Community, not Co-op

Our Charlotte Mason community - Truth, Beauty, Goodness - had its first meeting of the new school year.  Notice I said "community" and not "co-op".  That's because the term "co-op" generally connotates a bunch of images that I don't want associated with our group.  Things like harried children, joyless moms, isolated subjects, segregated children, various methods and the like. Instead, we strive for relationships with each of the students, joyful learning, attention as a habit, interested students, clear methods and a unifying philosophy.*  Our community is a servant to our homeschools, not a master.  Since each family involved is trying to implement the Mason philosophy at home, it ends up working beautifully.

We call ourselves Truth, Beauty, Goodness for a reason - Phillippians 4:8.  "If we give our admiration, our faith, to 'whatsoever things are lovely and of good report,' if we 'think on these things,' and not on things unworthy, which we are free to depreciate, we shall be in a fair way to fix 'well and wisely' the admiration of the young people," says Mason.

Our handicraft this week was using decoupage to make Enquire Within books!

May I suggest the great use and value of a household book, in which the young housekeeper notes down exactly how to do everything, from the scouring of a floor to the making of an omelet, either as she has done it herself, or has watched it being done, with the little special wrinkles that every household gathers. Such an "Enquire Within" should be invaluable hereafter, as containing personal experiences...Vol. 5, p. 259

I haven't been around this craft technique since I watched my mother gabbing with a bunch of other moms at Mrs. Kostecka's table sometime in the 70s.  I recall lots of Holly Hobby pictures on plaster of Paris wall hangings.  Read how we went about it at our handicraft teacher's blog - Where the Blacktop Ends.

In the burdock den - girls doing nature study 

A Burdock—clawed my Gown—
Not Burdock's—blame—
But mine—
Who went too near
The Burdock's Den—

-Emily Dickinson

We have tweaked the schedule and it appears to work very well.  Look under "The Schedule" at this link for the updated schedule.

So much more to tell about! I'll save more for later posts.   I am thankful that this is how our first week of school ended.  

* (Please, I know there are wonderful co-ops out there - we are, however, purposefully operating against the negative stereotypes.)