How to Begin a Charlotte Mason Education

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Have you noticed lately how many superheroes seem to be around, ready to swoop in to save the world?

If Captain America isn’t right for the job, then Spiderman or Superman might fit the bill.

We homeschool parents might sometimes wonder if a caped crusader is available to help us manage our schooling and raise our kids. If this thought has occurred to you, then Charlotte Mason is a person you may want to meet.

Charlotte Mason was a British educator who had a gift for seeing through to the real goals of education, and showing others how to truly accomplish those goals. Charlotte revolutionized education in the late 19th century as she advocated giving children living ideas, utilizing a mentoring approach, and treating each child as an individual.

Among Charlotte’s most important ideas were the ideals and methods she shared with parents for training children and helping children grow into wonderful human beings. Charlotte understood children very well, and she understood how to “bring them up” well. She firmly believed that parents are in every way equipped to be their child’s best guides and teachers, and her books and writings are filled with practical advice on doing just that. It is for this reason that her ideas and ideals so strongly resonate with parents, especially homeschoolers. It is also why, if Charlotte Mason were a superhero, she’d be the person to get to swoop down into crowded workshops at the latest homeschool conference!

Charlotte wrote extensively, which gives us even today a wealth of her wisdom and experience to enjoy, and doesn’t require her to show up in tights or a cape. But it does take some time to get to know this new superhero of yours, and fully absorb all of Charlotte’s ideals and methods. You’ll find this journey pays off for your family life, and is well worth the time it takes to complete. However, getting started with some of Charlotte’s ideas is fairly easy. The way to begin is to start with some basics, and then add more of her recommended methods as you master the primary elements of Charlotte’s “way” with children.

To begin, let’s take a look at how to embrace the essentials of “Charlotte’s Way”: incorporate living books, begin a narration habit at home, and study nature.

 

Build Around “Living Books”

Living books was a phrase Charlotte coined to describe books worthy of a child’s time, books that develop their mind and speak to their heart. Living books make an impact on the reader, appeal to all ages, make the reader think, and have a plot that is memorable. They invite imagination and hold truth within their pages. Living books include classic themes of love, hope, sacrifice, or justice that appeal to all people, and give children ideals to strive for.

Charlotte despised empty books she called “twaddle,” that were ordinary or shallow. No, books must be full of depth and richness, because it is in reading them that a child acquires new ideas for themselves.

Inside living books a child may sail away into history, and make the experiences they have inside the pages entirely their own. In this way, Charlotte said, a child could linger long in history, begin to be at home in the ways of that period of time, and think the thoughts of people of that place. These become a “double-life” for the child, full of wonderful experiences that could be revisited again and again, and character “acquaintances” that would inspire them to reach for greater things.

To begin in Charlotte’s way, give your children living books to read on their own. Most books should be comfortably within their reading level, allowing for an occasional challenge. Most parents try to stick with a certain time period, so that children can fully immerse themselves in a place and time in history. Assemble a list of books that cover Colonial America or the Revolutionary War, for instance, or allow your kids to journey to ancient Egypt or westward with Lewis and Clark and the mountain men. You can find good books by checking out Newbery award winners, and book lists in homeschool catalogs, but the best way to know a book is “living” is to preview it yourself.

As your family begins reading, you’ll want to incorporate another Charlotte Mason essential skill,one that walks “hand in hand” beside the practice of reading living books — the habit of narration.

Develop the Habit of Narration

For Charlotte, there was an exquisite simplicity in using narration as an essential of teaching: it wasn’t complicated, it required no helps whatsoever, and children were naturally gifted at it! For narration, is quite simply, telling back. What parent hasn’t had a little hand pulling on theirs, insistently saying, “Guess what happened?” followed by a vivid account of a frog in the pocket or a tumble from a tree? Children are naturals at telling back in their own words anything they’ve absorbed or experienced, and Charlotte took advantage of this by incorporating the strengths of

narration into her teaching.

So, narration is actually very easy. Parents are already used to asking children questions that invite the child’s story — questions like, “What did you and Grandpa do together?” To develop the habit of narration, a parent simply extends that to have a child tell back something they have read about or heard in their lessons. Parents should have ready questions such as, “Tell me the story again, this time in your own words,” or “Describe George Washington for me.” Narration begins with leading questions like these, and is followed by active listening to your student “telling back.” It is important to show that you are listening, and interested, or the student will not be motivated to do his best in the narration, much as any storyteller will cut short his tale when an audience is not engaged.

Listed here are some sample leading questions. Each can be modified for a younger or older student as needed.

  • What did your character do in this chapter?
  • Tell me what happened in order.
  • Tell me everything you remember about [an event].
  • Describe how [a place] looks and smells.
  • Why do you think [a character] did that?
  • How is this story like [another familiar one]?
  • Do you think [the character] did what was right?
  • Do you agree with [a concept or idea in the reading]?

