What is The Benefit of Training in Habits?

"Sow an act, reap a habit.   

Sow a habit, reap a character.  

Sow a character, reap a destiny."

Charlotte Mason

             

Do you have a morning routine?  You know, one you do every day without thinking about it.  That is a habit.  Habits are the oil in the machinery of your day.  Your habits will either help or hinder as you navigate through life.  Good habits allow you to manage your time and tasks with little internal or outward disruption.  Bad habits hinder your efficiency, cause conflicts, and disorder. 

The prevailing thought today is that we should give our children choices so that they can make their own decisions.  It is thought that this empowers them with a sense of independence.  Charlotte Mason would disagree and so would I.  When you make a decision about anything you must stop and consider possibilities, pros, and cons.  Then you must make the decision, all requiring mental effort.  Imagine now that you had to make a decision about every single action or thought.  When should I get out of bed?  Should I put slippers on my feet or not to walk to the bathroom?  Should I shower first or brush my teeth?  What kind of toothpaste should I use? Very quickly I would be paralyzed by the process.  By the end of the day I would be exhausted by the constant mental effort.  Do we really want to do this to our children?  No!  Good habits will empower your children much more than giving them choices.

As part of my son's education, I spend time every week working toward the formation of good habits because these take work.  Anyone can form a bad habit as this is what our natures tend toward.  A bad habit formed makes forming the opposite good habit even harder.  So here is a list of some of the habits we have worked on the past and continue to perfect.

The Habit Of:

• Attention
• Thinking
• Obedience
• Courage
• Perseverance
• Telling the truth
• Putting away your toys
• Organization
• Making your bed
• Brushing your teeth

Build It and They Will Come

After an early morning visit from a Blue Jay, this little guy wanted some of that yummy seed hanging from the top of this window. We are shocked at how brave he was. He came back several times during the day. One time he made an attempt at climbing up the window with his claws, to no avail. For his efforts we left him a little seed on the window sill. Nature study just got a little easier!

Heeeeere Birdie, Birdie, Birdie

With his Cub Scout pocket knife, a water jug, scissors, and a piece of string my MacGyver made this little enticement to our feathered friends. The window hook was purchased at Walmart for a few dollars. Nature study can be brought right up to your window. Now, if only the birds would come! Heeeere Birdie, Birdie, Birdie!

Why British History First?

A Storehouse of Ideas

Much that has been said about the teaching of geography applies equally to that of history. Here, too, is a subject which should be to the child an inexhaustible storehouse of ideas, should enrich the chambers of his House Beautiful with a thousand tableaux, pathetic and heroic, and should form in him, insensibly, principles whereby he will hereafter judge of the behaviour of nations, and will rule his own conduct as one of a nation.  Charlotte Mason

When I had made the decision to use the Ambleside Online Curriculum, in our homeschool I was a little baffled by the choice of this particular British history book by H.E. Marshall starting in Year 1.  In all of my education experience we had only studied American history in elementary school.  It made sense to me that we would first study the country we live in.  Fortunately, my good friend June explained the importance of studying British history.  Our country started out as colonies of England.  I don't know why I never thought about this.  Of course I knew the first pilgrim colony consisted of English men, women and Children.  The events in England effected events in our country and profoundly effected the founding fathers.  If you know British history you better understand why a small group of people came to start our country, leaving everything familiar willing to brave untold hardships.  Understanding British history provides the context for our country's history.  Marshall's book is captivating and brings the past to life.  History becomes the context for artists, musicians, poets, and writers of literature who lived during this time as well.  What was happening in the church and government and the ideas of the time where communicated by the artists, musicians, and writers.  Therefore, students who study the art, music, poetry and literature during that time are able to naturally make connections.

The mistake we make is to suppose that imagination is fed by nature, or that it works on the insipid diet of children's storybooks.  Let a child have the meat he requires in his history readings, and in the literature which naturally gathers round this history, and imagination will bestir itself without any help of ours; the child will live out in detail a thousand scenes of which he only gets the merest hint.  Charlotte Mason  

An Exciting Disruption

With squeals of delight the children could hardly contain themselves as they had to patiently wait their turn to hold the anole lizard that had gotten into the house.

With squeals of delight the children could hardly contain themselves as they had to patiently wait their turn to hold the anole lizard that had gotten into the house.

"...a love of Nature, implanted so early that it will seem to them hereafter to have been born in them, will enrich their lives with pure interests, absorbing pursuits, health, and good humour." Charlotte Mason Vol. 1 pg. 72

When children are regularly exposed to the study of nature from and early age an amazing thing happens. They cannot help but be curious about the plants and creatures in it. Every bug is a new discovery to be examined. A bird song is heard and the child quickly scans the trees to find the bird who is singing. Flowers and mushrooms find their way into the house for display. Each discovery is a treasure!

"...a love of Nature, implanted so early that it will seem to them hereafter to have been born in them, will enrich their lives with pure interests, absorbing pursuits, health, and good humour." Charlotte Mason Vol. 1 pg. 72

When children are regularly exposed to the study of nature from and early age an amazing thing happens. They cannot help but be curious about the plants and creatures in it. Every bug is a new discovery to be examined. A bird song is heard and the child quickly scans the trees to find the bird who is singing. Flowers and mushrooms find their way into the house for display. Each discovery is a treasure!