Sea Kettle School - 2016-2017 - Levi (5), Magnolia (2)

   

Sea Kettle School 

{A Charlotte Mason Home School}
2016-2017 

“This idea of all education springing from and resting upon our relation to Almighty God-we do not merely give a religious education because that would seem to imply the possibility of some other education, a secular education, for example. But we hold that all education is divine, that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above, that the Lord the Holy Spirit is the supreme educator of mankind, and that the culmination of all education (which may at the same time be reached by a little child) is that personal knowledge of and intimacy with God in which our being finds its fullest perfection.” 

― Charlotte M. Mason

This year we continue to home educate with the Charlotte Mason method using Ambleside Online to help guide our curriculum/book choices. Our aim is to provide our children with a feast of the great ideas, literature, art and music and to gently foster an insatiable curiosity, love of learning and knowledge and love of God. 
Levi will be 5 (Kindergarten, Year 0), so we are slowly adding in some very light phonics/reading and math games alongside a lot of the things we've been doing all along- reading living books and poetry, playing great music, looking at great art, working on habit training, enjoying time outdoors and observing the world around us. Magnolia joins in whenever she can and wants! 

School Day Rhythm

Wake Up, Get ready for the day

Breakfast

Morning Basket (15 minutes)

One or more of the following: 

Math Activity/Phonics/Copywork (30 minutes max)

History Story Read Aloud(15 minutes)

Lunch

Literature Story Read Aloud(15 minutes)

Outdoor time and/or the riches (art, music, handicrafts)

*Outdoor time, as much as possible throughout the day.*

Tuesday: Artist Study and Poetry Tea

Wednesday: Composer Study

Thursday: Nature Study

Friday: Co-op

(Note: We are in the third week of school and I have realized quickly that my schedule is good to keep in mind, but flexibility is the key to having an enjoyable and natural feeling day. For example, we have been going outside to a park, garden or nature reserve on every nice day, so any other activities get pushed to after lunch or to the next day. We're making the most of the beautiful warm weather while we can!) 

***

Math
“Family Math For Young Children” by Stenmark and Coates

I might start using Right Start Math, Level A, later this year. I'm waiting for a sale on the manipulatives!

Basket of math-y games

Reading: 

Early reading activities from "Discover Reading" by Amy Tuttle

Poetry Tea Times

History and Literature Read Alouds

Tentative Read Aloud Booklist:

Fairy Tales and Fables Illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa
A Child's Book of Poems Illustrated by Gyo Fujikawa

All Beatrix Potter Books

Stories by Thorton Burgess

My BookHouse Series
Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey

The Bear’s on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dagliesh

Writing:

Handwriting/Copywork: Practice letters in the air, sand, shaving cream etc. 

Jot it Down Book: I write down his stories as he tells them at any point in the day. He may illustrate, if he’d like. (idea from Bravewriter)

The Papa Post: He dictates a letter or story to Papa, writes a few of the words himself and then Papa writes back. 

Bible:

Daily reading from The Children’s Bible in 365 Days and short selections from actual Scripture.

AWANA club every other Thursday night and scripture memorization throughout the week

Habit Training:

Memorize a habit motto for each term. (ie. "respond with gratitude" or "obey, right away, with a joyful heart, everyday", "there is a time for everything")

Work on habits from “Laying Down the Rails” by Sonya Shafer.

History and Geography:

Stories of American Life and Adventure by Eggleston

Stories of Great Americans for Little Americans by Eggleston

Science and Nature Study:

As much time as possible outside playing and exploring

Work on Calendar of Firsts and Nature Life Lists
Adopt a Tree (record observations and drawing of the same tree throughout the seasons)

Nature journal/adventure pack

Collect things for nature table 

Go over Audubon almanac each month.

Learn to identify local birds with Sibley’s bird flashcards

Art:

Picture Study - one artist per term, study one piece of art by this artist each week, art displayed in a frame in the kitchen. This year we will study Cassatt, Giotto, Whistler

Art/drawing lessons with Mama at Co-op

Music:

Listen to music by one composer each term. This year we will study Dvorak, Medieval Music and Von Dittersdorf.

Learn folk songs and Hymns from “A Little Songster” and from Ambleside's term selections.

Music with Ms. Amy at Co-op

Family worship time with Papa

Handicrafts:

Zippy Knitting

Lacing cards

Lacing beads

Weaving

Play-doh

Stamping

clay

Lincoln logs

wood projects

from my common place

(In my study of Charlotte Mason's educational methods, I have found so many useful and delightful habits to use in my own life and continuing education.  Something I have started this year is keeping a commonplace journal, just as Charlotte Mason and her students once did.  The common place is simply a journal to copy meaningful quotes, poetry, scripture or other ideas you stumble upon in life and in your reading. It has been such a lovely way to keep and record these thoughts and passages that have influenced my thinking during a given season of life. I thought I'd share some of these passages every so often in hopes that they might also be inspiring to you...and of course, feel free to copy them into your own commonplace! :)

A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.
-C. S. Lewis

The most effective kind of education is that a child should play amongst lovely things.
-Plato

Education is a life. That life is sustained on ideas. Ideas are of a spiritual origin, and God has made us so that we get them chiefly as we convey them for one another, whether by word of mouth, written page, scripture read, musical symphony; we must sustain a child's inner life with ideas as we sustain his body with food. 
- Charlotte Mason

The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater. 
-J.R.R. Tolkien

I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those which anything splendid or wonderful happens, but must those that bring simple pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string. 
-L.M. Montgomery/Anne Shirley from "Anne of Green Gables"

By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.
-Proverbs 24:3-6

The Summer List 2016 and a little fourth of July

Even though we've been enjoying the slowly warming days for a while now, the fourth of July always feels like the official start to summer. We began celebrating on the 3rd with a Spokes and Stripes parade for kids around the town common. The next day we enjoyed the parade that our family has been going to every year for decades, a big ol' BBQ and then music and fireworks on the wharf, just steps from our front door. The fireworks this year were particularly spectacular! 

