(The next portion of the plenary lecture given at the CMI international conference, June 20, 2015) We must employ living books for all school subjects, not just for fiction reading- imagination stimulating, curiosity provoking books. Information is received, she said, if accompanied with enough narrative padding. Which tastes better, a vitamin C tablet or a fruit salad? Are their history… Read More Vision for Children, Ninth Installment
(This is a further portion of the plenary speech shared at the Charlotte Mason Institute international conference, June 20, 2015) My books have shown me what was good, and what was not. The best fiction books are not those without any negative or ugly incidents, but show characters who wrestle with difficult moral choices and reveal the subsequent… Read More Vision for Children, Eighth Installment
(A portion of the plenary speech at the Charlotte Mason Institute’s Annual Conference, June 20, 2015) Of course, as a child I had no idea faith and wisdom for life were growing in me, only now, by looking over my shoulder, can I see the trail of books that showed me the way. I’m pretty sure my mother… Read More Vision for Children, Seventh Installment
(A portion of the plenary speech at the Charlotte Mason Institute’s international conference, June 20, 2015) When I read Mason’s thoughts on a child’s sensitivity to the Bible, it reminds me of a passage from Gentian Hill by Elizabeth Goudge, one of the favorite stories of my whole life, of 12-year-old Stella’s inner thoughts during her adoptive family’s nightly… Read More Vision for Children, Fifth Installment
(A portion of the plenary speech given at the Charlotte Mason Institute, June 20, 2015) One powerful example of this I recall is the memory I have of lying on the carpet in our living room, staring at the sun streaks across the floor, listening intently to a Scottish lady reading a story on the radio. I think I… Read More Vision for Children, Fourth Installment
(This is a portion of the closing plenary lecture at the Charlotte Mason Institute, June 20, 2015) Of all my childhood memories, many involve reading. One is lying in my trundle bed, probably I was two or three, listening to my mother read Mother Goose. I still remember those rhymes perfectly, can hear her voice rhythm in Hickory Dickory… Read More Vision for Children, Third Installment
{Read the first installment here} It is imperative, Mason knew, for children to be nourished by story – nourished in mind and heart. Only living stories satisfy their appetite for life, for living, and their books must be living, to feed the soul. This feeding is our duty, she says, : “Here a little, there a little – whence… Read More Vision for Children, Second Installment
Last week I had the joy of returning to the Charlotte Mason Institutes national conference. This annual event is something we look forward to all year long; it is a highlight of our year, a time of refreshment, friendship building, and learning. This year, I had the great honor of being asked to address the 300 attendees on the… Read More Vision for Children, First Installment
{Yesterday we honored fathers, and in honor of a very special father,my son-in-law, Emily’s husband, and more importantly, Jonah’s and soon-to-arrive new baby’s father, we are pleased to share his reflections on the importance of the strong characters in our stories.} Most readers have encountered a story that seems to have everything going for it.… Read More Characters Welcome
When my children were small, a sure-fire way to drive their daddy crazy was to chant, especially on long car trips. If you sit quietly at any playground and listen, you will not be able to miss some rhythmic, sing-song childish chorus, because children’s love of the cadence of language is as natural to them as breathing, which all advertisers… Read More A Minute for Poetry