If a student seems “stuck,” or has a hard time adding detail, prompts can help elicit more from a student. The younger the student, the more prompts may be helpful. For older students, prompts can encourage the addition of fine detail, character study, personal opinion, or give them time to evaluate plot or meaning.

Prompts are simply leading questions that might incorporate some detail from the story to help remind the student of thoughts they haven’t shared. Some children take to narration of lessons as easily as they narrate about their own lives, while for others, it is a skill to be learned. Prompting will help ease your student into natural use of narration. However, at times a narration is weak because there is a concept the student did not understand, or unfamiliar vocabulary they’ve encountered. Use this as an opportunity to probe with questions to figure out where the problem lies. At times, you’ll need to help the student understand the concept or vocabulary, then go back and read part or all of the passage, so that they can successfully narrate for you.

Next Steps in Narration

When students are young, narration should be pretty much oral narration, though art could be considered a written way to have students “tell back” what they’ve absorbed. Charlotte advocated transitioning to written narration about the time students reach full competence with reading. For most children, this happens somewhere around 4th or 5th grade. Written narration should simply be considered writing what was formerly spoken, and leading questions can become the topic of paragraphs or short essays.

Another very successful way of transitioning and enjoying narration long-term is through notebooking. In Charlotte’s day, notebooking primarily meant “directed drawing” into a blank notebook because of the time in which she lived. Charlotte might suggest, perhaps, to students that they draw a savannah with examples of key plants, and list or draw the animals they would expect to find there. Today, notebooking can open a world of imagination if the notebooking is as rich as the study itself. Of course, the author must warn you that many notebooking sheets offered today are the equivalent of “twaddle,” offering students busy work and coloring pages, rather than getting the student to show what they’ve learned, or interact with information that allows them to use what they’ve learned. Don’t just accept notebooking pages that call themselves “Charlotte Mason,” but take the time to see that they are offering a rich educational experience.

Indulge in Nature Study

A final basic in the Charlotte Mason method is found in encountering nature. At first, you may think that nature study is difficult, as many of us have become used to the controlled environment and comforts of our homes. But Charlotte took her students out every day for nature study, even in her rainy, native England!

It is best to begin with a weekly outing. Any natural place is a destination: your backyard, a grove of trees at a nearby park, the beach, a creek bank, or even a wet ditch full of cattails! It doesn’t have to take all day, just start small. Allow children to stay long enough to enjoy nature, and use their senses to fully absorb the sights, sounds, smells, and the feel of the place around them.

While outdoors, have your children write out what they observe, draw a specimen, or even paste samples of plant leaves or flower petals into a journal. As you become adept at nature study, you can do more in-depth, even seasonal projects. You can collect nuts in the fall and create a three-dimensional exhibit with them. You can visit a farm to see baby animals in the spring, and have students write how they resemble adult animals, and how they do not. Online nature study or marvelous books can help students experience faraway natural places like national parks, rainforests, or volcanoes that they can’t, or won’t visit right away.

Still, nothing is a substitute for the quiet time spent on nature study, nor for hearing the chirp of wetland frogs, or hearing the flow of a creek in summer. Be sure to liberally indulge in nature study with your children, and you’ll soon enjoy it so much that you won’t want to miss out on this time!

What To Do Next

After you successfully integrate these Charlotte Mason essential skills into your homeschooling, you can move on to discover the many other methods and ideas Charlotte advocated. Charlotte’s writing provides us with great ideas for incorporating living math, artist study, poetry and music appreciation, and a lifelong friendship with Shakespeare. There’s no better way to learn about how to include these in your homeschooling than to read them from Charlotte herself, in her book, “Home Education.” It is in the public domain, so it can be found online, and has even been translated from the original Victorian English to a more modern version.

Why You’ll Find You Love Charlotte’s Way

As you begin to integrate aspects of Charlotte Mason into your homeschooling, you’ll find out just what kind of a superhero she is. You’ll discover that you are able to enjoy your children (and your school time) as never before, as you leave behind lecturing and testing and instead enjoy a journey of discovery right alongside your children.

Living books let your children see into places and times that they could never experience otherwise, and provide ideals of character for which to strive. They stimulate your children’s thinking, and give you daily opportunities to talk about the “real” things of life. Narration allows you a window into their own inner life, something that acquaints you with your child’s “true self ” for a lifetime. You are likely to find this enables you to keep communication lines open that might otherwise wither away in the teen years.

Notebooking creates a long-lasting record not only of what has been learned, but stores a treasure trove of family memories. Notebooks can allow children to specialize their interests, enabling them to blossom and grow as individuals!

Meanwhile, nature study enriches the soul, allows for deep thinking, and encourages a quiet, contented spirit. It allows children to see the value in things outside themselves, and marvel at new discoveries.

In short, Charlotte Mason’s ideas in every way help you as a parent to accomplish the very ideals you are likely wishing for as you raise your children.

