I attended public school and if you looked at my grades, you’d think I was pretty successful at it. However, I remember almost nothing from my history courses. That may be a reflection on my attention span at that time or my teachers. Nevertheless, one unique historical memory I recall is that the Renaissance was taught as a time period where man moved away from God and discovered himself. When we started writing Epi Kardia, I was concerned about incorporating this time period material because of my own limited, and somewhat stereotyped knowledge. However, now God has shown me the truth of His elegant history, of His generous gifts bestowed upon men and of His revelation that church is not necessarily synonymous with Lord.

Renaissance, a time of enlightenment and beauty, brought out not only artistic light and color after a long dark period, but also opened men’s minds to what church was and what it should be. October 31^st, has significant historical precedence, and Halloween has nothing to do with it. It was on this date that Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the church door. His writing caused an explosion within the community that previously hadn’t been seen since men dared to declare Jesus as Lord. With these theses, Luther revealed truths about men, not God. He condemned those in the church taking advantage of the average man, who was unable at the time to even read the Word of God. So, this October, let us celebrate the audacity of a monk who valued his faith over his religion and glorify our God who gave us the artistic beauty, astounding scientific discoveries and the His truth revealed during this time period.

There are some outstanding children’s books about the Renaissance/Reformation time period. You can find all of these books in our Complete Daily Lesson Plans in various grades as noted below.

Galileo by Leonard Everett Fisher (1st grade, 3rd grade) – Although out of print, this book is readily available used. Fisher not only writes, but illustrates this concise and interesting life story of Galileo. His expression-filled black and white illustrations seem larger than life. He also includes a valuable map.

Leonardo and the Flying Boy (Anholt’s Artists Books for Children) by Lawrence Anholt (1st grade, 3rd grade) – Based on documented accounts of Leonardo da Vinci’s apprentices, this entertaining book offers a delightful way to expose younger children to Leonardo’s works. It is unusual in that it’s not a straight biography as is typical of children’s historical books. Anholt’s illustrations captivate young imaginations as well.

Martin Luther: A Man Who Changed The World by Paul Maier (2nd grade) – our second grade curriculum is currently in development, but this book will definitely be featured. Picture books about Luther are rare and this one is beautiful!

William Shakespeare & the Globe (Trophy Picture Books) by Aliki (3rd grade) – this book focuses less on Shakespeare as a person, and more on his plays and theatre. Creatively written as a play of five acts, Aliki weaves Shakespearean quotes, timelines and vocabulary with gorgeous illustrations!

I, Juan de Pareja by Elizabeth Borton de Trevino (3rd grade, middle school) – Dana loves this book! The story, beautifully written, is told in autobiographical form from the perspective of a talented slave who serves painter Diego Valazquez. Juan discovers that he too is talented but due to laws governing slaves, he cannot be a painter in his own right. This Newberry Award winning book will captivate younger readers as a listening book and enthrall older students as an independent reader.

Leonardo da Vinci by Diane Stanley (4th grade) – Diane Stanley, one of our favorite writers and illustrators, honestly portrays da Vinci from birth through adulthood and incorporates both his artistic and his scientific accomplishments. Her intricate illustrations are integrated with miniatures of da Vinci’s work. It is definitely designed for older elementary students as some of the content is challenging. We also utilize many other Stanley books such as Michelangelo,  Good Queen Bess : The Story of Elizabeth I of England,  Joan of Arc and Bard of Avon: The Story of William Shakespeare.

The River of Grace: The Story of John Calvin by Joyce McPherson (Middle School)- this unique and well written biography of Calvin is a must have for every homeschool library. Beginning with Calvin’s early years and working through his work as a significant leader in the Protestant Reformation. Although written on a middle school level, anyone could benefit from reading this outstanding biography.

Happy reading!

In Christ,

The Study of art is a taste at once engrossing and unselfish, which may be indulged without effort, and yet has the power of exciting the deepest emotions—a taste able to exercise and to gratify both the nobler and softer parts of our nature.  –Guizot

Just as we must provide ideas on which children’s minds are to feast through their reading of exceptional living books, we must also offer this opportunity through our students’ regular exposure to and study of excellent art work.

A hallmark of the Charlotte Mason methodology of teaching and learning is Picture Study. Recently I participated in a discussion with a homeschool mom about picture study and how to incorporate it on a regular basis into her homeschooling. Fortunately, Ms. Mason gave us a clear blueprint of how to systematically include picture study into our homeschooling efforts.

