Back to "school" Edition submission

8.6.08 there it was the challenge:

For submissions to this special edition, we would love for you to answer any of the following questions:

1. How do you tailor CM to your family? Plans for the year that are a little out of the ordinary are welcome.

2. Reviews of CM sorts of products or links to products you are going to try this year.

3. Organization tips for CM topics like picture study, nature study, narrations, or anything else.

4. How do you pick your books for the year? Is everyone following closely to the Ambleside Online suggestions?

Many of these questions I've already sorted through because we home educate year round in order to take a day off here or a week off there, especially for a High Holy Day/Feast.

in june we were wrapping up Year 1 as is over at AmbleSide and I realized that yes narration is the best way to remember something but my son was totally bored. He is, what the curriculum review guru's would label as, a wiggly. I also realized he wasn't quite ready for Year 2 so I have him in a Year 1.5 that will last until the winter is over and then we'll pick back up with Year 2.

I wanted to find something that was still Charlotte Mason based and yet included some activities for my wiggly son. Mamma Squirrel said a truth recently, "Most seven-year-olds don't totally get maps, or dates. They don't get abstract ideas, cause and effect, or political things. But they do like stories, characters, heroes, villains. They do remember what happened and who did what, if not always why."

SO as of this posting of the carnival we're on week #7 of 34 as found in Beyond Little Hearts for HIS Glory by Heart of Dakota. I really wanted to dive into American History with my son and using stories seems more appropriate than a bunch of dates and names. Those are there too but surrounded by lifes of characters who lived during that time.

At first DS, then 6 when we started Beyond, would complain about having to do school-work. Now, which currently we are in week 5 as I type this and DS just turned 7 last week, he's warming up to it.

There is a weekly song to help with the Bible Memory verse and one or two craft projects and a geopgraphy lesson each week. There's also storytime with a book every 20 days from a different genre and we're making a timeline as well. Math and Science both have hands on activities which DS really enjoys.

Yes, we're not doing as many subjects it seems as we did with Year 1 and yet I know this fun intermission will help DS to mature with the extra time on the 3 R's and make Year 2 much more attainable. After all, this is about his education and what he's capable of and encouraging him to keep reaching for higher goals.

in the photo below is a shield we made the first week to go with Psalm 18:2 and the image on the shield is a Shofar.

The Daily Three for Children

Be sure that your children each day have:

• Something or Someone to Love (Yeshua, parents, pets .. ok covered)



• Something to Do (help mom and dad, lessons, be polite, play outside .. ok covered)



• Something to Think About (Bible Passages, Etiquette, living books ... ok expanding)

Does this mean I have to plan out every waking moment of my son's life? What about "masterly inactivety" and/or learning to entertain himself? Shouldn't he have time to come up with things that he wants to do, as long as they are in line with Philippians 4:8 of course.

"The parents of but one child may be cherishing what shall prove a blessing to the world." -- Charlotte Mason in Home Education volume 1; page1

Training of the Will or Habit Forming

That's right ... it doesn't start with Have no other G-Ds. It starts with I am the L-RD your G-D who brought you up out of Egypt but over the years Christians dropped this part because they didn't want to associate with the Hebrews -- but I do so I include it.

Psalm 122:6-7, Genesis 12:2-3, and don't forget who our Messiah is...a Hebrew and we want to be in the family of G-D Romans 11:16-25


Perhaps you prefer the summary: Mark 12:29-34, Matthew 22:36-40, Luke 10:25-28, Leviticus 19:18, Deuteronomy 6:4-5 ((matches up with Mark very well. Ah the Saviour, the Messiah always quoting Torah. Gotta Love that!!))

Regardless of quoting the 10, the "613", the over 1300 in the NT, or just the 3 short verses of Leviticus 19:18 and Deuteronomy 6:4-5 as our Messiah did, one thing remains how do we train our children to do this?

This was important to our Father in Heaven that we do it:
Deuteronomy 6:4-9
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:
And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:
And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.
And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.
And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

And wow, look at that, HE told us to do it and a practical way for how we could do it.


