of the words we had read in the previous lessons (at, hat, bat, fat, mat, rat, cat, sat). She has had repeated trouble with the "c" sound, thinking that <em>c </em>makes the sound "g". We had to review a little while spelling, "cat". Also, covering her eyes started to bother her, so we switched to covering up the word with my hands instead. I noticed something very interesting when I covered up the word and she spelled it out. She always looked into the air, slightly to her right. She was <em><strong>visualizing</strong></em> the word! This is exactly what we are after with CM spelling. I was honestly surprised, because of all of the children, I would consider Punkin to be the least visually oriented. She has not shown any signs of a learning disability - that's not at all what I'm saying - she just hasn't been as strikingly visual as her sisters (and even her little brother) have been. I was very encouraged to see her staring off into a definite point in space as she spelled!!!<br /><br />One important thing to note from another passage (about sight reading) in Home Education:<br /><em>"As spelling is simply the art of seeing, seeing the letters in a word as we see the features of a face - say to the child, 'Can you spell sky?' - or any of the shorter words. He is put on his mettle, and if he fail this time, be sure he will be able to spell the word when you ask him next; but do not let him learn to spell or even say the letters aloud with the word before him." pg. 206</em><br /><em></em><br />When the child is looking at the word, he must not be allowed to say to himself, "bat...b...a...t" in an effort to memorize the order of the letters. The idea is to encourage him to <em>see</em> the word as a whole and to be able to see it still, even when the word has been covered up or when the child has closed his eyes.<br /><br />So, we have now officially finished the first word-building lesson as outlined in Home Education! I've been reading Mary Poppins to the girls before Punkin's nap this week, and it's been fun to stop now and then, put my finger beneath a word, and wait for Punkin to read it. She's read "bat", "hat", "fat", "at", "little", "so", "what", and a few more words that way during the last few days. It's so rewarding for her to see the words that she <em>knows</em>, right there in Mary Poppins! :)<br /><br />We'll be beginning our next word-building lesson with a new ending syllable, "et". Check back in!!<br /><br />Thanks for reading :)<br /><br /><strong><center>Do you have a child that really struggles with visual learning? <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/02/cm-reading-and-non-visual-child.html">Click here </a>:) </strong></center><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-13675139691636140872009-02-02T19:07:00.001-08:002009-02-05T11:53:29.288-08:00Reading at Sight: Lesson 1 (Part Three)<center><strong>This post is intended to give an example, step-by-step, of an <em>actual lesson</em> with an <em>actual child </em>(mine!) using the Charlotte Mason method for teaching a child to read as detailed in <em>Home Education</em>. I hope to post a more concise version in Word format soon for others who may wish to try these CM reading lessons with their own children.</strong></center><p align="left"><br /><br />Yes, <em>three parts </em>to the first lesson. I would have just called them lessons 1, 2, and 3, except that Punkin and I had still not successfully completed Miss Mason's instructions for the first lesson. So, I'm posting our first three lessons as our "first lesson" :)<br /><br />I posted about our actual <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/01/reading-at-sight-lesson-1-part-one.html">first "reading at sight" lesson </a>last week. There were some issues ;) We made some in roads, though, after figuring out that <strong>Punkin wasn't sure what a word was</strong>... <em>good grief</em>. How did I miss <em>that</em>?! I've probably lost all credibility with you dear readers :)Anyway, we had a little <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/02/reading-at-sight-lesson-1-part-two.html">troubleshooting session </a>and talked all about words and spaces, greatly helping Punkin's success with sight-reading. Yay! Today, then, we continued on with what Miss Mason outlines as the first lesson - the first two lines of "Twinkle, twinkle". </p><p align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYe8G0-1QlI/AAAAAAAAASY/DG4gMUOe5WA/s1600-h/DSC_0227.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298410312112095826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYe8G0-1QlI/AAAAAAAAASY/DG4gMUOe5WA/s400/DSC_0227.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> The initial, smaller font</span></p><p align="center"><br /></p><p align="center"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYe8RGjb_xI/AAAAAAAAASg/ubhGaNwcReI/s1600-h/DSC_0229.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298410488627724050" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 266px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYe8RGjb_xI/AAAAAAAAASg/ubhGaNwcReI/s400/DSC_0229.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;"> The larger font (in a sideways pic - what happened?!) </span></p><span style="font-size:78%;"><p align="left"><br /></span><br />I had mentioned the other day that Punkin seemed to do better with her word-building lessons when the font was larger. I decided to test this out with the reading-at-sight lessons, too. I printed out a second copy of the poem, this time with considerably larger font. Miss Mason never mentions the size of the font, but I'd say it's fairly safe to assume that she used the size of regular "book" font, since she gives examples of other reading lessons (word box lessons) that make use of words literally cut from books. But, I wanted to see if the larger font would help Punkin, and I believe it did. Here's today's lesson, a far cry from our true first lesson (Miss Mason's words are in italic):<br /><br /><em>"Lessons in word-making help him to take intelligent interest in words; but his progress in the art of reading depends chiefly on the 'reading at sight' lessons... The teacher must be content to proceed very slowly, securing the ground under her feet as she goes. Say - 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are," is the first lesson; just those two lines."