I have been a terrible gardener this year. The only thing I have successfully grown in every area are weeds!!!
God blessed my work anyway and we did get some veggies though!
This morning when we woke up, all the corn was knocked down. I thought maybe it froze... but cows had gotten in and ate all the corn right off the the stocks!!! SAD--- bad cows!
9.06.2009
Amazing Site
I have been thinking about education and studying Charlotte Mason's ideas. I found a place to download her original writings from the 1880's. I will read her writings this year. If I want to use her ideas, I will be able to start with Weston next year.
The site I found is truly amazing. It is a group of ten homeschool moms who educate their kids with the Mason method. They have organized and designed a website to help other moms.
It is completely free and they have each year preplanned and with the click of a button you can find almost anything you need there! They have book lists, ideas, artists, music, science all there. Another amazing thing is that they found so many online downloadable books, art prints, and music. With the click of the mouse I have what I need here, even in the frozen tundra!! :)
I do think that children should have real books and be able to hold them, understand how they work and follow along, but sometimes having the no bookstores or libraries here make the online features very useful!
So if you are interested in reading about Charlotte Mason, downloading her writings or her homeschooling methods check out
www.amblesideonline.org
The site I found is truly amazing. It is a group of ten homeschool moms who educate their kids with the Mason method. They have organized and designed a website to help other moms.
It is completely free and they have each year preplanned and with the click of a button you can find almost anything you need there! They have book lists, ideas, artists, music, science all there. Another amazing thing is that they found so many online downloadable books, art prints, and music. With the click of the mouse I have what I need here, even in the frozen tundra!! :)
I do think that children should have real books and be able to hold them, understand how they work and follow along, but sometimes having the no bookstores or libraries here make the online features very useful!
So if you are interested in reading about Charlotte Mason, downloading her writings or her homeschooling methods check out
www.amblesideonline.org
9.04.2009
Thoughts on education
Charlotte Mason is such an interesting Christian lady. She was born in 1842 and was educated at home by her parents. She was orphaned at 16 and went to teachers college. She became a teacher shortly afterward and realized that parents needed help with their children. She gave a series of seminars that were later published with the title Home Education. This was the beginning of the Parents’ Education Union.
She helped expand education to all classes of children. Her philosophy of education is interesting to me, “Two key mottos taken from those principles are "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life" and "Education is the science of relations."
Her ideas include the use “living books” not textbooks and to replace the practice workbook with narrations. As little children they are read to and then asked to tell what they learned the mother writes it down. As the children grow, they will read and write part of their ideas and later they will write their narrations in entirety.
Science it taught mostly by observation, and a nature diary where the children draw and write what they learned through observation.
Art is also an area of real learning. Studying at least 5 paintings from the same author in a semester. Studying mostly just means having them one painting propped open on the table. The mother should also know about the artist and answer questions or tell stories about the painting or artist as well.
Spelling and grammar are learned in the mix with the narration, again in a real life context not a booklet/lecture.
History as well is learned from “living books” biographies and autobiographies.
Music is taught by listening to great composers. Later children who study instruments will be delighted to play what they already know.
She also had an interesting and challenging idea of motherhood. Since mother was the teacher, she had to always be learning and growing. The mother must take time for herself to read and learn or her teaching will dry up.
When I wrote my first application for teaching, I wrote that my goal was to, “educate lifelong learners.” I knew at the time that it sounded good and would help me get hired, but I really meant it. I really enjoy learning and reading and challenging my mind to new things, and continually learn and grow being a lifelong learner. How comforting it is to see that can overflow into motherhood and “home education” and how it already has in Sierra and Weston.
I have so much to learn about mothering, especially nurturing with gentleness, which I am sorely lacking; but one of my strengths is teaching and reading a summary of Mason’s ideas made it clearer to me how that can run over into mothering and help me to create a better environment of home and learning. That is in a sense, mothering. Mothering and teaching are really not able to be separated. The teaching really does begin at birth and what a mother knows naturally flows from her into her children’s minds.