Charlotte Mason’s Suggestions for Picture Study

• Begin early. Age six, at the time of formal lessons in Charlotte’s day, is not too early to begin.

• Choose about six pictures of one artist to study each term. Rather than muddy children’s minds with continual but random art selections, Ms. Mason thought it beneficial to help her students get to know one artist at a time each term.

• Give your student time to experience a painting by keeping it on display for a week or two at a time. Give students time to connect with each work.

• Let your students quietly study the painting first, resisting the urge to discuss the artist’s background and your analysis of the piece. Give only the briefest amount of information necessary to enhance your students’ experience with the work before giving them a chance to connect with the picture and tell you about it. Give credence to all of their thoughts and opinions.

• Task your student with giving you an oral or written narration of the painting. Narrations consist of their response as you ask, “Describe the painting as you were talking to me on the phone and I couldn’t see it.” Younger students will be most comfortable with oral narrations, but older ones might provide either oral or written. Alternative assignment for a middle elementary + student who is familiar with oral narrations of art work:  Let the student study the picture for a time, then put it away.  Have your student narrate from memory.

• Have your students choose a favorite piece each term to imitate by drawing or painting. This an excellent way to incorporate those skills into your schooling.

With Epi Kardia curricula, we organize our studies chronologically beginning with Creation and ending with modern times, so we prefer to manage our study of art work and artists in the same manner, examining artists and their creations in light of the time periods they lived and worked.

An Example

Following is an example from Charlotte Mason’s Home Education of an oral narration given by a nine year old boy who had the opportunity of studying six of Jean-François Millet’s works during a twelve week school term. At the end of the twelve weeks, the children were asked to describe their favorite of the six paintings.  First, here is the painting, The Sower:

The Sower

And this is the student’s narration:

‘I like The Sower the best.  The sower is sowing seeds and the picture is all dark except high on the right side where there’s a man plowing a field. While he’s plowing, the sower is sowing. He has a bag in his left hand and he’s sowing with his right hand. He’s wearing wooden clogs. It’s about six o’clock in the morning. You can see his head better than his legs and body because it’s against the light.’

Artists for Further Study

This list of artists include dates so you many organize your art study chronologically if you wish.

Giotto (1266-1377)

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)

Albrecht Durer (1471-1528)

Caravaggio (1571-1610)

Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640)

Diego Velazquez (1599-1660)

Rembrandt van Rijn (1606-1669)

Jean Francios Millet (1814-1875)

Claude Monet (1840-1926)

Pierre Auguste Renoir (1841-1919)

Mary Cassatt (1844-1926)

Frederic Remington (1861-1909)

Grandma Moses (1860-1961)

Don’t forget to add some modern and American painters – our favorites are Norman Rockwell and N.C. Wyeth.

To add to your enjoyment and appreciation of picture study, consider visiting your local art museum and those you may come in contact with while you are on vacation in other parts of the country (or the world).

If you have any particular tips on how YOU have  incorporated picture study into your homeschool, I am sure our readers would love to read about them!  Please comment!

If you would like to read about Picture Study with Older Students, please read this.

Hope you have a happy Monday!

Did you know that Abraham Lincoln wrote poetry? He also wrote several letters to Stephen Douglas prior  to their infamous debates. You can read one of his poems and some of the letters, in Lincoln’s own  handwriting, online at the Library of Congress. I know I can be pretty nerdy and I do love history more  than many people, but when I discovered these primary source documents and realized that they  were within a few clicks on the computer of being in my grasp, I became giddy! By the way, Lincoln had less than perfect handwriting!

In our American History I high school curriculum, we teach students about primary source documents:

Letters, diaries, legal documents and photographs all may be considered primary sources as well as other documents created during the actual time period in history being studied.  Primary sources contain first-hand accounts or contain direct evidence of historical events.

Just as a detective looks for the details of first-hand accounts and evidence to help him solve crimes, an Epi Kardia student uses primary source materials to acquire a thorough study of history.

Primary source documents present a beautifully relevant way to help our students examine the truth in history. So often, our children read books that present historical figures and events as biased, based on the author’s own opinions and impressions. Primary source documents leave less room for such error. Bias can occur innocently or with malice. It can also be extreme, with one author presenting all of our founding fathers as pure men of God while another author focuses only on their human weaknesses. Neither of these extremes is realistic or healthy for our children to study. We know that all men are born with a sin nature and can only be saved by the grace of God, and what we really desire is for our children (and for us) to learn from other people’s mistakes, rather than repeat them. History, when studied properly, is a wonderful tool for seeing God in all things, even the past.