Now that’s the kind of superhero that comes in handy!

 

The Author of WinterPromise, Kaeryn Brooks

Kaeryn Brooks is the author and creator of WinterPromise Publishing, a Charlotte-Mason based curriculum that blends the best of Charlotte’s ideas with rich notebooking, new ideas and technology.

WinterPromise integrates practical and fun activities, true-life experiences, and experiments with educationally-rich notebooking, can-do nature study, DVD suggestions, and website links. You’ll find the beginnings of a rich Charlotte Mason journey at www.winterpromise.com. Kaeryn and her husband rely on Charlotte’s advice to raise (and homeschool) their seven children.

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Charlotte Mason Inspired

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I’ve often been asked, “What exactly do you mean by Charlotte Mason Inspired?” I utterly love this question!

There is so much to Charlotte Mason, you could write a book on just one aspect of her education — actually, people have! Charlotte Mason knew that education was not just merely learning things but was so much more! It was a life!

Our core values come from Charlotte Mason’s view of education — we just put a little WP twist to it!

We focus on:

  • Joy
  • Curiosity & Discovery
  • Living Books
  • Nature Study

Let’s dive in!

Joy!

Joyful learning is essential to any education because joy is an essential part of any childhood.

When children are young their brains are developing faster than at any other time in their lives. Creating a positive, joyful connection to learning is key to developing a love of learning that carries forward through their entire life. It does not stop there. To instill lifelong habits and success, joy should be infused into learning and education. So many children experience an education that is dry and uninteresting–anything but joyful. WinterPromise places joy at the center of our children’s education. That does not mean serious effort and hard work are not essential. Quite to the contrary, a joy centered education prepares and enables students to continue learning and discovering even though it requires hard work.

Curiosity and Discovery

Children are naturally curious and enjoy discovery almost as soon as they are born.

Nothing is more natural to our young children than an inspiration to learn and discover. Too often it is assumed that as children grow older their curiosity will disappear and we need to educate them differently when that happens. This is not the case. The desire to investigate, discover, and be curious will develop and change over the years, but education should be fanning the flames of discovery at every turn in education. The best learner is a learner that is self-motivated and excited (joyful) about what they are learning.

WinterPromise is dedicated to offering a variety of exciting learning experiences that students can dive into and enjoy. We offer a variety of activities and content that create an environment where your whole family can discover things. You’ll find your family’s curiosity blossom year after year.

Living Books

Living books are the centerpiece of how we develop our programs here at WinterPromise.

What is a living book? A living book is a book written by an author on a specific topic in a way that communicates their own passion while also being written and published in a way that inspires others. Textbooks often are the standard in education, but because of their delivery and format, they usually discourage excitement about learning. WinterPromise builds our curriculum around living books that take you places, invite your family into a new experience, inspire interest in a great person of the past, fuel discussion about difficult topics and offers a chance to discover new and exciting people writing about new and exciting topics. This makes your reading together as a family and the reading your child does another avenue for fueling curiosity and discovery while enhancing the desire to read. We could not imagine offering an education devoid of the joy of living books. There is a magic to a good book that we can all sense but can’t quite pinpoint. A living book delivers that magic to your family.

Nature Study

Charlotte Mason believed that nature study was the foundation of all sciences and essential to a child’s education.

Nature study is a vital component of every program we offer because we believe that getting your child outside and observing the world around them is one of the best ways to enhance joyful learning and begin a life of curiosity. Children thrive when they are in the woods, looking at bugs in the garden, learning about plants and animals, observing and journaling what they see, and getting a little dirty in the process. The benefits of nature study are boundless.

Do you see a naturalist in your little boy or girl? Get them outside classifying, ordering, collecting, and seeing all they can outdoors. Have a child who thrives with art? Get them outside and create what they see with paint, markers, or pencil. Do you have a child who loves music? Have them listen to the birds and the orchestra that is nature. Do you have a child that loves writing and words? Learn new words by talking about names and labels. Learn about metaphor and how nature is used as a metaphor to describe real life. Do you have a child that you want to develop those areas mentioned above? Get them outside!

Nature study is a lifestyle and WinterPromise offers a little to no-prep way of making it a habit to get your children learning, loving, and living outside.

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BEING A CHARLOTTE MASON “PARENT-TEACHER” (a note from WP author Kaeryn)

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I remember when I first met Charlotte Mason…

Okay, not really “met,” but got to know.  I was immediately struck by Charlotte’s intuitive understanding of children and how to educate and train them.  I was also hugely impressed by how counter-culture Charlotte’s ways are in today’s world.

If you haven’t gotten to know Charlotte Mason yet, and you are hoping to be a good homeschooling parent, a great “Parent-Teacher” — or at least aiming that direction :), then you should “meet” Charlotte, too!

