tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74103167725404410832024-03-19T23:47:59.477-07:00Narration In A JarAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-6878911004029296662010-06-17T12:35:00.000-07:002010-06-17T12:35:00.284-07:00Childlight Conference<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This past weekend I was able to attend a portion of the <a href="http://www.childlightusa.org/"><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Childlight</span></a> CM conference. When I got home I did what any good CM student would do and wrote my own narration of one of the workshops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><a href="http://ourstoryinprogress.blogspot.com/2010/06/education-is-life.html">Read further</a></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-26947793049138255992010-06-14T10:15:00.000-07:002010-06-14T10:15:00.314-07:00The Digitization of Charlotte Mason<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><object height="364" width="445"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/dKyDOLPmFTA&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dKyDOLPmFTA&hl=en_US&fs=1&color1=0x006699&color2=0x54abd6&border=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="445" height="364"></embed></object></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-90614722857284940052010-04-08T17:44:00.000-07:002010-04-25T12:56:44.814-07:00Spelling and Dictation<em><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Bad spelling is usually a sign of not much reading, or sometimes, reading so fast that words are skimmed over instead of really seeing each word.</span></em><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I will be honest and tell you I am very opinionated when it comes to teaching spelling. I suppose it stems from the long journey my children have taken me on and how I have sorted through those observations. For the most part I strongly agree with Charlotte Mason. Children need to see the words. My oldest daughter came from the public school environment which believed, at the time, in creative spelling. This is the method of allowing a child to continually misspell words with the thought that one day this will all click and good spelling will occur. Year after year we waited for the light to go on. I would protest with the teachers that I didn't understand why we were continuing to allow her to misspell words. At home I would frustrate her by trying to correct everything. We went from "don't worry she will get it" to "don't worry there's always spell check." After bringing her home and frustrating both of us I finally said, "Don't you see the words?" She looked at me exasperated and replied, "No." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This was a profound moment for me as the teacher. She was a veracious reader and I could not understand this confession. Charlotte warns of children not truly examining words and details the bad habit of seeing misspelled words. As my children were young or in remediation, we did take the time to study </span><a href="http://www.bhibooks.net/swr.html"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">phonics</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> and understand the true spelling rules of the English language. As that knowledge began to digest, we introduced dictation. In my daughter's case, we studied phonics and spelling rules for almost two years trying to undo the bad habits she had developed. The final stage was the </span><a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/1_5c.html"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">process of dictation</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">. Charlotte describes the process as a time of study for the child; carefully examining each word in the passage and preparing for the dictation. She also suggests allowing the child to choose the passage which develops ownership. For my daughter, it was Pride & Prejudice, her favorite book. She chose chapter 12 and for a year we carefully worked through the words taking note of her problem areas. Because we both had an understanding of phonics and of the spelling rules we were able to dissect each misspelled word. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I began to notice a change. She went from always asking how words were spelled to spelling them for me to see if they were correct to hardly asking at all.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-77638775296538379922010-03-18T19:58:00.000-07:002010-03-18T19:58:02.787-07:00Narration Cubes<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>from <a href="http://ourstoryinprogress.blogspot.com/2008/07/narration-cube.html">Our Story in Progress</a></em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Last night I read to my 6 year old from Winnie the Pooh. He chose the story "Eyeore loses his Tail." After we finished we got my narration cubes out. First he rolled characters so I had him name all the characters in the story we read. Then he rolled connections. I asked him what were some things he was reminded of while we were reading. Since Owl had taken Eyeore's tail and used it as a bell pull, mistakenly of course, Ben and I were reminded of the bell pull from The Wizard of Oz. Then he rolled on N which meant we could be creative. So I had him take his stuffed animals and create his own version of the story. He called it "Rabbit loses his Tail." </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">We had such a fun night! I love nights like that!