Kelly Crawford

Charlotte Mason’s well-rounded education included a study of the arts for children, beginning at around age 6 (she suggests little “planned” activity or academics before this age).

But just like everything Charlotte Mason, once you understand the model, the “doing” is quite easy.  So easy, in fact, that I think her methods have been brushed off for more complicated studies.  The more one studies Mason’s methods, the clearer it is that she understood the value of a whole education, and that her students had a superior academic experience than many of their counterparts.

I’ve pondered lately what I believe is the “miracle” of art.  That a man or woman can take a pencil and draw an image so that it becomes almost life-like on paper is nothing short of miraculous.  And doesn’t that point expressly to our Creator?  Why do some have voices that cause us to be mesmerized?  How do some know how to take a simple food and make it magnificent?  Compose music?  Make even a discarded item lovely?

And even those who feel they have no “gift” for performing art, even they behold it with a measure of awe, and appreciate what tantalizes the senses–this too, makes them artists, and is miraculous.

This is God in us…and worthy of our attention and admiration and cultivation!

Here are the ways Miss Mason suggested to cultivate the natural love of arts she believed was in every child:

Picture study.

Mason suggested studying 1 artist in a 12 week period, viewing at least 6 works of art.  She also suggested that the parent need say very little about the picture but that the picture could “talk” itself to the child.   A question or two may be helpful to get the child to ponder the work, but a simple familiarity and visual study is sufficient.  Having the child draw an illustration of the work draws his powers of attention to detail and was always encouraged.

“We cannot measure the influence that one or another artist has upon the child’s sense of beauty, upon his power of seeing, as in a picture, the common sights of life; he is enriched more than we know in having really looked at even a single picture.”

Composer study.

With the same frequency as above, Mason suggested that the child simply be exposed to classical works of music.  Selections playing in the background at home was enough.  I’ve always tried to catch free concerts and such to attend when possible.  Hearing live, beautiful music can really spark a passion in a child, even at a very early age.

In addition, just having instruments in the home, available for investigation, can spark interest in music.  Miss Mason also encouraged singing!

Handicrafts.

Mason believed children need to be productive with their hands.  Clay, needlework, knitting, crocheting, painting, blocks, etc., were suggestions to keep little minds and hands active and creating.  Other suggestions might be wood carving, card-making, cooking, and I’m sure you can think of many more!

Poetry, Mason believed, was best received by hearing and not critiquing.   So you get a feel for part of the faith she had; that marvelous things are planted in the hearts and souls of children, waiting to grow, and may in fact, grow best when simply left to flourish.

Note:  There are lots of places on the web from where you can print famous artist’s works.  Here is a great place to find Leonardo da Vinci’s.

Part 1-Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason Series

Part 2-Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: Living Books

Part 3-Homeschooling: Charlotte Mason: The Schedule is Your Servant

Part-4Homeschooling with Charlotte Mason: Writing, Spelling and Grammar

Part-5Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: Nature Study

Part 7–Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: Daily Plans

“Every hour spent in the open is a clear gain, tending to the increase of brain power and bodily vigor, and to the lengthening of life itself. They who know what it is to have fevered skin and throbbing brain deliciously soothed by the cool touch of the air are inclined to make a new rule of life, Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.” -Charlotte Mason

It would be an understatement to say that a very important part of Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy was the study of nature and outdoors. She believed that often being among nature was as important as breathing. She compelled mothers to allow children to play not an hour or two a day, but four or five hours a day outside, often attending them and directing them to study, drink in and immerse themselves in the marvels of creation.

“Let me repeat, that I venture to suggest, not what is practicable in any household, but what seems to me absolutely best for the children; and that, in the faith that mothers work wonders once they are convinced that wonders are demanded of them.” -CM

She suggests that while children need a great deal of time to be left alone, the mother also needs to be actively and deliberately helping to train their eyes and senses through the classroom of nature.

“They must be let alone, left to themselves a great deal, to take in what they can of the beauty of earth and heavens; for of the evils of modern education few are worse than this––that the perpetual cackle of his elders leaves the poor child not a moment of time, nor an inch of space, wherein to wonder––and grow. At the same time, here is the mother’s opportunity to train the seeing eye, the hearing ear, and to drop seeds of truth into the open soul of the child, which shall germinate, blossom, and bear fruit, without further help or knowledge of hers.” -Charlotte Mason

Most Charlotte Mason homeschoolers use the term “Nature Study” to define that part of their curriculum that employs the study of the outdoors. A nature study is the practice of taking the children out to observe the outdoors. The children either take along a sketch book (better if it’s designated specifically for this exercise) or they bring back some part of nature or they try and remember an object they wish to illustrate. Using their best memory of details, they sketch a selected object (leaf and bark of tree, bird, acorn, grass, flower, etc.) Some description of the object is then written on the page, although sometimes a poem or quote can be written. A field guide is helpful in writing descriptions.

