Last time I posted, I mentioned that I am a part of a Mother's Culture club. I really love this time with these other moms! I'll be honest with you and tell you last week I thought about throwing in the towel and stop homeschooling. I am so thankful for my friends who listened to me and then encouraged me. It felt good to vent and not be told, "just send them to school". Even if you aren't a homeschool mom it is such a reminder of the importance of good friendships.
Ok, so back to the point of my post! I realized I mentioned my group, but failed to mention any of the books we've read. Here are the books we've read together and had some great conversations about.
TENDING THE HEART OF VIRTUE BY VIGEN GUROIAN
As the popularity of William Bennett's Book of Virtues attests, parents are turning more and more to children's literature to help instill values in their kids. Now, in this elegantly written and passionate book, Vigen Guroian provides the perfect complement to books such as Bennett's, offering parents and teachers a much-needed roadmap to some of our finest children's stories.
Guroian illuminates the complex ways in which fairy tales and fantasies educate the moral imagination from earliest childhood. Examining a wide range of stories—from "Pinocchio" and "The Little Mermaid" to "Charlotte's Web," "The Velveteen Rabbit," "The Wind in the Willows," and the "Chronicles of Narnia"—he argues that these tales capture the meaning of morality through vivid depictions of the struggle between good and evil, in which characters must make difficult choices between right and wrong, or heroes and villains contest the very fate of imaginary worlds. Character and the virtues are depicted compellingly in these stories; the virtues glimmer as if in a looking glass, and wickedness and deception are unmasked of their pretensions to goodness and truth. We are made to face the unvarnished truth about ourselves, and what kind of people we want to be.
Throughout, Guroian highlights the classical moral virtues such as courage, goodness, and honesty, especially as they are understood in traditional Christianity. At the same time, he so persuasively evokes the enduring charm of these familiar works that many readers will be inspired to reread their favorites and explore those they may have missed.
BETTER TOGETHER BY PAM BARNHILL
Have you fallen into a routine of checking boxes? Do you wonder why you don't have time to focus on building your children's character and love of learning?
That can change.
Better Together teaches you how to design a part of your homeschool day where the entire family can learn together. This time, known as "Morning Time,” has exploded in popularity since its inclusion in Sarah Mackenzie's bestseller Teaching From Rest. Now homeschool mom and former teacher Pam Barnhill breaks down the practice for every homeschooler.
Inside you'll discover:
- Why every family can benefit from Morning Time - no matter what homeschooling method they use.
- The secret to building relationships by delighting in learning together.
- Practical tips for a successful Morning Time.
- Resources, book lists, and ideas. You will return to our selections again and again.
- Examples and interviews from moms showing how it looks in their homes.
Better Together is the indispensable guide to creating a time in your day to focus on the things that matter most in your homeschool.
MERE MOTHERHOOD BY CINDY ROLLINS
It was back in the 1980's when Cindy Rollins, then a new mom in search of the best ways to teach her baby son, first heard about homeschooling. Thirty years and nine children later, Cindy has become a popular blogger, podcaster, and award-winning teacher. This is her story. It's a story of big families and cross-country moves and small-town living. It's about great books and morning times and nursery rhymes. It's the story of a dedicated mother's journey toward the Truth and the family she brought along with her.
FOR THE CHILDREN'S SAKE BY SUSAN SCHAEFFER MACAULAY
Shows parents and teachers how children's learning experiences can be extended to every aspect of life, giving them a new richness, stability, and joy for living.
Every parent and teacher wants to give his or her children the best education possible. We hope that the education we provide is a joyful adventure, a celebration of life, and preparation for living. But sadly, most education today falls short of this goal.
For the Children's Sake is a book about what education can be, based on a Christian understanding of what it means to be human-to be a child, a parent, a teacher-and on the Christian meaning of life. The central ideas have been proven over many years and in almost every kind of educational situation, including ideas that Susan and Ranald Macaulay have implemented in their own family and school experience.
For the Children's Sake will benefit parents and teachers in any educational setting-homeschooling, public school, or private school.
KNOW AND TELL BY KAREN GLASS
Narration, the art of telling, has been used as a pedagogical tool since ancient times. Over one hundred years ago, Charlotte Mason methodized narration and implemented it in scores of schools in Great Britain. Over the past few decades, educators in the US, mostly in home schools, have followed her guidelines with outstanding results.
This book discusses the theory behind the use of narration and then walks through the process from beginning to end, to show how simply "telling" is the foundation for higher-level thinking and writing.
While narration has grown popular among homeschoolers, it also works well in the classroom. In this book, you will find sample narrations and many resources to help you use narration with your students in any setting. If you've been wanting to try narration, but haven't felt confident enough to rely on an unfamiliar method, this book will give you the tools that you need to make the process easier.
People are narrating every day, and this book will show you how to make that natural activity a vital part of education that enhances children's relationship with knowledge and allows them to grow into skilled communicators.
So these are the books we've been reading together and talking about. We have really learned a great deal about homeschooling, but even how to be better mothers. I haven't reviewed any of these books, but I did give them all five star ratings on GoodReads.
He's a very good little boy, he just wants to have things to play with and still be around us. I've done blocks, but they don't seem to hold his interest for long periods of time. I will add in all honesty I don't want huge clean up messes. Well when I was looking for activity ideas for Christmas I came across this neat little table from Simplay3. I really liked how he had two sections to have playtime in. I also wanted this for indoor play. We've used it with play doh sets as a table and he really liked it. I also found water beads. I've never used these before, but they are fantastic! Not only did Z love them, but the older two C and M loved them too. Especially when we added them to their marble maze toy Q-Ba-Maze. I'll be honest my kids had rarely touched the maze toy and I hadn't pulled it out since Z became mobile because I obviously didn't want marbles lying around the house. I still don't trust Z with marbles, so we used these water beads and they kids had so much fun! They ended up enjoying them so much I went ahead and used some gift cards from Christmas and order a couple to add on sets. While they were building separately and then combining their work I was seeing a number of ideas about using these in a co-op class!
