Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival :: May 2015 :: CMBC

Welcome, Friends!

Thank you for joining us at the May 2015 edition CM Blog Carnival! I’m so glad you’ve come. Do you know how important you are? Everyone is valuable, that’s certain, but somehow mothers are especially so. Most everyone in the world at some time or another has loved a mother. So, whether you are a mother or have one, will you allow us a few minutes to speak some life into your soul?

It was this Very Important Blog Post that shot me some life-filled ideas completely annihilating the writer’s block that plagued me last week. That, and the fact that it’s almost Mother’s Day weekend. AND, I want to share some maternally inspiring words spoken by one of my favorite modern day authors of children’s books.

First of all, the blog post that is the feature of this edition of the carnival was written by my good friend Naomi who writes periodically at CM Living in California. And no, it's not featured just because she's my friend, you are all my friends! She spoke so well what is in my heart.

I’d really like to just quote the. entire. thing.

But instead will you please go over there and read it through… for Mother’s Day?
Consider it my gift to you. I think you’ll love it. :)

It’s called Scaffolding Towers of Glory and Excellence, but don’t let the title baffle you.


Photo by Naomi.

Here’s a snippet or two…

"In our pursuit of the very best education for our children - what mother doesn't want that?! - we read the CM series, books, articles, blogs, attend meetings, conferences, follow CMers on Facebook, see their perfect lives on Instagram, their creations on Pinterest, Join groups, forums - to learn it all, do it all, keep up on all."

"Can we ever get anywhere near the tower of glory? It seems to have no end. Will we ever be good enough? have time enough? be mom enough?"

Yep, the whole thing is that good. You can read the rest here.

::

Now for that promised quote.

"The whole ‘just a mom thing’ is one of the most inverted lies around. I write books... and because we admire the abstract: I condense thoughts into little black symbols on pulp, trees, which can burn and rot and go away.

YOU have little humans who will always be. forever. somewhere.
They are the beginnings of forever stories.

so none of that. 

You must awaken to this glory and you must attempt to improve at noticing, receiving, processing, integrating, condensing and then giving.

...that is the process of ultimate artistry."

N. D. Wilson in his talk, "Words Made Flesh" to Bethlehem College and Seminary

Read the entire quote here.

::

There are already some interesting conversations going on in the early submitted posts, including an acronym for choosing living books and questions about homeschooling high school among others. You can read them all starting from the linky below!

*See the note below for how you might be able to help the CMBC!

::

More opportunities to hang out together throughout the month:
(Feel free to link your blog post to more than one link up where applicable!)


Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival linky!! - ALL Charlotte Mason educational posts are welcome!!
Keeping Company - Notebooking
Learning by Hand - Handicrafts
Wednesdays with Words - Share quotes from your reading
Nature Study Mondays :: LINKup - share Nature Study posts

Do you host a CM related blog link up? 
Please e-mail information to:
charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com

::

Make sure to check back frequently as there are more posts submitted all month long, see the linky below. :)

Also, you won’t want to miss the April edition with its 43 posts, so be sure to go back and check it out, too!  Bloggers, please link up as many times as possible using the linky below, or if you would like your post to be considered as a feature in the next carnival, you may also submit it by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month.

Share more posts throughout the month here:

::

Help the CMBC: 
Encourage-A-Blogger: If you come across a helpful article or blog post inspiring to Charlotte Mason educators, please encourage the author to share it with us (or ask them if you can share it for them!). We welcome the help! I haven't had much time lately for popping around and browsing blogs to encourage participation like I used to!

Link Yourself: Please feel free to link up your own posts throughout the entire month with the linky below. When a topic is posted, you are welcome to link to older posts on that topic. Also, if you would like your recent blog posts to be considered as a feature in the next carnival, you may also submit them by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month (mail to: charlottemasonblogs(at)gmail(dot)com).

Love notes: If you read a blog post that is particularly inspiring, please let the blogger know! It is encouraging to interact over what we're thinking and doing and most bloggers would LOVE it if you left them some bloggy love in the comments. :)

::

The CMBC hosts a linky that will remain active throughout the month (add more all month long!). The carnival will be announced via e-mail, facebook page, twitter handle & g+ page  - (please feel free to share the current carnival link wherever as often as you'd like!) 
All posts submitted to the CMBC by e-mail before the deadline will be linked via the linky AND one or two will be chosen to be featured every edition, selections will be made at the hostess/editor's discretion.

on motherhood as an artform.

i mentioned in another place that I wanted to give you a couple of gifts this Mother's Day. the first one i mentioned already you can find here. as it turns out, there wasn't room for the second 'under the tree' so to speak, so i'm putting it here where you can see and read it in all it's wonderfulness.

