Good Morning!

We have some lovely entries to this edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!  Because so many of the entries relate to nature and the outdoors, we are dedicating this edition to Nature Study.

“We are all meant to be naturalists, each in his own degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.”

We are fortunate enough to live near the Atlantic Ocean - so of course we had to study Marine Biology! Studying the tides, netting and studying various creatures and their habitats first hand has been a marvelous experience.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom and family give us a insightful example of studying cattails through the fall, winter, spring and summer as suggested in the classic Handbook of Nature Study in her post  The End of Our Year-Long Cattail Study posted at her gorgeous blog,     Handbook of Nature Study.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom presents a second article recounting her trials and insights in Planning Astronomy Gives Me a Good Thump on the Head posted at her second blog, Harmony Art Mom.

Tricia Hodges exhorts us to enjoy learning with our children her post Deliberate Delight – Nature Study about their summer natures studies posted at Habits for a Happy Home.

Horseshoe crab washing up in the surf.

Tricia also shares with us a second article this edition called Butterfly – A Pastels Tutorial posted at her other blog Hodgepodge.

(I don’t know about the rest of you all, but I am impressed and a little intimidated by people who can keep up with more than one blog.)

Taking a closer look.

Pamela presents a photo essay of her family’s trip to  Mission San Miguel as they study California history, posted at Blah, Blah, Blog.

Charlotte Mason Discussion

Jennifer Lavender welcomes the Charlotte Mason community to take part in discussing her writings in her article How to Use This Blog posted at Charlotte Mason Series.

Nancy presents Enigmas on the Prairie, her reflections after attending the recent Living Education Weekend retreat, posted at Sage Parnassus.

a horseshoe crab from the inside

Books and Tea Time

Melissa presents a book list…decisions, decisions! posted at Bugs, Knights, and Turkeys in the Yard.

Chi-ann Rajah offers an inside look into one of her family’s  favorite habits in her article Teatime Tuesday posted at A Pilgrim’s Heart.

Amy in Peru lets us take a peek at her Book of Centuries and Timelines Galore posted at Fisher Academy International ~ Teaching Home.

our backyard hydrangeas

A Call for Creativity

Jamie offers this insightful post Creative Capacity at her blog See Jamie Blog.  Allow some time to watch the video – the insights it offers to our current educational system will give you plenty to think about!

Thank you for visiting this edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!  Come again!

In the first place, grammar, being a study of words and not of things, is by no means attractive to the child, nor should he be hurried into it.        –Charlotte Mason

Most kids would certainly agree.

Charlotte Mason strongly opposed teaching grammar to children under ten.  She felt that children were ready at that age to begin only short, gentle, grammar lessons. In the beginning, oral lessons of about 10-15 minutes were sufficient.

So how do I teach a ‘gentle’ grammar lesson?

Easily!

Charlotte Mason felt that rather than memorizing the parts of speech, grammar studies should begin with the ‘whole  concept’ of a  of a sentence.  Understanding the ‘whole’ first makes it easier to understand the ‘parts.’  So you can see just how easy this method is to use, here  is a short reprint of a first grammar lesson from Volume 1 of Charlotte Mason’s Original Home Schooling Series:

Words put together so as to make sense form what is called a sentence.

‘Barley oats chair really good and cherry’ is not a sentence, because it makes no(n)sense.

‘Tom has said his lesson’ is a sentence.

It is a sentence because it tells us something about Tom.

Every sentence speaks of someone or of something, and tells us something about that of which it speaks.

So a sentence has two parts:
(1) The thing we speak of;
(2) What we say about it.

In our sentence we speak of ‘Tom.’

We say about him that he ‘has learned his lesson.’

The thing we speak of is often called the SUBJECT, which just means that which we talk about.

People sometimes say ‘the subject of conversation was so and so,’ which is another way of saying ‘the thing we were speaking about was so and so.’

To be learnt––

Words put together so as to make sense form a sentence.
A sentence has two parts: that which we speak of, and what we say about it.
That which we speak of is the SUBJECT.

Lesson I Exercises

1. Put the first part to these examples:

—has a long mane.
—is broken.
—cannot do his math.
—played for an hour;
etc., etc.