</em> Home Education, page 204<br /><br />I was reeeaaallly hoping to get through the first two lines today, and finally finish the material for the "first" lesson :)<br /><br /><em>"Read the passage for the child, very slowly, sweetly, with just expression, so that it is pleasant to him to listen. Point to each word as you read."</em><br /><br />I read the first two lines of the poem. As I read, I pointed beneath each word. However, instead of just pointing beneath the middle of the word, I moved my finger under each word from left to right as I read, picking my finger up at the spaces between the words. This is not mentioned by Miss Mason; I did it to make certain Punkin was clear on the beginnings and endings of the words.<br /><br /><em>"Then point to 'twinkle', 'wonder', 'star', 'what', - and expect the child to pronounce each word in the verse taken promiscuously..."</em><br /><br />"Promiscuously" just means in no particular order. So, I pointed to 'star', 'twinkle', 'little', 'Twinkle' - she knew them from a previous lesson. Now, the test - I pointed to 'How'... she knew it! I pointed to 'are'... she knew it! I pointed to 'wonder'... she didn't. 'What'? Nope. 'I' - yes, she knew that one, and we talked about how it is just the name of the letter, but it is also used in sentences ("I am going home", etc.). She did not know 'you', either. So, I pointed to each of the words that she did not remember and read them again. We focused on just those three words for a few minutes until I felt that she knew them. Then we tried again. I pointed to all ten words promiscously and she did better. We focused in on trouble words again for just a short bit. I pointed to all ten words promiscously yet again, and <em><strong>Punkin read them all</strong></em> several times!<br /><br /><em>"But we have not yet finished the reading lesson on 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star". The child should hunt through two or three pages of good, clear type for 'little', 'star', 'you', 'are', each of the words he has learned, until the word he knows looks out upon him like the face of a friend in a crowd of strangers, and he is able to pounce upon it anywhere. Lest he grow weary of the search, let the teacher guide him unawares (</em>without him knowing it<em>) to the line or paragraph where the word he wants occurs."</em><br /><br /></p><p align="center"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYfAjZQzXZI/AAAAAAAAASw/E27lJGhMVGI/s1600-h/DSC_0231.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298415200933993874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYfAjZQzXZI/AAAAAAAAASw/E27lJGhMVGI/s320/DSC_0231.JPG" border="0" /></a> <span style="font-size:78%;">Searching for words (Ack! Still sideways!)</span></p><p><br /><br />Then I brought out a newly printed page of text (with larger font) and had Punkin search for words as I said them. I had to give her a little help with the general area - "Look somewhere over here", for instance. She found the words, though, all ten of them. We had been working at the lesson for fifteen minutes now, and it was time to stop. But, after such hard work and success, we had to end on the sweetest note...<br /><br /><em>"...then, when he shows that he knows each word by itself, and not before, let him read the two lines with clear enunciation and expression..."</em><br /><br />I slid my finger under each word as Punkin read: </p><p align="center">"Twinkle, twinkle little star,<br />How I wonder what you are,"</p><p align="left">And the expression on her face captured in one look all the reasons I love teaching my children at home. </p><p align="center">SHE READ IT!!! :)</p><p align="center"></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-31434893739446156512009-02-02T17:59:00.001-08:002009-02-05T13:14:56.867-08:00Reading at Sight: Lesson 1 (Part Two - Troubleshooting)Last week, I shared how big of a <em>complete flop </em>our <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/01/reading-at-sight-lesson-1-part-one.html">first "reading at sight" lesson</a> turned out to be. I mean - <em>really</em>. Clearly, I wasn't expecting her to read perfectly from the get go, but it was obvious that something just was not clicking with Punkin, and I had to figure out what that was.<br /><br />When we settled down two days later for our second sight reading lesson, I still wasn't sure I had much of an idea. I had plans to introduce fewer words in one lesson, instead of the entire first two lines. Other than that, I was still sort of flying by the seat of my pants. I wondered, though, if perhaps seeing the word all by itself, without neighboring words crowding around it in a sentence, would help Punkin focus in and "see" the word. So, before I took out the "Twinkle, twinkle" paper, I wrote the word "twinkle", slowly, in print as Punkin watched. When I was finished writing, I told her that the word was "twinkle".<br /><br />She jumped back in her seat, clearly shocked (rather dramatic, I know). But, she was evidently surprised, which surprised <em>me</em> since this word was one that she had sort of gotten in the previous lesson.<br /><br />"That <em>whole thing</em>?! That whole long word says 'twinkle'?!" she asked (still shocked).<br /><br />"Well, yes, honey. Don't you remember this word from our first lesson? Here, we begin at the <em>t </em>and read over to the <em>e</em> and that's all one word - <em>twinkle</em>. See?"<br /><br />Punkin pointed to the very center of twinkle, just as I had done in our lessons, and said, "I thought just this part was <em>twinkle</em>!"<br /><br />"The i-n-k part?"<br /><br />"Yes!"<br /><br />Ahhhh, now all of the confusion from the other day was beginning to make sense. I admit, I was startled myself by our little discovery. Punkin needed some preparatory work that I had taken for granted! We took a few moments to talk about words and the spaces between words. We counted the number of words in the first two lines. Just to be certain we were clear on where a word began and where a word ended, I wrote out some of the words on a piece of paper as she watched me.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYen6v4otnI/AAAAAAAAASQ/bBo0cPqasUk/s1600-h/DSC_0194.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298388114352944754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYen6v4otnI/AAAAAAAAASQ/bBo0cPqasUk/s400/DSC_0194.