Birthed from our Charlotte Mason Saturday Morning group, the new Great River Community is officially launched! We are making final preparations to begin our twice-monthly community instructional days on Friday, September 23rd.
For those who were not at the meeting today, I thought I might recap a little of the information that we shared. First - a word or two about the name. Originally, we called this new community a "co-op." But then, we read Nancy Kelly's website: (http://sageparnassus.blogspot.com/2011/08/community-not-co-op.html)
"Our Charlotte Mason community - Truth, Beauty, Goodness - had its first meeting of the new school year. Notice I said "community" and not "co-op". That's because the term "co-op" generally connotates a bunch of images that I don't want associated with our group. Things like harried children, joyless moms, isolated subjects, segregated children, various methods and the like. Instead, we strive for relationships with each of the students, joyful learning, attention as a habit, interested students, clear methods and a unifying philosophy. Our community is a servant to our homeschools, not a master."
Thank you, Mrs. Kelly! Perfectly stated. This is exactly what we long for - a relational, joyful community of parents and children, learning together. So, we are first a "COMMUNITY."
Next, we are "GREAT RIVER." The Iroquois first named this place "Ohio" - "great river." It is broad, deep and swift. It brings life-giving water and nutrients to enrich our land. It is beautiful and full with life. It will sweep you up in its current and carry you away, to new places and people, all the while twisting, flowing and alive. While we admire its depth and beauty, it is also a sculpting force - powerful, transformational. And it reminds us that our Lord is like this, too: Jesus, the LIVING water who transforms us. It is everyting we desire our community to become: a GREAT RIVER.
For those families planning to be a part of the Great River Community, we covered a lot of ground at the Parent Meeting today. Here is the link for ALL the documents from today's meeting:
http://www.mediafire.com/?d4tbodbvmwbou
Two items to note:
- We are in immediate need of two Co-Directors to oversee planning of the 2 Littles groups. The "job description" is at the link above. Please prayerfully consider if it might be you. :)
- WORK DAY - Next Saturday (17 Sept) from 8:30-11 at the classroom building. Please come and help clean up, if you can. There will be lists of specific jobs to be done. All supplies will be there.
To all of our friends who were absent today - we missed you. :(
We pray the Lord's blessing be upon each of your families as you begin your school year, home schooling or otherwise. May God bless you and keep you until we all meet again.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Sunday, August 14, 2011
in response to Janet's take-away call
This response to Janet's take-away question began as a "comment," and after I realized how long it was, I thought I would just post it -
I came away from Saturday morning thankful to have "connected" with a not-so-distant member of the CM family, one challenging us to continue the conversation which began years and years ago -
As I reviewed my less than conclusive notes when I returned home, I was further encouraged to read the article in consideration (The Home School by Charlotte Mason) which causes me to now walk with thanks and a deeper understanding of the following four thoughts:
- Once we're in a learning groove, we stop questioning what is good/bad, worthy/unworthy, education/ not education, food/not food. dangerous place. God, show us the way so we can walk in it.
- Bible teaching is perhaps the most valuable instrument of education. Susan asked me on our way home from the meeting what that looks like in my day. "We read scripture at breakfast, and . ? ." was my reply. She had me searching for what else Mason said about it (nice detail in the article, also greater depth found in Home Education Volume 1, pgs.247-253.) very encouraging.
- 5 of the 13 waking hours should be given to a child as their own, 3 of those outside. My students in public school. grade 6. felt this need for time, space, and nature as it would completely make their day when given an "extra recess." you know, the whole 20 minutes of extra. truly.
- Ambleside Online's Nature Study Schedule has a much more laid back take on hours spent outside: So good reading the varieties of "ways of being," then deciding what is in us to do. I am certain Charlotte Mason is not set to induce guilt but challenge us to live a life closer to nature: more hands-off. - or is that more hands-on? Hmm. Whose hands?
- Finally, Nancy's 4 kinds of "paradigm glue" hit all kinds of nerves in me. So, in conclusion, I will share.
- be a part of a Charlotte Mason community (attending regular support meetings if possible.)
- read Charlotte Mason's original works (there is no substitute)
- admiration, hope, and love (could spur a potentially unending conversation)
- use the internet sparingly . . . and with that, I say, "goodnight."
Peace to you as you thank God for His beauty in your day and ask Him to lead you, your family, and your dreams for this day, this month, this year.
Nancy Kelly's talk on Saturday
What a great time we had hearing Nancy Kelly speak via Skype on Saturday ! Check out her recap on her blog Sage Parnassus, but while you are there please check out all her great info on her Living Education Retreats, Charlotte Mason on the Prairie, and her co-op Truth, Beauty and Goodness .. to name a few great things. Good article on a CS Lewis book written to children just below the recap of her talk. Anyone have a take away that they would like to share ? I'd love to read it.
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Spot of Paradigm Glue
This is a follow up to Sir Ken Robinson's animated talk that we watched a few months ago .. enjoy.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Lower Elem. Classroom Immersion
rememberings from the 2011 Charlotte Mason Educational Conference held at Gardner Webb in North Carolina -
What I learned from Nicolle Hutchinson's Lower Level Classroom Immersion Group, covering grades one to three, I want to share. I am hoping to remember as much as possible, because it was a rich experience I implement every day in our beings and doings. It may be an awkward narration, but it's my narration anyway. :0)
This did not include kindergarten. Kindergarten looks like nature. stories. play. nature. play. stories. nature. :0) Read Mason's Home Education (volume 1 of her series) to learn specifics of nature. play. stories. in kindergarten.
Nicolle attempted to soften the atmosphere with beautiful books, baskets of things, dried flowers, an antique globe. . .
