Form I: Would you like Shakespeare with that?

Romeo and Juliet before Father Lawrence, by Karl Ludwig Friedrich Becker

------------------------------------------

Shakespeare in elementary?

I never thought that such high-quality literature would be suitable to read to a child. And I, like many others from centuries past to the present-day, apparently have been spoon-feeding our children a watered-down, uninspiring version of the freshest, purest nectar available.

And it's just ok. Because we didn't know any different.

We have...put into the children's hands lesson-books with pretty pictures and easy talk, almost as good as story-books; but we do not see that, after all, we are but giving the same little pills of knowledge in the form of a weak and copious diluent. -Vol 1, p.176

But now we do know different. And different is so much richer and tastier!

Taking into account that ideas are for the mind as nutritious food is for the body, why wouldn't we offer a great array of these to our knowledge-hungry children? 

This process of feeding goes on with peculiar avidity in childhood, and the growth of an idea in the child is proportionably rapid. -Vol 1, p. 174

One of the ways to provide for our children's appetites for knowledge is through the brilliant mind of Shakespeare.

And just how do we put this into action with the lofty and incomprehensible talk that a 6-, 7- or 8-year-old ... oh, heck, even a 40-year-old! ... must presume is being babbled out in the original manuscripts of this English fellow from ages past?

By the way, I just love that my young ones are getting exposed to the storylines of Shakespeare's works at this stage in life. And I just love that I am getting a better grasp on them. Because not only are my children's minds hungry for knowledge, my mind is as well. I love this about homeschooling (as a student myself) under Charlotte Mason's inspired thoughts and writings!

So through Beautiful Stories from Shakespeare to Tales from Shakespeare, our minds together are getting a bounty of delicious aliment. 

And it is so satisfying!

Morning Round-Up

About a year ago, after I had joined up and started actually reading through the myriad of posts over at the Ambleside Online Forum, I ran across the concept of Morning (or Circle) Time. Hmmmm. So slowly I have been trying to gather more and more things that we all can do on common ground. And I do this first thing, at the crack of 9:30...before each goes his separate way and before grumpy and tired attitudes kick in (or get worse!). 

This New Year we have been doing the following, with a once-a-week review of the Pledge of Allegiance, our mailing address and phone number spread over 3 days as well...

1. Put on Spotify (I love this app!) and play the month's/week's assortment of music, which I have categorized into a Playlist. ... folksong, composer's selections, and hymn.

2. Do a short devotional (I am using Gotta Have God from Legacy Press right now).

3. Pray

4. Review/recite memory verses (I am using the Simply Charlotte Mason Scripture Memory System with the cards printed out and stored in a little box).

5. Calendar Time ... We head over to our giant wall calendar and do this all in Spanish. Sing a days of the week song, talk about what day it is today, then count up to the date and say it all together. If there are special days coming up in the month, I will ask how many days until that event to reinforce numbers and hear a different question in Spanish. Finally we say the season and then talk about the weather.

6. At this point, we easily segue into our Spanish lesson from this book by Cherrydale Press.

After which everyone goes their own way of learning for the day. With a toddler and a 5yo as the younger two, I mostly have them just play together so I can have more focused learning time with my 7yo.

I hope to incorporate more subjects into our Morning Round-Up as my little students grow, but for now, that is all!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This post is linked up with Amy in Peru's Jovi'Oval Time over at Fisher Academy.

Some unconsidered aspects of physical training

When I saw this as the topic of conversation for the January Charlotte Mason blog carnival, I wondered if it was chosen as anticipation for the 2014 Winter Olympics. I don't know if that is true, but it made me want to read this portion of Volume 3: School Education.

As habit is central to the Charlotte Mason livelihood, and well should be the crux of our lives as successful persons, I consider the Olympic athlete to have mastered this portion of their physical attainments.

I played sports growing up. Volleyball, basketball, track. I even went on to play volleyball in college. It started out as something enjoyable, just something extra to have my hand at. And that is what draws us to about anything new, I suppose. 

"The object of the fine physical culture...is...that they may get the most...out of life...for their own pleasure." -p. 102

As I continued in my athletic endeavors, training became more intense...even to the point of losing my lunch a few times from so much physical exertion. So did this make me throw in the towel? Did it make me say, "Forget this!" Well, no. Honestly, I loved the competition and results too much to give up that easily.

"Enjoyment is good by the way, but is not the end." -p. 102

And as I pressed on to more lofty athletic attainments, I could look back and see that a continuous, habitual routine of exercise had given me (through many years of sweat and exhaustion), a position to agree with Charlotte Mason whole-heartedly.

"...for the disciplined life has more power of fresh enjoyment than is given to the unrestrained." -p. 103

Although I was nowhere near Olympic heights, I have at least an inkling of an understanding as to how much habit (and heart) go into the sacrifices these athletes make on a daily basis in order to attain just the possibility to compete with others who have also beat their bodies into submission...to show the world just what a body can do out of the "splendid material" God has given them.