April is Poetry Month!

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Celebrate with Poetry in Our Pockets on 14th April

I thought I would share how we do our poetry …

I wish I could say that we …

• read our scheduled poems every week
• learn classic poems word for word
• recite poems
• write poems
• love poetry lessons

… But we don’t.

There.  I’ve admitted it.

I only tend to focus on poetry once or twice a month.  We sometimes make tea, or go outside and sit under the tree and read the 3 or 4 poems from our schedule.  It is usually a special, but relaxed time.

I usually announce the title and read through the poem once to give an overview.  I may tell them a bit about the poet or the theme.   Sometimes they can tell me what the poem is about and can describe the general story or imagery. Sometimes my kids “don’t get it.”

Then I read the poem again slowly and stop here and there to explain words, lines and verses as I go.

We chat about the poem and talk about word play, rhyming scheme, images, metaphors, themes, and so on.

Then we read it through once more.

If the poem “clicks” and it inspires us, we may try memorize it, but usually they may each read it aloud.

Often we write our own similar poems.  We usually copy the patterns, structure and rhyming of the original poem.  We use our own thoughts and words and the poems often come out surprisingly well.

Miss.L (8) wrote her own words for verses 3,4,5

A fun poem written to the challenge to find rhyming words for "Orange"

My children may not love poetry … yet … but we really appreciate poetry.

Some random notes to myself:

• Use a good anthology with lots of different types of poetry and themes
• Keep poetry reading fun, light, enjoyable
• Do not over-emphasize technicalities
• Savour great poems and linger on it till we’ve enjoyed it fully
• Keep it simple. One good poem is enough.  Full Stop.
• Let them make the poem theirs – identify their feelings and responses to it.
• Give them time to mature and enjoy poetry
• Select poems suitable for their age and maturity
• Have some fun and nonsense poems in the mix
• Read poems that are stories and take them on a journey
• Dramatize, illustrate, dance, make music to poems
• Play with words in everyday speaking
• Develop creative thinking and word associations
• Add riddles and song lyrics to listening times
• Children differ and not all love abstract words
• Out there among the millions of poems is “The One” that will spark interest and love for words
• Writing good poetry is an art.
• There is no need to write good poetry to appreciate good poetry

My goals for homeschooling my children is to ~

expose them to great ideas,

great minds,

great literature,

and develop their love for fine arts,

love nature,

teach them to hear God’s voice

and respond.

Poetry does all this!

Hope you take time this month to enjoy poetry.

For extra inspiration:

• Poetry in Homeschool – Jimmie’s Squidoo Lens
  
• Ambleside Online Poems by Christina Rossetti
• Poetry Pictures at Small World at Home
• Making Books with Children shares Colour Poems
  

What was the first poem to spark your love for poetry?

Blessings,

Purple! Sketch Tuesday

Here’s our contributions for this weeks’ theme ~

Purple!

A self-portrait dressed in a purple outfit

Purple lavender in a bronze shoe plant holder

A portrait of Miss.L dressed in purple

This week’s assignment, due Monday, April 11, 2011:

Sketch something purple.

All sketchers are welcome and there is no need to sign up. Send in your sketches in jpg format and mail them to: sketchtuesday@yahoo.com by Monday, April 11, 2011 and I will include them in Tuesday’s slideshow. If your sketches come in after Monday night I do not guarantee that I will add them in late…..just too much going on right now. Complete instructions are found by clicking the Sketch Tuesday tab at the top of my blog.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

See you at the slideshow!

Blessings,

 

Let’s Learn Common Latin Words!

Image via Wikipedia

Somewhere, recently, I came across ~

50 Common Latin Phrases Every College Student Should Know

and I found many Latin words we hear, read and know already! When I read through the first “Must-Learn Terms” I smiled.  There were several words there that I knew my children were familiar with!

Now, just so you know, we do not study Latin as an extra subject, but, we do watch classic films, and we read classic literature and there are many Latin phrases tucked away in them.

Studies show that detailed knowledge of Latin increases a student’s vocabulary by at least 30,000 words (more than any other foreign language is able).  Knowledge of Latin also refines his English grammar.  (Read more here.)

So I thought, “Why not? Let me make a ‘Latin Word for the Week‘ chart!”

If I hear my children use some of these Latin phrases in their everyday speaking, or recognise the words they’ve studied in the films they watch, I’d be delighted!

Here is your free download ~

• 50 Common Latin Words and Meanings Chart ~ You can make a slide strip viewer or a shutter-fold-flap minibook.

• 50 Common Latin Phrases Every College Student Should Know ~ The original document I downloaded.

Do you study any Latin?  If so, please share your links, tips and ideas.

Here are some other links and sites:

• Review of the Latin For Children Primer
• Building Vocabulary in your Homeschool Squidoo Lens by Jimmie
• An online Latin dictionary

Blessings,

Maybe List of Things To Do With Mom- ART!

I often write about taking part in Sketch Tuesday!  And I have seen that it is such a positive activity.

