A True Good Beautiful Life

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

What can houseplants teach you? Lots, and they are therapeutic as well. In our segments on the TRUE and the GOOD, my amazing sister-in-law Marianne Tolosa of White Peach Pottery tells us all about how to care for her favorite houseplants and how to propagate babies and treat pests. In our segment on the BEAUTIFUL, Brittany Ryan of Kimberton Dance Academy shares with us the benefits of taking a class like Dance and the steps you can take to introduce your children to the activity.

Some Easy Houseplants to Start With:

• Scindapsus
• Philodendron
• Spider Plant
• Snake Plant

The Benefits of Dance:

• allows us to be creative
• uses different parts of our brain
• tends to help with time management, school studies, understanding of their bodies
• it's an athletic endeavor so their bodies are stregthened and toned
• opportunity to show themelves in a different way -- a social environment, a creative outlet, a chance to express themselves
• practice with multi-tasking
• demonstrates that there is a process to progress and accomplishing goals, as well as disappointments
• good habits
• it's just beautiful

Two Types of Dance Studios:

1. Competition Dance Studios - focuses on developing a competition team
2. Concert Dance Studios - focuses on outside performances like recitals and "The Nutcracker," some may have a performance Dance Company that performs for charities and such . . .they provide opportunities that do not involve competition

Some of our Favorite Resources:

• Plantopedia: The Definitive Guide to Houseplants by Lauren Camilleri
• Growing Joy : The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla
• "Bloom and Grow" Podcast by Maria Faila
• "The DMV Beneficials" FaceBook Group
• The KEW Gardener's Guide to Growing House Plants by Kay Maguire
• Miniature Terrariums by Fourwords
• Miniature Moss Gardens by Megumi Oshima and Hideshi Kimura
• Schuylkill Valley Regional Dance Company (for the annual "Nutcracker" in Phoenixville, PA)

Check out my website: aTrueGoodBeautifulLife.com and see some of Marianne's favorite plants from around her home on Episode 13's page. This is the last episode of the Summer Season! Thank you for being a part of this super fun project of mine and I can't wait to bring you more wonderful ways to embody the TRUE, GOOD, and BEAUTIFUL Life this Fall!

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Consider purchasing a houseplant like a philodendron or spider plant and bring a little bit of nature and joy into your home. Already have some houseplants? Try propagating some and give them to your student's teachers or tutors for the first day of school for a fun twist on the traditional apple.
2. Dance isn't just for littles and teens. Kimberton Dance Academy also offers Adult Ballet and Tap classes. You can also sign up for a local adult class on Ballroom or Swing dancing or watch some YouTube videos and kick up those feet! You'll love it and learn a new life skill in the process. For our teens, it'll be a hit at next year's Prom!
3. Plan to attend your local production of "The Nutcracker" this winter. It is always a spectacular experience.

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

You can't follow a Charlotte Mason educational philosophy or a Liberal Arts curriculum without great literature. Today, in our segment on the TRUE, I have the honor of chatting with the Co-director of the Templeton Honors College MAT program (Masters in Teaching in Classical Education) and professor of Literature, Dr. Kathryn Smith. She is a mentor and a friendly face in Walton Hall as I patiently attend my graduate classes. She teaches the class "Reading: The Formation of the Soul" and in it our class read Dr. Louise Cowan's writings on the theory of genres and discussed how Literature helps guide our lives and form our character, and helps us understand the world and the cosmos -- the TRUTH. You will be fascinated by Cowan's "Genre Wheel" and how all the realms of Literature -- Lyric, Tragedy, Epic, and Comedy work together and have a form.

Cowen associated the imaginary realms with topographical terrains and three stages:

• Lyric = a Garden (Anticipation, Consummation, Lamentation); ex. "The Garden of Eden" narrative of the Bible
• Tragedy = a Dynastic House in a Ruined Land (the Fall, Suffering, Reconciliation); ex. Oedipus Rex, King Lear
• Comedy = a City and a Fallen World (Infernal, Purgatorial, Paradisal); ex. The Divine Comedy, "The Good Place" TV show, Jane Austen's novels, Flannery O'Conner's stories
• Epic = Rebuilding out of the ruins a new City (the Battle, Founding, Ruling); ex. The Iliad, The Odyssey, The Aeneid, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Paradise Lost, Moby Dick, The Lord of the Rings

Following our conversation, in our GOOD and BEAUTIFUL segments, I get to share with you one of my favorite life practices, Poetry Teas, and my favorite resources and how to host one. So I hope you will join us as it's gong to be fun!

