More articles by Ella Frances Lynch (& relating to her work)

[ElizaG]

Here are several of EFL's articles on preschool/kindergarten topics from The Country Gentleman, circa 1916.  (I can only find these on Google Books -- sorry if you're in a country where they're not visible.)

 

Going to School at Home:  In the Farm Kindergarten

Going to School at Home:  Arithmetic From Fingers to Toes to Fractions

Going to School at Home:  Teach Poetry to Your Little Beginners

Toys for Every Child:  Homemade Playthings for Little Hands to Make

What Home Teaching Did:  Three Little Mountain Children Who Have a Good Start

 

This one is from the Catholic magazine Fortnightly Review, circa 1934, via the Internet Archive:

 

Latin in the Primary Grades

 

In addition, some of her articles in the 1923 issues of Child-Welfare Magazine  seem to have advice relating to older children ("book lessons").  They aren't available in full view, but the volume is fairly widely available in bigger libraries, usually listed under the name "PTA Magazine."   Maybe someone can look it up.  I'd be doing that right now, but have nobody to watch the children, and can't picture myself showing up with all of them in tow. 

 

Please feel free to add more links to her writings, and to coverage of her public speaking and advocacy work.   I'll continue to do so as I find them. Here are some of the other places they appeared:

 

Ladies' Home Journal, Child-Welfare Magazine, Pictorial Review, Commonweal, Orate Fratres, Catholic Digest, Catholic School Journal, La Civilta Cattolica, The Wanderer, and various diocesan and local newspapers. 

 

ETA:  In the introduction to Bookless Lessons, she also mentions American Motherhood, America, Holland's Magazine, Munsey's, McCall's, Normal Instructor and Primary Plans, Journal of Education, The Child (London), the New York Times, and the Philadelphia Ledger.

 

It's fascinating to me that she was so prominent from the 1910s to the 1930s, and then disappeared so abruptly and completely.  I've only turned up two references to her work in later scholarly books, and they're both about her advice for school reform, not her involvement with homeschooling.    

 

Anyway, I hope some of these links are of interest to someone here.  :001_smile:

[Hunter]

Thank you! I have some reading to do!

[Mrs. A]

Thank you! I've enjoyed what I've read by her so far, so looking forward to reading some of these!

[Michael12]

A lot of these articles just seem to be reruns from her book (or vice versa). I can see them being of value to someone who wants something quick to read, but now that I've read the books, is there anything more she has to say? Does she refine or adjust things?

[Michael12]

I don't believe anyone has posted this pamphlet from 1940:

 

The Renegade Home

https://repository.library.nd.edu/view/327/830022.pdf

 

or this article from 1910:

 

The Bright Child

https://books.google.com/books?id=wEJOAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA141&lpg=PA141

 

and here's her pamphlet "Five Minute Lessons for the Home" which was included along with the 1917 Parents' and Teachers' Guide to Reading Courses

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=sgUPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA71#v=onepage&q&f=false - if this page link doesn't work, scroll down to p.71

[ElizaG]

I get the impression that the "refining" or "adjusting" is going to be different for each family.   After all, she was more of a consultant and advisor than a curriculum provider in the modern sense.  Since she's not available to answer our questions, I'm finding it helpful to look at every scrap of the suggestions and examples that are available, even if there's a lot of repetition. 

 

For instance, all of the Country Gentleman articles are oriented toward an old-time rural way of life that we don't share, but they have value as case studies in applying her advice to a particular set of circumstances.   The more I read of this sort of thing, the more I begin to feel confident in developing a version of her system for my own family.  

 

In other words, I doubt we're going to come up with anything earth-shattering (although I'm very curious about the "book lessons").  But that's okay with me.    :001_smile:   

[Hunter]

These files are huge. My netbook is choking on them in every way. I'm SLOOOOOWLY working on getting these articles saved and displayed in a format that won't freeze and crash.

[ElizaG]

These files are huge. My netbook is choking on them in every way. I'm SLOOOOOWLY working on getting these articles saved and displayed in a format that won't freeze and crash.

I think there's a plain text option on Google Books and the Internet Archive.   The files tend to have OCR errors, but might still be quite readable.   Have you tried that?

