Written by Heidi Scovel of Mt. Hope Chronicles

Christmas is a beautiful season of celebration. I love the comfort of familiar traditions, but I also enjoy discovering new ways to share the delights of the season with my children while learning about the world around us.

We read stories, listen to music, and research online to discover how families in other countries celebrate Christmas. Often, we are inspired to go a little further, such as learning how to fold origami cranes with which to decorate our tree.

While we’ve enjoyed our brief ‘visits’ to other countries, three celebrations in particular have become family traditions that we look forward to every year.

Saint Nicholas Day, December 6th

Saint Nicholas was a Bishop of Myra (in present day Turkey) during the 300s AD. His wealthy parents died in an epidemic when Nicholas was a young boy, leaving him a large inheritance that he used to help the poor and needy.

His feast day is celebrated in many countries with various traditions. You can read about many of them at Saint Nicholas Center, where you can also find stories, recipes, and a large number of child-friendly activities.

In our family, we get together with friends each year on St. Nicholas Day to read stories such as The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi, make marzipan treats (a traditional European confection), and find chocolate gold coins in our shoes. This is one of my boys’ favorite Christmas traditions!

Saint Lucia Day, December 13th

Hope, like the gleaming taper’s light,
Adorns and cheers our way,
And still, as darker grows the night
Emits a brighter ray.~Oliver Goldsmith

Saint Lucia was a young Christian girl from ancient Rome who was martyred for her faith. Legend has it that she wore a wreath of candles on her head to light her way while bringing food to persecuted Christians hiding in underground tunnels.

Saint Lucia Day is celebrated primarily in Sweden and the other Scandinavian countries. The eldest daughter in each family wears a white dress with a red sash and a wreath of candles on her head. She carries a tray with saffron rolls, ginger cookies, and coffee. Boys dress up as attendants, or ‘star boys,’ wearing a white shirt or robe, a cone-shaped hat decorated with stars, and a wand with a star on the tip.

Because I have a Swedish heritage, Saint Lucia Day has been a particularly fun celebration to introduce to my children. In past years, we have invited family members to join us for Swedish goodies such as orange cardamom bread and krumkake. I have even tried my hand at making a marzipan pig!

There are a few Swedish Christmas books on our book stack every December:

• Annika’s Secret Wish by Beverly Lewis
• The Tomten by Astrid Lindgren
• Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren
• Ollie’s Ski Trip by Elsa Beskow

Las Posadas, December 16th-24th

Las Posadas is a Spanish and Mexican Christmas tradition symbolizing Mary and Joseph’s search for lodging.

Processions of villagers along with a couple acting as Mary and Joseph go from home to home requesting lodging (in the form of a traditional song), where they are turned away until reaching a designated spot. There, Mary and Joseph are welcomed in, everyone is served goodies, and children break open pinatas.

The Night of Las Posadas by Tomie dePaola is a beautiful picture book about this celebration. The Legend of the Poinsettia, also by dePaola, is one of our favorite Christmas stories, as well.

Here are a few more resources for learning about Christmas celebrations in other countries:

• Brigid’s Cloak: An Ancient Irish Story by Bryce Milligan tells a story about Saint Brigid of Ireland.
• Tree of Cranes by Allen Say is a gorgeous picture book about a young boy in Japan whose mother tells him about Christmas in California and decorates a tree with origami cranes and candles.
• Christmas Coloring Book is a fun way for children to learn about Christmas traditions from other countries, including St. Nicholas Day, St. Lucia Day, and pinatas in Mexico. Each detailed coloring pages has a short description of traditions from countries such as China, Australia, France, and Iraq.
• A Classical Kids Christmas is a collection of carols and poems presented in pageant style. It includes traditions and songs from around the world, and is one of my favorite Christmas recordings.
• This link at WhyChristmas.com tells about Christmas traditions of many countries including Czech Republic, Zimbabwe, and South Korea.

Adding stories, sights, sounds, and activities from other countries just might offer a richness to your holiday studies and celebrations that your whole family can enjoy.

Does your family incorporate any cultural traditions into your holiday festivities? Are these traditions part of your own heritage, or ones you have adopted to make your holiday season richer?

Originally published on December 10, 2010

Classical Conversations: An Introduction ~
Written by Heidi Scovel of Mt. Hope Chronicles

A note from Jamie: Take my quiz here to get personalized tips to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality needs most!

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For many families, homeschooling is a much broader reality than the designation implies. The variety of educational opportunities is steadily increasing along with the realization that school isn’t a one-size-fits-all proposition.

Tutoring groups, homeschool co-ops, community classes, umbrella schools, field trips, online classes — sometimes the sheer quantity of choices is staggering. And very often homeschooling families find themselves out of the home for one or more days each week.

