Works for Me - Memorizing Box

Memorizing is a wonderful skill that we should all work on. It is good for children as well as adults. I believe that while memorizing is difficult for adults, it is the best thing we can do to help our brains stay active and young. My 92 year old father-in-law is a perfect example. He can quote poetry and scripture beautifully. He also does the daily crossword puzzle.

In our family scripture memorization is our main task, but we do throw in poetry, hymns, songs and other items. I found a great tool at Simply Charlotte Mason to enhance memorizing. It is a system utilizing a 3x5 file box, dividers and your things to memorize. You will need dividers marked the following way:

*daily

*one each for the days of the week

*31 dividers numbered 1-31

*2 dividers one labeled odd, the other one labeled even

You begin with things you already have memorized, write them on 3x5 cards and disperse them through the dividers. These will be your review items. New things you wish to learn put in front of the daily divider. Pick one that you will begin working on, this one goes behind your daily card. Each day you review your daily card and the other cards that correspond to that date. For example, today is Wednesday - January 10th, you would work on your daily card and review the items behind the Wednesday, #10 and even cards. Tomorrow, you would work on daily, Thursday, #11 and odd. In this manner, each day of the month you will be reviewing items already learned to keep them cemented in your little "ole" brain. As you learn your "daily" item, move it behind the odd or even card and pick a new "daily". The learned item will then progress to a "day of the week" divider and finally to a numbered divider.

This system has worked in our family, the boys enjoy it and it is finally working with my brain. One of my goals this year was to work on more scripture memory, this system Works for Me!

Works for Me - Memorizing Box

https://atmyhearth.blogspot.com/2007/01/works-for-me-memorizing-box.html

Speedy B's First Written Narration

We follow a Charlotte Mason philosophy in our homeschool. Her methodology places a strong emphasis on the student being able to narrate their lessons. If a child can narrate, the piece has become a part of them. I must admit I have not been as faithful in having the boys narrate as I should. This school year, we have tried to narrate at least one lesson a day. Yesterday, for the first time I required a written rather than oral narration from Speedy B.

He read chapter 55 from Child's History of the World, it is about Marco Polo.

"The Tartars came from the east, at the head Genghis Khan. He was a magnificence (magnificent) warrior. He took over many places. He died then his grandson got the throne and made many castles with large gardens in Cathay.

In Venice, Marco Polo, his father and uncle heard about Kublai Khan the grandson. So they got ready to go see Cathay. Kublai asked them to come in and tell him stories about Venice. After they finished, he wanted more so they stayed for almost 20 years. They got magnificent gifts.

So they left after 20 years. They are back home. Not Venentian gentlemen any more, they look like tramps, no one knows them."

I was very pleased with his first attempt. When he gives oral narration, he doesn't typically use "new" vocabulary. In the written form, he used better vocabulary and was more complete with his thoughts.

Speedy B's First Written Narration

https://atmyhearth.blogspot.com/2007/01/speedy-bs-first-written-narration.html

Masterly Inactivity

Masterly inactivity...the art of letting a child simply be is one of the blessings of a Charlotte Mason education in our home. The book Home Education from the Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte Mason states:

"The resourcefulness which will enable a family of children to invent their own games and occupations through the length of a summer's day is worth more in after life than a good deal of knowledge about cubes and hexagons, and this comes, not of continual intervention on the mother's part, but of much masterly inactivity." p. 192

I am fortunate to witness this truth many times a day. The boys have always been able to entertain themselves...now they like to have an occasional audience or wish to tell me of their adventures. But I have never heard the words, "I'm bored" come from their mouths.

Yesterday, while I was supervising Speedy B's math lesson, Smoda came and asked for the dominoes. He then wondered if it would be okay to bring some of his wooden train set downstairs. I began to wonder what type of a mess I would walk into in the foyer. Cowodie had finished up his work and disappeared to help with the construction. Next thing I knew all three boys were involved in a masterpiece that included building blocks, wooden train and dominoes. The premise was that the train would come down from an elevated track, run into the dominoes and begin a chain reaction.

The track....would the plan work?

Proud architects!

The train did accomplish the beginning of a chain reaction, the boys found that their track made too sharp of a turn and so would not complete the tumble down. The joys of childhood!

Masterly Inactivity

https://atmyhearth.blogspot.com/2006/12/masterly-inactivity.html