When you think of the Puritans, what comes to mind?  For many of us it  goes something like this: the Puritans were a dour, drab people who were legalistic and prudish.  As is often the case with stereotypes, much of that information is just wrong!

When studying American Colonial times, make sure you take time to familiarize yourself and your children with the facts about the Puritans.

We must picture these Puritans as the very opposite  of those who bear that name today: as young, fierce, progressive intellectuals, very fashionable and up-to-date.  They were not tee-totallers; bishops, not beer, were their special aversion.  –C.S. Lewis

The depth and maturity of their walk with the Lord was amazing, and they profoundly influenced not only Reformed Christian thought  in this country, but also the American culture at large.

The Puritans

During the late  1600s, the Puritans were a group within the Church of England who desired to “purify” or reform the Church by restoring it to a “pure” New Testament theology and worship.  Although the Church of England had previously undergone a reformation, it still had retained a more ritualistic worship than the Puritans desired.

Moreover, the Puritans felt that Scripture had total authority over the Christian life, and that within God’s word could be found the answers to all of mankind’s problems.

The Puritan Legacy

Characteristics of the Puritans that influenced generations coming after them:

• Belief that just as the Church is under the authority of Scripture, so should families, education of children and the government also be ordered by God’s Word
• Dedication to scholarship of the Bible
• Focus on family worship and personal devotions
• A remarkable work ethic and frugal, self-reliant lifestyle
• Belief that the gospel’s purpose was not only to bring souls to salvation, but also to help man come to a better understanding of who he is in Christ: that salvation does not come by any work that man can do, that it is totally a work of God.

Following is a meditation  from a collection of Puritan prayers called the Valley of Vision. I hope it speaks to you as it did me.

Resting on God

O GOD MOST HIGH, MOST GLORIOUS,

The thought of  Thine infinite serenity cheers me,

For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,

     but Thou art for ever at perfect peace.

Thy designs cause Thee no fear or care of unfulfillment,

     they stand fast as the eternal hills.

Thy power knows no bond,

     Thy goodness no stint.

Thou bringest order out of confusion,

     and my defeats are Thy victories;

The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.

I come to Thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows,

     to leave every concern entirely to Thee,

     every sin calling for Christ’s precious blood;

Revive deep spirituality in my heart;

Let me lie near to the great Shepherd,

     hear His voice, know its tones, follow its calls.

Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,

from harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.

Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,

burning into me by experience the things I know;

Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,

that I may bear its reproach,

vindicate it,

see Jesus as its essence,

know in it the power of the Spirit.

Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;

unbelief mars my confidence,

sin makes me forget Thee.

Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;

Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to Thee,

that all else is trifling.

Thy presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy.

Abide in me, gracious God.

 

from The Valley of Vision: a Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions, edited by Arthur Bennett, published by The Banner of Truth Trust

 

Wow! So deep!

If you enjoyed this post, you might also be interested in reading  this poetry lesson plan post: Anne Bradstreet: Puritan Poet.

More resources about the Puritans: Worldly Saints: The Puritans As They Really Were, by Leland Ryken; A Quest for Godliness: the Puritan Vision of the Christian Life, by J. I. Packer; and an inexpensive Kindle e-book, Puritan Prayers & Devotions, by Various Puritans.

 

 

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Welcome to the March 20th edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival!

If you are new here, you will want to carve a little time out of your day, grab a cup of coffee or tea and spend some time perusing the articles  from homeschooling moms who use Charlotte Mason’s methodology in their home schools. Expect to learn, be inspired and encouraged!

This edition’s theme is “Education is a Discipline,” but there are always posts that relate to other areas of Miss Mason’s philosophy included in the carnival. And we usually squeeze in a few posts on the last edition’s topic as well.

I hope those of you who are in ‘cold country’ especially, will enjoy the photos! Your flowers will come soon, I promise.

Parenting = Teaching and Training

The parent who believes that the possibilities of virtuous training are unlimited will set to work with cheerful confidence, will forego the twaddle about ‘Nature,’ whether as lovely in itself or as an irresistible force, and will perceive that the first function of the parent is that function of discipline … — Volume 2, p. 65

Nancy, from Sage Parnassus, posts Parents as Rulers, Inspirers, and Revealers – Charlotte Mason on Thoughtful Parenting, wherein she suggests that Miss Mason had much to offer not only the educator, but also the parent.  Melissa also shares her thoughts and ruminations on our topic from her blog, Educating Mother: Education is a Discipline {chewing on a couple of things}.  Barb at Harmony Art Mom offers us food for thought with her post entitled Homeschooling for Life and Not a Lifestyle. I agree that Charlotte would have wanted to see her charges develop a lifelong love for learning.