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-1433217201038765532010-03-12T07:34:00.000-08:002010-03-12T07:35:51.906-08:00Picture Study in a Jar<div class="separator" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKappBhVeJcq7KgVCKXqTjLCx2b_3iwp9qH7ifMpb7w7I2DRAPFm7TgAcZle27-q6OYRUVflgxQxpby3APGwz8cXwQ3ipWQLC5rHhuG2yaP8RClwgSjfDHxNrIQoeB3ye9QQnZxYfq-fg/s200/Picture+Study+in+a+Jar+2.jpg" vt="true" width="183" /></div><br />
<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This <a href="http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=7186695&keywords=Picture+Study+in+a+Jar">product</a> is a companion to <a href="http://www.ecrater.com/product.php?pid=2823653">Narration in a Jar</a>. Included is a picture study cube with three levels of play, three levels of color-coded activity strips and a booklet to help guide through implementing picture study in your home.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-3161051162941414292010-03-10T14:12:00.000-08:002010-03-10T14:12:49.056-08:00The Art of Narrating<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>We must trust that his mind is capable of dealing with the nutrition it needs by itself.</em><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Charlotte Mason Vol. 1 in Modern English</span></span><br />
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<div></div></font><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Today I was reading from <strong><a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/M1_5a.html">Home Education</a></strong> by Charlotte Mason on narration and decided this was a great place to "think out loud." Charlotte speaks of how natural narration is to children. There is nothing that needs to be taught to the child. It is us, the parent, that must be taught to not only allow the child to narrate but also to enjoy the child's narration. It is simply not enough for us to add a smile or an occasional "uh-huh." We are to be engaged in their storytelling. She also speaks of the rich literary diet a child must feast upon. It is our duty to supply a well-balanced diet. (I could write a whole blog post on that but I will save it for another time.) It is the act of narration that creates ownership of the knowledge presented. I have seen this in my own life as I have journeyed down this "new" education. Narration also is as unique and individual as our children. It is not our job to interfere or correct but rather to allow the process to happen. We must trust that when feasting on a rich diet and then digesting it through narration the child will nourish itself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Quick Tips for Narration:</span><br />
<ul><li><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Read only an episode at a time</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Spend only a few moments reviewing what was previously read but jump right in to reading</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Do not correct the child while narrating</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS;">Multiple children can take turns narrating</span> </li>
</ul>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-79478994816616568412009-06-29T10:05:00.000-07:002010-03-10T13:55:32.669-08:00Sunday School - with a CM twist<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">My husband and I teach a wonderful group of 2<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">nd</span> and 3rd graders Sunday School at our church. We have implementing much of Charlotte Mason's philosophy but still felt we had room to grow. Of course, knowing this God supplied us with some wonderful resources that were very helpful.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">First I was able to have an afternoon by the pool with a friend who had recently returned from the <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Childlight</span> conference. Eager to hear all she had learned we planned a swim day. During our discussion she shared a classroom format based on CM. I had a chance to hear a similar lecture on www.childlight.org from Nicole Hutchinson. It was so helpful to hear her teach and to "be the student." From that I set to work on our Sunday school class.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This week we were introducing the concept of regeneration and rebirth. