How to Create a Memory Statement Board (The Gentle + Classical Preschool)

How to Create a Memory Statement Board (The Gentle + Classical Preschool)

During my years as a homeschool mom, I’ve found that I’m not alone in always looking for a more efficient way to walk through our days, plan ahead, and keep moving without getting bogged down and distracted. One of the most effective ways I’ve found to stay on track with younger students is the addition of a memory work (or memory statement) board or display in our home.

Over the past year, I’ve received email after email from users of The Gentle + Classical Preschool or Gentle + Classical Nature all reflecting the same sentiments: they felt lost and unfocused in their school days UNTIL they created a memory work board!

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How to incorporate geography, culture, and missions into your homeschool day...

How to incorporate geography, culture, and missions into your homeschool day...

We all have basic subjects that we know are foundational for a full feast for our children: math, science, history, Bible, foreign language, and even the riches like art and music study. But, I think that it's not necessarily unique to me that we can often overlook subjects that DO deserve a presence in our homeschooling portfolio. 

Traditionally, history is the "core" for a classical education- one of the four "cycles" as we have come to know them. I want to reference a post I wrote a while back in developing The Gentle + Classical Preschool Level 2: 

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20+ Books for the Jesus-Loving Homeschooling Mama (+ How to find time to read...)

20+ Books for the Jesus-Loving Homeschooling Mama (+ How to find time to read...)

“Do not let the endless succession of small things crowd great ideals out of sight and out of mind.” -Charlotte Mason

I have no idea how many books I’ve read in my life, but I can promise you that they have shaped who I am and the way I live- drastically. The way I speak to my husband, the way I teach or discipline my children, the way I pray and seek the Lord- have all been shaped by books.

Books are powerful because words and ideas are powerful. Allowing someone else’s ideas into the most intimate places in our heart is a precious thing- a thing we must always approach with discernment.

Charlotte Mason tells us that ideas build upon ideas. And so the ideas that we develop are often rooted in the ideas that we have received from others. We receive ideas through conversation, articles, books, music, movies, television shows, and even our social media feeds.

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Thriving in Your Home (Instead of simply surviving...)

Thriving in Your Home (Instead of simply surviving...)

This is a guest post from my friend Jana! I love to read her practical encouragement and actionable wisdom. I hope it will bless you too!

The monotony of life at home can lull us into simply existing. We’ve all been there. But it doesn’t have to be so. Mama, you can thrive at home! Here are three strategies: make it beautiful, provide gracious order, and be a consistent presence.

MAKE IT BEAUTIFUL 

Do you feel an internal tug for beauty? Perhaps you love an orange sunset or pink peonies. God created this world beautiful as a reflection of Himself, so I believe an innate pull to beauty is why we desire to create beautiful spaces in our homes. Beautiful spaces bring a deep sense of thriving.

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Maintaining a "One Room Schoolhouse" with Teens in the Mix

Maintaining a "One Room Schoolhouse" with Teens in the Mix

This is a guest post from Kelly Hellmuth! I’m absolutely delighted to have a “peak behind the curtain” into Kelly’s home. Find more from Kelly at the bottom of this post.

“Maybe it’s the influence of the Little House on the Prairie, but I find the history of the one-room schoolhouse a little romantic.” - Denise M. Colby

Don’t we all? Most of us here are pursuing an educational path either with Charlotte Mason or Classical influences (or both!), and we know the value of educating our children together. There is an ease and even a necessity to discuss subjects such as history and science and fine arts as a family.

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