Charlotte Mason » The Curriculum Choice

Nature Study Through the Holidays: A Mini Book of Nature Studies for Easter + Giveaway!

Bible, Charlotte Mason, Nature Study, Science, Unit study resources 20 Responses »

Feb 132012

“Let them once get in touch with Nature, and a habit it formed which will be a source of delight through life. We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.” – Charlotte Mason

My family and I were privileged to enjoy this Easter study last year. We plan to enjoy parts of it again this Easter.

You can focus on the Easter story over the course of a week, a month or longer – using this ebook study in the way that best suits your family. Authors Cindy West and Melissa Leach say, “Our hope is that you will read a selection from the Bible…then get outside to find sweet signs of the Author.”

Included are:

Bible references for the Easter story
Hymn list for the Easter season

Nature ideas/walks organized to compliment:

Palm Sunday
Sweet Fragrances
The Passover
Mount of Olives
Black Friday
Burial
Resurrection
Traditional Easter Studies

Within each section above, the following is included:

Suggested books to accompany the topic study.
Ideas and suggestions for nature study. (For example, while studying the mount of olives it is suggested you go on a hike over a hill. On a scavenger hunt based on the jelly bean prayer – you and your children spend time finding something in nature to represent all the colors mentioned in the prayer.)
A notebooking or sketching page to complete a follow up activity.

Bonus features:

Where to Study Nature: offering encouragement for those living in cities to find parks plus simple ‘get out in your own backyard’ motivation.
Gearing up and Being Safe: From using common sense and having a healthy fear to ‘leaves of three let them be’ and a list of suggested backpack gear.

As a teacher I found this Easter Nature Study through the holidays to be easy to reference and use right then. All the ideas were compiled for me in one spot. The notebooking pages – I only had to print out. All I needed to do was add some books – and for the children to catch my enthusiasm.

Easter Nature Study Through the Holidays is a mini unit study available for $5.00. Visit Shining Dawn Books to learn more about any of the full-length nature studies.
Nature Study Through the Holidays Easter Mini Unit is 32 pages with seven full-color notebooking pages.
You can view a sample of this ebook at Shining Dawn books here.

A seasonal unit study such as this is a refreshing change up in routine for us. This mini book of nature studies for Easter helped us hone our senses, prompted us to get outside – and opened our eyes to His love for us!

What better way to welcome the Easter season?

Now for the giveaway!! Cindy West, owner of Shining Dawn Books and review author here at The Curriculum Choice has kindly offered five (5) copies of her ebook to give away!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

~Tricia has been homeschooling for over a decade. She faces a daily dose of chaos teaching five children. She contributes a blend of writing at parenting, frugal living and homeschool sites as well as her own daily Hodgepodge.

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Paths of Exploration

Charlotte Mason, History, Living books, Science No Responses »

Nov 072011

Have you ever pictured the perfect curriculum, and then searched high and low for it, only to come up with nothing? That was me, looking for a Bible-based, unit study approach curriculum that was Charlotte Mason friendly.

There are living book approach curricula out there, but I always look at them and feel SO overwhelmed! And then at long last, I finally found it! I had the pleasure of reviewing Paths of Exploration, the first book in the Trail Guide To Learning series by Geography Matters.

Written by homeschool veterans Debbie Strayer and Linda Fowler, not only does this curriculum use living books, but it tells you exactly which books you will need. The book list is not left up to my imagination, which can run wild.

The age range for this curriculum in grades 3-5. However, I am using it with my 7-year-old, who is in second grade, and she is doing well. I also have added the optional Middle School Supplement for my 6th and 8th grader.

We just finished up the first six-weeks, which were all about Columbus. The lessons didn’t get into the darker side (consider the age range) but we did discuss as a family some of the things we didn’t agree with as the study progressed.

What’s included-

Two, beautiful hardback books- filled with guided curriculum, including History, Geography, Science, Grammar, Reading, Art, Nature Study, and Spelling which cover an entire school year, with CD-ROM of different levels of student notebook pages.