After several years without outside commitments, my family chose to join a local CC community this year and found it a perfect fit for our needs. When I was first introduced to the program I had so many questions, and it took a while for me to decide whether it would be right for us.

Now that we’ve been participating for several months, I can say that it has been a wonderful opportunity for my boys. I would love to share some details about Classical Conversations.

Classical Conversations is a nation-wide program that helps train and equip parents to provide their children with a Christian classical education.

Individual communities hire parents to be trained as tutors through Classical Conversations practicums, who then lead small classes of children in weekly meetings.

A quick overview of Classical Conversations:

Foundations

For the grammar stage (grades K4-6th), the Foundations program meets for twenty-four weeks during the school year. The classes meet one morning each week for three hours. (Leaving plenty of time during the week as well as during the year for additional studies.)

During the morning classes, tutors introduce the students to memory work in history, science, geography, English grammar, Latin, math, Bible, and the history time line.

Each student gives a short presentation in front of their class to learn public speaking skills. Science experiments and four six-week fine arts studies (drawing, tin whistle/music theory, famous artists/art projects, and instruments of the orchestra/composers) complete the schedule.

Parents are required to attend classes with their children so that they observe and learn from the teaching modeled by the tutors, which will in turn help them guide their children in reviewing the memory work at home.

The memory work outlined in the Foundations classes is designed to prepare the students for the higher-level classes. CC recommends that parents teach phonics, math, and handwriting studies at home.

Essentials

Beginning in 4th grade, an afternoon session is available to supplement the Foundations classes through 6th grade.

During Essentials, students learn language arts and structure with The Essentials of the English Language Guide, writing through the Institute for Excellence in Writing programs, and math through challenging problems and games.

Challenge

Day-long (30-week) Challenge programs for logic and rhetoric stages begin in 7th grade.

These classes cover math, Latin and Spanish, literature and writing, science labs, debate, rhetoric, and geography (mapping the whole world free-hand from memory!).

Students complete lessons and assignments at home during the remainder of the week.

Why I decided that Classical Conversations would be right for my family:

After some time of deliberation, I had a list of benefits this program would provide for us.

• Consistency and discipline in memory work across all subjects.
• Outside accountability.
• A social network of families interested in the same educational philosophy and goals.
• Experience in a classroom situation.
• Opportunity to make new friends.
• Learning from other adults and mentors.
• Hands-on science and fine arts projects.
• Practice in public speaking.

What students memorize during the three year-long cycles of Foundations:

It felt like Christmas the day my Foundations Curriculum Guide came in the mail. I pored over it and felt my excitement growing. It contains all the memory work for all three cycles.

Every year, Foundations students memorize all of the Veritas Press History Timeline cards from ancient history to modern times. Students also memorize the U.S. presidents yearly.

Math memory work is also the same each cycle: skip counting numbers up to 15 and other math facts such as the formula for finding the area of a circle.

Students memorize an astonishing amount of geography (new material each cycle): not only countries but also mountains, bodies of water, deserts, the U.S. states and capitals, territories, and more! The students practice tracing and drawing maps.

Other memory work includes weekly history sentences (the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World, the Bill of Rights, Charlemagne), Latin (declensions, conjugations, and Bible translation), English (parts of speech, participles, irregular verb tenses, and clauses), and passages from the Bible.

Each family has the flexibility of using the memory work however they wish during the week. We have used it as a spring-board for additional science and history reading and discovering, to solidify our math and grammar skills, and as a way of exploring our world through geography.

Further Links:

• The Case for Memorization by Stefani Austin at Simple Homeschool
• I share reasons why I value the memory work at my blog, Mt. Hope Chronicles.
• A peek inside our day at Classical Conversations classes.

Have you participated in outside classes or homeschool groups? Have you found the experience to be a positive one?

What’s Your Homeschool Mom Personality? Take Jamie’s quiz now and receive a free personality report to help you organize your homeschool based on what your personality type needs most!

The beautiful days of quiet rhythms. The hush of early morning productivity. The year in, year out steady march of progress. Do you wistfully wonder how to transform your home into this wonder-land of peace and earnest learning?

You won’t learn how from me.

We have spent the past year in survival mode. Pregnancy (which I’m afraid I didn’t handle gracefully), a newborn, illnesses, and a husband whose work routine changed drastically challenged my notions of what a homeschool day ‘should’ look like. Add in three young, extroverted, physical boys, and quiet anything was all but impossible.

I have embraced the concept of life seasons. It is counterproductive for me to dream of days that belong in a season other than the one I’m in.

After a period of letting go of expectations and riding the waves of life, we are using the freshness of a new year to move into a season of more focused academics.

