How do you teach poetry ?

The idea of "teaching" poetry always leaves me filled with panic!  I love words and the clever use of words can be a real pleasure to enjoy in poetry. For me however, when I think of teaching poetry my mind drifts to school days. At school we had to dissect poems and try to work out what the teacher thought of it.  We had to analyse it, search for symbolism and hidden meanings, look for and explain the rhythms and or patterns, categorise the different parts of speech and then the dreaded composing of poems ... 

I'm sorry this post will not contain a detailed how to on teaching poetry as this is a new season of home education for me. One of the methods I am keen to incorporate in my homeschool is a Charlotte Mason approach.  Charlotte says of poetry

"Children should practice reading aloud every day, and their readings "should include a good deal of poetry, to accustom him to the delicate rendering of shades of meaning, and especially to make him aware that words are beautiful in themselves, that they are a source of pleasure, and are worthy of our honour; and that a beautiful word deserves to be beautifully said, with a certain roundness of tone and precision of utterance. Quite young children are open to this sort of teaching, conveyed, not in a lesson, but by a word now and then." from volume 1 pg 227 Older (age 9?)

I'm always amazed at how life unfolds.  On Monday we had a home school mothers meeting and the theme for the meeting was Poetry. The guide for this conversation was taken from The Charlotte Mason Companion Chapter 29 Approach to Poetry.

Karen shared some of her view on teaching poetry online over at Homeschool World in her article The Charlote Mason Approach to Poetry.

My gleanings from Karen

• Through carefully chosen poetry, mothers can teach their children to recognise sin, be inspired, and be filled with admiration of God's gifts to man.
• Poetry is not just a means to moral instruction. It is part of the humanities.
• It's a deep expression of thought and feeling.
• It should be permissible to have a different taste for poetry than that of the teacher. Making a connection with poetry 
• If you do not like poetry, there is an obvious remedy: introduce the child and the poem and leave them to make friends for themselves.
• Poetry is strewn with ideas. Saturate yourself in the words - they can have an intoxicating effect on the intellect.
• After years of a relationship with poetry, built on shorter poems, children will be capable of enjoying and comprehending longer and more abstract works.

Ways to incorporate Poetry

• Read out loud daily (no twaddle allowed)
• Mark the seasons 
• Use poems in nature journals
• One Poet a week.  If you have an anthology choose one poet and immerse yourselves in their poems for a week or two.
• Use a child's favourite poems in copy work.  If it's a long poem choose a stanza a week.
• Memorise poetry and present it at a special tea or a homeschool co-op

Poetry Books

• Favorite Poems Old and New: Selected For Boys and Girls by Helen Ferris Tibbets (Author) , Leonard Weisgard (Illustrator) Over 700 classic and modern poems
• Now we are six - AA Milne
• Favorite Poems of Childhood Edited by Philip Smith
• Favorite Poems old and New by Helen Ferris
• Cotton Sailboats - Poems for Little Children
• Child's Introduction to Poetry
• A Child's Anthology of Poetry
• Classic Poetry
• A Treasury of Poetry for Young People
• The Llama Who Had No Pajama
• All the Small Poems This books was a delight to read out loud.  We really enjoyed it.

On the WWW

• Pinterest - Language Arts Poetry
  
  
• Teaching Poetry over at Love to Know Home School
• Simply Charlotte Mason: Teaching Poetry
• Simply Charlotte Mason: Poetry - Language Arts
•  Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival - Poetry
• Poetry for Homeschool by Jimmie over at Squidoo
• The Parents Review 1892/936 Pages 893-898 An Address on the Teaching of Poetry
• The Parents' Review The Teaching of Poetry to Children by Mrs. J. G. Simpson Volume 12, 1901, pgs. 879-883
• The Parents' Review What is Poetry? by H. A. Nesbitt, M.A. Volume 14, 1903, pgs. 33-42
• Poetry Lesson Plans and Ideas by Harmony ArtMom over at Squidoo.
• 12 Best Poetry Websites for Kids - interactive apps, forms and fun!
• Math Poetry Lessons for Homeschool over at Squidoo
• High School - How to Teach Your Children Poetry over at Crosswalk.
• Homeschool Poetry Study over at 31 Cups