What I love about Paths of Exploration-

There are extras that you can add-on for even more learning like lapbooks, Bible supplement, Middle School Supplement.
It is rooted in the education philosophies of Dr. Ruth Beechick.
POE marries nicely with Charlotte Mason.
Encourages engagement with dictation, discussion, and writing.
The kids love it. There have been no complaints about school with Paths of Exploration. They love the readings, enjoy the maps and activities, and clamor for the Nature Study. They even enjoy the copywork and dictation! And, they finally get regular art in each week.
The living books chosen as the base for this curriculum are wonderful. You even get to cook, using the cookbook, Eat Your Way Around the World, by Jamie Aramini.
I finally have a guide to incorporate Nature Study into our homeschool.
Geography Matters is a home-based company, located in Kentucky.
The cost- If you have a good library, you can spend as little as $150.00 {which is for the textbooks and CD-ROM}. You can also buy the Paths of Exploration curriculum, and all of the books you will need for the year for $375.00. That is for all subjects except Math, for an entire year. For me, I am using POE with 4 children this year, which is an amazing deal in my book.
This curriculum is non-consumable! The student pages are printed from the included CD-ROM, so everything else is reusable year after year. }

What I don’t love-

Nothing! This curriculum has been an answer to prayer!

Right now, there are two more titles in the Trail Guide To Learning series, covering American History, with three years of World History planned. The World History is going to be geared for grades 6,7, and 8.

You can also preview the other two years that are available, Paths of Settlement and Paths of Progress. Other helpful information, and families who are using the Trail Guide To Learning series, as well as an updated reading schedule can be found in the Yahoo Group.

If you are still looking for “the one”, I hope you will give this curriculum a try!

Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, High School, Middle School, Mom Helps, Uncategorized 1 Response »

Oct 262011

If you have read many of my other reviews you already know that I like for things to be easy. If they aren’t easy, I at least don’t want them to be a ton of work for me. After all, my inner educator proclaims, this is their education, not mine! This of course is true to a point. We all know, I reply to my inner educator, learning never stops; least of all, perhaps, for a home educating mama.

In addition to easy, I want things to make sense, for them to be logical. Timely, too, in that when they are presented with new ideas, those new ideas make sense to my little learners. I want to be developmentally appropriate, and I want to cover material that will be useful and necessary.

We ascribe to a sort of Classical, sort of Charlotte Mason, very literary-based education for our children. The idea of a lot of rote memory work does not fit into my idea of practical or useful. The idea of memorization for the purpose of reviewing and cementing ideas, though, is another story. If memory work is one of the tools–like reading and writing and listening and drawing–that we use to gather and corral ideas, that is something I like and want to use.

I have found a great resource by Andrew A. Campbell called Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion that has removed some of the burden of memory work from my shoulders.

It is simply a book of lists. The lists, derived from academic subjects, contain organized information for the purpose of memorization. Dr. Campbell includes an essay detailing the how and why of using memory work as one of the tools of learning. The remainder of the book is comprised of lists of information in the following broad subjects: Latin and Greek, arithmetic and mathematics, grammar and composition, literature, religion, geography, world history, United States history and civics, and natural sciences. Each section is broken down into more specific categories and into lists. There are speeches and portions of documents. There are formulas. There are charts. All of this is intended to be used over the academic lifetime of a student–from Kindergarten to graduation.

The book has been helpful to me in two ways. First, it has given me ideas. Sometimes the question of what to memorize has been overwhelming to me–so overwhelming that I have thrown up my hands and provided nothing for my kids to concentrate on retaining. Now, I can open Living Memory, find a science list that fits with our studies, and put my little learners to work.

Second, Dr. Campbell has assured me that memorizing something is better than memorizing nothing, that I can start small and build, and that memory work can and should be in the context of our studies. I like that. It makes sense to me, because it is orderly and timely. It is developmentally appropriate. Also, it is simple and easy. And you know that I like easy.

Living Memory: A Classical Memory Work Companion by Andrew A. Campbell provides comprehensive lists in a variety of pertinent subjects to be used for memory work. It can be found on Lulu.com in both digital ($14.95) and paperback ($22.46) versions.