[Michael12]

The problem is that the online PDF documents are bound volumes of periodicals with hundreds and hundreds of pages, but you only care about a page or four, but Google makes you download the whole darn thing. I went ahead and did that and then extracted the relevant pages before deleting the documents. If it's really a problem I could email the extracts.

[Hunter]

The problem is that the online PDF documents are bound volumes of periodicals with hundreds and hundreds of pages, but you only care about a page or four, but Google makes you download the whole darn thing. I went ahead and did that and then extracted the relevant pages before deleting the documents. If it's really a problem I could email the extracts.

 

I'm going to PM you my e-mail, if you really don't mind. I spent over an hour and was only able to extract the farm kindergarten and the arithmetic articles. I'm only working with a netbook and an iPad. I don't own a full sized and powered computer.

[Michael12]

One more from that 1916 Country Gentleman:

 

Going To School At Home: The Natural Way To Start The Reading And The Spelling (p.769)

https://books.google.com/books?id=9eBFAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA4-PA45#v=onepage&q&f=false

[Hunter]

So sorry that I still have not contributed.

 

I'm having computer trouble and not only am I dealing with the limitations that imposes, but I got super-duper distracted looking into all my options in what I might want to do to recify this, or live challenged for awhile.

 

And this might be WAY too much information, but we are having a heat wave, and the air-conditioning cannot be turned for reasons I won't bore you with, but I have heat rash and I'm REALLY itchy, and that is distracting me even more than computer troubles.

[ElizaG]

Hunter, I hope you're feeling better! 

 

This PDF has a short newspaper article about her activism on behalf of homeschooling parents who were facing legal hassles in the early 1930s.  

 

Democratic State Committeewoman Opposed to Compulsory Education (The Niagara Falls Gazette, June 7, 1932)

 

Here's a series of three articles she wrote herself about the Arthur J. Smart case.  There are some illegible parts in the scans of the first two articles, but the third one -- which is the only one about her interactions with the family -- is fine.

 

"What Price Schooling?" (North Creek Enterprise, North Creek, NY), January 18, January 25, February 1, 1934

 

She suggests that one of the reasons that the officials finally gave in is that homeschooling advocates were gaining attention in the media.  "The Associated Press and the big city dailies began to indicate considerable interest in parents who would toil and fight and sacrifice in order to educate their children." 

 

If you search the web for "history of homeschooling," none of this comes up.  No Arthur J. Smart, no Mrs. Floyd Smith of Lockport who had to to flee to South Carolina, and of course no Ella Frances Lynch.  The standard narrative is that homeschooling was fairly common until school attendance was made compulsory in the early 20th century, and then it just sort of faded away, until it was revived in the 1970s and 80s by the likes of John Holt on the "liberal" side and R. J. R. on the "conservative" side (I'm just putting his initials, because threads that mention him seem to get sidetracked into discussion of his fringe political ideas).    And that our freedoms today are due to the court battles of that era.

 

But these articles from the 30's are describing a movement of parents who consciously opted out of the compulsory school system, and homeschooled their children according to various educational philosophies, sometimes with outside help, and sometimes on their own.  The school attendance inspectors started to crack down, but the parents proved willing to fight the system with all their strength, and finally the authorities ruled in their favor in a major case. 

 

Note, too, that these homeschoolers were generally objecting to both the sausage-factory approach and the lack of traditional moral teaching.  This is something I've noticed in general, in criticism of the public schools in the early 20th century.  It wasn't two separate streams of "hippy dippy types who favored individualization and real-life learning" and "religious folks who wanted children sitting in rows at desks all day." 

 

EFL herself was a member of the New York State Democratic Committee, and wrote for Commonweal (always considered "progressive"), but her views on child-rearing and parental authority were about as traditional as can be found anywhere today.   

 

Curiouser and curiouser.

[Hunter]

I was just thinking about this thread last night.

 

Now the temperatures have dropped to highs of just 40s and 50's. And guess what? Now the air conditioning is on, instead of the heat.  :confused1:  Luckily here in the city, lows have stayed in the 40's instead of dropping into the 30's like it did in the suburbs, but still, this is WAY too cold to have cold air being pumped through the building. It's really really cold here! Sigh! I think today will reach the mid 60's. thankfully. With the windows open maybe we can get this building back up to 60 degrees.