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I felt like a complete dunce for overlooking something so completely fundamental. The good news is, though, that Punkin made great strides after we cleared the issue up! We only had a few minutes left after our troubleshooting session, but we followed the steps in the first lesson over again and were able to get through the first line. <em>This time</em>, at the end of the lesson, Punkin read the words back to me, left to right - "Twinkle...twinkle...little...star". Then, grinning a very big grin, she looked up at me.<br /><br />What a sweet moment.<br /><br />(Praise God we figured that out early on in the game!)<br /><br />Today we finished Punkin's third sight reading lesson, and I clued in on what I <em>think</em> was the other major issue impeding our first sight reading lesson. But, more of that in <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/02/reading-at-sight-lesson-1-part-three.html">my next post </a>:)<br /><br /><br /><em></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-236146623610689112009-01-31T17:31:00.000-08:002009-02-02T18:38:13.185-08:00Word Building: Lesson 1 (Part Two)<center><strong>This post is intended to give an example, step-by-step, of an <em>actual lesson</em> with an <em>actual child </em>(mine!) using the Charlotte Mason method for teaching a child to read as detailed in <em>Home Education</em>. I hope to post a more concise version in Word format soon for others who may wish to try these CM reading lessons with their own children.</strong></center><br /><br><br />Punkin's <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/01/word-building-lesson-1.html">first reading lesson </a>was based on the "word making" lesson example on page 202 of Home Education. The lesson went fairly well, after a little practice; although, it did take longer than I had anticipated. Because of that, we didn't actually cover all of the material that Miss Mason recommends for the first lesson. Plus, I had put the list of words in a column instead of a row (as suggested), so I wanted to redo that step. Two days after that first word building lesson, we continued from where we had left off. It went well! :) Far smoother and quicker than the first day. Here's a recap (with Miss Mason's words in italic):<br /><br /><em>"Let the syllables all be actual words which he knows. Set the words in a row, and then let him read them off. Do this with the short vowel sounds in combination with each of the consonants, and the child will learn to read off dozens of words of three letters..."</em><br /><br />Firstly, we did a brief review of the previous lesson. I placed the "at" card in the center of the book/table and gave Punkin a chance to tell me each new word as I placed different consonants in front of the "at". She did this really well, often not even pausing to sound anything out - she just pronounced the word. Great fun :) Then, fairly quickly, I had her make a few words at my dictation - "Put a letter in front of 'at' to make the word 'pat'", and so on. After this review, I brought out the newly typed and printed page with <em>rows</em> (not columns) of these words for Punkin to read off to me. <br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYT9d2Pac_I/AAAAAAAAASA/Tm9sZ_JOPkw/s1600-h/DSC_0224.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYT9d2Pac_I/AAAAAAAAASA/Tm9sZ_JOPkw/s400/DSC_0224.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297637750912742386" /></a><br /><br />With the larger print, she read the words quickly. A few times she "read" the word incorrectly, but then corrected herself. I had wondered if perhaps part of the problem with <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/01/reading-at-sight-lesson-1-part-one.html">the previous day's reading at sight lesson </a>had been related to the size of the font. Was it the little font size that was goofing her up? Just for kicks, I printed a line of 'at' words in a smaller font size further down on the page, and then a line of much smaller font toward the bottom. (Note: the graduated font sizes are not mentioned in Home Education. I added the smaller fonts because I sensed that Punkin would benefit from exposure to them).<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYT_DDo7KcI/AAAAAAAAASI/uIC5SF8VRYc/s1600-h/DSC_0225.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYT_DDo7KcI/AAAAAAAAASI/uIC5SF8VRYc/s400/DSC_0225.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297639489676192194" /></a><br />She had more difficulty with the smaller words, but after getting used to them, she read them fairly well. I pointed to each word in several different orders - left to right across the row, right to left, at random, but I made certain that Punkin understood that actual reading was always done from left to right, and we talked about that a little. After Punkin had read the entire page with only a few mistakes, I noticed that our lesson had gone over ten minutes again. I hugged her, told her that she did a lovely job reading, and we put things away for the day.<br /><br />The word building lessons are going rather well, I would say. She's certainly jumping into three letter words far more quickly than her sisters had done with Phonics Pathways. The reading at sight lessons? Well, that's a different story. Although, I did have a big epiphany at the beginning of our second sight reading lesson that I think made a big difference :) More on that in my next post!<br /><br />Thanks for reading!<br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-32825356943318557402009-01-30T18:07:00.000-08:002009-02-02T18:38:49.253-08:00Reading at Sight: Lesson 1 (Part One)<center><strong>This post is intended to give an example, step-by-step, of an <em>actual lesson</em> with an <em>actual child </em>(mine!) using the Charlotte Mason method for teaching a child to read as detailed in <em>Home Education</em>. I hope to post a more concise version in Word format soon for others who may wish to try these CM reading lessons with their own children.</strong></center><br /><br><br /><em>"Lessons in word-making help him to take intelligent interest in <em>words</em>; but his progress in the art of reading depends chiefly on the 'reading at sight' lessons... The teacher must be content to proceed very slowly, securing the ground under her feet as she goes. Say - 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star, How I wonder what you are," is the first lesson; just those two lines." </em>Home Education, page 204<br /><br />In an effort to adhere as closely as possible to Miss Mason's reading methods, I chose "Twinkle, twinkle" to be our first reading lesson, just as the passage above illustrates. Punkin had had fairly good success with the <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/01/word-building-lesson-1.html">first word-building lesson</a>, but I really wasn't sure about what to expect with this first Reading at Sight lesson. I taught my older girls sight words, but not this early on in the reading process and not with this methodology. I was interested to see how the lesson would go. I had read the passage on pages 204-206 of Home Education at least a dozen times within the few days before the lesson and I reviewed the pages again before we began. My hope was to follow Mason's instructions line by line. We did this lesson on Wednesday. Here's how it went (again Miss Mason's words are in italic)...