Susan S. is a home educating mama of three in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Her days are wild and lovely, full of chattering, learning children. In all of the mess, she learns the most, taught by the Master Teacher Himself.

Spellwell

Charlotte Mason, Spelling No Responses »

Oct 192011

I’ve always been avidly against spelling as a subject all on it’s own, and this worked well for one of my children. Unfortunately the other suffers from poor spelling. It’s been a struggle for him, and thus for me.

I decided this was the year that we’d add spelling, officially, to our daily routine. The problem was, that I didn’t want to have random lists of words that confused the poor child even more.

You see, he can spell phonetically, but outside of that realm he’s lost. Thus he spells: frum, wut, luv, sav. Oh, to be able to read his sweet little notes without the need for a red pen to scribble all over it.

I wanted something that stuck with the basic rule of: keeping phonetically spelled words together. This is down the Charlotte Mason line of thinking, and it made perfect sense, especially for a child who is struggling so much.

After searching through many spelling programs I stumbled upon one called Spellwell. I was intrigued because I’d never heard of it before. The lists of words were not huge, and they happened to have a pattern about them!

I decided to give it a try, and ordered the second book in the series called Aa. That’s right, the series doesn’t have grades on them but alphabetical numbers. This works wonderfully well when you have a student in one grade for most subjects but feel the need to back them up significantly for others.

Each week a child starts with a pretest. Now, that goes against the Charlotte Mason idea of spelling, but I actually like this. It gives us a baseline, a jumping point. It allows me to know if it’s worth doing the lesson or not.

When we pulled the book out the first day, I was convinced my child would ace that test. He didn’t. I nearly cried. In the weeks since then, however, he’s gotten progressively better with each pretest, and was so excited to find himself using bonus words one week!

The spelling lists are roughly 7-10 words long in the Aa book that we are using. If a child can master all of those words you give them the Bonus Words. Each list has words that follow the same phonetical spellling rule. Er, ea, silent e, ice, etc.

This works really well and builds confidence quickly for my poor speller. If he remembers his phonics rules he can quickly master his lists because he remembers they all have something in common! This is just so perfect for his confidence!

There is one page of work to be done Monday – Thursday in Spellwell. Each page is very simplistic. It might be a fill in the blank story, rhyming fun, compound word practice, games or any one of a few things.

The books are in black and white, but there are sketches through out on most pages that the children are encouraged to color in if they want. My student skips this particular activity.

There is no work on Friday as this is saved for Post Test Day. There is no place within the small workbook for a child to take the test, so we generally do so on the whiteboard, or if the weather is really nice out on the driveway with sidewalk chalk.

What I love:

My top notch answer is going to be simple. I love that my child has gained confidence and power with his spelling. He’s gone from worrying that everything he spells will be wrong to asking occasionally. His spelling is not perfect, but it’s vastly better!

I love that the spelling words are applied each day in fun and engaging ways! So much so that my student who doesn’t truly need spelling help {yet} has asked if he could also do these books!

I love that the lists are short, simple, and the words on them all have something in common with each other! This was really important to me.

I especially love that this programme is extremely inexpensive. It’s presumed that in a typical school year {180 days} a child would go through two workbooks {Normally A & Aa or B & Bb, etc.} Workbooks & answer keys can be purchased through CBD or Book Depository.

I do not own a Teacher’s Manual for these workbooks. I didn’t feel a need for one, but if you wanted to purchase one they are a few dollars less then the Student books. You’ll also find that both letters {A & Aa or B & Bb, etc.} are all in one Teacher’s Manual!

Oh, and for those of you, like us, who did not use Explore the Code, the author of SpellWell happens to be one in the same! I found that information neat for some odd reason!

What I don’t Like:

Honestly, so far I’ve only had one qualm with this book. In one lesson there was a fill in the blank story about a Teddy Bear. In an effort to fit in a spelling word of “wear” the author used the sentence: “He is truly wash-and-________. Despite the answer being a rhyme with the previous sentence my son was baffled.

I thought they could have used a better sentence, but I have to admit I’ve tried to write fill in the blank sentences with rhyming words before and it can be tricky!!

Bottom Line:

We love this simple, inexpensive program.