Editor’s Note:  Due to a technical problem, this is a post that is being added a few hours after the publishing of this issue:

Here is Erin’s post, Education is a Discipline, from her blog, Seven Little Australians and Counting.

A very clear presentation of how Sarah instills morning habits in her children, Discipline and the Two R’s,  is posted on her blog, All That’s Good. I love these concrete examples, don’t you?  Another beneficial post along these lines is by Tammy, who chronicles her experience Curing the Habit of Frustration, presented on her blog, Aut-2B-Homeincarolina.

Why Homeschool? Retaining Sibling Relationships, is a thoughtful post by Kelly at The Homeschool Co-op. You will not only enjoy the post – the photos of her kids are too cute!  Nadene also talks about her children, and transparently shares a current struggle  implementing the ‘perfect’ Charlotte Mason home school.  Read her post, Stresses and Struggles, on her blog, Practical Pages.

Poetry Study

Here are a few posts that either didn’t make it into the last edition of the carnival or were included after it was initially published: Laura shares her first experiences sharing poetry with her son at her blog, Windy Hill Home School in her post entitled Poetry.  At the other end of the homeschooling spectrum, here is an inspiring poem with suggestions for middle and high school lesson plans included on the Epi Kardia Blog, Poetry Study: Anne Bradstreet: Puritan Poet.  Additionally, Amy from Fisher Academy International shares her very useful post on how to analyze poetry For Novel Poetry Analysts…Like Me!.

Nature Study & the Arts

The Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival would not be complete without celebrating nature and all we may learn there, especially during the delightful Spring season! Barb at her Handbook of Nature Study blog shares her informative and visually cheerful post, Early Spring Flowers – Nature Study and Art Project. After Barb’s post, head over to Hodgepodge where Trish offers us 10 Easter and Spring Arts and Crafts activities to enjoy.   Jimmie at Jimmies Collage then features her Georgia O’Keeffe  Artist Study (along with the display of her daughter’s beautiful work!) Thanks to all three ladies for the lesson plans and photos of gorgeous art work to inspire us.

Even if you are not quite ready for the art studies, Melissa’s post Snippets from Charlotte on Being Outdoors will encourage you to carve out the time to regularly leave your four walls and go outside (with your children!) on her blog, Bugs, Knights, and Turkeys in the Yard.

Living Math

In her post at Jimmie’s Collage, Jimmie describes how she incorporates principles of “living” math along with a textbook curriculum in Using Teaching Textbooks in a Living Math Approach.

Scripture Prayer Calendar

And, finally, a lovely gift to us of a downloadable Scripture Prayer Calendar from Nadene of Practical Pages. Thank you, Nadene, for the helpful photos and clear directions for creating our own calendars, as well as for the reminder of the need to be lifting up our children in prayer.

 

Thank you to all of the authors for their useful entries and to our readers for taking the time to read and comment on our posts!

 

 

 

The next Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival on April 3rd will be hosted by Jimmie at Jimmie’s Collage. The theme will be Living Books –  (definition of, why we use them, our favorites, choosing books, etc.)
* PR article to read for background: Schoolbooks and How They Make for Education.

Editor’s Note: if you would like to have one of your posts included in the next edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival, please send the following to charlottemasonblogs@gmail.com instead of using the blog carnival form:

• the name of and link to your blog
• the title of and link to your post
• any remarks you would like to make about your post

Blessings~

 

P.S. Reminder to those interested in entering a no-strings-attached give-away of a year of Charlotte Mason curricula : click here to see how to enter. The random drawing will tomorrow, March 21st.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Literature is hardly a distinct subject, so closely is it associated with history, whether general or English…and it is astonishing how much sound learning children acquire when the thought of an age is made to synchronise with its political and social developments.

 A point which I should like to bring before the reader is the peculiar part which poetry plays in making us aware of this thought of the ages, including our own.

