tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-74306381735873378482024-03-20T12:44:18.777-07:00A Generous Education"The limit to human intelligence arises largely from the limit to human interests."
- Charlotte Mason; The Original Home Schooling Series, Vol. 3, School EducationCrunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-40375851836182637182017-08-14T18:40:00.003-07:002017-08-14T21:29:12.548-07:00A Few Random Thoughts and Peter Paul Rubens Art PrintsHappy fall, y'all. Okay, it's not actually fall, despite what the decor in Hobby Lobby is telling you. It's hot and muggy here in Colorado: hot enough to be miserable, but not hot enough to swim. *<i>pout</i>* Autumn is coming, though.<br />
<br />
1. <b>A new school year is upon us.</b> My family started three weeks ago, but I know many of you are finishing your final prep work before you get started. I'm heading into this year with a second, fifth, and seventh grader. (SEVENTH GRADER!! Ahhhhhhh!!!) My kiddos jump grades in the fall for the purpose of church classes, activities, and answering strangers in the grocery store, but they don't finish their curriculum years until January. We break for summer in the middle of a 12-week term, so starting back in the fall just means picking up our books where we left off. Right now, that is Years 2, 4, and 6 of <a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/" target="_blank">AmblesideOnline</a>. Because of our schedule, most of my academic planning happens over Christmas Break.<br />
<br />
2. <b>What I do need to prepare in the fall</b>, however, are the fine arts subjects. After seven years of homeschooling, I know myself well enough to know that if we're going to get to a subject during a busy day, it needs to be queued up and ready to go. For arts subjects, that means I have playlists or CDs of our hymns, folksongs, and composers. For art study, that means all my pictures are printed, trimmed, and filed somewhere. I'm currently running behind in my fine arts organizing, but I am making progress.<br />
<br />
3. <b>Naked people</b>. No, I'm not talking about toddlers rampaging through my house. Peter Paul Rubens is the artist for our first term. He was a Belgian Baroque painter, and he brings a lot of Greek Classical elements into his paintings... including nudity. When we studied the first scheduled print, every single one of my kids felt the need to observe, "There are a LOT of naked people in this picture, Mama." They weren't particularly giggly or disturbed, just pointing out the facts, ma'am. (Okay, they were a little giggly.) In our family, we have no problem with nudity in art, presuming that the image is not designed to titillate. As such, I actually have a bigger problem with an image like Fragonard's <a href="http://68.media.tumblr.com/5204db31bbcf4860f16dc357593b2df2/tumblr_inline_nn8lq19LSZ1qhcax5_500.jpg" target="_blank">The Swing</a> than I do with Rubens' <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fall_of_Phaeton_(Rubens)#/media/File:Peter_Paul_Rubens_-_The_Fall_of_Phaeton_(National_Gallery_of_Art).jpg" target="_blank">The Fall of Phaeton</a>. Your family may take a different tact, and that's great. I'm not telling you what to do, and you don't have to call me a pagan in the comment section, deal? (Don't laugh; it has happened.) At any rate, the kiddos and I had a very interesting conversation about Greek art, why they painted and sculpted nudes, and their effect on Rubens. They enjoyed our study time quite a bit, especially when I gave them muffins to eat while we were looking and talking.<br />
<br />
4. <b>Peter Paul Rubens.</b> If you avoid nudity in your art studies,
you may want to choose a different artists or some different pieces,
rather than what is listed on the AmblesideOnline rotation. I have had
several parents ask me how I format my prints. I thought I wrote a post
about that, but apparently not. <i>Oops</i>. I plan to remedy that next week,
after we get back from our eclipse trip. In the meantime, I am done with
our Rubens prints, and I'm really excited about the artwork we will be looking at. It feels different from anything we have studied yet. (Be sure to
check out the sizes on his canvases. Several of them are HUGE! One of
the things I have had my kiddos do before is outline the original size
of the picture in masking tape to get a feel for just how big it is.)<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWNS8SuIp07ewZPicC5mI6t5wDoFAQEuzNBaINC7P0rGp87luJPximi2fswl7S4d9tkOiVEAVM5GM1wS_6DP4ZHniB-gJncX7a5FSaNkOLFr2-OIplHrH-efqE4GX-3GnEEgxPqxtmL2j/s1600/Renoir-Self-Portrait.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1147" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdWNS8SuIp07ewZPicC5mI6t5wDoFAQEuzNBaINC7P0rGp87luJPximi2fswl7S4d9tkOiVEAVM5GM1wS_6DP4ZHniB-gJncX7a5FSaNkOLFr2-OIplHrH-efqE4GX-3GnEEgxPqxtmL2j/s320/Renoir-Self-Portrait.jpg" width="229" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Self-portrait, 1623, Royal Collection - I didn't include this one in my prints, because he looks mighty grumpy.</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/iyq8nzlzb50loeb/Rubens%208x10%20Prints.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Download 8x10" prints here</a>. As always, I included a self-portrait so the kids can see the artist. If you don't want it, just delete that page when you download the file.<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/hivuwvwkv4id4vw/Art%20Cards%20PDF%20copy.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Download 4x6" art cards here</a>. They print three on a page, and I trim them to fit in the kids' <a href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2013/08/making-it-personal-book-of-masterpieces.html" target="_blank">Book of Masterpieces</a>. Those books are still well-beloved and often-used in our home. I have lovely, slightly misty, visions of the kids sitting on their dorm room beds, finding comfort and a whiff of home as they flip through all their beautiful pictures. **sigh**<br />
<br />
As usual, I have my prints done at Office Max on glossy cardstock. Regular sized paper is the cheapest way to get them printed, and I trim them size. Unfortunately, I have noticed an increase in their prices in the last couple years. If anyone has an option that prints as nicely and costs less, I'm all ears.Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-36273346751269673662016-10-21T04:00:00.000-07:002016-10-24T09:46:47.405-07:00From the Commonplace<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlB02YT7WX2y39WLcoUc6XoMZJj042Kw4-B_7TYcn-c8pRkooM0LH0c6c6vPV8xh4vVlEx1IoMWwOZA2_M17V_h67KfPIm0Uq9fkcWc0ONkcSOn18x4NfVCxxGLzy-M835VX9NCtg4RQSl/s1600/Rugby+Chapel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlB02YT7WX2y39WLcoUc6XoMZJj042Kw4-B_7TYcn-c8pRkooM0LH0c6c6vPV8xh4vVlEx1IoMWwOZA2_M17V_h67KfPIm0Uq9fkcWc0ONkcSOn18x4NfVCxxGLzy-M835VX9NCtg4RQSl/s640/Rugby+Chapel.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>You can read the full text of Mr. Arnold's tribute to his father <a href="http://www.bartleby.com/254/125.html" target="_blank">here</a></i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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What you are doing today matters, my friends. May the Lord strengthen us and bless us.Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-18797927806461975952016-10-17T07:08:00.002-07:002016-10-17T07:08:40.786-07:00When You Just Aren't Feeling It<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u70L9rQP5yac99BV0U0iok2nmFOCgYLY_I0sWKd4CrLDTfTVIJ6MLKiYarFo8daLDzZrLLiyIROk2fr9mwsf_AKN_3ddY74EBGDBNFYh7_cjo_P8lVR0Q8_1heQtVUIdwtmAb0_lW-Un/s1600/Flat+Ball.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4u70L9rQP5yac99BV0U0iok2nmFOCgYLY_I0sWKd4CrLDTfTVIJ6MLKiYarFo8daLDzZrLLiyIROk2fr9mwsf_AKN_3ddY74EBGDBNFYh7_cjo_P8lVR0Q8_1heQtVUIdwtmAb0_lW-Un/s400/Flat+Ball.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Do you ever feel flat? My kids left a playground ball under the
trampoline more than a month ago. It has been rained on, overheated by
some blistering summer days, and now cooled considerably by a couple
weeks of chilly fall nights. That bouncy ball is looking considerably
worse for wear: dull, deflated, half buried in the overgrown grass, and
generally weather-beaten and forlorn. For the past couple weeks, I have
been feeling a lot like that ball. I’m reading interesting books. I
found an excellent new podcast, and it is clarifying ideas that have
tumbled in my head and heart for a long time. I have spent time with
some good friends and even discovered that a dear family is moving back
to our area after several years out of the country. Good things are
happening, but I still feel flat, weather-beaten, and a little bit
forlorn.<br /><br />I love ideas. I love the excitement that floods me when
my eyes are opened to a new way of seeing the world, when I feel
overwhelmed with a beautiful vision. Monday morning? Bring it on! I hit
the floor running and ready to conquer our week. When I’m full of
motivation, I can climb mountains and plant a flag for Truth, Goodness,
and Beauty.<br /><br />But then, life isn’t always like that, is it? Some
days Monday feels like... well, a Monday. Rolling out of bed is only
accomplished through a mixture of habit, defiance, and bone-deep
desperation for that first cup of coffee. The past few Mondays, I have
stood at the head of the week, and looking forward made me feel more
exhausted than excited. I wrote to a friend that I feel like all I can
do is to keep moving forward and trust that something is going to light a
fire.<br /><br />Where is your heart today? Do your lesson plans look more
like a roadmap to wonder or a list of drudgeries? What is a homeschool
parent to do on a dreary October day, when the lesson plans stretch far
past the motivation?<br />
<br />
<br />
Click over the the CME Retreat blog to <a href="http://cmeretreat.weebly.com/blog/when-you-just-arent-feeling-it" target="_blank">read more</a>Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-47462329436023693282016-09-12T06:37:00.001-07:002016-09-12T06:37:22.448-07:00Part III - Scheduling the Day to Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMydios8KijD8Eewg_7FhTb3MhMNVb9N_Nydk9nUQhamrSIGRGDCgUQ3ALIJ5W-jvip8tB8Y_YnHHHfv65H8u5LY6gp_jz2M7UCL_m8EoXzuZeUrxxerOYMd7tD-hRFvgnfNMj2eYV1R2f/s1600/24-hours.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMydios8KijD8Eewg_7FhTb3MhMNVb9N_Nydk9nUQhamrSIGRGDCgUQ3ALIJ5W-jvip8tB8Y_YnHHHfv65H8u5LY6gp_jz2M7UCL_m8EoXzuZeUrxxerOYMd7tD-hRFvgnfNMj2eYV1R2f/s400/24-hours.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Being a part of the Q&A panel at the end of last year's Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat was a
lot of fun, but this one kind of left me floundering: "<i>Regarding
scheduling: when do you get done laundry, dishes, grocery shopping,
etc.? Do you guard your mornings from these tasks?</i>" It's a fairly
simple question that seems to call for a simple response, right?<br />
<br />
"We do this..." That's not so hard.<br />
<br />
But
the more I thought about it, the less I was inclined to give a straight
answer. You see, what works for me might be a disaster for you. By
saying "We do this..." I risked laying a burden on someone who hears,
"This is the <i>right</i> way to do it, so you have to do it my way."