Kendra lives in Tasmania Australia with her husband, the Man From Down Under, two curious boys, a dog, & a bird that constantly talks back. Creator, and avid user, of the Homeschool Book Of Days & The Nature Game she can be found retelling tales from The Land Down Under over at the Aussie Pumpkin Patch.

Simply Grammar

Charlotte Mason, Language Arts No Responses »

Oct 032011

In our three years of home education, I have tried just about every grammar program I have seen. With all that we have seen and used, I have decided that Charlotte Mason is the way to go with Grammar. We love one company in particular, but have so much copy work with our main curriculum that I needed to find something that was Charlotte Mason friendly, without all of the picture study and copy work that most provide.

After much research, I decided on Simply Grammar, by Karen Andreola. When it arrived, I happily cracked it open and began to read.

First off, this curriculum is a revised edition of First Grammar Lessons , by Charlotte Mason. Karen does a fabulous job of giving a thorough, yet brief history of Charlotte Mason, and her teachings. You will also find recommendations for using the curriculum, and how to use it each week.

The lessons themselves are refreshing. They are simple, and get to the point. They can be used for any age, in my opinion. I have been using Simply Grammar with my kids who are above Kindergarten. Even our 14 year old is learning things that he never grasped in public school.

We take one concept each week and break it into pieces, which is great to really cement what your children are learning. The kids love the fact that we are doing the book orally, we just sit together on the floor as I read the lesson, and then each child takes a turn (or more) giving their example.

The price for this curriculum is great, at $20 or less, depending on where you are shopping. Consider that the book is non-consumable, and the savings just get better. $20 for 4 kids this year, and 5 the next. I think it is a steal!

If I could change one thing, it would would be some of the wording. My children are not Victorian, and that is how I feel it sounds. I have to remember to go in and read the lesson ahead of instruction so that I can change the wording to be relevant to our use of language. Otherwise my children will be left scratching their heads.

If you are looking for a living curriculum that is solid, won’t bore you to tears, or take all day to complete, I would suggest you give Simply Grammar a try.

You might also enjoy Cindy’s review of Simply Grammar!

Anno’s Math Books

Charlotte Mason, Elementary, Living books, Mathematics, Middle School, Preschool 5 Responses »

Sep 262011

It is very difficult to find living math books that present complex topics in an accessible way. One math author whose books we have learned to love is Mitsumasa Anno. Anno believes “that mathematics is more than merely manipulating numbers, it is a way of thinking, and that it has bearing on all scholastic subjects, indeed on all forms of creative thought.” Children throughout the world have enjoyed his award-winning picture books.

We regularly borrow Anno’s books from the library and indulge ourselves. When very young, my children enjoyed the whimsical illustrations while the older children are intrigued by the puzzles and concepts. As a math-loving mom, I’m delighted at the way advanced concepts such functions or factorials are presented. Children comprehend much more than they are given credit for; having enjoyed a concept with Anno, they will be able to understand it so much better when it is introduced in math lessons.

Anno’s many math books include:

Anno’s Math Games

In four pictorial chapters of games and puzzles, Anno presents the ideas of

same and different
combining and assembling
numbers, ordering and coordinate systems
more and less.

In an afterword, Anno discusses the concepts presented in each chapter. Our children have always loved tall Kriss and tubby Kross as they work, ponder, and experiment.

Anno’s Math Games 2

Full of mathematical ideas, this is a fascinating book of games for children. Anno’s whimsical drawings illustrate ideas such as

cause and effect (functions)
differences and similarities
dots and pixels
counting and tabulation
volume and units.

Anno’s Math Games 3

This book was every bit as good as the others, but I cannot tell you the details since it is no longer available in our library.

Anno’s Magic Seeds

An old man gave Jack 2 large golden seeds. “These are magic,” he said. “Bake one seed in the oven until it is red and then eat it. You will not be hungry again for a whole year.” The other seed was to be planted and would produce two more seeds. How Jack fared with his seeds, the big decision he made, and what happened next is a fascinating story driven by math, but representing much of history as well. While children can understand it, adults can continue to ponder it for a long time.