Some of Our Favorite Resources:

• The Terrain of Comedy by Louise Cowan
• The Epic Cosmos by Louise Cowan
• The Tragic Abyss by Louise Cowan
• The Prospect of Lyric by Louise Cown
• Tea with Jane Austen by Kim Wilson
• Sing a Song of Seasons by Fiona Waters
• A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson
• The Complete Book of Flower Fairies by Cecilie Mary Barker
• Lullabies and Poems for Children edited by Diana Larson
• 101 Famous Poems edited by Roy Cook
• The Oxford Book of English Verse edited by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch
• The Oxford Book of American Verse edited by F. O. Matthiessen
• The Historic Poems and Ballads by Rupert Holland
• Art and Nature: An Illustrated Anthology of Nature Poetry by The Metropolitan Musem of Art
• Audubon's Art and Nature edited by John Borneman
• Taking Tea with Alice: Looking-Glass Tea Parties and Fanciful Victorian Teas by Dawn Gottlieb and Diane Sedo
• Tea Time at the Inn by Gail Greco

Why Poetry?

• helps with the study of language
• helps with memory, creative thinking
• helps ignites the imagination
• helps with beginning writing
• helps with sharing emotions
• helps brighten the soul

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion. We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof. For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that wasted us required of us mirth, saying, Sing us one of the songs of Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? - The Bible, Psalm 137: 1-4

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Try reading from each of the literary genres this year. See if you can pick out the three different stages in each one and if the story lacks any of them.
2. Plan a Poetry Tea once a week or once a quarter in your home or school room and have your children bring a favorite poem to share.
3. Memorize a poem and recite it to a friend or your family. Try adding to your repertoire each month or each season.

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

Have you ever wanted to grow your own flower farm like me? Are your shelves filled with books on roses and gardening? Do the colorful tender blossoms light up your face and heart when you see them? Then take a seat and have a listen as I interview Leslie McCardell of Hopewell Flower Farm. In our TRUE and GOOD segments of the episode, this lovely lady shares with me her family's adventure into flower farming and how operating this new business helps her children learn valuable life skills and empathy for the hurting around them.

In our last segment of the show, the BEAUTIFUL, I continue my interview with Dr. Fred Putnam of the Templeton Honors College. We talk about "Learning How to See Again." Not sure what that means? Then stick around! You won't want to miss what my professor has to say!

Our Favorite Resources:

• Grow Your Own Wedding Flowers by Georgie Newbery
• The Flower Farmer's Year by Georgie Newbery
• Vintage Roses by Jane Eastoe
• Dahlias by Naomi Slade
• Peonies by Jane Eastoe
• Floret Farm's A Year in Flowers by Erin Benzakein
• The Cottage Garden by Christopher Lloyd and Richard Bird
• Top Free Philadelphia Attractions
• The Delaware Art Museum
• Ursinus College Berman Museum Outdoor Sculpture Collection
• Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation by Josef Pieper
• How Children Learn by John Holt
• The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. - Charlotte Mason Imagine a form of education that does not try to change the child or transform it into an adult but rather provides a place where the child can flourish as a child. - Thomas Moore Man's ability to see is in decline. . . . We mean the spiritual capacity to perceive the visible reality as it truly is. - Josef Pieper, Only the Lover Sings, p. 31 There does exist something like "visual noise," which just like the acoustical counterpart, makes clear perception impossible. . . . The restoration of man's inner eyes can hardly be expected in this day and age -- unless, first of all, one were willing and determined simply to exclude from one's realm of life all those inane and contrived but titillating illusions incessantly generated by the entertainment industry. - Josef Pieper, Only the Lover Sings, p. 33 My responsibility is to basically not get in their way, do what I think is right, and not cause them to stumble. And if we can do those things, and if we can live ourselves in a way that shows them what it means to live truly, then I don't know what more we can ask for. - Dr. Fred Putnam

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Start some Zinnia seeds and tuck them into your landscaping for a pop of color and beautiful blooms. This fall is perfect for putting some spring bulbs to sleep and chill around your porch or mailbox. Don't have a lot of land? Try planting tulips in a window box or pots on the window sill with smaller flowers and herbs.
2. Some life skills to try: photography, marketing, bouquet-making, color theory, entrepreneurial skills, interpreting weather, planning ahead... Some character issues to work on: pushing past discomfort, finding their gifts and strengths, empathy for the hurting...
3. What kind of art or books are you displaying in your home or classroom? How have you designed the interior of your room or school building? What kind of music or sounds are you hearing? How are you spending your private, class, and family time? How are you reinforcing the values you have in your lives?

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

I have spent the last three summers working on my Masters Degree in Teaching in Classical Education at Templeton Honors College and I only have a few more classes to go. And through this experience, I have meet so many wonderful dedicated educators, both as classmates and as professors. Dr. Fred Putnam is one of my professors and I learned so many fascinating things in his classes.

Today, you get to taste a drop from his well of wisdom as he shares with us some deep thoughts on Leisure and practical tips for the classroom. Because we ended up running out of time, I have split this interview into two episodes so as not to cut our conversation short. Today, in our segments on the TRUE and the GOOD, we chat about instituting a Class Liturgy, why engaging in Leisure (the Classical way) is vital to human flourishing, and how to incorporate these ideas in our homes and classrooms. I end our BEAUTIFUL section with a fun note on the different types of plants you can use in your cut flower garden. So get your pencils out!

