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A True Good Beautiful Life

The Knowledge of Man, Geography & Hiking

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Welcome to A TRUE GOOD BEAUTIFUL LIFE podcast! 

Here we will discuss all things Charlotte Mason in light of the ideas of the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL! I am your host, Jennifer Milligan, and throughout this series I will share with you how to find and cultivate various elements of TRUTH, GOODNESS and BEAUTY in our homes and classrooms through conversations with homeschooling parents and classroom teachers; interviews with experts, entrepreneurs, and artists; discussions regarding the great books, great minds, and great resources; fun travel and field trip summaries; and practices and creative experiences that embody the TRUE, the GOOD, and the BEAUTIFUL life. Over 100 years ago, British educator, Charlotte Mason, declared that, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life," and so today, I hope you will join me on this adventure in education.

 

ON THIS EPISODE

What a treat! Not only do we have Jamie Pasho of Around the World in Homeschool Days on our show this week, but we also have Lindsey Habegger of Chaos Thriving  --- two very dear friends! Their expertise in Geography and Hiking will certainly inspire you to delve deeper into discovering this amazing world of ours and explore new and fascinating places. 

In our first segment on the TRUE, I share with you what Charlotte Mason means when she talks about the "Knowledge of Man" and then have a fascinating chat with Jamie about how much she loves Geography and how it led to her creating an amazing resource for homeschoolers and classrooms. In our second segment on the GOOD, I share with you some suggestions on how to incorporate Geography into your students' education, and then in our last segment on the BEAUTIFUL, my traveling buddy, Lindsey, shares why hiking is important and takes us with her as she shares how she plans her family's hiking adventures. You'll have to pop over to my website: ATrueGoodBeautifulLife.com and see some of my favorite pics of the two of us hiking around the AZ and UT National Parks. It was magical!

Some of our favorite resources:

 

COMMONPLACE QUOTES

The studies in this category educate our consciences and teach us how to make right choices. These studies will not make children virtuous, but if we teach them well, they will have a good idea of what virtue looks like and how it behaves. - Karen Glass, In Vital Harmony, p. 121
 

Geography may be divided into the geography of the home and the geography of the world at large. A knowledge of the home must e obtained by direct observation; of the rest of the world, through the imagination assisted by information. Ideas acquired by direct observation form a basis for imagining those things which are distant and unknow. The first work then, in geographical instruction is to study that small part of the earth’s surface lying just at our doors. . . . The hill that he climbs each day may, by an appeal to his imagination, represent to him the lofty Andes or the Alps. From the meadow, or the bit of level land near the door, may be developed a notion of plain and prairie. That little stream that flows past the schoolhouse door, or even one formed by the sudden shower, may speak to him of the Mississippi, the Amazon, or the Rhine. Similarly, the idea of sea or ocean may be deduced from that of pond or lake. Thus, after the pupil has acquired elementary ideas by actual perception, the imagination can use them in constructing, on a larger scale, mental pictures of similar objects outside the bounds of his own experience and observation.  - C.C. Long, Home Geography, p. 7

. . . the study of the earth in its relations to man” and that “in order to obtain a real knowledge of the earth, the child must observe for himself.  Books and oral descriptions only give him second-hand knowledge. Maps, models, and sections provided for him are purely conventional and artificial, and cannot be properly understood unless he has constructed similar ones from nature.  - Herbert Hatch, Outdoor Geography, p. 2

Let him see the world as we ourselves choose to see it when we travel; its cities and peoples, its mountains and rivers, and he will go away from his lesson with the piece of the world he has read about, be it county or country, sea or shore, as that of "a new room prepared for him, so much will be magnified and delighted in it."  - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6: A Philosophy of Education, p. 42
 

Give each child a blank outline map of the region . . . and ask him to label any countries he already knows. When he has labeled all he knows, give him a labeled map of the region. Tell him to check that he has recorded correct spellings and locations, then to copy one or two more countries onto his map. The next week, give him a new blank outline map of the same region and repeat the instructions. As he sees the same region each week, he will become quite familiar with it and, little by little, put together the pieces in his mind. When coupled with the living books ideas . . . map drill will help round out your geography studies. - Sonya Shafer, Simply Charlotte Mason, "Teaching Geography" blog post

Give him next intimate knowledge, with the fullest details, of any country or region of the world, any county or district of his own country. It is not necessary that he should learn. . .what is called the 'geography' of the countries. . . . But let him be at home in any single region; let him see, with the mind's eye, the people at their work and at their play, the flowers and fruits in their seasons, the beasts, each in its habitat; and let him see all sympathetically, that is, let him follow the adventures of a traveler; and he knows more, is better furnished with ideas, than if he had learnt all the names on all the maps. The 'way' of this kind of teaching is very simple and obvious; read to him, or read for him, that is, read bit by bit, and tell as you read. . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 274
 
The geographical aspects of history fall under 'Geography' as a subject. This course of historical reading is valued exceedingly by young people as affording a knowledge of the past that bears upon and illuminates the present. - Charlotte Mason, Volume 6:  A Philosophy of Education, p. 177-178
 

. . . give a child a single valuable idea, and you have done more for his education than if you had laid upon his mind the burden of bushels of information . . . - Charlotte Mason, Volume 1: Home Education, p. 174

 

APPLICATION

  1. At home:  Plan to go on a hike once a week with your family and see how far you get with the 52 Hike Challenge .  It will change your life: mentally, physically, and emotionally as you connect with family and friends and God's creation. 
  2. In the classroom: Display maps of the world and the region that you are located in. Make it a habit to look up and even "pin" the spot on the map that corresponds to the geographical area you are reading about in Literature or History.
  3. At home and in the classroom: Create a scavenger hunt using orienteering skills around your neighborhood or playground and end it with a Geocache. Try a recipe or craft from a new country.