Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival

Welcome to the second Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival for January 2013: 

Self-Education

You can read Charlotte Mason's thoughts on this topic and if you missed first Carnival for this year you can find it here.

 If any of the links don't work or you find they are not going where they should please let me know in the comments section.

It has been quite a pleasure reading these blog posts - so much diversity; some on the topic of self-education, some on planning....nature study.....mother culture and more - a good quality banquet spread out for us to linger over and enjoy! You'll need more than one cup of tea for this....I'm in my element, being a person of great tea drinking capacity.

So here we go......

Amy in Peru shares her thoughts on self-education at the Fisher Academy International.

“we must open books to children, the best books; our own concern is abundant provision and orderly serving.

children should not be dependent on teachers, when in fact, a teacher can't make anyone learn. but on books. many good books.

teachers are meant to be table setters. facilitators. guides. philosophers. mentors. friends."

Great analogies from CM and your thoughts on them, thank you, Amy!

Next are two tantalysing titles from ....... 

Mama Squirrel at Dewey's Treehouse writes on Charlotte Mason,Oliver, and Ali-Baba: this is what it's all about.

"You don't eat for your children; you don't chew their food or digest for them.  But you do make sure it's there, and serve it in a way that's appropriate.  The same with their reading.

With an urgency that reflects her own sense of limited days, Charlotte Mason expresses what is, in her mind, the only real task of an educator: to zero in on the mind-to-mind ideas."

And.....

Nancy at Sage Parnassus  How Not to Raise a Crank - Euthyphro to the Rescue!

“One of the things we learn about Euthyphro is that people like him are known as cranks and they are all around us.  They are those who think that others should do as they do.

The remedy for cranks?  First, an awareness from a very early age that our reason is the servant of our will - not an "independent authority within" us.  Good people can have wrong opinions.”

Much to mull over in these two posts - loved both of the titles!

Here are some thoughtful and ultimately freeing ideas from....

 Nebby  on Education from without vs. self-education based on the first chapter of CM's 6th Volume.

"The point is that we cannot educate our children. We cannot guarantee results because it is not ultimately up to us. We can only create the healthiest environment possible and the rest is up to them, or rather to the Holy Spirit to enable them to take it in. It is not we who mold them, but He."

Another interesting post relating to self-education and nature study...

Jodie-Marie at My Art Full Life describes how she came to understand what Charlotte Mason meant by 'self-education.' She includes her own written narration on the topic!

"...the function of the mind is like the body and needs a quantity of nourishing food each day. That knowledge is not and should not be attained through sensation, but rather, by being “fed” the great thoughts from great minds is what makes one thoughtful." 

Penney at Changed by Love asks how we view ourselves as educators and shows us how she is a facilitator of learning.

"When we give too much information and interrupt their learning by asking too many questions, we interfere with their process of exploring and do more damage than good. By interjecting our own thoughts or trying to direct the child too much, we may turn off the natural curiosity that makes a child want to learn."

Thank you for imparting your experience and wisdom to this area, Penney

Three visual and thoughtful inspiring posts relating to Nature Study......

 Christine at Zing Day shares about their hike and a story of self-education at City Kids meet Ice

"The ice was thinner than I thought when I stepped on it," he says. He sits down on icy grass and rings out the water from his socks. A lesson is learned here without words. A lesson he is learning on his own."

(The ice looks great compared with our scorched landscape and extreme heat here in Australia at present!)
 


Barb at Handbook of Nature Study has a very practical post on Nature Study Goals
........... as well as a blog chock full of wonderful ideas.

"I love making goals and then seeing them achieved...but honestly, I love the journey as much as the achievement. Especially when it comes to nature study, always having a goal or focus helps make things happen.

If you had to pick one nature study related goal this year, what would it be?"

Megan at The Winding Ascent shares about The Power of Outdoors.

"I've learned a few things along life's journey, and one of them is that staying inside all day is depressing. Living inside is not what God had in mind when He created the garden of Eden. I'm pretty sure of that. If He had, He would have created the cottage of Eden instead. The hut of Eden? The skyscraper of Eden? The office building of Eden?"

So true and well said, Megan!

From Lanaya at Delightful Education comes "Handling Clay"

       "Pottery has to be the most calming yet fulfilling handicraft I've dealt with.

The whole process makes me happy; I may have discovered a new fulfilling interest.  Maybe it takes me back to my childhood days of playing in the mud."

Look forward to your next installment on firing, Lanaya.

Michelle at The Holistic Homeschooler writes about How a Charlotte Mason Education Helps Special Needs Children

"Children with Bipolar Disorder and Dyslexia have very vivid imaginations. These children can be highly distractible but are very creative. Giving them books that stimulate their imaginations almost ensures their focus."

This is one of the things I love about Charlotte Mason's philosophy - an education that can embrace the diversity of personalities and abilities. Thanks for sharing, Michelle.

The magnanimous lady at Practical Pages shares some Charlotte Mason gems and practical ideas on Habit Training. Thanks again Nadene, for the time you put into the resources you share!

"Pray, Prescribe, Promote, Prepare, Pro-active, Prevent, Praise, Permanent

Good habits and character do not come by chance. I am constantly aware of the Lord working Himself in me, urging me higher and deeper."

And now for some planning......

Catherine at Grace to Abide shares on How we Plan Our Days

"I don't know about you but I'm forever tweaking our daily schedule. I love having set routines and predictability, but life just isn't like that. Interruptions happen, guests arrive, children get sick, classes get cancelled...."

 A helpful look at your flexible schedule, thanks Catherine.

Jimmie discusses How Should I Plan a Notebook? in her helpful post at The Notebooking Fairy

Lots of free resources to download here!

"I don’t know that you need to plan a notebook.......I don’t have a mental image of what the completed notebook will look like at the end of the year.

I also give a lot of ownership to my daughter, so sometimes her notebooking preferences may be different from what I planned."

Celeste at Joyous Lessons shares First Grade Exams in her post

 "With a full house, we don't exactly have a pristine testing environment. ;)  But luckily, our exams are very low-pressure (really, no-pressure!), so we fit it in when and where we can: narrations upstairs while I clean the bathrooms, illustrations while I feed the babies lunch in the other room, songs and poetry over dinner, and so on."

Thank you, Celeste. Great detail and exam questions here!



Bobby Jo at Where the Blacktop Ends gives us a vision of Mother Culture

"Crafting, Cooking, Photography, Reading: This is what I do to keep up my much needed 'mother culture.' and how she prepares a handcraft lesson.

"being made in the image of The Creator, the need to create is inside of me. It's something I/we simply must do in one way or another."

 Just looking at the photography here makes me want to do something creative........

 

And to finish off the feast here is a well thought out apology on why we should teach Latin - a question I've heard asked so often.

A very useful post, thank you Brandy.

Brandy at Afterthoughts discusses Why Latin?

"Charlotte Mason began Latin with her students in Year 4 {around age 10}. Latin was studied by the vast majority of educated people {from the days of the Roman Empire onward} up until the mid-1900s......

The world that studied Latin produced great thinkers and writers.

It was assumed that Latin was integral to what it meant to be educated.

Latin and Greek are some of what the great men of the last two millenia have had in common."

In conclusion, I quote from a Parent's Review article that speaks to a mother's self-education:

"For to be honestly pursuing a course of study, however simply, makes a mother feel that she is trying in some measure to live worthily of her calling. She will feel that she is doing her best to prepare herself for the bringing up and training of useful men and women, thoroughly developed in body, mind, and spirit, who may by God's blessing leave the world a little better than they found it."

The next Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival will be February 5 and the topic is: Children are Born Persons / Nature of a Child.