The Beauty of Childhood and How to Protect it.
We’re watching it right in front of our eyes. Childhood’s being stolen. Instead of hours of imagining, exploring, and wondering children are spending hours in front of screens with already made ideas.
When I discovered Charlotte Mason, it was the way she protected childhood that drew me in. Hours outside, living books, nature studies, beauty to behold-All captivated me.
“Children are born with all the curiosity they will ever need. It will last a lifetime if they are fed upon a daily diet of ideas.” Charlotte Mason
A Daily Diet of Ideas
A childhood with a daily diet of ideas. How? I discovered that the home..it is at this place that ideas are born and pondered. As the homemaker, it is my job to provide this feast…
How do we provide the “feast” of ideas for a child?
- We protect our time to allow for a lifestyle of 👉 not rushing out the door
- We keep “screen time” at a minimal to allow children to make up their own ideas
- We provide a steady diet of “living books” I make monthly suggestions here
- Cultivating a thriving home…good habits, healthy food, and an atmosphere of love.
Children learn from every aspect of their lives. They learn when we do the dishes together and watch the soap bubbles interact with the warm water.
I truly believe one of the biggest obstacles to childhood in our day is our busy schedules.
When I first started homeschooling, I over-scheduled myself. Every opportunity that presented itself promised my children a new learning experience. I found myself waking up in a rush. “Okay…everyone…get your clothes on…find your shoes…take the dog out….”
Oh friend, that rush! You know what I’m talking about. THAT is an enemy to childhood. Children need TIME. They need unrushed time to test theories, look closer, and experience boredom.
I canceled all of those activities. I only kept ONE. My rule of thumb to this day is…We can only be gone one day per week. I am diligent in protected our days. Be careful, mama. I know all those activities sound so appealing, but remember to keep their little days…simple.
Homeschooling
I have not always been a homeschool mom. In fact, 11 years ago when God called me to homeschool my children I resisted the idea. In my mind, I pictured a school at home type of thing. It wasn’t until I met Charlotte Mason’s philosophies that I completely changed the way we lived. I was scared of…failure. My fears were mostly academic failure related. I have a strong drive to prepare my children for whatever God calls them to. I thought, ” Can this type of education really prepare them if God calls them to be doctors..etc.? ” 11 years later…YES! Yes, homeschooling is preparing my children for rigorous academics AND protecting their childhood.
Charlotte Mason said children are educated by their intimacies. When I first read that, it honestly made little sense to me. I had to really think deeply and ponder that thought.
Think with me for a moment. If you love something, you learn from it. You care. I went through a stage when I was 15. I had a sudden love for Great Dane dogs. I couldn’t get enough. I went to the library and got as many books on Great Danes as possible. To this day, I still have a lot of knowledge about the breed due to this season of my life. Have you noticed the knowledge you “search for” sticks compared to the traditional method of …study for a test…force-feed facts, take a test, empty your brain. Ah..friends…This isn’t education.
(NOTE: I am not saying that only children that are homeschooled experience a whole childhood, but for our family, we have experienced great freedom as a result of homeschooling)
Books
If you ever come to my home ( and I have real dreams to someday open a place for families to escape and fellowship) Anyways, our home is full of books. Books open a child’s mind to imagine. Books teach children to care. One complaint I hear from other moms is: “My kids don’t care”. That statement breaks my heart. Our job as parents is to inspire our children to really…care. If they care about life, everything changes. Raising children who really care starts at home. It starts with a childhood of freedom to form deep bonds with nature.
Outside
“And Nature, the old nurse, took
The child upon her knee,
Saying: “Here is a story-book
Thy Father has written for thee.”
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
When I first read that poem, I loved every word. Nature is the friend that takes children and shows them the story God has written in creation.
I often say the two “things” that have taught my children so much is: Books and Nature. Mama, you have those two “things” at your disposal. It doesn’t take a lot of money to educate a child and give him a wonderful childhood…it just takes a lovely home. No matter how big or small.
Beautiful Wonder™
As I’ve written articles this last year and mentored mamas, I have asked God…”Where do we go now?”
God led me to this idea…A monthly offering of ideas to enrich childhood and home life. Each month, Beautiful Wonder ™ will provide you ideas to make memories, establish traditions, work on good habits, and gather as a family.
Questions:
Is Beautiful Wonder™ religious based? The philosophy that influenced Beautiful Wonder ™ is from: Charlotte Mason’s Volumes, The Holy Bible, Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp, and When Children Love to Learn.
What Ages is this for?
The activities are for children roughly 5 and up, however, the monthly habit focus ( for example October is keeping a clean bedroom) can be useful for children as young as 2.
October includes:
- Slow Cooker Apple Butter Recipe
- Homemade Vanilla Extract Recipe
- The Anatomy of a Pumpkin Poster and Fill in the Blank Poster.
- “Outdoor Secrets” How the Apple Blossom Came Back, by Margaret P. Boyle, 1903 (PS. I love this story so much! This month includes this story!!!) 🍎
- Apple Blossom Discovery Activity
- Make Corn Husk Dolls
- 30 Day Clean Bedrooms Challenge Kit
- Finding A Morning Rhythm
- Beatrix Potter Tea Time and Garland🐰
- Picture Books For October
- October Moon Calendar and Phases of Moon Cards
