Califoregon Living

Book Description from Homeschooloasis.com

This book will change your perspective on and perception of early childhood education. What you think school will do for and in your child may be exactly opposite from your heart's desires. Appearances are deceiving, and that includes the colorful trappings of early childhood education.

 

My points of impact:

This was on of the most important books I read for the course.  It embodies the Charlotte Mason method.  I had heard of Charlotte Mason many times in other materials, but did not know what it was about.  After reading this, I was able to develop what I believe to be a strong vision for our homeschool future, using CM as the foundation, with the Sonlight curriculum, (etc.) building on it.

 

For The Children’s Sake

• Some schools are stumbling blocks where the end product is neither an educated person, nor one who has had a chance as a moral and free human being.


• Parents need to determine their priorities.


• Kids need privacy and freedom.


• Galatians 6:9


• Matthew 7:7-11


• The truly educated person had only had many doors of interest opened.  He knows that life will not be long enough to follow all through fully.


• Your children are born persons.  Look at him with love and reverence.


• Do not plan their life for them; no matter how noble.


• Identify their individual needs and capacities.


• We must serve who the child is and not fit him into our agendas and schedules.


• Child’s needs: love, nourishment, unstructured play


• Children need to be outdoor to play


• Being around water is stimulating to a child.


• First half of the day, devote to lessons; second half is nature, art, play, craft, physical activity.


• Children have a voracious appetite and ability to learn in their first five years.  Having been treated as persons, they are secure.  This means they have been loved, respected, talked with, listened to, read to.


• They have shared experiences with the family, and have had freedom to play alone and with friends.


• Narration-the child tells back what he just heard.  Have him tell you the story you just read to him.


• See page 33 for a list of ‘Living Books”


• Begin with listening to carefully chosen books read out loud everyday.  The, tell back what he has just heard.  Draw a picture, or when older, write an essay.


• 6 year old-20 minutes a day on reading and writing.


• The first task of education is a moral one, with a Judeo-Christian framework giving direction.


• Establish “if/then” consequences for wrongdoing




• Make it scripture based


• Habit of obedience to positive acts


• Habit of treating others respectfully.


• Authority: A balance




• Consideration-understand your child’s needs


• Justice-Authority is based on true righteousness


• Faithfulness-Consistency.  Child needs to depend on you.


• Diversion-Divert your child from wrongdoing.


• It is wonderful for children to be trusted.  But, it should always be freedom within normal limits, both physically and morally.


• Synopsis of philosophy pages 61-64


• Teach the skills for their own sake


• Introduce a wide variety of living books


• Keep teaching time short so “real” life can be satisfied.


• The atmosphere of environment




• Habit of attention and concentration




• Begins with play (peek a book, this little piggy)


• Extend story lines, keep them engrossed.


• Habit of truthfulness




• Help children focus on the details


• Habit of self control




• Not, “What do I want”, but, “What do I think is right in this instance”.


• Habit of unselfishness




• Verbalize your desire to do something else, but it is your duty to work/chore/etc.


• Verbalize child’s little victories when child is unselfish.


• Structure and form




• Reading, writing, and math in the morning when mind is fresh


• Family meal-converse with family, talk about activities of the day


• Listen to a book in the evening, read the Bible, pray together


• Make it a priority to talk, record, relax, and work together


• Duty calls, and responsibility should be accepted habitually.  But it should be balanced with the liberty to enjoy life.


• Look at famous drawings.  Let the child point out details.


• Listen to the best music.  Brahms, Bach, Beethoven, Elgar, Mendelssohn


• Share good books with children


• Direct Bible reading


• Make nature a priority in his life.  God’s creations.


• Organized lessons in the morning, nature, play in the afternoon


• Education is a LIFE.


• Socialization-mixing with different kinds of people or experiencing different situations.


• Work




• Children should partake in real work situations


• Creativity




• Create a time and place for creativity


• Have access to paper, wood, costumes, etc.


• No coloring books.  Provide good art paper, paint, markers, etc.


• Let kids make music, stories, poetry


• Let them dictate to you if they can’t write.


