The Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival - Fullness of Living

Welcome to the May 26, 2009 edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival where parents and educators from all around the globe share how they are implementing Charlotte Mason's timeless ideas in their homeschools and classrooms.

I will be sharing some comments from Miss Mason and from those who knew her personally. I think you will find further insight into this amazing woman's life and her educational ideas. All quotes are taken from In Memoriam.

"As we think of Miss Mason's long and beautiful life spent in ceaseless happy toil "for the children's sake" we ask ourselves what it was she strove to win for them, why it was that she was always happy no matter how weary. Was it a method of education all summed up in one word, narration? Was it the use of books? Was it love of Nature? Was it the power of self-expression in words, in material, in music? Was it happiness? Was it goodness? Was it worldly success? One may say that the good which Miss Mason sought included all these, but it went beyond, it reached out till it became fullness of living."

Jimmie presents Vermeer Artist Study posted at One Child Policy Homeschool

Keri presents Poetry posted at Sunny.

Yours Truly presents Ask and it shall be given unto You after twelve years of teaching the Charlotte Mason way...

"I think if anyone asked me what I liked best about Scale How I should say the fact that all of us love birds and butterflies, insects, and flowers and that our museum is a "perfect disgrace"--we have not a single stuffed bird or snake, no lovely collections of butterflies and insects, no pressed flowers or birds' nests or eggs, only a few rocks, minerals, and fossils. For the rest we spend the afternoons with, and not hunting, catching and collecting birds, beasts, and flowers."

Molly Evert presents Resources for Birding with Children posted at Counter-cultural School

Jamie presents Nature Study: Butterflies! posted at Rose Cottage

Martha presents Frogs, Frogs and more Frogs posted at Sunrise to Sunset

"At the back of all Miss Mason's teaching, was a philosophy of life based on an intense conviction of the personal relationship of every individual soul with God--a relationship that was the basis of all joy in living. One realized the power and joy of knowledge--the knowledge that is enshrined in all great literature, art and music, the knowledge of living creatures, of the goodness of sky and sea, of wind and cloud and all the "green things upon the earth." an ex student

Amanda Christina presents Tint and Shade Paint Project Video Tutorial posted at Hearts and Trees, saying, "I put together a really fun video tutorial focusing on painting tints and shades. This is an easy project for children of all ages."

"Out of doors the students learn to look and to watch they they may know creatures and plants by sight as they know friends; to recognise the birds by their song, flight, feathers and nesting places, and their time of arrival and departure; to observe the flowering seasons of all trees and herbs and the ripening of common spore-bearing plants such as horsetails and large liverworts; to note the reappearance of butterflies and dragonflies, stone,--caddi,--and mayflies, and to know some of their eggs and larvæ. Each one records in her own Nature Note Book that which has interested her, and takes home something to paint. The effort of attention during the time given to painting the twig, flower or fruit, chrysalis, shell or egg, fixes its form and colour in the memory. " Drury

Barb presents Nature Study in Ripples posted at Handbook of Nature Study, saying, "Where I attempt to explain my thinking about how nature study starts close to home and you build upon that knowledge and apply it to other habitats."

Brenda Sain presents Insect Collecting posted at The Tie That Binds Us.

"In Miss Mason's philosophy, every child is a personality endowed with infinite possibilities, and to her vision--the true vision of the seer--the trail of the "clouds of glory" is ever visible even when the shades of the prison-house seem darkest."

Anna Migeon presents Dinner Table Pharisees and Born-Again Vegetable Lovers posted at French kids don't get fat, saying, "In education, as in religion, it is the motive that counts," writes educational reformer Charlotte Mason in A Philosophy of Education. Motive is equally important in eating."

"Schools in general send forth scholars who have learnt 'how to learn'; (they rarely show that they have learned this art!) We send out scholars who have learned and do know and find knowledge so delightful that it becomes a pursuit and source of happiness for a lifetime." CM

Amy Smith presents Our Homeschooling Curriculum: First Grade posted at Kids Love Learning.

Molly Evert presents My Audio School: Lamb's Tales from Shakespeare posted at My Audio School

"We have resorted to the play way quite unnecessarily, and made things easy far too long. The children rejoice in the hard work if you will let them do it." Golding

Jessica presents Utilizing Yahoo Groups for your CM Homeschool posted at Established Work.

"It is a pity," says Miss Mason, "that we like our music as our pictures and our poetry mixed, so that there are few opportunities of going through as a listener a course of the works of a single composer . . . Let young people study as far as possible under one master until they have received some of this teaching and know its style."

Alecat presents May's composer focus: Prokofiev posted at Serenades and Solace, saying, "This year we're focusing on a composer every month...Hopefully others can also enjoy the material I've collated, as well as being inspired to look for some themselves."

"The children had their opportunity, and they rose to it, as Miss. Mason knew they would. ..."Given a book of literary quality suitable to their age, and children will know how to deal with it without elucidation." And what was suitable was to be by no means easy, for Miss Mason asked much of them. It was her way. The books are hard. But the more she asked, the more the children gave. And,though they never saw her, there were thousands who loved her, because she understood them and knew what they wanted. "

Pauline presents Nature Bloggin' #6 and My Vincent Van Gogh posted at Ordinary Days

ChristyH presents Reading and Remembering posted at The Secret Lies with Charlotte.........

"Without knowledge Reason carries a man into the wilderness and Rebellion joins company...Fundamental knowledge is the knowledge of God and while we are ignorant of that principal knowledge, Science, Nature, Literature and History, all remain dumb."CM

Lindafay presents HEO Year 7- A Schedule that Fits it all in and Still Leaves time For Masterly Inactivity right here at Higher Up and Further In.

Barb presents Organizing Literature: High School Level, saying, I am trying to record our high school experiences for those that are coming behind me."

"It is not yet the time to measure up her whole achievement. The full harvest is not yet. But there is enough to justify the confidence that posterity will see in her a great reformer, who led the children of the nation out of a barren wilderness into a rich inheritance. The old bidding prayers of our homes of learning rise to our lips. The children of many generations will thank God for Charlotte Mason and her work." H.W. Household

That concludes this edition. Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you leave today inspired to keep climbing higher up and further in as you seek new ways to teach your children to live their lives to the fullest!

one step at a time...

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