A pudgy
one ’n-a-half-year-old holds his toy telephone to his ear, listening intently
to its stop-and-go tune. He presses a button, talks gibberish—impersonating his
mother remarkably well. He toddles across the room with his phone to his ear
like his mother who tidies the house with a dust cloth in one hand, her
telephone in the other. I laughed when I saw it. The toddler is my grandson.
Not only is he cute, but he also provides a good illustration. Curiosity and
imitation are active in young children. Children are sponges, natural learners,
eager learners, nosey and inquisitive. This is what the nineteenth-century
Christian British educator, Miss Charlotte Mason, aimed to safeguard in her
students. She took advantage of this child-nature by tailoring a method of
passing along knowledge that keeps the doors of curious minds open. Here are
seven tips I gleaned from Miss Mason for a happy, curious lifetime of
learning.
Tip
#1
Choose
individual books for general knowledge.
An author with a special interest in his subject
will write a book with juicy details—details left out of a typical textbook
overview. Such a book has the power to open the doors of a child’s mind in ways
no textbook can, because it may be full of facts, the same facts found in a
textbook, but the information is presented in literary form, in a more
palatable and memorable way. An example of an author who delivers facts through
literary genre is Holling Clancey Holling. You can find his books in most
public libraries. They have been around since 1926. A student, the average age
of 10, will be intrigued by the combination of story, facts, illustration, and
extraordinary detail. Paddle-to-the-Sea,
Tree in the Trail, Seabird, and Pagoo are four of his titles. Add up the
details and it might surprise you how they surpass
those of a textbook. A wealth of such books is available on a myriad of topics.
Freely and confidently use them as legitimate schoolbooks.
Tip
#2
Take
advantage of the talking recourse.
When a child enters a first-grade classroom he is
trained to sit still and be silent for long stretches of time. In the
homeschool he has more opportunity to chatter. Like tapping a sugar maple for
its sap, Charlotte Mason took advantage of this talking recourse. She replaced
the classroom lecture with reading aloud. The authors of well-written,
carefully worded books were the teachers. She believed in a child’s ability to
narrate (to tell back in his own words what is read to him) to be an amazing
gift that every normal child is born with—and the best way to gain knowledge
from books. To spark a narration, use a short but meaningful passage such as an
Aesop fable, for example. To get the quiet child to say more, simply ask, “What
else?”
Over time, the skill and power of narrating will
carry over beautifully to the student’s writing ability. Multiple-choice,
fill-in-the-blank, and true-and-false tests do not facilitate writing. In the
homeschool we can replace these classroom conveniences and the teacher’s
lecture with the intelligent chatter of narration from books.
Tip
#3
Do
some science in the fresh outdoors.
Lessons are only as long as they need to be in
the homeschool. When one lesson is completed, the next is begun. With a
student’s full attention, a string of lessons can be accomplished in nearly
half the time of a conventional school schedule—and with no after-hours
homework. Time is available for getting outdoors.
Once a week, my children and I would take a
nature walk for firsthand observation. We’d record a nature find with a sketch
of it, be it insect, wildflower, bird, etc., and keep a field guide handy to
identify it. The find might be as common as a dandelion, ant, pinecone, or
robin. “Look, Ma, a butterfly landed on my sweater.” Nature poems abound. The
time taken to choose a relevant nature poem to be copied into a Nature Diary is
time well spent for English.
Tip
#4
Cultivate
an appreciation for art and music.
I home-educated my three children through high
school. These now-adult children meet with friends who were not home-educated
and are sometimes struck with how words call to mind different associations. In
conversation the name Leonardo was brought up in reference to a painting on a
Christmas card. A friend blurted out, “Oh, I didn’t know Leonardo could paint.”
She was referring to an American actor. My children thought this was funny. The
sad part is that the friend knew nothing whatsoever about the Italian
Renaissance artist, Leonardo Da Vinci.
A simple way to become familiar with some of the
world’s greatest works of art is to open the pages of an art print book. Art
appreciation provides children a storehouse of beautiful or thought-provoking
images. Charlotte Mason recommends we display six pictures of one artist’s
works throughout a semester. Let the children look and look and then describe
what they see. No fancy or expensive curriculum is needed.
Music appreciation is just as simple. Pop in a CD
of greatest hits of, Bach, Vivaldi, Scott Joplin, or Gershwin. Play a
composer’s music while you wash dishes, travel in the car, draw, or give the
little ones a bath. Classical pieces and folk tunes are part of our cultural
heritage. Art and music appreciation will inoculate your students against
grotesque noise and images they are sure to stumble upon in their lifetime.
Tip
#5
Read
history that has muscle.
In the homeschool we are free to look for heroes
in history. History has much to teach us about the choices of mankind and the
consequences that result. The sacrifices made, the human struggle for
discovery, the perseverance of invention, etc. give us hope that there are people
who care to make a contribution to the world, care about future generations.
Who are these people? What did they believe? To keep history from being dull or
flabby, its pages need to be inspiring. History with the muscle of right versus
wrong will help children develop their own willpower to do what is right, to
choose to follow God and to do it with all their might. We can highlight our
history curriculum with “hero admiration.” The Bible, biography, and historical
fiction can supply inspiring heroes whose virtues children may choose to
emulate. “Character is king,” said Ronald Reagan. It was a priority with
Charlotte Mason as well.
Tip
#6
Instill
good habits of quiet discipline.
The homeschool is an ideal place for instilling
“habits of the good life.” Charlotte Mason tells us we can instill one habit in
children at a time, keeping watch over those already formed. It is remarkable
what routine and good manners will do for the atmosphere of the home. Saying
“thank you” and “please,” sharing, taking turns, and waiting patiently can all
become habit. Speaking the truth in love, using determination, counting our
blessings, and remembering others in prayer are virtuous actions that do not
need strenuous moral effort once they have become habit.
A mother strives to be consistent. She knows a
habit needs her watchful eye until it is formed. The greatest care will be at
the onset. But once formed, the quiet discipline it brings is worth all the
effort.
Tip
#7
Keep
growing, Mom.
To keep from feeling weary or overwhelmed, the
home teacher can take part in what I call “Mother Culture.”® Homeschooling is a
parent’s responsibility and noble pursuit, but children need to see that there
is life outside of homeschooling. To dabble in an interest brings refreshment
to a mother’s soul. How about rummaging in your closet for the red wool you
purchased three years ago to knit that hat? Let the children see that Mom can
take her own nature walk, sew a curtain, memorize a psalm for Thanksgiving Day,
go on a “field trip” with Dad, or enjoy any number of recreations of her choice that demonstrate to her
children that life does not so completely revolve around them. Delicately pour
into your cup diversions of the enriching kind—small portions yet regular
servings. Keep growing into the person God is creating you to be. Your cup will
overflow into the family circle.
Home educators know Karen Andreola by her
groundbreaking book A Charlotte Mason Companion. Karen
taught her three children through high school--studying with them all the many
wonderful things her own education was missing. The entire Andreola family
writes product reviews for Rainbow Resource Center. Knitting
mittens and sweaters and cross-stitching historic samplers are activities
enjoyed in Karen’s leisure. For encouraging ideas, visit her blog: www.momentswithmotherculture.blogspot.com.
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