<br /><br /><em>"Read the passage for the child, very slowly, sweetly, with just expression, so that it is pleasant to him to listen. Point to each word as you read."</em><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYO0-YRDo4I/AAAAAAAAARw/ZKXdp4JwC-o/s1600-h/DSC_0188.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYO0-YRDo4I/AAAAAAAAARw/ZKXdp4JwC-o/s400/DSC_0188.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297276570476716930" /></a><br />I had typed and printed a good, clear copy of the poem in font that I thought was pleasing and easy to read. Before I began reading, I explained to my little girl that it was important for her to pay careful attention to each word as I read, because I was going to ask her to remember what each word was later on. She nodded. Then, I pointed to each word as I read slowly (and sweetly), trying to engage Punkin in the lesson. She was smiling. So far, so good.<br /><br /><em>"Then point to 'twinkle', 'wonder', 'star', 'what', - and expect the child to pronounce each word in the verse taken promiscuously..."</em><br /><br />By the word "promiscuously", I take Miss Mason to mean what we would say today as "randomly". In other words, expect the child to tell you any of the words as you point to them at random. So, I did just that. Immediately after I read the two lines slowly (and sweetly), I told Punkin that now I wanted her to tell me what each word was. I pointed to 'twinkle'. Blank stare. I encouraged her to try to remember and I pointed again. Blank stare. She looked up at me for a clue. "You can do it, sweetie", I said. Then she guessed - "star?". <br /><br />Uh oh. <br /><br />Now what? Miss Mason doesn't give us a two page explanation of what to do if your child doesn't magically memorize all ten words after a single slow and sweet reading. Should I read it again? Should I just tell her that I'm sorry she wasn't paying more attention and simply put the lesson away for the day? Honestly, that was never an actual thought of mine, but I could hear a few CM devotees suggesting that option. I thought, "Okay... context. This child is <em>four</em>. This is her very first reading at sight lesson. She might need to practice this a little." So, we started at the beginning and did the whole thing again. <strong>Blank stare</strong>. Oh, boy.<br /><br />When I taught SweetP and Shug to read early, it was completely through sound blending exercises until we were well into short vowel words, and even then sight words were introduced maybe two or three a day. Never, ever <em>ten</em> in one sitting. Definitely not ten in one reading. I'd be lying to you if I said that I had very strong doubts about this particular lesson. "Maybe I should've just gone straight into the Letter Box lessons?" or "Maybe we should've done word-building for a little while before the first Reading at Sight lesson". You name it, I probably thought it in those few brief seconds as I pondered what to do now that Punkin clearly was <strong>not getting it</strong>.<br /><br />I thought maybe it would help if we tried a slightly different approach. I decided to fast forward to Miss Mason's next step for this lesson: <br /><br /><em>"But we have not yet finished the reading lesson on 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star". The child should hunt through two or three pages of good, clear type for 'little', 'star', 'you', 'are', each of the words he has learned, until the word he knows looks out upon him like the face of a friend in a crowd of strangers, and he is able to pounce upon it anywhere. Lest he grow weary of the search, let the teacher guide him unawares</em> (without him knowing it) <em>to the line or paragraph where the word he wants occurs."</em><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYO6afGBH2I/AAAAAAAAAR4/W1cmUPn33uo/s1600-h/DSC_0193.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SYO6afGBH2I/AAAAAAAAAR4/W1cmUPn33uo/s400/DSC_0193.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297282550903938914" /></a><br />Again, I had a page typed, printed, and ready. At this point, I decided to forget the second line and just hope for some progress with the first line. I read the first line of the poem again and pointed to each word as I went. I then pointed to individual words in the line, asking Punkin to remember them. She did better than she had done when I read all ten words before asking. So, we moved on to the search for those words. I told her that we were going to search for the words that she just learned. I showed her how to point her finger and scan the page, looking for 'little'. On the first go around, one of the words she had done well at learning was 'wonder'. For some weird reason, as she scanned the page looking for 'little', she kept stopping at 'wonder'. But she would say, <em>'little'</em>!! Did I say "oh, boy" once before? <br /><br />Because - oh, boy.<br /><br />I really wanted to end this lesson on a good note. I wanted her to be encouraged. I wanted to be encouraged! But, I had been timing it, and we were already past ten minutes. I decided to narrow the lesson even more. I pointed to several places on the page where 'little' was printed. Each time I pointed to a new 'little', I said "little". Then, I told Punkin to stop me when my finger came to 'little'. Slowly, slowly, I ran my finger under the words. I passed several 'little's before she stopped me, but she <em>did</em> stop me under the word 'little'. <br /><br />I got really excited for her and gave her a huge hug. She's not easily fooled, though, and I knew that she knew that she hadn't learned all of the words in the lesson. I told her that learning to read can take a lot of practice, and that I was really proud of how hard she tried and how she listened so well. She didn't seem too broken up over it, so I hugged her again and told her that I was looking forward to our next "Twinkle, twinkle" lesson :)<br /><br />It was a complete bust. Really. I've never had such a flop of a reading lesson. BUT, I'm not giving up, yet. This was our first go at it! I'm going to read the Home Education passage <em>again</em>, pray, and think about what makes my daughter's little mind tick. Something just wasn't clicking with that lesson... I just have to figure out what the problem was.