We have many Fun-Schoolers who love the Charlotte Mason method in our Fun-Schooling Mom Support Group on Facebook! Visit these posts for some great info:
This curriculum handbook is designed to be used along with library books, audio books, tutorials, documentaries, and classical music. Unlike our other core journals, we tap into the Charlotte Mason method by incorporating Picture Study daily and creative writing/ narration sections. Make homeschooling fun for your students, while tapping into their interests and covering all the basic subjects.
This plan is perfect for struggling readers and learners. We have included Art & Logic Games that help with dyslexia, reading confusion, and letter reversals.
“Great layout for Charlotte Mason beginners that need to transition. Still elements of fun-schooling but definitely an enjoyable resource and we love that it implements nature study, picture study, and copy work! Key elements in a Charlotte Mason atmosphere. We also love that Sarah has taken the time to look out for the struggles some of our children have with dyslexia and ADHD. Well done!” ~Amazon Customer
“This is truly a beautiful one of a kind book. It has art study in it which is different than the other journals. The book is just beautiful and my daughter is really enjoying it.” ~ An Amazon Customer
What aspects of the Charlotte Mason Method are addressed in Thinking Tree journals?
Nature Study
Art
Poetry
Timelines
Copywork
Utilization of great books
Speaking of timelines…here’s a little peek at how we used them a few years ago…
1. I put the Timeline, 3 history books, pens and pencils, and a calculator on the table in the dining room.
2. I ask all the kids to come to the table.
3. I tell them that today everyone in the family will add something to the Timeline, including mom and dad.
4. I added the summer of 1950 when both my parents were born. Joe added pictures and dates to 5 pages, Esther added WW1, Rachel added January 1917. Some kids will work later.
5. I will clear the table once everyone has added something.
Recently, I discovered a treasure trove of great content for the blog in a journal I filled when Anna was 7-8 and Laura was on the way, and Susie was still a baby. I wrote up six interesting pages where I was trying to express who I am and what motivates me. This kind of journaling can be very therapeutic for us as moms. I thought it might bless others to be able to share in my thoughts from these early years…the growing list of posts can be found here.
Here I am
Waiting for the warmth of spring
Colors soft yellow and green
bright skies and warm dark earth.
Plant me-I’ll take root
Water me-I’ll bear fruit
Shine on me-I’ll shine for you
Speak to me-I’ll sing to you.
I want to be your delight
I want to be like a baby in your arms
I want to see you smile at my song
I just long to draw closer to you.
I feel a baby move inside of me
I wonder who this little one will be
On the day that I give birth
May your glory come to earth
As the beauty of your power is displayed
In the face of a child you have made.
When the flowers of spring appear
I will wait to whisper in your ear
And praise you for the greatness of your plan
I will praise and worship you and pray
For your glory to fill our house that day.
Laura’s Peaceful Home Birth
Laura’s home birth was so precious. She was actually born at a moment when no one was paying attention except Anna who was in the birth pool with me. Here are some sweet photos and video from the hour Laura was born and a few pictures from her first week of life.
This past week, we hosted a Medicinal Tea Workshop at Olive Branch Farm. Our next event will be in February…follow me on Facebook for that announcement.
Creating tea blends is a new favorite hobby of mine. I love learning about and creating these beautiful and empowering blends.
“Mommy, I think you are actually a doctor. A tea doctor. Cause whenever anyone is sick with anything you know what tea to make to fix them. Whatever is wrong- sore throat, coughing, puking, headaches! You really are the Tea Doctor!” said Leah, age 7, while she was helping me mix up a remedy in the kitchen for a friend who needed another batch of healing balm for a skin condition.
What happens when you model healing behavior? This. These four little sweeties organized their own tea party without any help from mom. They made the tea and hot chocolate. They got all dressed up. They set the table. They planned a game. They lit candles.
About a year ago, I mentioned to my kids that I was going to incorporate poetry tea time. I came home from work to my 10 year old having set this up. She was even dressed up. We each read a poem and then grabbed a handful of our magnetic poetry words and made silly little poems out of what we had. So fun! Tell us about your poetry tea time in the comments!