We spend Monday mornings at our Classical Conversations group, and the rest of our week we spend learning at home. As our rhythm has yet to find a steady beat, I’ll share a specific day rather than a general routine.

7:30 am

The boys enjoy rising early. Their mother does not. I like sleep. I NEED my sleep. Boys, baby, and I all roll out of bed sometime after 7am. I shower and then check my email while the boys watch a science video.

Some mornings we have a hot breakfast, but this isn’t one of those mornings. It is self-serve yogurt, toast, or granola bars. I eat a piece of left-over apple pie. Because I’m the mom and I can.

I put in a load of laundry, the nine-year-old empties the dishwasher, and everyone gets ready for our day.

9:00 am

I feed baby and put her down for a morning nap.

The boys get started with math worksheets and handwriting notebooks at the kitchen table. The four-year-old joins us as long as his interest and attention span allows. I do some dishes and laundry in between helping the boys. The nine-year-old has trouble focusing, so I tell him he’ll have to come back to his work later.

We move to the living room couch. Short lessons covering multiple subjects keep the boys’ attentions focused as much as possible, though there is always a great deal of noise and acrobatics.

Grammar, Latin, geography songs, Bible memory songs, Bible reading, singing The Star-Spangled Banner, spelling (phonogram cards), reading about Haydn and William Blake, poetry memorization, and playing hymns on the piano are all on the line-up in no particular order.

The four-year-old is in and out of the room. He doesn’t quite have the interest and stamina (I’m using that term very loosely) of his big brothers, but he is a team player and doesn’t enjoy being on his own.

11:30 am

Baby wakes up. The younger boys make a fort in their bedroom while the nine-year-old finishes up handwriting and math at the kitchen table. He is still distracted, so I send him down our very long driveway to bring up the garbage can, hoping the fresh air and exercise does him some good.

We have lunch.

12:30 pm

I feed baby and put her down for another nap. (I take this moment to be thankful for a sleeping baby. My first (sleeping one, that is).

The boys read assigned pages in the history encyclopedia, then we begin reviewing our Classical Conversations memory work.

Baby wakes up early. I put her back to sleep and put in a Spanish lesson DVD for the boys.

2:00 pm

Baby wakes up again, and I give in. The nine-year-old begins more assigned reading while the six-year-old practices on the piano. I pour myself a large Dr. Pepper and hope the caffeine kicks in quickly.

3:00 pm

We have a snack. I feed baby again, and put her down for a nap again.

The nine-year-old continues to read. (I take this moment to be thankful for a boy who loves to read.) The younger boys help me make banana bread in the kitchen. I don’t bake anything without these two helpers.

4:15 pm

Daddy takes the six-year-old to piano lessons. (I take this moment to be thankful for my husband’s lighter work schedule.) The other boys play while I clean up the kitchen, work on laundry, and begin dinner preparations, then sneak in some computer time while baby continues to sleep.

5:30 pm

Daddy and the six-year-old arrive back home. The boys all head to the office with Daddy for some computer time. I finish preparing dinner.

6:00 pm

I manage to quickly eat dinner with the family before baby wakes up and needs to be fed. My husband works on kitchen clean-up.

Daddy plays a short (incomplete) game of Monopoly with the boys while I give baby a bath.

The game gets put away, the younger boys watch TV while the oldest showers, and I finish cleaning up the kitchen.

8:00 pm

I read aloud a chapter of Little Britches, then turn on a story CD for the boys as they crawl in bed. I feed baby and put her to bed.

I putter around the house and spend some time on the computer before reminding myself that getting to bed at a decent hour will help me be more cheerful when awakened in the middle of the night.

10:30 pm

As my day fades into the past and I begin rest for the new day tomorrow, I am full of gratitude for this season of life and learning with four young children.

Are any of you beginning a season of more focused academics after a period of laid-back schooling? How have you worked into a new routine?

As our home school heads into the holidays, we tend to stray from the beaten path of desk work, adding activities and outings into our schedule as often as possible. The festive months of November and December are ripe with possibilities.

Pumpkin patches and corn mazes, musical performances of all kinds, unit studies about Pilgrims or early American traditions, Christmas celebrations from around the world (I’ll be sharing more about those next month), our special holiday collection of books and music, Advent reading and activities, and creative giving opportunities all play a part in our broadened studies.

Thanksgiving weekend, in particular, is a special time of family and feasting, and one of our favorite traditions is Green Friday.

The boys and I are ready to embrace the changing seasons and more than ready for a little fresh air. Rather than fight crowds at the popular shopping locations, we head straight out of town for a nature hike–buckets in hands and anticipation in hearts.

Here are a few tips for enjoying a Green Friday celebration of your own:

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Choose a location.