2. Put the second part to—

That poor boy—.
My brother Tyler—.
The broken flowerpot—.
Bread and jelly—.
Mr. Brown’s tool-box—.

Following these exercises, Ms. Mason suggests that the student create new sentences by again replacing what has been left out.  Then she reminds us to remember to call the first part of the sentence – what the sentence is about – the SUBJECT.  After the student has finished creating all of his sentences, he is to go back and draw a line under the part of the sentence that is the subject.

It seems too easy, doesn’t it?  But this method of learning is surprisingly effective, especially when a new skill is reviewed for the next few consecutive days.

Once children have had a chance to hear the lesson, short passages of copy work were often used to reinforce what was discussed.  The perfect copy work for this lesson would be the “To be Learnt” section above:

Words put together so as to make sense form a sentence.
A sentence has two parts: that which we speak of, and what we say about it.
That which we speak of is the SUBJECT.

Using Startwrite for copy work

We recommend using  the Startwrite Program software for copy work, especially if your student is a new writer or just learning cursive.  Using Startwrite would allow you to give your child a perfect example to follow, in the type of handwriting you would like him to learn.  Here is an example of something typed into Startwrite in the Manuscript handwriting style.  When it is printed you see what is below along with blank guidelines underneath upon which your student will write.

This example would be good for a child just learning to write because she could use the dots to write the letters.  In the program you could lighten the dots as your child learns her letters, add arrows to guide her in learning how to make the letters, choose another type of writing style (or even use cursive), or you could type the copy work in normally and have your student copy it on lines printed below.

If you would like to see more information about Startwrite you can check out a past post here or go directly to the Startwrite website here.

So does this sound as if it would be more palatable to you than all those grammar worksheets, perhaps?

Reinforcing the lesson

We recommend each child have a place in a notebook for grammar rules.  Each time a new grammar rule is learned, it should be recorded as copy work and added to the notebook.

Not surprisingly, Ms. Mason advocated the copy work be chosen from superior literature such as the Bible or other living books.  In the Epi Kardia Daily Lesson Plans we choose copy work from our history and science selections, allowing the activity to  serve multiple functions. For example, in addition to grammar study, copy work can be used for handwriting  and spelling practice, memorization, and to review history and science concepts.

So for the next day’s practice on this grammar concept, a history or a science book would be utilized.

If you think this would be an easier and more engaging way to learn grammar for your student you might want to give the Charlotte Mason method a try!

Coming up — we will post a week of grammar lessons using this methodology!  To make sure you don’t miss it, subscribe to our mailing list on the top left of this page.

Although Epi Kardia doesn’t sell  math curricula, we have taught a lot of math over the years! Someone recently asked me what math curriculum I would recommend, and I hesitated answering because it seems as though there is a new program out every week! Whichever program you choose to use, here are a few ideas about  teaching math effectively, some living book recommendations on mathematical topics, as well as a few fantastic free resources you will not want to miss!

Charlotte Mason on Math

The practical value of arithmetic to persons in every class of life goes without remark. But the use of the study in practical life is the least of its uses. The chief value of arithmetic, like that of the higher mathematics, lies in the training it affords the reasoning powers, and in the habits of insight, readiness, accuracy, intellectual truthfulness it engenders.

Charlotte Mason advocated lots more talking about how we use arithmetic and math in our daily lives, rather than just making our students work endless problems. (Our modern equivalent to her slate is our worksheet.)  We must help our children connect arithmetic with real life situations. Cooking, measuring, telling time, traveling, buying groceries and even just cutting pizza are all routine activities perfect for incorporating ‘math’ conversations – and don’t forget to combine living books with your math study!

(Incidentally, my children have always had a miraculous ability with math when it comes to figuring out how to divide any dessert into an equal number of pieces so no one receives more than anyone else.)

Help Your Students See Math

We recommend a program that emphasizes mastery of concepts, beginning with manipulative use in the primary years for hands-on learning. It takes children a while to connect numbers with concepts. We know that the number 3 stands for three items, but young children need to learn this, and they aren’t all ready to grasp this concept at the same age.  Using buttons, toothpicks (be careful if you have littler ones around!), soup cans, M&Ms, blocks, or any other smaller objects can be extremely helpful in helping your child understand what numbers mean.  Especially as your child begins to learn arithmetic operations, it is very helpful to use manipulatives to illustrate problems. Continuing the use of manipulatives past the primary years is helpful for many students.