N. D. Wilson's quote on motherhood:

"i have unfortunately heard a lot of christian women say things like, 'i don’t really need to rigorously pursue my education, i don’t really need to be sharp and astute, a great integrator of themes. because i’m…' (and here’s my most hated phrase in the English language) '...because I’m going to just be a mom.'

well, what i do is, i just put words on a page for people to read.
that’s my art form.

what you do? well, you know, you raise immortal souls...

you grow them inside yourself, magically.
you feed them from yourself.
you are the great storyteller for these humans.
these little bleeding things.

i sit there and type. that’s my art.

and YOU’re the one who interprets all of reality for this one year old. You take all of it and you condense, you creatively condense and you give. You say, here! and it’s this type of art for them... and then they’re five and then they’re six, and you’re the MOM.

do you know what dad does? he keeps the lights on.

imagine. i think if you took the most psychotic, crazy, NY, wacko, installation artist, they wouldn’t have the guts to do what ‘just a mom’ does. or if i said okay, here’s the plan. i think i can get a federal grant. i’m going to give you some actual children… you create a life story. how’s this? maybe eighteen years... create a childhood. there quick, don’t just do your weird thing where you held your naked body to a block of ice. that’s their normal installation pieces. how ‘bout eighteen years in you do 3 meals a day. you shove stuff in their face and you create a life. you create a childhood. you create the first 18 years of a life story.

find me the crazy artist willing to take that on.
absolutely not.

the whole ‘just a mom thing’ is one of the most inverted lies around.
it’s like, i need an education because i write books...
because we admire the abstract. i condense thoughts into little black symbols on pulp, trees, which can burn and rot and go away.

YOU have little humans who will always be. forever. somewhere.
they are the beginnings of forever stories.

so none of that.
you must awaken to this glory and you must attempt to improve at noticing, receiving, processing, integrating, condensing and then giving.

...that is the process of ultimate artistry."

N.D. Wilson in his talk to Bethlehem College and Seminary, "Words Made Flesh: Stories Telling Stories and the Russian Dolls of Divine Creativity"

::

watch a video of the whole talk here.

just gimme one more day... the CMBC really is coming soon!

i know.
everyone's waiting anxiously for the carnival, right?

well, our internet's been spotty so i've sorta had to do it all kinda just wham bam thank you ma'am style and because of that have lost a little of those fuzzy wuzzy inspirationish kind of feelings sitting here trying to CRAM out a carnival post. no wonder Charlotte says scram to cram.

but the good new is...

i just found my muse. it's just gonna be another day.

i love you guys.

:)

and here is picture (or 47) for your patience...




you may even catch a glimpse of today... it's the one that may strike some resemblance to another era.
all because my friend richele made me want to.

Nature Study Monday :: April 2015 :: NSM {LinkUP!}

this month, i'm sharing one of my favorite sites for nature journaling! have you ever heard of John Muir Laws? that blog has a LOT of nature study resources, drawing tutorials and journaling advice. the author/naturalist has noted many ideas which resonate with what i know to be oh so true and which i've experienced myself. my friend Phyllis reminded me of his blog in a recent conversation and i was happy to discover he has a TON of new stuff up.

?!=

have you ever gone out and wandered all a wonder about what you should be doing or looking at during nature study hour? i am happy to report that this almost never happens to me. (how's that for empathy?) somehow, that innate sense of wonder in nature was carried over from childhood and spilled out again when i set out with my kids. BUT wait, i know in the beginning it wasn't the same as it is now. and for many it can be kind of, no, REALLY hard to know what to do, much less be an example for your kids of what to do.

in his post, Deep Observation, Jack talks about 3 questions to ask when observing. he shares a fun visual so that we don't forget the questions. matter of fact, i'm going RIGHT now to write them on the cover of my journal... wanna know more? go right now and check out this awesomesauce post!

oh and another thing.
i bet you have always been curious what one my all time favorite nature study posts is? i might have a lot of those. the latest one you can read for yerself, right here.

Nature Journaling with your Family! 

#journalingisnotachore #rewardsdontmotivate #practicemakesperfect #setsmartgoals etc.

Here's the link up for May!

Snag a button if you wanna! :)
Come back and share your nature studies with us this month!

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! 

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival :: April 2015 :: CMBC

Welcome, Friends!

Thank you for joining us at the April 2015 edition CM Blog Carnival! In the March edition, we accumulated a WHOPPING 52 posts! If you haven't had a chance to see them all yet, you'll definitely want to bookmark that post for later. Meanwhile, there is already a great selection of CM blog reading with more to come throughout the month, see the linky below. :)

Readers may want to check back again near the end of the month for the latest additions. Also, bloggers, please feel free to link up any additional posts to the linky below, or if you would like it to be considered as a feature in the next carnival, you may also submit it by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month.

*See the note below for how you might be able to help the CMBC!

::

This month, among the early submitted posts, I noticed two recurrent themes. Both of which, those familiar with Charlotte Mason know to be part of the bedrock of a living education, living books and nature study. This carnival, I've decided to feature the former. The latter are linked from the linky below with the other submissions, as well as from the latest {NSM!} post. There are MANY interesting conversations this time, including some about printable copywork and CM bookmarks, several with handiwork projects, and even a Shakespearean visit! You can read them all starting from the linky below!



Photo by Leah. Read about her picture book selections here.

::

"So much for the right books; the right use of them is another matter. The children must enjoy the book. The ideas it holds must each make that sudden, delightful impact upon their minds, must cause that intellectual stir, which mark the inception of an idea. "

CM, volume 3, page 378

This from Linda at Keeping On Keeping On:

"She explained to Molly that she loved the book about the animals and about the man who spends a lot of time in the woods watching all of them, 'And do you know what else? There are NO pictures in the book! None at all! But it doesn't even matter. Do you know why? Because the writer writes so well that I can see the pictures in my head. The book doesn't even need any pictures. And oh, I hope that someday I can write as well as he does.'"

{Read more here}

::

Photo by Fisher Academy.
One of my Y10 students with what he deems "the hardest book of the term".
Both boys say that it's really good, just a challenging read.
Harder even than Dorothy Sayers, for example!
Once again, CM rings true, "But boys get knowledge only as they dig for it."

