I love oak trees. This oak is standing in a meadow in Yosemite Valley. I know this beautiful oak is not in our backyard but it was just such a perfect little scene of things that I had to capture it for my memory book and share it with you too. Charlotte Mason speaks in her writings about memorizing scenes to recall at a later time. This is one that will stick in my memory for a long time. The autumn light and the yellow-green of the grasses made this a perfect painting in my mind.
“The ability to take a mental picture of the beauties of nature is so fulfilling that it is well worth teaching our children how to do it…..Have the child look thoroughly at some landscape, then ask them to close their eyes, and bring up the image in their minds…..In the beginning the children will need help to get them started. So the mother might show how it’s done by saying, ‘Look at the trees reflected in the water. What do the leaves remind you of?’ until the children notice the main details. She should memorize a couple of mental images and impress her children by closing her eyes and describing it from memory.” Charlotte Mason, volume one, pages 48-49
“Imagine what a treasure they will find when, years later, they are able to pull out memories etched in full detail of the beautiful scenery from their childhood home!” Charlotte Mason, volume one, page 47
What a wonderful aspect of our outdoor time with our children! We can seize opportunities to instill in them a love and respect for nature as well as give them the gift of wonderful memories.
“Mental picture painting is a game that children enjoy, although it takes a good bit of concentrated attention and is therefore tiring. It should only be done once in a while. Still it is good to have children memorize some scenic landscape images because, while making the memory requires effort, the habit of looking more closely at detail is learned as an unconscious by-product when children are asked to make detailed mental images every now and then.” Charlotte Mason, volume one, pages 48-49
Just a word about nature study with older students.
Honestly, as my children are getting older, they are having to dig deeper to find something they are interested in learning about but the desire is still there. I am feeling the need to spend even more time with them outdoors as they reach their teen and teen+ years, stepping up the observations and learning.
They are becoming more confident in skills like using binoculars, using a field guide, knowing what plants grow in what environments, knowing what berries are edible, identifying birds by their flight patterns, making connections.
Last week we took our regular trip to the pond. Normally they get right to the business of scooping up water and critters and talking in excited voices about what they are finding. But this time I noticed a different atmosphere, a feeling of “we’ve been here and done that” sort of attitude. I had to quickly remind myself that this is their normal reaction anymore to just about everything. I think they are not interested in something because they don’t appear to be too excited on the outside. But later on in the day when they are talking to their dad, they relate a the whole experience in a different light. Apparently the outside of a teenager doesn’t accurately reflect the inside at all times.
So if you have older children and they appear to not be interested at first, don’t give up. It may be that they just aren’t showing it outwardly but inside the experiences are deeply affecting them. Don’t give up. I am not going to stop offering time outdoors with my boys.
Not all of our time will be nature study but just time to spend exploring together and sharing experiences. Our two favorite outdoor activities right now are bike riding and hiking. It sort of evens out the field in my opinion. They can lead me along and find things to show me and I can follow along and see what their eyes see. It is a great way to get to know your teens better.
The carnival has rolled around to my neck of the woods again and I am excited to share some great entries for this edition’s theme: Habit Training.
I thought I would start off the carnival with a few of my favorite quotes from Charlotte Mason on habit training. Enjoy the quotes and then enjoy the rest of the carnival!
“Whether habits are planned and created conscientiously, or allowed to be haphazardly filled in by chance, they are habits all the same. Habit rules ninety-nine percent of everything we do.”
volume one, page 110 “Habits of mind become physical reality on brain tissue and that’s why habit is so powerful. It isn’t all in the mind, it’s physical, too.”
volume one, page 114 “It takes a few weeks of work to build a new habit. Once the habit is in place, it must be guarded diligently to prevent a reversion to the old ways, but keeping watch is not stressful or difficult once the new habit is secure.”
volume one, page 121 “One last word about habit–the point of training children to have good habits is so that they’ll do things without being nagged or scolded. Then the mother isn’t constantly chasing them down with a barrage of commands and reminders. She can leave them alone to thrive in their own way once habit has secured a boundary for them to grow in.”
volume 1, page 134
What is a Habit? How do you get started?Princess Momma shares some great beginning ideas for habit training. If you are just starting out with the idea of habit training in your family, you will be interested in reading her entry. She even includes some ideas for habits that toddlers can work on. Charlotte Mason on Habits Dawn shares with everyone her entry onHabitry(read her entry to see what she means) I enjoyed reading her thoughts on how focusing on one habit also encompasses others at the same time. Cheerfulness, respectfulness, and kindness seem to all go together. Read about her new habit of early rising too.