Charlotte explained that “the magic of poetry makes knowledge vital, and children and grown-ups quote a verse which shall add blackness to the ashbud, tender wonder to that ‘flower in the crannied wall,’ a thrill to the song of the lark” (Vol. 6, p. 328)

I would love to know your thoughts and favourite books in this area of your home school
Blessings

Chareen

This post is part of the Homeschool Help series brought to you by a group of homeschool Mom's from around the globe.  Do not forget to visit and read their inspirational insight.

This week

• Bernadette   Waxing Poetical
• Julie  Studying Poetry with Children
• Savannah shares Poetry – How and Why to Teach It; Part 1
• Lucinda  How we do Poetry Teatime 
• Nicole  Our First Poetry Smoothietime!

 ---ooOoo---

This post is linking to

The Informed Parent

Some thoughts on Mother Culture

Alarm bells started ringing for me this week when I started feeling overwhelmed and over taxed with the smallest of tasks at hand.  Poor Sir N was struggling to grasp a new math concept and I had no patience to give him or time to explain, I just wanted out.

There's no doubt about it homeschooling full time can be a taxing undertaking and even more so when we as mothers do not commit to care for ourselves in order that we may better care for our families.

This past Monday some of my homeschool friends came over to share and discuss chapter 46 Mother Culture in The Charlotte Mason Companion.  It has been a timely reminder for me that if I want to continue this journey with Sir N I need to dedicate some Mother Culture time in my schedule or burnout will be my constant companion.

"A mother is only a woman, but she needs the love of Jacob, the patience of Job, the wisdom of Moses, the foresight of Joseph, and the firmness of Daniel. But a mother not only has to have all of these things, she must have them all at once, often when she is quite young, and too often when she has had no previous training for the marvelously varied duties she has to perform."

To obtain this high ideal we certainly must never languish in the rut of the daily drudgery of life.  It is up to us to continue to grow and move forward so as to be an example to those in our sphere of influence and care.

My Gleanings for the day:

• Some may say, "I simply have no time for myself." Others, "I don't think it is right to think of myself." Such mothers are stuck in a rut of self-sacrifice to the extent that they are starving themselves spiritually, mentally, and consequently, emotionally. (page 344) It was good to be reminded of this.  I know this from before but had forgotten the implications of starving myself of growth.
• He blesses us with His strength if we are in His Word renewing our minds, if we pray, and if we follow the fourth commandment. (Page 344) Ultimately my salvation and strength are in Him and this was a stark reminder to spend time at His feet and He will lift me up.
• We must also exercise our minds and give ourselves some healthy leisure and diversion in order to be strong (Page 344-345) I think that far too often we as mothers forget that we need leisure in order to be strong.
• We need persistence to find time for ourselves, especially if our lives are hectic, hurried, and we have learned how to live on adrenaline in place of that highly practical virtue, fortitude. (Page 345) Persistence is key to accessing a healthy balance at home when alone with our children. I need to persevere in making it a priority and a happening thing.
• When the time is over, ring the little bell and reward them with time spent outdoors together, or preparing a meal together, giving them attention and kind words. (Page 345-346) I loved these words.  I find that homeschooling an "only" child is far different than homeschooling two.  At the end of room time Sir N is needing to connect and I am needing to get on with the next thing which causes him frustration and conflict between the two of us. These words made me realise that if I schedule room time earlier in the day and factor in a time to reconnect after it is done this will be a better transition into the hum drum of the balance of our day.