We all get 24 hours each day, but how we spend them is going to look
unique for each family, even if we follow the same principles, like the
ones that drive a Charlotte Mason education. How does someone go about
creating a schedule for their day?<br />
<br />
Eventually, this simple question turned into the series you've been reading. In <a data-cke-saved-href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2016/08/finding-given-times.html" href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2016/08/finding-given-times.html" target="_blank">Part I - Finding the Given Times</a>, I wrote about attending the Living Education Retreat and being inspired to make huge changes to how I organized my day. In <a data-cke-saved-href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2016/09/part-ii-on-your-mark-get-set.html" href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2016/09/part-ii-on-your-mark-get-set.html" target="_blank">Part II - On Your Mark; Get Set...</a>,
I discussed some of the things I did to lay the groundwork for
successful change: how did I figure out what I needed from a schedule,
what I was currently spending my time on, and what needed to change? Now we finally get to sit down and do the fun
part―putting pen to paper (or color to spreadsheet box, whichever you
prefer) and figuring out what we want our days to look like.<br />
<br />
Please join me <a href="http://cmeretreat.weebly.com/blog/scheduling-the-day-to-day" target="_blank">over on the CME Retreat blog</a> to wrap up our series. As we finish up, I would love to hear your thoughts. What ideas are sparking your interest as you look at planning your own days out?Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-53940050977551042452016-09-06T17:07:00.002-07:002016-09-06T17:07:39.568-07:00Part II - On Your Mark; Get Set...Welcome back to our planning series. In <a href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2016/08/finding-given-times.html" target="_blank">the first part of this series</a>, I talked about my experiences at the Living Education Retreat. So... there I was, feeling all inspired and ready to change my whole life. Maybe you've been here before? You see or try something and it seems like The Answer to All Your Problems. You adopt the system wholesale, but after a while it fails miserably. Yup, me too. I’ve failed so many times at getting organized that I was feeling a little cynical that I ever <i>could</i> do better. This time, I knew I needed to start well so that I would be encouraged to keep going. That made my first order of business to figure out what I wanted from a schedule.<br />
<br />
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<br />
A schedule isn't a moral good in itself. It is a tool for accomplishing a purpose. Like any other tool, I needed to know what I wanted to build before I could decide what tool would help me do it. When it got down to the essentials, what I wanted from my schedule was (1) to have the decision-making done beforehand. Decision fatigue was sucking me dry. I needed to know exactly what was next, so I could put my energy towards actually doing it; and (2) to still have the flexibility to deal with unexpected situations. It’s important to me that I can drop everything to help a friend, or that I can see that my kids are wiped out and what we really need to do today is go swimming with friends. <strike>Perfect order and perfect flexibility.</strike> No, we're looking for doable, not perfect. That means I wanted my time to be reasonably ordered for a normal kind of day without accounting for every second, but still flexible enough to handle a not-so-normal day.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Where are you now?</b><br />
<br />
The next step for me was to do a Time Evaluation. Sounds fancy, huh? Actually, I just tried to consciously observe how I normally spent my time. Did I do a good job deciding what needed to be done? How much was used for the task I had planned on doing? Where did I use my time well? What caused me to waste it? How much time did it take for me to transition from one task to another? How about my kids? <i>What did we actually DO all day?</i> I might bristle if my husband asked that last question, but it was one that I needed to ask myself. If you like to write stuff down, you might keep a time journal. (That wasn’t going to happen for me. Ahem.) A few days of paying attention made my problem areas surprisingly clear to me.<br />
<ol>
<li><b>Transitions</b> - I wasted a lot of time looking at a To Do list (when I had one), and trying to decide what to do next.</li>
<li><b>Distraction</b> - Even when I knew what to do next, I often got distracted by something that needed put away or cleaned, a project that looked more appealing, or whatever thought happened to pop into my head at the moment. Things that needed to be done by a particular time were being dropped because I got distracted by something that could have waited.</li>
<li><b>I have kids</b>. They aren’t so good with transitions either, especially starting chores and school time. If I’m not ready to help them get started, they get distracted by something more interesting and I have to start the rounding up process all over again.</li>
<b>
</b>
<li><b>The internet</b>. ‘Nuff said, right?</li>
</ol>
If you are struggling, I encourage you to do your own Time Evaluation. Get as fancy or simple as you need to. Write things down... or don’t. The key is to <i><b>be honest with yourself</b></i>. Remember to include things you can’t change, so that you know that you
need to figure out a way to work around them. If you have babies and
toddlers, you must have a certain amount of flexibility to meet their
unpredictable needs. The whole point here is to get an honest picture of your life right now. Being aware and realistic—about the good and the bad—is the first step to changing things.<br />
<br />
Once you have an honest evaluation done, it's time to get to the good part... daydreaming about what you <i><b>do</b></i> want!<br />
<br />
So how about you? Have you ever tracked your time? What did you learn from it?Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-9205988132846136922016-08-30T15:20:00.001-07:002016-08-30T15:21:14.740-07:00From the Commonplace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Judge not! the workings of his brain</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And of his heart thou canst not see;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">What looks to thy dim eyes a stain,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">In God's pure light may only be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">A scar, brought from some well-won field—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Where thou wouldst only faint and yield.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The look, the air that frets thy sight,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">May be a token, that below</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The soul has closed in deadly fight</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With some infernal fiery foe,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Whose glance would scorch thy smiling grace,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And cast thee shuddering on thy face!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The fall thou darest to despise,—</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">May-be the Angel's slackened hand</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Has suffered it, that he may rise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And take a firmer, surer stand;</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Or, trusting less to earthly things,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">May henceforth learn to use his wings.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And judge none lost! but wait and see,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">With hopefull pity, not disdain!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The depths of the abyss may be</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The measure of the height of pain,</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And love and glory that may raise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This soul to God in after days.</span><br />
<br />
~<a href="http://www.poemhunter.com/adelaide-anne-procter-2/biography/" target="_blank">Adelaide Procter</a><br />
(A fascinating woman—practical, generous, a supporter of women and children, the favorite poet of Queen Victoria—who was immensely popular in her own time and who co-wrote with Charles Dickens, Wilkie Collins, and Elizabeth Gaskell!)Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-88509137384919257562016-08-21T19:16:00.001-07:002016-08-21T19:16:34.990-07:00Giotto di Bondone: Renaissance Man<br />
Ahhh, Giotto. I've heard his name, but I've never actually seen his work before. He is known as the first great painter of the
Renaissance. His figures were renown for their life. In his <i>Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects</i>, Giorgio Vasari told the story of Giotto as a mischievous apprentice painter who took advantage of his master's absence to paint a fly onto one of the master's paintings. The story claims that when his master returned and saw the fly, it was so life-like that he tried to brush it away.<br />
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For two hundred years before Giotto, images in Western art had been flat
and stylized. His life-like figures were something new and
exciting. Beyond just making his people look "real," he also infuses personality and emotion into them. I love the words of the art critic, John Ruskin. "He painted the Madonna and St. Joseph and the Christ, yes, by all means... but essentially Mamma, Papa and Baby."<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwbE1kCh_Q3nVBAufgfxSXJCdibQ_cd8LyYoO8wDBXhgrSaDYodaKtY8Q0_duNIdbySc7t-_Rnj7T3mjfkS57Q4cmFTTwsxJdtwsfKEAqWXM1DUfK3NIQzMuZ3JM390cwp0YizBq_YXbb/s1600/5+-+Adoration+of+the+Shepherds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlwbE1kCh_Q3nVBAufgfxSXJCdibQ_cd8LyYoO8wDBXhgrSaDYodaKtY8Q0_duNIdbySc7t-_Rnj7T3mjfkS57Q4cmFTTwsxJdtwsfKEAqWXM1DUfK3NIQzMuZ3JM390cwp0YizBq_YXbb/s400/5+-+Adoration+of+the+Shepherds.jpg" width="391" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Nativity</i> from the Scrovegni Chapel, c. 1305</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Isn't this fresco breathtaking? The way that Mary is looking at her new son... do you remember what those first glimpses of your babies felt like? He painted it so tenderly.<br />
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Although he was a painter, sculptor, and architect, Giotto is best-known for his frescoes. Perhaps his most famous work is on the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cappella_degli_Scrovegni" target="_blank">Scrovegni Chapel</a>. This small, unassuming, pink-brick building houses a glorious riot of color. 37 separate scenes chronicle the life of Mary, the life and death of Jesus, and personifications of Vices and Virtues. They culminate a wall-spanning image of the Last Judgement and are linked by a ceiling of stars. Just looking at photographs of the interior is stunning. I cannot
imagine what it would be like to stand in the middle of it. Someday...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsr1Z_WiNio9_xxo6hTACYHo0Kqo7d_9rHtqhJGm_-TGEx4k-yChKTkVxhd3xcOODHWtNc5uFy75wcu8M8QE2iX5uUXvrgaZm6iDseYBgoJdfPphqTQvgqfSbprYGQtLa_p80g5MxRNFKK/s1600/Scrovegni.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsr1Z_WiNio9_xxo6hTACYHo0Kqo7d_9rHtqhJGm_-TGEx4k-yChKTkVxhd3xcOODHWtNc5uFy75wcu8M8QE2iX5uUXvrgaZm6iDseYBgoJdfPphqTQvgqfSbprYGQtLa_p80g5MxRNFKK/s640/Scrovegni.jpg" width="523" /></a></div>
