Building Character through Living Books

Well, we didn’t quite make the move in just one month, but we did get moved on Saturday!  I’m so excited, but I still have so much to do! However, I was missing you all, so I had to stop and spend some time getting refreshed with you! 

 

One thing I love about teaching my children with the CM method is all the things I can do that count as school, yet I can tailor things to exactly what my children need when they need it. 

 

I have one child that really struggles with always being honest with me.  We have read all the Bible verses (numerous times!), I have talked with her about how important it is to always tell the truth, I have told the story of The Boy Who Cried, “Wolf!”, and I have read her stories from the great men and women of history who have told the truth, even when it might hurt them. 

 

That story about George Washington chopping down the cherry tree, and then telling his father, “I cannot tell a lie, it was me who chopped down the cherry tree” might not be historically accurate, but my children remember that story best of all when we begin talking about telling the truth.  They refer to it every time something happens that calls for a talk about honesty.  I think that testifies to why that story has been used through the ages to teach children about telling the truth, even when it hurts.

 

So, what are your children struggling with?  Pray that the Lord might lead you to a story about someone who overcame the same weakness.  You don’t have to be heavy handed about it, just read the story.  Let your child make the connections themselves.  When you pray about it, the Lord can and does work in their hearts, and they begin to learn the lessons that He has for them.  Remember, this method is gentle, but only when we are!

  

In the process of teaching your child a character lesson, you will also be doing history, or literature, or penmanship (when they copy a sentence out of the story), or language arts, or spelling (when you glean spelling words from the story), or Bible (when reading Bible stories that address your current issue), or any combination of subjects!  See how wonderful it is to use the CM method in your family’s REAL LIFE?!

 

Comments

[Dina]

What a great post!!! While I am still not "there" I get what you are doing. We have a curriculum from My Father's World that is lovely, but the real learning is coming from everyday life and living books. Mostly the Bible.

I am thrilled you post these on fb so I know when a new blog is available. Thank you for all the the encouragement!

[Sue]

Thanks, Dina! I'm glad you are encouraged. I know what you mean about not 'being there' yet. I don't think I'll be 'there' until my youngest is grown - HA! I love being able to teachmy children at home, because we can interrupt the math lesson for character training when it's needed. Also, I love being with my children 98.6% of the time. (big grin)