Anno’s Counting Book

With a growing column of cubes on the left side of the page, and a large number on the right, Anno shows the development of a small village. On each successive page, spread throughout the year, the village increases by one child, one building, and one tree. Each picture is full of small stories such as building a railroad, photographing a wedding, or fishing, as well as many examples of the number. There are opportunities for adding, such as when three of the geese on the number 4 page lag far behind the other one, and for thinking about sets, and other concepts. Though it is a counting book, it is also much more.

Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar

Inside the jar there was water, and there seemed to be just enough wind to set the water rippling…and suddenly we are inside the jar, on a sea, sailing toward 1 island. On it there are 2 countries. Fascinating pictures tell the story of factorials in the first half of the book, and Anno explains them explicitly in the second half.

Besides math books, Anno has also created many other amazing volumes, and we’ve enjoyed each one we’ve seen.

Disclosure: As always, I am not compensated for my reviews and I give my own honest opinions.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

How to Read a Book by Adler and Van Doren

Charlotte Mason, Classical, High School 3 Responses »

Aug 262011

So now your children know how to read. Congratulations! That’s a major step, but does it mean that their reading instruction finished? Not at all, we’ve found.

How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading teaches the average reader how to understand, analyze, and learn from books. It takes students beyond the basics of reading to become scholars. It is, I think, the foundational book in our homeschool high school, besides the Bible.

Summary

How to Read a Book discusses and explains the four levels of reading as well as different approaches to different kinds of reading material. The book is divided into four exceedingly well-organized parts:

“Part 1: The Dimensions of Reading” includes information on the first level of reading, which is what we homeschool moms teach our little ones. Then it goes on to discuss the second level, inspectional reading, occasionally called pre-reading.
“Part 2: The Third Level of Reading: Analytical Reading” includes topics such as pigeonholing a book, coming to terms with an author, determining an author’s message, and agreeing or disagreeing with an author.
“Part 3: Approaches to Different Kinds of Reading Matter” presents tips for reading both fiction and non-fiction: novels, plays, short stories, and poems, as well as history, science, math, philosophy, and social science. It also includes an insightful section on how to read ‘canonical’ books. For example, it explains how reading sacred writings as the revealed Word of God, rather than as mere literature, is entirely different from other kinds of reading.
“Part 4: The Ultimate Goals of Reading” explains the idea of syntopical reading and tells us what good books can do for us.
Appendices: These include a recommended reading list as well as exercises and tests at the four levels of reading.

Throughout the book, examples and explanations are taken from the literature of ‘the great conversation’ as the greatest Western literature is sometimes called. This adds immeasurably to the book.

How we use it

We were introduced to this book several years ago by both Ambleside Online and The Well-Trained Mind (first edition). Both resources recommended that students work through How to Read a Book in great detail, and that is what we have been doing. My children go through it paragraph by paragraph, for at least half the book. Each paragraph is summarized in one or two sentences, and I check each summary. This process teaches my teens a lot since it’s one of the few books meaty enough to make such careful attention to detail worthwhile. (It teaches me a lot, too. )

Of course, this is a great deal of work and we spread it out over at least the four high school years. I allowed Miss 18 to absorb the last half of How to Read a Book on her own during the last two years of high school, since she’s the kind of person who will read ahead and study independently. Although she would have learned more if she had continued the detailed summaries, there are only 24 hours in a day; she did read it several times. Mr. 16 and Miss 13 are both doing the detailed summaries.

As mentioned, How to Read a Book uses great books as examples. Thus my teens were exposed to much great writing in an enjoyable and inspiring way. In fact, Miss 18 designed her Intro to Western Literature course using the reading list in Appendix A. Recently Mr. 16 chose to read and analyze Machiavelli’s The Prince because of How to Read a Book’s discussion of an intriguing statement beginning with “A prince ought to inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred;…”

Although this book is challenging and uses challenging examples, the subject matter is appropriate for Christian teens. They will need to think, true, but they will not be taught evil, immorality, modern political correctness, or revisionism.

Our family has been able to understand other books more deeply because of insights gained from How to Read a Book. Thus studying this one book has had a huge impact on everything we learn from other books. It both enhances the time spent reading and increases our efficiency in understanding new material.