<br /><br /><center><strong>We had a little troubleshooting session before our next sight reading lesson, and made a very helpful discovery :) You can <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/02/reading-at-sight-lesson-1-part-two.html">read about it here</a>.</center></strong><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-16514713401284525962009-01-29T20:54:00.000-08:002009-01-29T21:03:07.688-08:00Punkin's "Recitation"On most weekday mornings, SweetP and Shug recite their memory work for me. I like to have them stand and speak as they would before an audience, emphasizing a clear, crisp voice and pleasant stance. Punkin apparently thinks this looks like a lot of fun.<br /><br />She came to me this morning with her "poetry" book - a hardback copy of When We Were Very Young by A.A. Milne (her sisters also read from their poetry books every morning). She handed the book to me with its pages open to some point in the introduction. "This is my recitation", she announced. "Oh, okay", I smiled, and sat down on the chair in the entryway. She walked about six feet away from me, turned to face me, folded her hands, stood up straight, chin high, and began:<br /><br /><center>"Dear Symmetry by Robert Frost... What immortal hand... for the robins singing in their nests... the bears all go to sleep... hibernating... until the warm spring comes... and the wind blows... and a lying tongue is but for a moment."<br /><br />The End.</center><br /><br />Satisfied, she ran off and played for the rest of the morning :)<br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-88173525079313018472009-01-27T19:00:00.000-08:002009-02-02T18:39:29.343-08:00Word Building: Lesson 1 (Part One)<center><strong>This post is intended to give an example, step-by-step, of an <em>actual lesson</em> with an <em>actual child </em>(mine!) using the Charlotte Mason method for teaching a child to read as detailed in <em>Home Education</em>. I hope to post a more concise version in Word format soon for others who may wish to try these CM reading lessons with their own children.</strong></center><br /><br><br />After spending last week reviewing letter sounds, Punkin began today with her first lesson in "word building"! I'm going to extensively quote page 202 from Home Education as I give examples of how we applied Miss Mason's text in our lesson. I'll type Miss Mason's words in italic. Before I get started, though, I should mention that I printed typed letters onto cardstock and cut them out in preparation for today's lesson. Unfortunately, I'm not particularly thrilled with the result. I plan on redo-ing them for a more uniform shape and size after cutting. They worked for today, though. Just FYI, we did the lesson on my bed, using a sizeable hardback book as a table. <br /><br />Here's the play by play...<br /><br /><em>The first exercises in the making of words will be just as pleasant to the child. Exercises treated as a game, which yet teach the powers of the letters, will be better to begin with than actual sentences. Take up two of his letters and make the syllable 'at': tell him it is the word we use when we say 'at home,' 'at school.' </em><br /><br />I spelled out "at" with two of my lowercase letter cards, then I told Punkin that the word was "at" as in "at home". She piped up and came up with a few other options like, "at church", "at the store", etc. When she got to "at the pillow" and "at the table", I smiled a little, but then told her we needed to get back to the lesson - no silliness. <br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SX_Aoj4jlZI/AAAAAAAAARY/2-k5_GSnme4/s1600-h/DSC_0182.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SX_Aoj4jlZI/AAAAAAAAARY/2-k5_GSnme4/s400/DSC_0182.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296163489870747026" /></a><br />You can see that I lined up a column of appropriate consonants on the left side of the mock table. Here's why -<br /><br /><em>Then put b to 'at'–– bat; c to 'at'––cat; fat, hat, mat, sat, rat, and so on. First, let the child say what the word becomes with each initial consonant... Let the syllables all be actual words which he knows.</em><br /><br />At this point, I moved the consonant from the left column to the front of "at". We began with 'b'. I waited for Punkin to read it. Judging from Miss Mason's little quote above, one would expect a child to have an epiphany and realize the new word like it was a piece of cake. Now, I do not wish to shock you, but it did not just click in Punkin's little brain that the word was now "bat". Instead, after I placed the 'b' in front of 'at', she looked at me with a confused expression that seemed to say, "Why did you do that?" It was clear that I needed to fill in between Miss Mason's lines a bit. So, I pointed to the 'b' and asked her to tell me its sound. She did. Then I pointed to "at" and asked her what it said. <strong>She didn't remember.</strong> Instead, she sounded it out. Technically, Miss Mason wants the children to learn the last two letters of the words by sight as a whole, grouped together, not sounded out. Punkin has been sounding out little words here and there on her own, though, for a while, and she naturally shifted to this mode. I encouraged her to look at "at" again, and just say "at". She did. We started over. I pointed to 'b' again, she gave the sound. I pointed to "at", she said "at". I put the 'b' back in front of "at", pointed to 'b', she said it, pointed to "at", she said it. <strong>Then, (all on her own!) she said, "bat!". </strong> Hooray! :)<br /><br />We continued on with the other consonants. I had to repeatedly tell Punkin that "at" said "at", and discourage her from sounding it out each time. It took some practice, but she eventually started to get it. <br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SX_DZLmPP0I/AAAAAAAAARg/I8Pmpmv-P_w/s1600-h/DSC_0177.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SX_DZLmPP0I/AAAAAAAAARg/I8Pmpmv-P_w/s400/DSC_0177.