 

There is so much misinformation about homeschooling. People lie to further their agendas and make money. Maybe we can be glad that EFL wasn't brought out earlier, because if she was, we would probably have been given a incomplete and slanted version like what was done with CM. We probably would have not been better off, and would have mess to clean up now, and disunity within any community that had developed.

 

EFL was catholic, and she included lower income moms in her audience. She didn't advocate using much of anything that could be sold, not even many books. In one of the articles she said all of preschool and K could be done with Mother Goose and Aesop. :lol: Can you see the early catalogs with a one page reprint of EFL kindergarten and 2 books which were readily available at a local bookstore? Not much profit there.

 

Greed and pride have driven homeschooling since the "beginning". Everything we THINK we know has to be examined in context of profit and agendas.

[LostintheCosmos]

A few more - I hope these links work properly:

 

Having Eyes, We See Not (Munsey's Magazine)

Farm Chores and Good Citizenship (Farm Journal) - perhaps not super-applicable to most of us, but I was charmed by the children she describes

 

And three from America:

I could be the mother in this one

A "city mother" asks for advice

Another teacher-mother describes her days

[birchbark]

A few more - I hope these links work properly:

 

Having Eyes, We See Not (Munsey's Magazine)

Farm Chores and Good Citizenship (Farm Journal) - perhaps not super-applicable to most of us, but I was charmed by the children she describes

 

And three from America:

I could be the mother in this one

A "city mother" asks for advice

Another teacher-mother describes her days

 

I enjoyed the Having Eyes article!

[ElizaG]

See, this is where reading more articles is helpful.   I thought we were okay with our one chalkboard easel, but she says the child should be given "several yards" of slated cloth on a wall (the cloth was sold as an inexpensive, portable substitute for a blackboard).   I was thinking "how would they have room for that?" but then remembered that she recommends only using a small number of books.

 

In our house, there are lots and lots of bookshelves, and no long stretches of available wall space, apart from the stairs.

 

Oops.  

 

And now I'm remembering my recent discovery that the children had turned a large patio table on its side, and were using it as an outdoor chalkboard (it has a dark surface).  I was kind of annoyed, and totally missed the fact that they didn't have any big surfaces that they were allowed to write on.  Obviously both EFL and Maria Montessori would have handled that much better.  But then, neither of them actually had to live with children 24/7.  :tongue_smilie:

 

"I learn, I learn, Meester Fawlty!"  

[ElizaG]

Okay, I did a bit better tonight.   A couple of little artists had scribbled on the bedroom doors (perhaps while I was posting earlier!).  I told them they had to wipe the whole area.  It occurred to me right away that their misdeeds were serendipitous, because the door frames were in desperate need of cleaning.  :tongue_smilie:  Other children came to see what was going on, and voluntarily took on the job of cleaning adjacent areas.  Much grime was removed.   Children vowed to keep things cleaner in future. 

 

The EFL part of this was that we just used baby wipes, because they were handy. 

 

If I had been in "home Montessori mode," this would never have happened, because I'd still be rounding up the child-sized aprons, enameled pail, and miniature wooden scrubbing brushes (hand-made by German elves).   If I did manage to get it all set up, I would have been so tired I'd have snapped at the children for scrubbing incorrectly.   And then gone off to eat chocolate.  :leaving:  :laugh:

[ElizabethB]

I have several large whiteboards. I keep a few out and store the rest under the futon until I need them. You could do the same with blackboards, store them and prop them against bookshelves when in use. We also have 2 small chalkboards that they like, but they prefer white boards. I use them when I teach group classes, too, I love my whiteboards. Even my older remedial students are strangely motivated by and excited about being able to pick their marker color.

[ElizaG]

Maybe I'm misreading, but I think the idea is that the blackboard is available for the little ones to practice all the time, not just during the lessons.  

 

The basic problem in our house is too much stuff, including books.  I've been getting rid of some, but will have to pick up the pace. 

[ElizabethB]

Maybe I'm misreading, but I think the idea is that the blackboard is available for the little ones to practice all the time, not just during the lessons.

 

The basic problem in our house is too much stuff, including books. I've been getting rid of some, but will have to pick up the pace.

 

Under the futon is actually very accessable, the children would grab them all the time to doodle on, they take up a lot less room if they are all stored together, you can stack them. They don't use them as much now that they are older but we still use them from time to time, and I still use them for certain subjects and certain concepts. I also have a friend who has window markers and uses her windows as extra space. We move all the time and rent so it makes me too nervous to do but she has never had a problem erasing. Evidently it makes long division more fun if you get to do it on the window...