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">1. We started with a question. It can be simple but it is designed to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">intrique</span> the children and peak their interest. For us we started our lesson with a butterfly that the children could color. We gave them time to talk with us about the process of going from caterpillar to butterfly. We will draw from this discussion at the end of our lesson.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">2. We quickly reviewed what had been taught last week. We only kept them on topic. The children did most of the talking.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">3. We then asked the children questions and had them look up the answers in the Bible. Each child was given a sheet with the questions written on it. After reading the Scripture and discussing what it meant we then instructed them to write their answers down.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">4. We also introduced our memory verse. After finding the verse in their Bibles we asked one child to read. From this the children were given a final sheet which had part of the verse filled in. They were to complete the verse for <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">copywork</span>.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">5. At the end of the lesson we had children tell us about the butterfly and how that might apply to our verse that we just learned. We then instructed them to write the word "regeneration" at the bottom of the butterfly paper.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">All of these items will go into their Sunday School notebooks. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-74055768060006133652009-05-24T20:23:00.000-07:002010-03-10T13:55:53.850-08:00Narration in a Jar at NCHE this weekend!<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">This weekend "Narration in a Jar" made its debut at the NCHE homeschool conference. We are excited to share this products with other homeschool families. This idea was created to help parents implement the powerful tool of narration in their homes</span>.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-56713412146463101922009-04-25T13:48:00.000-07:002009-04-25T20:01:45.429-07:00Narration Cubes & Pathways<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP_K282HSNz1x3i1lKOUAhtyH_osfAVjlWnLwtKF4BaZLYHVh4jZJAmu3GMeNE2MW8HQPeTnXkjWb6H5mZs3xlWVC9-927lbkLQz0YZUeliE2dUaluJ5RM00SbOKZS3aTUahoi-_yiBk/s1600-h/First+steps.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 84px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 114px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328735437375605058" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTP_K282HSNz1x3i1lKOUAhtyH_osfAVjlWnLwtKF4BaZLYHVh4jZJAmu3GMeNE2MW8HQPeTnXkjWb6H5mZs3xlWVC9-927lbkLQz0YZUeliE2dUaluJ5RM00SbOKZS3aTUahoi-_yiBk/s200/First+steps.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /></span><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">My youngest son has beenenjoying the many adventures of reading. Since he was young he has always been engaged in a good story. About a year ago he began his own adventure by asking to learn to read. A strong phonics background helped tremendously. We have also used another wonderful tool...Pathway Readers. We started with the Primer and have enjoyed progressing through the books. As we are coming to the close of first grade, we have been intigrating the <strong>Narration Cubes</strong> with the Pathway Reader story. After he has finished reading, he takes a purple cube and rolls it. He uses this tool to narrate the story he finished reading. For him, this doesn't feel like school. It is simply a fun game to complete our reading session.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-79460833565444053502008-08-18T20:25:00.000-07:002010-03-10T13:56:09.600-08:00Loaves & Fish<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_w6Ns6tshoVh9oVqCXdOzVtE9czOgbxOQkUzkNFNVcrhADo2IoJ8TAN02cnp7IiKBRbpOCki4qkIjiaq4qyv7ytwEyD6lx6XairEqwkFNWJjK6q6JFaQZkRqAa4UMMzJ50fV2pSA2Xw/s1600-h/Loaves_and_Fishes_2_.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328735973671374178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy_w6Ns6tshoVh9oVqCXdOzVtE9czOgbxOQkUzkNFNVcrhADo2IoJ8TAN02cnp7IiKBRbpOCki4qkIjiaq4qyv7ytwEyD6lx6XairEqwkFNWJjK6q6JFaQZkRqAa4UMMzJ50fV2pSA2Xw/s200/Loaves_and_Fishes_2_.jpg" style="cursor: hand; float: left; height: 95px; margin: 0px 10px 10px 0px; width: 120px;" /></a><br />
<div><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Recently, after an especially trying a week, I <em>"narrated"</em> (that sounds better than saying I unloaded, doesn't it?) my woes to my husband. In response to my exasperation, he held out his arms and hugged me. I, of course, was not done <em>narrating</em> as he tried to console me so in a last ditch effort to be the comforter he replied, "You are supposed to be like loaves and fish." At the time I didn't realize the wisdom in his words but since have reflected on them.<br />
