Grow Tall and Bright

Charlotte Mason says we should only be educating our children using the tools of atmosphere, discipline and life.  That is an atmosphere of learning, the implementation of habit training and the nourishing of the mind through living ideas. In other words, “parents and teachers should know how to make sensible use of a child’s circumstances (atmosphere), should train him in habits of good living (discipline), and should nourish his mind with ideas, the food of the intellectual life” (Volume 3, p.216-217). How does this happen? 

At Charlotte Mason Home School New Zealand we believe that a child can grow tall and bright by:

·         Learning about the Kingdom of God and the Bible

·         Growing in their knowledge and understanding of God, the world and themselves

·         Discovering living ideas that feed their minds

·         Developing habits of mind and action

All of these ideas will enable a child to be the person God designed them to be.  By purposefully implementing an atmosphere of learning, training your child in good habits and feeding his mind, you are enabling your child to be the person God designed them to be.

Picture this as you nurture your child using the tools of atmosphere, discipline and life…

“Imagine what we should feel when we saw the first lateral stem bearing off from the main one, and putting forth a leaf. How we should watch the leaf gradually unfolding its little graceful hand; then another then another; then the main stalk rising and producing more; then one of them giving indications of the astonishing novelty—a bud! Then this mysterious bud gradually unfolding lie the leaf, amazing us, enchanting us, almost alarming us with delight, as if we knew not what enchantment were to ensue, till at length, in all its fairy beauty, and odorous voluptuousness, and mysterious elaboration of tender and living sculpture, shines forth the blushing flower.” Volume 1 p.53

New Zealand History Living Books

• The Story of New Zealand by A.H. Reed

• Cook’s Cook: The Cook who Cooked for Captain Cook by Gavin Bishop

• Our Nation’s Story: A Course of British History – Standard IV Whitcombe’s Primary History Series

• Our Empire Story by H.E. Marshall

• Two Peoples, One Land: A History of Aotearoa/New Zealand by Elsie Locke

• The Story of New Zealand by Judith Bassett, Keith Sinclair and Marcia Stenson

• The Quest of Captain Cook by Millicent E. Selsam

• Explore Aotearoa by Bronwen Wall

• How the Maoris Came by A.W. Reed

• How the White Men Came To New Zealand by A.W. Reed

• Everybody’s Story of New Zealand by A.W. Reed

• The Story of Northland by A.W. Reed

• The Story of Early Dunedin by A.W. Reed

• The Story of Hawke’s Bay by A.W. Reed

• The story of the Kauri by A.W. Reed

• Walks in Maoriland Byways by A.W. Reed

• CAPTAIN COOK IN NEW ZEALAND: extracts from THE JOURNALS OF CAPTAIN COOK giving a full account in his own words of his adventures and discoveries in New Zealand by James Cook (Edited by A.H. & A.W. Reed)