 

I think she might have liked white boards and am even more sure of the likelihood of her liking window markers had she lived today.

[LostintheCosmos]

Okay, I did a bit better tonight.   Little artists aged 3 and 5 had scribbled on the bedroom doors (perhaps while I was posting earlier!).  I told them they had to wipe the whole area.  It occurred to me right away that their misdeeds were serendipitous, because the door frames were in desperate need of cleaning.  :tongue_smilie:  Other children came to see what was going on, and voluntarily took on the job of cleaning adjacent areas.  Much grime was removed.   Children vowed to keep things cleaner in future. 

 

The EFL part of this was that we just used baby wipes, because they were handy. 

 

If I had been in "home Montessori mode," this would never have happened, because I'd still be rounding up the child-sized aprons, enameled pail, and miniature wooden scrubbing brushes (hand-made by German elves).   If I did manage to get it all set up, I would have been so tired I'd have snapped at the children for scrubbing incorrectly.   And then gone off to eat chocolate.  :leaving:  :laugh:

 

What? You mean having the precisely correct child-sized tool won't make my children instantly competent at all the household tasks I'm not much good at and rarely do myself??? This explains so much!  :lol:

[Hunter]

I sometimes wish I had a blackboard, but...it's just not practical right now.

 

For right now, there are some EFL things that are beyond me. I'm not sure if I'm just not there yet, or if they just are not right for ME. But, EFL has changed me deep down, even more than Waldorf did. I never tried to convert to EFL, the way I attempted to do with Waldorf, having learned my lesson. But even though I didn't try to convert, I'm deeply influenced.

 

Longfellow is just one of the year 8 literature selections, but Longfellow is THERE, better late than never. And even though I don't use Hiawatha to do so, I do teach "reading" from a memorized piece. I teach smaller numbers for longer now, and put off algorithms longer. As I continue to develop my spreadsheet schedule, I see EFL's influence all through my choices and schedule.

 

There is very little of Montessori that appeals to me. Way too many PIECES!!! I do like some of Maria's original grammar instruction ideas that she developed for "defectives" that are movement based.

[Momto4inSoCal]

Well that sort of cements my idea of painting the smaller wall in our homeschool room with whiteboard paint. I had been considering the idea off and on the whole year. 

[ElizaG]

There is very little of Montessori that appeals to me. Way too many PIECES!!! I do like some of Maria's original grammar instruction ideas that she developed for "defectives" that are movement based.

I'm a believer in Montessori, but the pieces are a huge problem.  This is something I'm struggling with.  EFL mentions that the materials are lovely if you have them, though not at all necessary.   But they're not lovely if they end up being a distraction. 

 

I'm still looking on newspapers.com for the article I found a while back about simplifying the home environment.   Her name did come up in a 1930 NYC radio listing; she was speaking on the Paulist Fathers' station.  EFL on the radio!   That never occurred to me.  But it makes sense.  Hers was one of the generations that bridged traditional and modern American life. 

[Hunter]

 I also have a friend who has window markers and uses her windows as extra space.

 

I do have a big sliding glass door. I think I'll look for some window markers. Thanks for the idea!

[LostintheCosmos]

There is very little of Montessori that appeals to me. Way too many PIECES!!! I do like some of Maria's original grammar instruction ideas that she developed for "defectives" that are movement based.

 

I'm pretty indebted to some real-life Montessorians I've met for what little understanding of children I've developed and am still pretty sold on it as a classroom method, but, yeah, too many pieces for our home.

 

I'm still looking on newspapers.com for the article I found a while back about simplifying the home environment.   

 

I'd love to see this article if you find it again. Some days I really think I'm just not cut out for modern life - we've already scaled back our toys, clothes, and household items (ok, with one exception - books :blushing: ) to less than the families we hang out with seem to have and even less than some alleged simple living types suggest (I ran across a blogger recently who was advising on how to downsize your kids' clothes - she assured her readers that their kids will be just fine with only five pairs of pajamas :confused1: ), but I still feel overwhelmed most of the time. 

[arliemaria]

I do have a big sliding glass door. I think I'll look for some window markers. Thanks for the idea!

