A New Paradigm
Charlotte Mason’s view of education has given us a new paradigm to understand what true learning is. In School Education she said, “The setting up of relations, moral and intellectual, is our chief concern in life, and that the function of education is to put the child in the way of relations proper to him, and to offer the inspiring idea which commonly initiates a relation” (p.79). One of these relationships is power over materials. She continued, “Every child makes sand castles, mud-pies, paper boats, and he or she should go on to work in clay, wood, brass, iron, leather, dress-stuffs, food-stuffs, furnishing-stuffs. He should be able to make with his hands and should take delight in making” (p.80). Summer is a great time to build relationships with materials and take time to pick up a new skill or hobby. How are you or your students building relationships with materials? What kind of handicrafts or skills do you or your students enjoy already? Which would you like to learn? Head on over to the Hive and let us know.
Notes
1. Membership: If you have not yet renewed for 2022-23 but plan to do so, we would encourage you to take action now by registering via this link. We will be removing non-members from the Hive soon and would be sorry to cause you to have to go through the process of rejoining. Plus, when you register, you get to explore our new website (see below).
2. New website: We sent an email yesterday to introduce you to our new website. We are really excited to share it with you and think you'll find it easier to navigate. You'll find the same quality content but a refreshed brand and some big structural improvements. In this blog post by CMI board member Sara To and this video, you can read and hear all about our broader vision for this relaunch.
3. Handicrafts: We understand that the string art kit listed for Handicrafts is due to be back in stock in August. Please watch for it then.
Queries
1. Science: Grades 1-3: (Rerun from our 5.6.22 Buzz) Nature in the Neighborhood is out of print. Are you going to provide a replacement title?
We work very hard to find great books that are also in print, since we understand that most of our members strongly prefer hard copies of their books. However, once in a while, the best book we can find on a particular topic is only available digitally. That is now the case with this book. We have downloaded the Kindle version and tried it on several types of devices, and we find that this book looks great when viewed on your computer screen using the Kindle app that is available free online. Alternatives would be to find a used copy of the book or to scan your library’s copy for home use (permissible by most public libraries). We will attempt to contact the publisher to ask if we may provide a PDF, but in the case that we cannot, the Kindle version will work great.You can also choose to print from the Kindle version.
2. Coupon Codes: I had a code to register my co-op members, school parents, etc. Will that code still work on the new registration platform when I go to renew?
Yes. The code will work on the new site, enabling you to register and explore the new dashboard.
3. Reading: My grade 2 student will be finishing the Alveary Reading and Language Lessons, Level 3 this year. As she enters grade 3, is there anything I should be doing in place of reading lessons?
It is quite exciting that your student is reading so well! It will be fun to have her read aloud some of the books in her other subjects. You can use those books to discuss all the grammar concepts that are in the Level 3 reading lessons. Starting with lesson 3.2, there are many lessons that talk about parts of speech and simple punctuation. You can use other school books or perhaps some poems to discuss the grammar concepts and to do copywork and dictation. This should be plenty to do to fill that time slot and to prepare her for grammar in grade 4.
4. Office Hours: Here are the videos from our time together on June 22:
- Importance of taking care of ourselves as educators and persons
- Combining students in Forms 1, 2 & 3
Our next session will be Wednesday, July 6 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Kerri Forney and Kelli Christenberry will be with us to answer your questions regarding high school. If you have questions for them, please submit them at least 24 hours in advance by commenting on the event in The Hive. Here’s the schedule for the coming weeks:
- July 6: high school - Kerri Forney and Kelli Christenberry
- July 13: general Q&A - Shannon Whiteside
- July 20: modern languages - Rachel Miller