To begin our time together, she first took us all to the library, wanting to gather everyone together on the floor to read a short poem. (she mentioned that in a home school setting this might be a verse or two instead) What I remember is that nobody's answer was wrong. When there were children talking, instead of managing them she asked if they wanted to share or if they were ready to read more. She asked very basic questions like, "what did you hear? can you think of a small animal?", and instead of each time everyone just sharing their answer, she had us share with a partner and then share what our partner said. *nice listening development.
For math she grouped pencils by a rubberband and held up the sets of pencils as if they were her fingers, so she would have 3 groups of 3 pencils each. At one point she put them on her fingers, which brought chuckles. We did drill, which was nice to see, because I wondered how Charlotte Mason would teach math facts.
We sat on the floor again to read a portion of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. We each took turns reading, then she had us turn the book over, narrate, the next child read, we turned our books over, and we narrated. . .
For geography, we had a 30 second picture study. We read and narrated a couple paragraphs. We re-looked at the picture we studied earlier, as it accompanied the reading, and then she had sand trays where we created what we had learned. The topic was landforms such as lakes, mountains, inlets, . . . then we read and narrated about islands . . . proceeded to create islands in our sand. Very nice mix of it all.
Nicolle talked about occasionally drawing narration in place of speaking it and the parent writing it. I believe narration is primarily verbal and transcribed until 4th grade.
In processing the experience as a group, quite a few people commented on the lack of praise. Some felt freed by it. Others felt like it gave them courage to share. Nicolle encouraged us to note that praise can stop the learning. When a child feels he/she has satisfied the teacher with his/her knowledge or length of oration, he/she may stop receiving.
Types of activities that get their own notebooks:
*copywork
*handwriting
*narration journal
**maybe someone can comment and share distinguishing characteristics between these three activities. I'm having a difficult time pulling them each apart from one another.
Anyone else who was at this immersion session, please share your own take-aways. It was such a full time.
Marissa, you had received some wisdom in the math session concerning right and wrong answers not necessarily being corrected. I appreciated the wisdom in the approach. Would you be willing to share a bit about that piece of your session? or perhaps you are already planning to and I'm jumping the gun.
For everyone who was there, the sooner you find 10 minutes to share what you learned, the more you'll remember. Time passes . . .
What I learned from Nicolle Hutchinson's Lower Level Classroom Immersion Group, covering grades one to three, I want to share. I am hoping to remember as much as possible, because it was a rich experience I implement every day in our beings and doings. It may be an awkward narration, but it's my narration anyway. :0)
This did not include kindergarten. Kindergarten looks like nature. stories. play. nature. play. stories. nature. :0) Read Mason's Home Education (volume 1 of her series) to learn specifics of nature. play. stories. in kindergarten.
Nicolle attempted to soften the atmosphere with beautiful books, baskets of things, dried flowers, an antique globe. . .
To begin our time together, she first took us all to the library, wanting to gather everyone together on the floor to read a short poem. (she mentioned that in a home school setting this might be a verse or two instead) What I remember is that nobody's answer was wrong. When there were children talking, instead of managing them she asked if they wanted to share or if they were ready to read more. She asked very basic questions like, "what did you hear? can you think of a small animal?", and instead of each time everyone just sharing their answer, she had us share with a partner and then share what our partner said. *nice listening development.
For math she grouped pencils by a rubberband and held up the sets of pencils as if they were her fingers, so she would have 3 groups of 3 pencils each. At one point she put them on her fingers, which brought chuckles. We did drill, which was nice to see, because I wondered how Charlotte Mason would teach math facts.
We sat on the floor again to read a portion of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. We each took turns reading, then she had us turn the book over, narrate, the next child read, we turned our books over, and we narrated. . .
For geography, we had a 30 second picture study. We read and narrated a couple paragraphs. We re-looked at the picture we studied earlier, as it accompanied the reading, and then she had sand trays where we created what we had learned. The topic was landforms such as lakes, mountains, inlets, . . . then we read and narrated about islands . . . proceeded to create islands in our sand. Very nice mix of it all.
Nicolle talked about occasionally drawing narration in place of speaking it and the parent writing it. I believe narration is primarily verbal and transcribed until 4th grade.
In processing the experience as a group, quite a few people commented on the lack of praise. Some felt freed by it. Others felt like it gave them courage to share. Nicolle encouraged us to note that praise can stop the learning. When a child feels he/she has satisfied the teacher with his/her knowledge or length of oration, he/she may stop receiving.
Types of activities that get their own notebooks:
*copywork
*handwriting
*narration journal
**maybe someone can comment and share distinguishing characteristics between these three activities. I'm having a difficult time pulling them each apart from one another.
Anyone else who was at this immersion session, please share your own take-aways. It was such a full time.
Marissa, you had received some wisdom in the math session concerning right and wrong answers not necessarily being corrected. I appreciated the wisdom in the approach. Would you be willing to share a bit about that piece of your session? or perhaps you are already planning to and I'm jumping the gun.
For everyone who was there, the sooner you find 10 minutes to share what you learned, the more you'll remember. Time passes . . .
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
CM co-op
I'm very interested in co-op idea although I'm not sure how it would work, what you are picturing, etc. But every other week feels much more do-able than weekly.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Practicing Narration
Today we went to library and my son picked out several books on trains. They were of the encyclopedic type and I found myself wishing for a living book about trains. Suddenly, I had a little brainstorm that we could make up our own "living book" as though we were a train and "narrate" it to each other. So my kids have been Thomas the Train and Percy for a few hours, telling me how they are steam locomotives, how they work, and what they do all day. We looked up a few details in the library book to help us out but everything else was what they remember from various sources.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)