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,

I love lists and I like that feeling of accomplishment when I complete my list. However, at the end of the day, the quality of what I accomplished always weighs more on me than how much I completed. This definitely applies to our home schooling as well.  As I have established goals for my children over the years, my focus has generally fallen on the following general categories:

• Character training – without Christian character, the academics are meaningless
• A love for learning – instilling a desire for increased knowledge and skills even outside of “school”
• A habit of thinking – emphasizing extended and organized thought, whether in or out of the box, no matter what is being studied.

Examining these categories, I easily connect how Epi Kardia curriculum reinforces character training and helps instill a love for learning. With our emphasis on strong historical characters in the books that we select and the variety of activities, relating to all of the different learning styles, those goals are achievable. What about a habit of thinking? Does our curriculum promote that as well? I hope so!

I randomly chose an Epi Kardia historical unit and grade level from our Daily Lesson Plans, Immigration in 3^rd grade, and examined the projects associated with that unit. I hope what I discovered can assist you in creating great “thinking” projects for your children!

1. A thinking project doesn’t have to be complicated – after reading the book Liberty Rising: The Story of the Statue of Liberty by Pegi Shea students are asked to design a statue that they believe represents the United States of America. This type of activity promotes thinking on at least a couple of levels. First of all, a student has to develop some picture of the U.S. in his head. What does it mean to live in the United States? What types of symbols can he develop that represent this country? This requires moving from a known symbol, the Statue of Liberty, to a new idea. The next stage of thinking occurs when the student determines how to design their symbol. Even with a simple sketch, thinking through the design and implementing it is a higher level cognitive skill.

2. A thinking project can be messy and fun – following the reading of On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House) by Laura Ingalls Wilder, students create a model dugout. With this project, creating the dugout itself doesn’t require a tremendous amount of thinking. However, mixing up a batch of mud to form the model is definitely messy and fun. The student can add sod, a window and a door to make the project more detailed. The thinking comes into play after the model is designed and you discuss what it must have been like for Laura and her family to live in such an abode. By talking through their experiences and comparing them to how he lives, your child practices his processing and evaluating skills.

3. A thinking project can train children to organize their thoughts – at Epi Kardia, we are great fans of graphic organizers and charts. We greatly appreciate such tools because they allow children to organize their thoughts in a more concrete way.  If we don’t control our thoughts and organize them in some logical way, they only become burdens, often misleading and confusing us. They float around in our head without definition or logic. It’s like cramming a bunch of documents in a file cabinet without sorting them into files. What’s the point? When you need them, they’re just a jumbled mess.  Children who utilize organizational tools starting from an early age develop the habit of organizing the information they’re processing. For example, after reading Along the Santa Fe Trail: Marion Russell’s Own Story by Marion Russell, students are asked to create a list of items they would take if they were heading on a trail out West with a wagon caravan. Now, you could have the student just make a list without any rhyme or reason, or you could suggest that the student organize his list in logical categories. So, first the student needs to determine which categories might be essential such as food and cooking supplies, animals and livestock, clothing, medicines, etc. The student also has to take into account the limited amount of space in the wagon. Assignment limitations often promote thinking skills that are very practical in real life since we all have limits placed on us when we’re trying to problem solve. This type of organizational thinking translates to many other areas of academics and to general life skills as well.

4. A thinking activity can promote further questioning and thoughts leading to more thinking! With all of our Daily Lesson Plans, we include comprehension questions for history and science. Our goal with these questions are twofold: firstly, lead the student to focusing on the most important aspects of the book and secondly, require him to think about what he has read. Too often children are asked to read material, but are never required to work through the process of thinking about it and evaluating what they’ve read. For example, questions from the 3^rd grade Immigration curriculum following the reading of Just So Stories, Illustrated Edition (Yesterday’s Classics) by Rudyard Kipling include:

• Do you think curiosity is a good thing?
• Is there a time when it could be negative?

Note how we start out with a seemingly simple question. The first answer could be a simple “yes” or “no.” If we stopped there, very little thinking or evaluation would take place. However, the second question requires more advanced thinking because it’s an open ended question. This style of question requires thought rather than just regurgitation of facts or a “yes” or “no.”

Another example may be derived from On the Banks of Plum Creek (Little House). The questions related to chapters 23-24 are as follows:

• How was the country party different than the town party?
• How did Laura’s church compare to your church?
• Why did Pa not get new boots?

The first and second questions require that your child compare and contrast. Comparing and contrasting require higher level thinking skills. Also, note that the third question begins with “why” which usually indicates that deeper thinking is involved to give a complete answer.