Wilderness preserve. Hiking trail. Local farm. A friend’s home in the country. Even a large city park.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Share the experience with friends.

Traditions are even more memorable when you invite others to join the festivities.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Bring buckets.

Gather pine cones, twigs, apples, moss, rose hips, cedar branches, nuts, and other nature goodness with which to decorate your home (inexpensively!) for the holiday season. (Be sure to check the rules or get permission ahead of time.)

I love filling an old red wagon with cedar branches and rose hips to decorate the front porch. Pine cones look lovely lightly sprayed with silver spray paint. Place them in a bowl or hang on the Christmas tree. Apples fill large glass vases on the mantel. Have your children create an autumn display for their nature table.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Observe the wildlife.

Pack the binoculars. Look for animal tracks.

Bring trail guides or sketch books.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Don’t forget a thermos of hot cider and a bag of trail mix!

It often seems easier to enjoy and observe nature during the spring and summer seasons, but autumn has a magic all its own. Celebrate it!

There is music in the meadows, in the air —
Autumn is here;
Skies are gray, but hearts are mellow,
Leaves are crimson, brown, and yellow;
Pines are soughing, birches stir,
And the Gipsy trail is fresh beneath the fir.

There is rhythm in the woods, and in the fields,
Nature yields:
And the harvest voices crying,
Blend with Autumn zephyrs sighing;
Tone and color, frost and fire,
Wings the nocturne Nature plays upon her lyre.

~William Stanley Braithwaite, Lyric of Autumn

Do you change your homeschool routine during the holidays? What is your favorite way to incorporate holiday traditions into your lessons?

The yearly, right-of-passage school photos were something I couldn’t decide whether to love or hate as a child. I remember the anticipation of being handed the envelope with my pictures, praying they had turned out well. And the dread of the teacher showing everyone (yes, that happened) when they hadn’t.

Haven’t we all looked back at some of our own school photos and cringed, whether it was the outrageous perm, the out-of-style glasses, or the braces? Or maybe it was the one shot we had at a decent facial expression.

But now that I am (much, much) older, I look at those pictures with a certain fondness. The regularity with which they occurred made it easy to see how much I changed and grew from year to year.

It can be easy as homeschooling families to set aside some of the institutional school traditions, or reject the cookie-cutter, conveyor-belt photography. We don’t need to throw out the baby with the bath water, however. Our children grow and change so quickly, that if we don’t take the time to capture them in a picture (quirks and all), those moments will be gone forever.

Photography takes an instant out of time, altering life by holding it still. ~Dorothy Lange

Making a tradition of back to school photos is a great way to ensure that you and your children will possess consistent reminders of who they were and who they became.

Here are a few tips to get you started.

1.  Show some personality.

One of the things that strikes me about traditional school photos is the sameness, and one of the reasons we homeschool is so that our boys are free to be themselves! Don’t be afraid to embrace your own creativity and your child’s personality through location, props, activity, or facial expressions.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

2.  Make use of natural light.

Forget the flash. Forget bright sunlight. Get outside in the open shade (or on an overcast day). It eliminates squinting, harsh shadows, and over-exposure. Evening is a wonderful time of day for soft light!

Photo by Heidi Scovel

3.  Try a new perspective.

Stand on a chair, climb a ladder, get on your belly. Whatever you do, don’t just stand there! At least not for every photo, since there is no one-picture-rule here! Standing slightly above your child will give you a great shot of their eyes.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

4.  Get close.

It is fun to get shots of kids doing interesting things in interesting places, but it is very important that you don’t forget to take a few shots up close. Really close. Make sure you can see their missing teeth, their freckles, their eye color, or their new hair cut. You will treasure every detail of those little faces in the years to come.

While you’re up close, snap a few pictures of other details. The new shoes. Hands gripping a pencil. A favorite book.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

5.  Use the rule of thirds.

For a nicely balanced photo, take your focal point (eyes in the case of a face shot, or head in the case of a body shot) and off-center it a bit, horizontally and/or vertically. Imagine lines dividing the picture into thirds, and place the eyes on the top line.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

6.  Create traditions.

While variety can be the spice of life, many children look forward to traditions. Do you have back-to-school routines that would lend themselves to photographs? Take pictures of your child at his or her workspace each year, or out for doughnuts on the first day of school.

7.  Embellish.

Once you’ve taken the pictures, feel free to add a little flair. At the free online photo editing site, Picnik, you can can crop, create collages, add frames and text, and so much more!

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Remember, also, to catch everyday school and life moments throughout the year: read-aloud time, art class, kids gathered at the kitchen table for math, or the history projects.

Taking pictures doesn’t have to be complicated. Even though life seems to slog by some days, childhood truly is fleeting. Now is the only time to capture these memories.

Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything. ~Aaron Siskind

Have you taken yearly pictures of your children? Do you have a back to school photo tradition?

Have you ever finished reading a book and craved to share the experience with someone? Maybe you wanted to find out if they loved the same characters, if they identified with the emotional theme, if they were frustrated by certain events, or if they understood why the author chose to weave the story in a certain way.

My most favorite way to treat myself socially, emotionally, and intellectually is to attend a monthly book club. I’ve been involved with the same wonderful group of ladies for over six years. We each anticipate the evenings of sharing our love of reading. Through this connection, we deepen our understanding not only of the books we read, but also ourselves.

Our children can benefit in the same ways when they are regularly involved with friends, family members, or mentors who encourage their appetite for books and the ideas within.

For homeschooling families, book clubs may also be a valuable way for children to gain experience and confidence sharing their thoughts and ideas within a group atmosphere.

The possibilities for book clubs are as endless as one’s imagination, but I’d like to share a few spring-board ideas for organizing groups for young people.

Photo from Amazon.com

“Books are like puzzles…The author’s ideas are hidden and it is up to all of us to figure them out. Whenever you read a book you want to know what the book is really about, not what it’s about on the surface, not the story, but what’s underneath the story…” ~Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone in Deconstructing Penguins

Parent-child book clubs:

If you are like me, your own literary education might be sadly lacking, and the thought of leading children through meaningful discussions of books could be a bit intimidating.

In their incredible book, Deconstructing Penguins: Parents, Kids, and the Bond of Reading, Lawrence and Nancy Goldstone share their experience in leading parent-child book groups. While their book selections and detailed discussions are aimed at guiding elementary children through the literary analysis of fiction books, I found that the insight I gained had a profound effect even on my adult reading.

“The notion that in a good book—any good book, adult or children’s—there was something going on under the story that the author was trying to communicate through the characters and the plot was apparently a revelation, and not just to the kids.”

The authors provide the reader with a framework approach which helps children (and the facilitating adults) to uncover the layers of a story.

“The All-Fiction-Is-Mystery idea turned out to be an especially useful tactic for kids’ books because everyone loves a mystery. Even more, everyone loves to be the detective who solves the puzzle. When we began to communicate to the kids that in reading a book they were actually entering a crime scene where they were to be responsible for identifying clues, figuring out how the deed was done (method) and why it was done (motive), the discussions suddenly took off.”

Solving the puzzles of character, setting, climax, theme, and point of view is a great way for children and parents to have meaningful, interactive conversations about stories.

“In our book groups, parents and children speak to one another with mutual respect, as equals. Often a child and a parent will take different sides of a question and the room will divide strictly on the basis of argument and not age… More than that, because we talk about real issues, the kids come away with insights into their parents (and vice versa) that we have been told spills over into other parts of their relationship.”

Starting with picture books is one way to gain confidence in literary analysis and is appropriate for both younger and older readers alike. The Center for Literary Education has developed a program called Ready Readers which you can purchase and includes complete discussion notes for ten classic stories (Brave Irene and The Relatives Came happen to be two of my all-time favorite picture books!).

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Children-only book clubs:

Your child might enjoy having more input, control, or planning experience through a child-led book club. The initial club members can get together and make decisions on the following details:

• How many members?
• Where to meet and how often?
• What books to read (and should every member read the same book)?
• What type of book discussions to have and should there be a leader?
• Should there be food or activities?

For more ideas, check out Starting a Book Club at KidsReads.com.

Adult-led book clubs:

With a parent (or other adult)  facilitating a group, there are many possible themes for book clubs.

Book selections can be centered around a historical period, a specific author, book awards (such as the Newbery or Caldecott Medal winners), literary genres, or other defining factors (mysteries, character development, etc.).

While it is often nice to keep things simple, book club meetings may include more than book discussions. Consider adding in field trips, food, crafts, guest speakers, or other activities to enhance the ideas or themes presented in the story.

A fellow homeschooling mom started a history club for young girls who are reading through the American Girl books. They are discussing the books, exploring American history, writing journals, and creating a quilt. She has shared detailed plans and ideas on her blog, A Smart Start.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Family book clubs:

Book clubs can also be wonderful bonding time for families. Schedule regular ‘meeting’ times to discuss a specific book read by all family members, share thoughts or journal entries from individual reading, act out stories, or take turns reading aloud.

However you structure it, setting aside time to talk about books can inspire children (and their parents) to read, think, explore ideas, and share their love of reading with others.

“The art of reading is in great part that of acquiring a better understanding of life from one’s encounter with it in a book.” ~André Maurois

Is your child involved in a book club? Has it been a positive experience?

