This week I’m writing + filming about a hallmark This week I’m writing + filming about a hallmark of the Charlotte Mason method: narration. Have you ever heard of it? What would you like to know? 

I’m focusing heavily on how we use narration in our homeschool, but if you have specific questions about it, I would love for you to 1. Take the poll in my stories, and 2. Ask any questions you may have about narration in the comments so that I can answer them in my video! ❤️
Happy Mother’s Day! I especially want to encoura Happy Mother’s Day! I especially want to encourage those who are intentionally making a better life for their children than what they may have experienced as kids. It is not easy to change the cycle, but it’s well worth the effort. 

In the words of Louisa May Alcott, “A woman's happiest kingdom is home, her highest honor is the art of ruling it not as a queen, but a wise wife and mother."
📚 We are moving right along with term three of 📚 We are moving right along with term three of our school year. Slow but steady, we will finish up mid June and I’ll begin prepping for next school year in July and August! 📚

Here’s some of my random old and new tips + what I’ve been doing to help keep organized with the CMEC. 

01. Keep a regular day for nature outings or field trips. We have two days a week where I intentionally plan a hike or museum visit, etc. One is usually at the middle of the week and the other is at the end. It offers great variety to our weeks.

02. Notebook! I have had the girls consistently notebook this year, and it’s been such a delight to go back and see my form 1b student’s progress! I have a video coming out about how we notebook and why you should try it very soon! 

03. To stay on track with our morning timetable I’ve been writing the time we end each lesson in my logbook. It’s really changed how productive I am in making sure we get everything on our timetable done for the day. (I have a video on my logbook if you’re interested in learning more about that!)

04. And 05. Popsicle sticks! Friends, if you’re already a CMEC family, use these to help you choose which activities you review! I have on these for old singing games, French songs, folk dances or Swedish drill routines. I’ll share more on what I have on ours, specifically, but it’s fun because the girls and I get to be surprised rather than me choosing what we review!

06. Art instruction. Originally I had us doing three art lessons per week in the afternoon, but it didn’t allow for enough free choice, so we’ve reduced it down to one formal lesson a week for six weeks, then we change the method. So right now we are in week two of our chalkdrawing lessons. After six weeks we will switch to brush drawing instruction for the remainder of the term! As Charlotte Mason recommends, we draw from memory, model, and from imagination. 🌞

I hope this was helpful to you! So many of you guys are using @the.cmec next year! I am SO excited to see all of you at the online form meetings this coming year! 👏🏻 #thecmec #thecmecform1 #charlottemason
Do you keep your spices in a cabinet, on a shelf o Do you keep your spices in a cabinet, on a shelf or in a drawer? This drawer is right next to my stove and it’s my favorite way to store my spices! I reuse these little jars and fill them every couple of weeks with my bulk @azurestandard spices. 🧂
Are you planting a garden this year? What are you Are you planting a garden this year? What are you growing? Containers and raised beds? Or in ground? What do you plan to grow? Veggies? Flowers? We are doing a little bit of everything. 😍

It’s my third year growing food. (And ironically, our third house 😅) We just got our @greenstalkgarden planter, several @smartpots, and six raised beds that are ready to be filled next weekend. Really looking forward to this gardening season! 🥕🥬🥦🌽🌶🫑🫐🍓🥔
“Let then once get in touch with nature and a ha “Let then once get in touch with nature and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life.” -Charlotte Mason 

My kiddo had a birthday this past weekend. We do one main gift and a couple of small gifts; typically they’re  things they can use outdoors. Bikes have been a popular birthday item around here! My eldest wanted an apple tree last year. ☺️ But this year we got N a mud kitchen! Some friends of ours had one they built, and it inspired us. My kiddos have been playing on the forest floor in the mud for years now, but it’s exciting for them to have a little space in our garden for mud play. 🌳 What are some fun outdoorsy gifts you’ve purchased for your kids?
📚 When should I teach my child to read? How sho 📚 When should I teach my child to read? How should I teach my child to read? What does Charlotte Mason say about reading lessons? How did she teach children how to read? What curriculum do you use to teach your child how to read? 📚
These are all questions I answered in my blog post and video, “teaching reading the Charlotte Mason way” 📚 you can also swipe over to see some of my favorite CM quotes on teaching reading! 📚

