revisiting a life long friend...

Oh lovely, I get to revisit a favorite childhood friend. She was a vivacious, funny, stubborn, generous, and ever present friend of my childhood, and she is not real. I loved Anne from the first few pages, she became my imaginary playmate, she consoled me when I had a hard time making friends in a new school, she kept me company on many quiet hot summer afternoons, she was ever present, and beloved. I was very sad to leave her behind as I got older, and happily revisited her occasionally throughout my teen years, but it was never the same, that sense of closeness, and now all of that is about to change again!

As I have noted recently we have decided to follow a more Charlotte Mason method of schooling. This includes reading chapters of a book, and the children narrating the story that they heard, I have explained that good stories should " create a movie in their heads, with words", and I want them to tell me about their movie. I am also trying to develop a more advanced vocabulary in them, and by exposing them to evocative language and imagery this can be easily absorbed and utilized in the future. I want the kids to be so absorbed into the stories we read that they can see, smell, taste and feel the world of the characters. I want them to hate to have reading time end, to look forward to the next reading, maybe even sneaking the book themselves to read ahead, this is what I want for them, what I found for myself when I was a young girl.

I have really wanted to start some of my favorite childhood books, but I know that the reading level, and length would be very daunting to the girls. So the C.M. Method was the perfect solution to the problem, and Anne of Green Gables the perfect starting point. Anne is so effervescent, and sweet, and the story has wonderful morals, and real life problems, with such detail that I think that the story will really resonate with the kids(even Gabe is doing this). Instead of the typical C.M. type of narration though I have chosen to allow each child to narrate the chapter (typically only one child narrates per chapter), but each of them likes to expand on what they got out of the reading. Then I also throw out my thoughts on the chapter, pointing out images and descriptions, so that they start to "see" the words more clearly.

To me, this is really what homeschooling is all about, this wonderful exploration of the world, and the words that shape it. I love this opportunity to nurture in my kids a love of learning, and a wonder for the gift of anothers written words. This chance to see a written word, an image, really spark in their mind, and to hear the rush of words as they attempt to express it, fully formed in that instant, that to me is bliss!!!

So, back to Anne, she is such a wonderful starting point, and from there we will be moving into Little House in the Big Woods, and Little House on the Prairie. As reading a chapter a day takes a lot of time, we will not likely hit the Little House series before summer, which is fine with me. A few more months living with Anne, and having the kids delight in her antics and make a life long friend is worth the slight hoarseness of voice (have you ever tried to read Anne, I mean her speaking parts. You need to really move along and rush through, as that is her method of delivery, and you are compelled by her forceful nature to just follow along, whew, it is work!!)

Now the girls are asking if we can visit Prince Edward Island sometime soon, and since I have been lobbying Jon for this for a few years, I think in the next year or so it just might happen, Yay for us!!! Avonlea here we come:-)