 

My little scientist son was watching some youtube videos about quarks the other day.  He has a sudden interest in subatomic matter.  Anyways, in the video the scientist was writing formulas on a giant window.  My son exclaimed, "I never knew scientists were allowed write on the windows."  I laughed, but perhaps the novelty of this instead of paper/chalkboard/etc. might be fun for a special science/math lesson.  I don't know if I have the courage to always allow them to draw on the windows with free abandon.  We do have a large chalkboard I got on craigslist.   

 

There are also bath crayons.  We've had those before.  It is nice because you can always give the tub an extra scrub when they are finished doodling, etc.  win win.

 

Sidewalk chalk is great for outside lessons or free play.

[ElizaG]

Window markers would be good for my older children, but I'm not sure about the little ones.   Even if they only drew where they were supposed to, the colors would probably get on their hands and clothes.  We do have Crayola whiteboard crayons, which are less messy, but they tend to break easily and then get ground/smeared into the floor.    

 

*  *  *

 

After writing the above, I remembered the Stabilo Woody pencils.  They're pretty much indestructible, and even if a baby got hold of them, the consequences would be safe (but colorful!).  They're not cheap, but ours have lasted very well.    I do all the sharpening for them myself, and only take off the bare minimum.

 

So we tried those and the whiteboard crayons on the patio doors, and both worked fine.   Probably not as intense as markers, but nobody seemed to mind.    A couple of them got so wrapped up in drawing that they had to be called several times before they'd come and watch their favorite comedy show on TV.   I think ElizabethB has hit on a winner for the updated 100th anniversary version of EFL.  :001_smile:

 

This also helped me figure out the next lesson for my eldest:  Learning to clean the outside of the glass doors using a telescoping squeegee.  I suspect that this will be a popular chore! 

 

For a while there, I was thinking that my household had to make a lot more progress in getting our collective act together before we could use this method.   Now it's starting to seem as if we just have to start with something little that's right where we are, and work out from there, and eventually our whole house will be in order.  Sort of like "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie," but in reverse.  :001_smile:

 

 

[edited for privacy]

Edited May 23, 2016 by ElizaG

[ElizaG]

Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sunday May 19, 1929, p. 27

 

Letter from her to the editor, commenting on newspaper reports about juvenile delinquency.  Mentions that the National League of Teacher Mothers was started 15 years previously. 

 

"The 25,000 members are in a position to testify unanimously:  'No child of ours has shamed us by being haled into court.'"

 

"A world-wide league for home education is now being organized, sponsored by a committee of international prestige.  Co-operating with the [NLTM] is Belgium's 30-year-old 'Ligue de l'Education Familiale,' of which the distinguished Minister of Agriculture, M. Paul DeVuyst, is the active spirit."

 

-----

 

Archive.org has a book that was published by the Belgian organization in 1916:

 

L'éducation de la jeune fille par elle-même

 

It's a self-education guide for girls aged about 14 to 17.  The topics include character development, religious education and devotion, how to study, and preparation for marriage.  The reading list is extensive, and covers doctrine and devotion, practical skills, personal growth, child development and education, history, geography, science, economics, art history, music history, classic literature, and philosophy.  They recommend reading for one hour each day, keeping notebooks, and asking for advice on these topics from parents, priests, and former schoolteachers.  Interesting.  I've never seen anything like this for American girls, past or present.  The closest thing might be Far Above Rubies, but this is much simpler in format, and also much more self-directed. 

 

There's a similar book for boys, which I'll try to find.  They also mention their magazine (L'Education Familiale), and an exam they offer for a teaching certificate -- which seems to be oriented toward preparing girls to teach their own children.

 

I can see how they would be natural partners with EFL.  And this reinforces her assertion that she's not inventing anything new -- just working with the traditional mindset, which was brought over from Europe, but (due to factors that would be interesting to explore) was obscured by the growth of the public school system. 

