Charlotte Mason says that "education is the science of relations" and that children should build a relationship with the things that they study.
I think we can check the box for "nature study" recently. Lola adopted 8 motherless babies who had been meandering around our house, porch, and yard last month. [We did eventually get rid of them, but it was a pretty darling relationship for a couple days.]
This relationship led Luke to read Kildee House (a book we read together as a family several years ago). It a darling chapter book that just happens to be illustrated by Barbara Cooney, my favorite illustrator.
It seems as if a switch has flipped in Lola’s brain in the last few months. She is paying attention and is interested in so many things. Together we’ve watched deer as well as an adult squirrel and two babies in our yard. Since she started playing with her bird cards, she has pointed out a robin and an eagle to me when we were outside and she was pretending to be a baby ruby-throated hummingbird (but she didn’t think it was quite fair that only males had ruby throats) while picking out a tiny rock that could be her egg.
A while back I posted this video on my FB page and then in one of my blog posts:
A kind reader, upon watching the video, suggested that we might enjoy The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating. When one can’t make a direct relationship with nature, making a relationship vicariously through another person’s direct relationship is the next best thing. And what a delightful relationship it has been. The book has caused more rabbit snail trails than I can count. Lola and I had already memorized this lovely haiku by Kobayashi Issa:
O snail Climb Mount Fuji, But slowly, slowly!
I originally chose that haiku because we learned the location of Mount Fuji this past year, but it turns out that Kobayashi Issa wrote 54 haiku about snails! We’ve been enjoying the picture book Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs! The Life and Poems of Issa. It’s a gentle reminder to pay attention to nature and savor it.
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is full of literary references—Issa, A.A. Milne, John Donne, Emily Dickinson, and so many more. We’ve looked up definitions for words like humus (not to be confused with hummus); we’ve discussed the words sinistral and dextral and wondered if the word sinister originally had to do with left-handed people. We have been allowed to see life from the eyes and mind of someone who is bed-ridden; we have have been taught to slow down and see that a small thing can be very large indeed if you take the time to look.
We are now in search of our very own snail to love.
Luke, as I’ve mentioned, has enjoyed baking and experimenting in the kitchen this past year or two. My sister, knowing his love of baking and his love of interesting science facts and his love of reading, gave him What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained for his birthday at the end of May. Luke sped through it and loved it, and then Leif devoured it as well. Chemistry in the kitchen—a perfect relationship.
From New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean comes incredible stories of science, history, finance, mythology, the arts, medicine, and more, as told by the Periodic Table.
The Disappearing Spoon reminded me of Salt: A World History, so I grabbed that one off the shelf and handed it to Levi. Who knew that salt was so involved in world history, from ancient to modern times? Kurlansky’s Cod and Paper are on my wish list.
Each pair consists of one male and one female, and the set contains 25 pairs. It is surprising how different a male and female of the same species can appear, so it’s a bit more sophisticated than your average matching game. I was thrilled at how quickly Lola caught on and how much excitement she had over this game. The cards are beautiful and quite thick, and the drawings are absolutely lovely. [I think we may need the bingo game in this series next. Maybe Bugs!]
Just today, she was looking at another book and immediately recognized a puffin. Excitedly, she got out her bird cards and found the matching puffin card. I absolutely love these connections!
After enjoying the bird matching game, I decided to get out our very simple picture book About Birds (pictured above and below). Each page has very little text, but the illustrations are beautiful and each bird is identified. Several of the bird cards match up, so we had to get them out to compare.
At the end of the book, the authors provide a few pages with additional details about each bird.
Now we are reading An Egg is Quiet (pictured below). This whole series by Dianna Hutts Aston is exquisite, and A Nest Is Noisy is another perfect bird-love companion. They are like taking a peek into an incredible nature journal, with watercolor illustrations and charming text.
Each page gives details about eggs (bird and other kinds): shapes, textures, patterns, and more.
On the very last page, we see a two-page spread of animals that come from eggs. It looks like we have more matching to do tomorrow!
[Speaking of integration…] I love the TED-Ed animated videos, and this one is no exception. I think we should experiment with this lesson daily. We’ve tried it twice already this school year. I made the above cookies last week and Luke made scrumptious oatmeal craisin cookies this week. Mmmmmmmmm.
[Again, so much in one post. Help yourself to the buffet. Remember that you can always receive the links spread out over many courses by following my Facebook page.]
"Just because a thing can be noticed, or compared, or fretted over doesn't mean it's important, or even relevant. Better, I think, to decide what's important, what needs to change, what's worth accomplishing. And then ignore all comparisons that don't relate. The most important comparison, in fact, is comparing your work to what you're capable of. Sure, compare. But compare the things that matter to the journey you're on. The rest is noise."