But like all of the CM philosophy, this aspect goes deeper than just checking off an activity. The mother must understand and embrace the depth and value of this practice. Charlotte Mason gave some practical guidelines a mother can follow if she wishes to make nature study an integral part of her child’s education (more are discussed in the referenced link at the end of the post):

Education of Sight-seeing

“…she sends them off on an exploring expedition–who can see the most, and tell the most, about yonder hillock or brook, hedge, or copse. This is an exercise that delights children, and may be endlessly varied, carried on in the spirit of a game, and yet with the exactness and carefulness of a lesson….

This is all play to the children, but the mother is doing invaluable work; she is training their powers of observation and expression, increasing their vocabulary and their range of ideas by giving them the name and the uses of an object at the right moment,––when they ask, ‘What is it?’ and ‘What is it for?’ And she is training her children in truthful habits, by making them careful to see the fact and to state it exactly, without omission or exaggeration. The child who describes, ‘A tall tree, going up into a point, with rather roundish leaves; not a pleasant tree for shade, because the branches all go up,’ deserves to learn the name of the tree, and anything her mother has to tell her about it. But the little bungler, who fails to make it clear whether he is describing an elm or a beech, should get no encouragement; not a foot should his mother move to see his tree, no coaxing should draw her into talk about it, until, in despair, he goes off, and comes back with some more certain note––rough or smooth bark, rough or smooth leaves,––then the mother considers, pronounces, and, full of glee, he carries her off to see for himself.” -CM

Reading about Miss Mason’s passion for nature is contagious! But even more is her conviction that a mother holds the power to lead her children to a higher awareness than we are accustomed to believing can be obtained. And perhaps never more in the history of man must we fight against the deadening amusements that constantly pull our attention. I wonder what she would have to say if she could see the children in our day with all their hours of mindless video games and television.

“It is infinitely well worth of the mother’s while to take some pains every day to secure, in the first place, that her children spend hours daily amongst rural and natural objects; and, in the second place, to infuse into them, or rather to cherish in them, the love of investigation.” -CM

As I read Mason’s explanation of the educational value of the nature study, I am reminded how we complicate things so much. It’s ironic that our educational system boasts of more money, more books, more technology and more resources than ever in history, and yet a simple browsing through a text book from 100 years ago will reveal the unmistakable fact that we are less educated now than ever. Let it be a reminder to us then, that it doesn’t take more teachers, more classes, more advancements to raise intelligent, insightful children. Do you feel pressured to “keep up with the system”? Consider that there is a wealth of education and opportunity at our disposal–let’s use it!

“Consider, too, what an unequalled mental training the child-naturalist is getting for any study or calling under the sun––the powers of attention, of discrimination, of patient pursuit, growing with his growth, what will they not fit him for? Besides, life is s0 interesting to him, that he has no time for the faults of temper which generally have their source in ennui (boredom); there is no reason why he should be peevish or sulky or obstinate when he is always kept well amused.” -CM

Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: Part 1

Part 2-Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: Living Books

Part 3-Homeschooling: Charlotte Mason: The Schedule is Your Servant

Part-4Homeschooling with Charlotte Mason: Writing, Spelling and Grammar

Part 6-Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: The Arts

Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: Part 7–Daily Plans

Charlotte Mason believed (and proved) that children are born with an instinctive, curious nature only limited by a lack of opportunity to satiate it.  She also believed children had a capacity to learn much more than we give them credit for.

The fundamental and distinguishing attribute of the CM method is making “living books” the heart of education.  Her term for mediocre literature was “twaddle”.  The opposite of “twaddle” she called “living books”–literature both rich in language and written by authors passionate for their subjects.

This simple concept of how great literature makes a great education seems too obvious to state.  Yet we fall into thinking that children can only understand “little books” written for them, and often wait much too long to introduce them to rich literature, handicapping their capacity to understand it later.

In my ebook Think Outside the Classroom, I gave a simple analogy of what this looks like regarding the introduction of Scripture to children:

“…if we postponed speaking to a child until he was old enough to understand the words, linguistically, he would be greatly impaired! The same is true of his spiritual understanding. A person who has not heard the regular reading of God’s Word until he is old enough to understand likely won’t understand it at all!”

For those new to Charlotte Mason, a good way to slowly begin or merge your existing methods with the Mason methods would simply be to start building a library of “living books”.  The best place to start finding those books is Ambleside Online, the official Charlotte Mason website.  Many of the books there are even free for download.

And don’t forget the importance of reading Scripture–straight from the Bible (and Mason preferred KJ for its rich language), which should be hailed in our families as the most important piece of living history available!

Part 1-Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason

Part 3-Homeschooling: Charlotte Mason: The Schedule is Your Servant

Part-4Homeschooling with Charlotte Mason: Writing, Spelling and Grammar

Part-5Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: Nature Study

Part 6-Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: The Arts

Part 7–Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason: Daily Plans