Summer. There is something delicious about that word, especially for a mother of three young boys after an even-rainier-than-normal Pacific Northwest spring.

Children need to stretch their lungs, their legs, and their imaginations. The great outdoors are calling.

We may be inclined to set down our formal spelling and grammar programs, but summer is a great opportunity to sneak in some of the fun extras we might have trouble finding time to share with our children during a traditional school year.

Time spent outdoors lends itself to creativity and an appreciation for the art of nature. Many famous artists have been inspired by nature, and it is a joy to learn from the masters.

“Keep your love of nature, for that is the true way to understand art more and more.” ~ Vincent Van Gogh

Here are a few ideas to spark a summer study of art and nature.

1. Pour Over Nature-Inspired Art by the Masters

Picture books are a marvelous way to introduce children (and adults!) to fine art and the lives of artists. Check your library or use these suggestions to get started:

A FARM: Paintings from a Bygone Age contains whimsical watercolor depictions of family farm life by Swedish artist Carl Larsson.

Georgia’s Bones by Jen Bryant tells the story of Georgia O’Keeffe and the inspiration she found in New Mexico for her vivid paintings.

“It is not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, the feeling for the things themselves, for reality, is more important than the feeling for pictures.” ~Vincent van Gogh

Van Gogh and the Sunflowers by Laurence Anholt is a child-friendly story about Vincent van Gogh and pairs well with Vincent’s Colors, which has paintings and words by van Gogh on each page. (Anholt has several artists books for children that are lovely.)

The Boy Who Drew Birds is a wonderful book about John James Audubon. The dreamy sketches, watercolors, and scrapbook-style illustrations by Melissa Sweet are fabulous.

Photo from Amazon.com

Building on Nature: The Life of Antoni Gaudi by Rachel Rodriguez teaches a child through the life of a Spanish artist that architecture can be nature-inspired art, as well.

Edward Hopper: Summer at the Seashore is a perfect book to read on a beach vacation, filled with the artist’s sketches and paintings of the seashore.

Artist in Overalls: The Life of Grant Wood by John Duggleby introduces the reader to the painter of American Gothic. This is a detailed biography with many paintings of rural life in America.

Charlotte in Giverny by Joan MacPhail Knight is a beautiful book with many Impressionist paintings and more fabulous nature journal/scrapbook-style illustrations by Melissa Sweet.

Linnea in Monet’s Garden by Cristina Bjork follows the fictional character Linnea as she visits Monet’s Garden. The book is chock-full of nature photographs, Monet’s paintings, details about the artist’s life, and charming illustrations.

“I perhaps owe having become a painter to flowers.” ~ Claude Monet

Photo by Heidi Scovel

2. Draw, Paint, and Color

“Nothing makes me so happy as to observe nature and to paint what I see.” ~Henri Rousseau

Perhaps your budding artist might enjoy copying the bold, colorful patterns of Georgia O’Keeffe or the nature journal sketches of Audubon. If the artist’s wings need a little assistance getting them off the ground, try one of these coloring books:

Color Your Own Great Flower Paintings
Color Your Own Monet Paintings
Audubon’s Birds of America Coloring Book
Backyard Nature Coloring Book

Photo by Heidi Scovel

If you or your child would like to start a nature journal (or find more inspiration for one already in progress), Keeping a Nature Journal is a gorgeous book of sketches (some color, some black and white), ideas, and instructions.

“Painting from nature is not copying the object; it is realizing one’s sensations.” ~Paul Cezanne

3. Build and Create

Scrapbooks, bulletin boards, and nature tables are excellent ways to encourage art study. I try to have art postcard books on hand to use for projects.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Nature’s Art Box is a wonderful book full of nature craft ideas and instructions.

Inspired by a book about fairy houses, my niece whipped up this little abode. My favorite part: the nutshell bowls filled with single blackberries.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

4. Go Explore

There may be several places in your area to explore art in nature (and nature in art).

Public gardens are wonderful places to take your sketchbook or painting easel and spend an afternoon. (Or take your camera for future art projects.) Rose gardens. Japanese gardens. Tropical gardens. Check to see if any local public gardens sponsor an Art in the Garden event during the summer.

Search out a sculpture park to see how other forms of art make their homes in nature.

“The artist is a receptacle for emotions that come from all over the place; from the sky, from the earth, from a scrap of paper, from a passing shape, from a spider’s web.” ~Pablo Picasso

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Do you or your child have a favorite nature-inspired artist?

Picture books have an added dimension:  a visual feast within their illustrations.

Sunny, colorful worlds. Quiet, dramatic worlds. Peaceful worlds. Chaotic worlds.

As I mentioned in a previous post, Giving Our Children the World, I want my children to be world travelers, even when we don’t have the ability to go far from home.