The truth—for this parent and so many others—is this: Her child has sacrificed her natural curiosity and love of learning at the altar of achievement, and it’s our fault. Marianna’s parents, her teachers, society at large—we are all implicated in this crime against learning. From her first day of school, we pointed her toward that altar and trained her to measure her progress by means of points, scores, and awards. We taught Marianna that her potential is tied to her intellect, and that her intellect is more important than her character. We taught her to come home proudly bearing As, championship trophies, and college acceptances, and we inadvertently taught her that we don’t really care how she obtains them. We taught her to protect her academic and extracurricular perfection at all costs and that it’s better to quit when things get challenging rather than risk marring that perfect record. Above all else, we taught her to fear failure. That fear is what has destroyed her love of learning.
"Goodness, then, demands integrity, honor, courage, and sacrifice—the manly, knightly virtues that Tom and his spirited friends practice in their boyish love of fun and adventure. The nice boys, on the other hand, do not take risks, venture beyond safe limits, or question the rules—even though some are silly and senseless. They like prizes, recognition, applause, and adulation. They do the minimum, they act their part, and they know how to curry favor. They show no life, no passion, no pluck. They act primarily on the basis of self-interest."
Science needs all kinds of people. The task of science is seeking truth, and truth-seeking requires we put aside some of our assumptions. Ironically, this is one of the biggest reasons some see Christians as unfit to pursue science, but in reality, people of all faiths (or no faith) all bring assumptions. We simply can’t get rid of them.
But one way to combat our assumptions is to approach problems from a variety of angles. Collaborating with others who do not share our assumptions (whether directly on a project or more generally within the field) places checks on our assumptions. In addition, having a variety of points of view approaching a problem offers additional opportunities for problem-solving and new breakthroughs.
I love the image accompanying this article. Many of our ordinary, everyday words come from the Anglo-Saxon, but many of our intellectual, sophisticated words are Latin-based and our specialized words are often Greek-based.
“…upwards of ninety percent of our academic words in English…are derived from Latin and Greek.”
First, get out your scissors and sit down right in front of that stack of magazines and cut-up-able stuff. You’re going on a treasure hunt for words. Search for interesting, juicy, energetic, vivid words, cut them out, and tape or glue them to the blank side of the tickets. There are no rules about what words to include or not to include in your collection. Find words you like, words that are fun to say out loud, nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, words you don’t know that you have to look up in the dictionary, and phrases that are unusual or funny or beautiful…
Using your markers or crayons or colored pencils, write the words you’ve gathered all over your picture. Write them in colors that fit the different parts of the photo—blues for the sky, greens and browns for the trees. Write them big or little or curvy or sideways. Be as artistic as you want.
When you’ve finished writing all of the words from your pile of word tickets, use your own imagination to add more words. Your photograph has no color, but imagine what colors the things in the photo might be, and write color words in those places. Think about all five senses and write sound words, smell words, taste words, and touch words as well as words that describe the things you see. Fill every space.
"Properly taught, and learned—acquired—a liberal education awakens and keeps alive the imagination. By the imagination, I don’t mean fanciful things, but I mean the capacity to see beyond the end of your nose and beyond the object in front you. That is to see its implications, its origins, its potential, its danger, its charm. All the things that enable one to navigate in this difficult and complex world with a modicum of wisdom, with calm, not be alarmed with every little thing that happens and with resources that in moments of stress, and after retirement, in illness, and loneliness keep one’s soul and body alive. ~ Jacque Barzun, cultural historian and education philosopher." [HT: Paideia Fellowship]
“I believe that children in this country need a more robust literary diet than they are getting... It does not hurt them to read about good and evil, love and hate, life and death. Nor do I think they should read only about things that they understand. '...a man’s reach should exceed his grasp.' So should a child’s. For myself, I will never talk down to, or draw down to, children." -- Barbara Cooney [HT: A Mighty Girl]
Why are such tales so endlessly fascinating, so universally told? Perhaps because it is just such a journey that gives meaning to our own existence. We read or listen to the storyteller in order to orient ourselves within—to learn how to behave in order to get where we are going. Each of us knows that our life is not merely a mechanical progress from cradle to grave; it is a search, a quest, even a pilgrimage. There is some elusive goal that motivates us in our work and our play.
“When you are choosing what books your children or students will read, the stakes are especially high. That is why we have put years of research into The Classical Reader and this companion website, collecting and analyzing the K-12 reading recommendations of classical educators from around the country and seeking those readings that have been important and pleasurable to generations of students. It is an invaluable resource for every school and homeschool family for everything from book reports to reading for pleasure.”
