Home Education, Part 5, Notable Quotes

Post 3 of ?

Part V
Lessons As Instruments of Education

I am going to print this up and tape it to my bathroom mirror.

"Resume of Six Points already considered.––

(a) That the knowledge most valuable to the child is that which he gets with his own eyes and ears and fingers (under direction) in the open air.

(b) That the claims of the schoolroom should not be allowed to encroach on the child's right to long hours daily for exercise and investigation.

(c) That the child should be taken daily, if possible, to scenes––moor or meadow, park, common, or shore––where he may find new things to examine, and so add to his store of real knowledge. That the child's observation should be directed to flower or boulder, bird or tree; that, in fact, he should be employed in gathering the common information which is the basis of scientific knowledge.

(d) That play, vigorous healthful play, is, in its turn, fully as important as lessons, as regards both bodily health and brain-power.

(e) That the child, though under supervision, should be left much to himself––both that he may go to work in his own way on the ideas that he receives, and also that he may be the more open to natural influences.

(f) That the happiness of the child is the condition of his progress; that his lessons should be joyous, and that occasions of friction in the schoolroom are greatly to be deprecated."

Is this idealistic? Yes. Is this unrealistic? Somewhat, yes. For the most part, no. If we want to be great, we must strive for greatness.

Books Read in 2012

I was really proud of how many books I read last year.  Then I read a couple of my favorite blogs, Wherein They Read 40 and 80 Books.  I guess that'll just teach me to stay humble.  I didn't count, I just wrote down what I remembered.  Here it is.

Mansfield Park by Jane Austen

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte

Home Education by Charlotte Mason

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Irving Washington Irving (preread)

Rip van Winkle  by Irving Washington (preread)

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

I wish I could add to this list the Bible.  I read much more of the Bible this year than I have in many, many years.  I hope that when I make my list next year, I can add the Bible.

Also Elizabeth Klett and Karen Savage are two of my very favorite Librivox readers.  I highly recommend them. 

Over the River and Through the Woods

We have been going, going, going, and doing, doing, doing. School starts back up on Monday; books have been arriving in the mail, I have been making Morning Time plans, and today we cleaned house. We travelled the last two weekends - the holiday weekends. It has been good to not have to pack up and go again. But our holidays were very enjoyable, and just tiring enough to make you happy they're over, and normal life is resuming. Here's a list of Notable Things we did over the holidays, with pictures to follow. I would like to caption them all, and arrange them just so, but can't do it on my iPhone. Hope you enjoy anyway.

Notable Things We Did:

Celebrated Christmas at my Grandfather's home. He's 82, and going strong. I'm very thankful to still be celebrating Christmas Eve in his home, which I have done almost every Christmas Eve of my life.

Helped Mom and Dad around their place. I don't feel like I help them much, or can help much, so it's nice to really help them get some things done, and it wasn't just me. It was the whole family working together this time.

Made chicken crepes. This is a wonderful dish my mom started making after she was given Julia Child's cookbook. I got to see how she does it, and may even try to make it myself.

Made soap. This is our second time to make soap, and it has turned out great each time, thanks to our professional guide - Mom!

Visited Grandma. Just me and the kids. Joel doesn't particularly enjoy visiting the nursing home, but James and Jack love to visit Grandma. They talk to her, or communicate any way they can when she makes eye contact with them. Jack whispered to me while we were there, "I don't want Grandma to die." I think it's really special that he loves her so much.

Made pasta. I've wanted to make it with Joel ever since our pasta chapter in a "Science Lab in a Supermarket".
He did awesome at it!!! I'm keeping mom's pasta roller for as long ad she'll let me, or I finally get the pasta attachment for my KitchenAid.

Oh yes. We also made Rudolph clothespin ornaments. And we danced and sang and drank hot chocolate and hung stockings and made merry.

We wept over the death of Robin Hood. The end of that book was literally a tear jerker. Incredible story. And the best part is, he was a real man, a truly noble man, who really lived.

Hope all of you had a good holiday as well.

Current Favorite Picture