Travel is available to anyone with a library card.

The following is a list of beautiful picture books to help you get started on your journey.

Arctic:

A Small Tall Tale From the Far Far North by Peter Sis

Photo by Heidi Scovel

United States and Canada:

Anno’s U.S.A. by Mitsumasa Anno. If you have never traveled through one of Anno’s wordless picture books, you are missing a special adventure!
You Can’t Take a Balloon Into the Metropolitan Museum by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Preiss Glasser. Another wonderful wordless picture book adventure, this time in New York City.
Song of the Swallowsby Leo Politi. A beautiful book introducing children to California’s centuries-old Latino heritage and Mission culture.

Mexico, Central and South America:

Mexico:
Mario’s Mayan Journeyby Michelle McCunney
Off We Go to Mexicoby Laurie Krebs
Erandi’s Braidsby Tomie dePaola

Guatemala:
Mama and Papa Have a Storeby Amelia Lau Carling. Chinese immigrants living in Guatemala.

Europe:

Sweden:
Snipp, Snapp, Snurr and the Yellow Sled (and other titles) by Maj Lindman
Flick, Ricka, Dicka Bake a Cake (and other titles) by Maj Lindman

Netherlands:
The Boy Who Held Back the Sea by Thomas Locker

Photo from Amazon.com

England:
Madeline in Londonby Ludwig Bemelmans
James Herriot’s Treasury for Children. This collection of illustrated stories by the author of All Creatures Great and Small is a favorite in our home!

France:
Anatole by Eve Titus. This Paris mouse will steal your heart.
Adele and Simonby Barbara McClintock. The rich illustrations make this book a treasure!
Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans. Always a classic.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Spain:
The Story of Ferdinandby Munro Leaf

Italy:
Zoe Sophia’s Scrapbook: An Adventure in Veniceby Claudia Mauner and Elisa Smalley
Madeline and the Cats of Romeby Ludwig Bemelmans
Gabriella’s Songby Candace Fleming

Hungary:
Hanna’s Cold Winterby Trish Marx

Poland:
The Cats in Krasinski Square by Karen Hesse

Middle East:

Snow in Jerusalemby Deborah da Costa

Asia:

India:
Monsoon by Uma Krishnaswami
The Drum: A Folktale From India by Rob Cleveland

Japan:
A Carp for Kimiko by Virginia Kroll
I Live in Tokyo by Mari Takabayashi. An incredible introduction to Japanese life with lovely, bright illustrations.
Kamishibai Man (and other titles) by Allen Say. Beautiful quiet stories with subdued illustrations.

China:
Tikki Tikki Tembo retold by Arlene Mosel
The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack
The Seven Chinese Brothers by Margaret Mahy

Korea:
The Fire Keeper’s Son by Linda Sue Park

Vietnam:
The Lotus Seed by Sherry Garland

Africa:

Mama Panya’s Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya by Mary Chamberlin
We All Went on Safari by Laurie Krebs
Ashanti to Zulu: African Traditions by Margaret Musgrove
The Gift of the Sun: A Tale From South Africa by Dianne Stewart
The Day of Ahmed’s Secret by Florence H. Parry. A boy on the busy streets of Cairo

Photo from Amazon.com

Australia:

This is Australiaby Miroslav Sasek. Be sure to check out other titles in the author’s nostalgic children’s travel series.

For older children, find a list of chapter books organized by country here on my blog, Mt Hope Chronicles.

“The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities; but to know someone here and there who thinks and feels with us, and though distant, is close to us in spirit – this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden.” ~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Which picture books have taken you and your child on a memorable journey to another country?

One of the beauties of homeschooling is the ability of the parent-teacher to weave together life and lessons. For some, creating that integration and balance comes naturally. For others, like myself, it is a constant work in progress.

But many of us, at one time or another, face huge waves of life that overwhelm our lessons.

Maybe it is a cross-country move, extended out-of-town visitors, caring for an elderly parent, home remodeling, early pregnancy nausea and fatigue, the birth of a baby, or an illness in the family.

We can use these waves as opportunities to embrace life (and all of its challenges) as a family and show our children that learning can happen anywhere and under any circumstances.

Don’t be afraid to let your children see and experience the waves of change within the context of a supportive family. I believe this will help develop their coping and problem-solving skills, give them a healthy understanding that life is not one long stretch of straight highway, and build strong family relationships.

There are several ways of shifting the balance to reflect our educational priorities, even when life seems to be up to our chins.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

1. Choose your essentials.

Is it math with which your child struggles? Is it history on which your son thrives? Is it the fresh air, play, and discovery time that keeps your family sane? Evaluate the circumstances, choose a manageable number of essentials (it may be one or five), and make them your priority.