"130 newlywed couples were invited to spend the day at this retreat and watched them as they did what couples normally do on vacation: cook, clean, listen to music, eat, chat, and hang out. And Gottman made a critical discovery in this study — one that gets at the heart of why some relationships thrive while others languish."
Deeply religious, Muir blended science and spirituality deftly. When he noted his discovery of two new species of ferns, he wrote, “Every tree, every flower, every ripple and eddy of this lovely stream seemed solemnly to feel the presence of the great Creator.”
[My friend is currently visiting Yosemite, so we’ll have to enjoy the park vicariously through her pictures while I dream about our next vacation destination.]
I was thrilled to find five beautiful picture books about John Muir at our library, so we are reading them today!
This picture book with vivid illustrations tells the short story of one of Muir’s close encounters with a waterfall in Yosemite Valley. I love that it has an action-packed engaging story on one page (“Quickly, John scoots behind the tumbling, rumbling, twisting, misting, foaming, thundering waterfall”) and more detailed biographical information in a separate paragraph. This book could easily be experienced by reading through twice (and by a wider range of children).
This is a peaceful, serious biography about John Muir with elegant oil-paintings. Each two-page spread features a quote by Muir, and more quotes are listed in the back of the book. The author concentrates on Muir’s love for Yosemite.
“One learns that the world, though made, is yet being made. That this is still the morning of creation.”
[Slightly off-topic, the illustrator, Tom Locker, has also illustrated another book I love, The Boy Who Held Back the Sea, with moody oil paintings reminiscent of Rembrandt. I’m interested in checking out some of this other books such as Sky Tree: Seeing Science Through Art.]
Kathryn Lasky covers Muir’s whole life, from Scotland to Wisconsin, Florida, the Alaskan tundra, and Yosemite, in this comprehensive picture book biography. The acrylic paintings by Stan Fellows are lovely.
This is a detailed and delightful account of Muir’s camping trip with President Theodore Roosevelt in Yosemite in 1903, which led to the creation of several national parks. The author includes more biographical notes in the back of the book.
"So it can hardly be denied that the squid is an interesting animal. What then? What is the value of considering this animal, if any, beyond satisfying the particular interests of the biologist? Perhaps the first thing to note is that whether or not we see the point, as non-specialists, of studying the squid, we are inevitably drawn, upon observing it, to ask questions. “What is it? How does it live?” we wonder. “Why is it?” we may even be tempted to ask. But such questioning, inevitable as it is, is a complicated matter. We bring all sorts of assumptions into the asking, and even more into the act of investigating. When we attempt to understand a thing we are assuming much about its nature, our own, and that of the entire cosmos. Good questioners that we are, we must not leave our questioning itself unconsidered."
The United States has led the world in economic dynamism, innovation and entrepreneurship thanks to exactly the kind of teaching we are now told to defenestrate. A broad general education helps foster critical thinking and creativity. Exposure to a variety of fields produces synergy and cross fertilization. Yes, science and technology are crucial components of this education, but so are English and philosophy. When unveiling a new edition of the iPad, Steve Jobs explained that “it’s in Apple’s DNA that technology alone is not enough — that it’s technology married with liberal arts, married with the humanities, that yields us the result that makes our hearts sing.”
One disastrous consequence of this reductionist view of science is the separation of cleverness from wisdom. Once physics is divorced from metaphysics it is no longer able to make moral or ethical judgments. Liberated from theology and philosophy, which are no longer considered sciences, the new truncated “science,” more properly called scientism, can be put to the service of damnable endeavours. The list of such endeavours, clever but lacking in wisdom, includes the guillotine, the gas chamber, the atomic bomb, nerve gas, biological weapons, and abortion technology.
"At the most fundamental level, it’s a miracle that there’s a universe at all. It’s a miracle that it has order, fine-tuning that allows the possibility of complexity, and laws that follow precise mathematical formulas. Contemplating this, an open-minded observer is almost forced to conclude that there must be a “mind” behind all this. To me, that qualifies as a miracle, a profound truth that lies outside of scientific explanation." -Francis Collins, interviewed in National Geographic Magazine.
"This new scientific wisdom points the way forward, to imagination and creativity now, and eternity later. Our creativity, now, mimics that of God, in the past and future beyond the limits of Time, for that is His plan and is how we are made. Since all this is beyond mere measurement, it is beyond the limits of science and the comfort zone of most scientists—and best we do not tell them, for it would confuse and upset the poor dears. Instead, let us be grateful."