Next week, we will continue our talk with Dr. Putnam, or Mr. P. as he often prefers, on "Learning to See Again" with regards to the BEAUTIFUL; along with an interview with my own flower-farming friend, Leslie McCardell of Hopewell Flower Farm so make sure you don't miss it!

My favorite book on cut flowers is Floret Farm's Cut Flower Garden and I have learned a lot from Erin. She explains that there are 8 Types of Cut Flower Plants:

1. Tender Annuals
2. Hardy Annuals
3. Biennials
4. Bulbs, Corms, and Tubers
5. Perennials
6. Vines
7. Shrubs
8. Flowering Trees

Some of our favorite resources:

• The Count of Monte Cristo (Penguin Classics) by Alexandre Dumas
• An Anthology by Josef Pieper
• Only the Lover Sings: Art and Contemplation by Josef Pieper
• Leisure: The Basis of Culture by Josef Pieper
• The Age of Martha: A Call to Contemplative Learning in a Frenzied Culture by Devin O'Donnell
• Every Moment Holy, Volume 1 by Douglas McKelvey
• The 1662 Book of Common Prayer, International Edition
• Teaching With Your Mouth Shut by Donald Finkle
• Cut Flower Garden by Floret Farm
• The Flower Workshop by Ariella Chezar
• The Flower Recipe Book by Alethea Harampolis and Jill Rizzo
• A Bulb for all Seasons by Quin Ellis

Please subscribe/follow and give us a 5 Star rating if you enjoy what you're hearing. I appreciate you so much!

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

We are not-at-leisure in order to be-at-leisure. - Aristotle

Have leisure (be still) and know that I am God. - Psalm 46:10

Come to me all you who are weary and I will give you rest. - Jesus Christ, Matthew 11:38

Our hearts are restless until they can find rest in thee. - Augustine, The Confessions, 1, 1.5

Leisure means an attitude of celebration. And celebration is the opposite of exertion. - Josef Pieper, An Anthology, p. 140

Bustle does not make a festival; on the contrary, it can spoil one. - Josef Pieper, An Anthology, p. 151

Every object shelters and conceals in its depth a sign of its divine origin. He who beholds it sees that this and all things else are good beyond all comprehension. He sees it and is happy. - Josef Pieper, An Anthology, p. 148

. . . we are not yet what we already are. - Josef Pieper, An Anthology, p. 4

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Consider how you can add some sort of liturgy in your classroom or home that will serve to create a time and space for learning. Is there a string of useful questions you could use to help teach your students material for your course? Or do you simply need to show that this particular time is set aside for something sacred? Pick your favorite poem or one that coordinates with your subject matter and start reciting it every day. See how long it takes to learn it.
2. Purchase or barter for some flower seeds or plants and start your own mini cutting garden. You will find yourself smiling everytime you see the blossoms.
3. Think of something you can do just for the sake of doing it, with no utilitarian goal in mind. Put your devices away and really engage with nature or the dear ones around you. Can you find time to celebrate this week?

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

This week's episode is full of friendly faces! In our first segment on the TRUE, I share some thoughts about what Charlotte Mason means when she refers to the "Knowledge of the Universe." In the GOOD portion of the show, I have the privilege of chatting with Liz Hudson from my old Classical Conversations community and she explains and demonstrates to us how to use the Classical tool -- the 5 Common Topics. In our final portion of the podcast, I am treated once again with a conversation on the BEAUTIFUL, with both Sarah Collins and Stephanie Newcomb, two friends who I homeschool with and with whom we do Handicrafts. We share our Service experience as we all learned how to sew a quilt together.

What are the 5 Common Topics you ask? Well, they are leading questions that you can use to begin learning and conversing about any topic:

1. Definition
2. Comparison
3. Circumstances
4. Relationships
5. Testimony/Authority

We also discuss how Charlotte Mason gave us 4 Requirements for Handicrafts (Volume 1: Home Education, p. 315):

1. It needs to be useful
2. The works needs to be done "slowly and carefully"
3. Students need to practice the habit of their best effort
4. The work should be challenging enough but not too challenging as to cause frustration

Some of our favorite resources:

• Watercolor With Me: In the Forest
• Watercolor With Me: In the Jungle
• Watercolor With Me: In the Ocean
• Klutz Sew Mini Treats: Book & Activity Kit
• Klutz Sew Mini Animals: Book & Activity Kit
• Sewing School: 21 Sewing Projects Kids Will Love to Make
• Sewing School 2: Lessons in Machine Sewing
• Embroidery Stitches Pocket Guide
• Beginners Embroidery Practice Kit
• How To Draw All the Animals by Alli Koch
• How to Draw Modern Florals by Alli Koch
• Crochet Cute Critters Book
• Needle Felting Kit
• Natural White Wool Roving
• Wood Whittling Kit
• Swiss Army Knife Whittling Book by Chris Lubkemann
• The Common Arts by Chris Hall

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

Besides the gain of an hour or two in the open air, there is this to be considered: meals taken al fresco are usually joyous, and there is nothing like gladness for converting meat and drink into healthy blood and tissue. All the time, too, the children are storing up memories of a happy childhood. Fifty years hence they will see the shadows of the boughs making patterns on the white tablecloth; and sunshine, children's laughter, hum of bees, and scent of flowers are being bottled up for after refreshment. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 43 (disclaimer: this is the official quote; the one used in the podcast is a modern 'translation" provided by Amblesideonline.org; sorry for the confusion!)