Today I took an hour To rearrange my things To think about my goals And to reignite my dreams I went from shelf to shelf To gaze upon each book As if to stop and ask myself To take a deeper look To think of who I want to be The skills I hope to learn To set imagination free To love, to grow to yearn. I found my favorite basket Full of other people’s things I dumped it out, and asked it To be the keeper of new dreams. I start fresh from empty And held it with one hand Without hesitation we Set off to make new plans. I found my favorite books again And promised to begin To treat them as my dear friends, And then I found some pens I found my father’s Bible Filled with his notes and lines I’ll take his thoughts once more to heart and try to make them mine. I have a little journal, for each and every child I fill the pages with my prayers Through times of tears and smiles I have some colored pencils Some photos and memories I’ll add a story book of course For my little girls to read. My basket is almost ready My heart and mind feel full Now I just need a cup of tea And a journal for my soul Today I took an hour To rearrange my things I’m ready now to grow and learn And to reignite my dreams
I have been pondering the idea of living one’s dreams and realize that I have been so content everywhere, through everything because my dream is him. And every minute of every day, shared anywhere, through anything is fine with me, because he is with me, loving me, and being mine, and sharing it all, making life, thriving, surviving, struggling, hurting, traveling, serving, staying home or going to Rome–it really doesn’t matter. My dream is fulfilled every morning, waking up together anywhere, because we have this day, by God’s grace, together.
There is no better dream that the one I’m living. After almost 25 years of marriage, I’ve known him for 32 sweet years of my 46, and I can say our love is everything that God created love on this earth to be. The sweetest parable of the love of Jesus Christ with His Bride. Like Ephesians 5 says that marriage should be.
Morning mist and autumn skies
Summer passing in your eyes
I light a fire, and start the coffee brewing
I am up, and you sleep in,
I’ve kissed you twice
And will again
When the coffee’s hot and mine is sweet
With honey, sugar, caramel, chocolate or maple
It doesn’t matter to me, any kind of sweet will do, and I’d even take my coffee black
If I could quickly crawl
back in bed with you.
The children sleep, just eight are here,
The other seven are world travelers now,
Somehow that happened
as our life together graced this globe,
and we are here just staying warm and true
‘Cause every dream I ever had was found
In another morning coffee cup with you.
It means we have another day,
and it tells me of last night,
When you were snuggled by my heart
And I turned out the lights
And you were first to fall asleep
Asking me to bring another blanket
Where did it go,
when we kicked it off last spring?
I kept you warm, I always do,
it’s mutual, it’s loving you,
and living every day like it’s a dream
It isn’t what I thought or what it seems
But every morning coffee that we share
Reminds me that we made it through
the darkest nights, the blood, the hope, the tears,
the baby cries, the sleepless years,
the morning flights, the silly fights,
the love, the loss, the pain.
The seasons change.
We have seen the winter pass from island sand
and I’ve run barefoot through the snow holding your hand,
I hear the whispers in the late night silence I hear the giggles in the cool spring air It’s been an hour since we said good night It’s been an hour since the kiss and prayer
The day is over It’s not coming back again. Tonight’s a night that has never been. So let them laugh and stay up late One more story, one more song, one more page
It wasn’t perfect, it was barely good They were just doing what they could They were helping in their childish way And in a moment they were lost in play
They’ll learn to help It just takes time Little ones have so much on their minds Watch them laugh and run and play they’ll need a bath later today. One more story, one more song, one more page
Never silence, not a quiet moment Always questions bouncing off the walls If I had answers I would be a genius Somehow they think I must know it all
Just a moment and I’ll finish sweeping Just a moment and I’ll find that shoe another pancake, turning, burning smoking Another inch, another question, maybe two
The day is new Smiling at me again This is a moment that has never been So let them laugh and run and play One more story, one more song, one more page
We each read a poem and then grabbed a handful of our magnetic poetry words and made silly little poems out of what we had. So fun! Tell us about your poetry tea time in the comments!
