Acorns, Apples, and painted Rocks

I used to read about the Charlotte Mason method of education.  As a young homeschooling mother, I was enthralled with philosophies of education.

"Masterly inactivity"... a little phrase coined by Charlotte Mason encouraging the teacher to stand back and let the child take the lead, gently guiding or placing helpful materials in the path of these little minds at work.

I think I used to be very actively attentive to being inattentive...if I managed to be inattentive in my early years as a home educating mother.  I was so very eager to teach my children so carefully, so ambitiously!

With 9 children, the days of playdates and nature walks are pretty much over.  We might go on a hike as a family, but this isn't part of my "natural science" education!  You know, with 9 children, I might actually just be inattentive.  And...sometimes, I think there is something masterful going on.

Because my 7th, 8th, and 9th children are actually left to their own devices for nice long chunks of time.  (To be honest, I think it was my 4th child--11 year old Galadriel--who got out the paints for the rocks.)  I know I've posted about the fairy house creations before.  And sand cakes.  This fall Legolas and Eowyn discovered fallen apples from our neighbor's tree.

The artistic addition of flowers from a "Rose of Sharon" bush.

And somehow all of this inattention out of me allows my children to do things that draw my attention.  I marvel at their imaginations, and their sweet creative play.

It makes me happy and gives me great joy.

I feel like I should conclude this post with some profound insight into the philosophy of education.  I don't have one.  I just let my kids play outside, but somehow I think that Charlotte Mason would look on and say, "exactly".