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<em>Be like loaves and fish</em>...And so I began to think often about this phrase.<br />
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The most obvious thing about loaves and fish is that they multiplied. So was my husband asking for more of me? That seemed like an odd request since I had just shared about feeling pulled in so many directions. Then it dawned on me. Yes, the <strong>loaves and fish multiplied but not until they were in God's hands</strong>! This observation struck me deeply. Here I go again trying to do it all myself when He just wants us to place ourselves in His hands.<br />
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<em>We are weak but He is strong.</em><br />
</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><em>I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.</em><br />
This year I have a daunting task ahead of me (at least I feel like I do). I will be educating an elementary, middle, and high school aged child. That is some pretty big gaps. My prayer is that this year my children will continue to grow in the ownership of their education but most importantly that they will grown in the knowledge of their Creator. I am human so I will falter, get side-tracked, and fail...but I am reminded that I will be like "loaves and fish." He will supply all my needs.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-50356034029330626672008-08-08T05:54:00.000-07:002009-04-25T20:02:10.627-07:00Are you ready?<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">That's a daunting statement....<em>Are you ready?</em> I begin to feel overwhelmed just at the thought. No one is really ready! That is how I felt when the Lord began pressing on me that it was time to start homeschooling. Sure I want to be obedient to His will. Yes I want to serve Him, but are you sure I am ready?<br /><br />I remember vividly that period of time when the Lord said it was time to <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">homeschool</span>. Three of my four children were in public school and my fourth was just a toddler at the time. He started with Lauryn. She was about to go in to middle school and both my husband and I felt there was something better. Then my husband suggested we look into homeschooling. There was <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">definitely</span> an adjustment but more importantly there was such a tremendous blessing! The <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">following</span> year, we decided that our third child should come home and a year later we did something incredibly radical...We brought our oldest son home during his senior year of high school! Now you would think he would have hated us for doing it and that the whole year was such a catastrophe but that was simply not the case. The Lord provided each and every step of the way. My son was thrilled to come home and I can only thank God for His perfect timing and His provisions.<br /><br />"<em>They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength..." </em><br /><br />That was one of my father's favorite verses and I can see why. I love the part about renewing our strength. As we prepare lessons, taxi children, make meals, do laundry, clean house, serve in church, etc. we become tired. I know I do. I simply run out of fuel. How perfectly He is to provides for us. Write down why you started homeschooling, journal some of your favorite moments, and don't forget to go back and read them. That is an incredible source of renewal and strength for me. Each time I do I am reminded of His hand on our family!<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-29221207038773562002008-07-23T12:24:00.000-07:002009-04-25T20:02:25.333-07:00Planting your Child's Garden - Planning<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMME14PD2UpJyfHy_tneiw_s6Yft-hQ2bskgt-a1fSkt8P4mM8PqtdAfRIQ8TzcENf1Y5yHr39sQuBCD0lErMjgiGxQu7xoeiMh0GVvXMv6j7vy4mQY7EpjLSH4TlC-fZUJmCn-a5vHdo/s1600-h/Garden.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 181px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 120px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328736701183683170" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMME14PD2UpJyfHy_tneiw_s6Yft-hQ2bskgt-a1fSkt8P4mM8PqtdAfRIQ8TzcENf1Y5yHr39sQuBCD0lErMjgiGxQu7xoeiMh0GVvXMv6j7vy4mQY7EpjLSH4TlC-fZUJmCn-a5vHdo/s200/Garden.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I love how our Lord spoke to us in parables. I love reading through them and truly meditating on His word. As I was reading the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13:3-9), I was struck by how we could apply this to our homeschooling and our children's education.<br /><br />There is no doubt...I am a planner. I like seeing where I have come from and where we are going. I find that with a plan, we have a better year all around. Now I am the first to admit that things happen and we must make adjustments. Families come to visit; sickness; an opportunity to serve arises. When I have a plan I have the big picture in mind so I can be flexible without feeling tremendous panic. I like planning on two different levels. First, I prayerfully consider the overall goals of each child. This helps me decide on the details.