What's in Our Morning Basket - Summer 2016

This weekend I refreshed our daily Morning Basket for the summer months; new memory work, poetry, songs, art and stories have been collected, printed and are ready to go.  An important aspect of a Charlotte Mason education is offering an abundant "feast" of living ideas.  Our Morning Basket is one way I provide my children a feast to nourish their minds, hearts and souls. 

An important note: we do not do all of these elements every day. At the bare minimum we do the invocation, prayer, scripture and doxology.  We rotate many elements and review old memory work/songs depending on the time we have on that particular day or the kids attention/mood etc.  Even though I like to have each part planned and ready in our basket, we are very laid back and sometimes do more and sometimes do less. It is important to me that this is delightful and not a chore. Read more about our Morning Basket habit HERE.

Morning Basket: Summer Season

1. Invocation- Light a candle, say together: "The Lord is my light and my salvation".

2. Calendar/Nature Study- Review plans for the day, look outside and record weather and nature observations. Identify common local birds with Sibley's Birding flashcards.

3. Bible- Read a story from "The Children's Bible in 365 Stories" and a Psalm or Proverb from Scripture.

4. Prayer- Discuss and list what each person is thankful for and record prayer requests/answers to prayer in our prayer journal. Pray together. 

5. Memory Work- 

   Scripture: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 ("There is a time for everything...")

   Motto/habit training: "There is a time for everything" (discuss the idea that both our actions and the timing of our actions is important to God)

    Poetry- "Ducks Ditty" By Kenneth Graeme

6. Music- 
   
   Hymn: "Fairest Lord Jesus"

   Folksongs: "The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night", "The Crabfish"

7. Picture Study/Art History: Henri Matisse

"Open Window, Collioure" 1905

"Harmony in Red" 1908

"The Snail" 1953

8. Poetry and Read Alouds- Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, Selections from Book 2, "Story Time" from the My Book House collection. 

9. Benediction- Hold hands and sing the Doxology (then hugs and "I love you's" all around.)

Summer Read Alouds:

The Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White

Mother West Wind's Children by Thornton Burgess

These days

 

These days, I'm ...

- enjoying the sunshine, earth and open air as much as possible

- looking forward to my last week of art class and working on end of the year grades and evaluations

- collecting delightful books and resources for Levi's kindergarten year

- rather exhausted from my energetic night owls AND early risers

- reading "Little Men" by Louisa May Alcott and inspired by Jo's teaching and the atmosphere of "Plumfield"

- dreaming about starting a Charlotte Mason homeschool co-op

- looking forward to having more time to paint this summer and hoping to get through at least 3 paintings 

- working on our summer bucket list and summer reading list

- paying down our debt, Dave Ramsey style..

- ... learning how to be extremely frugal in the process

- enjoying my kids, their funny conversations, their mischievious antics, their love for each other.

- counting down the days until August which will include a 10th wedding anniversary extravaganza complete with a houseboat and tree cabin AND our annual family camping trip

- thankful for many, many things

What's in our Morning Basket: Spring Term

Our morning basket continues to be my favorite thing about our homeschool day (although I don't think you need to homeschool to do it!). We have kept our rhythm of working through some, if not all, of the things in our basket during breakfast each day. Sometimes we do more, sometimes less depending on their attention on that particular day. Easter marked the end of our Lenten morning basket and it has now been refreshed for spring with new scripture, memory work, books, songs and art. 

Morning Basket: Spring Term

1. Invocation: Light a candle, say together: "The Lord is my light and my salvation".

2. Calendar: Review plans for the day, look outside and record weather and nature observations.

3. Bible: Read a Psalm, read a selection from "Thoughts to Make Your Heart Sing".

4. Prayer: Write down what each person is thankful for and record prayer requests (including our Compassion child and someone from our photo prayer book). Then we pray; the kids thank God for what they are thankful for and I usually pray for the requests. 

5. Memory Work:

Scripture: Matthew 28:6, I Tim 1:15, I Cor. 15:3-4, Mark 16:15, Acts 16:31 (and review verses from the past year)

Poetry: 

"All Creature Great and Small" Cecil Frances Alexander

Motto/habit training: "Obey, right away, with a joyful heart, everyday". Practice obeying (similar to Simon Says).

6. Hymn: "This is My Father's World"

   Folksongs: "Oro the Rattlin' Bog" and "The Water is Wide"

7. Picture Study/Art History: Auguste Rodin (an exhibition of his work coming to the Peabody Essex Museum, so this spring/summer we will be able to walk to see 175 of his sculptures!)

"The Thinker"

8. Benediction: Hold hands and sing the Doxology (then hugs and "I love yous" all around.)

9. Poetry and Read Alouds: If they are still happy and attentive, I read from our collection of poetry books or seasonal read alouds. This term, I'm reading a lot of spring/nature themed selections.

Easter 2016

Easter was: waking up to flowers and an empty grave in our Easter garden; excited and fully dressed kids at 6am; heading to church early to watch Papa practice from the balcony; a full and good resurrection Sunday celebration; cotton candy, hot crossed buns and baby animals; a ham feast at the James', a treasure hunt, lots of treats, a photoshoot; dessert and egg hunt at the McKenna's, matching sisters; tired, happy children on a sugar high; thoughts of Dad and the promise of the resurrection; Levi and Maggie ending the night dancing around the kitchen shouting "Jesus is alive!".