Another way to help your students see math is through making mini-books.  If you are not familiar with those, reading this post might help.  This photo on the right is a math fact mini-book we made.  These are ‘mini matchbooks’  in Dinah Zike-speak.    The math fact questions are on the outside and you lift the flap and look inside for the answer.

Making mini-books helps children with different learning styles as they are colorful, kinesthetic and provide a fun way to review.  My sweet friend Jimmie found this fantastic free resource: Dinah Zike’s Teaching Mathematics with Foldables. All of you Epi Kardia users have at least one Dinah Zike title in your library, I am sure, so you will be as delighted as I was to be able to download this 102 page tool for free!  Thank you, Jimmie!

One of the best things you can do for your children, especially if they tend to be more spatial in the way they learn, is to help them see the patterns in arithmetic.  One way to do this is encourage them to frequently count by twos, threes, fives, etc.  Additionally, using a one hundred number chart is very useful to help them identify number patterns.

As we approach the end of the school year and move into the summer, it is a beneficial time to review your math facts to get ready for next year.  Memorization of addition and subtraction facts by the end of 2nd grade promotes ease in dealing with 3rd grade concepts.  The same is true for memorization of multiplication and division facts by the end of 3rd grade in preparation for 4th – if your children are ready, of course. Gently practicing math facts throughout the summer is a helpful strategy for most elementary aged students!

Study Math through Living Books

Don’t forget to incorporate living books into your study of arithmetic and mathematics!  Reading about the real people behind the math helps bring it alive, as Charlotte Mason relates:

How interesting Arithmetic and Geometry might be if we gave a short history of their principal theorems, if the child were meant to be present at the labours of a Pythagoras, a Plato, a Euclid, or in modern times, of a Descartes, a Pascal, or a Leibnitz. Great theories instead of being lifeless and anonymous abstractions would become living human truths each with its own history like a statue by Michael Angelo or like a painting by Raphael.”

For the child that thinks she ‘hates’ math, letting her read as part of the math lesson might really help her learn to enjoy it more.  Here are some of our favorite living books with mathematical themes – check them out by clicking on the images.

Do you have any particular books that you would like to add that helped your students with understanding mathematical concepts?  If so, please leave the title(s) in our comments section below!  Thanks!

Blessings on your math studies!

One of the most controversial of Charlotte Mason’s principles is how she viewed the teaching of composition.

‘Composition’ comes by Nature.––In fact, lessons on ‘composition’ should follow the model of that famous essay on “Snakes in Ireland”––”There are none.” For children under nine, the question of composition resolves itself into that of narration, varied by some such simple exercise as to write a part and narrate a part, or write the whole account of a walk they have taken, a lesson they have studied, or of some simple matter that they know. Before they are ten, children who have been in the habit of using books will write good, vigorous English with ease and freedom; that is, if they have not been hampered by instructions. It is well for them not even to learn rules for the placing of full stops and capitals until they notice how these things occur in their books. Our business is to provide children with material in their lessons, and leave the handling of such material to themselves. If we would believe it, composition is as natural as jumping and running to children who have been allowed due use of books. They should narrate in the first place, and they will compose, later readily enough; but they should not be taught ‘composition.’

Did you get that last sentence?  Not teach composition?  Let’s look again at her thoughts restated in modern English:

1. Under the age of nine, composition should not be taught as a subject. Rather, children should narrate, either orally or in combination with writing, about an experience they have had or on a subject with which they are familiar.
2. Children who have been exposed to the best in literature will automatically be able to express themselves in writing.
3. Punctuation (grammar) should be taught using the books they are reading for examples rather than in isolation.
4. She intimated here and states more clearly elsewhere: Children are to be exposed to superior literature and be allowed to interact with it themselves without us voluminously interpreting and explaining it to them.