—Charlotte Mason, Vol. 6

 

Our history and literature study, including poetry, is intertwined. As Charlotte Mason suggests, poetry helps illuminate history for us by letting us peek over the shoulder at the thoughts of those who came before us.

Please take advantage of this rich primary source material by including poetry — the very words of those living in the particular time period you are studying  in history — into your homeschooling.

 Anne Bradstreet, America’s First Poet

The first woman to be published in the U.S. and considered by many to be America’s first poet, Anne Bradstreet was actually born in England. Two years married, Anne braved the Atlantic and moved with her young Puritan family to Massachusetts Bay, where her husband and father were eventually each governors of this new United States colony.

Anne’s vivid, beautiful poetry is a window into the intentional strength and faith of the Puritan soul in response to the hardship of life in Colonial America.

Below is one of Anne’s poignant poems followed by lesson plan ideas to use for your elementary to high school-aged students.

Here followes some verses upon the burning of our house, July 10th, 1666.

by Anne Bradstreet

In silent night when rest I took,
For sorrow neer I did not look,
I waken’d was with thundring nois
And Piteous shreiks of dreadfull voice.
That fearfull sound of fire and fire,
Let no man know is my Desire.
I, starting up, the light did spye,
And to my God my heart did cry
To strengthen me in my Distresse
And not to leave me succourlesse.
Then coming out beheld a space,
The flame consume my dwelling place.

And, when I could no longer look,
I blest his Name that gave and took,
That layd my goods now in the dust:
Yea so it was, and so ’twas just.
It was his own: it was not mine;
Far be it that I should repine.

He might of All justly bereft,
But yet sufficient for us left.
When by the Ruines oft I past,
My sorrowing eyes aside did cast,
And here and there the places spye
Where oft I sate, and long did lye.

Here stood that Trunk, and there that chest;
There lay that store I counted best:
My pleasant things in ashes lye,
And them behold no more shall I.
Under thy roof no guest shall sitt,
Nor at thy Table eat a bitt.

No pleasant tale shall ‘ere be told,
Nor things recounted done of old.
No Candle ‘ere shall shine in Thee,
Nor bridegroom’s voice ere heard shall bee.
In silence ever shalt thou lye;
Adieu, Adeiu; All’s vanity.

Then streight I gin my heart to chide,
And didst thy wealth on earth abide?
Didst fix thy hope on mouldring dust,
The arm of flesh didst make thy trust?
Raise up thy thoughts above the skye
That dunghill mists away may flie.

Thou hast an house on high erect
Fram’d by that mighty Architect,
With glory richly furnished,
Stands permanent tho’ this bee fled.
It’s purchased, and paid for too
By him who hath enough to doe.

A Prise so vast as is unknown,
Yet, by his Gift, is made thine own.
Ther’s wealth enough, I need no more;
Farewell my Pelf, farewell my Store.
The world no longer let me Love,
My hope and Treasure lyes Above.

How to Read Poetry

No matter the age of your students, there are crucial steps to reading poetry, as presented in How to Read a Book: The Classic Guide to Intelligent Reading. (This is a classic that should be read by all homeschooled high school students, in my opinion!)

First, read the poem through the first time without stopping. Even though there are unfamiliar words and phrases, you will glean much more by first reading the poem through without stopping to figure out  the vocabulary.

Then, read the poem through a second time, but this time read it aloud.

Poetry’s inherent rhythm brings the words and phrases to life.  Now, you may start asking what the poem is saying.

The more you read it, the more the poem can speak to you.

For Younger Students

In true Charlotte Mason fashion, resist the urge to “teach” this poem. Instead, allow the poem to speak directly to your student. And this particular  poem will be more suitable for older elementary children than younger.

For elementary students, just focus on reading the poem. If you anticipate your student becoming frightened about your house burning down, remind him that during colonial times candles were used for light and most household items were of wood, so house fires were much more common than today. (Although we ALWAYS have to be careful of fire, etc…)

For an older elementary or middle school-aged student, read a stanza aloud, one at a time, and have your student narrate (tell back) what s/he has heard.  Record your student’s thoughts for each stanza.

After the narration is complete, you may ask your student to describe how the author feels about what happened, especially if this was not included in the original narration.  Your student  may also ask you questions about the poem, which is fine, but try to be brief in your answers. If your student shows particular interest in any poem, encourage questions, re-reading and further observation.