• Captain Cook in Australia edited by A.W. Reed

• Living in a Maori Village  by A.W. Reed

• Games the Maoris Played A. by A.W. Reed

• Myths and Legends of Maoriland by A.W. Reed

• Wonder Tales of Maoriland by A.W. Reed

• Maori Tales of Long Ago by A.W. Reed

• How the Maoris Came by A.W. Reed

• How the Maoris Lived by A.W. Reed

• How the White Men Came by A.W. Reed  

• Pastoral Farming in New Zealand by A.W. Reed

• Roads in New Zealand by A.W. Reed

• Islands of the Pacific by A.W. Reed

• Myths and Legends of the Pacific by A.W. Reed

• How Captain Cook Came to New Zealand by A.W. Reed

• Whaling in Early New Zealand by A.W. Reed

• Sidelights on New Zealand History by A.W. Reed

• The Impact of Christianity on the Maori People by A.W. Reed

• Auckland – The City of the Seas by A.W. Reed

• The Story of New Zealand Place Names by A.W. Reed

• Folk Tales of New Zealand: The Legends of the Maoris by Mattie A Adair

• The Runaway Settlers by Elsie Locke

• The End of the Habour by Elsie Locke

• Curtain Raiser to a Colony by Cecil and Celia Mason

• With Scott to the Pole by Howard Marshall

• The Parkhurst Boys by Margaret Beames

• Po-ling: The Cook from Ti-Tree Point by Colin Kane Bell

• Wild Manes in the Afternoon by Mary Cox

• The Children in the Bush by Ruth Dallas

• The Wild Boy in the Bush by Ruth Dallas

• The Big Flood in the Bush by Ruth Dallas

• Holiday in the Bush by Ruth Dallas

• Shining Rivers by Ruth Dallas

• Jacky Nobody by Anne De Roo

• The Bat’s Nest by Anne De Roo

• Traveller by Anne De Roo

• Earthquake Town by Beverly Dunlop

• Kauri by John T Diamond and David Lowe

• New Zealand’s Story in Stamps by Gordon Ell

• New Zealand Ghost Towns and Glimpses of the Past by Gordon Ell

• Rhys Griffiths Read Aloud Stories Volumes 1 & 2

• Druscilla by Clarice England

• Captain John Niven by Bernard Fergusson

• The Springing Fern by Roderick Finlayson

• School Bulletin Series by Roderick Finlayson
  

  • The Coming of the Musket

  • The Coming of the Pakeha

  • The Golden Years

  • The Return of the Fugitives

  • Changes in the Pa

  • The New Harvest

• Laya by Bernard Gadd

• Dare Not Fail by Bernard Gadd

• The Gully that Gabriel Found by Diane Hebley

• Otago Goldrush by Diane Hebley

• Jock Mackenzie and his Dog by Diane Hebley

• The Ballad of Young Nick by Diane Hebley

• Captain Cook’s Landfall, 1769

• No One Went to Town by Phyllis Johnston

• Black boots and Buttonhooks by Phyllis Johnston

• A Comet in the Sky by Phyllis Johnston

• After the War by Bob Kerr

• Explorer Zach by Elsie Locke

• Journey Under Warning by Elsie Locke

• The Kauri and the Willow by Elsie Locke

• A Canoe in the Mist by Elsie Locke

• Prehistoric New Zealand and its People by Beverley McCulloch

• Ihaka and the Summer Wandering by Joanna Orwin

• Ihaka and the Prophecy by Joanna Orwin

• The Guardian of the Land by Joanna Orwin

• Captives and Castaways by Winifred Owen

• New Zealand Warrior Series: Parihaka by Kathryn Rountree

• New Zealand Warrior Series: Ruapekapeka Pa by Kathryn Rountree

• New Zealand Warrior Series: Moremonui by Kathryn Rountree

• Jessie Jenkin’s Diary by Kathryn Rountree

• Jimmy and the Bridge by Kenneth Saunders

• Green Gold by Eve Sutton

• Johnny Sweep by Eve Sutton

• Tuppenny Brown by Eve Sutton

• Moa Hunter by Eve Sutton

• Surgeon’s Boy by Eve Sutton

• New Zealand Explorers by Philip Temple

• Presenting New Zealand: An Illustrated History (wonderful picture book for young children.  Not necessarily a ‘living book’.)

Are you wanting to teach your children history from living books? Please check out my history overview.

https://www.cmhomeschoolnz.com/category/new-zealand-history-curriculumresources

What is a Good Book?

As a home-schooling mother, have you ever asked yourself this question?  I certainly have!  Every time I go to the library, or I am purchasing books for our home-school, I want to know “is this a good book?” The book needs to be “good” because the mind of my child is important.  What we read, shapes our thinking. 

Well, you ask, what does ‘good’ mean? It is certainly a very common, generic word. Can I suggest changing the question to “Does this book feed my child’s mind?” A question Charlotte Mason might have asked.

Charlotte Mason summarised her philosophy of education in 20 principles.  Principle nine states ‘We hold that the child’s mind is no mere sac to hold ideas; but is rather a spiritual organism, with an appetite for all knowledge. This is its proper diet.’

A good book will ‘feed’ your child’s mind. So next time you are at the library or about to purchase a book, ask yourself, does this book…

• Dilute knowledge because diluted knowledge dumbs a child down? (volume 1 p.176)

• Allow for mental growth? (volume 1 p.177)

• Furnish your child’s mind with fruitful ideas? (volume 1 p.177)

• Exercise the several powers of your child’s mind? (volume 1 p.177)

• Afford your child knowledge?

• Introduce your child to great ideas that have moved the world? (Volume 2 p.231)

• Contain twaddle or reading-made-easy? (volume 2 p.263)

• Sustain the life of thought? (volume 3 p.168)

• Allow your child to dig for knowledge and labour in thought? (volume 3 p.177, p.179)

• Hold your child enough that it makes a sudden, delightful impact upon his/her mind causing an intellectual stir marking the inception of an idea? (Volume 3 p.178)

• Give your child access to a great mind? (volume 3 p.228)

• Contain hidden treasure only found when searched for? (volume 3 p.243)

• Introduce ideas in a literary style because children have a natural preference for the literary form? (Volume 6 p.15)

• Appeal to your child’s spirit because ‘No one knoweth the things of a man but the spirit of a man which is in him’ (Volume 6, p.26)? (Volume 6, p.30)

• Allow your child access to original minds/ideas to allow for intellectual growth? (Volume 6 p.303)

• Feed your child abundantly? (Volume 6 p.26)

• Contain desiccated, drained, dry statements of facts? (Volume 6 p.105)

• Is this book worthy of your child’s time? (Volume 6 p.12)

As you make decisions on what books to put before your child’s eyes, consider the list above.  Consider also this definition of the word book, written by Charlotte Mason ‘A word possessing certain literary qualities able to bring that sensible delight to the reader which belongs to a literary word fitly spoken.” (Volume 2 p.263)