I also shared what I do with my 3-year-old (which is very minimal) if you have younger children. You can view the post at the link in my profile! Are you up children school-aged? What do you use to teach reading?
I needed to accomplish a lot today. There was more I needed to accomplish a lot today. There was more unpacking and organizing to be done, pictures to be framed, meal planning to do, laundry that needed folding, bike rides to be had, meals to be prepared, sourdough to be prepped and lesson planning + pre-reading to do. Oh and dishes. So many dishes. 😅

I do essentially all of the inside housework aside from taking out the trash + recycle, but for a season my husband helped out while N was small by doing dinner dishes and sometimes even preparing dinner so I could nurse her after we ate. But as of late, I’m trying something new where I don’t ask my husband to clean up after dinner and instead I do it myself. I don’t mind it, and since my girls are old enough to get their own pj’s on now, I’ve been doing dinner clean-up (as well as lunch and breakfast clean-up and prep!) before I head upstairs to tuck them in, read them a story and sit with them while they fall asleep. Call me old fashioned, but I’m happy to do it, and I delight in my husband being able to enjoy some time with the girls after dinner instead of clean up a mess after a long day of working.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this post - I’ve felt pulled in so many directions today and it’s something I feel often, (and I’m sure so many of you can relate) but after five months without a home to care for and nurture I simply can’t feel frustrated or annoyed at my list of 10,000 things I need to do. Instead I pray my way through each task. I sip tea in between. I light a candle and wear my great-grandmother’s apron as I work. I read notes like the one my six-year-old left for me this morning and I weep tears of gratitude and joy. Happy Sunday, my friends. ❤️ 
.
(swipe to read her note 🥰 + a transcription in the comments!)
Remember that word we heard so often when we were Remember that word we heard so often when we were parenting infants? Attachment.  What comes to mind? Breastfeeding on demand. Co-sleeping. Babywearing. All of those things that come pretty natural to us when taking care of a baby. But did you know that attachment doesn’t just end when your child gets bigger? Attachment is actually necessary THROUGH adolescence. 😳

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté is a brilliant book that stopped me in my tracks. The book addresses the severe lack of attachment to parents that is incidentally replaced by an attachment to peers. I wrote all about it on my blog, but if you swipe over you can see a few passages that I underlined, highlighted, and wrote down in my notebook. 

Peer culture is more prevalent than ever. Not only because our society now prefers it that way, but because of social media’s ability to unite our youth in an unprecedented way. What we need is a shift in how we pass down culture to our kids from a horizontal attachment (peer to peer) back to a vertical attachment (family to child). I’ve often felt this long before I read this book, but we prioritize our Children’s friendships and relationships with others before we prioritize their relationships with us. We don’t value the family unit the way we used to decades ago, and it’s to the detriment of our children. 

I will gift this book to every new parent I meet from now on because of the wisdom the authors share. I wish all parents would read it so we could be on the same page as a society and those of us who choose to hold on to our kids wouldn’t be going against the grain. So this is my plea to you. If anything I’ve said piqued your interest, or struck a chord, please read Hold On To Your Kids! ✨

(For those of you who have read it! Share your thoughts with us! Help me convince everyone to read it! 👏🏻)
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Family Activities, Mom Style, Motherhood, Style • March 13, 2017

What to Pack for an Outdoor Movie Night

This post is sponsored by Arizona State University. However, I am sharing my own opinions and reviews.  Thank you for supporting the brands that help support our community.

I can’t believe we’re already in mid-March. We’ve had some gorgeous (and pretty hot) weather here lately, so I’ve started planning some fun things to do outdoors as a family. One of my favorite summer activities is watching a movie outdoors, under the stars. ASU is hosting a FREE  ‘Movie on the Lawn’ on their West campus location every Friday in March. They’re showing Rogue One (one of the new Star Wars films) at the end of the month so we have been busy planning our weekends around those activities. I use the ASU Sun Devil rewards app to keep track of all of the fun events going on in the community. Read more about the app, and what I like to pack for an outdoor movie night below.

What to Pack for an Outdoor Movie Night

Outdoor movie nights are such a blast, but sometimes if you aren’t prepared, it can be a bit stressful. I like to make a quick little checklist every time I plan to be away from home for a long period of time, especially with kids. Also, be sure to arrive early. There’s nothing more stressful than when you get somewhere and there is no seating or space to set up.

Here’s what I bring with me for our outdoor movie nights:

  • Big blankets for everyone to lay on
  • Folding chairs for adults
  • Snacks (I brought granola, dried berries, bananas, chips, and a few drinks)
  • Bug spray
  • Hand sanitizer
  • First aid supplies – band aids, salve, etc.
  • Water bottles
  • Jackets or extra blankets in case it cools off
  • Kids toys (in case the movie doesn’t keep their attention long enough)
  • Diaper bag necessities (for babies and kids – change of clothing/diapers, etc.)