There are a lot of summaries of Charlotte’s ideas online, but here are the basics:

Charlotte Mason was a British educator who worked with children for years. She believed in exposing children to great ideas, wonderful literature, God’s Word in liberal amounts, and beautiful artwork, and she called for challenging them in a way that gave them a love for learning. She believed in teaching history, getting children to tell back what they know, and — most of all — Charlotte believed in joy!

As a Momma myself, this is what perhaps convinced me that I wanted to be a “Parent-Teacher” like Charlotte.  After all, if I couldn’t bring my children joy, and teach my children the joy in curiosity, in exploration, in discovery — what was parenthood for?

As I delved into Charlotte’s methods and thoughts, I found new ways we were kindred spirits.  It was a thrill to hear from someone who did not believe that raising your children meant teaching them to cram for exams, run around to endless extracurricular activities, and fall into bed exhausted at night.  Charlotte’s ideas were freedom.  Freedom to develop a lifestyle that was not at all like school, not at all over-busied, and above all — not self-focused.

The freedom we found was like finally breathing again.  It meant so much more, you see, than just that we’d found a homeschool method that worked for us.  In fact, we’d found a lifestyle!

We’ve had a chance to live the Charlotte Mason lifestyle for a lot of years now, and we’ve just seen our lives change so radically from what they were before.  Here’s what I’ve learned along the way:

  1. I have never spent one moment thinking about how I wish I done things differently.  Our lifestyle works for us, and it works for our family.  It is a servant to, not a master of, our souls.  It supports our family — it does not “run” our family.
  2. My children have had enough free time to think big thoughts on their own, and that has allowed each one to blossom and develop in their own unique way.  They’ve had to time to explore the world their way, to be curious, to investigate, and it has made all the difference in how they relate to the world.  They reach out to the world and experience it, a true contrast to how many children have to depend on “packaged” experiences in classroom or sports arenas.
  3. The time we’ve had together that wasn’t “overplanned” and “over-scheduled” reaped so many more benefits than I could have imagined.  As my kids have grown up, I can see each day how much that has meant to their development.  They are comfortable with conversation, deep relationships, reading, and self-improvement.   We’ve had so much time together, time we used to mold our kids’ character and develop their relationship to Christ.  We’ve had time to teach them skills and common sense, courtesy and manners, and simple leadership skills like timeliness, follow-through, accountability, servanthood, and working as a team.

I really could go on and on.  In short, I am thankful every day that Charlotte’s simple wisdom traveled across time to whisper to me the things for which my “Parent-Teacher” heart was longing.  She pointed the way to a Christ-centered, family relationship-focused lifestyle that changed our lives.

So, when God gave us the opportunity to create a curriculum that would allow homeschoolers to really enjoy their journey, it only made sense that we build it the Charlotte Mason way.  We’ve included many of the concepts that Charlotte Mason advocated, and added a few we fancy Charlotte would have if she were living in this century!  We’ve made it easy to do yourself, without having to pull a bunch of things together on your own, so there’s still plenty of time to invest in the character of your kids.  Plus, we made sure to include the kind of life learning that so benefitted our own kids, and really stuck with them as time went by.

So, now, I whisper all of this to you, too!  Don’t wait!  Go out there and get some Charlotte Mason in your life!

It may be that WinterPromise offers you a start on that lifestyle, and we’d love that!  But be sure to meet Charlotte Mason in any case, so that you can develop a lifestyle that suits you as “Parent-Teacher,” and develops the promise in your own family!  You’ll never be sorry that you did!

Kaeryn

Curious to learn more specifically about Charlotte Mason?

Check out our blog Meet Charlotte Mason & Her View of Education!

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Meet Charlotte Mason & Her View of Education!

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Who is Charlotte Mason and what are the basics of her education?

Charlotte Mason was a British educator, who, in the late-nineteenth century, published books on education that were both down-to-earth and practical. Her book, “Home Education,” was innovative and influential to other educators of the time.

She fostered the idea that children could be inspired to learn and explore with joy the world around them. Today, many homeschoolers find her ideals are very relevant to their everyday lives and her ideas are practical and inspiring to both parent and child.

Charlotte Mason’s Fundamental Ideas

Charlotte Mason based her philosophy of education upon nine fundamental, practical principles. There are five “DO’s” and two “DON’T’s.”

DO’s:

  • DO provide intelligent reading in abundance.
  • DO introduce your student to culture and things of beauty — music, nature, poetry, and the arts.
  • DO teach your children to narrate, telling you back about their learning experiences in their own words. Notebooking is a part of narration.
  • DO build habits that shape your child, and teach the discipline of self-education for joy’s sake.
  • DO allow free time to develop as a person instead of a heavy homework load, especially in the younger grades.

DON’T’s:

  • DON’T teach your student to succeed for the sake of a grade; instead, introduce them to things that capture their interest and they will try their best.
  • DON’T plan on lecture times of teaching; instead embrace learning together with discussion, experimentation, and narration.