::

Next up, Nebby shares how she chooses books:

"For spines (books which I read aloud to all the kids to give us an overview and make sure there are no huge gaps) we continue to go through H.E. Marshall’s This Country of Ours and Helene Guerber’s Story of the Great Republic."

{Read more here}

::

Last but not least, The Headmistress at The Common Room shares about when too many books may not be a good thing. She titled her post, "In which the DHM kicks herself for not practicing what she's preached." This was a timely post for me personally as we're playing 'catch up' this year. If you have ever gotten behind or need to plan ahead for extenuating circumstances, this is a must read.

"I couldn’t possibly count the number of times I have told somebody, “The goal is not to get the children through the books, it’s to get the books through the children.”

Sometimes I wish I listened to myself better. Am I the only one who forgets to take my own advice?"

{Read more here}

::

Share more posts throughout the month here:

::

More opportunities to hang out together throughout the month:
(Feel free to link your blog post to more than one link up where applicable!)

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival linky!! - ALL Charlotte Mason educational posts are welcome!!
Keeping Company - Notebooking
Learning by Hand - Handicrafts
Wednesdays with Words - Share quotes from your reading
Nature Study Mondays :: LINKup - share Nature Study posts

Do you host a CM related blog link up? 
Please e-mail information to:
charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com

::

Help the CMBC: 
Encourage-A-Blogger: If you come across a helpful article or blog post inspiring to Charlotte Mason educators, please encourage the author to share it with us! We welcome the help! I haven't had much time lately for popping around and browsing blogs to encourage participation like I used to!

Link Yourself: Please feel free to link up your own posts throughout the entire month with the linky below. When a topic is posted, you are welcome to link to older posts on that topic. Also, if you would like your recent blog posts to be considered as a feature in the next carnival, you may also submit them by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month (mail to: charlottemasonblogs(at)gmail(dot)com).

Love notes: If you read a blog post that is particularly inspiring, please let the blogger know! It is encouraging to interact over what we're thinking and doing and most bloggers would LOVE it if you left them some bloggy love in the comments. :)

::

The CMBC hosts a linky that will remain active throughout the month (add more all month long!). The carnival will be announced via e-mail, facebook page, twitter handle & g+ page  - (please feel free to share the current carnival link wherever as often as you'd like!) 
All posts submitted to the CMBC by e-mail before the deadline will be linked via the linky AND one or two will be chosen to be featured every edition, selections will be made at the hostess/editor's discretion.

Nature Study Monday :: April 2015 :: NSM {LinkUP!}

Hellooooo! and thanks for your continued interest in the NSM blog linkups!


We've been a little more relaxed about nature study around here the last few months as we're still doing some catching up on regular schoolwork. So 'scheduled' nature study walks and journaling have been irregular. It's been more free-for-all as in: we fall in love with, have a good look at and document whatever whenever whether it slithers, flutters or just happens by.

This last month, we've acquired a stray kitten, found a snake in the bathroom (whom everyone is happy to have as a permanent guest as long as he stays in an aquarium), as well as other regular visitors who stay long enough to have a good look and then are free to go.


I hope visiting the other homeschool nature study blogs linked below will inspire and encourage you to continue or make a start in your own nature adventures!


Here's a link up for April!

Snag a button if you wanna! :)
Come back and share your nature studies with us this month!

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! 

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival :: March 2015 :: CMBC

Welcome, Friends!

Thank you for joining us for the March 2015 edition CM Blog Carnival! In February's edition, we accumulated a total of 26 posts during the month! It's so much fun to share ideas and thoughts!* If you haven't had a chance, you may want to bookmark that post to read later. Meanwhile, I hope you enjoy this month's blog offerings. :)

*See the note below for how you might be able to help the CMBC!

::

When perusing the carnival submissions this month, I was encouraged by what many of you are learning and doing with your kids! Thank you for sharing with us. One thing I have been impressed with lately is: Teaching is not an easy job; homeschooling can be an especially daunting task. But, may I suggest that it can be one of the most rewarding?

Working with kids can be awe-inspiring... the way their brains revel in new ideas, how they flourish under the right conditions, and how very unique they are: every. single. one.

Today, I'd like to direct your attention to an amazing lady's blog post where she talks about some amazing transformations worked out in the lives of some amazing kids.

Are you prepared to be amazed?

Let me introduce you to a friend of mine.
Tammy Glaser, mother of Pamela and David, became interested in Charlotte Mason's ideas in 2000 and is astonished to find her understanding still unfolding. She speaks at conferences, writes articles, and keeps blogs. Besides volunteering at Harvest Community School, a Mason-style private school which hosts all kinds of children including some with a variety of needs, she spends her free time knitting and crocheting, reading, tutoring, bird watching, singing, and nurturing her daughter's talent in watercolors. She and her husband Steve share their time between Kansas and South Carolina.

::



::
In her recent post she writes:

"We value feasts, not just food feasts, but feasts of the mind."

"I could spend all night blogging about changed lives. About the girl who never went outside and who now adores going on what she dubbed "the dangerous and wet trail of death" on Friday. About the boy who got upset when asked to read aloud who acted in a play in Charleston last month. About the girl whose third grade teacher made her feel stupid and who now knows how intelligent she really is."

{...READ MORE}

::This month's blog offerings...
(Continue to share your posts here throughout the month)






::


More opportunities to hang out together throughout the month:
(Feel free to link your blog post to more than one link up where applicable!)


Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival linky!! - ALL Charlotte Mason educational posts are welcome!!
Keeping Company - Notebooking
Learning by Hand - Handicrafts
Wednesdays with Words - Share quotes from your reading

Do you host a CM related blog link up? 
Please e-mail information to:
charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com

Help the CMBC: 
Encourage-A-Blogger: If you come across a helpful article or blog post inspiring to Charlotte Mason educators, please encourage the author to share it with us! We welcome the help! I haven't had much time lately for popping around and browsing blogs to encourage participation like I used to!

Link Yourself: Please feel free to link up posts you finish throughout the entire month with the linky below. Also, if you would like your recent blog posts to be considered as a feature in the next carnival, you may also submit them by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month (mail to: charlottemasonblogs(at)gmail(dot)com).

Love notes: If you read a blog post that is particularly inspiring, please let the blogger know! It is encouraging to interact over what we're thinking and doing and most bloggers would LOVE it if you left them some bloggy love in the comments. :)

Find the CMBC via e-mail, facebook page, twitter handle & g+ page
*See the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival Schedule Page for more information.

Artist Study: Fra Angelico

Just a bunch of links y'all.

I have NO time for a thoughtful post. I'm just quick stashing these in case they need to be found later.
Of course, if it ends up like other stashes, I won't remember that I stashed them at all and forget to even look here...

Anyway.

I used these links this last week in our intro to Fra Angelico studies. Yes, we're still in Term 1 and just starting artist study. Never mind that technically, the first term was supposed to be done before Christmas break...

F.l.e.x.i.b.i.l.i.t.y is the name of the game around here.

Massacre of the Innocents, Fra Angelico

It had been a few minutes after passing out the prints so they could get an overall sense of the artist's style of work, when my seven year old spoke up about her painting. She said in a completely nonchalant way, "Mom, mine looks like it's about bunch of people trying to kill babies. Could I have a different one?"

It was funny.
You know, funny in a not funny way. Kinda.
Nevermind.

:)



Helpful Links:

for mom.
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/fang/hd_fang.htm

for kids.
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/medieval/art/frangelico.htm

about a fresco.
http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/arts/fresco.htm
http://artsmarts4kids.blogspot.com/2007/10/fresco-project.html

a story.
http://www.mainlesson.com/display.php?author=keysor&book=artists5&story=ange


This one might be my favorite:


Transfiguration of Christ, Fra Angelico

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival :: February 2015 :: CMBC

Welcome, Friends!

Thank you for joining us at the February 2015 edition CM Blog Carnival! In the last edition, during the month of January, you all shared 30 posts! Fun! Everyone's participation is much appreciated! Now, wouldn't it be a kick to see if we could gather up as many or more gems this time around? The more shared, the more there is to read. The more there is to read, the more to think, communicate and learn about. And that's what we're doing this for!

Readers may want to check back again near the end of the month for the latest additions. Also, bloggers, please feel free to link up any additional posts to the linky below, or if you would like yours to be considered as a feature in the next carnival, you may also submit it by e-mail anytime between now and the end of the month.

Whoever you are, blogger or reader, will you consider sharing some bloggy love this month by posting lots, reading lots and/or commenting lots this month?! Well, I know you're busy. So, how 'bout just a little?! ;)

Way back last month, in the reminder e-mail for January's carnival , I tossed the idea out for Nature Study in Winter as one of the optional writing prompts. I know that for many of you who live in northerly climates it's REALLY hard to get outside during the cold months. It may have been my secret scheme to get you out there...

Of course, it's easy for me to say. Look what our winter looks like... :)




Now keep in mind, posts do not have to be on the writing prompt in order to be featured. That happens kind of arbitrarily, I admit. However, it just so happens to have turned out that way this time... and I think you'll be glad.

February Feature:
Nicole at A Sabbath Mood Homeschool has submitted a post that I think, really, REALLY will be an encouragement to you all in your naturally frosty educational endeavors. Her theory is that, yeah, it's tough to get out there. After all, it is COLD! But she found some ideas of Charlotte Mason with which to motivate us, ourselves as well as our students. Here's a quote from her post:

"In Home Education Mason says "The real use of naturalists' books at this stage is to give the child delightful glimpses into the world of wonders he lives in, to reveal the sorts of things to be seen by curious eyes, and fill him with desire to make discoveries for himself.” (Home Education, pg 64)

Maybe what we need, in order to improve our motivation toward winter nature study, is to read some of what was written by the great naturalists who have gone [into the snow and cold elements] before us.""

Does that pique your interest? Do you think she means simply using books INSTEAD of going outside in winter? I guess you won't really know unless you check it out. I'm pretty sure you WILL be encouaraged.

Speaking of Nature Study in winter, several bloggers this time around submitted posts on the subject, and shared below are some of their slightly more appropriately wintry photos. :) Wanna do a scavenger hunt? See if you can find where these are posted...?









There are SO many great posts this month on such a wonderful variety of subjects. Scroll on down to the linky below to check them out. I think you'll find enough to last at least a couple of sittings.

Enjoy!

Until next time...

More opportunities to hang out together throughout the month:
(Feel free to link your blog post to more than one link up where applicable!)


Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival linky!! We would love to visit and learn from you. :) ALL Charlotte Mason educational posts are welcome!!

Keeping Company a linkup dedicated to commonplace books, nature journals, book of centuries, etc.

Nature Study Mondays :: LINKup is a place to share your monthly nature study posts.

