When my first child was only a couple of months old I began making my plans for education. Would we be able to scrape enough together to send her to a private school? Would we homeschool? I really only knew of a few homeschool curriculum companies. I still remember like it was yesterday, sitting in our overheated apartment on dial-up internet ordering information packets from popular homeschool companies like Abeka and Christian Liberty. At least these were the only two that I knew of. When they arrived I flipped through, discussed them with friends, and filed them away in our little file cabinet. Little did I know that there was an entire plethora of homeschool learning options waiting on me.
Five years later I came in contact with a like-minded group of moms on facebook. I was enamoured with curriculum choices….still am. I was pouring through books on home education philosophy. . . . still do. I would ask the other more experienced moms “What do you use?” They would respond with “We use many things. We play outside and we read lots of books.” I really just wanted someone to give me the name of a company, probably so I could order another catalog to add to my growing collection.
Many of us are all too familiar with this picture. We are always searching for the best, most rigorous, fun, or more relaxed curriculum. We hop from company or philosophy from one year to the next. Not all of us, but a lot of us. Yet, there is no perfect curriculum. There is no MAGICAL curriculum. Charlotte Mason said,“Education is a discipline—that is, the discipline of the good habits in which the child is trained. Education is a life, nourished upon ideas; and
education is an atmosphere—that is, the child breathes the atmosphere emanating from his parents; that of the ideas which rule their own lives” (Vol. 2, p. 247).
As my circle of friends continues to grow, I’ve noticed a trend. The moms who have graduated a few kids tend to rely on curriculum (especially boxed curriculums) less and less. They read, they write, they research, and they share. They expose. They “spread a feast”, as Charlotte Mason suggested.
How do we spread a feast? We expose them to art, and we talk about it. We read good books, living books, and we talk about it. What is a living book? Living books are usually written by an author who has a passion for the subject, or even better, someone with first hand experience. We introduce them to composers, to nature, and to Jesus.
Many continue with a set curriculum and sprinkle in the feast where they can. This is the beauty of learning at home. Our day isn’t filled with lines, classroom behavior management, and all the rest of it. We have the time to slow down and enjoy life, enjoy learning, and enjoy each other.
“An observant child should be put in the way of things worth observing” Charlotte Mason
Charlotte Mason (2013). “School Education”, p.144, Simon and Schuster
Charlotte Mason (2013). “Home Education”, p.62, Simon and Schuster
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