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296166524188311362" /></a><br />After we had practice with Punkin telling me what the newly built word said, we shifted gears a little. <br /><br /><em>"...then let him add the right consonant to 'at', in order to make hat, pat, cat".</em><br /><br />So, then we lined up all of the consonants again in their column on the left side of the table with "at" in the center. This time, I told Punkin to choose the consonant (I did not say 'consonant', though, I just said 'letter'), that would make the word "bat". She moved the 'b' to the 'at', and I asked her to tell me what the word said. She told me it said, "bat". Oh, happy day :) I encouraged her with a hug and said something like, "Look, honey! You're building words!". We went through the rest of the words the same way. I said a word, Punkin chose the letter that was needed to make the word, and then she told me what the new word was.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SX_GOO2_kiI/AAAAAAAAARo/667JjiwJQIQ/s1600-h/DSC_0185.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SX_GOO2_kiI/AAAAAAAAARo/667JjiwJQIQ/s400/DSC_0185.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5296169634620215842" /></a><br /><em>"Set the words in a row, and let him read them off".</em><br /><br />I goofed a little here and put the words in a column instead of a row, but Punkin read them all. The lesson was beginning to get a little long - longer than I had planned - and she was beginning to make weird mistakes. You know what Miss Mason so tactfully says... when the children begin to "get stupid", it's time to put the lesson away ;) So, we promptly stopped. Even though Punkin wanted to keep going.<br /><br />We should have also had time for a little oral spelling of the words, but that will have to wait for the next word-building lesson. I did not time the lesson today, but I'll try to remember to keep better track of how long tomorrow's lesson takes. I'm aiming for no more than 10 minutes. <br /><br />We're encouraged :) Thanks for reading!<br /><br><br /><center><strong>Update: I made new letter cards and they are available on our Understanding Charlotte yahoo group in the files section. Joining is quick and easy :) Just <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/understandingcharlotte/join">click here</a>!</center></strong><br /><br><br /><center><strong>And, the post about our second word-building lesson is <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/01/word-building-lesson-1-part-two.html">right here </a>:)</strong></center><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-24066553872682883472009-01-27T18:49:00.000-08:002009-01-27T19:12:33.999-08:00Why are you teaching a 4 year old to read???In case you missed my previous posts on Charlotte Mason methods for reading instruction and my hope to teach Punkin to read using those methods, let me bring you quickly up to speed. My older two daughters learned to read fairly early (4.5 and around 5 years old) and they now read exceptionally well. So, when Punkin began asking to learn several months back, I noted her interest. However, she was not even four yet, so I also did my best to distract her and basically stall. That worked for a little while. But, the time has come :) Punkin is ready to learn and I am eager to try out Miss Mason's reading methods for the first time.<br /><br />If you are familiar with Miss Mason, you might immediately question the legitimacy of beginning so early on with reading instruction. CM lessons cannot begin until the child reaches age six, right? That's right. Well, sort of ;) I'll quote the following passage from Home Education:<br /><br /><em>Time of Teaching to Read, an Open Question.––Reading presents itself first amongst the lessons to be used as instruments of education, although it is open to discussion whether the child should acquire the art unconsciously, from his infancy upwards, or whether the effort should be deferred until he is, say, six or seven, and then made with vigour.</em><br /><br />I at least see a window here. On the same page, Mason holds up Susanna Wesley as a pattern we might consider following, and she began reading instruction on each child's <em>fifth</em> birthday. Just something to consider :)<br /><br /><center>If you're interested, here's a play-by-play of our <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/01/word-building-lesson-1.html">first lesson</a>.</center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-81056690656529292372009-01-22T20:25:00.000-08:002009-01-22T20:36:21.787-08:00A January Park Day!!!<center><strong>We finally got outside! <br />It took some work, but it was worth it :)</strong></center><br /><div><embed style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 400px" name="flashticker" align="middle" src="http://widget-af.slide.com/widgets/slideticker.swf" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" quality="high" scale="noscale" salign="l" wmode="transparent" flashvars="cy=bb&il=1&channel=3170534137673382575&site=widget-af.slide.com"></embed> <div style="WIDTH: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: left"><a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=3170534137673382575&map=1" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-af.slide.com/p1/3170534137673382575/bb_t017_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide1.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=3170534137673382575&map=2" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-af.slide.com/p2/3170534137673382575/bb_t017_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide2.gif" border="0" /></a> <a href="http://www.slide.com/pivot?cy=bb&at=un&id=3170534137673382575&map=F" target="_blank"><img src="http://widget-af.slide.com/p4/3170534137673382575/bb_t017_v000_s0un_f00/images/xslide42.gif" border="0" /></a></div></div>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-42744319874512100062009-01-21T18:19:00.000-08:002009-01-21T18:37:06.312-08:00Only Two More Months...<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SXfbNxLf0XI/AAAAAAAAARQ/RuTzaUHeXR4/s1600-h/DSC_6523.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293940916583649650" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 400px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 266px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_tIXZzlWDDLo/SXfbNxLf0XI/AAAAAAAAARQ/RuTzaUHeXR4/s400/DSC_6523.