Do you host a CM related blog link up? 
Please e-mail information to:
charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com

::

Check out all the posts for the month here:

As you may remember, we've recently made some changes to the CMBC* in order to make it easier for everybody to enjoy and participate. They are outlined below:

• 1 CMBC post / month.
• CMBC will host a linky that will remain active throughout the month (so you can add more posts!).
• CMBC will be announced via e-mail, facebook page, twitter handle & g+ page 
• CMBC will have a permanent home and only go visiting for special occasions (as decided by the poll results)
• All posts submitted to the CMBC by e-mail before the deadline will be linked to AND one or two will be featured every edition (with a photo & intro), selections will be made at the hostess/editor's discretion. (Every post will be linked (in the linky), but not every post will be featured with a blurb. This will save the hostess a LOT of time!)

*See the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival Schedule Page for more information.

Nature Study Monday :: January :: NSM {LinkUP!}

hello, fellow nature study enthusiasts!

this month of getting back into the scheme of things has not included a regular getting back out into nature and things. sadly.

we're still traveling. currently, we're on the coast of Peru, but haven't made it to the beach. yet.
hopefully tomorrow. and if we get out, i promise to share pictures.
'til then, have a peek at some Very Interesting Nature reads?

and do share your nature studies with us in the linky below?
we're feeling somewhat nature deprived as all we've really seen lately has been on the go. go. go.



Have you gotten outside much for nature study this winter?
How 'bout a look at the sky?

Nature Study = A human right?

A Nature Walk in: methow valley, wa

My friend Jeanne and her Book of Firsts.

On Using Photography in Nature Study

Top 20 New Species Discovered in 2014!
Be sure to check out one found ONLY IN PERU!
Oh, and the Very Long Insect. Second longest in the world to be exact.

Set some goals for Nature Study this year?
Read Barb's Nature Study Goals for 2015


Snag a button if you wanna! :)
Come back and share your nature studies with us this month!

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! 

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival :: January 2015 :: CMBC

Hey there, Friends!

Isn't it fun to be back here together again?!
Ah... the CM Blog Carnival. Thank you all so much for your participation this time around. There are so many fun opportunities listed below to hang out together via blogs!

We have a grand total of 20 posts! That's like having 20 of you, and all your friends, over for tea.
Seriously, what FUN! See what happens when we don't get together for a while?!
We have so much to say!

As you know we've been considering some changes to the CMBC in order to make it easier for everybody to enjoy and participate. We'll talk about that at the end. First, let's just enjoy one another's company. :)


Reflective and Inspirational posts:

Angela from Learning to Live shares her Homeschool goals for the new year, she mentions many different areas where she has already seen some improvement with her young children, as well as a few where she's still looking. What a fun stage she is at with her girls!

Liz Cottrill at Living Books Library shares some timely inspiration in Living Up to the Call. A very good read for the beginning of a new year which so often coincides with flu season!

Dawn at Ladydusk shares 2015 Homeschool Changes: Philosophy Changes, in which she announces she's becoming more and more drawn to Charlotte Mason, and plans to keep studying (via Karen Glass' book!) and applying her principles. Yay! Welcome, it's such a wonderful way of life.

Deanna at Love Adopted shares Beginning Ambleside Year 0 ~ Our "No" Curriculum-Curriculum Overview and Some Advice Along the Way. She's an experience homeschooler starting over with her littlest two using AOy0 and boy is it a jam-packed post! I for one enjoyed reading it in parts, there is so much sweetness there.

Nancy at Sage Parnassus shares TWO posts, (see Slow and Beautiful Work below) and Simple Living in the New Year! Both are beautiful reminders to live simply and deliberately in a crazy busy world. Also encouraging are her personal responses to comments. Thanks, Nancy!

Patti Lofgren at School Days Scrapbook shares Powerful Spiritual Themes in Chronicles of Narnia and (John Constable - Salisbury Cathedral From the Meadows, see below).

Rachel at In the Magpie's Nest shares 15 Things I Wish I'd Known 5 Years Ago; good things to think about that are also simple to apply. We all keep improving as we go along, don't we? Thanks for sharing!

Celeste at Joyous Lessons shares TWO posts, (see An Introduction to Keeping Company below) and What We're Reading :: January. Her love of books shines through in this post, as she shows what her children (7 under 9yo!!) are reading.

Ann at Learning as we go shares Habit Training for the Long Haul, where she reflects on the importance of habit training now AND later both for students AND moms.

Tammy at Aut2bhomeincarolina shares her Reflection about Term 1. She summarizes what has passed and talks about how far they've come. Check out some of the pictures of things they've studied!


Instructive posts:

Denise from Let's Play Math shares a math post 2015 Mathematics Game with us this month. Here's what she says about it, "Here is a fun puzzle that challenges each player at his or her own level, a chance to help our children glimpse 'the beauty and truth of Mathematics.'"

Cindy West from Our Journey Westward shares with us Easily Add Poetry Recitation to Your Homeschool. She's added poetry and recitation to her son's weekly activities. She's added some video of him reciting to her post so we can see just how sweet he is.

Brandy at Afterthoughts has shared a whole entire series of posts (LUCKY us!), Let's Talk About Notebooks, that I had been wanting to read for a while. Thanks to the carnival, I've finally made time! Among the posts, Brandy shares some very practical tips for getting it done and also a super inspiring guest post by Tammy with tips for reluctant notebookers.

Leah Boden shares a refreshing post 5 ways to get your child to engage in the Charlotte Mason method. A lot of what she talks about might be classified as 'atmosphere' and she says it well. And the pictures...! You'll see.