One of the keys to understanding this teaching is that she is discussing younger elementary children, not middle school and high school children.  In our curriculum we do not recommend formal composition instruction prior to the age of nine (third grade) – and by that I mean teaching children to write reports, summaries of literature or anything requiring more advanced reasoning skills or even requiring more than a very short paragraph at a time.

Some of the popular Charlotte Mason ‘interpreters’ believe Charlotte did not have children do any writing during those earlier years, but she did specifically state in the quote above (from Volume I, The Original Home Schooling Series) that narrations could be all or part in writing, even for children below nine.

Although we don’t believe children are to jump right into school with copious quantities of writing, as more classically oriented curricula often suggest, we do feel there are many skills involved in learning to write and they are more easily learned if they are taught using real books and reinforced through copy work in the earlier years. Some CM purists might disagree.  We do keep those lessons very brief and always in conjunction with books written at the child’s comprehension level, but we utilize copy work from first grade on and we include basic punctuation and grammar, as you can see in this first grade sample week  from our first grade plans here.

Although in #2 above Ms. Mason assumes that children exposed to high quality literature will be able to write automatically, I can’t say that has been my experience for all children.  Some have definitely been more natural writers than others, in my opinion, and some have benefited by more detailed writing instruction.  But not in the first few grades — save it for later elementary.

One can’t underestimate what young children learn and absorb through hearing and reading top quality literature, however, we shortchange them if we don’t answer their questions and clarify areas that they obviously do not understand, paying close attention to their attention span and interest level.  In Endangered Minds: Why Children Don’t Think And What We Can Do About It, Dr. Healy describes just how important discussion between parents and children is to developing children’s verbal and language skills, and the more conversation, the better.  Mind, I am not talking about  daily lecturing your primary-aged learners! If your find your children’s eyes glazing over and they suddenly disappear at read-aloud time, consider that you may have crossed the line.  This time with literature is to be enjoyed, not analyzed to death.

I would love to hear how some of you long-time Charlotte Mason fans have dealt with composition in your home schools.  Have you taught writing using traditional CM methods or used another curriculum?  At what age did you begin composition instruction?  I appreciate your input – it helps all of us!

Blessings,

An extensive knowledge of the exact meanings of English words accompanies outstanding success in this country more often than any other single characteristic we have been able to isolate and measure. —Research Scientist Johnson O’Connor

An extensive vocabulary is a valuable tool that will help your children in every arena of their lives: academically, vocationally and socially.  An excellent vocabulary will improve one’s ability to comprehend other’s ideas,  understand the ‘grammar’ of a field of study, and to better articulate one’s own thoughts, opinions and beliefs. In our family, the development of an excellent vocabulary is one of the benefits of a Charlotte Mason education that we have observed firsthand.

How is Vocabulary Developed?

Vocabulary is developed by immersing children in high quality literature – in other words -  living books.  Generally, it is not by vocabulary programs and workbooks. Although those have their place, nothing exposes children to a broad, varied vocabulary like reading exceptional books. Many exceptional books.

Even before children painstakingly learn to blend vowels and consonants, their minds should be stimulated by hearing top notch literature.  In fact, even Ms. Mason was amazed that young children were able not just to grasp, but truly enjoy books that were several ‘levels’ beyond their own.  Exposed frequently at an early age to living books resulted in children “acquiring a copious vocabulary,” according to Ms. Mason.

Do I Have to Stop and Look up Every Word I Don’t Know?

It seems logical to have children look up the words they don’t know, doesn’t it?  Surprisingly, Ms. Mason did not agree.  She felt as though it was demeaning to children even to offer explanations for words unless they asked.  She quite definitively proclaimed that explaining the words destroyed children’s interest in the story and ‘just flat annoyed’ them!  So how did she think they would learn words they didn’t know?  Charlotte felt that most of the time they had some idea of what a word meant by the context in which it was found.  She felt if children read broadly enough, they would encounter words in different contexts and eventually glean quite a competent understanding of them.

So How Do We Help Our Kids Add to Their Vocabulary?