How Do We Measure Education

Charlotte Mason summed up her ideals about education into the phrase, “bringing up” a child. Karen Andreola, in her marvelous book, “A Charlotte Mason Companion,” sums it up this way:

We all wish our children to be well brought up, and when we have come to understand what that means, we know that we need to go beyond simply fitting the child with the basic skills to make a living . . . First and foremost in importance is the power to live the life God has given in the way God intended. In order to have this power, 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 have come to know, admire, and love… Children are inspired by relationships, and this helps form their personalities. And so, throughout their educational life, we put them in touch with persons, places, and things…When you give your child a Charlotte Mason-style education, you will be endowing them with the substantial things of our culture, and their interest in these things will naturally spill out, like a cup running over, into their leisure activities, even as they enter adulthood.

Children have the same needs as an adult — to have meaningful work that excites and motivates them to achieve more and more. Charlotte believed that traditional educational systems — designed for demonstrated success through testing — denied children the opportunity to grow in their souls. Education should strive to introduce a student to that which expands their knowledge and understanding of the world in a way that shapes them to be the person God intended them to be.

So lets dive deep into some of CM’s ideas!

Wonderful Books

If you talk to anyone about Charlotte Mason, the first thing they’ll mention will be her advocacy of — in her words — “Living Books.” Charlotte believed that a child needed to read books of quality that were written by people who loved their subject matter and brought their subject alive through action and character development. She felt that stories communicated to readers in a way that would excite, be remembered, and induce them to further interest in self-education. You’ll find the wonderful books we’ve chosen will help you toward these goals!

Culture
Introduce your student to the finer things of life, things of beauty and grace, and you will develop in them a taste for these things and a distaste for things that degrade and sully their lives. Our programs attempt to draw in these aspects to your students’ education, and our four-day schedule allows you time to delve into music and art as a separate pursuit.

Narration
Narration is the art of “telling back.” To some extent this ability is inborn in our children. From their earliest childhood they tell us what just happened to them, or what their best friend just told them. Often we as parents are guilty of stemming their enthusiasm for relating to us in this way, when in fact, this skill, if encouraged to blossom and disciplined to be a part of their education, becomes an integral part of their understanding and an opportunity for reinforcement. Parents are encouraged to integrate narration into the program along the way as a habit, and we’ve even included different narration ideas for greater variety.

Notebooking
A great way to “narrate” is in written form. Notebooking has become popular among homeschoolers as a great way to reinforce student studies. Our “Make-Your-Own” history series and “Timelines in History” are exclusive resources designed to help your student learn the joys of notebooking.

Discipline & Free Time Fundamental to Charlotte’s approach is her belief that education needed a proper balance between the discipline of good habits and free time to enjoy. Our daily schedule will help you implement the daily discipline needed to acquaint younger students with the necessity of a habit of study. As students progress, our independent study schedules will allow you to make them accountable to complete their work according to a list for which they are responsible. Finally, high schoolers also have an independent study regime that will build the skills needed to easily move on to more education. And, all of the schedules we’ve created, allow, we believe, plenty of the free time Charlotte advocated.

Learning Together
All of our resources are designed to keep you interacting with your student for much of their studies. Time spent cuddling on the couch, reading together, contrasts well with the times you’ll work together to complete hands-on activities, or, as the student grows older, research activities. Watching an educational DVD, listening to a music CD together or preparing historical recipes all involve family time … and family memories. WinterPromise is committed to bringing together the perfect balance of resources to keep your family excited, interested, and sane!

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Multiple Intelligences!

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Did you know that your kiddo could have different intelligences? There are so many types that no learner is ever the same as another!

Let me explain a little more about multiple intelligences before I tell you the different types! The multiple intelligence theory was developed by Howard Gardner in 1983 to better define the concept of intelligence. His theory questioned whether the methods that were used to “measure” intelligence were scientific and complete. Gardner theorized that the traditional understanding of intelligence was too narrow and only really measured one or two types of intelligence. If two children are taught their multiplication facts in the same teaching style and one of them masters them easily while the other struggles; that does not necessarily mean that the first child is more intelligent than the second. Gardner understood that the second child would most likely learn the same information through a different method of teaching and may understand other topics easier than the first child as well.

Gardner understood that topic and learning style were an important factor in how children learn and how their intelligence should be measured. If you have homeschooled more than one kiddo I am sure that you will agree when we say that no kiddo learns just like another! When we create curriculum we keep in mind Garnders theory of multiple intelligences and make sure we integrate assignments and schedule activities of all kinds to make sure that each kiddos learning style is included!

Below we will explain the nine multiple intelligences and how WinterPromise has included things for each intelligence. While reading through you will most likely find that more than one intelligence sounds like they could relate to your kiddo! Many kiddos actually have more than one intelligence and may prefer learning styles from one or the other. As you read through try to pick out the intelligences that sound most like your kiddo and find the activities they learn best with. Knowing this information you can understand what your kiddos learning style is and be well equipped to pick out the curriculum that fits you and your kiddo each year!