Some examples of primary source materials from our American History I course include:

• Benjamin Franklin’s Autobiography – You can’t read Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography without hearing a hint of arrogance, or at least an abundance of confidence. The words are his exclusively and he knew what he was writing when he wrote it to his son. It’s fascinating to learn about the man while examining his historical contributions, as well.
• Benjamin Banneker’s letter to President Thomas Jefferson - pleading on behalf of slaves, Banneker’s humbleness and intelligence could never be questioned. I was emotionally moved when I first read this letter as it moved slavery from a philosophical issue to a real life event for me. Banneker’s character is revealed through the letter as he demonstrates his compassion for slaves and his respect for Thomas Jefferson, the President of the United States.
• Photographs from the Civil War – these sources offer a realistic and sometimes devastating view demonstrating the affects and seriousness of war.
• Strategy Maps from the Civil War – Maps created and used during various time periods offer a   clearer picture of specific battles and allows students to see the tools that soldiers worked with during that time.

The value of primary source documents when studying history can’t be overstated. The interest level for students tends to be much higher if they feel connected to the history they’re studying. They can relate better to a historical character when they realize that they’re studying a real person, and not a flat character from history who is only known for his accomplishments or failures.

With Epi Kardia, we strive to use primary source materials in our curriculum. In our recently published American History I, we incorporated all of the above examples and more. Through primary source books and internet sites,  Epi Kardia students have the opportunity to see the reality of history and the impact of primary sources makes history more memorable for many students.

The next time you choose curriculum, consider not just what you want your children to learn but also how you want them to learn. Living books, primary sources and other valuable materials create a path to learning that teaches children not only a specific subject matter, but also instills in them a methodology of learning and hopefully, a love for learning that will be useful to them all of their lives.

As you consider purchasing curriculum, don’t miss out on our current special! If you order our American History I by midnight on Monday, October 26^th, at our discounted introductory price of $34.95, you may also receive a second high school course of your choosing for half price*.  That’s a great savings on two courses!

At Epi Kardia, Dana and I have worked hard to create curriculum that teaches more than just content. We hope to empower you to instill in your children a love for learning and a Biblical worldview as well as the educational skills they need.

*Note: if you order online, your American History I curriculum order will show the reduced price, but the discount for your half off curriculum will not show up in your shopping cart until your credit card is actually processed. We do not process any credit cards until the order is actually shipped. Please let us know in the note section of your order form which curriculum you are ordering for the half price option.

In Christ,

Limited Time Offer on Epi Kardia’s

Newest High School Curriculum!

American History I: Colonization through the Civil War

If you order our American History I by midnight on Monday, October 26^th, at our discounted introductory price of $34.95, you may also receive a second Epi Kardia high school course of your choosing for half price.* That’s a great savings on two courses!

Should you order American History I from Epi Kardia?

Only if you want your high school student to:

• study history from a Biblical worldview.
• be immersed in history through reading great works rather than just receiving a sketchy textbook overview.
• improve his or her writing and comprehension skills through a variety of activities and assignments.
• have a number of different organizational and higher level learning tools at his or her fingertips.
• receive one high school credit, plus the opportunity to receive honors credit.

Only if you want:

• a course that not only provides historical overviews, project and assignment ideas, student directions and learning tools but also includes evaluation tips and many rubrics to make it easier for you to do your job.
• to receive a great value with a tremendous 151 pages of curriculum for an awesome price!
• have peace of mind about what your high school student is learning and how your high school student is learning.

What books will your student use with American History I?

This curriculum not only allows your student to learn history, but it also exposes your high schooler to great writers and their works including primary and secondary sources. All of the titles are easy to order from Amazon by simply going to the Books! page on our Epi Kardia website. By ordering your books through our site, you’ll be sure to have the correct version that corresponds with the curriculum assignments.  Titles include:

• Everyday Life in Early America by David Hawke
• Good Newes from New England by Edward Winslow
• Governor William Bradford’s Letter Book by William Bradford
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
• Beyond Stateliest Marble by Douglas Wilson and George Grant
• George Washington and the Founding of a Nation by Albert Marrin
• Benjamin Banneker by Charles Cerami
• Give Me Liberty: The Uncompromising Statesmanship of Patrick Henry by David Vaughn
• The Patriot’s Handbook by George Grant
• Abraham Lincoln’s World by Genevieve Foster
• The Essential Lewis and Clark by Landon Jones
• The Flag, the Poet and the Song by Irvin Molotsky
• Harriet Tubman: The Road to Freedom by Catherine Clinton
• Call of Duty by J. Steven Wilkins and George Grant
• The Day Lincoln was Shot by Richard Bak

What other courses should my high schooler take to be prepared for this course?

