Charlotte Mason-ish: Nature, and your Home School

Full disclosure, I do not do a full Charlotte Mason education for my kids.  However, I like a lot of her instincts and think she's pretty spot-on in general.  If you're like me, and "need" the structure of more formal tools (i.e. workbooks) to keep things "on track", you still can glean the good stuff by adding it right into the mix!  (You know this has a name, right?  It's called "eclectic home schooling"--I actually googled it back when a friend used the term!)

For those who are interested in incorporating Charlotte Mason principles into their home school, but aren't sure where to start or how to proceed, I suggest:  Go ahead and get your morning of "desk work" in.  Then when both you and your kids are ready for a break, do this:

Throw a blanket on the grass.  Put a magnifying glass on the blanket (keep your eyes out at Dollar Store type stores, these are often sold as cheepo toys and work fine for these purposes). Then toss on a pad of paper and some colored pencils.  You get a lawn chair and a nice glass of iced tea.  Tell the kids to find "nature", to study it with the magnifying glass, and to draw/label it (you might have to help spell "p-i-n-e-c-o-n-e" or "m-a-p-l-e l-e-a-f") in their "nature notebook".  You can scroll your phone at this point if you want, but I'd actually recommend just being present in the moment, trying to take in the beauty yourself.  It's a great time to relax, but let's be honest, the kids are going to be coming to you constantly.  Otherwise, I'd say bring out a nice book of spiritual reading. You can sure try!

Ok, done? Great.  Now, is there some old bench or picnic table, porch step or log you can use? Tell the kids to line their stones and leaves up on the "nature table".  I have seen nature tables recommended for the house, but I personally recommend leaving the moss and dirt outside.

If your kids are the imaginative type, have them build a "fairy house" with their findings.  If you have objections to fairies, a) read more GK Chesterton and then b) call it a "frog", "mouse" or "bunny" house then if you must.

Even if you only do this once in a blue moon, it will get your kids used to really LOOKING at the nature around them.  They'll notice a cool rock or beautiful flower.  They'll want to save it for their special fairy house or nature table.  They will learn to play outside with the stuff of nature.  It's so healthy and so great for imagination.  Bonus: the kids are out of the house, so easy on Mom!  You can milk this time by bringing them popsicles or a snack.  Good Mom, Smart Mom! The kids will think this is great fun.

Next step?  Try to find some cool picture-heavy field guides of flowers and birds.  Toss them on the blanket the next time you're out.  Maybe make or set up a bird feeder.  Tell them to find/identify/draw all the birds they can. Kids love this stuff.  It's magical for them. And you didn't even have to buy a pet!  You can YouTube bird calls and the kids can learn to identify those too.

Now, buy some binoculars and bird watch from that blanket the next time you're out.  Why don't you take the PBJ's outside and call it a picnic? Your kids will officially think you're the best mom ever!  And when they're done eating/watching, let them just go swing on the swing set or hit the sandbox.  It's recess break! And you can be doing dishes or catching up on phone calls while your children are outside happily forming a beautiful moral imagination!  I'm telling you, this is a great way to home school!

Do not fret: not everyone has rolling hills and acres of woodlands surrounding their home.  It doesn't matter!  You can develop a love of nature in your children no matter where you are!  I'm a crazy indoor-plant lady, and I firmly believe that my children are benefiting from seeing all of the different leaves and blooms!  They see me water and re-pot with new dirt.  It's great!  My sister-in-law grows tomatoes in pots on the outdoor porch off the back of her second-story duplex.  There's room for a small cafe table out there.  We have sat there in the fresh air, had coffee, and watched the clouds roll by.  It's lovely.  And it's a great place for kids to put a pinecone rolled in peanut butter and bird seed to see what feathered friends they can lure in!  They can play in the fresh air, even if it's simply a 4x6 space.

However, ONCE in a while, at least once a new season, I highly recommend really "getting out" and making a memory.  Whether this is a day at a Nature Preserve, or a day at a beach, a day of hiking, vacationing at a National Forest, or camping, whatever fits your family is fine! But it's worth the effort to really get out into nature as a habitual way of recreation as a family.  Think about the difference between kids who recreate exclusively by playing video games, watching movies, even playing organized sports and vacationing at Theme Parks and those who eat PBJs on their picnic table and go fishing on the weekends.  We certainly love our sports around here, organized and otherwise, but the point is, there's something very healthy about living in closer contact with nature.  In this day and age you really have to be intentional about doing that, or it might not come to you.  But now you see it's not so hard to do! And then if you want to hit Disney Land as something on your bucket list, go for it!  Your kids might just identify that bird eating fries off the ground at lunch!