9 Multiple Intelligences:

  • Visual-Spatial Intelligence: This intelligence is characterised by the ability to see with the mind’s eye and spatial judgement. Kiddos with this intelligence often learn best from seeing or drawing things on their own. They love drawing activities and probably are pretty artistic and creative! Your own little Picasso!
    • These students learn best from creative activities, highly-illustrated books, seeing physical timelines, drawing, and notebooking! (All things that WinterPromise offers in each one of their programs!)
  • Verbal-Linguistic Intelligence: This intelligence deals with written or spoken words. Kiddos who have this type of intelligence demonstrate good reading and comprehension, story telling, and are also good at writing. If this is your kiddo you probably know that they love reading books or having books read to them, and they are probably pretty good at speaking and narration. These students learn best by reading information, writing down their thoughts, and notetaking.
    • WinterPromise includes colorful notebooking pages with prompts for students, living texts for all students to read from, timeline cards to study from, and discussion topics for families to talk about while they are learning for students with this type of intelligence!
  • Logical-Mathematical Intelligence: Students with this intelligence are good at activities involving logic, abstractions, reasoning, and numbers. These students have great abstract thinking and prefer to figure things out in their head rather than use their hands or visuals to figure things out. While this intelligence correlates heavily with the “traditional” type of intelligence they may not always learn best from traditional teaching. These students benefit from outlining the main points, and activities that rely on logical thinking.
    • WinterPromise includes key fact narration, important information repetition, chapter or lesson information outlines for students to fill in or learn from, as well as logic based activities. These students would excel in the game chess (p.s. if you have a logical-mathematical learner you might want to check out our chess programs!).
  • Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence: This type of intelligence relates to actually performing activities by moving or involving your body. These students love trying things for themselves as well as can often be labeled as too excited. Rather than thinking of them as too excited to stay seated WinterPromise understands that these students learn best when they can experience it with body movement!
    • WinterPromise always includes “Try it yourself!” sections, hands-on activities, and tons of fun experiments for these students to do as often as they would like!
  • Musical-Rhythmic Intelligence: This area has to do with music, rhythm, and hearing. These students often like to listen to and make their own music and often may like to listen rather than speak. Creating little tunes to remember things by or simply listening to a lecture may sometimes be the best way for them to learn and understand something!
    • WinterPromise includes weblinks to videos, musical games, schedules for books that can be read aloud to them, and options to watch certain DVD’s relating to their program in order to help these kiddos learn best!
  • Interpersonal Intelligence: Interpersonal intelligence has to do with learning with others or in a group. Kiddos with this type of intelligence may be extroverted, sensitive to others moods and emotions, and cooperate well when working with others. They may also struggle when left alone to perform certain tasks or may not enjoy doing school alone rather than with friends.
    • WinterPromise includes family projects and crafts, leadership tasks, group discussions, and prompts for discussing feelings or emotions about or related to what they are learning!
  • Intrapersonal Intelligence: As you can probably guess this intelligence is the opposite of interpersonal intelligence. These students would rather work alone than in a group and often are content playing or entertaining themselves. These kiddos are probably also very adept at understanding their own feelings and have a strong sense of self.
    • WinterPromise includes journaling, independent activities, connection opportunities with characters in living texts or books, and tons of other activities that can be done solo rather than in a group for students with this type of intelligence!
  • Naturalistic Intelligence: As the title suggests students with this type of intelligence love nature and the outdoors. They most likely have a strong connection with animals and nature. Kiddos who have this intelligence are probably relatively interested in science and understand it easily.
    • WinterPromise includes programs focused on nature topics, a scientific resource in many of their programs where students will observe and journal throughout the year, as well as outside activities and observation projects! Be sure to check out the programs Equine Science and Animals and Their Worlds if your student has this type of intelligence!
  • Existential Intelligence: This intelligence is a little trickier than the others. It relates to abstract thinking and philosophical questions. While it might be hard to tell if your student possesses this type of intelligence while they are younger, you may still be able to tell! Students with this learning style will often ask questions related to world structures, emotions, and other questions that as a parent might be hard to answer because there isn’t one true answer. These students may also be very connected to their beliefs or interested in the beliefs of others as well. These students learn best from studying questions that they think of as well as asking questions to others.
    • WinterPromise includes abstract questions, topic starters for “food for thought” discussions, as well as facts and questions meant to get students to think deeper on certain topics for students with this type of intelligence!

You may have read through these intelligences and picked out each one that your kiddos have, or you may still be questioning a few of them. This is okay! As you homeschool and grow with your kiddos you will better understand their intelligences and maybe even notice that they may start to change as they get older! Knowing what learning methods best suit your student is always a trial and error process but thankfully with these intelligences defined above families can get a better start and what they can be looking for in a curriculum to best suit their kiddo for the year!

