October Meeting

Meeting at Ruth's- present, Ruth, Karen, Michelle.

Looked at what we had used from last meeting. Michelle is looking into a Charlotte Mason approach using resources from AMBULSIDE ONLINE.

She has bought the origanal series written by Charolotte Mason as well as "For The Children's Sake" by Susan S Macaulay.

We discussed measures we have tried to take to maximise time management.

Karen has had to plan a lot of work for the children ahead of time so she can ensure they continued their education while she has been receivin chemo. She has also noted that the children have responded to her changed health by using their time to read with her and to her and that she has seen a marked improvement in her son's reading as a result.



She told a lovely story of how she had taken the children to the library and bought a bag load of sencond hand books including an old Dorling Kindersley one that looked at human life on earth. She had sat with them the next day looking at this book-not as any formal lesson, and they had read about the Leakey discovery of 'Lucy'.

Then when taking her son and his friend out one night she heard him in the back of the car explaining all about what he had learned from this book; about Lucy and what she was like and later to his dad about hunting harpoons and so on.

This helped us all realise that 'formal' may be a good way to learn, but our children also learn in the relaxed family time setting just as well-if not better.



Michelle explained that she has a 'Brain Book' in which she records what she has done and needs to do in order to keep on top of tasks and fit them around her daughter's timetable.



Talked more about what Charlotte Mason's gentle art of learning might offer all of us including in areas of habit forming and discipline-routine and as the three of us are Christian- a Christ centred approach to our children's development as persons.



Ruth has recently had someone come to help her with the children and is adjusting to having another person join in with her in this process.

Ruth and Michelle had discussed research that shows that children do not respond well to formal education before the ages of 6-8. Ruth had been using a classical curriculum, but is now looking to relax things a little while she considers Mason's views and thinks about possibly taking a new approach.



The next meeting is set for Sat Nov 10th 8pm