There are many other opportunities to train our children to think from puzzles to analogies to problem solving sets. With such a variety of options, we can work on these skills without having to focus on one type of activity or project.

Things We Do That Prevent Our Children From Becoming Thinkers

While none of us want to consider that we might have habits preventing our children from becoming strong thinkers, we very well may. By looking at our own habits, and reforming some of them, we can promote stronger thinking skills in ourselves and our children.

1. We don’t give our children time to think. When I was an education intern, I had a teacher who truly loved to teach. I was so blessed by the time I spent with her. She had a habit of counting to 30 slowly after she asked a question, whether it was addressed to the entire class or just one student. She explained that adults often do not give children enough time to think through answers and children develop the habit of hesitating, knowing that the adult will eventually give them the answer. Also, in a classroom setting or even with two or three children, the extra time allows for more students to think through a response. If one of your children is really quick and another requires more time to process, that second child often doesn’t get to think through the process and provide an answer. He may very well rely on the quicker child.

TEACHING TIP: If you have a student who really struggles and needs more time, give him the project directions, questions, etc in advance and let him mentally process what you’re requiring before you become involved.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Provide more time for your child to think through problems and projects by being patient.

2.  We don’t  follow through on projects and activities. It’s easy to assign a hands-on project or an activity, especially with older children, and walk away. When the project is done, you give a grade or make a comment and move on. With this habit, you’re missing on the most important part of the process…what was discovered or learned. If you don’t discuss the thinking behind the activity or inquire about the thought involved, then you are basically grading your child on his ability to follow directions.

TEACHING TIP: Before assigning a project or activity, develop a few questions or discussion topics to go along with the assignment. Also, understanding what you expect as outcomes, setting educational objectives, will be an enormous help. This does not have to be complicated or detailed. You can note one or two essential objectives or you could set up a rubric (for more information about rubrics, see the Epi Kardia Parents Manual) in a matter of minutes. Rubrics also reveal your expectations for your children, helping them better understand the significance of a project or activity.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Don’t assign a project or activity without thinking through what you want your child to think about in the process.

3.  We have too low or too high of expectations. Sometimes we underestimate our children and don’t challenge them enough. At other times, we have enormous expectations that greatly exceed their abilities. If you notice that school bores your child or he is continually flying through his reading, writing and other assignments, it may be that he is just not being challenged. This same child may also be a behavior problem or he may drive you crazy because he has too much time on his hands. He isn’t learning to think because his work is too easy. Other times, we seriously frustrate our children because we expect them to be like us or other people’s children, when we really just need to give them work on their level. Work that is on the correct level for a child requires some measure of challenge without pushing him into frustration.

TEACHING TIP: Pay attention to how your child responds to projects and assignments. Note if there’s a specific type of activity that causes him more difficulty than others. Avoid taking the easy road by making assignments too simple, but pay attention if you find that he is getting seriously frustrated.

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: Take time to regularly communicate with your child about his work. Most children will tell you if something feels impossible to them or if they think it’s just plain boring. There are so many different ways to instill skills, adapting to your child’s level of learning is certainly possible.

4. We get stuck in ruts. Sometimes we teach our children the way we liked to be taught. For example, comprehension questions really appeal to certain types of people because they simply have to answer them and move on. Some moms love doing hands on projects and they become so involved in the process that they forget the purpose. Using a variety of activities and projects allows your child to think in different ways and situations. If you’re always doing the same type of activity and evaluation, your child will struggle when life throws him a different type of problem to solve.

TEACHING TIP: Definitely use your personal gifts when teaching your children, but don’t just rely on those gifts. If you never step out of your comfort zone, how can you expect your child to do so?

REFORMING YOUR HABITS: If you have an area that you know is a weakness, such as hands-on projects or maybe you don’t love reading, let your children see you working on them. Discuss how you struggle with these types of assignments, but point out that you’re not ending your education with adulthood. This type of situation is ideal for teaching your child about lifelong learning!

Hopefully, this blog has given you plenty to think about! I would love to hear how you train your children to think. Maybe you’ve overcome a habit in teaching and we could all benefit from that encouragement!

May God give you a spirit of joy, a compassionate heart and a mind that dwells on His glory!

In Him,

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,

Make a Middle Ages Dictionary!