There are a few things we can do to help our children learn new words:

1. Teach children to try and figure out new words by their context. Walk them through the process as you are reading to them if they ask about a word: What is the author talking about here? What do you think it could mean?  What other word might fit in that spot (based on the rest of the sentence)?
2. Model enthusiasm for learning new words by circling words during your own reading that you are going to look up later.  Add them to your ongoing word list.  Talk about them.  Practice using them in sentences.
3. Pick out vocabulary words from their history and science reading and have them learn the words at another time – not during their reading time.  Epi Kardia’s Daily Lesson Plans use this method.
4. For children third grade an up, have them start two lists in their language arts notebooks: one for Tired Words and one for WOW! Words. (For those of you who use Epi Kardia curriculum, those charts are in the Tools section of your Manuals.)

For example, Tired Words are words that are overused, nonexpressive and imprecise.  Words like good, bad, pretty, mad, great and nice are bland, boring and don’t convey much to your reader.  Help your children ‘collect’ more interesting words that will add zing to their writing.  On their WOW! Words chart they could add: virtuous, dreadful, gorgeous, furious, tremendous and mannerly. (Be sure to read their work aloud with the Tired words and then with the WOW! words — they will be amazed at the difference!) During their composition lessons, teach them to replace their Tired words with WOW! words. When you find an overused or nondescript word in their writing, it should be added to their Tired Words list, to be forever banned from appearing in their writing.  Have your children add to both lists regularly, and as you teach them to self-edit, have them eventually identify and replace any Tired words they find on their own without any help from you.

But most importantly, read, read, read!  If you do, you will be surprised at the words your children will learn and begin using in their conversation!  Have you not found that to be true in your own homeschool?

Happy reading!

Last time we discussed Nature study as perhaps the most obvious of Charlotte Mason’s suggested activities that utilizes many senses, hence appealing more to non-traditional learners. Of course, we are talking about being outside and actually observing nature first hand, rather than studying nature from books alone.  If you missed it, read that post here. Thankfully, Charlotte Mason’s educational methods dovetail with non-traditional learning in many other ways as well!

Train up a Child in the Way HE Should Go…

Many of the public school classrooms that most of us languished in only allowed for the traditional (auditory-sequential) learner to use her gifts. Hear a lecture, read a book, and then write a report on it.  Ho hum.

But if you have homeschooled for a while, you have probably noticed that all of your students do not learn in the same ways and they are not motivated by the same type of assignments. (Is that an understatement, or what?)  As we have mentioned before, as they become older, children begin to exhibit preferences for the way they like to learn.  Some like learning things out loud, perhaps to music, or maybe they like to discuss ideas orally.  There are others who need to read to learn, and are totally distracted by little brother’s humming and toe-tapping. Some think and remember best if information is presented in picture, chart or graph formats. Still others need to move around to maximize their learning.

Pay attention to these details and study your children in order to give them the opportunity to let them do their best work. Give them that opportunity by letting them use as many of their senses as possible, especially until you have identified which one they use the most.  Then maximize it by incorporating it into their assignments regularly.  They will be more engaged and cooperative when assigned work they enjoy and feel good about their ability to do!

Students Benefit by Hands on Learning

Activities that are hands on in nature generally benefit ALL types of learners, but especially those who are more ‘right-brained,’ which includes many non-traditional learners. So by giving your students the opportunity to do more hands on activities, you are maximizing all of your kids’ abilities to learn, but you are especially giving your non-traditional learners the chance to shine.  So continue to use those ‘living books’ in your schooling and have your students orally narrate.  But in addition, make sure students are not just reading and hearing; they also need to be seeing and doing.

For example:

• Have your students work on a project such as hooking a rug or dipping candles while you are reading to them about colonial times.

• Incorporate field trips into your school as often as possible – don’t just read about a farm, go visit one!  Let your students produce a photo essay of the trip instead of a written report.

• Let your children draw pictures while you are reading to them. Let your student narrate afterward, using his pictures.

• Create mini-books/lapbooks, Power-point presentations, or create video “TV commercials”  instead of writing traditional reports.

• Create African costumes and cook authentic African food while reading about Africa.

• Research and plan to have an evening of Olympic Games while reading about Ancient Greece.

Other Narration Ideas

As you know, one of those foundational beliefs of Ms. Mason’s was that information was not truly absorbed until it was reproduced in some way, usually through verbal narration.  But there are many ways to reproduce information.  I would not slight that method, however; especially if your children are younger and just starting out to ‘tell back’ that which they have read or have had read to them.  But as children become older, it is especially helpful for the non-traditional learner to be able to narrate in her own way, using her own natural bents.