Nadene at Practical Pages shares her post Refreshed Daily Themes in which she talks about how she and her daughter worked together to add new interest to their daily plans. She's even made a printable if you're interested!

Nancy at Sage Parnassus shares Slow and Beautiful Work, in which she inspires us to take a look at the how and why of Charlotte Mason's ideas for copywork.

Patti Lofgren at All Things Bright and Beautiful shares her latest post, John Constable - Salisbury Cathedral From the Meadows and (Powerful Spiritual Themes in Chronicles of Narnia, see above). She talks about their current studies on Constable, Mendelssohn and Elizabeth Browning, and also has some book recommendations for art/music study.

Carol at Journey-and-Destination shares Authors for Teens - Part 2: World War 2. She highlights a bunch of books that she recommends for teen readers. Reviews like these are a great help for those of us who have little time or no library access!

Mama Squirrel at Dewey's Treehouse shares Faith and art lessons, on the day of Epiphany (Lydia's Grade Eight). She adapts lesson plans from the PNEU to apply in teaching art lessons for her daughter. She blogs almost every day, so make sure to take a look around. Her blog is an absolute treasure trove on Charlotte Mason education!

More opportunities to hang out together throughout the month:

Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival linky!! Please feel free to continue to submit your blog posts throughout the month by linking them up in the linky below. That way, if you forgot to submit a post by e-mail before the deadline, you can do it NOW! We still want to hear from you. :) ALL Charlotte Mason educational posts are welcome!!

Celeste at Joyous Lessons shares An Introduction to Keeping Company in which she invites us to share what we're writing in our commonplace books, nature journals, book of centuries, etc. I LOVE the idea of a link up for notebooking and hope to participate when I can. Click over to read more about what she's planning. The first link up is posted here.

Nature Study Mondays :: LINKup will begin again this month here at Fisher Academy, check back soon.

Please e-mail a link to CM related blog link ups to: charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com, 

We'd like to feature them here at the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!!

Share more posts throughout the month here:




2015 CMBC changes*:

• 1 CMBC post / month.
• CMBC will host a linky that will remain active throughout the month (so you can add more posts!).
• CMBC will have a facebook page to announce posts ("like" it to receive reminders/announcements via facebook).
• CMBC will have a permanent home and only go visiting for special occasions (as decided by the poll results)
• All posts submitted to the CMBC by e-mail before the deadline will be linked to AND one or two will be featured every edition (with a photo & intro), selections will be made at the hostess/editor's discretion. (In this edition, I decided to briefly feature EVERY post submitted, since it's our first time back, but in the future, every post will be linked (in the linky), but not every post will be featured with a blurb. It'll still be good, you'll see. And, it will save the hostess a LOT of time!)

*See the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival Schedule Page soon for more information and a full explanation of changes.

CMBC... coming soon!

Look for the CM Blog Carnival here, sometime tomorrow!

And we'll talk about some of the little adjustments we'll be integrating too.

Can't wait!



See you soon!


P.S. I had hoped to post it today, but my day ended up MUCH more full than I expected with a family lunch date and ministry meeting that stretched past dinner time.

I know you understand. We do our best...! ;)

You all are so nice.

About the future of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival...

Currently, we are reevaluating the CMBC to examine how we can improve it; to make it more blogger-friendly and to encourage more blogger/reader participation. It's always most interesting and insightful when there are a variety of posts.

Based on a preliminary poll on facebook, we will continue the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival in 2015! 

The first edition of the year will be posted on January 14th.
Please submit your posts now.

ALL posts in relation to a Charlotte Mason education are welcome.

Up until now, the routine we've followed has been: A reminder e-mail is sent out. Bloggers submit their Charlotte Mason educational blog posts by e-mail to charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com. The links are collected and forwarded to the hostess who previews, arranges and introduces each carnival submission in a blog post of her own. She then sends back the link and the carnival is publicized. This is a somewhat labor intensive process for some involved and we'd like to make it worth everyone's effort.

I'd really like to hear some thoughts about how we can improve and encourage more participation. The general principle certainly applies here: the more the merrier!

Please answer the following questions (check all that apply) and share any comments you might have below.

How can we improve the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival?

I love the carnival and try to submit a post once a month.

I enjoy hosting the carnival, and visiting a different blog every time.

I would rather the carnival be posted in the same place every time. Then, I could always find it.

I blog regularly, but I don't submit my posts to the carnival for a specific reason. I'll msg you.

I would submit posts if I received a reminder post. I will submit my e-mail to charlottemasonblogs@g

I LIKE the suggested topics for discussion and reading selections.

If it weren't for the reminder e-mail, I would forget every time.

I appreciate the carnival, I'm just busy. I do my best.

I would participate more if the carnival were to change in some significant way. I'll msg you.

I blog infrequently and usually forget to submit my posts. I will sign up for reminders.

I have some suggestions for topics/themes and/or reading selections and am willing to msg you.

I don't submit my posts because I feel limited by the topics/themes.

I wish every carnival were a free-for-all with no suggested topics or reading selections.

I think the carnival format is out of date and would prefer a facebook page.

I think the carnival format is out of date and would rather it disappear forever.

I would like it if more bloggers participated and am willing to help spread the word.

pollcode.com free polls

Ways to help spread the word about the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival:

Use the CMBC logo in the sidebar of your blog and in your carnival posts.

Link the logo back to the CMBC page using this link: http://fisheracademy.blogspot.com/p/cm-carnival-schedule.html

Tell your readers about the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival on your own blog and send a link to: charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com.