Using the Modern Paraphrase for principle #2 of Miss Mason's because it adds in the *info to avoid confusion on the matter, she believed:
'Although children are born with a sin nature, they are neither all bad, nor all good. Children from all walks of life and backgrounds may make choices for good or evil.' http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/20Principles.html

Vol 1 p103: "The problem before the educator is to give the child control over his own nature, to enable him to hold himself in hand as much in regard to the traits we call good, as to those we call evil..."


Proverbs 22:6 - Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

Story time:
My Intro to Jewish Roots instructor told us when his daughter was about 4 or 5 she stole a pretty, rainbow eraser from the local Christian Book Store. He didn't know about it until they had already gotten home. He said she was a very honest and humble girl. SO he asked her where she got it and right away she said she stole it. And he said to her, "who taught you how to steal?" and she replied with a cry, "no body I just knew how." and he said, "you mean no one had to teach you how to steal you already knew how?" so they returned the eraser and the owner of the store says to the girl, "that's alright you can keep it." and her parents were like NO it's not alright she has broken a commandment and needs to return the item and apologize.

We all have an evil inclination or impulse and we can choose to not head that impulse. When we are in relationship with Messiah HE of course is able to deliver us from that evil inclination, give us a way out of things tempting us, and help us keep HIS commandments.

1828 Webster definition of imp - A subaltern or puny devil

1828 Webster definition of impulse - Influence acting on the mind; motive

Matthew 6:13a - And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil ((and this should say/be understood our own evil inclination here))

I Corinthians 10:13 - There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but
G-D is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

John 14:15 - "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

((keep/guard/observe/obey/honor/remember))

My Intro to Jewish Roots instructor says he has 2 firstborn sons...one is adopted. He said that adopted son gave them a lot of trouble in the beginning and one day he was convicted by this verse:

Proverbs 19:18 NASB- Discipline your son while there is hope, And do not desire his death.

He realized he was thinking the whole time, "if only we hadn't have adopted him we wouldn't be having this much trouble." he asked for forgivness of those thoughts. And yes this also means don't desire your child's death ((both physical and spiritual)) and you desire that even without thinking it when you fail to train and discipline your child to teach them right from wrong.

Quote: Do not expect perfection with the children, if they were perfect G-D would not need us parents as HIS job would be done. ~ A Wise Homeschooling Mom

Some application verses to help us train our children:

Proverbs 29:17 - Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.

Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. ((man's or otherwise))

Philippians 4:8 - Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Ephesians 6:1-4
Children, obey your parents in the L-RD: for this is right.
Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise;
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the L-RD.

Practical application for us moms raising these kids to set the example or monkey see monkey do:

I Thessalonians 4:11- And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

I Timothy 5:14 - I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

Titus 2:3-5
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Proverbs 31:10-31

I Peter 1:16 - Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy. ((Leviticus 11:44))


It takes time to train our children and ourselves to daily do the right thing.

Are you committed to the challenge?

Mid-Year Evaluation

Two weeks ago we officially hit the half way mark of Year 1 as listed at AmbleSide....ok a few minor changes. ((Like saving AIS until Year 2 and no Trial and Triumph nor Just So Stories))

I thought it would be fun to evaluate how we are doing.

I am not sure who is enjoying the tales more, my son or me. I am really getting a lot out of Aesop and Parables from Nature. I had never even heard of these stories and am very glad to have been introduced to AmbleSide two years ago at our local homeschool support groups panel where several moms volunteered to share about their homeschool day. After that meeting I went home and searched for AmbleSide and fell in love with that first browse through.

This new love fest led to my reading as many books as I could get my hands on regarding Charlotte and her knowledge.

Recently, my son has also started to show that 'click' that all parents who've gone before me and successfully taught a child to read talk about. He's been looking at the guide on the cable box and trying to sound out the cartoon name that is upcoming and reading signs places we go. I'm hoping it won't be long before we can take turns reading the tales because I'm learning that my son is a lot like me in that we are both visual and hands on learners.