It is freeing too to take the mystery out of education and realize that I am not really a home “school.” I am not part of the machine of school that includes tests, pressure and labeling. I am free to educate my children aside from these things. I am free to find the most interesting, entertaining and good books read them and share them with my children. To teach them to read, write, figure, and think in those contexts. How wonderful.
She helped expand education to all classes of children. Her philosophy of education is interesting to me, “Two key mottos taken from those principles are "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life" and "Education is the science of relations."
Her ideas include the use “living books” not textbooks and to replace the practice workbook with narrations. As little children they are read to and then asked to tell what they learned the mother writes it down. As the children grow, they will read and write part of their ideas and later they will write their narrations in entirety.
Science it taught mostly by observation, and a nature diary where the children draw and write what they learned through observation.
Art is also an area of real learning. Studying at least 5 paintings from the same author in a semester. Studying mostly just means having them one painting propped open on the table. The mother should also know about the artist and answer questions or tell stories about the painting or artist as well.
Spelling and grammar are learned in the mix with the narration, again in a real life context not a booklet/lecture.
History as well is learned from “living books” biographies and autobiographies.
Music is taught by listening to great composers. Later children who study instruments will be delighted to play what they already know.
She also had an interesting and challenging idea of motherhood. Since mother was the teacher, she had to always be learning and growing. The mother must take time for herself to read and learn or her teaching will dry up.
When I wrote my first application for teaching, I wrote that my goal was to, “educate lifelong learners.” I knew at the time that it sounded good and would help me get hired, but I really meant it. I really enjoy learning and reading and challenging my mind to new things, and continually learn and grow being a lifelong learner. How comforting it is to see that can overflow into motherhood and “home education” and how it already has in Sierra and Weston.
I have so much to learn about mothering, especially nurturing with gentleness, which I am sorely lacking; but one of my strengths is teaching and reading a summary of Mason’s ideas made it clearer to me how that can run over into mothering and help me to create a better environment of home and learning. That is in a sense, mothering. Mothering and teaching are really not able to be separated. The teaching really does begin at birth and what a mother knows naturally flows from her into her children’s minds.
It is freeing too to take the mystery out of education and realize that I am not really a home “school.” I am not part of the machine of school that includes tests, pressure and labeling. I am free to educate my children aside from these things. I am free to find the most interesting, entertaining and good books read them and share them with my children. To teach them to read, write, figure, and think in those contexts. How wonderful.
9.03.2009
First Week of Homeschool
Our first week was really great. It was full of fun projects! I am making sure to make it super fun, I don't want to just check off the boxes and make him "hate" learning or even dread it.
I am surprised how quickly a school day wraps up. We start with Bible, reading a bit from the Children's Bible, then a memory verse, then letters/reading, then writing, and last math. We follow that with a break. It only takes about an hour though!
He is not restless, except for writing and sounding out words. These are the hardest things for him, so he of course doesn't care for them. During that time, I have a bean jar to help motivate him. Today he earned 30 beans and sounded out 4 words, "dad, cab, bad, and cat!" When the bean jar is full, we'll go to the store and he can pick something to buy! He LOVES the bean jar.
Then we have a break. The children are outside now having "recess."
After that there we have literture reading time, history or science, crafts/art.
Then we eat lunch. The whole "school day" is about 2.5 hours. It is really nice. I should have started with the kids earlier.
We made pinwheels this week... here is a cute picture!
9.02.2009
Baptism Pics
I am slowly catching up and posting pictures from the time my camera was broken. I borrowed a friends camera, but needed the cord to get them onto my computer.
Anyhow, here are pictures from the baptism 2 weeks ago. It was a good day of fellowship and the celebration of following the Lord!
Puppies-8 in all
Our dog Sam is a great dog mommy. Peter is making dog food almost everyday. She is a hungry dog, caring for her pups. They pups are all doing well. Here are some pictures.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)