Blog Archives

All on a Friday morning

9/26/2014

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things
Philippians 4:8

Every other Friday for 2 terms a year my son and I experience the joy of being together with friends to share our teaching and learning. 10 subjects ; 4 1/2 hours; 1 snack; 14 kids; 6 moms. It's a refreshing, invigorating addition to our regular at home days. Here's is a taste of our morning.

Shakespeare
Folk Song
Picture Study
Nature Study
Composer
* Snack *
Geography
Poetry
Handcrafts
Plutarch
Hymn

Learning alongside these older kids and their mothers who have gone before me has been the most valuable thing to the practicality of my teaching at home. Seeing narration in action with all ages, hearing the moms' choice of wording presented in different subject areas, the level of expectation, the atmosphere, the little ways each one is treated as a person, the flow of the morning, the simplicity yet variety in the lessons, and mostly being able to see where I am headed in this journey being fleshed out in front of me, are some of the most amazing things I have been blessed with from these times together. I don't really know who's learning more, my son or I? I know for a fact that our school times at home would look much different if it was not for this group.

If you're interested, you can read more about our Truth Beauty Goodness group's latest adventures via another one of the moms from over here.

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A great thing

9/15/2014

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It is a great thing to be a parent: there is no promotion, no dignity, to compare with it.

Inspiration from last week's book study:

Mothers owe a 'thinking love' to their Children.––"The mother is qualified," says Pestalozzi, "and qualified by the Creator Himself, to become the principal agent in the development of her child; ... and what is demanded of her is––a thinking love ... God has given to the child all the faculties of our nature, but the grand point remains undecided––how shall this heart, this head, these hands be employed? to whose service shall they be dedicated? A question the answer to which involves a futurity of happiness or misery to a life so dear to thee. Maternal love is the first agent in education." -CM Vol 1

handcraft: paracord bracelets

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Sloyd: Manual training for mind and soul

9/10/2014

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“When is a child so happy as when he is doing-- or undoing—something with his hands?”

A portion of the term's work in sloyd.

If you've never heard about sloyd, you're not alone. I hadn't either, but I was inspired to dive in and learn more about this fascinating and nearly-lost-art of hand work. Now that we've spent an entire term working on sloyd at home and in our little homeschool community, I'm happy to share the treasure trove of learning we have encountered!

The root of the word sloyd (or slojd- in Swedish) can imply ‘artfully wrought’ and ‘wisdom and forethought.’ The basic definition is: a slow steady progression of working with ones hands to develop manual and mental skills and to develop character. It can be applied in metal, wood, paper, cardboard or other materials. We used cardstock and bristol board.

students doing wood sloyd

There's so much history and theory behind sloyd.

"it aims to make them [children] more fit to cope with the difficulties of life, and thus to make them useful and honorable members of the community."

It "...gives practical direction to mental activity. Man is not only born to think, but also to do. He is creative and must embody his ideas in form."

Charlotte Mason’s PNEU school program shows sloyd or carton work mainly from ages 6-12 during the handcraft period about 1 ½ - 3 hours per week. But sloyd had value also as an important addition to students' mathematical learning. At the same time children were doing sloyd, they were also learning elementary arithmetic, practical geometry and outdoor geography. Imagine the mental connections!

You can find a great book titled
Paper Sloyd: A Handbook for Primary Grades by Ednah Ann Erdich free online
which has instructions, ideas and models to take you through your first years with sloyd.
Our group did this handcraft with 6 year olds on up. As in the PNEU, when students finished making a model, they were encouraged to use their creativity to make up their own creations using the skills they learned and embellishing the models in some way.
You can also search AO and find some interesting Parent's Review articles
that discuss sloyd.

Sloyd is still being taught all over the globe, but particularly in the US at
North Bennet Street School in Boston,.
Click the link to see a short video on the benefits of sloyd and the value of hand skills training for today's society from the school's president.

We must “give children a respect and love for all honest hand-work and hand-workers and so save them from that blight of shame which still fastens on many a human being at the thought of working with their hands.” -Mason

"Let the youth once learn to take a straight shaving off a plank, or draw a fine curve without faltering, or lay a brick level in its mortar, and he has learned a multitude of other matters which no lips of man could ever teach him" --John Ruskin, "Time and Tide", 1883.

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Connected

9/4/2014

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The Parent's Midwest Educational Union, PMEU, aka. our local parents homeschool book study had it's kick off event for the school year this week with books, treats, discussion and reminders on walking forth in a posture of humility. Like the image in our minds of 'the flowering rush that bends to the waves of life but does not break,' I too hope to move into this school year' carrying the breath of life to God's children' that I teach.

First nature study of 2nd Grade!

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Welcome!

"I am recording this so that future generations will also praise the Lord for all He has done." -Psalm 102:18

I am a mama to 2 sweet brothers who aspires to a "thinking love" toward my children.

Take a peek into our journey towards a living education inspired by the writings of Charlotte Mason.

Be sure to leave me a comment if you're inspired!

I prefer to keep my text and images right here. Please don't copy without permission. Thanks!

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Librivox free audio books

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Bible verses put to song

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Previously...

Our Story

Our Year 1 Rhythm

Cloth Diapering

Century Chart

Learning to Read

Wool Felting

Nature with Little Ones

Playful Learning ABC

Living Math

Raising Tadpoles

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

From Caterpillar to Butterfly

Beginning a Foreign Language

Animal Tracking with Kids

Beginning Preschool

First History Lessons

Maple Sugaring with Kids

Children in the Garden

Sloyd handwork

Monarch Miracle

I Participate

"In this field small efforts are honoured with great rewards, and we perceive that the education we are giving exceeds all that we intended or imagined.”
- Mason