• "Besides my Bible, I always keep three books going that are just for me - a stiff book, a moderately easy book, and a novel, and I always take up the one I feel fit for." That is the secret: always have something "going" to grow by. (Page346) I used to live by this adage and over the years it has gone by the wayside.  I recently have re added reading back into my routine and I do feel better for it.  I have been reading a lot of blog posts and do find that I need to be careful of the fair I choose to meditate on as this has a definite influence over my thoughts and feelings towards those in my care.
• Charlotte Mason advised the teacher to replenish her soul with a continual supply of ideas. ...stimulates your educational thought in many directions and keeps you from drifting into mere routine... Do not think this is a selfish thing to do, because the advantage does not end with yourself.".
• We should continually take our minds out of the "laundry bag" of domestic perplexities, and give it a fragrant soaping, a rainwater rinsing, and a sunny airing in that which keeps it growing. Mother Culture is living the educational life with our children by learning alongside of them. But it is also learning and contemplating off to the side. (Page 347)This is such a timely reminder for me as I seem to consistently have my mind in that "laundry bag of domestic perplexity".

John Ruskin said: "Make for yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts, bright fancies, faithful sayings; treasure-houses of precious restful thoughts, which care cannot disturb nor poverty take away from you, houses built without hands for your souls to live in."

Think seasonally. One interest per season, coupled with thirty minutes of reading a day, may be all that is needed to keep up the Mother Culture and regain any lost enthusiasm for living - Karen Andreola

On the Web

• What is Mother Culture by Karen Andreola
• CM Monday – Mother Culture over at Golden Acorn Homeschool
• Developing a Content Heart over at Golden Acorn Homeschool.
• Let the Mother go out to play! by Trisch over at Never a Dull Moment.
• A Good Airing over at Simply Charlotte Mason a blog Carnival dedicated to Mother Culture.
• Mother Culture - The Ultimate Anti by Susan at The Flexible Homeschooler.
• Mother Culture and You by Karen Andreola over at Homeschool World.
• Mother Culture by Karen Andreola Printed in Practical Homeschooling #29 1999.
• Mother Culture over at Tea Time with Annie Kate
• Blueberry Cottage - Mother Culture a Review.
• The Need for Mother Culture by Texas Homesteader.
• Shh! Quiet time for Mum - a Charlotte Mason Mother Culture Moment.
• Stop Cleaning the Kitchen and Read a book.  For Homeschool mothers, educating themselves is a revolutionary act by Susan Wise Bauer.
• Are you a Thermostat or a Thermometer ? by Simply Charlotte Mason.
• On Pinterest: Every Bed of Roses - Mother Culture 
• Taking the Moments over at Nest of Pleasant Thoughts.
• Mother Culture over at Aut-2B-Home in Carolina.

This foray into thoughts on Mother Culture has encouraged me to invest in looking after myself as a gift to my family.

I am looking forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas on this topic of Mother Culture.

Blessings
Chareen
Don't forget to add your link to the list

Charlotte Mason Companion Blog Hop Invitation

Hello Friends I'm back after a week of not feeling the best.  Still not 100% but definitely feeling better.

Today was CHEF (Christian Home Educating Families) meeting where we are slowly working our way through The Charlotte Mason Companion.
Today's topic of interest was: Chapter 39 Mother Culture.

I would like to extend an invitation to you all to join in, read this chapter and share your gems on the topic. 

I have been surfing bloggy world in search of Mother Culture inspiration and can't find any.  I have searched Pinterest too and the only information I find there is from Karen Andreola's blog Moments with Mother Culture.

This is such a rich beautiful topic and I would love to hear your thoughts.  I will be posting on Wednesday with a linky for you to join in.

Blessings
Chareen

A Charlotte Mason Companion Blog Hop

One of my all time favourite books is A Charlotte Mason Companion.

I have had this book for over 13 years now and whenever I am in need of some good home school encouragement I dig into this book.

As I have just re embarked on the homeschool journey with Sir N (my first two have graduated) I felt it's time to refocus and refresh.  The result is I would like to work through this book over the next few months and blog a little about what I learn once a month.

It does not matter how long you have been home educating there is something in this book for you!

 A Charlotte Mason Companion 

Monthly Blog Hop.