The researchers were surprised to learn that curious brains are better at learning not only about the subject at hand but also other stuff — even incidental, boring information.
But the craft of memorization is not just for our internal uses; like most crafts it has practical application. “As an art, memory was most importantly associated in the Middles Ages with composition, not simply with retention,” say Carruthers. “Those who practiced the crafts of memory used them—as all crafts are used—to make new things: prayers, meditations, sermons, pictures, hymns, stories, and poems.”
To innovate is to introduce change. While STEM workers can certainly drive innovation through science alone, imagine how much more innovative students and employees could be if the pool of knowledge from which they draw is wider and deeper. That occurs as the result of a liberal arts education.
It is so easy to read history as a child and never grasp the significance of geography — all these faceless people and characterless settings we read about. And I tend to be drawn to the ideas of history, it’s true. But at the end of the day, one of the primary ways God has directed history is through creation’s topography.
:: The unexpected math behind Van Gogh's "Starry Night" - Natalya St. Clair @ TED-Ed
(For some art, math, and astronomy. Thanks for the share, Kristin Grear!)
In my opinion, observation is the true heart of all education. Indeed, education is most effective when it arises from a natural curiosity, an innate desire on the part of the student to know and understand. This is especially true of science education, which is, after all, nothing more than the close, methodical observation of God’s natural world.
We’re excited to announce that the 2015 Parent Practicum theme will be science, emphasizing the building nature of science explorations: they lead to understanding and AWE. We begin with the grammar stage of curiosity and wonder, through the dialectic, and end with the rhetoric stage of awe in the face of dawning understanding. Wonder to wonder!
Music cannot be separated from time nor can the timing of music be thought of as something entirely constructed by man. Because of music’s physical and temporal character, music reminds us that time belongs to the very framework of God’s creation.
If we wish to produce young men and women who are capable of thinking like Galileo and Kepler, advancing the boundaries of mathematics and science, they must be educated in all areas of study, including music as well as arithmetic, and be able to integrate the disciplines together.
There is now a battle raging over the scientific method itself, particularly between those engaged in cosmology and those pursuing the study of fundamental physics.
“A powerful and personally developed structuring of information — an active and selective memory — is as necessary for scientists as it is for poets.” [John-Steiner]
But perhaps the most potent use of memory in the creative mind is the cross-pollination of accumulated ideas and the fusing together of seemingly unrelated concepts into novel configurations — something Stephen Jay Gould, arguably the greatest science essayist of all time, captured when he said that his sole talent is “making connections.” John-Steiner quotes a similar sentiment by the Polish-born mathematician Stan Ulam:
“It seems to me that good memory — at least for mathematicians and physicists — forms a large part of their talent. And what we call talent or perhaps genius itself depends to a large extent on the ability to use one’s memory properly to find analogies, past, present and future, which [are] essential to the development of new ideas.”
January always sneaks up on me.It shouldn’t. I mean, my Foundations/Essentials boys will have had six weeks off. Six!! Granted, my Challenge student had fewer weeks off, with an adjusted schedule due to rescheduled classes (he had three community days at the very end, on December 1, 5, and 8), and work to complete over break which he has managed to spread out over the whole break. And we’ll be on a big family vacation during the first week back (wahoo!!), so Levi also needs to be ahead in a few subjects.
We also have Levi’s 13th birthday to celebrate on January 1st before we head to Disneyland a couple days later. So, you see, it’s difficult to imagine getting back into the swing of things on January 12th (a week late).
:: Sheppard Software geography games (fantastic for U.S. and World geography in Foundations and Challenge A, and includes geographical features as well as states and capitals)…
We move on to chemistry for weeks 13-18 and general science topics for weeks 19-24.
[Y’all should know that those last 6 weeks of science memory work are a sneak peek and early preparation for what your student will be learning in the rhetoric strand in Challenge A, which includes the memorization of 57 similar sentences! The first 12 weeks of human anatomy memory work in Foundations cycle 3 help prepare the student for the body systems memory work encountered in the second semester of Challenge A, as well.]
“Alloy. The Man of Steel. I give a backbone to spineless metals. I make them fit for purpose with properties that better suit their uses. Without me, “supermetal” would be, well, just plain old Metal…”
“Radium. I am the heaviest of the gang and a completely captivating character. I shine in any social situation. Bright and luminescent…I’m a real stunner…”
“Lead…Over the years, I’ve gained a bad rap. People say that I build up in bones as a slow poison and that I have damaged children’s development. It’s true that I have an unfortunate ability to slip easily into the food chain—from pipes and cookware, leaded gasoline, and paints to fishermen’s weights. I have also been blamed for ending the ancient Roman civilization. Not fair! These days, I am closely regulated. But I am still used as a shield against x-rays, for roofing, and in stained glass.”
