Nature Study and Composition

20161027_111848It had been a busy weekend and I was tired.  The thought of a walk wearied me. So for Nature Study we ventured all ten steps into our backyard again!  We were refreshed by the beauty we so easily overlook when we are preoccupied with duties and thoughts that clutter our daily lives!

20161027_112316Brandon marveled at the brightly colored, velvet, lining of the Indian Wishbone flowers. Ria found a spider with her prized clutch of eggs and a white feathery caterpillar with its woolly and rather fastidious looking coat!

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If you look closely, you’ll see why this is called the Indian Wishbone flower.

The morning air was cool and revived us, blowing away the remnants of deep Sunday night sleep and suddenly the blue sky, the clean air, the nodding flowers and waving greens were recalling us to the beauty of life and nature. Unconsciously we all laughed aloud and smiled at each other. Sweet happiness that the outdoors grants so freely!

Last year’s eggplant crop germinated on its own within the confines of the fruit! So Brandon and I carefully separated the teeny, shoots. Ria and Brandon did a great job weeding the bed. We spread some fresh mud and dirt, that Seema and Lii had helped me accumulate. (That is another story by itself!) We gently popped the seedlings into into the holes we poked. Then we sowed Spinach and Arugula, misted it over and did the best we could to protect our bed from dog and cat intrusion! Now we will wait and watch the miracle of germination unfold.

20161017_10540020161017_10545620161017_105329Also we will be monitoring our stylish caterpillar to see what gorgeous butterfly she will become!

Later, for Composition we wrote about our well spent hour and it was pleasant! Begone dry, dull, institutionalized lectures and red markings! Welcome creativity, imagination, and that highest form, unique to man; the ability to articulate and communicate thought in a beautiful ‘telling’. This is one of the reasons why homeschooling is such a joy! There is structure and freedom,  spontaneity and guidance; not rigid and meaningless requirements.

Charlotte Mason presents the subject of composition as the art of telling that culminates in a Homer or Scott but begins with toddlers who talk a great deal to each other and are surely engaged in telling. This natural ability, this pleasurable exercise, she says, is not to be ‘taught’. “Our failure as teachers is that we place too little dependence on the intellectual powers of our scholars…” Guidance and encouragement, yes; but plastic conformity, no! What she is saying is, trust them! “Composition comes by nature”, says Charlotte Mason.20161027_100924

So we literally combined the two and I will later share with you some their well composed excerpts. We always love reading out loud to each other what we have penned! There is no judgement, open appreciation, honest satisfaction and often in the reading aloud the editing is mentally noted without any condemnation or embarrassment. It’s how it should be!

About Probhita

Quite ordinary, really. Where I do consider myself extraordinary is in that I have been tremendously blessed with the sweetest family and the best of friends. It is nothing short of the richest luxury to be loved as I am! Being challenged to think and break away from status quo is a personal priority. I believe that the Creator of the universe has a plan for my life and random chance is not the way of my existence. I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior. I deeply uphold tolerance - I may not concede to a thought being right - but will always respect its view. The privilege of having the best parents in the world and growing with caring sisters in a rather unique setting is an aspect closely cherished. My youngest sister, despite being oceans away, always remains my closest friend and my biggest encourager! I have a wonderful husband who loves me and two gorgeous children. I presently live in India. This blog is the embarking of a journey with Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education as I continue to homeschool my children. I hope their childhood will be as fulfilling and memorable, if not, more, than mine.
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