I notice he can word for word give a detailed account of something he has either seen or tried but not so much when he just hears it, unless of course it's a song/music piece....so in that regard he's auditory ... but who doesn't easily pick up the words to a song, especially if it's catchy. So for the early introductions to Shakespeare in Year 1, I have come across animated tales and am looking forward to seeing if he ((and I too)) can remember more if we've seen it and not just heard it only. Besides these were originally plays to be watched.

When it comes to the free reading booklist, I've also improvised and gotten as many as I could in DVD format. I've also been finding the Lang Fairy Tales in DVD format ((not necessarily the disney versions)). For example instead of reading The Glass Slipper or watching Disney's Cinderella, we watched Ever After ... yes a 2 hour movie and at first my son was like "groan" but he quickly began to just watch the story unfold. I really like this version, there's no magic ((which the Bible forbids)) and it teaches that people are people no matter there "station" in life. There's still the lesson too that Fairy Tales are "supposed" to teach, that right wins.

Overall I give the first 18-20 weeks of our official Year 1 Journey to be a delight and success.

Mother Culture Revisited

As you know, my first contribution to this 21st Century version of Parents' Review Magazine was on Mother Culture. I was delighted to read this edition's theme was centered on Mother Culture and knew it was the perfect time for me to revisit this area and share what I have or have not been doing.

SiDeNoTe: is it just me or does anyone else think of the Jetson's when they say 21st Century?

I can't remember the exact number of books a mom is recommended to be reading at a time, but I think they have some order like Bible, fiction, non-fiction, and maybe something else.

Bible is a given of course. I'm on my 3rd year in a row to read the Bible from start to finish. I can say it is lovely every read through. Even on the days when I'm too tired or just feel like there's not time or no desire I read it anyway and am never disappointed. This year I've chosen the chronological route to reading through.

When it comes to fiction, I have read the occasional book just for me but normally I let the read alouds in Year 1 for DS also count as my fiction reading.

As far as non-fiction goes, you can always find my nose in something educational. Books are great because they are portable but when I don't have a current non-fiction read I have been known to watch the History channel and the History channel International and educational dvd's.

Now for that something else I can't quite remember, I did recently complete an AAS in Accounting degree and have moved on to TorahClass online lessons and have comtemplated attending more in person classes on understanding how when we accept Yeshua(Jesus) as our Messiah we have been grafted in to the Hebrew faith ((see Romans chapter 11)). Then again, there's always continuing on with getting a Bachelor's in Accounting.

I sure hope I am a good role model for my son that learning doesn't stop when you turn 18!

And all that reading and learning really does refresh me.

I also enjoy time on the TreadClimber, a walk outside, a FIRM workout, a phone call to a good friend, reading weblogs, and playing games with the family.

Meaning behind this weblog's Title

Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life. To those of us who apply Charlotte Mason's principles while home educating our children this small phrase has huge meaning. What of those who only recognize the name Charlotte Mason but have never read her writings or even books written to "explain" what she wrote and did and said? I thought I'd take a post to use the three points from her synopsis in the preface of volume VI and share what it means to me.



'When we say that "education is an atmosphere," we do not mean that a child should be isolated in what may be called a 'child-environment' especially adapted and prepared, but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions. It stultifies a child to bring down his world to the child's' level.'



For me this means the education of life takes place right where we are. No artificial environments needed. What a relief because I rent a 2 bedroom apartment so we don't have an official "school room". Notice I didn't say there was anything wrong with having one, but I don't have the space. I'm free to instruct my son whether at home, the store, the library, the park or grandma's house.



'By "education is a discipline," we mean the discipline of habits, formed definitely and thoughtfully, whether habits of mind or body. Physiologists tell us of the adaptation of brain structures to habitual lines of thought, i.e., to our habits.'