[ElizaG]

Also at newspapers.com (you can get a free 7-day trial if you want to read these) :

 

Williamsburg (IA) Journal-Tribune, Thurs. June 25, 1936, p. 2

 

"Work a Great Disciplinary Force"

 

- questions the idea that some children's haughtiness or tantrums should just be endured because the children are "nervous" or "sensitive"

- says that character is mostly formed by around age 12; much harder to make changes after that; should have a strong work habit in place by this age

- talks about the connection between home life and the Rule of St. Benedict

 

"If a mother, instead of pleading lack of time, knowledge, patience, culture, energy, self-confidence, will just leave undone some of the things she now thinks so important and will take the time to teach her children, she will find that instead of being stupid, naughty, lazy, disobedient, or 'nervous,' they are really very bright and sweet and lovable, and that her efforts in this direction bring their daily and hourly reward.

 

Class topic:  Name five activities that the average mother might profitably curtail in order to gain the time to educate her children."

 

(and with that, I'm off for now... :leaving:  )

[ElizaG]

This is a full-page article from the same site (so, not free either).  It appears to be based on an interview.  

 

"Over-Educated Loafer Our Greatest Menace, Says Miss Lynch, Who Scores School Methods" by Charles Samuels (Brooklyn Daily Eagle, Sunday October 4, 1925)

 

When talking about the problems in the public schools, she points to the influence of the textbook manufacturers.  They don't want the schools to include subjects that don't require books (which would include oral memory work and observation lessons), but they're quick to encourage the adoption of new subjects for which they can publish a textbook. 

 

"She has made little money out of her life work.  'If I systematized my activities I would become rich ultimately.   I do not want to get money out of this system of mother-teaching -- that's why I personally answer every letter mothers send me.  It's the personal satisfaction of service rendered which I value most.'"

 

Hunter, it looks as if you're right on target.  

 

But why does this happen with homeschoolers, who aren't involved with school politics?   

 

Are we just conditioned to want to buy stuff?   Or to let someone else be in charge?   Or to be afraid of doing anything that isn't "systematized?"

 

Hmm. 

[ElizaG]

This is the one I was looking for, though it's much shorter than I remembered.  It's from a column titled "With the Women of Today" by Mrs. Lillian Campbell, which appeared in many newspapers toward the end of May in 1925. 

 

"There are six rocks upon which every mother must build her child's character and education, according to Ella Frances Lynch (...).   They are simplicity of surroundings, obedience, work, training in observation, reverence and a good vocabulary. 

 

Of these simplicity of surroundings is the most important, says Miss Lynch, who believes, for instance, that it is not necessary to surround a child with beautiful pictures in order to foster a love of beauty.  There is always the sky!"

 

It goes on to talk a bit about her method in general.

 

I don't suppose that's going to answer your questions, LostCove, but at least we're all here on the rocks together.   ;)

[arliemaria]

This is the one I was looking for, though it's much shorter than I remembered.  It's from a column titled "With the Women of Today" by Mrs. Lillian Campbell, which appeared in many newspapers toward the end of May in 1925. 

 

"There are six rocks upon which every mother must build her child's character and education, according to Ella Frances Lynch (...).   They are simplicity of surroundings, obedience, work, training in observation, reverence and a good vocabulary. 

 

Of these simplicity of surroundings is the most important, says Miss Lynch, who believes, for instance, that it is not necessary to surround a child with beautiful pictures in order to foster a love of beauty.  There is always the sky!"

 

It goes on to talk a bit about her method in general.

 

I don't suppose that's going to answer your questions, LostCove, but at least we're all stranded here on the rocks together.   ;)

 

Time to pick up Simplicity Parenting again.  *sigh*  This is freeing though.  It means we do not need a hundred postcard masterpieces to post on the walls for children, etc.

 

I just received a small ($15) amazon gift card.  I am trying to decide what to get for my children.  I bought clip boards a few weeks ago via inspiration from Pocketful of Pinecones.  She, the fictional mother, had her children take out clipboards and paper instead of notebooks for nature study.  I figure this might be cheaper than notebooks in the long run, since you can get reams of paper very cheap.  The really good drawings can then be pasted into their nature notebook.  Right now I am looking at pencil rolls. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EL6IKW4/ref=ox_sc_act_title_2?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=A33WHWYYA2XSFO Perhaps some good colored pencils too.  These will stay in our outside bag.  Not something else to bring in to have to be picked up later off the playroom floor.  Although that fictional mother only provided them with a pencil tied to the clipboard instead of xyz art supplies.  First world problems, for sure.

 

I think an excellent thread would just to be a discussion on working through implementing those six rocks.