<br /><br />Once I have that in mind I begin planning how I will accomplish this in a school year. I do this over the summer using an excel spreadsheet. I also take this time to educate and nourish myself. Too often, I think we run on empty and an overtired, stressed mom is not a good teacher. I still must be reminded of this because I can fall into that trap all too easily! I love taking what I have read and making it my own. I love putting my <em>personal stamp</em> on an idea. Creativity like that doesn't come when we are exhausted!<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBMZoZ3T7Iyahg3YIeOWladdYiQKAZptYtbQy9AwOFWXubyF9oK1esowpz3DHAxSNnm_CZnWwVzZ9_bZvJtHO5z88GmPHmpohyphenhyphencYeV9FrMoDk-oKNBZnTKZEHXMe5657reta4xPI_dFI/s1600-h/gGarden-Tools.jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img style="WIDTH: 111px; HEIGHT: 84px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5328737179373930354" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsBMZoZ3T7Iyahg3YIeOWladdYiQKAZptYtbQy9AwOFWXubyF9oK1esowpz3DHAxSNnm_CZnWwVzZ9_bZvJtHO5z88GmPHmpohyphenhyphencYeV9FrMoDk-oKNBZnTKZEHXMe5657reta4xPI_dFI/s200/gGarden-Tools.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br /><strong></strong></span></div><div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong>My favorite gardening tools during the planning phase:</strong><br /><br />a spiral notebook<br /><em>I carry this around and scribble all kinds of thoughts and notes as they come.</em><br /><br />excel<br /><em>This is where I start mapping out my year</em><br /><br />a book on education<br /><br />ie <em>Charlotte Mason A Philosphy of Education; </em></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em>For the Children's Sake; The Whole-Hearted Child<br /></em><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:85%;"></span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-27004651533284197202008-07-23T08:06:00.000-07:002009-04-25T20:02:39.661-07:00A Living Book Moment<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABtnyjU6T4PKCQhsJSUQ3nzj_LmLS3ARfyjBS_xGg6yzd6ivll2YwpIYdDhupUCfnrgCekIySXGxqIJTuKHhdb2UCUsFccdQ8hfiHbPaOIxGScPR62lLmKUIJWYeFsr9v_y6u6jis-hk/s1600-h/HPIM0368.JPG"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 150px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 176px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5226228403814653954" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjABtnyjU6T4PKCQhsJSUQ3nzj_LmLS3ARfyjBS_xGg6yzd6ivll2YwpIYdDhupUCfnrgCekIySXGxqIJTuKHhdb2UCUsFccdQ8hfiHbPaOIxGScPR62lLmKUIJWYeFsr9v_y6u6jis-hk/s200/HPIM0368.JPG" width="139" height="154" /></a><br /><div><em><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">A while back I read The Velveteen Rabbit to my son. I sat down and wrote it in my journal while it was still fresh in my mind. My hope is that hearing this encourage you.</span></em></div><em></em><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This past Tuesday night I took the time to read The Velveteen Rabbit to Ben. This night was different because Ben did not fall asleep during the story. Normally, he would gather up his rabbit, crawl into bed with me and be fast asleep before the middle of the story.<br /><br />I must take a moment and share a little about Ben or this story will lose its impact. He is the last of four children. I tease that our third child, Kaelyn, is our last but God had other plans for our family and our life would not be the same without Ben. Since birth he attached himself to two things…his thumb and a blue, silk stuffed rabbit. Ben is now five and has willingly given up his thumb but rabbit is his “true blue” friend. Rabbit goes everywhere with Ben and of course rabbit shows all the wear and tear of a boy’s love.<br /><br />With this understanding, you can see why The Velveteen Rabbit would be such an incredible story to read to Ben. This particular night his attention was focused on the boy in the story. He realized right away that he (Ben) was the boy and rabbit was his rabbit. As the story took life in Ben’s imagination, he quickly showed signs of concern for the rabbit, all the while holding his rabbit just a little closer. The boy said he thought his rabbit was a real rabbit and Ben proclaimed that he, too loved his rabbit just as much. We continued reading…the boy grew sick and the rabbit stayed close. Tears welled up in my 5 year olds big, green eyes. “Mommy, why is the boy sick?” he questioned. I assured him we needed finish the story and all would be understood. The boy began to get better. That is when the nanny determined that the velveteen rabbit must be burned in order to keep the boy healthy.