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Giotto is scheduled during our second term. Normally I would take a break from the official fine arts schedule so that we could focus on Christmas in December. However, the scheduled images fit right into that theme. I found a beautiful book called <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Glorious-Impossible-Illustrated-Frescoes-Scrovegni/dp/0671686909/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1471754359&sr=1-1&keywords=the+glorious+impossible+l%27engle" target="_blank">The Glorious Impossible</a>, written by Madeline L'Engle (yes, the same L'Engle who wrote the Wrinkle in Time series) and illustrated with frescoes from the Scrovegni Chapel. L'Engle's text tells the gospel story while the frescoes are reproduced on large, glossy, full-color pages. My own plan is to read through the book during our morning time and to study our prints as they match up to the story. I included a link to the book we're using, but proceed at your own risk. I have only flipped through the book—the images are gorgeous, but I haven't read the text yet, so I can't speak for the quality of the storytelling.<br />
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As always, we will follow the art recommendations from <a href="http://amblesideonline.org/ArtSch.shtml" target="_blank">AmblesideOnline</a>. Although our focus will be on the book, <i>The Glorious Impossible</i>, we will still post our regular prints in the dining room and the kids will still get their own art cards to add to their Books of Masterpieces.<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/mcfur16z3c9h575/Giotto%208x10%20Prints.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Click here to download 8x10" prints</a><br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/so0j8y2aepxg3it/Giotto%204x6%20Cards.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Click here to download 4x6" art cards</a><br />
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Normally I would include an image of the artist as part of our print set, but Giotto is a little different. With more than seven centuries between his life and ours, and no confirmed self-portraits, we don't exactly know what he looked like. We do, however, have some clues. One modern artist has tackled the mystery, and he has been kind enough to give me permission to share his work with you. Stay tuned...<br />
Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-61138100858409093592016-08-14T06:25:00.002-07:002016-08-14T06:25:48.092-07:00From the Commonplace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Indeed, by loving myself amiss, I lost myself, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">and by seeking Thee alone, </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I have found both myself and Thee."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">~Thomas À Kempis </span></div>
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Good Sunday, my friends. Today's quote comes from last week's reading
in <i>The Cloud of Witness,</i> EM Gell. Each week has an idea to focus on, then includes daily readings of poetry, prose, and Bible verses to meditate on. I have been reading this little book every
morning over the last two months. It's a jewel.<br />
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May this day of rest be blessed for you.</div>
Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-69452785278628581692016-08-12T13:46:00.003-07:002016-09-06T17:08:27.906-07:00Part I - Finding the Given TimesEvery now and then, one of those life-changing experiences sneaks up and catches you completely unaware. Last July I went to Nancy Kelly’s <a href="http://sageparnassus.blogspot.com/p/living-education-retreat_25.html" target="_blank">Living Education Retreat</a> out in Iowa, and I was blindsided by a realization. The area was lovely, and there were some helpful speakers, but it wasn’t the content that caused the heavens to part for me. It's true that I didn't have to cook, do laundry, or tend to my kids, but that wasn't any of those things that made me feel so at peace. At some point in the weekend, I realized that the whole thing was so restful because <b>it was</b> <b>all scheduled out for me</b>. I knew exactly how much time I had to get showered and dressed in the morning before breakfast started. I had to eat breakfast in the hour it was served or I didn't eat until lunch. If I wanted to take a walk or a swim, look through my new books, or check my email, I knew when free time was scheduled. If I wanted to hear a speaker, I had to be in the room at a particular time. Not once did I have to argue with myself about what to do next. Once I picked my workshops, I had no decisions to make—I only had to show up and do the next thing. <br />
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Up until that weekend, I had always resented schedules a bit. I knew they were necessary, but they always felt restrictive. That may or may have been me standing in my dining room informing the spreadsheet on my school cupboard, "You can't tell me what to do!" Ahem. It was silly and immature; I fully acknowledge that. While I knew <i>in my head</i> that I needed to organize my time, for some reason over the course of that weekend retreat, I finally started to <i>believe</i> that a schedule isn't a slave driver to push me—it is a tool that I can use to free myself up.<br />
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The beauty of a schedule—or a routine, or a daily rhythm—is that you don't have to make decisions when you are rushed or tired or <a href="http://bodyambition.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/hangry.jpg" target="_blank">hangry</a>. You have already made the decisions; all that's left is to do the next thing. When my alarm goes off, I don’t have debate whether to hit the snooze button or not, because I know that if I do I won't get to have my coffee alone before my kids get up. (Believe me when I say, no one wants to be around me before I have my coffee.) When I'm heading to the shower I don’t have to get sidetracked by a mess, because I know that it will be dealt with during our chore hour. I don't have to argue with myself about when I feel like starting our school day, because I know that at 9am (or close to it), we are going to gather in the living room and get going. When I'm tempted to hide out with a new book instead of making lunch, I can remind myself that my free hour is coming and I can read then... with a clear conscience. For the first time in my life, I have really embraced Miss Mason’s assertion:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vKEtFqxdeYqXo3nk_Z3-IlBSZOCJXxALhcHZ7T1jqdpsvBnlIkS-Q_gNXi5IETz5QGAvgp0ChRdODifkVdQNcYHPfChG60elXmgmUHV4PdAud5DzFw3t15X3YlTo17wSnky5tq7ngb44/s1600/Clock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vKEtFqxdeYqXo3nk_Z3-IlBSZOCJXxALhcHZ7T1jqdpsvBnlIkS-Q_gNXi5IETz5QGAvgp0ChRdODifkVdQNcYHPfChG60elXmgmUHV4PdAud5DzFw3t15X3YlTo17wSnky5tq7ngb44/s400/Clock.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
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"This idea of definite work to be finished in a given time is valuable
to the child, not only as training him in habits of order, but in
diligence; he learns that one time is not 'as good as another'; that
there is no right time left for what is not done in its own time..." (Vol
1, p.142)<br />
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At this point, I’m playing with possibilities, trying to find the right combination for my days. It seems like I should say, “Now the hard work begins,” but that's not really true. The experimentation, successes and failures, and reassessment isn’t really that hard. The hardest part was humbling my own heart and realizing that I needed the structure I’ve fought against for so long. I guess I will say instead, now the fun part begins!<br />
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In the next post, I'll share some of the details behind how I'm planning out my days. Maybe it will spark an idea that will help you out. In the meantime, I would love to hear from you. Are you a natural scheduler? How has your time management worked for (or hindered) your homeschooling efforts?Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-55746312831142650472016-06-24T08:55:00.001-07:002016-06-24T08:55:43.432-07:00An American ImpressionistI think most people are just settling into the groove of their summer vacations. At our house, however, our summer term of school will be starting up in just a few weeks. I'm not quite ready to let go of our vacation freedom, but I suppose that this isn't quite as tragic as it might seem. We don't do math or writing in the summer term, and most of our books are read in the car on our way to or from activities. It does mean that I have to get started on my planning for the year. This always feels like a slog at first, but the more I look through our material for the year, the more excited I get. AmblesideOnline is a fabulous curriculum, and I'm always excited at what I... uh, I mean <b><i>the kids</i></b>... will be learning.<br />
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First thing's first, it's time for new art prints. The fall term's artist is the American Impressionist, Mary Cassatt. While I foresee a few groans from the teen boys in co-op, my girly-girls are going to go nuts over her work. She is famous for her paintings of mothers and children. I find her portraits both tender and complicated - the moms look tired and overwhelmed as well as adoring and beautiful!<br />
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<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/df4v98ya0a4wmo6/Cassat%208x10%20Prints.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Download the 8 x 10" prints here</a><br />
<a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/javolud7bc5nkxx/Cassatt%20Art%20Cards.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">Download the 4 x 6" art cards here</a><br />
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Both sets of prints include a self-portrait. If you prefer not to use
those, you can just delete that page from the file before you send it
into the print shop. I take my files to Office Max, have them printed on glossy cardstock, and trim them to size. They always come out nicely. The new file hosting site seems to be easier for people to use, so I'll keep posting my prints there. Please let me know if there is any problems with downloading them. I'm not techy, but I'll do my best to help. Prints for the next two artist should be up within the next couple weeks.Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-14210988900973583422016-03-02T16:21:00.002-08:002016-03-02T16:21:32.317-08:00Holbein the Younger and the Northern RenaissanceFebruary is over, and another school term is upon us. I suppose that I ought to look forward to meeting a new artist, but I must admit the truth: I'm still grieving over having to say goodbye to Jacques Louis David. I find his paintings so compelling; they are a curious combination of thought-provoking and deeply emotional. We hang our prints in the dining room for the whole term, and I cannot keep my eye off David's paintings. I think my favorites of the ones we studies were <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lictors_Bring_to_Brutus_the_Bodies_of_His_Sons" target="_blank">Brutus</a> and <a href="http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/cas/his/CoreArt/art/neocl_dav_oath.html" target="_blank">The Oath of the Horatii</a>. I still can't decide whether I think they are passionate calls to patriotism, or skilled propaganda. Perhaps it's a little of both.<br />
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All that being said, time marches on and new art <i>will</i> be studied. This term, our artist is Hans Holbein the Younger. He was a German painter during the Renaissance. If you grew up thinking that the Renaissance happened only in Italy... well, so did I. Nope. We were wrong.<br />