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><center><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000000;">...until the first day of Spring :)</span></center><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-36889446370587608482009-01-18T08:36:00.000-08:002009-01-27T20:15:19.195-08:00Gearing Up to Teach Reading... Charlotte Mason Style<strong><center>This post is the first in a series detailing the Charlotte Mason method for teaching reading to children.</strong></center><br /><br><br />As I mentioned yesterday, Punkin has been asking for some time now to begin reading lessons. I almost hate to call them <em>reading lessons</em> - it goes against that "not before 6!" rule ;) But having been largely unsuccessful at stalling and <em>completely</em> unsuccessful at appeasing her with indirect, bits-and-pieces learning (she's had enough fun and games - she wants to <em>read</em> already), I suppose we're starting down the road of reading instruction a little earlier than originally planned. Part of my stalling strategy had been to give her a relatively far off date. I think it was last summer that I told her we would begin learning to read after Christmas. Well, you and I both know full well that it is now officially after Christmas. Guess what... Punkin knows it, too ;)<br /><br />Last week, SweetP and Shug began their third term of the school year. Punkin was chompin' at the bit. One final stall - I told her that we would begin next Monday. I said that last Monday, though, so this Monday is <em>the day</em>.<br /><br />SweetP and Shug already know how to read fluently. SweetP learned before I knew much about Charlotte Mason at all, and Shug learned with a combination of Phonics Pathways and some CM-flavored sight reading instruction. I just couldn't take the plunge and really follow the methods that Miss Mason outlines in Home Education. Not, yet. Now, having taught the two older girls and having a better (we hope) understanding of CM reading methods, I'm ready to try it out. Punkin is ready to learn to read, I am ready to learn to teach, so... purist Charlotte Mason it is!<br /><br />In reading through the portion of Home Education dealing with reading instruction, though, I quickly realized that there are at least three different options for <em>the first lesson</em>. There is the first example, given on page 202 where Miss Mason writes:<br /><br /><p>"The first exercises in the making of words will be just as pleasant to the<br />child. Exercises treated as a game, which yet teach the power of the letters,<br />will be better to begin with than actual sentences."<br /></p><br /><p>She goes on to explain how to teach the child what we modern readers know as word families and also how to introduce nursery rhymes as sight word reading lessons. Then, several pages later (in Section V.) she gives us another example of a first lesson, but this one is different from the one given previously. This example is from a Parent's Review article and it recommends going "plump into words of three or four syllables" and gives an illustration of using a box of cut out words to learn the poem "History of Cock Robin". Still later (in SectionVI.), there is another example of a first lesson in which a little boy named Tommy learns to read in much the same way only using a poem about a kitty instead of Cock Robin and also utilizing slightly different methodology.<br /><br />So, practically speaking, there are three different starting points. Where should we begin? Here, I think, Punkin's very young age helps me out. The latter two examples strike me as being a bit more demanding of the little people. They seem like they take more mental discipline and ability than the first. The initial example is the most game-like and, because of that quality, most likely to suit the age of my little girl :)</p><br />We have decided, then, to begin on Monday morning with some review of letter sounds and then continue on, using the outline Miss Mason provides in pages 199-207 of Home Education. (That's Section IV). We will eventually get to the next two sections and the word boxes, but for now we will start with the simplest option. My hope is to begin with Word Building lessons and then alternate with Reading at Sight lessons. Translated, that would be alternate days of phonetic word families and sight reading :)<br /><br />For the sight reading lessons, Miss Mason recommends using nursery rhymes. Specifically, she illustrates the use of "Twinkle, Twinkle" for a first sight lesson. She also mentions that well-written prose is desirable for early lessons in reading by sight, and she recommends Parables From Nature by Gatty. Have you ever taken a look at Parables From Nature? It would <em>not</em> have jumped into my mind as a natural choice for reading lessons. It's a tricky little book for the younger crowd. I <em>do not</em> envision Punkin doing well with the Gatty book (perhaps with an older child it would be fine). I <em>do</em> want to stay quite true to Miss Mason's methods, though, and take her warnings seriously: "Even for their earliest reading lessons, it is unnecessary to put twaddle into the hands of the children".<br /><br />Don't you love her?<br /><br />I need, then, to find a non-twaddly book for sight reading instruction. I had thought that I was going to use the Free & Treadwell Primer available from Yesterday's Classics. It is better than the BOB books and similar resources I used with Shug and SweetP, but it is certainly a far cry from the recommended <em>Parables From Nature</em>. I looked for something that seemed to be a happy medium, and eventually decided on using a book we already had on the shelf - <em>For the Children's Hour</em>, also from Yesterday's Classics. There are several simple (but, well-written!) fairy tales and folk stories that should work well with this method. Those won't be needed, though, until Punkin first learns "Twinkle, Twinkle" and, possibly, one or two more nursery rhymes.<br /><br />Honestly, even after all my stalling, I'm looking forward to this now :) It's such great fun to see the enthusiasm and joy on your child's face when those first words join together to make sense! And, I admit, I'm looking forward to testing out Miss Mason's reading methods and giving them a fair chance. All of the "sight reading" business scared me off last time, but now I'm not as wary. I could see Punkin really taking off quickly this way.<br /><br />It should be fun to watch her :)<br /><br><br /><center><strong>Update: You can read all about our first lesson <a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2009/01/word-building-lesson-1.html">here</a></center></strong><br /><br>Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-13108341698220722882009-01-16T11:16:00.000-08:002009-01-16T11:39:15.249-08:00CM, Preschoolers, and ToddlersThe Google search engine has spoken.