:: The Mystery of the Periodic Table. Looking for a good narrative science read-aloud? Or an interesting history of science chapter book for independent readers? We have enjoyed all of the Living History Library, particularly the books by Jeanne Bendick, so The Mystery of the Periodic Table is on our list. (Levi read it independently a couple years ago and enjoyed it.)
:: DK Eyewitness Books: Chemistry is a good choice for general chemistry information in the visually-attractive (but non-narrative) style of DK reference works—perfect for researching a specific topic or for a child who enjoys poring over books with pictures and detailed captions.
The following is a video set to my friend (and son’s tutor) Mindy Pickens’s rendition of John 1:1-7 in Latin from the Vulgate. (We use the same tune to sing the verses in English.)
Fine Arts
Great Artists:
Grandma Moses, Norman Rockwell, Georgia O’Keefe, N.C. Wyeth, Lichtenstein, and Jim Davis
:: Roy Lichtenstein (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists). I’ve purchased the books by Mike Venezia that correspond with the above artist. I love his style. Entertaining (but thorough) biographical and historical information paired with hilarious illustrations and the artist’s work along with period art and photographs. My boys LOVE them.
[Romantic and Modern periods] Tchaikovsky, Debussy, Stravinsky
:: My most favorite free online resource is far and away Classics for Kids. Many composers are featured (including all three of this cycle’s composers). Click on the composer’s name for biographical information. Then click the top left (green) option “View past Classics for Kids shows about _________.” The shows are radio-style with narration and music. Some are about the composer. Some are about a specific piece of music. Often there are coordinating activity sheets you can print. [These are the options for Tchaikovsky.]
:: Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music! If you are wanting to purchase the single best resource for composers and instruments for elementary students that will carry you through all 3 cycles of Classical Conversations Foundations composers and instruments, this book is my highest recommendation. The first half of the book covers 15 different composers in chronological order as well as a page on each period (Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern). All three of cycle 3 composers are covered (and two each of the previous cycle’s composers). The biographical information is fairly short, and the illustrations are entertaining. The second half of the book covers the instruments, divided by sections of the orchestra. The accompanying CD includes short tracks for each composer and instrument.
:: Igor Stravinsky (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers). Again, my boys devour Mike Venezia’s biography series. We own a plethora of composers, artist, presidents, and inventors, and the boys immediately sit down to read them if I leave them out. Venezia uses a combination of hilarious illustrations and period photographs and art to complement his generous (but child-friendly) biographical information. Very informative and entertaining. Highly recommended.
:: Tchaikovsky Discovers America. My kids adore all of the Classical Kids recordings. They are radio-style full-cast stories with music. I highly recommend the whole collection.
After reading Fractals in Frozen? @ Running with Team Hogan, I had been wanting to learn a little more about fractals—just a little, mind you, as I’m still in the “grammar” stage of such complex mathematical and scientific ideas (not my forte) and I find myself easily intimidated.
Today, while at the library, I stumbled across a beautiful new picture book by Sarah and Richard Campbell. It caught my eye immediately because I remembered enjoying their book about Fibonacci Numbers, Growing Patterns: Fibonacci Numbers in Nature. Their most recent book, Mysterious Patterns: Finding Fractals in Nature, is just as lovely. The photography is beautiful, and both are great (simple) introductions to the mathematical and scientific patterns for younger children (and their parents who did not learn such things in school).
I read it in the truck while waiting for Levi at swim practice, and my fingers were itching to do some doodling when we arrived home. Mom doodling with markers at the kitchen table is apparently an irresistible sight to young boys, so Leif joined me. He excitedly read the book and started in on his own fractal trees. And then Levi and Luke wanted to know all about fractals…
A gray and drizzly sort of day. After breakfast and chores a longer hike was cancelled in favor of four classes closer to camp. The students hunted (in the rain) for macroinvertebrates at the confluence where Battle Axe Creek and Opal Creek meet. Then it was inside to warm up and learn about geology (this area was once mined for copper and lead). After lunch we dissected owl pellets (inside, dry and warm) and hunted for amphibians (in the rain). Everyone met up in the lodge for a snack, then the kids headed out into the pouring rain to play a game. They dried off while eating dinner. Chores were completed and a rousing game of Jeopardy played. Lights out at 10 pm.
[A highlight of the trip was certainly the families who attended outdoor school. We were prior friends with most of them, and I love these people. But the best thing? I got to sleep on the bunk next to my best friend of 25 years. It felt like we were back in school. Grin.]