I highly recommend How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading for all teens whose studies involve a lot of reading, and for their moms as well.

Disclosure: I do not receive any compensation for my reviews, and my opinions are entirely my own.

-Written by Annie Kate, a Christian homeschooling mom of five, who reviews and blogs at Tea Time with Annie Kate. You can read her other Curriculum Choice reviews here.

My Father’s World: 1st grade

Art, Bible, Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Geography, Grammar, Hands On, Language Arts, Living books, Music, Nature Study, Phonics, Reading, Science, Spelling, Unit study resources 3 Responses »

Aug 222011

What immediately drew me to My Father’s World is that the curriculum is the fact that it is fairly stand alone. You purchase either the basic set or their deluxe set, and you are ready to go! I adore this as our little library in this rural community really doesn’t have the variety or selection of books that we were used to in San Diego. This means filling in blanks or filling out a curriculum is a challenge now so a curriculum with most of the absolutely necessary books included was a huge plus to us.

However, like the true bibliophiles that we are, I wanted the option of having more, should we be able to find them. True to the Charlotte Mason element, the curriculum is surrounded by the “living books” concept so the usage of books is completely up to you. I love that they include this in every year.

About My Father’s World

My Father’s World isn’t just a Charlotte Mason style offering but rather a unique fusion of sorts, merging both “the best of Charlotte Mason, classical education, and unit studies with a Biblical worldview and international focus.”

My Father’s World offers grades K-2nd grade as a more independent, semi-stand alone element and then moves into a family 5 year cycle that works around a central theme. The 5 year cycle is specifically geared for multiple ages, for grades 2nd-8th so there is savings to be found as families with more than one child use the same program to teach all children in 2nd – 8th grade.

Year One	Geography: Exploring Countries and Cultures
Year Two	History: Creation to the Greeks
Year Three	History: Rome to the Reformation
Year Four	U.S./World History: Exploration to 1850
Year Five	U.S./World History: 1850 to Modern Times

They also offer a bridge year called Adventures in My Father’s World, which is geared for families 2nd or 3rd graders who have no siblings in 4th – 8th grade.(We will be doing this program next year as I have a 4year old and a 7 year old.)

Our Adventure

Currently we are working our way though My Father’s World, 1st grade. I adore this program as it is laid out in an easy to follow, daily workbook fashion. It’s easy for me to combine the integrated social studies, science, art and Bible elements with both kids, while focusing independently on the phonics and math. My boys love that they are learning together, doing the same things, despite their age and grade differences.

The curriculum does include a 1st grade phonics-based reading program that focuses on the Bible and more fun, hands-on math activities. We include our own K4 phonics and and additional math program (Math U See) for both boys as I found their math not as intensive as I think it needs to be for the grade.

One major element we always seemed to miss with our previous years curriculum was the arts; we simply didn’t always make time for them.

With My Father’s World, art, music, crafts,hands-on learning is a major part of the curriculum. Everything is planned out and outlined for you to see the day before so you can prep easily, using common household items most of the time. My boys have enjoyed this more consistent addition to our learning and I have found they have better attitudes and have better lesson retention.

The only cons that I have experience thus far is that the 1st grade teachers book is only formatted with a daily lesson plan. It lacks the easy, one glace, weekly grid that their latter versions offer. I also felt the math that is included is a bit weak for the age group so we needed to supplement an additional math program. Ultimately, minor things that we easily rectified.

For a full curriculum, It’s fairly affordable, especially when you compare it to larger, more known companies. For the 1st grade curriculum, you can elect to get their basic package for only $136.oo or their deluxe package for $239.00. As the years grow in complexity, so does the number of books included which will contribute to a steady raise in the overall costs. However, remaining competitive and within reach for most families.

Overall, My Father’s World, or MFW, has been a blessing to our household. It’s affordable, fun, engaging and the children really do learn.

