Our Charlotte Mason book club hosted a party tonight, and we were each to bring a bookmark or ornament displaying a Charlotte Mason quote. This was a fun, new and inexpensive way to do a Christmas party, and we all enjoyed our monthly Starbucks and CM discussion.
I have included some of the quotes below. You'll notice the blatant disregard for proper bibliographical formatting, and complete lack of specific book & page number references. Tough. If you need the reference, Google it.
The quote I brought, on a little pink bookmark:
"All beautiful and noble possibilities are present in everyone."
The quote I received, inside a cookie-cutter Christmas ornament:
"Nourish a child daily with loving, right, and noble ideas...which may bear fruit in his life."
Several chose the "CM Motto":
"I am . . . a child of God, a gift to my parents and my country. I'm a person of great value because God made me.
I can . . . do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God has made me able to do everything required of me.
I ought . . . to do my duty to obey God, to submit to my parents and everyone in authority over me, to be of service to others, and to keep myself healthy with proper food and rest so my body is ready to serve.
I will . . . resolve to keep a watch over my thoughts and choose what's right even if it's not what I want."
A few of my favorite CM quotes, way too long for a bookmark:
"The idea that vivifies teaching. . . is that 'Education is a Science of Relations;' by which phrase we mean that children come into the world with a natural [appetite] for, and affinity with, all the material of knowledge; for interest in the heroic past and in the age of myths; for a desire to know about everything that moves and lives; about strange places and strange peoples; for a wish to handle material and to make; a desire to run and ride and row and do whatever the law of gravitation permits. Therefore. . . we endeavor that he shall have relations of pleasure and intimacy established with as many possible of the interests proper to him; not learning a slight or incomplete smattering about this or that subject, but plunging into vital knowledge, with a great field before him which in all his life he will not be able to explore. In this conception we get that 'touch of emotion' which vivifies knowledge, for it is probably that we feel only as we are brought into our proper vital relations."
"The child's mind is not a blank slate, or a bucket to be filled. It is a living thing and needs knowledge to grow. As the stomach was designed to digest food, the mind is designed to digest knowledge and needs no special training or exercises to make it ready to learn."
"'Thou hast set my feet in a large room' should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking -- the strain would be too great -- but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest... The question is not, -- how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education -- but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?"
Update: I forgot my favorite one, but found it in Javamom's review of our evening:
"Mothers work wonders once they are convinced that wonders are demanded of them."
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Friday, November 30, 2007
From Lil Yoda's Exam
Lil Yoda performed very well on her exams this term. Below is the poem by William Blake that she memorized.
The Little Lamb
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life and bid thee feed
By the stream and o’er the mead?
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, wooly bright.
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice.
Little lamb, who made thee?
Does thou know who made thee?
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee.
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee.
He is called by thy name
For he calls himself a lamb.
He is meek and he is mild
For he became a little child.
I a child and thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little lamb, God bless thee.Little lamb, God bless thee.
And her narration on William Shakespeare:
William Shakespeare wrote lots of plays. He lived at the time of Queen Elizabeth. The old plays were boring but these plays had more talent, like A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Taming of the Shrew or Romeo and Juliet. Not all of those have happy endings.
Like in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo died because he thought that Juliet had died but it was just poison, and the poison that Juliet had dranken only lasted for a little while, so that the other person that she was supposed to marry would think she died and then she could marry Romeo. But Romeo thought she died and he actually died. So Juliet killed herself.
Shakespeare performed his plays at the Globe Theater. There was a secret trap door on the stage so that the people could appear from nowhere. And there was a secret trap door up on top so that the people could be flying.
Shakespeare was born in the 15s [1500s], somewhere. He lived in Europe.
The people that were performing onstage at the Globe Theater sometimes said, “Hello,” three times. But the people that weren’t onstage didn’t know why. They said, “Hello,” three times because there were three places there. The people with cushions had to pay three pennies, the people with no cushions had to pay two pennies, and the people with no seat had to pay one penny to get in. But it’s not like that nowadays. Nowadays we like to sit around and listen to the plays, and laugh at an inside theater. The Globe Theater had no top, so therefore it was an outside theater. So they couldn’t perform when it was rainy or when it was snowing or when there was a thunderstorm.
The Little Lamb
Little lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life and bid thee feed
By the stream and o’er the mead?
Gave thee clothing of delight,
Softest clothing, wooly bright.
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice.
Little lamb, who made thee?
