John 4:14 is a word for the thirsty soul
Here is a scripture illustration to refresh and encourage you ~ Spring of water
Blessings,
Author Archives: Nadene
Reasoning
My two older daughters are homeschooling high school, using textbooks rather than living books (their choice, mostly.)
Living books and textbooks
But it is a reasonable choice … it is just that we have to reason through those textbooks!
You see, textbooks are arrogant.
They present their facts as absolute truth.
Pieced together as presentable nuggets of information, textbooks are formulaic.
Read this …, think that …, write this …, memorize that.
Whereas living books act as a voice,
they engage thought,
evoke emotion,
inspire moral and character choices,
express values,
they invite you to go on a journey…
Discussions after we have read a chapter of a living book often involves a personal response ~
Why do you think the character did/ said/ or thought that ?
What would you do/ say/ or think if you were in that situation?
What do you think the reasons for … was?
How do you think …?
You see, narrations are not simply “telling back” facts, they reflect the inner understanding and knowing and reasoning that each person processes when they read living books.
I love these moments of homeschool.
It is not about the mere learning of facts, it is about relating to the life, observations and thoughts of others.
So, you may wonder, why are we using textbooks for our high school?
My eldest will graduate at the end of the year (in December, in South Africa) and she needs to write the National Senior Certificate exams. These exams provide her with a matric (school graduation) qualification. Due to our extreme isolation on our farm, we were limited to the type of correspondence curriculums that will supply her the necessary courses and approach. So, for 3 years we have used the typical government school textbooks, tests, assignments and portfolio work, leading up to her prelim exams and final exams.
Simply, it is a means to an end.
I tutor her. Almost daily we discuss those broad sweeping textbook statements, incomplete or incorrect facts, blatant bias and errors in her study guides. We reason through them. Question them. Notice them.
I wonder how many public school pupils swallow the whole bitter pill without stopping to digest the facts presented? Worse still, they are trained to reproduce those facts to earn marks for their exams without being given an opportunity to reason or relate! I shudder.
Textbooks are a disappointing option for me, but it is a reasonable choice provided we talk through the content. Homeschooling makes this choice reasonable.
My junior high (middle) daughter wanted to copy her sister’s homeschool choices and follow the same curriculums. She needed to work more independently from me and chose the textbook rather than living book approach.
This “pushing away” process started last year and I felt like a complete CM failure. Now I see that it is right for her, and I have released myself from all those lofty homeschooling ideals. They almost become idols. I choose to support my daughters to become themselves and not become carbon copies of what I want. (I even offered her the option of attending a boarding school! Horrors! We are all grateful that she chose to remain at home, but for many homeschooled teens, going to school is an attractive option.)
Right now, I cherish reading living books and CM times with my youngest child. At 11, I realize that these days are very precious. I would love to homeschool into high school with living books, but I hold that hope loosely in my hands before the Lord.
The Lord knows what she needs.
It really comes back to my earliest homeschooling thoughts ~
Blessings as you trust the Lord for what each child needs,
Sharing this post on the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival
Sketch Tuesday ~ Favorite Food
This week’s Sketch Tuesday‘s theme is
Favorite Food
A bowl of soup!
Soup?
I was shocked. I really thought it would be something with chocolate … a pudding, or a cake, or some sweets … or Chinese food … or fruit …but, she really surprised me with this sketch 
I love Chinese food … but my hubby doesn’t, so we rarely eat out of my beautiful china Chinese set. I enjoyed painting a quick watercolor of a still life.
Stir fry is on the menu for tonight!
What’s your favorite food?
See you at the slide show!
Blessings,
Hear and Here
Moms seem to give birth to silent guilt.
Homeschool moms seems to amplify that guilt.
Usually any sentence (or even a thought) that starts with “… should have …” is not from God.
He is always “I am.”
Here and now.
He speaks through mercy and grace … continually.
And a listening soul can hear His Words, like whispers, like thoughts.
When I look at myself, or my marriage, or my children with guilt, I usually start to plan, organize, manage, manipulate …
but my attempts bring more striving,
less peace, less rest, more distress …
… until, at last, I give up,
… surrender
and listen …
The Lord’s ways are perfect, simple.
His answers are in Him, not in me.
And He wants to work in me, through me, by faith.
He loves me to start right here and now.
So, as I look back over the past week, or month and see all the things we “should have done” for homeschool, all the character issues still looming and unresolved, all my efforts merely complicating things,
it is a relief to give up, surrender, breathe, and wait on the Lord.
He encourages me with a simple starting point, one thing …
… for me, or my marriage, my kids, or my mission as mom and our homeschooling.
Nothing too complex, nor too far into the future, just a simple word for here and now.
May you be encouraged as you find a moment to listen,
hear the Father’s still, small voice,
and His plan for you for now,
right here.
Blessings and have a wonderful weekend,
Sketch Tuesday ~ Summer Fun
This week’s Sketch Tuesday‘s theme is
Summer Fun!
But our winter has started here in South Africa …
our warm AGA stove is burning …
darkness creeps in earlier each week …
we all enjoy hot soups and hearty stews …
But, not so long ago, we were swimming in our dam!
See you at the slide show!
