Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Keeping Company :: July Invitation







Happy Summer, friends!  Ironically, we started our new school year yesterday, but I think most of you are now in full-on summer mode.  I'm going to ask about that in just a bit.  First, I want to remind you to check out the wonderful posts linked in the June collection, full of nature, history, and commonplace inspiration.  Thanks for participating!






Monthly Feature

I'd like to highlight a couple posts from Amy at ...these are a few of my favorite things....  Over the past few months, she has shown snippets of her daughter's science journal (fabulous!), favorite quotes that have found their way into her journals, and more.  She is a natural reader and Keeper, and I think we'd get along well. :)

This month, she discussed the recent Keeping going on in their home: the great encounter she and her children had with a polyphemus moth (including an incidental egg-laying and nature journal entries from all members of the family), as well as a look at her brand new commonplace book.



A bit of nature and a fresh new notebook: sounds like a wonderful start to summer in her home, right?  Click over to ...these are a few of my favorite things... to read more!

This month's optional prompt

Since we're in the midst of summertime pleasures and leisurely days, I have to ask: what does Keeping look like in your home during summer?  Do you find yourself out hiking with your journals and paints in pack?  Are you taking advantage of cool summer mornings to do some reading and commonplacing on the patio?  Have you bought a new Book of Centuries to try out before getting your kids on board this fall, or are you working with a little one on a timeline?  Do you still hold to a Keeping schedule, or do you let it all rest on habit and interest?  Do you find that the Keeping routines built over the course of this past school year have "stuck," or are you taking a break to rethink and tweak?  I'm sure we all have our own summer learning styles--I'd love to hear what yours look like if you're game!

I'll be back here next Tuesday, July 14th, to post the next link-up.  In the meantime, the June link-up is still active, so please continue reading and sharing there.

6 comments:

  1. Hey Celeste...I haven't been as diligent about keeping this summer....and most of my reading has been for my own learning, not for pleasure :( However, I have a list of pleasure reads that I'm still hoping to get to :)

    I recently posted regarding Our Book of Centuries and will link-up when you're ready. There are free templates in case anyone wants to print and make their own.

    Blessings,
    Melissa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Melissa! I haven't been as diligent about Keeping this summer either. Well, I guess it's more that I worked in fits and starts. Lots of nature journaling during our summer vacation to the beach, then a few weeks off and school planning took up all my free time. I have been commonplace-keeping faithfully, mostly thanks to our CM study group and my local book club with a few homeschool friends, which have kept me in good books. :) And sharing here on the blog! That always helps for motivation too. ;)

      I'd love to see your BOC post! The link-up will be up next Tuesday, so I hope you'll stop back to share it then. :)

      Delete
  2. I wish we were doing more Nature Study than we are. My girls say ALL THE TIME when we're on walks "we should put this in our journal' and somehow it never happens. :/ I really need to remedy that. I don't know HOW you do all that you do! Which reminds me, I've been meaning to ask you--do you have a daily schedule of what *your* day looks like on your blog? Like, when do you clean? When do you read for pleasure? Make dinner? etc. How do you fit it all in? I feel like I can barely keep up most days and I only have THREE! :)

    One thing that keeps us going (if only a little!) is we meet twice a month with our CM Group to do Nature Study together. :) It's. so. wonderful. (I wrote about it here - http://solongsleep.blogspot.com/2015/06/charlotte-mason-group-excelsior-guild.html - if you're interested) And, actually, I'm so blessed to know Amy IRL--she's the one who 'introduced' me to Charlotte ;o) and she's a part of our group! You are right, I'm sure you would get along great--she's pretty awesome! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I found one post of your daily schedule.. "Schooling with Littles." I'll continue to poke around!

      Delete
    2. Ha--my kids always say that too! :)

      That Schooling with Littles post is I think the only one I have about our daily schedule in detail. I will definitely write an updated post once I get our schedule in order for this year--we have the first week of school almost finished up now and our schedule looks quite a bit different now that I'm juggling more school-aged kids. But the learning blocks are basically the same. I'm just going a little crazier. ;)

      In short, my kids do most of the cleaning during the week and I do deep cleaning on the weekends, I read for pleasure in the evenings, and I make dinner while I listen to narrations and the babies are in "quiet time" (which basically means shrieking and squealing together in the other room but fairly contained and happy). And I do NOT fit it all in, or at least not everything that I could! But I will admit that I am naturally organized and disciplined and that helps a LOT. ;) I will write a more thorough record some time soon.

      How fun that you and Amy are IRL friends. I have a couple CM moms locally and I am *so* thankful for those real-life connections. We do nature study together also (we meet every week for an outing but only plan some formal observation once a month). Sometimes the fact that they'll be there waiting for me at the park is what gets me out the door to our nature study outing! LOL You are so right that memories are being made, both for us and for our kids!

      And for the record, I'm sure you and I would get along great too. ;) There is just something special about meeting other CM-loving mamas!

      Delete
  3. Oooh! Looking forward to your daily schedule post! (No pressure! ;)

    I'm sure we'd get along too! You're the kind of person I am in my head (more organized). HA! I try and I enjoy being organized, but it never plays out the way I want! Read:I'm too lazy. Gotta work on that..

    I don't know what I would do if I didn't know other CMers. It would be REALLY HARD. I'm so thankful for those ladies! :)

    ReplyDelete