We recommend that your student become familiar with the common essay types encountered in high school writing before or while taking American History I. If your student has never taken a high school composition class, we recommend Epi Kardia’s Essay Styles for High School, which may be taken concurrently with this course.

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to receive this curriculum at a reduced price and another Epi Kardia high school curriculum for half price!* Be sure to order by midnight October 26^th to receive this special introductory offer!

*Note: if you order online, your American History I curriculum order will show the reduced price, but the discount for your half off curriculum will not show up in your shopping cart until your credit card is actually processed. We do not process any credit cards until the order is actually shipped. Please let us know in the note section of your order form which curriculum you are ordering for the half price option.

Please feel free to share this with anyone you feel would benefit.

As always, we look forward to serving you, in Christ, at Epi Kardia and God bless your homeschooling endeavors!

Beth and Dana

Have you ever wished that you could customize worksheets for phonics or other skills easily and quickly, as you need them? How wonderful would it be to have those worksheets in the same handwriting style that you’re teaching your children, allowing you to teach a skill and have your children practice handwriting at the same time? We’ve found a reasonably priced program that allows you do all of the above and more! You can download Startwrite directly from the internet to begin using immediately!

Startwrite works similar to a word processor making it very user friendly. Some of the features that we found attractive include:

• Fonts, in a variety of sizes, that are actually handwriting styles: manuscript, manuscript-simple, modern manuscript, italic and cursive.
• Handwriting helps such as guideline lines, again in various sizes and colors; dotted, dashed and solid letters; starting dots and directional arrows.
• Clip art to make pages interesting and unique.
• You can design relevant copy work and handwriting materials to integrate subjects and books.
• You print out the portrait or landscape worksheets on your own paper instead of having to buy handwriting book and copy work books that aren’t as relevant to your history and science topics.
• Spell check allows you to make sure your worksheets are accurate.

Initially, we viewed this software as a great resource for phonics. In fact, we used Startwrite to create all of the phonics worksheets in our Kindergarten curriculum. Eventually, we realized that there were so many other opportunities to use this software! Some ideas we have utilized, other than phonics, are as follows:

1. Copy work – with my son, I pulled sentences and paragraphs out of the living books we were reading (for history, fine arts and science). I looked for material that emphasized a specific event or accomplishment, a concept or a language arts skill that my son needed to learn. I printed it out in the handwriting font he was learning. Early on, I simply used the lightest font or dotted letters so that he could trace the words. As he grew, I used the regular handwriting font and printed out lined blank paper so he could copy onto the same size lines as he was reading.
2. Creating books – by printing out the pages half lined and half blank, you can have your child write on one part of the page and illustrate on the other half. You could put photos on the other half and have your child write about each. For a very young child, you could type up what he tells you and let him trace the writing. One idea we did that I really loved was taking poetry selections and making our own anthology to give away at Christmas.
3. Letter writing and other models – I still have a thank you letter from one of my dear friend’s children that was created on Startwrite. Any type of written model may be created with this program from a basic friendly letter to addressing an envelope to learning to write the heading on an assignment. We used this software to model how I wanted vocabulary set up. By having my son trace the first few words and definitions, it instilled how vocabulary should be completed when writing on his own.
4. Worksheets for any subject – You can create all kinds of worksheets for any subject using creative and fun clip art to assess your child’s learning. This program is so flexible that it even includes Spanish letters and math fonts!

While there are many tools and resources for homeschooling, we feel strongly that Startwrite has the attributes of a resource that every homeschool mom needs because it:

• • saves money (no more workbooks to buy!)
  • saves time (you can quickly and expertly put together the specific materials you need when you need them)
  • integrates subjects (working smart rather than hard)
  • makes learning relevant (you choose the skills that your child needs to learn).

It’s not often that you read one of our blogs and we’re endorsing specific products. However, with this program we felt that too many moms had never heard of it and were missing out on its value.

If you currently use Startwrite or decide to try it after reading this blog, please comment and let us know what you think. We’d love hear about any creative ways that moms use the program. If you have a Startwrite worksheet that you liked to share with other moms, email it as an attachment to info@epikardia.com and we’ll forward all worksheets to our mailing list of Epi Kardia moms.