<br /><br />My blog gets hits everyday for searches related to "Charlotte Mason preschool" and "Charlotte Mason toddler". As I browse through my past posts and look at the promise of "CM for children 6 and younger" in my header, though, I feel a little sheepish for how little I've actually posted about what to do with the youngest guys.<br /><br />Punkin just turned four this past October. Literally everday she asks me when she's going to learn how to read. With two older sisters doing lessons, she also frequently asks me to "do preschool" with her. I've tried to bide my time, pointing out when real life could technically count as preschool. She made biscuits with me last night, for instance, and as we counted out the cups of flour and teaspoons of baking powder, I smiled a wide smile and encouraged her with, "See? We're counting! This is preschool, honey!"<br /><br />She looked at me as if to say, "Yeah, right, Mom. Nice try."<br /><br />If I were really going 100% whole hog CM with Punkin, we wouldn't plan anything out for her to learn before age 6. <em>She would still be learning</em>, mind you, but it wouldn't be planned out or scheduled at all. That's my first choice. But, everyday... "Mama, when will I start learning how to <em>read</em>?" and "Mama, can I write my letters on the dry erase board?". I know, every mother should have such horrible problems, right? ;) I mean, gracious! How dare she actually ask to read and write! :)<br /><br />And then there's Little Man. He'll be 2 years old in the middle of February and he's great fun. Just from reading a few books a day he's beginning to pick up on colors and his vocabulary is sky rocketing. His main curriculum right now, though, is in the school of Obey Mama. Habits, habits, habits. With this recent move, he's been getting away with a whole lot. It's been Baby Boot Camp for him all week.<br /><br />These are things I could definitely blog more about. Little Man learning obedience and colors, Punkin learning to read (maybe), books we're enjoying with both of them. In short, what we do with our littlest children when we're <em>not</em> outside. So, hopefully, you can look for more of that sort of thing around here. And the Google searchers will all be happier, too :)Unknownnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163431687647987264.post-58889329709760104902009-01-13T18:52:00.000-08:002009-01-15T17:17:33.291-08:00Bible Reading Plans For Children<div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">(based on the passages in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Childs-Story-Bible-Catherine-Vos/dp/0802850111/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231902895&sr=8-1">Catherine Vos' Bible storybook</a>)</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;">***printable Word document format available in our <a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/understandingcharlotte/join">Understanding Charlotte Yahoo group</a>***</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;"></span> </div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:85%;color:#ff0000;">Or, if you are not interested in accessing the other Charlotte Mason resources available through our group, you can go directly to each of the following Reading Plan sheets through Google Docs by clicking on the "printer friendly version" link.</span></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><p align="center"></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:130%;">Old Testament Reading Plans:</span></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plan-creation.html">Creation</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_0dqvpccdt">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plan-wandering.html">Wandering</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_4cd35dzc6">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plan-laws.html">Laws</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_5hk5jhhc7">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plan-settlement.html">Settlement</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_6crdb8dck">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plans-prophets.html">Prophets: Part One</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_8fzj8fmdw">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2008/04/childrens-bible-reading-plans-prophets.html">Prophets: Part Two</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_7t9kt7cc2">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plan-kings.html">Kings</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_10g6qwvvfs">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plans-exile.html">Exile</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_9fqpzhbdx">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><span style="font-size:130%;">New Testament Reading Plans:</span></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plan-savior.html">The Savior: Part One</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_1d28ngzfj">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plan-savior_02.html">The Savior: Part Two</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_2fjffc4gt">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2007/11/childrens-bible-reading-plan-early.html">The Early Church</a> <a href="http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=ddns39rc_3ft873mhp">(printer friendly version)</a></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="center"><strong>The original blog post accompanying these lists can be found </strong><a href="http://understandingcharlotte.blogspot.com/2008/05/bible-reading-plans-for-children.html"><strong>here</strong></a><strong> if you'd like additional information pertaining to the reading plans.</strong></p><p align="center"><strong>Also, if you have a Yahoo account and would like to have access to printer-friendly versions of these plans, you may wish to </strong><a href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/understandingcharlotte/join"><strong>join the Understanding Charlotte Yahoo group</strong></a><strong>. The printouts are available in Word format under the "files" section.</strong></p><p align="center"><strong>May the Lord bless you and your little ones.</strong></p><div align="center"><br /></div><center></center>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com