Part 1

Learning a subject’s vocabulary is an essential part of learning about a subject.  This project will greatly enhance your student’s understanding of the Middle Ages and can be applied to many other time periods or topics as well.  There are many terms in Adam of the Road that relate to items or activities specific to the Middle Ages. Each time your student discovers a medieval term in his reading or vocabulary word lists, have him include it in his dictionary.  You might challenge him to find as many words as possible and offer a small incentive if he reaches a certain number of words. If you are teaching more than one student of similar ages/abilities, you might even have a contest for the most words included.

This project can be as simple or elaborate as you like. If you have a student who is adamantly not artsy craftsy, you may have him simply make this dictionary as a list on regular notebook paper and keep it in his history notebook.  OR, you may choose to have him incorporate art work, computer clip art, or even make a cover for it.  (See directions below in Part 2.)

Many of the time-specific words encountered in Adam of the Road and other Middle Ages reading can be found in a regular dictionary, but some of them require a little more research.  An online encyclopedia or the following links to online medieval glossaries may be helpful. Try here.

Note that we have not checked out every word in these glossaries and we always advise you to supervise your students on the Internet!

Your student may use lined or unlined paper for this project, or, if he can type, he may key in his words and definitions into a spreadsheet program where they then could easily be sorted into alphabetical order.  If that is not an issue or if your student would rather write, decide how you want to break up the alphabet—maybe two pages for A-C, D-F, etc. Notebook dividers or tabbed cardstock can be used to separate sections.  As your student completes his daily reading for this unit, have him keep an ongoing list of medieval terms and their definitions.

In the first chapter of Adam of the Road, many words are included describing monastic life including: nones, matins, prime, (times of prayer), abbot, and abbey. Also, if you are using Epi Kardia’s Middle Ages-1 Lesson Plans, have your student include words from his vocabulary list:  surcoat, mantle (clothing items), minstrel, heraldry…  There will be words throughout the book and other reading selections that could also be included in your student’s dictionary.

If your middle-schooler enjoys hands on projects, encourage him to make a more elaborate book. He may want to intersperse his book with drawings pertaining to the middle ages, such as:

• drawings of a knight, king, queen, monk, minstrel
• illustrations depicting scenes from Adam of the Road or other reading
• diagram of a castle
• illustration of some of the words included in his dictionary

After all the words have been added to the dictionary, it is time to make the cover!

Part 2

If you are choosing the the simple approach but want to have some kind of a cover, just use a 1/2 inch 3 ringed view binder and have your student decorate the cover insert with a drawing or computer clip art. Search for more clip art by using other terms such as knight, castle, monastery and medieval.

If your student would like to create a more involved cover for his dictionary, he could start with two thick pieces of stiff cardboard measuring about 9″ x 12″ and a piece of contact paper measuring 21 inches long by about 15″ wide.  (He will also need glue, two pieces of blank 8 1/2″ x 11″ white paper, a ruler, scissors and a stapler. If a heavy-duty stapler is needed, have your local Office Depot or Staples help with that part.)

1. Fold the contact paper in half loosely (before removing the backing!) to find the middle.
2. Open the paper again and lay it out lengthwise, with the colored/patterned side down.
3. Place the cardboard side by side on the wrong side of the contact paper, in a portrait (not landscape) fashion, allowing about a pencil width between the the pieces of cardboard.
4. The cardboard should have about an inch margin of contact paper above the top and about two inches on the bottom.  Trim the four corners of the contact paper to make neater corners once they are folded.
5. Remove the cardboard and carefully remove the backing of the contact paper.
6. Lay the contact paper out as before, with the right/patterned side down, and place the two pieces of cardboard evenly, side by side on top of the sticky side of the contact paper, with a pencil-width margin between the pieces.
7. Carefully and neatly fold the top and bottom margins of the contact paper over the cardboard. Start with the middle and work your way out to the sides.Carefully and neatly fold the side margins over the cardboard.
8. Glue a blank sheet of unlined white paper over the ends of the contact paper inside each side of the bookcover. (These are called endpapers.)
9. Take the stack of dictionary papers and make sure they are in order. Line up the stack, and place it in the middle of the book, centering it top and bottom with the cardboard pieces. Make sure the left margin of the stack is in contact with the center margin of the contact paper.
10. Close the book cover and staple at least three times down the length of the fold, making sure you are stapling all of the papers inside the book.
11. Decorate the cover of the book by writing a title in permanent ink and adding stickers or gluing on beads/yarn, etc.

Read about medieval books and look at some pictures here for inspiration!

Whether you use this lesson or not, we would love to see pictures of the books you make with your students!  Send them to dana@epikardia.com and we will post them!

Blessings on your school week!