Guest Post!

Today, I am guest posting over at Expanding Wisdom, sharing my journey from a conventional classroom educator to Christian Classsical homeschooler. J   Feel free to click on over and give it a read.

Time for a Bit of Rest...

Just wanted to pop in and let you know that things may be a bit quiet here on the blog for the next week or two.  We are heading out of town for a much needed family vacation this coming week, and coming back to begin a new term and celebrate James' 6th birthday!  

In the meantime...I thought I'd share a couple of things that I will be pondering during my time away in case anyone else is in need of some rest....

Sarah's new book and audio series Teaching from Rest.  I'm so glad she decided to release this a few days early so I could download it before we headed out of town.  I've skimmed my copy over already and it looks fantastic...and the 4 companion audios are from 4 of my favorite speakers and bloggers. :)  Hopefully the rest of my family won't mind listening along with me on our 8 hour road trip....

Also in the most recent Circe Podcast, Andrew Kern shares some more good thoughts about rest and anxiety. 

And interestingly enough, as I've been mulling over chapter 3 of School Education in preparation for my next post in that series, I'm seeing a lot of connections between the idea of Rest and Masterly Activity.  


Happy Reading, Listening, and Pondering!  Look forward to chatting with you again in a couple of weeks!

Christmas Break Links for You!

 

Two weeks of co-op and swimming are finished, our Christmas tree is slated to go up when my hubby gets home from work later, and the baking bug has finally bit me.   I do have our Nature Notes slated to post on Monday, but otherwise we are going to hunker down and enjoy our Christmas break as a family.

 

In the meantime, though, here are a few good links for you to read and ponder at your leisure:

 

The Paradox of Acquiring Virtue at the CiRCE Insititute

“It is the same with the virtue of patience. It is precisely when you are feeling frustrated, angry, and impatient that the opportunity for patience to grow rears its head. It was not until I had children that I realized what an impatient person I am, because before I had children I had no real opportunities in which to grow in patience. If we are calm and collected only when nothing is trying and testing us, then we don't truly possess the virtue of patience.”

 

On Teaching from a State of Rest at the CiRCE Institute

“But see, I didn't understand what he meant by "rest." He didn't mean, "Teach your calm children in a calm manner on a calm afternoon." He didn't even mean, "teach on a full night's sleep." (Thank goodness!) He meant that we ought to enter into God's rest and then serve Him wholeheartedly- not out of anxiety, but out of love and trust.”

 

Education for a Full Life at A Peaceful Day

“When I think upon the title of this set, The Education You Wish You'd Had, I can't but help thinking that this is the type of education my daughter does have. It is broad, and it is rich, and it is full of connections.  It is the stuff that adults wish they knew. It is the stuff I wished my daughter to know.”

 

Mind in the Making at A Spirited Mind

I haven’t read this book and I’m not likely to…too many other more interesting things on my to-read list.  That said, I found this review really interesting because each of the “7 essential skills” this author references are things that are developed naturally and well by following Charlotte Mason’s methods of education.  I love it when modern people today “discover” what CM already knew 100 years ago.

 

Five Educational Principles: Education is for Life at Simply Convivial

This has been a fantastic series (so far) by Mystie.  You can get to some of the other posts in the series from the little icons a the bottom of the post (under “you might also like”).  Lots of good food for thought and reflection.  (And, for what it’s worth, I’m hoping to follow along with her Desiring the Kingdom book club in the new year…stay tuned!)

 

Cultural Education vs. Education for Examinations and Tests at Sage Parnassus

“Let others feed the sausage machine and let P.N.E.U. remain with its few disciples outside the factory.  I don’t mean let it remain static, but where it moves forward let it move forward along the line of this ideal, rather than the line of standardization and tests, emphasizing always that the only education that matters is  this education of the soul, with all those mental and moral qualities which go to make up character.”

 

A very Merry Christmas to each of you!  I appreciate each one of you that takes a few minutes to join me in this little corner of the world.  Looking forward to chatting with you again about books, practical homeschooling, Charlotte Mason, and traditional classical education in the New Year!

Some Good Finds

A weekend bonus for you – a few of the highlights I’ve stumbled across online this week….

 

Life in the Real World After a CM Education at ChildLight USA

My kids are little, and sometimes it’s hard to “trust the process” with Charlotte Mason methods.  This was a very interesting read for me.  CM education really does prepare one for Life and not just a job.

 

Metaphor Monday: Becoming Christ-like or Zeus-like? at Simply Convivial

Um…ouch.  This was a convicting, but much needed, reminder.

 

Conversations with Maps at Sage Parnassus

I love geography, and loved Nancy’s post on this topic.  (Of course, now I’m rethinking how we approach geography…)

 

The Great Paradox of Form at The CiRCE Institute

Always good things to think about over at the CiRCE Institute.  Just a little snippet from this piece:

“I am impressed with the conviction that one of my primary goals as a father, and a teacher, is to teach my children a love of form. Our identity must not be like that of the world's--shifting, unstable, and changing. Our identity must precisely not be our own identity--it must be that of Jesus Christ.”