• Let your very visual child actually take ‘notes’ in pictures while you are reading or teaching him.

• Allow more ‘hands on’ narration, in addition to the above suggestion, such as producing a dramatization, painting a picture, or creating a poem to ‘narrate’ what has been read.

Picture and Music Study

By their very nature, Picture and Music study appeal to the senses and should not be neglected. Some children are reached by art and/or music in a way that can’t be touched by reading.  Read about picture study here.  Books about period music and artists, as well as CD suggestions are included in every unit of our complete programs.

I’m so thankful that our kids have the opportunity to be taught the way that best suits them, rather than the way that best suits the school system!  If you have non-traditional learners at home, I would love to hear how YOU have incorporated Charlotte Mason’s methodology into your homeschool!   Please consider leaving a comment below.

Gratefully His,

Recent question: Can I homeschool my [non-traditional learners] Charlotte Mason style?

Answer: Of course!

As we discuss in our parent manual, parents teach and children learn in a variety of ways.  Some prefer to absorb information by what they see, for example, reading a book, watching a movie or viewing a live demonstration.  Some learn best by what they hear, such as when listening to a lecture, verbal instructions or an audio book. Some prefer to learn through what they do, or retain more by moving around as they are taking in information through another venue.  For example, making candles instead of reading about how they are made, or doing jumping jacks while practicing multiplication tables.   Most people utilize all of these learning methods to some degree, but  prefer one over the others.

Traditional school seems to be notoriously crafted to benefit the type of learners who like to sit still, learn things in a logical progression, and read about rather than experience what they are learning about, to the detriment of the others who don’t fit that mold! What a blessing it is that we are able to craft our learning opportunities to fit our children’s natural bents!

Charlotte Mason understood children. Many of her teaching methods and principles already incorporate a variety of learning methods.

Nature Study

Advocating as much time outside as possible, Ms. Mason suggested children experience nature first hand.

Children should be encouraged to watch, patiently and quietly, until they learn something of the habits and history of the bee, ant, wasp, spider, hairy caterpillar, dragon-fly, and whatever of larger growth comes in their way.

Rather than spending up to six hours outside every suitably-weathered day as Ms. Mason suggested, many homeschoolers satisfy their outdoor longings by taking at least one nature ‘walk’ per week, identifying and recording the different trees, flowers, insects and birds that come across their path.  (Some of our favorite books to use for these activities are below.)

Observing nature incorporates all the senses:  watching a bumblebee extract nectar from a flower while listening to its low buzz…feeling the gentle wind flow through your hair while listening to the leaves rustle…feeling the rough outer layer of a seashell and the smooth-as-glass inside, then holding it to your ear and listening to the ‘ocean’…

We help our children hone their powers of observation as they study their subjects, write about them and make detailed drawings in their nature notebooks, all while using visual, auditory and kinesthetic modes of learning.

Next week we will talk about other aspects of Charlotte Mason’s methods of learning in conjunction with learning styles.

Have a great week!

Warmly,

P.S.  These are some of our favorite books for aiding our nature studies. Check them out!
Handbook of Nature Study
Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America (Peterson Field Guide Series)
Peterson Field Guides; Rocks and Minerals
Peterson Field Guides; Wildflowers
Kaufman Field Guide to Butterflies of N.A.

P.P.S.  Read about one way to incorporate hands on (also known as tactile or kinesthetic) learning in this post called, Make a Lapbook!

Near the site of the original Charles Towne settlement

Named for King Charles II, Charleston was founded in 1670 at Albemarle Point, on the western bank of the Ashley River and was the first European settlement in the U.S. colonies.  Initially named Charles Towne, the settlement was later moved to its current location on the peninsula in 1680.  If you visit Charleston, make sure you plan a stop at the historical park at Charles Towne Landing.