I hope this product review was helpful and that you’ll find the program as useful as we have. May all of your homes be Christ-filled and joyful!

In Him,

We, believing that the normal child has powers of mind which fit him to deal with all knowledge proper to him, give him a full and generous curriculum, taking care only that all knowledge offered to him is vital, that is, that facts are not presented without their informing ideas. Out of this conception comes our principle that….’Education is the Science of Relations’; that is, a child has natural relations with a vast number of things and thoughts: so we train him upon physical exercises, nature lore, handicrafts, science and art, and upon many living books… (Emphasis mine)

One of Charlotte Mason’s most popular tenets is that children do not have a natural affinity for twaddle, which includes second rate, predictable stories, dry compilations of others’ ideas, and incomplete textbook summaries.  Just as it is our job as parents and teachers to feed our children’s bodies, it is our responsibility to nourish their minds with living ideas found in what Charlotte termed living books.

What Are Living Books?

Charlotte Mason described living books as bursting with vital, vivid ideas written by authors who are passionate, knowledgeable and obviously fascinated by their subjects.  These books have noble ideas and often heroic characters.  Facts are usually combined in these works with fiction, and by that I don’t mean “made-up” information, I mean, a story. What young reader’s attention is not captured by a fascinating story?  All the better when the story contains or is based upon factual information and is accompanied by detailed, accurate illustrations.

Along with a large segment of homeschooling parents today, Charlotte and many of her devotees believed that living books should have a preeminent place in children’s education.  Charlotte observed that children had a natural affinity for literature and were distinctly susceptible to picking up living ideas from well-written, living books.

Interestingly, she also thought that our place as teachers should be ‘second place’ to children experiencing a book themselves.  Not only with books, but we should take a back seat when children study nature, artwork and music, as well.  First, children are to interact, or develop a relationship with, the book, tree leaf, painting or sonata. Then, they are to narrate (we will deal more with this in a later post), or tell back, what they observed, learned or thought about the work. Only then may we discuss our thoughts with them on the subject.  Giving them time to reflect on the object before we add our two cents is certainly contrary to many classrooms wherein students are expected to listen all day to “pre-digested” information in the form of teacher’s lectures.

We remember what that is like, don’t we?

Not Only For English

Did Ms. Mason believe living books were useful just for literature studies?  Absolutely not! Living books are appropriate for most children’s subjects, and should be included in many areas, including history and science.

• History – Fortunately there are bountiful numbers of wonderful children’s books that are included in the historical literature genre.  Believe me; an exciting story based on accurate historical and cultural details will engage your child’s imagination like no history lecture ever could, and help your children learn and be able to recall many details about a culture or historical period. Our family often discusses favorite books that we read together as many as ten years ago! Now that is retention.   Some of our favorites are The Golden Goblet (Newbery Library, Puffin)
  Johnny Tremain and RIFLES FOR WATIE.

• Science – Often considered a science book, The Librarian Who Measured the Earth contains fascinating historical details and describes a higher level scientific/mathematical concept in language that can be understood by an elementary school student.  Like so many living books, this one can be considered as doing ‘double duty’ and can be used not only for science, but also for history, math or even geography.

• Fine Arts – Add well-written biographies of musicians, artists, books about the history of instruments or how they are created, or about how different cultures express themselves in fine arts.  Charlotte would probably have you expose your children to the literature, art or music prior to reading the book, though.

• Geography – Read stories that take place on the plains of Africa, in the rainforests of South America and the bleak tundra of the Antarctic and use maps, globes and other activities, after written and oral narrations, to fill out and solidify the knowledge gleaned. Reading about missionaries and about explorers are other ways to include living books in your geography studies.  Check out Shipwreck at the Bottom of the World: The Extraordinary True Story of the Shakleton Expeditionfor an exciting story about Antarctica!

If you haven’t already, whether you use a literature-based curriculum or not,  we recommend you making a large place in your school day for an abundance of whole, living books, as Charlotte Mason did with her students.  Time to put away the predictable series books, the teenage romances (please!) and the dry textbooks (unless they are used as references or to fill in here and there.)  Liven up your homeschool and give your children the gift of enjoying learning.

Read more about some of our favorite books, coming soon. 

Happy Reading!

American History I

Colonization through the Civil War

You’ve been asking for it and we’ve been listening! Our newest high school course is days away from publication and you won’t want to miss out on the great savings during the first week of availability!