That's it--from the micro to the macro: incorporating the natural world into your child's upbringing.  Easy!

Home Schooling "Must Haves"

mound of towels drying (in background) after summer pool time

I'm way too sanguine to be an advice giver.  Since I avoid conflict at all cost, I hate to advise someone and have them disagree, or have it not help.  However, far be it from me to hold out on anyone. I'll give you my best tips (which will not all be of my own discovery) as to what has worked in my home school.  I do have 9 kids, so... that might make my advice more helpful or less helpful depending.  Just keep in mind that my #1 tip is that I encourage you!  I believe in you, Mama.  Whatever your home looks like, if you discern that you WANT to (or even MUST) home school, even temporarily, you most certainly CAN!

wooden window inspiration from dollar section at Target

windowsill above Rosie's desk, all her special things

What has helped me: (Tip #2--1 was just encouragement:)) desks.  We work at our LARGE, always extended, dining room table every day. But after you have about 3 kids, it's going to get too noisy for everyone to be there together.  I'm explaining, someone else is trying to think, someone else is asking something... we naturally need to spread out.  We always use our FOUR (4), full-sized, couches as well.  Do you have a dining room table and a couch? That's a great start!  Now...desks.  Target sells the best desk for $100 (I've gotten them on sales too, then it's less).  Here's the link:

https://www.target.com/p/paulo-wood-writing-desk-with-drawers-project-62/-/A-14517908?preselect=52398882#lnk=sametab

It's an awesome awesome size for middle schoolers up.  One huge drawer, and it's wide enough for "bins" or baskets of books to be kept underneath, with plenty of room for the chair/kids' feet.  IF you have room for an individual desk for at least your older students,  it can really help keep them and their materials organized.  It's anathema to have siblings rifling through a desk that's not their own.  It helps accountability for being organized and having your stuff together and not just blaming it on the fact that everything gets lost in a big family house! (It does).  The "tragedy of the commons" is conquered by taking away the excuse that it's always someone else who lost it.  Further, they can find a quiet corner to place the desk, which can help them actually focus and get work done.

Some of my children rarely use their desk to work at, but at the end of the day (or if I find something strewn behind a couch) there is a "dumping zone" for all of THEIR stuff--and I'll just put the (old socks, fishing lures, book, whathaveyou--on THEIR desk, for them to organize and (not lose) and manage later.

That's a whole lot of talking.  Desk.

Tip #3: a globe.  If you have room on a wall for maps, definitely hang them.  I actually love maps on bedroom walls by the bed, so kids can just gaze at them and let the geography sink in as they daydream.   But not every house has room for maps, and I think Atlases (while some kids love them) are hard to use with kids because they divide all of the awesome maps according to continent or country and it's super hard for the average human to look at all of those and just put together a great picture of where these places are in relation to the world at large.  A globe is such a great visual! "Here you are," and "HERE is ....fill in the blank...!"  See how FAR Christopher Columbus had to sail?! Now check out Magellan's route! (spin the globe).  Plus, some globes are pretty, and I've seen them on my sister's side table in her living room, color-coordinated to her decor!  Check Hobby Lobby!

Tip #4: school supplies.  I know everyone has a budget, but I'm telling you: get new, fresh, fun, bright school supplies every year.  Maybe you don't need (crayons, markers, paints, construction paper) EVERY year, if you have a super-abundant stash.  But we ALL benefit from the thrill of a fresh start. Not just the slog of another school year.  And it's not only school kids who deserve the fun of new supplies.  Target always has cute pencils and erasers in the dollar section.  Oriental Trading sells supplies in bulk.  It seems to me that most moms like Walmart for supplies...but that could just be a weird local thing.  Idk.  I'm not telling you to bust any bank.  But a fresh pack of crayons for 49 cents is totally worth the joy it brings to the new school year.  I also think that kids having their OWN (crayons, markers, etc) is special for them.  We do share paints, craft supplies, even markers most of the time.  I don't buy 9 boxes of colored pencils, 9 glue bottles, etc.  But I might get my kindergartener their own glue, just because I know they'll need it for all of those "cut and paste" pages, and it's nice for them to have one tucked in their desk.