So here I would like to extend my invitation to you to join me in a Monthly Charlotte Mason Companion discussion blog hop. I would love to hear your thoughts, how you applied what you read, what worked what didn't ? etc



Upcoming Chapters

• 2 April -
  Chapters 33{Nature Study}
  Chapter 34 {Nature for City Children}
  Chapter 35 {Neighbourhood Nature study} 
• 30 April-
  Chapter 6 {The Atmosphere of Home} 
  Chapter 7 {Bickerings}
• 28 May - TBA
• 25 June - TBA
• 30 July - TBA

A Charlotte Mason Companion is available from
(These are NOT affiliate links.)

• Amazon
• Fishpond
• Book Depository US
• Book Depository UK
• Ebay
• Christian Book
• Timberdoodle co
• Abe Books
• Shearer's Bookshop

Hope you can join me and share some homeschool encouragement.

Blessings
Chareen

For Further Reading:

• A Charlotte Mason Lifestyle~Interview with author Karen Andreola over at Blueberry Cottage. 
• 10 days of Charlotte Mason over at Our Journey Westward.
• Sonlight meets Charlotte Mason over at Sonlight
• The Best Charlotte Mason Blogs over at Squidoo
• The Gentle Art of Learning Part 3 over at Simply Charlotte Mason.

Encouragement

We should always have something worthwhile to think about, that we may not let our minds dwell upon unworthy matters.
Charlotte Mason
(p. 21) from Ourselves

Are you getting filled up because you are pouring out ....

As some of you may know I have been at a ladies retreat this past weekend.  One of the questions Reba asked us was:  "Are you getting filled up because you are pouring out ?"
This question really impacted me. It was one of those Ah ha moments.
 I have been feeling very 'flat' of late and life was starting to become flatter by the day. I was generally  living in survival mode.  I should know better since I often ask my circle of homeschool mothers "What are you doing daily to recharge yourselves ?" Yet somehow in the busyness of life I had forgotten to apply to myself what I was encouraging my friends to do.  Even my precious Mother had been asking me.  "When are you going to slow down ???"

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Karen Andreola introduced me to: Mother Culture (Trade Marked and Registered to Karen Andreola) Mothers should cultivate their souls so that in turn they may cultivate the souls of their children.

In Chapter 46 Karen expounds on the how's and why's of Mother Culture. Here is a snippet to whet your appetite for this wonderful resource.

"Is it a wonder she feels overspent?  She wears herself out. In her efforts to be dietitian, laundress, nurse, hostess, teacher, taxi driver, wife, mother, and mistress, she forgets that she needs a little time for herself.  And it is then that she stops growing spiritually and mentally,  Physically she feels ragged and drags through the day until without being able to mark the hour it befan, she lives with depression. Her mind is in a drifting fog when she wants it to think clearly and efficiently. With the distractions of her multi-faceted duties she is unable to follow a train of thought. She considers herself hompelessly behind in everything.  Her feet are in the quagmire. It takes an incredible amount of effort to keep up appearances, to wear a winsome countenance.  The last straw is the guilt she feels that she is "lukewarm" in the Lord. If I hadn't experienced these symptoms myself I wouldn't be writing this chapter.  Therefore I can validate the need for Mother Culture." - Karen Andreola

This was the third homeschool book I ever invested in.  It is one of my favourite treasure troves.  I often pick this book up. Whenever I need some clarification on how something works or the practicle application of a certain aspect of homeschooling such as the how and why of Narration this is the book I turn to.  Karen has done such a wonderful job in opening her home and allowing us in to see how to do something and why she is doing it.  The book is full of beautiful line drawings from a bygone era which evokes a feeling and appreciation for the wonderful opportunity I have as a Mother who has the awesome priviledge of staying home full time and educating my children.

You can read more about Mother Culture Here or if you would like to read Karen's blog you can go to http://momentswithmotherculture.blogspot.com/

A Charlotte Mason Companion is available from www.bookdepository.co.uk, www.fishpond.com.au , and for a look inside you can go to www.amazon.com

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A few years into my homeschool journey I met Diana Waring at a homeschool conference in Christchurch, New Zealand. 