. . . there is no part of a child's education more important than that he should lay, by his own observation, a wide basis of facts towards scientific knowledge in the future. He must live hours daily in the open air, and, as far as possible, in the country; must look and touch and listen; must be quick to note, consciously, every peculiarity of habit or structure, in beast, bird, or insect; the manner of growth and fructification of every plant. He must be accustomed to ask why -- Why does the wind blow? Why does the river flow? Why is a leaf-bud sticky? And do not hurry to answer his questions for him; let him think his difficulties out so far as his small experience will carry him. Above all, when you come to the rescue, let it not be in the 'cut and dried' formula of some miserable little text-book; let him have all the insight available, and you will find that on many scientific questions the child may be brought at once to the level of modern thought. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, pp. 264-265 (disclaimer: again, this is the official quote; the one used in the podcast is a modern "translation" provided by Amblesideonline.org; sorry for the confusion!)

Out in this, God's beautiful world there is everything waiting to heal lacerated nerves, to strengthen tired muscles, to please and content the soul that is torn to shreds with duty and care. The teacher who turns to nature's healing finds, not trouble but a sweet, fresh breath of air. . . . She who opens her eyes and her heart nature-ward even once a week finds it a delight and an abiding joy. She finds that without planning or going on a far voyage, she has found health and strength. - I can't remember where I found this quote! Sorry! Can you tell I work on this late at night?! :)

He practises various handicraft that he may know the feel of wood, clay, leather, and the joy of handling tools, that is, that he may establish a due relation with materials. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 31

The ability to submit nature to one's will is not in itself science. This could be done through the power of a machine or a technology developed by another. . . . Technology alone does not equal science. Nonetheless, Christians have always had a high view of the common arts. The Christian high value for the body and for ordinary work has sharply distinguished Christian culture from Greek cluture. And inasmuch as they pursue technologies in a manner that complements nature and does not fight against her, Christians will promote the Elvish arts and not the Orchish ones." - Clark & Jain, The Liberal Arts Tradition, p. 115

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Pick a subject and practice using the 5 Common Topics with your student (ie. video games, Monet, knitting, volleyball).
2. How physically active are you being this summer? Think of a fun way to get moving -- swimming, hiking, barre work, pilates, calisthenics (am I dating myself?!), backyard soccer or badminton.
3. Think of a Handicraft that your class or family can try out for a month. Some simple ideas that don't require much supplies: hand sewing stuffed animals (like a sock monkey), calligraphy, friendship/paracord bracelets, watercoloring using Watercolor With Me, or pinch pots with air-dried clay.

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

What a treat! Not only do we have Jamie Pasho of Around the World in Homeschool Days on our show this week, but we also have Lindsey Habegger of Chaos Thriving --- two very dear friends! Their expertise in Geography and Hiking will certainly inspire you to delve deeper into discovering this amazing world of ours and explore new and fascinating places.

In our first segment on the TRUE, I share with you what Charlotte Mason means when she talks about the "Knowledge of Man" and then have a fascinating chat with Jamie about how much she loves Geography and how it led to her creating an amazing resource for homeschoolers and classrooms. In our second segment on the GOOD, I share with you some suggestions on how to incorporate Geography into your students' education, and then in our last segment on the BEAUTIFUL, my traveling buddy, Lindsey, shares why hiking is important and takes us with her as she shares how she plans her family's hiking adventures. You'll have to pop over to my website: ATrueGoodBeautifulLife.com and see some of my favorite pics of the two of us hiking around the AZ and UT National Parks. It was magical!

Some of our favorite resources:

• Geography Cultural Unit Studies by Around the World In Homeschool Days
• Geocaching
• 52 Week Hike Challenge Resources
• Alltrails.com
• The Story of the World Activity Books by Susan Wise Bauer
• Home Geography by C. C. Long, Living Books Press (nice simple little b&w book)
• Outdoor Geography by Herbert Hatch, Living Books Press (nice simple little b&w book)
• Elementary Geography by Charlotte Mason (nice simple little b&w book)
• "Teaching Geography" blog post by Simply Charlotte Mason
• Draw the USA (Draw the World Series) by Kristen Dragaer
• Archive.org
• your local library!!!!