The Habit of Habits. Isn’t that a great title? Andrea shares her thoughts on getting in the habit of working on habits. Love it. The Great Habit of Completing Chores
Erin writes in her entry about the practical ways to work on the habit of instilling good habits. She says, “While chores are the physical outworking of the habit, the underlying fruit is unmistakable. Obedience, responsibility, cheerfulness, diligence, attention, just to name a few.”You will want to be sure to read her entry, Smooth and Easy Days.
Keri has some great advice and some practical examples showing how she involves her whole family in habit training. Her entry will explain their system for chores (and a little incentive): Charlotte Mason Habit Training.
This is the third entry that should inspire some great ideas in the habit of completing chores. Shanna shares her flip cards and a chart for all of us to see. Kid’s Chore Chart
Working on Habits as a Family
Rachael share on her blog how her husband has helped her lay the foundation for the habit of reading aloud together as a family. She shares a list of books they have been able to read because they have stuck with this habit for five years. Don’t miss the last photo in this entry, it will warm your heart. The Habit of Reading Aloud
Rachael also shares a very nice poem about habits that you might like to use for copywork or to just share out loud with your children. Who Am I?
Ann at As They Rise Up shares her thoughts on habits. She realizes that good and bad habits start with her. I admire a woman who is honest in her thinking. Here is her entry on habits, Habits Begin at Home.
Working on habits together must be a common thread in homeschooling families, especially with moms. Elisabeth shares her entry, Forming Habits in Ourselves, on her blog, Treasuring the Moments.
Cindy shares her family’s attempts to make occupying yourself a habit. She shares some great ideas and ways to get started if you are interested in developing this habit in your family too.Habit Training-Occupying Yourself
Amanda from Hearts and Trees share her thoughts on the habit of imagining…yes, imagining. I was interested to read what Charlotte Mason had to say about this unusual habit. Here is Amanda’s entry: The Habit of Imagining Reaping the Rewards of Good Habits
Sonya from Simply Charlotte Mason, shares an entry titled, Discipline Brings Freedom. I can’t think of a better way to keep motivated in our endeavors to create good habits than the experiences she shares in this entry. She shows how putting down a new “habit rail” brings more freedom to your life.
I have a little different situation since my children are older and therefore have spent a lot more time working on good habits. My post, A Season of Reaping, shares my thoughts as I contemplate what sorts of habits older children need to refine. We will be discussing and making goals together as a family.
Shannon’s children are quite a bit younger than mine and she is already seeing the fruits of habit training. Here is her entry, Habit Training, on her blog Song of My Heart. Also in her entry are her family’s current habit training goals.
What a fantastic carnival and we even had a theme! Please leave a comment and let us know how you liked this carnival and if you would like to continue having a specific theme for each carnival in the future.
This is the last Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival that I will be presiding over. I am passing the torch of responsibility over to Jamie at Rose Cottage. She has graciously offered to take the lead in keeping this carnival going for all of us. I have become stretched too thin over the last months and felt the need to take something off my plate. As much as I love leading this carnival, it was something that I could easily pass on to someone without too much trouble. I want to publicly thank Jamie for her excitement and enthusiasm at handling the carnivals in the future.
We hope that it is a smooth transition but if there are any problems, please feel free to email me anytime if you have a question or concern. harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com
Thank you to everyone who made this edition of the carnival a success. I hope everyone has gained something from reading the entries. I know that I have been inspired to try some new things with my family.
This week we had some new and interesting things come our way for nature study. We seem to find things. We saw this field of wildflowers along the bike trail in our local area. The field was so pretty in the early morning light and I couldn’t resist taking a few photos.
My son found this moth in the bathroom and called me in to get a photo of the “pretty moth” on the wall. Cool.
We visited the pond this week and we brought home some water, plants, and some fish. This snail came along for the ride.
This is something else new for me…not sure what it is. The fruit looks sort of like a cherry. Isn’t it frustrating when you just don’t know what you want to know? I will try to figure it out and come back and edit. This was in the parking lot where I was waiting for the boys.
Edit: Thanks everyone….rose hips! The bush is so big and I didn’t realize it was a rose but I am sure that everyone is right….rose hips. Thanks again.
The cutest thing we saw this week was a squirrel eating walnuts from our tree. He had such a long bushy tail and he didn’t mind that we watched him as he nibbled. There are plenty of nuts for everyone. My son discovered the squirrel while he was in the backyard working on a project.
We had a lot of incidental nature study this week. I love that when it happens.