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Germany was initially isolated from the changes that were stirring in Italy by the high Alps, which slowed the movement of people and ideas. The Northern Renaissance lagged nearly a century behind the familiar Italian changes, but it still brought forth a few important developments. A German named Johannes Gutenberg created a handy machine called the printing press. Martin Luther made waves in religious circles. The beautiful <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Michael's_Church,_Munich" target="_blank">St. Michael's Church</a> was constructed. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hans_Holbein_the_Elder" target="_blank">Hans Holbein the Elder</a>, Holbein's father, was pioneer in moving German art from the Gothic style into the new Renaissance style. In addition to a great many altar paintings, he also worked in woodcuts, illustrated books, and designed church windows. Other artists from the Northern Renaissance who might be familiar to you are <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albrecht_D%C3%BCrer" target="_blank">Albrecht Dürer</a> and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Gr%C3%BCnewald" target="_blank">Matthias Grünewald</a>.<br />
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Interestingly enough, the German Renaissance was relatively short-lived, at least in terms of art. From the reading I'm doing, it looks like this was primarily because German had no Classical past to look back to. Italy was deeply tied to Roman culture—it's authors, artists, architects, and all it's contributions to Western civilization. Germany, on the other hand, didn't come into contact with Rome all that much. Lacking a personal connection, German artists simply didn't have the motivation that Mediterranean artists did.<br />
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Holbein the Younger is German, but he spent a lot of time outside of his native land. He traveled in Italy and France, and eventually settled in England. He is best known for his portraits. Humanist ideas combined with Protestant objections to religious art changed the content of paintings. When churches stopped commissioning art, portraits commissioned by well-heeled patrons became a necessity for artists who still needed to eat and buy paint. A study of human beings as fascinating individuals also fit into the philosophy of the time. Holbein's portraits focused on powerful, confident, well-educated men and women. His subjects included English royalty, ambassadors, merchants, churchman, author, and philosopher Sir Thomas More, as well as the famous scholar and philosopher <a href="http://www.wga.hu/frames-e.html?/html/h/holbein/hans_y/1525/07erasmu.html" target="_blank">Erasmus</a>.<br />
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As always, my family uses the <a href="http://amblesideonline.org/ArtSch.shtml" target="_blank">AmblesideOnline picture study rotation</a>. One of the things I love best about this rotation is that it exposes my kids (and me!) to many different styles and schools of art. While Durer's work didn't immediately appeal to me, I enjoyed reading and researching and placing him in his historical context. If you want to read further about the Northern Renaissance, check out <a href="http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/history-of-art/german-renaissance.htm" target="_blank">this website</a>. They also have a <a href="http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/site/timeline.htm" target="_blank">Timeline of Art</a> that is helpful. It's not all that visually appealing (which is ironic, given that it's an art website), but there is a lot of fascinating information.<br />
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For our study of Holbein the Younger, I have created <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/qns0r6w0yaqgjtg/Holbein%20Prints.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">8x10" prints</a> that you can download here. If your kids keep a Book of Masterpieces, you can download <a href="https://www.dropbox.com/s/lmz5vbp2wp3nzi1/Holbein%20Art%20Cards.pdf?dl=0" target="_blank">4x6" art cards</a> here. I print all of our artwork on glossy cardstock. Both sets print on a standard-sized computer page, and will need to be trimmed to the desired size.<br />
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Several people have had problems with the old file hosting site I was using. This time, I am trying Dropbox. Please let me know what you think, so I know whether it is worth the trouble to switch my old files over to the new site. Thank you muchly.Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-26180947769439549632016-01-28T06:16:00.001-08:002016-01-28T06:16:18.127-08:00Beating the Winter SlumpIt’s January, for a few more days anyway. Along with New Year’s Resolutions, cold weather, and trying to fit back into those pre-holiday jeans, January means back to school for most of our families. For many of us, it also means the Dreaded Winter Slump. <br /><br />
If the dreary winter days have you feeling a little more like this:<br />
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than like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhUca_yvdxnCrHct45zKiuSO-2Tn8Xbko8tkdLYPDgYGIfLwPidCc6gfJI2p7hTAvYfCrc9opgMThBzpPEJ9yZUheDbqKUQZxpZQD_DYRo7FJokNUTwPQV5ByVfuPPo2g5obhOQEU3mhD/s1600/perfect.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLhUca_yvdxnCrHct45zKiuSO-2Tn8Xbko8tkdLYPDgYGIfLwPidCc6gfJI2p7hTAvYfCrc9opgMThBzpPEJ9yZUheDbqKUQZxpZQD_DYRo7FJokNUTwPQV5ByVfuPPo2g5obhOQEU3mhD/s400/perfect.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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then you might want to join me over on the CME Retreat blog for some ideas about how to <a href="http://cmeretreat.weebly.com/blog/beat-the-winter-slump" target="_blank">Beat the Winter Slump</a>.Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-55125968931848412552015-12-31T23:17:00.001-08:002015-12-31T23:19:35.452-08:00Reading More: Helpful Habits (your mileage may vary)This started out as an end-of-year reading review, but it took a sharp turn to the left. I will definitely get back to my reading wrap-up, because I read some wonderful books in 2015, but today I wanted to follow this rabbit trail.<br />
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2015 was my most successful year of reading so far. I read more books, tried new genres, and took more from the books I finished. As I look back, I realized that my reading habits were a little different, and they made all the difference for the year. <br />
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1. <b>Audiobooks</b> — Yes, it's likely that I'm the last holdout to "discover" the appeal of audiobooks. Before last year, I never felt like the cost was worthwhile to me. Now though, our library offers access to several apps where I can download eBooks and audiobooks with my library card. I use Hoopla; for the most part, I like it a lot. They have a sizable library, and I've found some interesting options there. It's easier to pick up the latest bestsellers than to wait on the hold list, so I have checked out more modern literature this year. Because they return automatically, there are no library fines to worry about, so I can download more books than I would otherwise check out. Finally, I find myself more likely to cue up a book while I'm doing something else (which has also increased my knitting... double win).<br />
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<i>A word of warning: as their library has increased, Hoopla also has added quite a few explicit adult titles. While I'll use their catalog myself, I wouldn't set my kids loose to pick a book.</i><br />
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There was one thing about audiobooks that surprised me. I found myself tackling some books that I had avoided in the past: particularly long books that were intimidating because of their sheer weight and books that are heavy on dialect. I fell in love with The Count of Monte Christo. I own a beautiful leather-bound edition, but it was so thick and gilded and way-too-smart-for-me-looking that I had never pulled it off the shelf. While it took several months to listen to on audio, I adored it. (I don't know if I have ever mentioned this, but my French is atrocious. Listening on audio with an excellent reader meant that I got all the pronunciations right in my head. Yay!) I also listened to my first Dickens, an author I have avoided in the past. I have always struggled with British accents, and the skilled narrator made a big difference for me.<br />
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2. <b>Lists: my Bullet Journal</b> — I have tried several times to keep track of my reading, always unsuccessfully. My specific book-tracking notebooks was never in the right place, so I promised myself to write it down later (never did), and eventually it got lost altogether. Usually, I would stumble across those abandoned journals with their ten or twelve entries months later. This year I started a <a href="http://bulletjournal.com/" target="_blank">Bullet Journal</a>. It has been only moderately successful for other parts of my life, but it was a slam-dunk when it came to tracking my books. My BuJo is always around, and I have made it a priority to write titles down as I finish them. The list has had a peculiar effect on me, too. I'm not the most organized person, and sometimes I forget that I'm reading a book (or choose to forget a book that I don't really want to finish). Seeing those titles on the list, with their empty check boxes leering at me, gave me the kick I needed to decide whether to finish them or cross them off the list.<br />
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3. Which brings me to my favorite new reading habit... <b>not finishing books</b>. Don't get me wrong, I have always been willing to bury dull books at the bottom of the reading pile, slowly slide them under the bed until they disappear, or "accidentally" put them away on my shelves, never to pull them off again. What I haven't been willing to do is to DECIDE that a book isn't worth my time or isn't right for me right now. I fought it for years because I thought it would lead me to quit books whenever they got hard. In fact, it turns out that the opposite has been true. Knowing that I can quit a book if it doesn't work for me right now has freed me up to try some new things, both modern works and classics. I've branched out into some genres and authors that I had never tried before. Some were terrible, but a lot of them were lovely surprises.<br />
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4. <b>Commonplace book</b> — Okay, I know I just said that #3 was my favorite new habit, but you know... I reserve the right to change my mind without notice. On that note, THIS has been my absolute favorite change to my reading diet. I'll warn you now, keeping a commonplace book won't necessarily help you read faster. It takes time to write down those favorite passages. It takes time to mull over what the author is trying to communicate. However, this one habit has helped me to get more out of my books than anything else that I've tried. If you aren't sure what a commonplace book is, <a href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2015/08/from-commonplace.html" target="_blank">check this out</a>.<br />
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Educators and researchers alike seem to agree that writing down helps to cement things in our mind. My own experience this year has echoed this. I remember my books as a whole—and particular passages—better since I started keeping a commonplace. One thing that has surprised me is how much I love to leaf through my pages and read the quotes and notes I wrote down. It's like running into old friends at the grocery story and spending a few minutes catching up in the aisles.<br />