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Nature Study

One of our favorite parts of following Charlotte Mason’s methods are beginning many of our days with Nature Study. Rather than Amber’s family going out to study nature, they conveniently had nature come to them when they found a snake in their basement!  Of course, they couldn’t let it go without studying it first… Nature Study — Snake! posted at The Mommy Earth.Barb loves the following quote about nature study from Charlotte Mason’s contemporary and friend,  Liberty H. Bailey. Barb-Harmony Art Mom presents The Threads of Nature Study posted at Handbook of Nature Study. Have you ever wanted to take a peek at other kids’ nature journals?  Jennifer includes some pictures of theirs along with some glorious fall color in her article, Our Tree Trip in Utah, posted at Living Charlotte Mason in California. Tammy presents a fascinating and informative article about an impromptu nature study that occurred recently at her house:  An Exciting New Find, posted at Adventures On Beck’s Bounty.

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Reproduction of English Settlers' Cabins at Charles Towne Landing

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Handicrafts

Ms. Mason advocated that children learn skills and abilities that would aid them in life and aid them in being productive.  In her schools she promoted handicrafts, not just arts and crafts. Sometimes moms are at a loss for handicraft ideas to do with their sons,  so here are some manly projects gleaned from Rebecca’s experiences as a Cub Scout leader:  Handicrafts for Boys posted at Little Homeschool on the Prairie.

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Charleston in the spring

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The Habit of Thinking

Children do not automatically do what is right – good habits must be painstakingly, regularly, consistently trained. Christin offers us a practical examples of how to do that in her insightful article,  The Habit of Thinking posted at Journey of Discovery.

Open in 2005, the Arthur Ravenel Bridge from Charleston to Mt. Pleasant has the longest single cable-stay bridge in North America.

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Forming a Relationship

It is natural that children, when exposed to great ideas from excellent living books, develop a relationship with what they are learning. Keri presents Forming a Relationship posted at Sunny Scholars.  Barb’s children certainly are forming a relationship with the characters as they study Les Miserables.  Read this excellent reflective piece on their literature study :  “An Appreciative Look or Comment” posted at Harmony Art Mom.  Although much broader than just this topic suggests, Bethany LeBedz presents Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom: The Tutor’s Private Coaching Session describing her wonderfully helpful magazines for rounding out a Charlotte Mason curriclum, posted at Confessions of an Organized Homeschool Mom.

Although Phyllis is just beginning her homeschooling years, she shares with us ‘what the beginning of a Charlotte Mason education looks like’ in her home as she shares A week in our school posted at Hunsucker’s Home from the Ukraine.

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These often photographed colorful row of houses on East Bay Street are affectionately known as ‘Rainbow Row.’  Although there are several explanations for these bright colors, many feel they originated from the colonial Caribbean, a regular port of call on trade voyages to Charleston.

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Copy Work

One of the basic tenets of a Charlotte Mason education is copy work. Cyndi Kinney posts an informative and helpful article on the benefits of copy work: Why Copywork? posted at Red Head Rambler.

During Colonial times the pineapple began to be used in the South as a symbol for the warm and welcome hospitality frequently found here.

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Picture Study

Like copy work, picture study is a hallmark of Ms. Mason’s education. Please read this for an introduction to picture study, and then read Brenda’s article, The Impressionists for Kids posted at The Tie That Binds Us for a wonderful example of putting it into practice.   If you have older children and would like to have them learn a more formal method of evaluating art, please read my article, Charlotte Mason Mondays: Picture Study for Older Students posted at Epi Kardia.

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This historic house of worship is also known as the French Huguenot  Church.  This Reformed church was founded about 1681 by French Huguenot refugees fleeing from religious persecution in France during the Protestant Reformation.

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Living Books

Here is an additional post written by Jeanne about reading aloud, called Again, with feeling posted on her beautiful blog, A peaceful day.

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No visit to Charleston would be complete without mentioning that the Civil War began right in our backyard with Confederate soldiers firing upon Fort Sumter, across Charleston Harbor, on April 12, 1861.  The Federal fort surrendered within a day and a half and would be occupied by Confederate forces for the next four years.

We hope you have enjoyed your Trip to Charleston as well as this edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!

Happy Homeschooling!

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P.S.  For Thanksgiving Activity ideas, check Beth’s blog post!

Narrating is an art, like poetry-making or painting, because it is there, in every child’s mind, waiting to be discovered, and is not the result of any process of disciplinary education.