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

The studies in this category educate our consciences and teach us how to make right choices. These studies will not make children virtuous, but if we teach them well, they will have a good idea of what virtue looks like and how it behaves. - Karen Glass, In Vital Harmony, p. 121

Geography may be divided into the geography of the home and the geography of the world at large. A knowledge of the home must e obtained by direct observation; of the rest of the world, through the imagination assisted by information. Ideas acquired by direct observation form a basis for imagining those things which are distant and unknow. The first work then, in geographical instruction is to study that small part of the earth's surface lying just at our doors. . . . The hill that he climbs each day may, by an appeal to his imagination, represent to him the lofty Andes or the Alps. From the meadow, or the bit of level land near the door, may be developed a notion of plain and prairie. That little stream that flows past the schoolhouse door, or even one formed by the sudden shower, may speak to him of the Mississippi, the Amazon, or the Rhine. Similarly, the idea of sea or ocean may be deduced from that of pond or lake. Thus, after the pupil has acquired elementary ideas by actual perception, the imagination can use them in constructing, on a larger scale, mental pictures of similar objects outside the bounds of his own experience and observation. - C.C. Long, Home Geography, p. 7

. . . the study of the earth in its relations to man" and that "in order to obtain a real knowledge of the earth, the child must observe for himself. Books and oral descriptions only give him second-hand knowledge. Maps, models, and sections provided for him are purely conventional and artificial, and cannot be properly understood unless he has constructed similar ones from nature. - Herbert Hatch, Outdoor Geography, p. 2

Let him see the world as we ourselves choose to see it when we travel; its cities and peoples, its mountains and rivers, and he will go away from his lesson with the piece of the world he has read about, be it county or country, sea or shore, as that of "a new room prepared for him, so much will be magnified and delighted in it." - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 42

Give each child a blank outline map of the region . . . and ask him to label any countries he already knows. When he has labeled all he knows, give him a labeled map of the region. Tell him to check that he has recorded correct spellings and locations, then to copy one or two more countries onto his map. The next week, give him a new blank outline map of the same region and repeat the instructions. As he sees the same region each week, he will become quite familiar with it and, little by little, put together the pieces in his mind. When coupled with the living books ideas . . . map drill will help round out your geography studies. - Sonya Shafer, Simply Charlotte Mason, "Teaching Geography" blog post

Give him next intimate knowledge, with the fullest details, of any country or region of the world, any county or district of his own country. It is not necessary that he should learn. . .what is called the 'geography' of the countries. . . . But let him be at home in any single region; let him see, with the mind's eye, the people at their work and at their play, the flowers and fruits in their seasons, the beasts, each in its habitat; and let him see all sympathetically, that is, let him follow the adventures of a traveler; and he knows more, is better furnished with ideas, than if he had learnt all the names on all the maps. The 'way' of this kind of teaching is very simple and obvious; read to him, or read for him, that is, read bit by bit, and tell as you read. . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 274 The geographical aspects of history fall under 'Geography' as a subject. This course of historical reading is valued exceedingly by young people as affording a knowledge of the past that bears upon and illuminates the present. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 177-178

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. At home: Plan to go on a hike once a week with your family and see how far you get with the 52 Hike Challenge . It will change your life: mentally, physically, and emotionally as you connect with family and friends and God's creation.
2. In the classroom: Display maps of the world and the region that you are located in. Make it a habit to look up and even "pin" the spot on the map that corresponds to the geographical area you are reading about in Literature or History.
3. At home and in the classroom: Create a scavenger hunt using orienteering skills around your neighborhood or playground and end it with a Geocache. Try a recipe or craft from a new country.

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

Charlotte Mason explains that knowledge can be divided into three main topics: the Knowledge of God, the Knowledge of Man, and the Knowledge of the Universe. This week in our first segment on the TRUE, I share with you some of the elements that make up learning about God (ie. Bible studies, devotionals, prayer, catechisms, songs) as well as some of my favorite resources.

A wonderful way to learn is to be guided by mentors. This episode spotlights Andrew Hageman, Brick Lane Community Church's pastor-in-training and Junior High Youth Group Leader. In our segment on the GOOD, we discuss the joy of teaching young people and how he goes about teaching his High School Bible class at Aleithia Learning Community

In the final segment on the BEAUTIFUL, I share my family's trip to the St. Louis Cathedral in New Orleans, Louisiana, and how the art and architecture there allowed for wonderful connections with my daughter and her studies as well as simply just being an amazing place to see.