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Thinking about my commonplace reminds me that Reading More isn't just about accruing more finished titles on a list, it's also about getting more out of the books I read. That's a goal that's worth my time in the New Year!<br />
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How about you? What habits have helped you to Read More? Are there new ideas that you want to try in the upcoming year to help you get more out of your books?Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-21449434544211523142015-12-14T18:24:00.002-08:002015-12-31T23:18:25.109-08:00'Tis the Season...to panic about not getting it all done! Along with the beauty of the Advent season and the wonder of Christmas, December also brings the end of a school term for most homeschoolers. “What do I do if we aren’t ‘caught up’?!” is a questions that I see popping up all over the place. As that end-of-term deadline looms, moms are pulling out those beautiful, color-coded, spreadsheet schedules that they so lovingly crafted in August and measuring them against where their children are now.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>PANIC NOW!!</i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></td></tr>
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If you are anything like me, all you can see is the lessons unfinished, the subjects that never took off, the boxes left unchecked. The panic rises as you think of how behind you are, frantically calculate ways to finish off everything (only three easy weeks of 16-hour days; that’s doable, right?!), and then decide that the only way to “get it done” is to cancel Christmas and your vacation. <br />
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Sound familiar?<br />
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Step back from the cliff, mama.<br />
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<a href="http://cmeretreat.weebly.com/blog/tis-the-season"><i>Read more at the CME Retreat blog</i></a>Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-76443361476495314762015-11-02T03:30:00.000-08:002015-11-02T06:50:04.607-08:00Do Hard ThingsI'm guest posting again today over on the CME Retreat blog. Have you ever hit a roadblock in your homeschool day and wondered, "Is something wrong; should it be this hard"? Have you ever heard that your school days should be filled with joy, or you risk killing your child's love of learning? When things get hard, does it mean that we're doing something wrong?<br />
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Have you ever noticed how a particular idea can suddenly appear all over
the place, seemingly all at once? Recently I have heard some rumbles on
the world wide web that homeschooling is supposed to be a joy-filled
endeavor. They say that if it's not, the problem is either with you, the
way you have trained your children, or the curriculum itself. They say,
homeschooling shouldn’t hurt. If it does, you will kill your child’s
love of learning. The moment they leave your home, they will do nothing
but play video games and eat fast food all day long. To prevent this
catastrophic outcome, dump your current curriculum―maybe ALL
curricula―and find something more fun. (Okay, I might be exaggerating a
little bit, but only a little.)<br />
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It sounds so good. Who wants our
days to be hard? If there is a secret that can make it easy, who
wouldn’t want that?! But we are called to be wise and discerning. I know
that just because something sounds good and appeals to me doesn't mean
that it's true. One way I know to test an idea is to look at other parts
of the world and ask myself whether this idea fits what I know to be
true. Are there other situations where we get to experience
wonder-filled days, joyful times where we and our kiddos are
reaching our goals and desires? Well, yes. And no...<br />
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<i>Please head over to the <a href="http://cmeretreat.weebly.com/blog/do-hard-things" target="_blank">CME Retreat page</a> to read the full article. After you do, I would love to hear from you, here or on the CME Retreat blog. Have you had to overcome a particular struggle in your homeschool? What did you decide to do about it? How did it go for your family?</i><br />
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<br />Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-47509200688896186232015-10-13T22:49:00.003-07:002015-11-01T21:13:02.288-08:00Digging for Absolute TruthI am a big podcast fan. That might be because I'm an auditory learner. It might be because I like to engage my mind while I cheerfully wash dishes, sweep the floor, and work out like a fitness diva. (I'm not saying that it IS, only that it might be.) It might be because I like to play Candy Crush while I lay in bed sipping on hot tea. (I'm not saying that it IS, only that it might be.) Anywho... having exhausted <a href="https://www.circeinstitute.org/podcast" target="_blank">the current offerings from the CiRCE Institute</a>, I've recently discovered Julie Bogart's <a href="http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/" target="_blank">Brave Writer podcast</a>.<br />
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All that backstory is to explain why I'm writing about a podcast three years after it was produced. Timely, I am not.<br />
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In 2012, Bogart interviewed Melissa Wiley, author of several children's novels. <a href="http://blog.bravewriter.com/2012/09/11/09-interview-with-melissa-wiley/" target="_blank">In the interview</a>, Wiley said something that really hit home for me. I'm paraphrasing here, but essentially she says that on the internet, we tell the truth—the <i>absolute</i> truth—but not necessarily the <i>whole</i> truth. Online, there are obvious reasons for this, primarily discretion and privacy. But what about in my head?<br />
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Sometimes, I say awful things in my brain, things that flat-out aren't true. Like most parents, I am my own biggest critic, and it can get ugly up there in my head. Most of the time, though, what I say in my head is <i>true</i> but not the <i>whole truth</i>. My kitchen is a mess. <i>Truth</i>. I could go right now and sweep and mop and clear off the counters and scrub them down with bleach until they gleam like the sun. <i>Truth</i>. Or I could teach my kids, take the time to laugh at Tiger's latest ridiculous joke, say YES to "...just one. more. chapter. PLEEEEEAAASE!!" and give myself a moment of relaxation so that I can retain the last vestige of sanity desperately clinging on in my Mom Brain. <i>Absolute truth</i>. We had four awful hours spent over a math lesson today. <i>Truth</i>. (Also, not my proudest moment. Those times when you realize that you have locked yourself into a battle of wills and don't know how to back out now... those are not good times. And that's about all I have to say about that.) Before those four hours, however, we had a delightful read aloud time in the morning. After those four hours, we spent the afternoon at the library (where that same stubborn kid sat and read picture books to her little sister for nearly an hour). Everyone came home with new books, and then we munched pizza and read past our bedtimes. Most of our day was great. <i>Absolute truth</i>. <br />
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I know this is not a new thought, but it keeps coming at me from different directions. What I choose to think about dictates my attitude, my reactions, the way our day plays out, and how I interpret that day when I'm lying in bed at night. I look past the facts of what happened and attribute motivations and meaning. It starts and ends in my head. When I assume the best about my kids, I react with more kindness. When I review our day in my head and cement those memories, I can choose to fixate on the rough spots or I can choose to zoom in on the laughter, the silliness, the "ah ha" moments, the chocolately kisses, the victory in Tempest's voice when she finally slammed that math book shut and called it FINISHED, the image of Tempest and Tiger curled up in a chair with their heads bent over a book together.<br />
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There is a part of me that wants to keep my mind private. I want to lay claim over it as all <b>my own</b>, free to think what I like without answering to anyone. The thing is, that's not truth—not absolute truth, not partial truth, not <i>any</i> truth. There is the spiritual fact that all of me belongs to Jesus: my feelings, my thoughts, my expectations, my actions... ALL of it. But there is also the practical fact. My actions flow out of my thoughts. Those actions determine the quality of people's lives: not just my own, but the lives of my kids, my husband, and even—to a lesser extent—the people I come into contact with. There is no such thing as "private." Some thoughts come and go, but I others take up permanent residence. It's not that I can't ever visit the Land of Dour. I just can't build a house and move there. The thoughts that I give room to form who I am. Who I am inside <i>will</i> come out, no matter how much I try to pretty-up my outsides. For good or ill, it will affect the people around me. That makes it vital for me to protect my mind, to choose joy and truth and hope.<br />
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I hear it. I see that it is truth. Now I get to try to live it out. That is when I discover that these are the things I cannot do on my own. I cling to the strength of the Holy Spirit in this moment by moment quest to "<span class="text 2Cor-10-5" id="en-NIV-28977">take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." (2 Cor 10:5) So, once again I choose hope and I try again. I choose to focus on the books and the love and the laughter and the brownies. Moment by moment, right?</span><br />
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Someone tell me that I'm not the only mama struggling with this. (Please?!) What do you do to protect your thought life? How do you make sure that you don't get so caught up in truths that you miss the Absolute Truth?Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-61424927402651260052015-09-22T07:18:00.004-07:002015-11-01T21:13:23.023-08:00Truer than True<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Next February, something incredibly exciting is coming to Colorado! Colorado Springs will play host to our first ever western-region Charlotte Mason conference. I am very excited (and so stinking nervous) to be one of the speakers. Today, I'm blogging on the Charlotte Mason Educational Retreat website about the unique power of fiction in education. </div>
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<a href="http://cmeretreat.weebly.com/blog/truer-than-true" target="_blank">Join me over on the CME Retreat blog</a> to read the full article. After you check it out, I'm curious to know, how do you feel about fiction as a tool for education? Have your thoughts or concerns changed at all over time? Strike up a conversation here or on the CME blog. We would love to hear your thoughts.Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-66947929837712498312015-08-17T04:00:00.000-07:002015-08-20T07:12:39.362-07:00From the Commonplace<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif;">It
is very helpful to read with a commonplace book or reading-diary, in
which to put down any striking thought in your author, or your own
impression of the work, or of any part of it; but not summaries of
facts. Such a diary, carefully kept through life, should be exceedingly
interesting as containing the intellectual history of the writer;
besides, we never forget the book that we have made extracts from, and
of which we have taken the trouble to write a short review. ~ Vol.