The foundation of a Charlotte Mason education is regular feeding upon superior, living books: books that endow children with excitement, with new ideas, heroic ideas, which shape their minds and expand their spirits.  As opposed to textbooks which contain compilations of dry facts, we want living books abounding with stories.  Both children and adults have trouble remembering lists of facts; but stories are memorable; they incite the imagination; they can be life-changing.

Charlotte does not stop at just reading the stories, however.  She believed that knowledge is not appropriated by the student until it is told back, or narrated.  Beginning with short snatches of captivating stories, teachers are to read a paragraph or so, once, and then have students narrate what they have heard.

Narration, according to Ms. Mason:

• is a natural ability inherent in children that is awakened by excellent literature
• engages children’s minds such that information they read is considered, meditated upon and then is given back with some of the children’s own thoughts (assimilation)
• helps students understand and retain information about which they read
• should be used as a primary method of learning across the subjects

When to Start

When the child is six, not earlier, let him narrate the fairy-tale which has been read to him, episode by episode, upon one hearing of each; the Bible tale read to him in the words of the Bible; the well-written animal story; or all about other lands from some such volume…

Ms. Mason believed that short narrations should start by age six, over lighter, but classic, short episodes of literature, including the Bible.  Perfect literature for this purpose would be the short episodes of Aesop’s Fables (Stories for Young Children).
Start with a paragraph at a time, and make sure to read through the selection consecutively.

The next day, before starting the next narration/lesson, engage your student in a brief chat about yesterday’s lesson, affording the student a short period of review.  She suggests a few anticipatory comments about today’s lesson as well, to encourage your child to be ready to eagerly listen to what will be forthcoming.

As students grow in practice and maturity, they may be able to begin to narrate a short chapter in a history or science book as they reach ages eight and nine. At that age, a few comments after the narration may be helpful to identify and emphasize the moral elements of the passage. In the case of history or science reading, perhaps a chart or diagram might be drawn on the board to identify or clarify the elements to remember from the passage or to illustrate a scientific principle covered.

If narration is a new activity in your home, it is important to allow for a learning curve.  It is not necessary for your child to narrate every passage that he reads or is read to him. Often it is preferable to read a chapter or two of a book before beginning narrations on it, to build interest and aid your student’s immersion into the story.  If your child does not want to narrate, well, we all have to do things we don’t want to do, right?  Stay positive, enthusiastic, encouraging, and keep them short. J

Do I Correct Faulty Information?

What do I do when my child narrates incorrectly?  This is a common question!  A few strategies for dealing with it are listed below.

• It is preferable not to interrupt a narration with corrections.
• Only after praising what was positive about a narration and after encouraging a child for his efforts, gently make necessary corrections.
• If you notice a repeated grammatical error, such as a double negative, incorrect subject-verb agreement, etc., make a note to cover that area later during a language arts lesson.
• If your student has many details to remember, such as difficult names, dates, or places, it may be helpful to put those items on a white board before the narration.

Other Forms of Narration

Fortunately, there are other forms of narration other than oral ones, although it is preferable to begin with oral narrations for the younger children. Although it is certainly admissible to have a younger student draw a picture illustrating what was just read rather than an oral recitation.

Another option, especially for the older student (10 or 11 on up) is to provide a written narration over what they have either had read to them or over what they have read independently.  Sometimes the easiest way to start written narrations is to have students not worry too much about grammar and punctuation until they have written down everything they remember. Then during their next day’s writing lesson they can go back and clean things up a little.

Children can narrate not only from books, they may also narrate over art work and music.  As with all narration, this may be either oral, written or in picture form.  Some ideas about picture study narration can be found here. Narration over music can be accomplished merely by playing a stirring piece of music and then asking your student to tell about what story they could imagine taking place in the music.  Equally, they could also be asked to draw a picture over what they heard in the music.

An added benefit of regular narration in those early years is that it helps order children’s minds and prepares them for formal composition lessons once they reach the appropriate age.  The more exposure they have to hear, read and narrate excellent children’s literature, the more prepared they will be when it becomes time for them to write.

Happy Narrating!

Blessings,