If you are unsure about which intelligences your student has, reach out to us and speak with us about your student and we can help you pick out their intelligences as well as find a program that fits you and your kiddo best!

Click here if you’re interested in reading more about Howard Gardner’s books.

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Ways to Use the Outdoors in Your Homeschooling Experiences

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We have been talking extensively about integrating the outdoors into your family’s homeschool adventures! Last time we explored the importance of making memories through exploring and discovering outdoors. We also focused on the best way to use the outdoors in your adventure is to do it is what YOU and your family can do and the difference the right approach has on using the outdoors to create memory-making experiences!

Now, we are going to dive into some specifics!

 What are some specific ways you can use the outdoors in your homeschooling experiences?

Some of these ideas are extremely simple while others are a bit more involved. Remember, to get started it is less important how complex what you are doing is, rather simply getting started is the key!

Do another schooling activity, outside!

This engages your student’s other senses and helps them be more creative and attentive because their scene changes.

Practice the cornerstone habits of discovery: investigate, observe, record!

Get a notebook and send them outside with a list of things to investigate, observe, and record. The artistic learners will thrive with this. The recorders and note-takers will enjoy it too. The fidgety learners will love the activity. The benefits keep on going!

In a spelling funk? Create a spelling list based on the outdoors!

Have them scavenger hunt for outdoor items that start with a certain letter and practice spelling them. a

Make nature journaling essential to your homeschooling.

Capture the joy of the outdoors, observation, investigation, discovery, and more through the habit of nature journaling. Make it a weekly or daily part of your homeschooling. This can be artistic, scientific, active, or anything else you want it to be. Get a nice journal or sketch pad and get them outside observing. P.S. it also helps them practice being quite in strategic moments because some observation needs some quiet too!

This is only the beginning but almost anyone can do them.

Remember, it is all about just getting outside when you can and in the way that makes sense for your family.

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Outdoor Learning: The Right Attitude

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In our last post we focused on why outdoor learning can be so beneficial (Integrating the Outdoors into Your Homeschooling – WinterPromise) In today’s post we will talk about our attitude and posture toward outdoor learning. We want you to know that if you take on the attitude that we talk about today you will be successful in making the outdoors a key part of your homeschooling experience.

Before we jump into the attitude there is an important element to learning that must be emphasized. A key part of the WinterPromise educational philosophy and a truly transformative view of learning is that we learn best when we make a memory. Yes, memories make learning. The best way to reinforce something is to help form a memory around it. How do we do that? By making enjoyment, discovery, and engagement paramount. This means for you the parent, ensuring your student discovers, laughs, and makes meaningful memories when you are learning is the best way to support their learning!

So, how does this connect to outdoor learning and our attitude toward it? Keep reading to find out! The way you view the outdoors will mean success or failure for you in carrying it out. If you place all this pressure on yourself or think that you have to “do” it in a specific way to make it a success then you are probably going to stress more and fail more often in creating meaningful learning experiences outside. The key to using the outdoors in your homeschooling is knowing that you should use them in the way that fits your family culture. What does your day look like? What does your outdoor space look like? How far is it? How old are your kids? How much time do you have to carry it out? All these questions only you can answer and they will help guide you to the right use of the outdoors for your family. So, the right attitude is first and foremost making sure that you actually take advantage of the outdoors by doing what you (and your family) can handle. No extra pressure, just do what you can do, how you can do it.

The second part of the attitude is based around making memories. The goal of integrating outdoor learning and the attitude you should take on is NOT one where a super specific task MUST be completed, or you have failed. No, the goal of outdoor learning is to make memories together while exploring and discovering. This is a very broad range of success and lets the student lead. The key for you is to invest time and energy in simply making a memory with your child. This is the very foundation of learning and will make whatever you do with the outdoors a success.

To review:

  1. Making memories is the best way to reinforce learning.
  2. Your attitude will determine your success and an attitude of pressure is not the right one.
  3. The right attitude is twofold:
    1. Do not feel compelled to use the outdoors in the ways other people may expect. Do what makes sense and fits YOUR FAMILY. Only you can judge that.
    2. Finally, every time you do use the outdoors regardless of how specific you are being in your use, your goal is to make memories with your child through laughter, exploration, and meaningful moments.

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Integrating the Outdoors into Your Homeschooling

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Spring and summer often bring the hope and excitement for being outside. For families in general we understand intuitively that being outside is good for our kids and for us. Families that homeschool usually seek to bring the outdoors into their education for their children. In this new series we will explore how best to take advantage of the outdoors in our homeschooling and what posture we as parents should have toward this important goal.

In this post I would like to focus on the actual reasons that being outside is beneficial for your kids. Likely, most of us already have an idea as to why it is good but may lack specific reasons. When we examine the reasons for why something is true (or why we believe it to be true) we often have better clarity and motivation on that specific topic. With that in mind, here is a list of some of the major reasons the outdoors will enhance and are an important part of education.

More than just a different context, but never less.