Sign up for the CMBC reminder/announcement e-mail list and share a link to the most current carnival edition on your blog.

Share a link to the carnival on facebook.

Any other ideas??

a 2015 ART calendar will be on it's way shortly...

wait, while i have your attention:
will all my fellow bloggers & readers take a few seconds to fill out some poll questions about the charlotte mason blog carnival!?

there are two polls.
together, it shouldn't take more than 2 minutes of your time.
i'd really appreciate the feedback while deciding how the carnival should proceed this upcoming year of 2015.

feel free to take both polls, or the most applicable one... pretty please?!

READERS: https://apps.facebook.com/my-polls/jzrbjg

BLOGGERS: https://apps.facebook.com/my-polls/hlbnbk


THANKS ever so much!!

while we're figuring that all out please feel free to submit ANY posts by e-mail to the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival as soon as possible to: charlottemasonblogs (at) gmail (dot) com

::

now about that AWESOME 2015 ART calendar!!

as the deadline to let me know you were interested being at midnight last night, i realized i couldn't fairly draw a name on january 1st, while there was still time left to leave a comment... so that's why you didn't hear from me yesterday! maybe you thought i had forgotten! don't worry, we're all good now. heheh.

the winner is:


congratulations!! i KNOW you'll love it!!

please send me an e-mail or fb msg with your mailing address so i can get that on it's way!

do you want an (awesome) ART calendar?!

i just happen to be giving one away. like i do every year. because i love this calendar.

this year, unlike other years, unlike ever before in my life come to think of it, i actually got to go to NYC and SEE the art! in the museum. where it lives. yep, we got to spend two whole days at the Metropolitan Museum of Art! it was definitely top o' the list of places we wanted to visit and it did not disappoint.

ahhh. so much fun.

now to be considered in this drawing, you don't have to be a regular reader of this blog, you don't even have to really do anything in return. you just have to want one. simply enter a comment on any post here at fisher academy's blog BEFORE midnight on 1/1/2015. that way, i'll know you're interested.

i'll do the drawing on new years' day.

oh, and if you're dying to get one of these and wanna increase your chances, new likes on our facebook page during december, will get an extra entry. because that just makes for more fun for some people. :)

OR if you just can't wait and want to be SURE to get one. buy yours now, by clicking HERE.




we love turning the pages of this art calendar every day. it's a page-a-day, so there's a unique piece of art or history for each day of the year. sometimes it's ancient weapons or armor, sometimes it's a painting. it's fun! it comes in handy for discussions about art study, for book of centuries illustrations, and even copywork (my young kids use it to copy the date!).

how might you use yours?

wanna check out past ART calendar giveaways? 

maybe just for old times sake... :)

2013

2012

2011

The girls with their handy-dandy audio devices at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

An E-treasury of Living Books!

Have you seen Yesterday's Classics e-book bundles? A LOT of books that Ambleside Online has recommended for decades and AOers have been enjoying for just as long, are included, conveniently and beautifully formatted into e-books!

For those of us who live overseas, this is a HUGE treasure trove of books we don't have to lug around, which really means only one glorious thing... we have MORE room for other books in our suitcases!

Not only will you have more room, you'll have more book money 'cause with these bundles you end up paying only 50 cents a book!

Yes, many if not most are available somewhere online for free, but NOT always in an easily navigable or beautifully illustrated format. I do like free, but I also like convenience sometimes.
Just think, by searching garage sales for 15 years, you might find these kind of prices.

Only wait, your kids will be in college. ;)

You might want to check it out before then.

Honestly, I may already own the majority of these in book form. And maybe I did lug every one of them overseas (hardcover, too! eek! the weight!!) since we've been using AmblesideOnline long before Yesterday's Classics bundles existed. But, even if you don't travel much, if you have multiple children like I do, and you can afford it, I think the convenience of having the book in electronic format is worth it. If for no other reason, it is SO nice for each kid to have their own copy on their kindle!

Find them here:
Bundle #1: 225 titles for $49.95   [On sale!]*
Bundle #2: 106 titles for $49.95   [NEW- Introductory price!]


*Special holiday pricing ends January 4th.

hello, long time no blog.

happy almost-year-end to you!

can you believe more than six months have passed without a word from Fisher Academy?
heheh. and see? the world is still turning. :)

i bet you've had some interesting moments in this past half-year! i would have loved to have shared those with you. unfortunately, furlough kind of snuck up and held me hostage. i had no idea beforehand that six months across the US and Canada, in a van, with a family of 8, including a baby, would be so busy! HAhAHaHAHaHAhAh!

whoa, was i naïve! my expectations having been ever so slightly unrealistic, i thought writing a minimum of blog posts would be no big deal.

um... wrong.
keeping our family's loose ends together and stitches tight proved a gargantuan task! :)


i do sincerely apologize for not keeping up with communications here... it became pretty evident early on, the first week to be precise, that i would spend all my energy keeping up with our super packed itinerary alone. we were SO blessed being able to spend time with SO many people. we hardly had time to sleep!

regardless, i feel pretty bad that i just up and kind of disappeared without even a word. :(
i hope you'll forgive me.

one of the countless things that has become crystal clear to me over these past months is
that as much as we'd like to DO everything and BE everything... we can't.

we only have 24 hours in each day. likely, only 16 of those are awake hours.
we blink and 6 months happen. well, almost. life goes by very quickly. there are only 365 earth blinks times 70, give or take, in a lifetime. i know that you know this. but you may not have thought about the fact that we only get about 25-30,000 days. total.
at least half of mine are already spent.
at most, i only have 900 days left with my oldest boys in the house. i don't have time to mess around. i've got to live fully. today.