 

ASU Sun Devil Rewards App

What’s the Sun Devil Rewards App? The Sun Devil Rewards app is a program that rewards students, alumni, and ASU fans for staying connected. You can earn points, or pitchforks, to earn tickets to concerts, events at ASU Gammage, the Art Museum, and tons of sporting events. Users must be 18 or older and live in the U.S., but you don’t have to be an ASU alumni or student. My husband never attended ASU, but he uses the app frequently to stay connected and earn us pitchforks so we can get tickets for different events for date night. #ParentLife.

How do I earn pitchforks? All you have to do is open the app, interact, or answer questions/surveys/polls to earn pitchforks. It’s so easy! I just earned 400 this morning with my special secret word: LOVESPARK, and another 25 by taking 1-4 question surveys. You can use my secret word to get a head start on points too. Just enter LOVESPARK after you download the app and log-in for the first time. You’ll see at the bottom right it asks for one, and all you do is type it in, and bam, 400 pitchforks! You also get 50 automatic pitchforks just for registering, so you’re already at 450! Then, if you connect your social accounts, you get another 50 pitchforks  The best part? The first prizes starts at just 500 pitchforks. I’m a 585 right now, and just downloaded the app this morning.

What else does the app do? Another aspect, that I find invaluable, is it acts as a calendar for local events in the community. I am not a native to Arizona, so it’s been so nice having tools like this to help me learn about the area, and stay connected.

Earn Prizes and Find Out About Local Events

Using the ASU Sun Devil Rewards app, you have the chance to win 2 tickets to the 2017 Men’s NCAA Final Four game. If you sign-up for the app and log-in you can use enter the sweepstakes!

Here are some additional events you could win tickets to within the app:

· Phoenix Art Museum tour for 2 (we love the art museum!)
· Karate / Self-Defense lesson for you + 4 guests (this would be a great double date night!)
· 2 VIP tickets to “Abraham.In.Motion” at ASU Gammage (April 1st)
· You + 6 : ASU flight simulator building tour (okay, how fun is this?!)

Here are some other local events that you won’t want to miss:
· Movies on the Lawn (every Friday in March) on West Campus
· Astronomy Open House (March 30) on West Campus
· Ignite@ASU (March 23) on Tempe Campus

       OUTFIT DETAILS: NURSING-FRIENDLY DRESS C/O LOYAL HANA | SIMILAR SKINNY SCARF | RUBY CLAIRE BOUTIQUE SHOES | GRACE’S DRESSES ARE C/O CARTERS

I hope you have the chance to plan some summer fun with your family and friends. Be sure to download the app, and use my secret word “LOVESPARK” so you can get a head start on earning rewards and prizes.

Thank you so much for reading!

DOWNLOAD THE ASU SUN DEVILS REWARD APP BY CLICKING HERE

 

Filed Under: Family Activities, Mom Style, Motherhood, Style

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Comments

  1. Patrice says

    March 14, 2017 at 1:48 am

    Ahh I love this! A-you and your little are adorable! B-it’s getting nice and warm here in Austin and lawn music/movies season is right around the corner and your “what to pack” list is perfect!

    Reply
  2. alyssa lynn denny says

    March 14, 2017 at 4:05 am

    ahhh your little girl is the cutest thing ever! and what great tips! i will keep these in mind!

    Reply
  3. April Kusewicz says

    March 14, 2017 at 12:14 pm

    Great tips! You are such a cool and hip momma. I enjoy looking at your pictures…love your style! I can’t wait for spring so i can wear something like that.

    Reply
  4. Morgan Klein says

    March 14, 2017 at 1:58 pm

    I was just reading about this app! It seems so cool! Now I definitely have to try it!!! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  5. Lindsay says

    March 14, 2017 at 2:23 pm

    An outdoor movie night sounds like so much fun! Snacks are always a must with kids involved ahah

    Reply
  6. Ashley Zeal says

    March 14, 2017 at 3:32 pm

    This is the cutest idea!

    Reply
  7. Laura @ Walking in Memphis in High Heels says

    March 14, 2017 at 3:52 pm

    That app is such a cool idea. And I love these tips. I need to start packing bandaids for every trip now lol!

    Reply
  8. Heather Brown says

    March 15, 2017 at 1:51 am

    So fun! I NEED to do this with my family!