Here are some links to some of my favorite resources:

• The Valley of Vision edited by Arthur Bennett
• Now That's a Good Question by R.C. Sproul
• Ligonier Ministries
• Morning & Evening by Charles Spurgeon
• ACTS Prayer Cards by Not Consumed Ministries
• First Catechism: Teaching Children Bible Truths by Great Commission Publications
• The Westminster Confession of Faith
• Truths We Confess by R.C. Sproul (a systematic way to study the Westminster Confession of Faith)
• The New City Catechism by Kathy Keller
• Illuminated Scripture Journals Old and New Testament Box Sets (you can get these journals individually as well as just the Old or just the New Testaments)

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

This idea of all education springing from and resting upon our relation to Almighty God is one which we have ever laboured to enforce. We take a very distinct stand upon this point. We do not merely give a religious education, because that would seem to imply the possibility of some other education, a secular education, for example. But we hold that all education is divine, that every good gift of knowledge and insight comes from above, that the Lord the Holy Spirit is the supreme educator of mankind, and that the culmination of all education (which may, at the same time, be reached by a little child) is that personal knowledge of and intimacy with God in which our being finds its fullest perfection. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 3: School Education, p. 95 (disclaimer: this is the official quote from CM's book but I cannot recall where I got the one I quoted in the podcast! Sorry about that!)

"Education is the Science of Relations"; that is, that a child has natural relations with a vast number of things and thoughts: so we train him upon physical exercises, nature lore, handicrafts, science and art, and upon many living books. . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. xxx

The knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and no teaching of the Bible which does not further that knowledge is of religious value. Therefore the children read, or if they are too young to read for themselves the teacher reads to them, a passage of varying length covering an incident or some definite teaching. If there are remarks to be made about local geography or local custom, the teacher makes them before the passage has been read, emphasizing briefly but reverently any spiritual or moral truth; the children narrate what has been read after the reading; they do this with curious accuracy and yet with some originality, conveying the spiritual teaching which the teacher has indicated. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 272

the Bible is not a single book, but a classic literature of wonderful beauty and interest; that, apart from its Divine sanctions and religious teaching, from all that we understand by 'Revelation,' the Bible, as a mere instrument of education, is, at the very least, as valuable as the classics of Greece or Rome. Here is poetry, the rhythm of which soothes even the jaded brain past taking pleasure in any other. Here is history, based on such broad, clear lines, such dealing of slow and sure and even-handed justice to the nations, such stories of national sins and national repentences, that the student reali[z]es, as from no other history, the solidarity of the race, the brotherhood, and, if we may call it so, the individuality of the nations. Here is philosophy which of all the philosophies which have been propounded, is alone adequate to the interpretation of human life. We say not a word here of that which is the raison d'être of the Bible, its teaching of religion, its revelation of God to man; but to urge only one point more, all the literatures of the world put together utterly fail to give us a system of ethics, in precept and example, motive and sanction, complete as that to which we have been born as our common inheritance in the Bible. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 2: Parents & Children, p. 104

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Timothy 3:16-17 ESV Bible

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Try starting a Bible Reading program with your family if you haven't done so already. Try praying together as a family before bed or as a class as you begin and end your session.
2. Have you incorporated memory verses in your weekly routines? Some ones that I learned as a child were Psalm 23, Psalm 1, Psalm 100, and Psalm 103, as well as the Lord's Prayer, the Ten Commandments, the Fruit of the Spirit, the Armor of God, and the Beatitudes passages.
3. Ready to try learning a catechism? See how far you can get this summer.

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

This interview could have gone on forever as talking with Rebecca Kirkland of Fallen Spruce Designs is one of my favorite things to do. You will love her infectious joy and passion for teaching her kids and providing a feast of living ideas through reading aloud precious books. Listen to her share the life lessons beautifully expressed in the classic novels The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis and The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett and how they affected her family. I also take a few moments in our GOOD segment to share about three things that every child should have in their lives, as fleshed out by Karen Andreola in her book A Charlotte Mason Companion. And finally in our BEAUTIFUL segment, I explain the importance of implementing Shakespeare in everyone's education and how to go about including him in your lives.

What is a living book? One definition of a living book is that it is a narrative that changes us. One that is full of emotion as well as information. . . Rebecca claims that a living book "makes us feel connected and alive. . .like we are part of that story."

"Education is a life" encompasses such things and experiences as living books, narration, getting in touch with the best minds/authors, the humanities, short lessons, good habits, free afternoons (for leisure, outdoor life, reading, handicrafts, and life skills), no grades or homework, masterly inactivity, dictation, copywork, a Book of Centuries, Picture and Composer Study, Nature Study, and hands-on/real-life Math.

Charlotte Mason expert, Karen Andreola, has a wonderful book called A Charlotte Mason Companion, that explains in very clear practical ways how to incorporate Miss Mason's philosophy of education in your schooling and lives. In it she shares three things that should be a part of every child's curriculum: 1) something or someone to love, 2) something to do, and 3) something to think about. I share personal examples of how I try to do this in my own homeschool.

And why study Shakespeare? Just to name a few benefits, the Bard helps teach about right from wrong, human nature and consequences, and addresses big issues of life. He also helps kids learn how to express their emotions and inspires readers to do great things.

Because all of these fiction books are brilliant classics and can be found anywhere, I am just posting some of what I think are beautiful editions.