5 p. 260</span></i></span></blockquote>
<b>The Commonplace Book</b>. It's not an auspicious name, is it? It seems
so... well, common. It isn't fancy. There is nothing out-of-reach about a
commonplace book. It doesn't rely on my own sophistication, cleverness, or skill to be filled up with wonderful things. In its simplest form, it is just a place
to copy down passages that catch your attention while you read. Your book doesn't have to be particularly beautiful (although beauty is
always a good idea). Mine is a $0.50 composition book that I covered
with some scrapbook papers and embellishments. I think it's lovely, but it's no
hand-stitched, Italian-leather bound journal. You don't have to
be a painter and illustrate your book. You don't have to be an author
and write brilliant essays in response to what you have been reading. You don't have to be a scholar and choose
historically relevant entries. All those things are fine, but none of them are required. There are no rules for choosing your
passage, other than that it contains a thought or turn of phrase that
you want to hold on to.<br />
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In fact, it is the "holding on" aspect that brings commonplace books to vibrant, breathing, exciting life. I have read SO.MANY.BOOKS. in my life: so many wonderful, useful, educational, inspiring books. Some of them have changed me, but most of them briefly called up my admiration and agreement, and then their wonderful ideas floated right out of my head and into the ether. When I write ideas down in a copybook, however, something different happens. Somehow the act of producing words on paper with my own hands creates a kind of ownership. I remember them more. While I'm doing laundry or sweeping the floor, I find myself pondering an idea, rolling particular phrases around in my head, arguing with the author, or composing my own thoughts in response (which I rarely write down, but the ordering of those thoughts is, in and of itself, valuable). Somehow by writing these words down, I let them in.<br />
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So... commonplace books are wonderful, and sharing the things we love is wonderful. <b><i>From the Commonplace</i></b> is going to be a (semi?) regular feature where I can share whatever has gone into my copybook recently. Ready? Off we go, then...<br />
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The first entry I have to share is not from a book, but from a blog. If that seems a little odd to you, well, it does to me, too, but that's what I'm reading right now. This week I copied a large chunk from Lindsey Brigham's post <a href="https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog/redeeming-time" target="_blank">Redeeming Time</a> posted over on the <span style="font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.circeinstitute.org/" target="_blank">CiRCE Institute</a> blog. CiRCE is one of my favorite places to hang out on the web. If you haven't discovered all their new podcast offerings or their blog, <a href="https://www.circeinstitute.org/blog" target="_blank">Forma</a>, go check them out posthaste. </span><br />
<br />
It is back-to-school planning season for me right now, along with quite a few other homeschool families. The potential to make things wonderful, to adjust our course, and to re-energize our days is exciting, but along with all this potential for change comes an overwhelming desire to make things "perfect." That completely stresses me out. In light of this season, my favorite bit from Brigham's post was this:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>We do not only speak of time as a commodity. We live as though time is a commodity... [T]he pressure to make the most of each extra minute can be overwhelming [and bring] the feeling of missed opportunity and misused resources...</i><br />
<br />
<i>[T]ime is not a commodity, but the soil of eternity, and our lives the seed. We need not hoard up and cash out momentary time-units, with all their significance resting on the present transaction; we may instead seek to "redeem the time"... Yesterday's sins and slackenings may today be met by the God of grace, Giver of life, that we may live in hope for tomorrow. We may lose time, but our Lord does not.</i></blockquote>
<br />
"We may lose time, but our Lord does not." Are there any words homeschooling parents need to hear more as we head into a new school year? I think not. <span style="font-size: small;">If you have a few minutes, I encourage you to go and read the whole article. It's well-worth your time.</span><i></i><br />
<i><br /></i>
God bless us as we move forward in faith. Remember<i>, we may lose time, but our Lord does not.</i> May He redeem our every mistake and misstep and lead us in a higher path.<i><br /></i>Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-69784938226925984722015-08-12T22:02:00.001-07:002015-09-04T19:53:44.640-07:00Art Prints 2015-16 (Part I: the First Two Terms)Ah, another year, another crop of artists. Over the past few years, art study has become one of my favorite subjects, and I'm really excited about this year's choices. As usual, we will be following the <a href="http://amblesideonline.org/ArtSch.shtml" target="_blank">Ambleside Online schedule</a>.
I love the variety of artists, the AO leadership always picks great
pictures, and it's fun to share resources with other people on the
forum. We'll be studying two Frenchman this year, so I will be curious
to hear the kids compare and contrast them.<br />
<br />
In term 1, we start off with <b>Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot</b>. Last week, the kids brought me the image of the day from their <a href="http://www.amazon.com/2015-Metropolitan-Art-Gallery-Calendar/dp/B00QZN28PG/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1439424281&sr=8-6&keywords=art%3A+365+days+of+masterpieces+2015+calendar" target="_blank">Metropolitan Art Calendar</a>.
(They do this anytime a day's art particularly catches their eyes.) I
noticed that the painting was by Camille Corot and took the opportunity
to tell them about their upcoming study. Although it was a small
connection, it has them excited to see more of his paintings.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7V_g6rpNsNXLnBOPg3Z2YU_QLAPOb5Q-Qd8nYJgnrVqOccOhAy4qQDPYeeUmJmhMn5uY9cU_VyFMOqpTI2bZGt1wZDAvhS95GTPgQCbfUOfqjV5Cn-O5Jt8rhVjJYEaA0_PLX0nRIv0Qt/s1600/Corot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7V_g6rpNsNXLnBOPg3Z2YU_QLAPOb5Q-Qd8nYJgnrVqOccOhAy4qQDPYeeUmJmhMn5uY9cU_VyFMOqpTI2bZGt1wZDAvhS95GTPgQCbfUOfqjV5Cn-O5Jt8rhVjJYEaA0_PLX0nRIv0Qt/s400/Corot.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1ECQTrPME2Y7n1EZQ5VhNrX1FYV9XPo3XHtwH1V5FFeiPeRdHbT50D79REZ5vzYjGKyVwSxeQqHLL0SCpfEhMSUU-CCJlLqLg_LCwlceKgRtcFbcyOKJyTNMEWR1Bmjw3xTLidb8M8Of/s1600/Corot+4x6.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK1ECQTrPME2Y7n1EZQ5VhNrX1FYV9XPo3XHtwH1V5FFeiPeRdHbT50D79REZ5vzYjGKyVwSxeQqHLL0SCpfEhMSUU-CCJlLqLg_LCwlceKgRtcFbcyOKJyTNMEWR1Bmjw3xTLidb8M8Of/s200/Corot+4x6.jpg" width="154" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>4x6 cards print three on a page</i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I
have specific frames for our picture study, so these prints will print
on a standard-sized computer paper, and they are intended to be trimmed
down to an 8x10" size. I take my file to Office Max and have them
printed on glossy cardstock. They always do a beautiful job, and their
prices are the most reasonable in (our) town. You can <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7KwccX81qmBOERHb3NIWGNOcE0/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">download 8x10" prints here</a>,
including a self-portrait of Corot. We don't usually discuss the
self-portrait; we just add it to our gallery so the kids can "meet" the
painter.<br />
<br />
In our house, all school-aged (or teacher-aged) people get their
own <a href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2013/08/making-it-personal-book-of-masterpieces.html" target="_blank">Book of Masterpieces</a>, with smaller copies of each of the pictures that person has studied. You can <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7KwccX81qmBSktLcGpTTjA1NUU/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">click here to download the 4x6" series</a>.<br />
<br />
In Term 2 we'll study <b>Jacques-Louis David</b>. I don't know about the kids, but <i>I</i>
am ridiculously excited about this artist. Two years ago, I took my
kiddos to a large art museum to see the French exhibit. The girls were
looking forward to seeing one of "their" Manets. We all enjoyed the
exhibit quite a bit, but I was particularly captivated by this enormous
painting of a Roman man and his grieving family. The look on his face,
the tension in his fists and shoulders, the terrible grief of the women
in the family... I stood there staring at it until the girls dragged me
off. It was so captivating that I wrote down the title and artist,
looked it up, and printed off a copy for myself when I came home. Then, a
couple months ago, my oldest started Plutarch's <i>Lives of the Noble Grecians and Romans</i>.
In the life of Publicola, we read the story of Brutus, who condemned
his own sons to death to save the Republic. I remembered the picture and
pulled it up to show her. Then, lo and behold, when I looked up this
year's artist, what do I see but <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lictors_Bring_to_Brutus_the_Bodies_of_His_Sons" target="_blank">that same captivating painting</a> offered as a study option?! **<i>insert happy dance here</i>**<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmKwyqUY47pSD-wq097ADM41uypSjIgxLqi_T-6Ptb0QuQzTY53vxxVbviTYl29V9P0c2Q9Zm2UGVrKDM6topWXrUTNpYOjR_EiWSikyvbY-JNPsmuHx23yS4Yrrory9Wu5L33xBHzdIn/s1600/David.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBmKwyqUY47pSD-wq097ADM41uypSjIgxLqi_T-6Ptb0QuQzTY53vxxVbviTYl29V9P0c2Q9Zm2UGVrKDM6topWXrUTNpYOjR_EiWSikyvbY-JNPsmuHx23yS4Yrrory9Wu5L33xBHzdIn/s400/David.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mN7oYf1vUHu6-qtMBiW0yuejICXd6_LvrhaLRQhzZ-Qtt1gzhAFeq5mjrn5JR7qncIm6_UtfmVh7TB67yNCY3gNovjiEjiK566OxE0Riavf5j6C7UP30hAprNbd805alxYz6qNWvOo_e/s1600/David+-+4x6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4mN7oYf1vUHu6-qtMBiW0yuejICXd6_LvrhaLRQhzZ-Qtt1gzhAFeq5mjrn5JR7qncIm6_UtfmVh7TB67yNCY3gNovjiEjiK566OxE0Riavf5j6C7UP30hAprNbd805alxYz6qNWvOo_e/s200/David+-+4x6.jpg" width="154" /></a></div>
<br />
You can <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7KwccX81qmBTW1HQ185TmE5WTg/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">download the 8x10" prints here</a>, including a self-portrait of David. We are going to study Brutus instead of
The Coronation of Napoleon and Josephine, but I included both options in
the print files. Delete whichever you don't want to study. You can <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7KwccX81qmBcDBjd2V3MUZuckk/view?usp=sharing" target="_blank">download the 4x6" series here</a>.<br />
<br />
That's it so far. Stay tuned for term 3, when we will take a big jump in time and space...<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Update: </b>Several people have had problems downloading files from my previous file host. I have updated the links to Google Docs. If you download these files after 9/04/15, would you mind leaving me a comment letting me know whether your download was successful, or if you have any problems? Thanks ever so much!Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-42714103997177627642015-08-08T19:28:00.001-07:002015-12-31T23:19:20.013-08:00In Which I Find Myself SurprisedIt's probably no surprise that over the years,
the way I read has been profoundly changed by Charlotte
Mason's principles. Reading slowly, enjoying several books at a time, paying close attention, and even narration have all worked their way
into my own reading
habits. I'm trying new genres, and discovering that I like them (for the
most part). However—color me prejudiced—I have always preferred long,
satisfying reads. I'm more than happy to hang on for several
hundred pages while
an author introduces me to a brand new world, it's rules, and it's
inhabitants. It's