    Reply
  9. Tamara Goyette says

    March 15, 2017 at 2:38 am

    A comfy blanket to sit on and one for keeping warm are musts.

    Reply
  10. Shelby Back says

    March 15, 2017 at 2:21 pm

    an outdoor movie sounds so fun!

    xo!
    Shelby
    http://www.glitterandgingham.com

    Reply
  11. Anna English says

    March 15, 2017 at 2:38 pm

    So cute! Your little mini me is adorable!

    Reply
  12. Kayleigh says

    March 15, 2017 at 3:05 pm

    These are definitely great tips! Love the pattern on your bag
    http://www.kayleighskloset.com

    Reply
  13. Brooke says

    March 15, 2017 at 5:06 pm

    OMG so fun, and haaaayyy!! I went to ASU also! xx

    Reply
  14. Sarah K Tripp says

    March 15, 2017 at 5:23 pm

    Such a fun post! I’ve actually never watched a movie outdoors! I’ll have to add that to my summer to-do list! xx

    Reply
  15. Maggie says

    March 15, 2017 at 5:48 pm

    These pictures are adorable! What a fun idea!

    Reply
  16. Nina says

    March 15, 2017 at 7:10 pm

    What a fun family activity! I love the idea of getting out and doing something like this.

    xx Nina

    Reply
  17. Lauren says

    March 15, 2017 at 7:36 pm

    This app sounds awesome! I love this packing list too. Now I need to find an outdoor movie night!

    By Lauren M

    Reply
  18. Lacey-The Glitter Gospel says

    March 15, 2017 at 9:35 pm

    You are seriously the cutest little mama! Love your littles dress too!

    xx,

    Lacey
    http://www.theglittergospelblog.com

    Reply
  19. Beth Newcomb says

    March 16, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    How fun!! Looks like you packed all the right things, too! ?

    Reply
  20. Amanda says

    March 17, 2017 at 2:13 am

    This sounds like so much fun! I’ll have to see if there is anything similar here locally.

    xo, Amanda
    http://www.aglamlifestyle.com

    Reply
  21. Kate says

    March 17, 2017 at 11:44 am

    What a great post, such good tips! And your babe is the cutest!

    Reply
  22. Kasey says

    March 18, 2017 at 8:07 pm

    Such a fun idea! Outdoor movies are the best!

    Reply
  23. Lexi Holzberg Kritzer says

    March 20, 2017 at 12:47 pm

    This is so cute! An outdoor movie night sounds perfect. <3

    Reply
  24. elise says

    March 20, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    amazing photos!! both your outfits are adorable. now you’ve got me wanting to go for an outdoor movie night! the app sounds so cool too!

    Reply
  25. Amy Loochtan says

    March 20, 2017 at 2:43 pm

    what a fun thing to share with your daughter!
    Coffee Beans and Bobby Pins

    Reply
  26. Stesha says

    March 20, 2017 at 3:49 pm

    yay, so much fun! Love ASU!

    xx,
    Stesha

    Reply
  27. Mindy Thompson says

    March 20, 2017 at 5:14 pm

    Outdoor movies are the best! Such a great packing list 🙂

    Mindy http://www.amixofmin.com

    Reply
  28. sarah lindner says

    March 21, 2017 at 1:29 pm

    She’s adorable and these are awesome tips! Love outdoor movies!
    xoxo
    Sarah Lindner
    http://www.thehouseofsequins.com

    Reply
  29. Stephanie says

    March 22, 2017 at 2:12 pm

    Your little girl is absolutely adorable!! Great packing tips!

    xo, Steph
    http://www.urbanblonde.com

    Reply
  30. thedrangoncitycheat says

    April 16, 2017 at 11:23 am

    With summer breezing in, now’s the perfect time to start planning a movie night party for a few friends.

    Reply

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I'm Larissa. A mama to daughters and wife to my college sweetheart. I am passionate about sustainable fashion, whole foods recipes, and Charlotte Mason home education. I also love being outdoors with my family. You can usually find me sporting a wide-brimmed hat, with a baby on my back.

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This week I’m writing + filming about a hallmark This week I’m writing + filming about a hallmark of the Charlotte Mason method: narration. Have you ever heard of it? What would you like to know? 

I’m focusing heavily on how we use narration in our homeschool, but if you have specific questions about it, I would love for you to 1. Take the poll in my stories, and 2. Ask any questions you may have about narration in the comments so that I can answer them in my video! ❤️
Happy Mother’s Day! I especially want to encoura Happy Mother’s Day! I especially want to encourage those who are intentionally making a better life for their children than what they may have experienced as kids. It is not easy to change the cycle, but it’s well worth the effort. 

