My semi-annual history freak-out…Early Modern

Oh, boy, crazy4boys, let’s see if we can talk you down off this ledge…

Yes, Charlotte’s methods are simple enough to make you second-guess but remember, they are also effective.  Okay, you know all this in your gut but since you posted, let’s review some of Charlotte’s methods and philosophy rather quickly 🙂 I’m going to be missing a lot, I’m sure.

Living books are going to impart vital ideas, not just dry as dust facts while introducing children to men and women who are both noble and ignoble.  Narration nurtures a vast amount of good habits – speaking well and to the point among them. Teaching children to keep a Book of Centuries will help them see the flow of history and how they are part of this whole.  Keeping a Commonplace Book or Reading Diary gives children the opportunity for storing ideas and inspirations from their readings. Additionally, we study history for reasons that surpass remembering names, dates and events: along with an understanding of people’s roles, places and and events in history we are gaining ideas.  What has gone before helps us think justly about what is occurring today.  We are instilling a “sane and serviceable patriotism” and learning from history’s accomplishments and mistakes.

Just last Friday we were having a morning of bad attitudes. Reading of the selfish desires of Napoleon, the values of Lafayette and the perseverance of Lord Wellington (all are found in SCM’s Stories of the Nations) set hearts aright in a way a lecture from mother or a vast sweep of history from a textbook every could.

Warmly,

Richele

The thing is that there’s no need to panic as if CM method “aren’t enough”. The whole premise of a CM education is that it’s SUPERIOR to a textbook education! Our children don’t have to memorize dry facts that they promptly forget after the test. They learn real history about real, living, breathing people who lived in the very real past!

When I discovered CM methods, I was sold immediately because the only history I really remembered (and loved!) was the history I had learned about in living books. Ditto for science. Sure, the building blocks were there-George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, the big wars, etc. but that was IT! The only date I remembered was “Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492.” lol. I hated history in school. I’ve always loved to read and grew up with a book nearby at all times but the history textbooks were so boring and dry.

Now, history is my favorite subject thanks to Charlotte Mason! I am so thankful to have discovered her methods and to have the privilege of giving my children an education filled with living books. My kids know more about history by age 10 then I did when in my early twenties as a result.

Charlotte Mason’s methods are not inferior-they are far superior to textbooks and dry facts. Our kids get to connect with the people of history-to form relations with them as Charlotte said.

We have tried to use homeschool textbooks as spines in the past (like Mystery of History). The “spine” always seemed to take over our history studies and my kids weren’t retaining what they were learning. Their narrations were very poor. I found it to be a waste of time and energy when their narrations were so wonderful with living books!

You are giving your children a wonderful, rich education with CM methods! Think about the big picture rather than the short term and don’t forget to keep a Book of Centuries to tie everything together!

I don’t think there is anything wrong with having a spine available for the older kids or for YOU to read and then share interesting things from.  Just don’t let it replace the living books.  🙂

What I’m finding is that as Makayla grows (she’ll be 9th grade this fall – eek!) she wants to have something that gives her an overview (a spine that offers highlights) and then she can dive off that into living books.  We don’t do a book of centuries, it just hasn’t happened around here.

Also, when I read a spine for myself in addition to living books it gives me a broader sense of when things happened and how they related to one another.  Then I can share pieces of that with the kids as they relate to conversation or happenings in daily life.  An example, we’re studying Africa this month and the kids learned that French was a major language in one of the countries we were studying.  “Why would they speak French so far from France?” one of my kids asked.  I’ve just been learning about the European colonizations of that continent, the explorations of various people, etc.  So we looked at a map in our atlas that showed which European countries owned areas of Africa clear up into the 1900s, then a more current political map that showed how many of those have gained independence just in the last 60 years.  Without my own exploration of a spine to hit the highlights of events I wouldn’t have been able to share anything.

Hope that helps give you a slightly different perspective!  Spines are not bad, they just need some living books to add flesh to their bones.

Wings2Fly,

Care to share what books you added in for Ancients-Module 3? We are finishing up Boy of the Pyramids and are looking for some more add ons to enhance our year.

Crazy4Boys thanks for the topic. I too have been going back and forth about History with SCM but this thread gave me the peace to keep the faith and enjoy the fruit of the process!

I wanted to add that I have semi annual freak out  modes as well! Mine are in the areas of science and math in the middle and highschool years. 🙂

I do not give my son the list of books all at once, unless by term, or it would overwhelm him.  I have the list and the books set aside so I can give him the next one.  If we get close to the end of the year and he has a lot left, I give him the more important ones.  If he has read them all, I start searching for more for him.  We have some Heritage History on the kindle, but he prefers real books in his hands.  I may use Beautiful Feet Ancients next rotation for his 9th grade.

I’m so glad you’re feeling better  about your history plan. It sounds like you’re doing a great job!