Tip 5: wooden rulers (or at least HARD clear plastic).  Lest I shame myself by over explaining, I just want to offer this advice: those "slap bracelet" rulers are a gimmick. Enough said.

Tip #6: Planet Earth.  Blue Planet.  National Geographic. Name your nature program.  My kids have learned more from those shows than any science textbook.  We read about these mammals/amphibians/birds/reptiles/invertibrates in science, but those nature programs are so high quality at this point that it really brings the natural world to life.  It is also nice to have something for the kids to watch that is educational (you just have to keep an eye out for stuff that's too PC or evoutionist for your personal beliefs).

Tip 7: White boards rather than chalk boards. Period.  I have three large white wipe-off boards lined up on one wall in my schoolroom (just hammered in a nail and popped em up) which creates the effect of a large chalk board.  Works great.  The markers are more vibrant than chalk and you don't have to wash the boards or deal with chalk dust.  Not everyone does a "chalk board" to teach, but I'm SUPER visual, and can't explain without just wanting to SHOW!

fridge art

Tip 8: Rolling carts for storage.  I use one and call it the "art cart".  I roll it from desk to desk as I look for some stray marker or scissors or water colors.  When I find a ruler/tape/pens laying around, I just toss them in the cart.  It's my catch all and gets to be a mess by the end of the year, but it gives me a landing place for all of the "stuff" that doesn't have an official home in a school room drawer.   My sister uses one cart for each child, giving each kid their own color cart for all of their books and supplies.  Most carts have three shelves, and it gives a lot of storage for those who don't have tons of shelving space.

Tip 9: Um, books.  I'd love to say "library card" here, but sadly, the vast majority of books in the children's section of the library are drivel.  If you go to the library, make sure you know what author or series of books you like, and direct your kid there.  I've read ten too many books about how little Sally realizes that a new baby isn't the worst possible disaster to strike her young life.  Or how Henry Hippo discovers that he's beautiful even though he's different than all the other animals of the Sudan.
Make a wish list and give it to grandparents and Godparents.  Give books for St. Nick, the tooth fairy, whatever.  You need a family library of high quality books for all ages.

I fight my husband every year to let the ivy grow over our windows.  Destructive, they say, but so pretty!!

Tip 10: Toys.  This is where I'm going to talk to you about minimalism.  Clutter equals stress.  Clear surfaces equal peace (not deep, lasting peace, that comes from God).  You are going to have to keep a very active tab on what you have: how much, is it being used, etc.  I purge all of the time, especially before a big influx of new things (Christmas, birthdays, new season). But kids do need some things.  Bikes, balls, riding toys, jump ropes, roller skates/blades, a sandbox with shovels and buckets and maybe a dumptruck or two.  All of that is "easy" in the sense that it's out doors (and husbands/sons are great to put in charge of garages).  I actually love organizing my garage, but that is a very odd quirk of mine, and I expect no one shares it.  Toy rooms are my bane.  I strictly limit my toys.  We have a trampoline.  We have a dollhouse and a kitchen, a train table, a Noah's Ark and a barn filled with animals. Also, army guys and wooden blocks and ...Magnatiles! But you need several boxes of Magnatiles and they're super expensive, so, Grandparents! Amazon wish lists.  Drop hints.

Now, some kids have collections of stuffed animals.  My own child (unnamed) has one.  I make her keep them under her bed in a bin.  I highly discourage such collections.  I highly discourage stuffed animals.  But of course, there are probably 300 in my house!  With this type of collection (think Legos, baby dolls, anything that you can find yourself having WAYYYY too many/much of)...just do what I do: try.  Fight.  But then, move on for a while (be it a month, year, or decade). Because you know your kids need some things.  Everyone does their best. We all lose the stuffed animal battle (unless you're my youngest sister.  Then you've got it well in hand, along with everything else you Type A woman you!).

That's 10 tips, so I'm stopping there.  See? My advice isn't really so great.  But I just haphazardly threw my first ten thoughts at you rapid fire.  Add your own in the comments!! OR link me to your own post! I'd love to hear your advice!