Sometimes I wonder if helping my son to make good life long habits now will mean burnout down the road. Then reality slaps me in the face that if I'd made it a habit a long time ago to have routines then I wouldn't have to learn how to manage my home because that would already be a habit. I'm sure that good health and home cleaning habits taught now will be useful to my son when he is an adult and the husband and dad of his own family. ((plus my son sure is a looker so future wife know I'm praying for you and doing what the LORD instructs me to do in preparing this young man to be a man after God's heart))



'In saying that "education is a life," the need of intellectual and moral as well as of physical sustenance is implied. The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum.'



To be honest, I'm not sure whose enjoying this varied education more, my son or I. I'm delighted by many of the reading selections as listed at the AmbleSide website. Even the Year Zero booklist was a treat. Many of those stories I had never read. I feel privileged to walk this educational path with my son. I am thrilled to know that if a topic of interests arises we can pursue it.



I'd better get back to our living education. Happy learning!

Bible as part of our Home Education

As always it happens that this topic will be the one for submission to the CM carnival. Not because of any planning on my part, rather HE has HIS hand in what comes about in our lives.

I've been spending time refreshing my memory of my reading of Miss Mason's Volume One by perusing the chapter by chapter summaries over at the AmbleSide website.

"We are wrong if we assume that children are too young to enjoy the Bible unless we water it down for them. We don't know how God's spirit will work with each child, and we presume too much by keeping scripture from them because of their age."

Can I just admit that I have been reading for official Bible Lesson time from a child's Bible book. I am doing so in order to give my son a general overview of the Bible stories most children hear in sundayschool .... even when we attended a church where such things mattered, my son was not interested in going in a classroom without mommy. With that in mind he missed those early years of as Miss Mason would call it "watered down" versions of Bible stories. I saw nothing wrong with giving him this brief overview of Bible characters in such a manner. Although I do enjoy reading aloud because I can use the names Jesus and Yeshua interchangably and if there are any church(aka man's) doctrines that have been written into this children's Bible storybook, I can be sure and refute those on the spot.

"By age nine, children should have been read "the simple and suitable narrative portions of the old Testament and, say, two of the Gospels." Paraphrases are not necessary, children can learn to appreciate the beauty of the King James text."

Next week we will read the last 5 stories in the Bible storybook and then it's on to the list of Testament and Renewed Testament stories as listed. Of course I also want to spend 2 weeks on a fruit of the Spirit study as well. Of interest I recently read that the KJV is a 3rd grade reading level so no-one should say "it's too hard"...((grin)) *Ruth Beechick in World History Made Simple

"Children don't bring into their minds the kind of questions we adults have about the authenticity of scripture. They are able to take it at face value. They can work out their own perception of whether the stories are literal or allegorical later."

We've recently been reading in Exodus along with the weekly Torah portions and the kids of the group we get together to discuss with are very simplistic in their understanding of the reading. For example pharaoh's heart being hardened and the Word saying God hardened his heart and thus brought about the plagues and such. With the adults we were getting deep and talking is this calvinism since it says God hardened his heart so that means no use praying for anything((even salvation??)) since it's all up to God and how Moses says just a 3 day journey was that a lie so it's ok to lie and on and on us adults could go. The kids age 10 and under were like God is just showing us HE's bigger and smarter than we are. They weren't as concerned with all the ramifications, if I may use such a word, involved in this passage. Don't they call that childlike faith?!!

I want to end with a line from the summary of page 247 that I particularly like.

"...a verse or two at a time, should also be memorized because we don't know what stored scripture God may use sometime later in a child's life."

History's Buffet

(picture found at www.biblepicturegallery.com)

On page 280 of Home Education, Miss Mason said, "The fatal mistake is in the notion that he must learn 'outlines,' or a baby edition of the whole history of England, or of Rome, just as he must cover the geography of all the world. Let him, on the contrary, linger pleasantly over the history of a single man, a short period, until he thinks the thoughts of that man, is at home in the ways of that period."

Can i just admit now that I messed this up? You see we did a mini walk through all of history book for term one this year. I didn't want to dive into An Island Story this year because my son is not showing signs of retaining a majority of things I read to him, even with narration. The only telling once and then asking for a narration works and yet my son will still only tell me one or two words and say that's all he remembers me saying.

