Support & Comraderie ~ Charlotte Mason Carnival

I recently joined a support group for area homeschoolers who follow a Charlotte Mason approach to educating their children. The group facilitator requested that we each read (or re-read, as in my case) the book When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today by Elaine Cooper. The second gathering, on Thursday of last week, focused on Nature Study and the first chapter of When Children Love to Learn (I wasn't able to attend the first gathering).

Everyone brought something to share that she uses to facilitate Nature Study in their home. I brought The Handbook of Nature Study and the field bag that I carry with me when we go on any nature walk or Letterboxing quest. I also shared my experience with blogging and connecting with other homeschooling families via Barb's Outdoor Hour Challenge.

The other ladies were most intrigued by the little trick I shared to capture the texture of objects in nature. In our field bag, I carry a little playdough and a stamp pad. When we observe an interesting texture, we use the playdough like a stamp to preserve the image in our field notebook. You simple press the playdough onto the rock or tree bark, lift carefully and then use it like a standard rubber stamp.

Though I was familiar with most of the resources that were shared, a few caught my attention; Backroads of Oregon by Earl Thollander and a series called One Small Square by Donald Silver. I hope to add these resources to my library soon.

The facilitator then guided us through the first chapter of Cooper's book, selecting key phrases and passages that spoke to her. We shared with one another what was brought to mind as we read through these passages together. Perhaps the biggest thing we drew from this chapter was respect. Respect for the students as learners. Respect for one another as home educators. "To Charlotte Mason ... all children had wonderful minds that should be fed and developed, just as all children needed wholesome food for their bodies, sleep and loving care."

"Charlotte Mason's ideas are remarkable because all people in all times are alike in certain ways. The reality is that we all share the inner framework of truth. No race is 'more human' than another. No gender is higher than another. No culture is superior in itself." We all draw from our strengths to provide a framework for our children's education. "...these truths were an infrastructure, an underpinning, a solid framework of unchangeable reality that each successive generation could build on. But these truths were not a cage, and that is a huge difference from those who would legalistically impose truths on others."

How I teach my children is equally valid to how my neighbor may choose to educate her own. Above all, one's path should be based upon the needs and interests of the child. The strengths of the individual. There is no cookie cutter mold or recipe that will work for everyone.