Does thou know who made thee?
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee.
Little lamb, I’ll tell thee.
He is called by thy name
For he calls himself a lamb.
He is meek and he is mild
For he became a little child.
I a child and thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little lamb, God bless thee.Little lamb, God bless thee.
And her narration on William Shakespeare:
William Shakespeare wrote lots of plays. He lived at the time of Queen Elizabeth. The old plays were boring but these plays had more talent, like A Midsummer Night’s Dream or The Taming of the Shrew or Romeo and Juliet. Not all of those have happy endings.
Like in Romeo and Juliet. Romeo died because he thought that Juliet had died but it was just poison, and the poison that Juliet had dranken only lasted for a little while, so that the other person that she was supposed to marry would think she died and then she could marry Romeo. But Romeo thought she died and he actually died. So Juliet killed herself.
Shakespeare performed his plays at the Globe Theater. There was a secret trap door on the stage so that the people could appear from nowhere. And there was a secret trap door up on top so that the people could be flying.
Shakespeare was born in the 15s [1500s], somewhere. He lived in Europe.
The people that were performing onstage at the Globe Theater sometimes said, “Hello,” three times. But the people that weren’t onstage didn’t know why. They said, “Hello,” three times because there were three places there. The people with cushions had to pay three pennies, the people with no cushions had to pay two pennies, and the people with no seat had to pay one penny to get in. But it’s not like that nowadays. Nowadays we like to sit around and listen to the plays, and laugh at an inside theater. The Globe Theater had no top, so therefore it was an outside theater. So they couldn’t perform when it was rainy or when it was snowing or when there was a thunderstorm.
From Padme's Term Exams
We completed our Term Exams Thanksgiving week. I thought I'd post a couple of excerpts here. The exam is several pages long, and Padme did a fantastic job! I am always amazed at how much detail the kids are able to retain, based on Charlotte Mason's education methods. We use the http://www.amblesideonline.org/ curriculum.
The poem Padme memorized, by William Blake:
Piping down the valleys wild
Piping songs of pleasant glee
On a cloud I saw a child
And he, laughing, said to me,
“Pipe a song about a lamb.”
So I piped with merry cheer.
“Piper, pipe that song again!”
So I piped. He wept to hear.
“Piper, sit thee down and write
In a book, that all may read,”So he vanished from my sight,
And I plucked a hollow reed.
And I made a rural pen
And I stained the water clear
And I wrote my happy songs,
Every child may joy to hear.
And her narration on Christopher Columbus:
There was once upon a time a boy named Christopher Columbus. He believed the world was round and not flat. To prove that he was right, he decided to go west into the water, around the world, and come to the eastern land of India.
So he went to Portugal because he knew they were fond of finding new places, but the king would not listen to him. The king sent, secretly, his own party of ships to go and try this out.
So Christopher Columbus went to Spain, right next to Portugal. But they were in a war and could not listen to him right now. So he just waited. And then he decided to go back to Spain. Hearing that their war was over, he went back. This time the king and queen loved the idea, and gave him three small ships that were easy to find. But the crew? Not so easy! Nobody wanted to go out into the so-called deathly waters! So his crew ended up being criminals, murderers, people who have been in prison! Their choice was either to go sailing with Columbus or to go to prison. And they chose sailing.
But instead of finding India, he found Haiti, which is an island off the coast of America. He thought this was India, because the people didn’t look like Chinese people. They looked different, so he thought they were Indians.
Then he went back home and everybody started going there, and nobody thought he was important anymore. So Columbus held a meeting and he told the servant to bring them some eggs. When the eggs were brought, Columbus said, “All of you try to make this egg stand up.” Everyone tried, but none of them could.
Finally, it was Columbus’ turn. He quickly took the bottom of the egg and smashed it gently on the table so that the bottom was flat and it stood up perfectly. Everyone thought how easy that was, and that they could have done that. And Columbus said, “Of course, now that I have shown you!”
And then everybody hung their heads, because they knew what this was attached to.
The poem Padme memorized, by William Blake:
Piping down the valleys wild
Piping songs of pleasant glee
On a cloud I saw a child
And he, laughing, said to me,
“Pipe a song about a lamb.”
So I piped with merry cheer.
“Piper, pipe that song again!”
So I piped. He wept to hear.
“Piper, sit thee down and write
In a book, that all may read,”So he vanished from my sight,
And I plucked a hollow reed.