In the words of Louisa May Alcott, “A woman's happiest kingdom is home, her highest honor is the art of ruling it not as a queen, but a wise wife and mother."
📚 We are moving right along with term three of 📚 We are moving right along with term three of our school year. Slow but steady, we will finish up mid June and I’ll begin prepping for next school year in July and August! 📚

Here’s some of my random old and new tips + what I’ve been doing to help keep organized with the CMEC. 

01. Keep a regular day for nature outings or field trips. We have two days a week where I intentionally plan a hike or museum visit, etc. One is usually at the middle of the week and the other is at the end. It offers great variety to our weeks.

02. Notebook! I have had the girls consistently notebook this year, and it’s been such a delight to go back and see my form 1b student’s progress! I have a video coming out about how we notebook and why you should try it very soon! 

03. To stay on track with our morning timetable I’ve been writing the time we end each lesson in my logbook. It’s really changed how productive I am in making sure we get everything on our timetable done for the day. (I have a video on my logbook if you’re interested in learning more about that!)

04. And 05. Popsicle sticks! Friends, if you’re already a CMEC family, use these to help you choose which activities you review! I have on these for old singing games, French songs, folk dances or Swedish drill routines. I’ll share more on what I have on ours, specifically, but it’s fun because the girls and I get to be surprised rather than me choosing what we review!

06. Art instruction. Originally I had us doing three art lessons per week in the afternoon, but it didn’t allow for enough free choice, so we’ve reduced it down to one formal lesson a week for six weeks, then we change the method. So right now we are in week two of our chalkdrawing lessons. After six weeks we will switch to brush drawing instruction for the remainder of the term! As Charlotte Mason recommends, we draw from memory, model, and from imagination. 🌞

I hope this was helpful to you! So many of you guys are using @the.cmec next year! I am SO excited to see all of you at the online form meetings this coming year! 👏🏻 #thecmec #thecmecform1 #charlottemason
Do you keep your spices in a cabinet, on a shelf o Do you keep your spices in a cabinet, on a shelf or in a drawer? This drawer is right next to my stove and it’s my favorite way to store my spices! I reuse these little jars and fill them every couple of weeks with my bulk @azurestandard spices. 🧂
Are you planting a garden this year? What are you Are you planting a garden this year? What are you growing? Containers and raised beds? Or in ground? What do you plan to grow? Veggies? Flowers? We are doing a little bit of everything. 😍

It’s my third year growing food. (And ironically, our third house 😅) We just got our @greenstalkgarden planter, several @smartpots, and six raised beds that are ready to be filled next weekend. Really looking forward to this gardening season! 🥕🥬🥦🌽🌶🫑🫐🍓🥔
“Let then once get in touch with nature and a ha “Let then once get in touch with nature and a habit is formed which will be a source of delight through life.” -Charlotte Mason 

My kiddo had a birthday this past weekend. We do one main gift and a couple of small gifts; typically they’re  things they can use outdoors. Bikes have been a popular birthday item around here! My eldest wanted an apple tree last year. ☺️ But this year we got N a mud kitchen! Some friends of ours had one they built, and it inspired us. My kiddos have been playing on the forest floor in the mud for years now, but it’s exciting for them to have a little space in our garden for mud play. 🌳 What are some fun outdoorsy gifts you’ve purchased for your kids?
📚 When should I teach my child to read? How sho 📚 When should I teach my child to read? How should I teach my child to read? What does Charlotte Mason say about reading lessons? How did she teach children how to read? What curriculum do you use to teach your child how to read? 📚
These are all questions I answered in my blog post and video, “teaching reading the Charlotte Mason way” 📚 you can also swipe over to see some of my favorite CM quotes on teaching reading! 📚

I also shared what I do with my 3-year-old (which is very minimal) if you have younger children. You can view the post at the link in my profile! Are you up children school-aged? What do you use to teach reading?
I needed to accomplish a lot today. There was more I needed to accomplish a lot today. There was more unpacking and organizing to be done, pictures to be framed, meal planning to do, laundry that needed folding, bike rides to be had, meals to be prepared, sourdough to be prepped and lesson planning + pre-reading to do. Oh and dishes. So many dishes. 😅

I do essentially all of the inside housework aside from taking out the trash + recycle, but for a season my husband helped out while N was small by doing dinner dishes and sometimes even preparing dinner so I could nurse her after we ate. But as of late, I’m trying something new where I don’t ask my husband to clean up after dinner and instead I do it myself. I don’t mind it, and since my girls are old enough to get their own pj’s on now, I’ve been doing dinner clean-up (as well as lunch and breakfast clean-up and prep!) before I head upstairs to tuck them in, read them a story and sit with them while they fall asleep. Call me old fashioned, but I’m happy to do it, and I delight in my husband being able to enjoy some time with the girls after dinner instead of clean up a mess after a long day of working.

