Cultivating Wonder
My ten-year-old daughter was delighted to see the fireflies flitting around the sky the other evening. She said to me, “I am not going to look on the internet and find out what makes fireflies glow. I know there is some scientific answer to explain it, but I think it is best to just enjoy the truth that God made them that way!” In Home Education, Charlotte Mason said,
“One of the secrets of the educator is to present nothing as stale knowledge, but to put himself in the position of the child, and wonder and admire with him; for every common miracle which the child sees with his own eyes makes of him for the moment another Newton.”
My daughter made me realize that wonder is more important than knowing facts about something. If I know that the glow of a firefly can be attributed to bioluminescence but don’t take the time to appreciate this light show on a summer evening, am I better off? As educators, let’s put ourselves in the position of the child and approach in a posture of wonder the things God has made for us to delight in. What is happening in your corner of the world that inspires wonder and awe in God’s creation? Head on over to today's Fabulous Friday post in the Hive and leave a comment.
Notes
1. Picture Study: “Old Arrow Maker”, one of Edmonia Lewis’ sculptures we will study in 2022-23, is currently on display at Crystal Bridges Art Museum in Bentonville, Arkansas. If you live in or will be traveling through the area, consider availing yourself of this opportunity to see one of the art pieces we are studying.
Queries
1. Poetry (Grades 1-8): I can’t find any lesson plans for daily poetry reading. Can you give me any guidance?
For poetry this year, our suggestion is to use Gladiola Garden and Famous Poems Old and New. We understand your desire for lesson plans for poetry. However, we don’t want to make it complicated by providing a PDF that is basically a blank set of lesson plans. You can just open a poetry book and read a couple of poems. Your children will surely find special poems in the process. Poetry is also a good subject to allow your child to read aloud. When Charlotte Mason talks about children reading aloud she said to “include a good deal of poetry, to accustom him to the delicate rendering of shades of meaning, and especially to make him aware that words are beautiful in themselves, that they are a source of pleasure, and are worthy of our honour; and that a beautiful word deserves to be beautifully said, with a certain roundness of tone and precision of utterance” (Vol 1., p. 127).
2. Art Instruction: The link to the Beste Taklon Brushes leads to a set that doesn’t have a #6 brush. Is this a mistake since the comments say we for sure need a #6?
This set formerly included a #6 brush, but is still a fine set to purchase. (We have edited the wording in the supply list to reflect this.) Students can use the three biggest sizes (#7, #8, and #12) for lessons and the other three brushes for practicing. With proper care, the set should last for years.
3. Bible Grades 7-8: The scheduling cards and the header page of the lesson plans say that the Bible course occurs 4 days a week, but the actual lesson plans only have assignments for 3 days a week. Just wondering if I'm overlooking something.
Please see the placement tips on the header page of the lesson plans. Students in Grades 7-8 should choose from Sunday Reading options for the fourth lesson of each week. You can find those options in the program.
4. Office Hours: Here is the video from our time together on June 29:
- Notebooks Used in a Charlotte Mason Education
Our next session will be Wednesday, July 20 at 3:30 p.m. EDT. Rachel Miller will be with us to answer your questions about Modern Language study--French and Spanish. If you have questions you would like to have answered, please submit them at least 24 hours in advance by commenting on the event in The Hive. Here’s the schedule for the next couple of weeks:
- July 13: No Office Hours due to family activities
- July 20: Modern Languages - Rachel Miller