First, it is important to realize that the outdoors provide more than just a different context for your students to learn. At the same time, it will never be less than that. At the very least you can take them into different scenery which will help them be more creative and more engaged.

Active students and students that are outdoors experience a general academic benefit.

Similar to the last one this will encourage you that even if you don’t feel you are doing something creative or unique with your outdoor learning you are still bringing broad benefits to your child. Studies show that students who are active and outdoors experience a better education.

It offers learning experiences with all senses engaged.

The outdoors offer a fantastic opportunity for you to engage all of their senses all the time. Even though it is not all focused on what they are learning they are simply more engaged outside when they are touching, feeling, and smelling the outdoors.

Problem solving and nimble thinking is promoted.

When a child is outdoors, they are constantly problem-solving or investigating, even when they don’t realize it. Children walking down a path discussing the trees and soil are at the same time avoiding pitfalls, finding stumps to jump from, and looking (or running from) bugs. So much is happening, and this is very healthy for their minds and development. Kids love it too!

Nature and outdoor curiosity are the foundation of sciences, scientific investigation, and cultivates curiosity.

British educator Charlotte Mason believed that promoting nature learning and curiosity was essential for every student as nature investigation is the foundation of the sciences. Do you want your child to excel in STEM? Get them outside early and often! It develops curiosity, joy in experience, and connects them to the idea that they need to investigate and explore the world around them.

ADHD/busy/fidgety students excel in this environment.

Many of our children are either ADHD or are simply busy and active. Often these students experience one of two extremes. Either they need constant stimulation to stay engaged or they are overloaded with stimulation and need calm and space. The outdoors unique serve both students. The outdoors offer loads of stimulation and experience for students craving engagement. While at the same time, it also provides a calm and soothing context for students normally over-stimulated inside. The outdoors are incredibly designed by God to speak to us and help us. Amazing!

Next time we will discuss how our attitude and posture toward outdoor learning is key to making it a success.

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Building a Family Culture

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How Can WinterPromise Help You Build Your Own Family Culture?

WinterPromise was built from the get-go to promote and support your family, to build a family’s own internal culture.  How?

By Providing Themes Family Can Work Through Together . . .
Most of our themes are designed to keep your family learning together — not divide and separate you.  We have themes to help unite families that include a lot of different age ranges, and themes that will work as your family grows older.  Your family will study history, culture, or history together, and yet still find practice in skills areas (such as language arts and math) that are perfect for their individual grade levels.

By Working Through High-Interest Topics That Keep Kids Intrigued . . .
Each day your kids come together to learn, they’re ready to absorb something — it just has to be interesting, capture them in some way.  We here at WinterPromise figure there’s just no reason at all that learning has to be dry or dull.  Interest kids, and they’ll take off on their own.  That’s why so many families write in to tell us stories of how kids don’t even consider their WP themes “school,” but fun!  We love hearing that — and love knowing that kids all over are inspired by their own joy in learning!  This joy gets them extending the learning into playtime or even work time, creating their own culture as they go.

By Offering Resources That Get Kids Imagining . . .
What’s better than finding that your kids have taken the germ of an idea and run with it?  You see it come to life, and see their soul in what they’ve created.  WinterPromise resources are designed to trigger that process.  From ideas on making historical hideaways to creating medieval signboards or a Roman milestone, we give families the kinds of projects, experiments, and hands-on challenges that get kids creating and imagining.  It’s a great place to make memories, and your own fun culture, remembering what you did, when.

By Leading You to Experiences That Help Create Unique Family Memories . . .
Yes, WinterPromise offers you practical activities you’ll actually do, but WP also offers tons of ideas for other kinds of experiences, too.  You’ll encounter ministry and service opportunities, ideas for field trips, ways to visit virtual museums or landmarks, instructions for trying out real-life skills, as well as historical games or recipes.  All of it can be done together.  They teach older kids to be good leaders and managers, get younger learners cooperating, and pass along new skills to everyone.  As  you go, of course you run into experiences that turn into fun or embarrassing moments.  That’s just more memories, more family culture, more stories to share.

By Providing Great Discussion Opportunities Around Every Corner . . .
One of the best things about WinterPromise is how the resources we bring you create opportunities for your family to discuss the really important things.  You’ll find it in resources like our “Prayer and Personal Involvement Journal” from our “Children Around the World” program, a resource that specifically gets kids thinking about how much they have that others do not, and how that links up to their understanding of the world around them, what they need to do about it.  Resources like this one are sprinkled throughout our curriculum, and provide the springboard parents need to talk about the really important things with their families.  The kinds of things that sometimes get lost amidst finding toothbrushes or walking the dog.  More opportunities to talk about the important things equals more time to pass along values, more time to build character, more time to really know one another, more time to mentor and serve one another.  That’s the best kind of family culture.  The kind we here at WP want to help you build!

Why not try WinterPromise and see for yourself?

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