This week we started back up for real. It takes awhile to find our "groove", but overall, the week went pretty smoothly. Smoothly for us is probably a warped version of what smoothly actually is supposed to look like. Ha! My littlest little man is a fire ball. I can't really even begin to describe his busyness, but it is intense. We are learning to be patient with him {and all the interruptions he so generously offers}, and in turn, we are trying to teach him about "school time". A time I need him to play quietly. I'm laughing out loud as I just typed that last sentence. He has though already shown that he's catching on to our new routine. Like a said... it takes some time to find a good groove.
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| Gotta love him. :) |
I mainly wanted to share in this post though the education method we have started to use. I am so excited about it, and it has proven so far to be an excellent "fit" for our family.
Let me start off with this quote from Secrets of a Successful Homeschool Mom...
"It's not about the curriculum you buy. It's about the atmosphere you create. It's all too easy to get consumed by the hunt for the "perfect" curriculum. Even if we find a resource that works well, we wrestle with a gnawing sense of anxiety... wondering if the grass is greener over on someone else's bookshelf."
I love this. Not only do we stress about being responsible for teaching our children, we also stress about the materials we choose to teach them with. And let me tell you... there are so many teaching methods and curriculums out there. An overwhelming amount.
The reminder that the atmosphere of my home and school time is actually what helps creates a successful day was a breath of fresh air for me. Ahhh. Relax.
That's not to say you go in blindly and randomly choose a curriculum. But the curriculum you choose does not make or break your school year.
My recommendation for getting started is sitting down with your family and deciding what is most important to you... in education and everyday life. Is mathematics super important to you? Reading? Science? History? Bible? Foreign Language? What do you really want to focus on? What do you value? And then start looking for something that will be a good fit with your family.
I read a book recommended to me, and it ended up being a game changer for our family. And again, I HIGHLY recommend it.
For the Children's Sake is the book. I read it in a day and a half, and then told Mark he had to read it. And then I proceeded to recommend it to all my friends. :) Game changer I tell you. Don't let the cover of the book scare you off. :)
The book is about a women named Charlotte Mason, an educator from England during the 19th century. As soon as I read the book, I knew that this was exactly what I wanted education to look like in our home. And Mark completely agreed. It just "fit" us. Her method of education reminded me SO much of Mark. What she thought ought to be valued, he valued. To the T.
Let me try and give you a glimpse into her method...
"A child's mind is the instrument of his education. His education does not produce his mind."
[She respected the children's minds so highly, she provided a truly liberal education for them at a very young age. She arranged for a broad curriculum. She believed in the principle of giving children time to play that she organized the lessons so that the child could finish them about halfway through the day. However, she knew that if attention was to be given fully, the child should have it contained in a length of time appropriate for them. Then they could turn their attention from mind-work to enjoying nature, art, play, hand-crafts, and physical activity. She believed firmly that they should have free time at home, in ordinary surroundings; so her schools never gave homework.] - For the Children's Sake
Charlotte Mason believed in using "living" books to educate children. Living books are classic or great literature {books by a single author who has a passion for the subject}... creating living ideas. These are seldom found in textbooks. She didn't like wasting children's time with "twaddle".
She coined the term "twaddle": dumbed-down literature; absence of meaning.
Her feelings were the same on music and art. Let us offer our children art of the highest value. Let them listen to the great musicians. Offer them instruments to play.
In her own words...
"Children should have relations with earth and water, should run and leap, ride and swim, should establish the relation of maker to material in as many kinds as may be; should have dear and intimate relations with persons, through tale or poem, picture or statue; through flint arrow-head or modern motor-car: beast or bird, herb and tree, they must have familiar acquaintance with. Other peoples and their languages must not be strange to them. Above all they should find that most intimate and highest of all Relationships,- the fulfillment of their being [their relationship with God]."
The curriculum our family has chosen this year is called Living Books Curriculum.
Everyday we spend 20 minutes on reading and 20 minutes on math. Short lessons. We even set a timer, which Bella loves. It keeps her focused for the required time, and she knows the lesson won't go on forever. I can't tell you the difference it is making in both of our attitudes by adhering to short lessons.
The rest of our time is spent on the following...
~ Bible study, storytelling, penmanship, poetry, read aloud, science, nature studies, music and composer studies, geography, world history (this year we are studying Egypt), American history (studying the colonies this year), picture studies, and art.
We spend 10-20 minutes on each one. Short lessons. And most of the subjects are done 1-2 times a week. Except Bible... we do that every morning at breakfast. Charlotte Mason believed children should know Bible text. The kids and I are currently memorizing Psalm 1.
The subjects listed above are why we LOVE this education method. Because what's most important to our family is valuing and appreciating the beautiful things in our world... books, stories, music, birds, animals, creation, art, God's word... these are the things we value most.
My kids will learn to read and write, but for us, it's not our focus.
Our curriculum doesn't contain any textbooks. It's all living books. Lots and lots of them. The kids and I have been in heaven. Right now, school is A LOT of reading aloud on my part. The books chosen are high level books written beautifully... too advanced for Bella to read herself right now. But I don't mind. The quality of our time spent together has been great.
I know this post was lengthy... it's so hard to condense so much information. I don't know how good of a job I've done. But I've been so excited to share it! :) I'm really looking forward to a full and rich school year.
Feeling thankful.
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