the mental equivalent of a giant pot of deliciously satisfying lamb stew. <br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx5K80OHj7mkFFN5HGyYesHXu40gmDEtbeIcApT7YfBty96JcN5cVC1K6h2h3aaJghxdyOvivAxZLsBTl_hyMFq9p0pn6qTuozWl8EDkOBjPDLDU73aTBk-v0ORIsD3HcLKB3E9t35Hvv/s1600/camel.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUx5K80OHj7mkFFN5HGyYesHXu40gmDEtbeIcApT7YfBty96JcN5cVC1K6h2h3aaJghxdyOvivAxZLsBTl_hyMFq9p0pn6qTuozWl8EDkOBjPDLDU73aTBk-v0ORIsD3HcLKB3E9t35Hvv/s320/camel.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Illustrations by <a href="https://www.behance.net/gallery/14755575/Just-So-Senior-Thesis" target="_blank">Joanna Hunt</a></i></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
While I have expanded the <i>kinds</i> of reading I enjoy, I stubbornly
clung to my deliciously long books. Over and over again, I turned my nose up at short
stories. How can you learn to love a character in twelve pages? It's
ridiculous. I positively sneered at essays. Humph, they are over before
they even get properly going. (Shades of <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/32488/32488-h/32488-h.htm#Page_15" target="_blank">Kipling's camel</a>, and we all
know what happened to <i>him</i>.) No. No thanks. Not interested. Humph.<br />
<br />
Then I met this book:<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHHkJZzP9qCaSZ8hesRcGZVmPq8X9h_jeazgY9fqM9NL8vIwMeu7Id2ctHBfE3j_mNQAU-Kt4z75S33AElmBTh0T9Cdin0Qk7tyjKJKGLZHjBAuLson0UKzRbWnPGgA_ZOyyU2Bjk4hOW/s1600/ex+libris.jpg" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHHkJZzP9qCaSZ8hesRcGZVmPq8X9h_jeazgY9fqM9NL8vIwMeu7Id2ctHBfE3j_mNQAU-Kt4z75S33AElmBTh0T9Cdin0Qk7tyjKJKGLZHjBAuLson0UKzRbWnPGgA_ZOyyU2Bjk4hOW/s320/ex+libris.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
If Robert Jordan's <i>Wheel of Time</i> series is the
equivalent of a pot of bubbling, thick stew (a massive pot of
ridiculously thick stew with a whole lot of random ingredients... but I
digress), Anne Fadiman's book of essays is a platter of those tiny
little entrées at a gourmet restaurant. They may not be large, but they
are beautiful to look at, the flavors are a blend of familiar and
surprising, and the textures combine perfectly. Reading them is an
experience to be savored, not a Country Buffet to stuff myself at. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Ex-Libris-Confessions-Common-Reader/dp/0374527229/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1436574419&sr=1-1&keywords=ex+libris" target="_blank"><i>Ex Libris</i></a>
is filled with essays about books and the thrills of being a
bibliophile, so I'll admit that I was inclined to enjoy it before I even
began. Still, I was surprised by how much I like the format. Essays are
short and to the point, but they aren't necessarily simple. Fadiman's
stories make me laugh. I recognize myself in them. Favorite bits have me
nodding along as I read. However, when I get to the end of the essay,
it turns out not to be the end of the story. I find myself turning bits
and phrases over in my mind. After reading the second essay, "The Joy of
Sesquipedalians," I found myself mumbling <i>sesquipedalian</i>, <i>grimoire</i>, and <i>mephitic</i>
under my breath as I made the bed and vacuumed the floor. (Especially mephitic. It WAS housecleaning day, after all.) I was
thinking about Tennyson and the beauty of his lines while I brushed my
teeth. I felt an Ah Ha! moment while listening to a lecture about the
value of beauty, for it's own sake rather than for any utilitarian
purpose. Yup, that's exactly what she meant when she talked about the
glory of those big, rollable words. Fadiman's insights have lingered far
beyond the few pages her stories themselves take up.<br />
<br />
Maybe
it's a function of maturity. More likely, it's a matter of getting used
to something new. Like Tiger and her vegetables, it has taken many
tentative stabs at this new genre—a taste here (quickly spat out), then a
little nibble here (not quite so bad, but hardly marvelous), a few bits
of Aldo Leopold's <i>A Sand County Almanac</i> over here (ooooh, I might actually like this), and then something clicks. My palette expands. A new love is born.<br />
<br />
Once
again, I find that Miss Mason is a wise woman. While she speaks specifically of curriculum, I find that my own self-education needs do not vary in any essential way from my students' needs.<br />
<blockquote>
<i>“In the nature of things then the unspoken demand of
children is for a <b>wide and very varied</b> curriculum; it is necessary that
they should have some knowledge of the wide range of interests proper to
them as human beings, and <b>for no reasons</b> of convenience or time
limitations <b>may we curtail their proper curriculum</b>” </i></blockquote>
<blockquote>
<i>(Vol. 6, p. 14).</i></blockquote>
There is so much out
there beyond my regular genres, my familiar styles. Don't quit on your
kids—or yourself—if you don't click with everything the first time you
encounter it. Don't limit yourself to the things you are used to. Life is a big feast, and part of its wonder is the
wide variety of goodness, truth, and beauty.<br />
<br />
How about you? Have you been surprised lately by a new author, book, or genre? Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-90614651478091316982015-07-11T17:17:00.001-07:002015-12-31T23:20:47.414-08:00In Which I Discover There is More to Life than Star TrekHave you ever noticed how easily people fall into <strike>ruts</strike>
habits? When I was growing up, if there was a special occasion in my
home, it was marked with a dinner of fillet mignon and asparagus,
followed by Rocky Road ice cream for dessert. My children are gourmet
cheese mongers. Every time we go to the grocery store, the want to check the cheese
counter for samples. Me? I'm a coffee girl. Gourmet, fair trade, locally roasted,
freshly ground: pour it in, foam it up, and top it with whipped cream
and I'm a happy girl. All of these foods are delicious. Really, who can
argue with fillet mignon? A grilled cheese made with applewood smoked Gouda? Rocky Road?! Obviously though, one meal, no
matter how special, won't fill every need. It's easy to see that any
diet consisting of only a few foods is going to leave us missing
important nutrients.<br />
<br />
Why is it that a
principle we can see so clearly in the physical world becomes so cloudy
and debatable when it comes to the intellectual world?
Charlotte Mason declared that the mind has needs, just like the body
does.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>
</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Knowledge 'nourishes' the mind as food nourishes the body.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>
</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>A child requires knowledge as much as he requires food.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>~Volume 6, p.18 </i></div>
<br />
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If
this is true, then it is easy to see that one or two kinds of books
will not serve to create a full and richly-fed mind. Just like our
bodies, our minds require both quantity and variety.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>In the nature of things then the unspoken demand of children is for <b>a wide and very varied curriculum</b>; it is necessary that they should
have some knowledge of the wide range of interests proper to them as
human beings, and for no reasons of convenience or time limitations may
we curtail their proper curriculum.</i></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<i>~Volume 6, p.14 </i><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
But
just like the suspicious redundancy in my weekly meal plan, it's easy
to fall into a reading rut. Growing up, I read science fiction and epic
fantasy. I cut my teeth on Narnia, loved all the iterations of Star Trek
(well, almost all of them; I'm looking in deep disgust at you, Deep
Space 9), then leaped happily into Xanth, Pern, and Edgar Rice
Burroughs' Red Planet. I was full to the brim with grilled asparagus and
Rocky Road, but there was little else in my reading life. I would have
been happy to continue this way, except...<br />
<br />
...well... <br />
<br />
...my
children. Yup, children don't come out reading. Who knew? If I wanted
to expose them to many ideas through a broad and generous curriculum, I
was going to have to read their books aloud. So, we read books.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>So. Many. Books.</b><br />
<br />
We
read history, biography, fairy tales, natural science, poetry, and
geography. One of my favorite things about Ambleside Online is the
number and variety of books. I run into old friends all the time, but
there are also a lot of unfamiliar titles. We read a chapter at a time,
slowly working through a book, sometimes over two or three years, and
the girls draw
surprising connections between all the diverse sources. It's delightful
to see.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiH3jmzSLwl1p4dA1k-sAnO24LBG-Fu9ya1e3TJFhnFM-EBNPBFi2Mpg8ovC7g53EgqsZiiQirQJlooY2jxduWrAcccaI9tQR41_KDDgg8sIy7YaZMcFIBUmmCwrnp9lx7ndk-r3yjP1lca/s1600/Camel.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a>
<br />
Even though two of my girls can read at least some of their own schoolbooks, I find that my own appetite has been whetted by the past few years of broad reading. I don't <i>want</i> to pass off that history book. In fact, I find myself searching for more information, because I just have to know if Richard III really did kill his nephews or if it was a politically-motivated frame-up by Henry VII. (I still don't know, by the way, but I have my suspicions.) I'm digging their geography book, because I never really noticed how the shape of the land drives history. As I model the kind of curiosity that I want my kids to develop, it's growing in my own life.<br />
<br />
What about you? Is your personal reading heavy in one particular genre? (And do tell, which is it? I always want to hear more about people's favorite books.) Have you decided or been forced to branch out into something new? How did it go?Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-59722740074548835972015-02-27T17:36:00.001-08:002015-12-31T23:22:01.381-08:00Learn More, Know More, Love MoreIf you are subscribed to this blog and you received a rough draft in your inbox this morning, please accept my apologies. The Publish button is right next to the Save Draft button, and I was running out the door for a Dunkin Donuts date with my girls and a dear friend. If it did come to you, consider it a peek into the unedited workings of my mind. For whatever that's worth. ;)<br />
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Over the past two years, art study has become a huge source of joy in our home. I have already written <a href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2013/08/2013-14-art-study.html" target="_blank">here</a> about how much we've learned. That's still true, and even more so as we explore new genres. What I didn't mentioned there is how much I've learned to love. Charlotte Mason was onto something important when she said, "
“The question is not—how much does the youth know? when he has
finished his education—but how much does he care? ... In fact, how large is the room in which
he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has
before him?”<br />
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There are so many subjects that I didn't know anything (or at least not very much) about, so I didn't care. Nothing moves your heart simply because it should. You have to get to know it before you can love it. After two years of picture study, I'm falling in love. I look forward to each new artist like a chance to get to know a new friend. <span style="font-size: x-small;">(<i>All the extroverts are nodding, and some of my dear introvert friends are shrinking back in horror at that image. Ahem, moving right along...)</i></span> I haven't loved every painting, nor even every artist. I am, however, learning to love art. It's so much fun to see how each artist responds to what came before, how he changes it and makes it his own. Art is a window into the heart of the artist, and it's something special to be invited into that. Knowing more—loving more—makes my life, and the lives of my girls, broader and richer.<br />