Blessings,
Scripture Illustrations – Hope
Here is a powerful verse of hope ~
Job 14: 7-9
May your spirit revive and be refreshed with the scent of God’s great love and grace.
Your free download of hope ~ Hope for a tree
Blessings,
Best Parts
I recently read Jeanne of A Peaceful Day‘s “Fitting in nice bits“ and how she alternates their “best bits” of their Charlotte Mason education with short disciplinary lessons, and here’s how we fit in our “Best Parts”.
The simplest way I found to fit it all in and get to the “Best Parts” we do ~
- Short sweet lessons
- Focus on 1 theme for each day
That’s really all!
Simple.
We have always loved the “Charlotte Mason moments” of our day,
… it is our ‘best parts’ …
time where we leave or seat-work & discipline studies and …
cuddle together with our read alouds,
spend time outside doing nature study,
discover Geography and Science from observations and reading great books,
drawing and sketching as I read poetry, or while listening to classical composers,
making handicrafts and baking inspired by Little House Stories …
narrations, notebooking and telling-back …
We spend about 10 mins on each of our 3R’s – Bible, Maths, Spelling, Copywork/ Handwriting, Language Arts, 2nd Language – about 1 hour max for all the seat work.
Time for tea, hang up some washing, prepare the lunch …and then on to the “Best Parts”.
Usually, we relax in the sunny spot in our lounge during winter, or under a shady tree in summer. It is informal, although we take our notebooks and pencil bags along. I have my planning file and books and we read, discover, narrate, discuss, cuddle, create, observe, learn together, … enjoy homeschool!
It is my best part.
In all my years of teaching and homeschool, I can state that it is all about intimacy. It is my most fundamental reason for homeschooling.
And now that my older 2 daughters have moved away from a CM-based curriculum, I feel the loss all the more! My tutoring time with each of them is focused much more academically than with CM learning.
So my advice to moms with younger children (all the way into junior high) is to plan short sweet lessons and plan to do the “Best Parts” every day!
Also, check out Tricia of Hodgepodge‘s ideas of How to Fit in All the Extras and Survive.
Hope this inspires and encourages you. If you have some more ideas that work, please share in the comments below. Any questions? Please just ask – other readers may also be wondering …
Blessings,
New chalk pastels!
Last week we did our first chalk pastel tutorial
and I realized our pastel set was under-stocked and inadequate.
So I splurged on 2 sets -
a 24 set of chalk pastels
& my waited-so-long-on-my-wish-list set of pastel pencils!
When I put both sets out
and opened a new Hodgepodge chalk tutorial ~
EVERYONE joined!
My older girls seldom do art with us,
but the new array of beautiful colors drew them closer …
and we all enjoyed a relaxing time with our pastels.
(The pastel drawings done from top to bottom by 10-year-old, 13-year-old, 18-year-old and me.)
Several of us did a 2nd pastel picture not shown here.
Thanks Tricia for making our first lessons so easy!
Here are some pros and cons of chalk pastels ~
Pros ~
- bright colors
- covers a large area with very little effort or work
- layers of colors can cover up ‘mistakes’ or smudges
- limited colors layered on each other produces new shades and tones
- blending with finger or paper nub makes beautiful shading
- quick lessons because you can’t ‘work it too much’
Cons ~
- smudges easily
- lack of fine detail frustrate some kids
- can become messy if not careful
- chalk pieces break very easily
- some popular colors are often finished before most the other colors
Even if you only have a small set, or limited time, go ahead and try a chalk tutorial!
Blessings,
Sketch Tuesday ~ Dogs
This week’s Sketch Tuesday theme ~
Dogs
Miss.L10 quickly sketched several pictures on one page …
all her enjoyable moments with our 3 little Border Collie puppies …
And I used my new chalk pencils to sketch her with one puppy and the mommy dog when it’s eyes were still shut …
See you at the slide show!
Blessings,
Buy Big Art Sets & Share
We recently did one of Tricia of Hodgepodge’s chalk pastel tutorials (see all her tutorials here)
A Waterfall
We loved her simple tutorial and enjoyed the layering of colors, smudging and blending, and the overall result.
But we were limited … our chalk pastel set was fairly small, old, and some important colors were used up …
I need to buy a nice new chalk pastel set …
the widest range that I can afford,
with some extras of the popular colors too,
if they sell them loose.
And we will all share.
It works well with all our stationery sets,
except our paint sets, we each have our own.
Rather than buying sets for each child,
I believe that you can buy 1 good quality set for the family ~
felt-tipped pens (with at least 24 colors)
gel and glitter pens
the largest range of good quality colored pencil crayons (their color is clear, wood doesn’t splinter and lead doesn’t break)
a massive range of wax crayons (go for 24 or more colors)
& place them each in separate containers.(How do I organize the stationary?)
We pull the container out and put it in the middle of the table and share.
We seldom have squabbles.
The young kids learn quickly to close pen lids properly and not to drop the pencils.
All our art supplies are available – all the time.
When we use new or messy art supplies, I usually give brief instructions on how to work with and how to clean up the materials.
A short tutorial or demonstration also helps.
Thereafter my kids can experiment and “play” with new supplies.
How do you organize and inspire your children’s art? Please share in the comments.
Blessings,