[ElizaG]

Perhaps some good colored pencils too.  These will stay in our outside bag.  Not something else to bring in to have to be picked up later off the playroom floor.  Although that fictional mother only provided them with a pencil tied to the clipboard instead of xyz art supplies.  First world problems, for sure.

It's funny you mention colors -- this afternoon, I decided to put away all our wet-erase "window crayons" except the white one.  The white shows up very well, and is relaxing to look at (or past).   All that color on the windows was making me edgy.

 

I think, in one of those exchanges with the mother of a preschooler, EFL writes about using the colored blackboard chalks as if it's a special thing. 

[Hunter]

I think it's really important to teach pen and ink drawing and limit time with colored media. Color shouldn't replace pen and ink lessons.

 

 

[arliemaria]

It's funny you mention colors -- this afternoon, I decided to put away all our wet-erase "window crayons" except the white one.  The white shows up very well, and is relaxing to look at (or past).   All that color on the windows was making me edgy.

 

I think, in one of those exchanges with the mother of a preschooler, EFL writes about using the colored blackboard chalks as if it's a special thing. 

 

I ended up buying only water bottles.  HA!  I threw away our last ones months ago because they were leaking so terrible.  I kept thinking about the simplicity of surroundings.  As much as I love new art supplies we have ample.  I should take some out of the art caddy.  Why do I have ALL the regular #2 pencils there?  Perhaps all but two or three should be in the closet.  I have always loved the look of Montessori classrooms with a dozen pencils of each color in their own container, but that is not practical for anyone unless you have a dozen kids who NEED the same color pencil at the exact same time, right? 

 

White window crayons, eh?  I might need to buy a single crayon.  Do you have a brand you recommend?

 

I think it's really important to teach pen and ink drawing and limit time with colored media. Color shouldn't replace pen and ink lessons.

 

 

 

I have always loved ink and pen art, but don't really want my toddler to have access to ink.  :)  The colored pencils would be for the nature journals.  I'd actually like to have them do water colors... someday.  I did see a blog post recently about zentangles for 5 year olds.  http://www.whatdowedoallday.com/2014/02/zentangles-with-5-year-old.html Perhaps this could be introduced for free choice drawing time.

[Hunter]

We don't always use ink. Sometimes it's just pencil. But the idea of "less is more" art, using the same media used to write with.

 

I can't find any images like it online, but there was an African American artist that did sienna pen and ink self portraits that made me want to have darker skin, so I could do that.

 

Maybe I am losing my mind, but I thought I saw a Idiot's Guide to Zentangle at Barnes and Noble a couple days ago. I can't find a trace of it online. It looked really good if you need ONE book for the topic. Maybe I dreamed it.  :biggrinjester:

[ElizaG]

White window crayons, eh?  I might need to buy a single crayon.  Do you have a brand you recommend?

Not really; I've only being trying this for less than 24 hours, since ElizabethB mentioned writing on the windows.   We've been using the white Crayola Dry-Erase crayon.  I think it came in the Brights 8-pack.   Despite the name, I find these work better as wet-erase crayons; it takes some effort to rub the marks off cleanly with the mitten they give you. 

 

The Stabilo Woody pencil that I mentioned above is sold individually in white (e.g., at Dick Blick), but we don't have this color, so I don't know how well it would work.   Note that you can often find the 8-pack of Crayolas for a bit less than the price of one of the Stabilos.  The wood pencils are also so chunky that I'm not sure they'd help the child to develop a proper grip.   For me, the main advantage is that they're sturdy and blunt enough to be safe even if the preschoolers decide to share them with the baby.   :tongue_smilie:  

 

I'm sure there are other brands of washable crayons, watercolor crayons, watercolor pencils, etc. that would do just as well.   Maybe we can compare results and figure out some better options. 

[ElizaG]

and here's her pamphlet "Five Minute Lessons for the Home" which was included along with the 1917 Parents' and Teachers' Guide to Reading Courses

 

https://books.google.com/books?id=sgUPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA71#v=onepage&q&f=false - if this page link doesn't work, scroll down to p.71t

 

This is an interesting one, because the book was sold along with a set of children's encyclopedias, and the "reading courses" are made up of lists of encyclopedia pages on various topics.   Her "five minute lessons" are in a separate section at the back of the book.  They're based on real-life observation and discussion, not reading.  But these also have encyclopedia pages listed at the end of each lesson.   Did she include those, or did the editors add them?