Of course, younger students will  miss the biblical allusions and will focus on the more ‘concrete’ aspects of this poem, as is normal for their stage of development.

You may choose to read other poems by Anne Bradstreet while studying the American Colonial period, as Charlotte Mason advocated reading one poet at a time, for six weeks or more.  For the younger set, focus mainly on reading and enjoying the poems.

For High School Students

High school students should initially approach the poem in the same way recommended earlier: first by reading the poem  in its entirety, without stopping; then reading the poem a second time, aloud, again without stopping.

Most high school students would benefit by reading this poem through every day for a week or more. As it is rich in biblical allusions and principles and Puritan theology, there is much here to be gleaned by the discerning student.

Assignment Possibilities (High School)

These are written to the student.

• As you read through the poem, note at least eight examples of the dialect of the time period. Draw a line down the center of a piece of notebook paper and write the phrase or word on the left, as gleaned by your examination of the poem, and the meaning or spelling of the sample on the right, as it might be expressed in today’s language.
• Read through each stanza of the poem, then write a summary of each in your own words.
• As you read through each stanza, note any biblical allusions/principles. (There are several.) Make sure to identify and explain the allusion and for extra or Honors credit – add a Scripture reference.

Additional Assignment Ideas from our American Literature course:

• Read an additional book of poetry by Anne Bradstreet, such as To My Husband and Other Poems.
• Read at least one poem from each of the sections of the book and be prepared to discuss with your teacher what you learn about Anne from the sample of poems that you read.
• After reading at least five of her poems, write two to three paragraphs about what you learn about Anne as a person. What is important to her? What did she believe? What did she love? What kind of person do you think she was?
• Research Anne Bradstreet’s life and compare what you learn to what you discovered from her poetry. Were your observations accurate? How did they differ, if at all, from what you learned through research? Write two to three paragraphs discussing how your research compares to your observations from reading her poetry.

 

Is poetry something you enjoy reading at your house, or do you struggle to include it?

 

 

 

 

There is an element of satisfaction in making a salt dough or cookie dough map, especially effective if everyone is ready for a break from the books.

Of course, the anticipation of eventually being able to eat the map is exciting to most students, but the fact is, anytime you can add a hands-on element to school, it is a positive thing. Studies have indicated that hands on learning might be much more effective for many students than the typical textbook-and-lecture approach.

I know, it is a messy endeavor, but that is part of the fun.

 The recipe below makes several tasty peanut butter-flavored maps.  The recipe yields a few larger or a plethora of smaller maps.

Keep reading after the recipe to see map ideas per historical period.

Dough

2 cups smooth peanut butter 2 1/2 cups powdered milk 2 1/2 cups powdered sugar 2 cups white corn syrup Mix all of the ingredients together and put portions on wax paper if you are creating smaller maps,  or want to freeze portions for future small maps.   For one or more large maps, you will need a sturdy cardboard (or perhaps several layers of cardboard glued together) for a base.  You can also use a large plastic cutting board.

Ideas for Decorations

• blue icing or white icing with blue glitter for lakes and oceans
• green sprinkles for forested areas
• cinnamon sugar for deserts
• chocolate chips for mountain ranges
• black or red licorice strips for rivers
• Red Hots for capitals
• M&Ms for major cities

Don’t forget to make a map key, especially for a large map.

Map Ideas Across History

The following ideas are taken from our Complete Programs and Daily Lesson Plans corresponding to our historical units:

Ancients (Creation to AD 476)

• Ancient China, showing the Great Wall and major cities, rivers, deserts and other land forms
• Roman Empire at its height of influence

Make sure you take a picture  of your cookie dough map before it is consumed!

 

 

Do you think your children would enjoy making cookie maps?

The dark, damp days of winter often bring depression; or at least, boredom. As the temperature plummets, so do attitudes…  and the kids have a difficult time, too.

Time to liven up your days a bit!

Here are are several strategies to help you beat the winter blahs and inject some energy to your homeschooling:

 1.  Spend time with others

Beat cabin fever by resisting the urge to stay inside during these dreary days.   Get a group together and go to an inside skating rink or bowling alley, or even better, take a field trip. Have your students ever been behind the scenes at:

• the post office?
• your favorite grocery store?
• a bakery?
• a local manufacturing plant?
• a dairy farm?
• a local museum?
• a fire station?