I want to share this sweet testimony for this week’s art:

My 2 older daughters went away for a short school break, leaving my youngest daughter (8 years old) at home alone with me.  She rarely is at home without her sisters and so she made a …

“Maybe list of things to do while the others are gone”

And on the reverse, she wrote:

1. try the letter set    √√  (those letters you rub to transfer on to the page)
2. play a set of cards
3. play a board game  √
4. watch a movie together  √√

I was truly delighted to paint Sketch Tuesday ~ A Fruit Salad with her.  (Note to self: add the word “Tuesday” to this week’s spelling list)

Her list is a homeschooling-mom’s pride!  I love it that she CHOOSES to do those things which I value in our homeschool as her personal fun time with me!

You will see all the ticks to show what we did during the 4 days!

Her great passion is reading books, even though she really has to work hard at it.  So we read together often and finished 2 of her readers – a great accomplishment!

When I asked her what she enjoyed the most, she said that playing a board game and winning 3x in a row against me was the BEST!  I forget that she (as the youngest child) often is over-ruled when chosing board games.  Playing her choice of game was already such a joy.  And beating me three times – well that was the cherry (smile … excuse the fruity pun) on the top!

Perhaps we should institute a “Youngest Child Choses Day” each month?  What do you do for your youngest ones?

Have a wonderful week!

Blessings,

Education is a Life

This post was submitted for the Charlotte Mason Carnival hosted by Richele at Barefoot Voyage on the 5th April.

vol 6 pg 110

Education is a life. That life is sustained on ideas. Ideas are of spiritual origin, and God has made us so that we get them chiefly as we convey them to one another, whether by word of mouth, written page, Scripture word, musical symphony; but we must sustain a child’s inner life with ideas as we sustain his body with food.

As always, Charlotte Mason’s writings inspire me. I thought of all the sources of ideas ~

Image by JohnnyCashsAshes via Flickr

• the Word of God
• Written words
• Great literature
• Musical symphonies
• Masterpieces and great Art
• Inspiring Speeches

Just as I plan, purchase, prepare and offer nutritious meals for my family, so I must source and present such life-giving ideas for my children’s education.  And we are certainly living in times of abundance! For most of us, it is not hard to find the richest and finest inner-life food for our children, but the difficulty is often what to select and what to leave out!

This takes time.

Research.

Enquiry.

Prayer.

Faith.

And then courage to begin.

Probably he will reject nine-tenths of the ideas we offer, as he makes use of only a small proportion of his bodily food, rejecting the rest. He is an eclectic; he may choose this or that; our business is to supply him with due abundance and variety and his to take what he needs.

Image by Raoul Pop via Flickr

Now, as I read her second paragraph, I am reminded that my child cannot, could not and never will be able to take everything in.  I must present life and ideas, skills and methods when my child is ready.  Just like potty-training, it is always easier to train and teach a child when they are physically, emotionally and spiritually ready.

In my 12-odd years of homeschooling, I KNOW that each child is different.  The same curriculum, books and projects produce different responses from each child.  I have changed, too.  In the beginning, I trusted the professional schedule.  I ticked off the boxes.  I stressed about falling behind.  But now, I linger where there is a sparkle of interest.  We take detours to places of discovery and exploration.  Take tangents.  We slow down, and then catch up again.

Isn’t Charlotte Mason’s advice great?  Give them variety.  Abundance. Allow them to be eclectic.  Let them chose.

How does my teaching approach allow for this?  Do I believe that my child will choose and become educated?

My passion as a teacher is motivation and enthusiasm!  I love children whose eyes sparkle and who laugh, who enjoy learning, who want more!  When my schooling days lose this, then I know we will all lose out.  Now, not all can be accomplished in this way.  We need balance.  Discipline.  Some work must be done whether we love it or not.  Again, it is about balance.

Image by jimmiehomeschoolmom via Flickr

In my opinion, narrations make this enthusiasm possible.  When I ask my children to present their narrations, they always reveal what they understood, what facts and details they remembered.  And if they can chose how they want to present their narrations; whether orally, writing notebooking pages, dictating their thoughts, making models, creating projects, then they can express these ideas best.

Look at Miss. Mason’s clear warning ~

“Urgency on our part annoys him. He resists forcible feeding and loathes predigested food.”

Wow.

Stop fretting.

Stop comparing.

Stop forcing.

Stop prompting,

correcting,

instructing,

insisting,

moaning,

stop worrying.

What suits him best is pabulum presented in the indirect literary form which Our Lord adopts in those wonderful parables whose quality is that they cannot be forgotten though, while every detail of the story is remembered, its application may pass and leave no trace.

We, too, must take this risk.

When I recently read this quote I was filled with gratitude.

Although Miss. Mason advocates lofty ideals and sets such high standards for a child’s education, she know there are …

risks.

I must present these wonderful ideas and gently help develop my children’s learning skills.

Then, encourage them to do their very best.

What then, is the risk?

Despite the best curriculums, the risk is that it may not be the “right fit”.  Can we adapt it?  Do we start again with something different?  Many, many moms have had this crisis.  But I believe Miss. Mason encourages us to think beyond the package, and check our expectation of how our children learn.  Education is filled with myriads and millions of ideas which we present and make available.  The risk is ~ the faith to believe they will be open, chose and learn and grow and have enough.

Do our children eat good food and live?  ~ Yes!

Will they learn and grow if we open up to them the wonders of great ideas and life?   ~ Absolutely YES!

Are you encouraged?

Be blessed,