Diana has written a wonderful book titled: Beyond Survival.  As you can see from the state of the cover of my book it is a well loved book in my home. 

This book contains many wondeful chapters to equip you on your homeschool journey.  It is divided into three parts: The Preparation, The Journey and The Abundance.  Within these you will find information on learning and teaching styles, Learning together, Creating an atmosphere, The tools, The Materials, to name but a few. 

For a look at the table of Contents go Here

If you would like to read Cathy Duffy's  foreword you can go Here

This book is available from www.dianawaring.com and  www.bookdepository.co.uk .

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I have just received
The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson in the mail.  What a wonderful book.  I am really looking forward to reading this treasure.

Here is what it says on the back:  Because Motherhood Isn't Just a Job. It's a Calling. 

A mother's day is packed with a multitude of tasks that require energy and time: preparing meals, wahsing clothes, straightening and cleaning the house, and carinf for chidlren. These jobs all are necessary and crucially important. But in the dailyness of providing for a child's physical, emotional, and social needs, vital opportunities for spiritual nurturing and training can be overlooked.

Rather than letting the demands of life determine your parenting priorities, you can focus your energy on what matters most. In this encouraging and empowering book you'll learn how to .......

• make life's mundane and nitty-gritty moments work for you and not against you.
• incorporate character-building as a natual part of life
• teach your child in the same way Jesus taught the disciples
• pass on crucial fits that will serve your family for a lifetime.

This book is available from www.koorong.com.au,   www.bookdepository.co.uk,  or www.fishpond.com.au

For those of you wanting to read Sally's blog you can find her at I take Joy and on Facebook.

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Currently Good Morning Girls is using this book for their Book Club  and working their way through it week by week.  You can download a weekly S.O.A.P (Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer point) page to use alongside the book from Here.  or you can join the Facebook group Here

I found a wonderful blog page at www.noordinarymomentsblog.com and for those of you who are keen to partake in a forum while reading the book you can find one at  Homeschool Creations Community

I am looking forward to 'getting filled up' over the next few weeks.   :)  Till next time my friends take care

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Education

I've been on this journey for fourteen years now and decided to research the current and past definitions for the word education. I am astonished by how much a word can change in a relatively small amount of time. In the space of 183 years the definition has become: 

•  the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession.
•  the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgment, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
•  a degree, level, or kind of schooling

Back in Websters Dictionary of 1828 the definition was as follows:

•  The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties

This little exercise has reminded me of my responsibility as a parent, gaurdian and teacher of my children.  I must confess I have become rather complacent and comfortable in my little rut here in my little corner no longer reaching, growing, asking, evaluating.  I think it's time I began to grow again.


One of the first books I ever read on the topic of Homeschooling is:
For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (first published in 1984).  This book I am pleased to say is back in print and available from
The Book Depository, Amazon and Christian Book.com
Susan challenged some of the fundamental beliefs I had and the suprising thing is I was not even aware I had them until I read the book.  For the Children's Sake has six chapters and is 158 pages. I was introduced to Charlotte Mason in this book and really loved the idea of twaddle free books. 

The idea of real books as a basis of education really apealed and still appeals to me today, and thus began my search for a curriculum that contained 'living' books.  Books that would touch our lives for years to come, books that were not dead, books that were real and did not leave us treading water going nowhere.  My goal this week is to read this book again and see what it was that impacted me so profoundly all those years ago.

Fourteen years ago I had no internet available to me, but I had the greatest resource available to me, I had enthusiastic homeschool moms and excellent books to read. 

Those were the only sources of information available to me and snail mail.  Oh the joy of receiving a thick envelope in the mail with a new catalogue.  I do so miss the feel and smell of real paper, the delight of opening an envelope that did not contain an invoice and the pleasure of a quiet cup of tea and my newly arrived homeschool resource book.  I still have a few of these books and will blog more about where you can obtain these wonderful treasures from later .

Till later my friends when I will expand upon  For the Children's sake.