Arrange a tour with your support group or a few other homeschooling families, then have a bag lunch or play time afterwards. If the weather doesn’t permit playing outdoors, perhaps a gym in a local church or recreation center would allow some indoor playtime  during the morning or early afternoon hours when they are usually empty.

After reading #3, grab a few other families, get together and plan a winter event or holiday. It could even become an annual event!

 

2. Evaluate and plan for next year

Often we resist the urge to think ahead in favor of just plugging along, nose to the grindstone, trying to get this year’s school work finished, but this is actually an excellent time to evaluate what you are doing and how you are doing it, as well as to identify specific areas needing attention next year for each of your children.

• Considering each child at a time, ask yourself, what progress has s/he made this year spiritually, academically, etc.? Are there new interests developing that should be explored next year? How does s/he learn best? Do we need plan to focus more on improving writing, arithmetic skills, working more independently or strengthening character in certain areas?  What habits would we like to be instilling in this child?

• How will your family change next year? Will you have more or fewer children to teach? Children spread out between kindergarten and high school for the first time? Do you need to prepare to teach middle school or high school?  Consider your method of teaching and curricula you are using (or not using, if you are more of an unschooler).   Is it working for you now?  Will it continue working for you? Is it working for your children? Are they engaged, learning, enjoying what they are doing for the most part? (Or are they bored, unchallenged, unmotivated or loosing interest?) Put your thoughts in writing.

• Are there new areas you would like to build into your homeschooling, such as family devotions, nature study (plan a spring garden!), lap-booking, notebooking, journaling, hymn study, picture study, or music lessons? Make notes about what you would like to add into your school day.

 

3.  Change things up – unexpectedly

Are you having difficulty just wading through the three R’s, let alone getting in any fun stuff? Amazingly, with something to look forward to, the non-negotiable stuff goes much faster.  Often livening things up can be as simple as assigning each Friday in February or March as a pajama day, build-a-tent-out-of-the-furniture-and-read-in-it day, make an edible map* day, or get together with others for lunch day (see #1). *Be looking for a peanut butter edible map recipe to be posted soon for this. Yum.

After spending time evaluating in #2, did you identify some new areas you would like to include in your studies next year?  Why don’t you consider starting one or more of them now, perhaps on a smaller scale, so you can see how it works and be better prepared to start in earnest in the Fall?  Here are some how-to posts that might help:

• Lapbooking/notebooking
• Hymn Study
• Picture Study for younger or
• Picture study for older students

As a family or with a few other families (see #1), research and cook a meal or plan an event that pertains to your history, geography or religious studies. How about:

• African or Egyptian night, researching and cooking traditional foods from the culture or period you are studying and eating them like they were eaten in the past or today (especially if no utensils were used – always popular).

• an Olympic Games Day, complete with costumes and patterned after the Olympics of Ancient Greece. (But you might draw the line at the way athletes competed in Ancient Greece – without clothes.  Brrr.)

• In March, celebrate the Jewish holiday of Purim. Read the book of Esther and yell Boo! at any mention of Haman and cheer with abandon when Mordecai is mentioned.  You may also plan a feast, give to the poor and eat Hamantaschen or Haman’s Ears!

• Have a Renaissance Fair. Create appropriate costumes, research music, games, food and more that might have been appropriate for that event.  Make sure to take pictures!

Choose a secular holiday, research it, and celebrate it as a family or with others. This could be holiday on the calendar, such as these celebrated here in the U.S.:

• Black History Month (the month of February)
• American Heart Month (also, February)
• Valentines Day (Feb. 14^th) See some across-the-curricula ways to celebrate Valentine’s Day in your or with other families.
• President’s Day (Feb. 20^th)

Or, it could be a wacky holiday that you make up, or that someone else has  made up, such as:

• Random Acts of Kindness Day (Feb. 17^th)
• National Pistachio Day (Feb. 26^th)
• Johnny Appleseed Day (Mar. 11^th)

Maybe each of your children should have the option of making up his or her own holiday this month and (of course) writing down  why s/he chose the holiday and how it should be celebrated!

May patience, flexibility and creativity help you not just ‘get through’ the winter, but enjoy every day of it. And remember – time moves quickly – spring will be here before you know it.

 

 

What ideas do you have to make the days more enjoyable in the winter? We would love to hear them!