I’m not really sure where I’m going with this post - I’ve felt pulled in so many directions today and it’s something I feel often, (and I’m sure so many of you can relate) but after five months without a home to care for and nurture I simply can’t feel frustrated or annoyed at my list of 10,000 things I need to do. Instead I pray my way through each task. I sip tea in between. I light a candle and wear my great-grandmother’s apron as I work. I read notes like the one my six-year-old left for me this morning and I weep tears of gratitude and joy. Happy Sunday, my friends. ❤️ 
.
(swipe to read her note 🥰 + a transcription in the comments!)
Remember that word we heard so often when we were Remember that word we heard so often when we were parenting infants? Attachment.  What comes to mind? Breastfeeding on demand. Co-sleeping. Babywearing. All of those things that come pretty natural to us when taking care of a baby. But did you know that attachment doesn’t just end when your child gets bigger? Attachment is actually necessary THROUGH adolescence. 😳

Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté is a brilliant book that stopped me in my tracks. The book addresses the severe lack of attachment to parents that is incidentally replaced by an attachment to peers. I wrote all about it on my blog, but if you swipe over you can see a few passages that I underlined, highlighted, and wrote down in my notebook. 

Peer culture is more prevalent than ever. Not only because our society now prefers it that way, but because of social media’s ability to unite our youth in an unprecedented way. What we need is a shift in how we pass down culture to our kids from a horizontal attachment (peer to peer) back to a vertical attachment (family to child). I’ve often felt this long before I read this book, but we prioritize our Children’s friendships and relationships with others before we prioritize their relationships with us. We don’t value the family unit the way we used to decades ago, and it’s to the detriment of our children. 

I will gift this book to every new parent I meet from now on because of the wisdom the authors share. I wish all parents would read it so we could be on the same page as a society and those of us who choose to hold on to our kids wouldn’t be going against the grain. So this is my plea to you. If anything I’ve said piqued your interest, or struck a chord, please read Hold On To Your Kids! ✨

(For those of you who have read it! Share your thoughts with us! Help me convince everyone to read it! 👏🏻)
I promised I would share how I teach foreign langu I promised I would share how I teach foreign language the Mason way✨

When my oldest (now 6) was younger we loved and used @theculturedkid but since beginning formal lessons we’ve switched to this wonderful book by @cherrydalepress. 

Mason recommends that students learn 5-6 new French words a day and that they use them frequently. She writes in Home Education, “…children should learn French orally, by listening to and repeating French words and phrases; that they should begin so early that the difference of the accent does not strike them, but they repeat the French word all the same as if it were English, and use it freely…” (p. 80) she then writes about how important it is to employ the use of French vocabulary words during time out-of-doors. My kids and I have taken this to heart, because it isn’t uncommon for us all to be walking along the hiking trail, singing our French folk songs together. It’s something I’ll remember that we do together for many years. 

The Cherrydale Press program allows the child to learn common phrases, orally, a bit at a time. Along the way, they learn common verbs and vocabulary. 

Each “series” lasts about 2 weeks.
So here is the process we go through in that time:

01. We practice and memorize the English phrases. 
Here’s an example: 
I take the book.
I open the book.
I close the book.
So we say the phrases as we ACT THEM OUT, which is crucial to this method of learning French and retaining it! It’s helped me tremendously as a non-native speaker.

02. We then learn the French verbs from those phrases in French: je prends, j’ouvre, and je ferme. We memorize how to say them and act them out!

03. We learn the whole thing in French as we act it out. 
Je prends le livre.
j’ouvre le livre.
je ferme le livre.

After my daughter can say/act them without error, on her own, we move on to the next series!

Thanks to The Living Page, I keep a French notebook where I record the phrases or words we learn! (That’s what I shared in my stories the other day!)

In addition to this program, we have two French folk songs, one French vocabulary song per term (we sing daily) and a story we listen to in French, thanks to @the.cmec and their support!

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