• Let them work in the kitchen


• Worship




• Let your kids see you pray and worship[


• Let them hear your conversations about God


• Give straight, matter of fact answers


• Each child should have their own special Bible


• History




• In conflict, look at both sides


• Do not limit to your own country


• Do not condense it to facts and dates


• Begin with narrative history stories.  Later add literary biographies.


• Foster the connection of a world community and not in isolation from one another.


• Create a timeline with both B.C. and A.D.  As a historical narrative is read, write down events and name them in the appropriate century.


• Divide a single century into decades.


• For younger kids-make a scroll.  After reading and narration, have the child draw an illustration of what happened.


• Take the kids to places where events occurred.


• Literature




• Reading aloud as a group has a sense of communication as they share together ideas and human experiences.


• Fairy tales, fables, myths, heroics


• Balance of sharing with shielding


• Be prepared to make a mistake and learn from them.


• Morals and citizenship




• Balance of school and home life with home as the anchor.  School provides other viewpoints.


• Composition




• Various subjects are interrelated. 


• Composition hinders development.


• Narration instead-verbal first, then written


• Under age nine




• 3 years of narrating a wide variety of subjects


• Learn spelling and writing as a skill and combine when older


• Daily diet of books, well written with communication


• Start by listening.  Have kids listen!  Have teachers listen!


• Write down what the child narrates.  Child will make connection of the words and written page.


• Share books, lessons, etc. at dinner time. 


• Purchase good notebooks to write in.


• Time is unhurried and TV free


• Letter writing: Let children receive and write letters.  Once letters are written, make a copy and put in notebook.


• Languages




• Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education includes introducing the child to his possible relationships with other persons in the past, and with those who live in other places.


• Latin-sense of the flow of history and the development of language


• Fluency of a spoke language before the written is tackled.  Simple phrases need to be heard and repeated back.


• Act out fables in another language


• Nature walks where all speak the other language.


• Speak to read to formal grammar


• Art




• Children spontaneously express themselves through art.  Have good materials available at all times.


• Envelope with six reproductions by a single artist




• Look at picture-study it without words.  Turn over and let child describe what he saw.


• Next time he looks at it, he will be more observant.  He has a relationship with the picture.


• Blank piece of paper.  Have him sketch what he saw.  Do not criticize.


• Give the child his own art book to study on an artist after he is familiar with his work.  Try to take the child to see the work in person.


• Let child illustrate a story that interests them.


• Art notebook to draw nature


• Parents do art alongside the kids


• “Quiet bag” for vacation.  Art supplies to enjoy when on a trip


• Music




• The discipline of learning a musical instrument provides the foundation for enjoyments and creativity later on.


• “Suzuki Method” of learning to play.


• Play the same classical music while relaxing with the family.  Creates a fond memory tied with the music.


• Each 1/3 of the school year, each child would know the paintings of one artist and one composer.


• From 1-3^rd grade, a child would know music from 9 different composers!


• Tues: Look at art, sketch it/ Next Tues: listen to music.  Make it fun and similar


• Let kids perform for you-organize a musical evening with friends


• Science




• Time in nature


• Have kids memorize a view and talk about it later


• Adopt trees in a patch of woods


• Go to places new and familiar


• Have kids bring back specimens


• Each child has a nature notebook to paint and write descriptions


• Display the specimens on the table


• Incorporate geography.


• Study temperature throughout the day.


• Look to all four directions.  See how the sun and stars relate to these directions.


• Cloud formations, wind, water


• Geography




• Specific narrative books that keep it interesting to the reader.


• Videos as well

 

• Math




• Grasp in steps that are mastered before the child is moved on


• Real life skills: cooking, dressmaking, gardening, shopping


• Play math games


• Use computers to aid in repetition


• Physical Development/Handicrafts




• Spend as much time outdoors as possible


• Organized team sports are OK, but not central importance


• It is a duty, not a luxury, to be fit.


• Cook, sew, clay, wood, garden, care for animals


• CM Motto




• “I am, I can, I ought, I will”