Just a little peak to let you see why we’re so excited about this latest Epi Kardia publication! Your student will be able to:

• Learn history from a Christian worldview and develop a healthy, realistic view of our true American heritage with God as the Designer and Orchestrator of our nation!
• Read living history books that truly make history understandable and relevant, with many primary and secondary sources included!
• Examine and evaluate real historical documents such as letters from Benjamin Banneker and poetry written by Abraham Lincoln!
• Learn about who our founding fathers really were and not just what they did!

With over 140 pages including teacher’s notes, book lists, specific assignments, evaluation tips including tailor-made rubrics for all major assignments, and many additional tools, you and your student are sure to have a greater understanding of our country’s history upon completion.

So, watch your email and our blog for this awesome opportunity to share our nation’s childhood with your high school students and bring history to life!

God’s blessings,

Beth and Dana

Do the Next Thing

If you don’t do it now, you’ll be in the same state
Tomorrow, the next day, you will still hesitate.
Trying to decide causes more delays
And some day you’ll weep over all the lost days.

Habit formation, according to Charlotte Mason, is one of the most important duties of a mother to prepare her children for fulfilling God’s purposes in their lives.  Instilling proper physical habits allows children to automatically behave appropriately—quickly and without arguing or deliberating.

Not only must we teach children to pick up their socks, brush their teeth and be helpful and alert, we must also help them form intellectual habits, which will enable them to use their God-given mental abilities in a disciplined manner.

• Attention is the foundational habit upon which others are based.  Our children must learn to focus their thoughts upon one thing for a time, rather than their minds continually flitting from one idea to the next.  Charlotte suggests using high interest, short lessons rather than long ones, and varying the location of the lessons from indoors to out.  If a student knows that each lesson is to be a set amount of time and isn’t unbearably lengthy, he learns that he can successfully meet his mother’s expectation of focusing on the material for that length of time.  If younger children’s thoughts are wandering, Ms. Mason suggested adjusting the length of the of time of the lesson until you have captured their attention for the entire time.
  

• Imagining is the result of providing children with heroic, breathtaking adventures in exotic lands, even in their pleasure reading.  Care must be taken to fill their minds with exciting ideas and problems that must take effort to solve.  Rather than just explaining gravity, for example, it is best to drop a pebble in the water and let them ponder awhile why it sinks. We do children a disservice by giving them information too quickly.
  

• Remembering is Charlotte’s name for full concentration and engagement of children’s minds.  Before beginning with today’s reading, recall what happened at the end of yesterday’s.  We know today that learning takes place when we connect new facts and ideas with what we already know.  We need to help our children make those connections rather than teaching them information in isolation. Connect the new information to the old.  Also, teach them to use their powers of observation and concentration by studying nature as well as by picture study.
  

• Perfect execution is the habit of expecting and receiving excellence in our student’s work.  Take care to assign work that you know is not beyond the reach of the young student.  Never allow a child the habit of mediocrity in his school work.  That doesn’t mean that she must write perfectly the first time she learns how, but the skill should be practiced day by day until it is executed to the best of the child’s ability, which will provide satisfaction knowing to the child knowing that her hard work was able to help her reach her goal.  Ms. Mason also encourages parents to make children complete projects that they begin before beginning another.  (A habit that many of us could benefit from, as well!)

• Obedience is “the whole duty of a child.” From infancy, parents should teach their children that obedience is not a choice, but an obligation, every time. Children should obey with a willing spirit because it is the right thing to do, rather than being “bullied” into submission. Charlotte adds that older children should see that making oneself do something that one would rather not do, because it is the right thing to do, is a noble act.

• Truthfulness is an absolute standard for children, according to Ms. Mason.  This not only includes never willfully telling a falsehood, but also being accurate in relating facts, without generalization or exaggeration for the purpose of generating a humorous response.  Repeating a story or rumor without ascertaining it to be true is also unacceptable behavior.

• Good Attitude is the last habit mentioned that we must develop in our children.  Children are to be taught to be respectful of others and their belongings and to have a cheerful disposition.  Charlotte suggested in young children that bad moods be handled most profitably by distraction.  Giving an unhappy child a pleasant task to do will help him focus on something else than his momentary unpleasantness.  It is our job to teach him  to see the bright side of things as well. Although I believe we have a natural bent one way or the other, one can learn to get into the habit of seeing the glass half full rather than half empty.

Charlotte Mason believed that all matters relating to children and their upbringing were important, but replacing poor habits in our children with good ones through patient, painstaking and loving training and correction is one of the primary roles we must be about in our homes.

God’s blessings upon your parenting and homeschooling efforts!