<br /><br />Tearfully my son pleaded, “But he loves his rabbit.” I wrapped my arms tighter around Ben and rabbit and told him that everything would okay. “But Mommy, will the boy ever see his rabbit again?” Ben questioned. “Keep listening Ben. It will all be answered.” I continued to assure him. He hung on to every word longing to hear how the boy would be reunited with his rabbit.<br /><br />As we finally finished the book, Ben paused and then his little heart burst open. He held his faithful blue friend in his arms, noticing for the first time how much he loved his rabbit. His rabbit is a bluish gray color now. His pink nose is faded and the whiskers are long gone. There is no fluff to his body anymore. And his fluffy white tail is nothing more than a dingy spot on the bottom of his limp body. Ben saw his love and friendship in that old, worn-out bunny. And then through his sobs he pleaded that his bunny should not have to go away and become real. He was heartbroken over the sad truth that these two friends would be changed forever. He <em>was</em> the boy in the story of The Velveteen Rabbit. He understood the bittersweet ending to this classic story.<br /><br />For me, this is the very definition of a living book. We didn’t have story time Tuesday night, we lived story time instead.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-3143027544641884352008-07-13T13:45:00.000-07:002009-04-25T20:03:02.016-07:00Sunday School...the Charlotte Mason Way<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">I love spending an afternoon with friends. It just lifts my spirits, encourages me, and usually ends up sparking an idea. This past week, my friend and I got together and (among many things) discussed how to do <strong>Sunday School...the Charlotte Mason way. </strong>I can not take credit for this, my friend had read a blog where this was already discussed.<br /></span><p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em>A quick sidebar:</em> My husband and I are truly blessed to be able to teach some wonderful 3rd and 4th graders. Among their many wonderful qualities, they also posess a strong background in His Word! As we would teach, the children were reciting Scripture references before we could finish our sentences. This told me that our class needed to go deeper than just an introduction to His Word and my husband and I needed to be able to switch gears a little and go deeper.</span></p><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">This week our lesson was on Jesus being the final authority and God's chosen one. The scripture reference was in Luke when Jesus speaks in the synagogue. So, thanks to Google Image search, I found a beautiful portrait of this scene.<br /><br />We started our lesson with a picture study. The kids got up out of their chairs, and began leaning over each other anxious to get a good look. It was so exciting! The picture study set the stage. I read through the Scriptures and asked the children to narrate small portions. They were so engaged. It was a wonderful beginning to a new way of thinking.<br /><br />As we progressed through the lesson, I was reminded of a story, </span><a href="http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=baldwin&book=fifty&story=canute&PHPSESSID=4c070c94d694466bcb7f186daf93e594"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">King Canute on the Seashore</span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">, from Fifty Famous Stories Retold. This would have been a wonderul way to have started the lesson...maybe next time!!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7410316772540441083.post-40307915950577470472008-07-03T17:49:00.000-07:002009-04-25T20:03:16.436-07:00A Quiet PlaceTonight I am sitting outside on my deck listening to the sounds of outdoors. My dog, Izzy, and I are silently enjoying God's creation. As I sit here, taking it all in my mind wanders and time stands still. And then a thought invades my mind...<br /><br />Why don't I do this more often? The painful answer is that I don't value this moment enough. There are too many other things that get in the way. But each time I sit in this chair, I feel so relaxed. I feel so calm and can actually stop and enjoy all the events of the day.<br /><br />Recently, we started something new in our house. This quiet reflection time was not only missing from my day but also from my children's day. Where was the time for them to reflect, imagine, or create? We were all getting too wrapped up in our "to-do" lists! So we implemented a "no electronics" time in the house. Every afternoon from 5:30-7:00 we put it all down (yes, even the phone)! As you can imagine the reaction was mixed. This was going to be an adjustment for all of us. However this week, I caught my daughter in her garden weeding and talking with a friend. She was enjoying herself so much that she didn't even notice that it was past 7:00. I hope we will be able to extend this quiet time but for now, I am content to just take baby steps!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00288653811228359870noreply@blogger.com0