Karen Andreola
;e
Gentle Art of Learning:
;e Charlotte Mason Homeschooler
“;e Gentle Art of
Learning” is a lifestyle of
appreciation for God’s
creation—the nature
that is all around us.
Not
Less a
Miracle
daughter Yolanda’s nature journal with an
entry of crocuses she made in 1999 as an
older student.
;e ornamental tree blossoms are so
pretty in town in spring. I like to keep an
eye on the wild woodland trees outside of
town too. ;e maples have tiny red ;owers at the tips of their branches like the
ones drawn in Yolanda’s nature journal.
While driving past the post o;ce I
checked the color of the tree ;owers of
an age-old shade tree that I remember
seeing all ablaze in autumn. My suspicions were correct. Its ;owers are spring
green—a clue that it could be a sugar
maple. ;at explains why it ;aunts New
England orange while the modest maples
that dot the woods do not.
A paragraph in my copy of Miss Charlotte Mason’s book, Philosophy of Education, is boxed in yellow pencil. I highlighted it some twenty years ago when it
;rst spoke to me. It is so beautifully stated
that I’ve made it the theme of my message.
In Pocketful of Pinecones, the main character Carol writes: “;e robins are back. I awoke to their twitter- ings and the sound of the so; spring
rain. You can’t keep a robin down. He
sings in the rain and is always cheerful. If
only I could be more like that.”
Carol’s sentiments match mine ex-
actly at the end of a long winter of slush,
ice, and snow. Life brings trials of vari-
ous kinds, not just gloomy weather. A
mother can have a heavy heart. But
listening to the birds is a reminder to
rejoice in the Lord. Early on a spring
morning I listen for the robins, antici-
pating their enthusiastic return north
to our state, Pennsylvania. With my
bedroom window open an inch and
my winter quilt pulled up around my
neck against the chill I can awake to
their joyful twitterings and the sound of
peaceful raindrops just as Carol does in
my novel. ;is starts a busy day with a
pause for appreciation.
It’s thrilling for a young child to spot the
;rst tiny purple buds of the crocus. How
pretty the blossoms are when their petals open surrounded by the melting snow
of the spring thaw! A mother can look
forward to bulbs she has buried in autumn. Here is a page (on next page) of my
Insects (a boy’s
favorite), wild;owers,
birds, mushrooms,
garden plants, clouds,
trees, mammals, etc.
are not secretive but
will reveal themselves
only to those who take
the time to look.
Children should be brought up to
perceive that a miracle is not less
a miracle because it occurs so constantly and regularly that we call it
a law; that sap rises in a tree, that
a boy is born with his uncle’s eyes,
that an answer that we can perceive
comes to our serious prayers; these
things are not the less miracles because they happen frequently or
invariably, and because we have
ceased to wonder about them. No
doubt so did the people of Jerusalem when our Lord performed many
miracles in their streets.
1
;e study of science is a school subject that has more value in it than merely
getting through a textbook and ;lling in
a workbook. “;e Gentle Art of Learning” is a lifestyle of appreciation for God’s
creation—the nature that is all around
us. Have we ceased to marvel? ;ere is a
www.; eHomeschoolMagazine.com