And I made a rural pen
And I stained the water clear
And I wrote my happy songs,
Every child may joy to hear.
And her narration on Christopher Columbus:
There was once upon a time a boy named Christopher Columbus. He believed the world was round and not flat. To prove that he was right, he decided to go west into the water, around the world, and come to the eastern land of India.
So he went to Portugal because he knew they were fond of finding new places, but the king would not listen to him. The king sent, secretly, his own party of ships to go and try this out.
So Christopher Columbus went to Spain, right next to Portugal. But they were in a war and could not listen to him right now. So he just waited. And then he decided to go back to Spain. Hearing that their war was over, he went back. This time the king and queen loved the idea, and gave him three small ships that were easy to find. But the crew? Not so easy! Nobody wanted to go out into the so-called deathly waters! So his crew ended up being criminals, murderers, people who have been in prison! Their choice was either to go sailing with Columbus or to go to prison. And they chose sailing.
But instead of finding India, he found Haiti, which is an island off the coast of America. He thought this was India, because the people didn’t look like Chinese people. They looked different, so he thought they were Indians.
Then he went back home and everybody started going there, and nobody thought he was important anymore. So Columbus held a meeting and he told the servant to bring them some eggs. When the eggs were brought, Columbus said, “All of you try to make this egg stand up.” Everyone tried, but none of them could.
Finally, it was Columbus’ turn. He quickly took the bottom of the egg and smashed it gently on the table so that the bottom was flat and it stood up perfectly. Everyone thought how easy that was, and that they could have done that. And Columbus said, “Of course, now that I have shown you!”
And then everybody hung their heads, because they knew what this was attached to.
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
End of Semester Projects
Below are some of our End of Semester projects for our co-op. We also had a program Friday night, and Baloo danced a swing number (throwing his aunt/dance partner all over the place!), Padme did a dance and cheer with her Cheers and Cartwheels class, and both girls performed in a rendition of A Midsummer Night's Dream. What a fun night!
This is Lil Yoda's project on California, and her project on Canine Heroes.
These are Padme's igloo and her painting of the Sego lily, the state flower of Utah.
Knowing the will of God
I much enjoyed our sermon on Sunday. Our pastor, Jack Graham, discussed the ever-present question: How do I know the will of God? His main point was that "the Holy Spirit leads us to know and do the will of God confidently, every day." I will attempt to summarize his message.
We know we are to follow Christ & listen for God's voice through the Holy Spirit, but how do we hear God's voice? Pastor Graham said we can hear God's voice through His Word, and by walking with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 says, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Oh, how I do desire to keep in step with the Spirit! It's just that my feet are so clumsy and slow...
The Will Of God sometimes seems so elusive, the unicorn that we chase after but can never catch. We wonder, daily, a million things...
Should I buy that new car? Take that job in Atlanta? Marry that man? Let my kids see that movie? Stay home sick today? Vaccinate my children? Buy a dog?
And on and on, ad infinitum. Dr. Graham gave 3 tips that he uses every day:
1. Offer your life to Christ each day. Even if you did it years ago, you should daily surrender and yield your life to Christ. Recognize the Lord's presence & reign in you. (Romans 12:1, Matthew 6:33)
2. Open your heart each day to new possibilities. God's will may not be what you expected. (Proverbs 4:18)
3. Obey the will of God that you know, and wait on the rest. Sometimes you must obey, and perfect, the step you are on, before you can move to the next one. He gave an illustration that apparently there is always much discussion in golf over which shot is the most important - the long drive or the putt. When reporters asked Jack Nicklaus what was the most important shot in golf, his reply was, "The next one!" This certainly applies to our lives. We may not know what God wants us to do next week, but we do know what we are to do in the next five minutes. Sometimes we must just do what we know for now, and wait for the rest to be revealed.
Here he reminded us that, if you fail, you should repent and move on!
Pastor Graham also gave us 10 ways to test every decision. I think these are golden!
1. Is it in accord with the moral will of God? (1 Thess. 4:3)
2. Is it in harmony with the commands, the truths and the principles of God's Word?
3. Have I sought Godly advice? (Proverbs 15:22, Romans 12:2)
4. Does it help me fulfill the Great Commandment (Matthew 22: 37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) in my life?
5. How will it affect my immediate relationships?
6. Will the ultimate outcome of my decision bring glory to God?
7. Will the result of my decision be in keeping with my priorities?
8. What is my motivation?
9. Am I totally committed to whatever, whenever, however God leads me?
10. Do I have true peace in this decision? (Note: Sometimes faith is required & we may not have total peace, yet we still have true peace.)