2. Be willing to let go.

Of overwhelming commitments. Of extra-curriculars. Of expectations. Not an essential? Let it go if the water is closing in over your head.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

3. Be flexible.

Change your routine. Try lessons in the evening or in the car.

Change your location. Is your house a natural disaster zone? Go on a drive and listen to educational CDs. Do lessons at the library.

Change your lesson materials or approach. Maybe it’s time for science programs on DVD. Listen to your history lessons on CD. Do you have a teacher-intensive spelling curriculum? Workbooks might be a short-term novelty.

Does your child read independently? It’s time to fill the house (or car) with fascinating books about various subjects and let your children feast on their own.

4. Eat a frog.

Tackle your most difficult task (or your highest priority) first thing in the morning.

5. Discover the lesson in the moment.

Often, you’ll find that life is the lesson. Wherever you are ask questions, introduce discussions, and model curiosity. Experience cements facts and ideas in ways no book can duplicate.

6. Enlist some help.

Asking for help is hard. I know. But often, people around you are just waiting to be asked. Waiting to be involved and show that they care. Let them.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

7. Take care of yourself.

Try to eat well. Get as much sleep as the situation allows. Exercise or at least stretch and breathe deeply for a few minutes every day. Make time to be alone and recharge, even if it is a simple hot bath after the kids are in bed.

Waiting at a doctor’s office? Read a book that entertains or inspires you.

8. Have some fun.

Pack school bags with books and a snack; have a picnic at the park. Visit a museum. Put on some energetic music and dance like crazy or sing in the car at the top of your lungs.

Have your children teach their lessons to their stuffed animals or act out the book they read.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

9. Keep household tasks simple.

Need to get some fresh fruits and veggies into the kids, and fast? Make smoothies. Add a piece of whole-grain toast, and I call that dinner. Remember, the slow-cooker is your friend. Make extra soup and freeze some for later.

Don’t hold out for perfection. Give your young children a soapy rag and let them mop the floor. Make household tasks a family project.

10. Keep your perspective.

Life’s seasons come and go. Hug your children. Tell them you love them. Take a deep breath. And face adventures and challenges together.

To live is so startling it leaves little time for anything else. ~Emily Dickinson

When life begins to overwhelm lessons, what strategies have you successfully used to prioritize education?

After researching, dreaming, and planning my children’s education even before they were born, I have found it to be a fundamental shift in my parenting life as I realize that their education isn’t about me.

The boys I am raising and teaching are individual people. Children who have their own thoughts and desires.

These children in our care will become adults with their own lives.

I often slip into thinking of my boys as extensions of myself, believing their skills or behavior are testimonies of my parenting. What do they say about me? What do I expect them to become?

This way of thinking can seep its way into my teaching methods and goals. Do I relate my success as a teacher to what I’ve accomplished? It is so easy for schooling to become a checklist of activities, worksheets, and grade levels accomplished.

Certainly, as a classical educator, the content and skills play a big part in our homeschool, but am I using classical education as the end in itself–or as a tool to help my children realize the full, vivid life I hope for them?

What are the true goals you hope to accomplish through the education you are providing for your children? What lessons will best serve them in their future?

Photo by Heidi Scovel

I would encourage you to spend some time thinking about each child in your care. See him or her as a living, breathing, individual soul. Write down the lessons and skills you feel will serve to enlarge their life. Post your list where it can inspire and direct your efforts.

My list looks something like the following.

Lessons I endeavor to help my children embrace so that they may be healthy, whole human beings, capable of living an abundant life:

• Trust God.
• Be curious. About everything.
• Read. Read. Read.
• Help the underdog.
• Entertain thoughts.
• Set goals.
• Observe nature.
• Have compassion.
• Discuss ideas.
• Do hard things.
• Create:  Build. Paint. Plant. Draw. Sing. Bake. Play an instrument.
• Care for your body.
• Follow through.
• Appreciate beauty.
• Ask questions.
• Take responsibility.
• Eat good food.
• Play hard.
• Plant a garden.
• Try new things.
• Share with others.
• Manage your personal finances. Well.
• Solve problems.
• Plan for the future.
• Keep house. Well.
• Prepare for emergencies.
• Nurture relationships.
• Travel.
• Give of yourself.
• Value truth.
• Keep your word.
• Smell the flowers.
• Pick up after yourself.
• Use time wisely.
• Encourage others.
• Laugh. A lot.
• Brave storms.
• Cultivate a spirit of gratitude.
• Find passion for life.

Photo by Heidi Scovel

Life loves to be taken by the lapel and told: “I am with you kid. Let’s go.”
~Maya Angelou

What life lessons are on your list?