we only have time for one day at a time. the day the Lord gives.

we don't have time to do what everyone else is doing, or what everyone else might like for us to do. when it comes down to it, we don't have time to do what we'd like to do each day!
and until the day turns, we don't know what unexpected events will come around that corner demanding our immediate attention.

so just like that, six months pass.

it was about all i could do to keep up with my 100mph husband who laughs at the idea of turning down an invitation! (He makes a good missionary).


first, we drove from Texas to Northern Alberta. i know, right? there aren't enough letters in that sentence to give it the weight it deserves. let me just say it again. we drove from Texas to Northern Alberta. that is a LONG way, folks. not only that, we meandered.

from there, we traversed over mountains with glaciers and then pretty directly across to the west coast, hitting Washington, Oregon and California. after a couple of months like that, having seen our families, we drove halfway back across the continent. we stopped a handful of times along the way of course before flying the other half to the east coast of New Jersey. did you catch the latest heavyweight? coast. to. coast. let me reiterate. we drove the height, half the width, half the width again and then flew half again of North America.

and on our way, we spent a lot of moments with really neat people. i am really thankful for all of that.

i only really regret not having time for writing and posting pictures & updates.
do forgive me, and i'll love you forever. :)

phew. thanks for letting me get that off my chest.

i have a few more posts coming off the stacks VERY SOON, in which we need to talk about:

• the mislaid CM Blog Carnival,
• a great deal on living books for your kindle or other reading device, AND
• my annual ART Calendar Give-away!

be encouraged! 
live fully the today the Lord has given you! 

"Only one life, will soon be pass'd
Only what's done for Christ will last.C.T. Studd"

(read the entire poem)

Nature Study Monday :: June {LinkUP!}

Snag a button if you wanna! :)
Come back and share your nature studies with us this month!

The {Nature Study Monday} link up is for ANY nature study-ish blog post written at any time during the current month. Which means, when you submit your link, it will show up in every. single. {NSM} post. during the whole month! Oh, and be not confused, feel free to link up on any day, be it Monday or not! 

The Need for Balance. A Craving for Unity.

When it comes to education it's important to keep a balanced view of things. This is true because, all areas of life demand that we keep a balanced view. It's the way it is. Years ago when Charlotte Mason promoted the now well known motto 'Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life', none of these thoughts were 'new'. The emphasis of atmosphere in education wasn't original to her. Neither were these: 'Education is a Life' or 'Education is a Discipline'. These thoughts have all come and gone again and again. Taken individually, none is complete. Alone, each tends to one extreme or another.

As important as each aspect is, for example, atmosphere is not enough. It isn't enough to have a beautiful classroom, the best equipment and the picture perfect teacher with influence and knowledge to boot. If that were ALL there were to education, boredom, laziness, a lack of both curiosity and power of attention would be inevitable. Externals can only take you so far.

On the other hand, 'education as life' would tend to complete exhaustion. It be a literal case of too. much. information. One can only do so much learning without coming back round to the same ennui (n :a feeling of listlessness and dissatisfaction arising from a lack of occupation or excitement.) Over much internal pressure will cause explosion! The brain reverts to a vegetable state in order to survive.

Similarly unbalanced, education with discipline (habit development) as it's primary focus, teaches the acquisition of character traits like 'subjects' meant to turn out a certain 'product' over-compartmentalizes our complex natures 'producing rather one-sided men'.

Any one of these mottoes taken alone is insufficient for summing up education because by itself each tips the balance to one extreme or another.

“Our nature craves after unity.” (p155)

Which is why Charlotte Mason proclaims, Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, AND a Life. All three.
When it comes to curriculum, it must be wide, varied, and balanced. It must be a feast of living ideas; from the past and present, from first-hand sources, from 'REALLY good books' (I really love that she emphasizes good books with the word 'really'. I really do.).

This is the way things are. As persons fashioned after an infinite God, we are complex beings. We must consider ALL our intricately interwoven parts when we think about educating persons. We can't afford to go to one extreme or the other. Balance. Education must be the Science of Relations:

“A child should be brought up to have relations of force with earth and water, should run and ride, swim and skate, lift and carry; should know texture, and work in material; should know by name, and where and how they live at any rate, the things of the earth about him, its birds and beasts and creeping things, its herbs and trees; should be in touch with the literature, art and thought of the past and the present I do not mean that he should know all these things; but he should feel, when he reads of it in the newspapers, the thrill which stirred the Cretan peasants when the frescoes in the palace of King Minos were disclosed to the labour of their spades. He should feel the thrill, not from mere contiguity, but because he has with the past the relationship of living pulsing thought...”

“He must have a living relationship with the present, its historic movement, its science, literature, art, social needs and aspirations. In fact, he must have a wide outlook, intimate relations all round; and force, virtue, must pass out of him,whether of hand, will, or sympathy, wherever he touches.” (p161-2)

:)

This post is based on my own thoughts about Chapter 14 in Volume 3, School Education by Charlotte Mason. The topic, A Master Thought, is May's topic for the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival 2014 Schedule. If you'd like to read other posts on the subject, be sure to read all the May editions.

If you'd like to share your post with the upcoming carnival, find out how here. Find links to past CMBCarnivals here.

were you hoping for a little Fantastic today?

i thought so. well, i don't mind sharing... :)