Truth and Story in Picture Books at Redeemed Reader

So, this isn’t a Charlotte Mason blog, and the term “living books” isn’t used anywhere in the article…however, I think the author hit the nail on the head in defining what a living book should be.  (This is talking about picture books, so illustrations are mentioned too, but you could apply the other criteria mentioned to any book, whether it is illustrated or not.  However I’d agree with the author is that if there ARE illustrations, they should add something to the text and not just be there for the sake of being there.)

Guest Posts at Afterthoughts

My blogging break here will be continuing for awhile longer, but I did want to pop in and let you know that I had two guest posts appear at Afterthoughts as part of her 31 Days of Charlotte Mason series last week:

What Lessons Look Like (Day 22)

What is Copywork (Day 23)

The whole series has been fantastic, so be sure to take some time to look at the rest of the series too. Enjoy!  I look forward to sharing in this space again soon.

Some Good Finds

Science: Each New Thing is Delight by Nancy at Sage Parnassus

            Great read about living books and science.  Be sure to follow her link to see more about their science narration notebooks – these are so inspiring to me.

 

CiRCE Podcast: Alissa Wilkinson on Teaching Writing, Writer’s Block, and Being Homeschooled from The CiRCE Institute

            Last week’s CiRCE podcast was another winner for me – I will be referring back to it.  Many of the suggestions for teaching writing that were given in the course of the conversation were very CM in nature, although CM terminology wasn’t explicitly used.

 

Good Behavior vs. Good Character: A Redemption Story by Dr Jennifer Spencer at ChildLight USA

            Why sticker charts and variations thereof don’t work. 

 

Charlotte Mason and the Latest in Educational Research from The Common Room

            This article is long, but worth the read – basically the methods CM outlined 100 years ago really ARE more effective than the methods you see typically used in classrooms.

 

The Habits Pendulum by Nancy Kelly at ChildLight USA

            This sums up some of the conclusions that I’ve drawn about CM style habit-training.  Glad to see someone so experienced and respected in the CM world confirm my thoughts.

31 Days Series to Watch this Month!

No, I’m not planning a 31 Days series here at Snowfall Academy (I’m lucky if I manage 2 posts a week, daily would be biting off more than I can chew!)  But I’m eagerly looking forward to following these series myself, so thought I’d share them with all of you too.  

 

31 Days to Morning Time: A Liturgy of Love by Cindy at Ordo Amoris

 

31 Days of an Organized Homeschool by Mystie at Simply Convivial

 

31 Days of Charlotte Mason by Brandy at Afterthoughts (Several AO Moms will be writing guest posts for this series, myself included.  Stay tuned!)

 

 

Happy Reading, Folks!

Some Good Finds

A few of the highlights of what I have been reading online….

 

Literature as Moral Instruction by Wendi C of the AO Advisory at Archipelago

            …or why you don’t need to have a separate  “character building” curriculum

 

Can Biology Make Sense? by Jeanne at A Peaceful Day

            …thought provoking article that wrestles with how to discuss the sometimes rather heated issue of origins with our children.  Regardless of your personal stance on the issue, I hope we can agree that it’s important to consider all of the various viewpoints and discuss them with our children.  That is what Jeanne is grappling with here, and I sure appreciate reading her thoughts on the issue as I consider it as well.

 

Teaching a Second Language if You Don’t Already Have One Yourself by Tammy at Aut-2B-Home in North Carolina

            Fantastic article about teaching foreign languages Charlotte Mason style.

 

Podcast: Debbie Harris on Teaching Classically in the Inner City from the CiRCE Institute

            Okay, so this is a good listen not a good read….I really enjoyed this podcast about the work of an inner-city classical Christian school.   We are homeschoolers, and blessed to be so, but I really wish that more children whose families are unable to homeschool for whatever reason had access to a school like this.

 

What is a Living Book? from The Thinking Mother

            This was one of the articles in the suggested reading for our study of Charlotte Mason's Principle #13.  I thought it was a great overview of what living books are and aren't.

Some Good Finds...

I have been stumbling across so many share-worthy reads online in recent weeks that I thought I’d start attempting to share them here.   Enjoy!

 

The Toad in my Garden, Or, the Importance of Non-Goal Oriented Teaching  from the CiRCE Institute

            Just in case I’m not the only one who struggles with feeling like my parenting and teaching efforts are inadequate.

 

On Inconveniences in Homeschooling: Meltdowns and Other Messes by Brandy from Afterthoughts

            Absolute must read for anyone homeschooling or considering homeschooling.  And then bookmark it.   And refer back to it often.  (I just did.  We had one of these mornings in my house today…)

 

Our Schedule, Our Atmosphere by Nancy from Sage Parnassus

            Wonderful scheduling post from an experienced CM mom.  Our schedule works similarly to what she describes here.  Worth considering if the “school at home” model isn’t working for you.

 

Teachers, Remember to Breathe: Four Books Worth Reading as School Begins from the CiRCE Institute

            I’ve seen these titles mentioned so often in traditional classical and AO circles that I think I may make this my next educational philosophy reading list…after I finish the 20 Principles Study and Poetic Knowledge, that is.  Have you read any of them?  (I did read Abolition of Man in college, but honestly can’t remember what I may have taken away from it…a re-reading is in order, methinks.)

 

Homeschooling: The Numbers are in our Favor from Renee at FIMBY

            This was another encouraging read, especially when feeling that pressure that not sending our children to a school with a traditional classroom set-up is somehow a disadvantage to them.  It’s not.