"In this time of extraordinary pressure, educational and social, perhaps a mother’s first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part out in the fresh air."
(Charlotte Mason Vol. 1, p. 43).
I've started my reading about education and homeschooling curricula, just scratching the surface, really. There are abundant options, of course, and none is "the gospel," (nor is homeschooling itself the gospel of education). Charlotte Mason really does seem to be my favorite so far, but I wanted to learn a bit more before committing to an approach, and make sure I didn't just choose her because I like the name Charlotte!
Gemma was two and a half when I started getting asked "is she in school?" I had no idea it would start that early, though she's always had lots of hair for her age, so maybe she looked older! But especially now that she's 4, it's not such an unusual question. So far my answer has been "We're actually thinking about homeschooling, but we'll see where our family is at when she's school-age."
My heart still insists on asking "Why such a rush? Why can't we let them be children for a while?" Yet it's a balance between this and not wanting to deny her a formal education if she's ready (or if Charlotte Mason is mistaken, and we should be pushing for her to be reading in Kindergarten).
I'm always happy to hear others' opinions on the matter, or your favorite book and curriculum choices!
Homeschooling is fun. I don't have any arguments for it being better or anything like that, I just enjoy it :)
ReplyDeleteI'd love to hear more about how you do it. :)
DeleteWe use Charlotte Mason as a guide. Have you read RC Jrs. book on homeschooling? Its been a great encourager to me. ....the curriculum we "follow" is Ambleside online. I print out the book lists and have found alot of them at garage sales etc. We have really grown a large library of quality things through this curriculum. We started on the reading when Lauryn was 4. Hymn study and nature study is our favorite part!! Sarah started on year 1 this year. We mix some Waldorf concepts/ ideas in...like chalkboard drawings and painting and handwork. We choose Rays Arithmetic for our Math. ...for reading McGuffeys Readers have been much loved, as well as Teach A Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Another book not noted on the curriculum site, but one we love, so I would keep an eye out for a cheap copy is Leading Little Ones to God..some very basic doctrines explained in daily devotionals for children, like the trinity etc.
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