So the 7th begins term two of year one for us and I thought I had it all figured out meaning where in history we would focus. I really liked the idea of reading Our Young Folk's Josephus but I found errors in his writing with the very first chapter*.

I did spend most of winter break tinkering with various history lesson plans. I think I came up with a course of action at least for us and that is all I can do. I also want to keep in mind Miss Mason's advice to spend even the whole year with one person from history's timeline. After all, we have a good eight years to stroll through history, we don't have to learn it all in one year.**


*The first chapter says Nahor died and Haran lived but that's not right. See Genesis 11:26-32 .... Haran died not Nahor and Sarah is not Haran's daughter...she does happen to be Abraham's half sister see Genesis 20:12 - Abraham is speaking to the king at gerar

**For us, we will have the first eight years because starting with freshman year of high-school we want to have more of a history subject course resembling that which is recommended by colleges that a student should have taken. And I am totally going to push attending a college in our state where just working 15 hours a week one's tuition is paid for....no student loans is definately a good thing. Sallie Mae will not be renting a room at my son and his future wife's residence.

Mother Culture

I've been reading the CM Carnival since the beginning and a thought occurred to me that they are the 21st Century version of the Parents' Review Magazine. I wanted to contribute and the topic pressing on me at this moment is that of Mother Culture. While not technically a Charlotte Mason term it is relevant among moms who home educate using Charlotte's theories. Having established that fact what is mother culture then?


Wikipedia defines it as a term for an early people and their culture, with great and widespread influence on later cultures and people. Though the original culture may fade, the mother culture's influence grows for ages in the future. Later civilizations either learn and build upon their old ways, or can learn them through peaceful or military assimilation.


With that definition in mind one would think it is a good thing for a mom to pass on good qualities that will influence her children the rest of their lives. While this is good and is something we should be doing, in the CM circles mother culture is thought to have more to do with the continuing education of the mom.


Now that we have something to mirror it upon let's ask the question of why a busy mom who may think she has no time in her day would even want to continue educating herself. I think the reason for why can be answered in some good quotes. Charlotte Mason herself said, "Never be without a really good book on hand. If you find yourself sinking to a dull commonplace level, with nothing particular to say, the reason is probably that you are not reading and therefore not thinking . . . "* And it is written somewhere, "A mother is only a woman, but she needs the love of Jacob, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Moses, the foresight of Joseph, and the firmness of Daniel." **



And finally how does a mom get herself some of this mother culture? I can not speak for every mom but I can share what I am doing for mother culture.



Let's start with the summer my son turned four. We lived in an apartment complex with a courtyard and pool. Each day my son would play outside with other children his age range riding tricycles on the sidewalk path in the courtyard while I read or I would take my son to play in the pool and while he was safely swimming with other kids and wearing a suit with a built in flotation device I would also read. That summer I read just about every book I could get my hands on regarding home education.


Last "school year", when my son was five he took homeschool gymnastics and during that one hour I would take my book bag that held my Bible, Volume I by Charlotte Mason, and one or two other books of interest I was currently reading. Of course there was daily Bible reading also as many advocate that moms should devote a minimum of a half hour daily to mother culture.


Since January of this year I have also been taking one or two college classes per semester. I know that this endeavor has a tangible piece of paper to look forward to but believe that if I always feed the quest for learning I will be setting a good example for my son.


One way I consider modeling this quest is by working through the AmbleSide years myself. I realize that I will be doing this along side of my son. For example right now we are doing Year 1 (although slightly modified) and during this time, and probably on through Year 3, I will do the majority of the reading out loud to him. I hope that by Years 4 through 6 that my son can then do the majority of the reading out loud to me. The end result being that by the time we are ready to enter HEO we can both be on the same time table and read to ourselves and share narrations together.



I also feel in this way my only child will not feel like he is all alone in this undertaking we call education.



*The Story of Charlotte Mason by Essex Cholmondeley, Parent's National Education Union 1960, page 162.


** http://amblesideonline.org/PR/PR03p092MotherCulture.shtml