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I have looked forward to this term's artist for a while: Edgar Degas. I have three daughters. My Teacup-age-10 started dance last fall, and she has found her "thing." I'm really excited about introducing to the master of Ballet paintings. As always, <a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/ArtSch.shtml" target="_blank">Ambleside Online</a> has prepared a wide sampling of Degas' work, so we actually won't be focused specifically on his dancer portraits. Don't worry, though. I have plenty of extra goodies in the wings for my girls!<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpZ6V_GggYRO8hM6cF4pw0xZYVzoOLStx_kcUPt-tSp_aKc61UzW_xnsuu_7ym2n9_WCp0k65AIDwdpi2dDltzQmSI1s5MmthN4qdWI_G9Tday-yWdHh1xvIshMo3RlOz8xW-UTDkBw-0/s1600/Edgar+Germain+Hilaire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTpZ6V_GggYRO8hM6cF4pw0xZYVzoOLStx_kcUPt-tSp_aKc61UzW_xnsuu_7ym2n9_WCp0k65AIDwdpi2dDltzQmSI1s5MmthN4qdWI_G9Tday-yWdHh1xvIshMo3RlOz8xW-UTDkBw-0/s1600/Edgar+Germain+Hilaire.jpg" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>The Dance Class, Edgar Degas, 1875</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Feel free to download these prints for your own use.* We have a new set of frames in our Art Gallery (AKA, the dining room), so these are now formatted as <a href="http://www.4shared.com/office/qRKTM8_4ba/2014-15_T3_Prints_-Degas.html" target="_blank">8x10 prints</a>. They still print on a letter-sized page, there is just more white space now. I trim the prints down to fit in our frames. As always, we get ours printed on glossy card stock at Office Max. They are reasonably priced and their quality is excellent. <br />
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Each of my girls has her own <a href="http://agenerouseducation.blogspot.com/2013/08/making-it-personal-book-of-masterpieces.html" target="_blank">Book of Masterpieces</a>, where she keeps her own 4x6" copy of every print she studies. The <a href="http://www.4shared.com/office/-QlC8LBoba/4x6_prints.html" target="_blank">4x6 art cards</a> also print on a standard-sized computer page, three to a sheet. In addition to the assigned prints, I included a copy of one of Degas' self-portrait. Our curriculum recommends a different one, but this one makes me laugh. I don't really know anything about him, but I suspect that he had attitude.<br />
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Is Picture Study a part of your family's routine yet? I would love to hear your thoughts about you fit this important subject into your busy homeschool day. Are you excited to study Degas? What are you planning for this term?<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>*If you want to use these prints for your family or group's study, download
them with my blessings. It should go without saying, but please </i><i><i>don't copy the files and pass them off as your own work, </i>don't sell the files, and don't sell the prints. Basically, the Golden Rule still applies!</i></span>
Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-30931823240161069182015-02-26T05:54:00.004-08:002015-12-31T23:22:49.380-08:00And Then There Were Three...I'm tempted to begin with an apology for how long it has been since I posted. Well over a year is a little ridiculous, I know. All I can say to excuse myself I that I haven't had a lot to say. I have been in a phase of my life where I'm soaking knowledge up as... well, not exactly as fast as I can. Perhaps I should say I'm soaking in as much as I can handle. I am working my way through <a href="https://www.blogger.com/">The Living Page</a> again, this time with a group of local CM homeschool mamas. This book has changed my heart about what we're doing, and expanded my ideas about why we're doing it. Maybe I'll write more about that later. For now, I can only recommend that you go get yourself a copy, if you don't already have one. If you are the sort to buy a new book and tuck it on the shelf for "someday," I encourage you to pull it out and crack it open. <br />
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When we started back to school this January, Tiger began her Kindergarten year. Well, kind of. According to the letter I send to the state, she doesn't technically start kinder until the fall. However, she's ready and raring to go, so go we will. I realize that Mason herself did not advocate formal education before age 6. That's perfectly fine, because calling what we're doing right now "formal" would be a stretch, if you know what I mean. Mason does recommend reading and early math lessons as the child requests them. That is pretty much what happens at our house, except it's more like whenever Mama can slip them in around everything else. Tiger is so excited to have her OWN math book and to learn to read that she is the one begging and pushing. At our house, Kinder is a warm-up year. Both Tempest and Tiger have enjoyed the one-on-one attention, the big-kid feeling of "doing school," and the excellent stories recommended on the <a href="http://amblesideonline.org/00.shtml" target="_blank">Year 0 </a>page at Ambleside Online. We aren't terribly consistent, but it gets them into the routine of coming to the table (or couch) and paying attention to a lesson.<br />
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So… homeschooling three. Can I admit it? I'm feeling very overwhelmed. I don't transition easily, and this case is no exception. At the end of the day, I'm tired and mentally sore in the way that I hear exercise people get sore after a workout. I wouldn't know about <i>that</i>, but I'll take their word for it. This is why Kindergarten is a warm-up year. It isn't just for my kids' benefit, but for my own. It's comforting to know that we'll get to what we get to, and everything will be fine.<br />
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We definitely haven't reached equilibrium… yet. I have faith, though, that we will. As I encourage myself, let me encourage you, too. If you feel like you can't *insert your struggle here*, just remember to add "YET."<br />
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I don't get up on time… yet.<br />
I don't keep the house as clean as I would like to… yet.<br />
I don't do my meal planning consistently… yet.<br />
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Keep pressing in, and we'll get there yet! How is your back-to-school going so far? Are you raring to go, or feeling a little blue from winter clouds? Have you hit your stride, or are you still struggling to find your rhythm?Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-86040681731113915902013-08-24T23:38:00.003-07:002013-08-24T23:38:43.587-07:00Hudson River School Art CardsWhew, I finally finished formatting all the art cards for the year. Term 3 of the <a href="http://amblesideonline.org/ArtSch.shtml">Ambleside Artist schedule</a> includes paintings by artist from The Hudson River School. I have never heard of any of them before now, but the paintings we are going to be studying this term are absolutely beautiful. I think they really capture the essence of the American Frontier ideal. I'm curious to see what my girls think of them. There are some rather large files here, because not only will be be studying some compilations, but there are also quite a few "extra interest" recommendations. I'm not sure how or if we will use them, but I am going to print everything. If I have it, I might decide to use it. If I don't have it ready, I know it won't get done!<br />
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As usual, click on the images to download the 4x6 photo file. These can be printed at any photo kiosk. To print three images per page, click the links to download a .pdf file. This option is great if you prefer to print at home or an office supply store.<br />
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First up are the assigned paintings. <a href="http://www.4shared.com/office/hP8YyR58/2013-14_T3_BoM_-_HR_School.html">Download the three-on-a-page file here</a>.<br />
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Here are the extra interest options. You can <a href="http://www.4shared.com/office/ABLQUGxs/2013-14_T3_BoM_Extras_-_HR_Sch.html">download the three-on-a-page file here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Apparently Cole was quite fond of painting series illustrating cycles - notice both the Empire series and the Journey series. On a side note, I was ridiculously proud of myself when I recognized "Destruction" as the cover illustration on a book about the fall of the Roman empire. Yet again I have to admit that I am learning at least as much as my kids are from this homeschooling thing!</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>My husband grew up near Cotopaxi, Colorado. This is not that Cotopaxi, in case you are wondering. Apparently Church journeyed to the Andes to view the fabled volcano.</i></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is my own personal addition. I stumbled across it while searching for other art paintings, and I love it too much not to include it for my kiddos.</i></td></tr>
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What do you think of this term's artwork? It's a big change from Manet in Term 2! Are you going to include the optional artwork? How do you plan on working it in?<br />
Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7430638173587337848.post-18575010760383026382013-08-23T15:15:00.004-07:002013-08-24T23:06:03.810-07:00Manet Art CardsIt's time for another round of art cards...<br />
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Edouard Manet is scheduled for Term 2 on the <a href="http://www.amblesideonline.org/ArtSch.shtml">Ambleside Artist Rotation</a>; however, the large art museum in our state is going to have a French exhibit from October to December which will include Renoir, Monet, and Manet. The kids are already enthusiastic about the Impressionist paintings we studied last year. I am going to move Manet to the first term, and I hope that they will recognize some old friends when we visit. I'm a little nervous about taking my Tempest into a real, official, art museum, but both of the older girls are quite excited. I just can't see leaving my Tempest-girl at home, even if she is a little wild and crazy. They are going to have at least one Renoir on display, and I must admit that I am pretty eager to see it in real life. No matter how beautiful, prints never do justice compared to the real thing. At any rate, if you hear a tragic tale about a Renoir painting, a small homeschool girl, and destructively flying hands and feet... that might just be us in the news. Pray for me!<br />
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I'm curious to see if Manet's paintings are going to become more attractive to me as we spend some time together. After spending the term with Renoir's warm, intimate portraits, Manet's work feels a little flat to me. That is my completely un-art-educated opinion, and I am very willing to change my mind.<br />
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These files are formatted for 4x6 prints. Right click the image and save it. If you prefer to print three cards on a standard-sized page, you can <a href="http://www.4shared.com/office/NK-jix_4/2013-14_T2_BoM_-_Manet.html">download the .pdf file here</a>.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.4shared.com/office/naLPJO_p/Book_of_Masterpieces_Cover.html">Click to download the .pdf</a></td></tr>
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As we roll into the new year, I need to clean out all of last year's paperwork. That means that I have to decide what I am going to do with all of our beautiful art prints. I decided to keep them in a binder with the kids' Books of Masterpieces. Of course, that means that we need a snazzy binder cover. Here is the cover, if you would like to print it out for your own binder. At this point in time, our collection is not complete, because each of my girls absconded with their favorite Renoir print. I must admit, I'm not exactly complaining.<br />
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Do you keep a Book of Masterpieces? What do you do with your art prints after you are done studying them?Crunchy_Conservativehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13664462256982746031noreply@blogger.com0