Craft Lack

Lest you think I have all the areas of a Charlotte Mason education under control, let me share what I know from personal experience about handicrafts.

Ummmm.....

I made some friendship bracelets in elementary school, and made some throw-away crafts at camp a couple of summers.  That's it.  Seriously.  I did draw on occasion for fun and take art class in high school, but I certainly didn't come away with anything worth keeping, or useful in any way.  

Everything I know about handicrafts comes from the reading and researching I've done the past 4 years on behalf of my son, and my short experience knitting last winter.  (I keep meaning to pick that up again, and I WILL, but my finger injury that occurred mid-October is holding me back, as it still hurts to type with it, so needles wouldn't be a good thing, but I'll get there!)

Knowing my own lack, I reached for help.  We started with Boy's Ma, my mother-in-law, who knows all about sewing.  They hand-sewed, then machine-sewed, so that was weekly for a year.  For second grade, I went to his Pa, who knows a bit of leather-craft, so that was weekly for about half the year, then we floundered about.  We tried soap carving with a bit of success but it wasn't exciting, hence the previous post about wood carving.  When he gets bored, I always suggest picking up a handicraft, but he rarely goes for it.  Why?  Possibly my lack (and my husband's lack) of modeling that way of life.  We reach for electronic devices, or sometimes a book.

This lack of craftiness will not fix itself.  While making artwork isn't technically handicrafting, I tend to lump it together in my mind, and am giving myself some credit for making an effort in this area by taking painting classes sporadically.  Yesterday, we attended a homeschool art class (the first in our county! yay, progress!) with Boy and you can see our success below.

However, I do need to be more intentional.  I write it on the schedule at least 3 days a week, and we may get to it one of those times.  I save handicraft until last in our school day, so he can work on it as long as he wants.  It's never very long, though, so I'm considering moving it earlier; perhaps it will be less forgotten.  

Honestly, the reason I let handicrafts fall by the wayside more often than not because I feel my own inadequacy in this area.  I can read and write, and even do math, but ask me to carve some wood or try something new, and I'm on the same level as the Boy.  Its good for him to see me this way, though - I can model trying, failing, trying again, dealing with frustrations and sharing successes.

Are you willing to let go of pride and perfection and learn something new with your kids?

What is a Living Book?

Here at Windy Hill Homeschool, we use living books for school and for fun reading.  Its a strange term for those not familiar with the Charlotte Mason method, but for those who love her, it is very familiar, and the heartbeat of education.  

Charlotte Mason fans LOVE books. But not just any book.  We do away with twaddle - those books that you cringe at having to read to your preschooler for the second time, much less the twentieth time - and replace it with books that LIVE.  

AO Year 4 books

How can a book live?  

When it is filled not just with words or pictures, but with ideas that point the mind of a child towards what is good, pure, and best in this world or the next.  It lives by passing a thought onto the next generation.  It may inspire towards kind actions and make you want to be a better person.  It may make you sigh with happiness or cry with compassion.  But it will not bore you to tears, nor will a living book be easily forgotten.  It is rarely, if ever, a textbook.  Living books are written by a single author with a true passion for their subject.

How do you use a living book?  

For school, it is only read once, then narrated a portion at a time.  Of course, it can be reread for pleasure numerous times, but for the purpose of holding the child's attention and encouraging good focus during lessons, it is not reread when his mind wanders.  He is made to feel the loss of the moment and encouraged to pay better attention the next time.  Its the teacher's job to notice when the mind begins to wander, though, and ask for a narration then take a break by switching subjects.  Don't read until your eyes cross and the kid is asleep :)  Not that I've EVER done that...

I didn't read my horse to sleep, though!

How does the student learn from a living book?

To properly learn, the child must do the digging, so to speak.  The teacher doesn't read it, water it down or paraphrase it, ask multiple choice questions, then grade him.  Instead, he reads a portion (or listens), narrates it (orally or written), and asks his own questions of the reading.  I am a facilitator, present to listen and guide, and help find answers to his questions if I don't know them myself.

How do you use books in your school?  Are they living?

Transitioning to AO Year 4

We are nearing the end of The Boy's second term of AmblesideOnline's year 3.5.  This is an extra year that doesn't follow the history rotation and has a little bit of a lighter load to help students transition from year 3 to 4, or to introduce older students who may be coming to AO and aren't sure where to start.  (Remember, AO years to necessarily correspond to grade levels.)  I debated for quite a while as to whether he was ready for year 4 this school year, and due to sensory issues, dysgraphia, and undiagnosed dyslexia, I thought a more gradual easing into the "hard stuff" would be best.

There is a jump in expectations in a Charlotte Mason education around age 10.  This is when grammar, Plutarch's Lives (citizenship), dictation (instead of just copywork), and full Shakespeare plays are added.  Its also the age where most students will be able to do at least a couple of the readings (history, literature, natural history, etc.) on their own.  He still isn't ready for that, but I decided that two terms of year 3.5 is enough, and we will soon begin year 4!  The books scheduled in 3.5 are good, but I am more than ready for more "meaty" readings, and I think he is too, as his narration skills have improved, and so has his self-control and attention span.

Here is how I have gradually introduced the more advanced subjects into our day.  We finished year 3 with about 3 readings a day, 4 days a week.  If we actually had 5 full days at home, then somedays would have 2 readings, but it is typical for Friday's to be kept fairly open for appointments and field trips, and homeschool get-togethers. Anyway, with year 3.5, I kept the load at 3 readings a day so he would be ready to transition to year 4 more easily.

We started grammar towards the end of year 3, and do less than half a lesson at a time, twice a week.  With year 4, I will back down to once a week and try to do a bit more than half a lesson in one sitting.  We did Publicola as his first Plutarch study, and spread it out over about 14 weeks (instead of 1 term of 12 weeks), reading a bit once a week.  We also did his first full-length Shakespeare - Hamlet - during term 1, and are on track to finish Midsummer Night's Dream this term.  We have not begun dictation, nor written narrations, and due to his dysgraphia, it will be the hardest for him.

As you can see, I have already added the more intimidating subjects while the readings for year 3.5 were easier. I see it as taking the stairs one at a time, instead of jumping up them with both feet!  I didn't do the year exactly as written - since I wasn't planning on all 3 terms, I rearranged some things, and dropped some since we had already read them.  Also, my starting year 4 in March, I'll have 4 terms if needed, and will still be able to start year 5 when he hits 6th grade.  I do have a copy of a 42-week schedule for year 4 and am working on tweaking it to work for him.  I would rather move forward into the best books of year 4 at a slower pace (42 instead of 36 weeks), at this point, then to continue at a faster pace with less worthy books.

Who else is combating the February blahs with some school-planning sessions?

(Now for those that have read this far, and want more details, please leave a comment with what exactly you want to know, and I will be glad to do a second post with more year 3.5 details.)