Resources mentioned:

• Anne of Green Gables beautiful Wordsworth Lux edition by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Anne of Green Gables Hardback Set (a beautiful set) by Lucy Maud Montgomery
• Anne of Green Gables DVD by Sullivan Entertainment
• The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe Paperback by C. S. Lewis
• The Chronicles of Narnia Box Set by C. S. Lewis
• The Secret Garden (Painted Edition) Hardback by Frances Hodgson Burnett
• When Children Love to Learn by Elaine Cooper
• A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola
• Shakespeare in Three Easy Steps by Simply Charlotte Mason
• How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare Ken Ludwig
• Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield (this also comes in 2 paperback volumes)
• Tales from Shakespeare hardback in a die-cut slipcase by Charles and Mary Lamb
• Tales from Shakespeare Wordsworth Children's Classics Edition by Charles and Mary Lamb

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive -- it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we knew all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then would there?" - L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter 2

In the new teacher she found another true and helpful friend. Miss Stacy was a bright, sympathetic young woman with the happy gift of winning and holding the affections of her pupils and bringing out the best that was in them mentally and morally. Anne expanded like a flower under this wholesome influence and carried home to the admiring Matthew and the practical Marilla glowing accounts of schoolwork and aims. - L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables, Chapter 24

Education is a life. That life is sustained on ideas. Ideas are of spiritual origin, and God has made us so that we get them chiefly as we convey them to one another, whether by word of mouth, written page, Scripture word, musical symphony; but we must sustain a child's inner life with ideas as we sustain his body with food. . . He is eclectic; he may choose this or that; our business is to supply him with due abundance and variety and his to take what he needs. . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 109

A person must be at his best in his heart, mind, and soul. He must know how to choose good and how to refuse evil. We, as persons, are not enlightened by means of multiple-choice tests or grades, but rather by the other people in our lives that we come to know, admire, and love. We are educated by our friendships and by our intimacies. - Karen Andreola, A Charlotte Mason Companion, p. 23

We probably read Shakespeare in the first place for his stories, afterwards for his characters, the multitude of delightful persons with whom he makes us so intimate that afterwards, in fiction or in fact, we say, "She is another Jessica," and "That dear girl is a Miranda," "She is a Cordelia to her father," and, such a figure in history, "a base lago." To become intimate with Shakespeare in this way is a great enrichment of mind and instruction of conscience. Then, by degrees, as we go on reading this world-teacher, lines of insight and beauty take possession of us, and unconsciously [mold] our judgments of men and things and of the great issues of life. . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 4: Ourselves, Book 2, p. 72

I know a bank where the wild thyme blows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite overcanopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet muskroses, and with eglantine. - Shakespeare, A Midsummer's Night's Dream, Act 2, Scene 1

Shakespeare is not to be studied in a year; he is to be read continuously throughout life, from ten years old and onwards. But a child of ten cannot understand Shakespeare. No; but can a man of fifty? Is not our great poet rather an ample feast of which every one takes according to his needs, and leaves what he has no stomach for? - Charlotte Mason, Volume 5: The Formation of Character, p. 226

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Think about starting a Read Aloud with your family this summer or your students this fall. Consider its literary value and the living ideas presented in it. Some books to help with selections are Honey for a Child's Heart and Honey for a Teen's Heart by Gladys Hunt and Barbara Hampton and The Read Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie.
2. Reflect on how you are providing the 3 Things needed for every child: Something/Someone to Love, Something to Do, and Something to Know.
3. Pick a Shakespeare play written in prose to start off with and then try reading the original version. Let your kids act it out and see how much fun Shakespeare can be. You can incorporate a lot of other fun art and life skills with this activitiy (ie. sewing, make-up, acting, memory work, stage managing, prop-making, painting backdrops, directing). Then try and find an opportunity to see an actual performance.

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

Travel over to southcentral Pennsylvania, where my lovely guest, McKenzy Winkler of Little Farm Folk has her amazing homestead that she tends with her family. In our TRUE segment, we talk about what Charlotte Mason means when she says "Education is a discipline" and how she incorporates habit training and life skills in her homeschool. In our GOOD segment, McKenzy shares with us great tips on how to start habit training with our children and students; and in our final segment on the BEAUTIFUL, she explains how she started a Bread Baking Challenge and how we can easily incorporate this wonderful artisan practice.

Helpful resources:

Smooth and Easy Days E-book by Simply Charlotte Mason

Laying Down the Rails by Simply Charlotte Mason

Three Habit Hacks article on Charlotte Mason Poetry by Rene du Plessis

Make Bread 365 Planner by McKenzy Winkler of Little Farm Folk

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

A well-trained habit can overcome many inherited natures. If only I could express how much this means to anyone who wants to teach children! If only every mother understood how habit, in her knowing hand, is as useful a tool as the wheel to a potter, or the knife to a carver. With this instrument--habit--she can conceive of what she wants her child to be like, and then she can help him to become that! Note that the raw material is already there. Even a wheel won't help a potter create a porcelain vase if all he has to start with is backyard dirt. Yet, without his potter's wheel, he couldn't turn even the finest clay into anything nice. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 97 (This quote was not used in the podcast, but it's a good one!)

