A parent's education

Yesterday, a friend posted a beautiful picture of--- her husband's bathroom reading. :) It made me laugh, but I could relate-- they are a CM house, and so as parents, read they must!

I've read a lot about parents following along with Ambleside for their own education and I love to hear about it. I was fortunate enough to be raised by parents who are also educators, and for that reason I have been surrounded by truth and beauty all of my life.

At the same time, I agree that one of  the most appealing aspects of a CM education is that parents and children are experiencing life side-by-side and learning-- at their own level, of course, but also in a way that enables them to interact together with the material being covered.

So with that in mind I would like to give you some ideas of ways you as a parent can benefit from educating your own children the CM way. Below you will find a few examples of books we are reading as adults to join in the conversation between our own children and Those Who Have Gone Before.

In the mornings, my children study Catechism. I've said before that our Catechism lessons follow a set order, and I try to follow along with that same theme myself.

On Mondays, they learn a Catechism lesson from a well-written textbook and narrate it. The following six days they recite the Questions and Answers to memorize that relate to their lesson, until they are ingrained in their memory. I do the same with my own copy of the Catechism, reading at my own level on Monday morning before the kids get up and working on memorizing my own sections throughout the week. That way when the kids hit me with a tough theological question, I've got ready-made answers already memorized to help explain the tough stuff.
I then add some living books-- namely biographies of saints. I read these along with my kids, but before the day begins, I also read up on the day's saint, and journal a bit. As they wake up, they join me--- by that time, I've learned enough to mention a few facts about that particular saint, which they enjoy listening to and drawing about in their own journals.

For math, I just stay a bit ahead of them, pre-reading a lesson or two in advance to ensure I know where we are leading.

For grammar, I take great pleasure in testing myself and reciting along with them as they learn the rules. If mom's doing it too, it makes it a lot more fun to see who can do it best!

For literature, I'm quite satisfied reading along with them because we select wonderful literature for them to read! But I do make sure to check out a poem a day from The Oxford Book of English Verse when they are done reading from the Oxford Book of Children's Verse. For foreign languages, I am enjoying the refreshers from teaching the kids Latin and French.

For science, I too record any notes I might find amazing about what I see outside. I too will draw along with them and fill up my "knower" with all sorts of fun science facts. I also read from the Handbook of Nature Study so that I know how to casually name-drop new friends... birds and insects, trees and bees.

For history, I pre-read most of their books, and I make sure to read stuff on my own level and narrate it to my husband when he has the time to listen. I also keep my own book of centuries, which for now my children can observe until they are old enough to do their own.

For fine arts, I too am learning to play an instrument, to use my voice, to memorize names of beautiful pieces of art and music, and to read sheet music.

For Shakespeare and Plutarch, when my children read from a re-telling, I read from the original.

And those are just some small and simple ways to join them on the journey. Taking on these practices is so much more meaningful than throwing a workbook at them and calculating a grade. It ensures not only that the child grasps the information, but also that the parents and children are enjoying life together and all that it has to offer. That they are growing together, or rather, side-by-side. That they are building memories that make a family.

This is the core of why Charlotte's methods are amazing-- everyone must be on board, and work together to create the atmosphere of education.