Poetry for Young People

Charlotte Mason, Classical, Elementary, Language Arts, Literature, Living books, Reading 2 Responses »

Aug 192011

“I dwell in Possibility/A fairer house than Prose,/More numerous of windows,/Superior of doors.” Emily Dickinson, “I dwell in Possibility”

Poetry is a flexible area of study. It can be studied on its own, and for its own merit. On the other hand, born of cultural, historical, and personal experience, poetry can enhance the study of any subject. For me, the trouble with poetry is how to narrow it down. There just seems to be so much of it to choose from.

The Poetry for Young People series provides an excellent introduction to a number of poets. Each volume contains the poetry of a specific poet or area of poetry. The poems are chosen for their suitability to a young audience, and as poetry representative of the poet’s body of work. Illustrations accompany the poems. A short biography, also sensitive to the needs of a young audience, opens each book.

I have found this series useful in two ways. It has been a simple task to browse these pages to find a poem to enhance a particular study. As the poems have been chosen because they are appropriate for children, I need only choose the poem that best suits my needs.

More often, however, I choose a poet to study for a month or six weeks. As a family, we read several poems each week until we have finished the book. The Poetry for Young People series makes this process very simple, as each volume contains a nice number of poems. Each book serves as a gentle introduction to the work of a poet.

This may be the year for poetry study at your house!

Raid your local library for the Poetry for Young People series.

-Most days find Susan on the couch reading to her children, in the floor “playing” math, and generally in the middle of a
good-sized mess. A love for the Lord, a love for her little ones, and a love of learning have led Susan and the wonderful man she married to an educational philosophy that is Well-Trained Mind-inspired classical and Charlotte Mason,
with a touch of the traditional.

Outdoor Hour Challenges – Handbook of Nature Study

Charlotte Mason, Nature Study 8 Responses »

Aug 082011

“Make this summer a time to learn a little something new about your world. Finding time for these challenges will help this summer be one that your child will not only learn something new but make special seasonal memories for a lifetime.” – Barbara McCoy

Lightning bugs. Frogs. Raccoons. Owls. Mosquitoes. Ants. Trees. Weather. Even bats.

That’s what we’ve studied this summer. Just about once a week, we deliberately studied nature. But really, the children and I didn’t think of it as study. It was our summer fun. To take notice right when everything is growing, blooming and croaking.

What is an Outdoor Hour Challenge? Simply the idea of getting outside for a short while, in your own backyard – to enjoy, to observe and maybe to learn something new. Any time of year. The Outdoor Hour Challenges are hosted by Barb-Harmony Art Mom on her Handbook of Nature Study blog. On the Handbook of Nature Study site, there is a section devoted to Getting Started and More. Since my family first started participating, the challenges have changed from weekly postings on the Handbook of Nature Study blog to a monthly newsletter. Here are details directly from Barb-Harmony Art Mom’s July 2011 newsletter post:

“1. Instead of a weekly challenge, there will be a monthly newsletter with a month’s worth of nature study suggestions, new nature journal ideas, a custom notebook page, and always a few more goodies.
2. Each newsletter will be filled with specific ideas for encouraging nature study in your family, no matter where you live.
3. The newsletter will be available at the beginning of each new month and you will be able to download it and print for your family.
4. The newsletter will outline the Outdoor Hour Challenge topics for the month and all participants will complete the challenges the same as before but there will no longer be a Mr. Linky each week. Instead, blog entries will be shared in the monthly Outdoor Hour Challenge Blog Carnival at the end of the month.
5. I will still share our family’s Outdoor Hour Challenge experiences on my blog and support everyone’s entries by sharing about them in the Blog Carnival.”

How does a family get started? How do you participate? When we began Outdoor Hour Challenges, we started small. About one, maybe two studies a month. Just simple studies of daily things in our own backyard. For us, we simply got into a routine. Kerri had mentioned she and her family do just ‘one more thing’ together after lunch. So I took that idea. Whenever the fancy struck, I gathered our field guides. I put them in a pile in the middle of the kitchen table. While the children ate lunch I read the excerpt from the Handbook of Nature Study. We’d push back, leave the lunch dishes and forge out into… the backyard!

With practice, it became easy. When we first started I didn’t even have the suggested text, I just pulled from what we had. See, I’ve always loved nature. Oh, I really love birds. Continue reading »