I love my church!! And I thank God that his mercies are new every morning...
We know we are to follow Christ & listen for God's voice through the Holy Spirit, but how do we hear God's voice? Pastor Graham said we can hear God's voice through His Word, and by walking with the Spirit. Galatians 5:25 says, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." Oh, how I do desire to keep in step with the Spirit! It's just that my feet are so clumsy and slow...
The Will Of God sometimes seems so elusive, the unicorn that we chase after but can never catch. We wonder, daily, a million things...
Should I buy that new car? Take that job in Atlanta? Marry that man? Let my kids see that movie? Stay home sick today? Vaccinate my children? Buy a dog?
And on and on, ad infinitum. Dr. Graham gave 3 tips that he uses every day:
1. Offer your life to Christ each day. Even if you did it years ago, you should daily surrender and yield your life to Christ. Recognize the Lord's presence & reign in you. (Romans 12:1, Matthew 6:33)
2. Open your heart each day to new possibilities. God's will may not be what you expected. (Proverbs 4:18)
3. Obey the will of God that you know, and wait on the rest. Sometimes you must obey, and perfect, the step you are on, before you can move to the next one. He gave an illustration that apparently there is always much discussion in golf over which shot is the most important - the long drive or the putt. When reporters asked Jack Nicklaus what was the most important shot in golf, his reply was, "The next one!" This certainly applies to our lives. We may not know what God wants us to do next week, but we do know what we are to do in the next five minutes. Sometimes we must just do what we know for now, and wait for the rest to be revealed.
Here he reminded us that, if you fail, you should repent and move on!
Pastor Graham also gave us 10 ways to test every decision. I think these are golden!
1. Is it in accord with the moral will of God? (1 Thess. 4:3)
2. Is it in harmony with the commands, the truths and the principles of God's Word?
3. Have I sought Godly advice? (Proverbs 15:22, Romans 12:2)
4. Does it help me fulfill the Great Commandment (Matthew 22: 37-40) and the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) in my life?
5. How will it affect my immediate relationships?
6. Will the ultimate outcome of my decision bring glory to God?
7. Will the result of my decision be in keeping with my priorities?
8. What is my motivation?
9. Am I totally committed to whatever, whenever, however God leads me?
10. Do I have true peace in this decision? (Note: Sometimes faith is required & we may not have total peace, yet we still have true peace.)
I love my church!! And I thank God that his mercies are new every morning...
Monday, November 12, 2007
Words of the Day
It seems I really do learn something new every day. Below are two words I learned today while listening to my children playing outside:
1) Acornia - n. An acorn anomaly in which two acorn tops are stuck together end to end. Commonly used as an instrument by Webkinz.
2) Yorkie Strider - n. A breed of horse known to be very fast. Breed standards include blondish-brown hair, brown eyes, a yellow torso and black rump that suspiciously resembles a Bumblebees soccer uniform.
This is what Charlotte Mason meant by masterly inactivity.
1) Acornia - n. An acorn anomaly in which two acorn tops are stuck together end to end. Commonly used as an instrument by Webkinz.
2) Yorkie Strider - n. A breed of horse known to be very fast. Breed standards include blondish-brown hair, brown eyes, a yellow torso and black rump that suspiciously resembles a Bumblebees soccer uniform.
This is what Charlotte Mason meant by masterly inactivity.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Lil Yoda's Special Day
Praise be to God!!! Lil Yoda was baptized today, as a testimony to her acceptance of Christ as her savior over a year ago. She has wanted to be baptized for quite some time, so we are glad she was able to do so today.
Thank you to all of our friends and family who came to make this day special for Lil Yoda. Having you all there meant a great deal to her.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for offering salvation as a free gift to all who would turn from their sins and follow you. I pray your blessings upon this, our youngest child, as she makes this first public profession of her faith in you. I pray it would be the first step in a life of obedience to you. Thank you for sharing her with us.
Thank you to all of our friends and family who came to make this day special for Lil Yoda. Having you all there meant a great deal to her.
Thank you, Lord Jesus, for offering salvation as a free gift to all who would turn from their sins and follow you. I pray your blessings upon this, our youngest child, as she makes this first public profession of her faith in you. I pray it would be the first step in a life of obedience to you. Thank you for sharing her with us.
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