By "education is a discipline," we mean the discipline of habits, formed definitely and thoughtfully, whether habits of mind or body. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. xxix

Every day, every hour, the parents are either passively or activiely forming those habits in their children upon which, more than upon anything else, future character and conduct depend. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 118

The mother who takes pains to endow her children with good habits secures for herself smooth and easy days; while she who lets their habits take care of themselves has a weary life of endless friction with the children. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 136

. . . habit is to life what rails are to transport cars. It follows that lines of habit must be laid down towards given ends and after careful survey, or the joltings and delays of life become insupportable. More, habit is inevitable. If we fail to ease life by laying down habits of right thinking and right acting, habits of wrong thinking and wrong acting fix themselves of their own accord. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 101

Sow a thought and you reap an action; sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character; sow a character and you reap a destiny. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. - The Bible, Hebrews 12:11

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Prayerfully consider what Habits to instill and focus on 1 habit for 6-8 weeks. Assess your own triggers and explain to your family or students how to help. Set the tone and model the behavior or habit you're trying to instill. Stay alert and consistent; don't nag or bully; be their ally.

Some habits to work on:

• decency and propriety habits (cleanliness, manners, order, modesty, etc.)
• mental habits (attention, imagining, memorizing, remembering, perfect execution, etc.)
• moral habits (integrity, obedience, personal initiative, reverence, self-control, etc.)
• physical habits (alertness to seize opportunities, fortitude, music, self-restraint in indulgences, etc.)
• religious habits (regularity in devotions, Sunday-keeping, thanksgiving, forgiveness, confession, thought of God, etc.)
• family habit of reading aloud

2. Consider adding some bread baking occasions in your week. McKenzy has a handy free e-book you can use that helps you make a different bread each month -- Make Bread 365

Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast!

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

ON THIS EPISODE

Occupational Therapist and good friend, Sarah Collins, of Homeschool OT , sits down with me to talk during our TRUTH segment about the first tool of education that Charlotte Mason gives parents and teachers -- circumstance, or better known as Atmosphere. We touch on topics like alerting our sensory systems, Morning Time, natural environments, and proprioception! Don't know what that is? Neither did I!

For our segment on the GOOD, I share with you 4 things that can destroy your child's love for knowledge -- too many oral lessons, too many lectures, poor textbooks, and grades and competition.

And lastly, in our segment on the BEAUTIFUL, I get to talk to you about Picture Study, one of my favorite things to teach!

Some recommended resources:

• Morning Time: A Liturgy of Love by Cindy Rollins
• "The Skills Nature Builds" Blog Article by Sarah Collins
• Learning and Living 12 DVD Set by Simple Charlotte Mason
• Ambleside Online's Topical Series and other CM information
• Charlotte Mason's Volumes 1-6 by Ambleside Online
• Picture Study Portfolios by Simply Charlotte Mason

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

. . . about the child hangs, as the atmosphere around a planet, the thought-environment he lives in. And here he derives those enduring ideas which express themselves as a life-long kinship towards sordid or things lovely, things earthly or divine." - Karen Andreola, A Charlotte Mason Companion, p. 51

Let them learn from first-hand sources of information––really good books, the best going, on the subject they are engaged upon. Let them get at the books themselves, and do not let them be flooded with a warm diluent at the lips of their teacher. The teacher's business is to indicate, stimulate, direct and constrain to the acquirement of knowledge, but by no means to be the fountain-head and source of all knowledge in his or her own person. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 3: School Education, p. 162

Treat children in this reasonable way, mind to mind; not so much the mind of the teacher to that of the child,––that would be to exercise undue influence but the minds of a score of thinkers who meet the children, mind to mind, in their several books, the teacher performing the graceful office of presenting the one enthusiastic mind to the other. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 261

(a) The children, not the teachers, are the responsible persons; they do the work by self-effort. (b) The teachers give sympathy and occasionally elucidate, sum up or enlarge, but the actual work is done by the scholars. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 6

We cannot measure the influence that one or another artist has upon the child's sense of beauty, upon his power of seeing, as in a picture, the common sights of life; he is enriched more than we know in having really looked at even a single picture. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 309

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

APPLICATION

1. Think about the atmosphere of your home or classroom. Do the children feel loved and respected? How are you modeling an interest in the noble, lovely, and things of good report? Consider implementing a Morning Time. What topics would you include?
2. Inspect your textbooks. Are there better living options that you could use to ignite the interests of your readers?
3. Look around your house or classroom. What objects of BEAUTY are readily available for your family or students to ponder? Pick and artist to study this summer.