Roadtrip!

We have been 'on the road' for 4 weeks now!  Seriously!  All seven us in a seven passenger van traveling halfway across the States and then practically from top to bottom and then back... Sound interesting?!  Let me tell you... it is.  ;)  If you happen to be interested in what our family is up to, I've posted some summary pictures of our time in the States so far over at my other blog:

http://apilgrimsproject.blogspot.com/search/label/USA

Have a peek HERE:

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival: Living Books, vol.1

Welcome to the April 19, 2011 edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival in which we discuss Living Books... the definition, the value, the delightful use of, the virtues, the... yes, I could go on. and on.  If you've arrived at this carnival and you'd like to read further about what Charlotte wrote about using books, particularly of the living variety breathed into by quickening ideas as opposed to books full of dry bones of fact that become a weariness to the flesh, I've listed a few really great places that I've enjoyed reading lately:

Schoolbooks and How They Make for Education (suggested reading for this carnival)
Chapter 15 School-Books and How They Make for Education
Chapter 16 How to Use School-Books
Chapter 21 Suggestions Toward a Curriculum (For Children under Twelve)
Part II.––School-Books, Books that supply the Sustenance of Ideas


So without further ado, please welcome our participants this time around. You'd think because of the sheer volume of on-topic posts this time around that we're all a bunch of book lovers or something, d'ya think?! Enjoy!

Living Books: 

Nadene presents Loving Living Books, saying, "A post devoted to my youngest child about loving Living Books."

Barb presents "For the Knowledge That is Better Than Silver or Gold" - Our Homeschool Bible Education Plans, saying, "This was a lot of fun to put together....great memories of the best living book there is."

Amber presents In Praise of Living Books.

Eve presents Reading With Boys.

Traci Brooks presents Parents Step to the Side and Let Living Books Become Your Child’s Guide.

Nancy Kelly presents I Have Found a Door.

Penney Douglas presents Great Ideas: Enjoying Life with Living Books.

Cindy West presents Charlotte Mason Series #2 - Living Books.

Elton Brooks presents Living Books-Education For a Lifetime!.

Silvia presents Got Living Books?.

Aylin presents The Vorpal Blade.

Rebekah Johnson presents What are living books?.

Denise presents Hooray for (Math) History « Let's Play Math! she shares how approaching math with living books, getting to know the mathematicians brings new life to math study!

Rachael presents A Living Bookshelf.

Mama Squirrel presents Children shouldn't read dead things. (Living Books).

Fisher Academy presents Books.




Other Interesting Topics:

First a couple of submissions meant for the last carnival edition, Education is a Life...

Mama Squirrel presents There are no guarantees...but it's still worth our time. saying, "Thoughts on this week's passage from Volume 6."

Penney Douglas presents Education is a Life.


Next a little bit of Nature Study Inspiration:

Rosemary presents Nature Study in our (tiny) back yard.


Shirley Ann Vels presents Sunshine on my Shoulders.

Ritsumei presents Baby Cardinal Food posted at Baby Steps.

And last but not least, an art lesson:

Tricia Hodges presents Three Little Chicks: A Pastels Tutorial posted at Hodgepodge, saying, "A quick little pastel tutorial on chicks for you and your peeps :)"

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Wow!  Thank you all once again for your participation!  It has been a joy to spend time with you!  :)
We would love to have you come again next time. Please consider submitting a post in one of the upcoming carnivals (dates and topics can be found here).  Submit your blog post using our carnival submission form.

The next carnival's theme & suggested (optional) reading are:  

Art Appreciation / Picture Study

• Volume 6, pgs 213-218
• Parent's Review article, "On Exhibitions", part one & part two

The deadline for post submissions for this carnival is: 5pm on May 2nd, 2011

*photo credits: old books by logu & library of light by hhsara

Books.

Books.

Books are like doors. Books are friends. Books convey great ideas.

Books. One can never have too many good books.

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The importance of reading the 'right' books...
In my summation, a book must have as a minimum the following qualities to be a 'living book': The child must needs dig for his own information in books, it should not come to him predigested. “What a child digs for is his own possession.” And the sought for information ought to come from an author who cares deeply about his subject and can convey his ideas with apt skill. Then the book must be one that rouses the child's natural interest or grows his sense of the world and his own place in it, or in some way inspires a reverence for all things good.

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Books convey ideas. Reading a book is having a conversation, one great mind to another.

“...the choice of books, which implies the play of various able minds directly on the mind of the child, is a great part of that education which consists in the establishment of relations." 

CM Series, vol 3 p66

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Books are friends. Not only do books fill time and fill a special place, but they actually introduce us to friends from other places, epochs, languages that we would never otherwise have had opportunity to meet.  

"Perhaps the main part of a child's education should be concerned with the great human relationships, relationships of love and service, of authority and obedience, of reverence and pity and neighbourly kindness; relationships to kin and friend and neighbour, to 'cause' and country and kind, to the past and the present. History, literature, archeology, art, languages, whether ancient or modern, travel and tales of travel; all of these are in one way or other the record or the expression of persons; and we who are persons are interested in all persons, for we are all one flesh, we are all of one spirit, and whatever any of us does or suffers is interesting to the rest. If we will approach them with living thought, living books, if we will only awaken in them the sense of personal relation, there are thousands of boys and girls today capable of becoming apostles, saviours, great orientalists who will draw the East and the West together, great archeologists who will make the past alive for us and make us aware in our souls of men who lived thousands of years ago." 

 CM Series, Vol.p81 (read pgs81-83)

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Written in response to suggested reading for the CM blog carnival, Living Books vol.1: P.N.E.U. article, Schoolbooks and How They Make for Education

*photo credit: groble

CM Blog Carnival - Education is a Life

Um... so yeah, I'm almost two weeks late in posting this here... hahahahahah!  and of course I'm just NOW realizing it looks as if there's been no carnival since March 23... a mere month ago!!  oh. my.  seriously, no offense Richele, my lovely! However, to those of you who are on the reminder list for the CM carnival you've already been there done that and are now working on your Living Books post, yes?  Regardless of lateness, today, I'd like to announce the latest edition!  Education is a Life, vol.1 at Richele's Barefoot Voyage


So, have a good read today or as time avails this weekend, and then be working on your post for the next carnival, Living Books!  (deadline is Monday 4/18)  The suggested reading is a lively Parents' Review article Schoolbooks and How They Make for Education by Charlotte Mason, Volume 11, 1900, pgs. 448-464 or your favorite volume of The Original Homeschooling Series.

I'm sure you would quickly tire if I were to list my extensive list of excuses in regard to a serious lack of blog entries lately... you know, totally boring stuff like, traveling from place to interesting place, the seven of us sardined into a minivan for hours every day, cushioned by every thing we need for these two months, meeting lovely new people (except of course you'd thrill to hear about me getting to meet in person someone all of you know and love, which I will absolutely have to blog about when I get a free second), yeah, all that and unpacking, repacking every 24 hours or so and then of course the watching and narrating our family ministry video for the umpteenth time... etc., etc.

I know. It's a dreadfully routine and ordinary life I live.  [smirk]


One day I will actually blog about homeschooling again. 

I hope.

:)