 

In one of her later columns, a correspondent wrote that a salesman was trying to sell her some children's encyclopedias by saying, "Ella Frances Lynch recommends them."   EFL wrote back that she recommends them for the ashcan!   Makes me wonder what happened there.  :huh:  

 

By contrast, in 2006, the same vintage encyclopedias were highly praised in Touchstone  by a champion of the restoration of "classical Christian education."  I think this is an example of how far we've gone in the last 100-150 years, that a mass-marketed product, which someone born circa 1880 might have seen as the stuffing of children with predigested book-learning (I'm guessing, by her other writings), is now considered a way of rediscovering the wonder and freedom of an old-fashioned childhood. 

 

We have the Book of Knowledge in our house, so I can understand where Anthony Esolen is coming from.   If it does end up going out the door as part of the simplifying, it won't be without some pain on my part.  But for at least a few years now, I've been convinced that it's our role to think less about the "golden age of children's books," and more about the standard classics that have long been read by people of all ages.   And to stop buying anything more than we absolutely need!   Even white crayons!   (Yes, I did get distracted by that!  :001_rolleyes: ) 

[LostintheCosmos]

Hmmm, I like the framework of the "six rocks" - helpful!

 

In poking around, I've seen many references now to a series of four articles critiquing public education that EFL wrote for Pictorial Review, so they must have made quite a splash. I haven't been able to track down the articles themselves so far, but I did find two pieces summarizing some of her points. This one inveighs against the innovation of teaching reading by a strictly phonetic system and suggests waiting until age 8 to start reading instruction by the method she spells out (sorry!) in her books.

 

This one seems particularly interesting because it suggests her outline for studies for an older child, up to age 14: an hour each for math and English daily, an hour for history and geography (including copying maps) and an hour devoted to "physics and chemistry, as indicated, to mechanical drawing, to natural sciences--and to the subjects suggested by community requirements." So that's four hours, and then "the other half of the day should be spent in active, useful employment."

 

We don't have any large expanses of glass in our home, so unfortunately I can't add anything helpful to the art supplies discussion. I wish we did, though - maybe the walls in my daughter's room could have been spared.  :glare:  

[ElizaG]

This one seems particularly interesting because it suggests her outline for studies for an older child, up to age 14: an hour each for math and English daily, an hour for history and geography (including copying maps) and an hour devoted to "physics and chemistry, as indicated, to mechanical drawing, to natural sciences--and to the subjects suggested by community requirements." So that's four hours, and then "the other half of the day should be spent in active, useful employment."

It would be interesting to see those articles, but we also have to keep in mind that for most public school students in 1914, the eighth grade was the end of the line. This had major effects on the curriculum in all grades.  Some material, such as formal grammar, had to be introduced earlier than the teachers would have preferred, because it was "now or never."   At the same time, many of the studies that were considered important in private schools and home tutoring -- foreign languages, art, music -- were skipped altogether, because there just wasn't the time.   The elementary schools had to focus on the 3 R's, citizenship, basic general knowledge, and preparation for working life. 

 

It wasn't until closer to the 1930s, when public high school became the norm, that the states felt free to broaden the elementary curriculum.  Unfortunately, that coincided with the rise of progressive education, so the new additions tended to be along the lines of group construction paper projects and "social studies."

 

In those days, privately educated students would have followed a different path, one that was closer to the historic classical model.  This is the part I'm trying to figure out.  There wasn't much standardization, because college entrance was traditionally exam-based rather than credit-based.  As long as you knew the material, they didn't much care how you got there. 

[LostintheCosmos]

It would be interesting to see those articles, but we also have to keep in mind that for most public school students in 1914, the eighth grade was the end of the line. This had major effects on the curriculum in all grades.  Some material, such as formal grammar, had to be introduced earlier than the teachers would have preferred, because it was "now or never."   At the same time, many of the studies that were considered important in private schools and home tutoring -- foreign languages, art, music -- were skipped altogether, because there just wasn't the time.   The elementary schools had to focus on the 3 R's, citizenship, basic general knowledge, and preparation for working life. 

 

It wasn't until closer to the 1930s, when public high school became the norm, that the states felt free to broaden the elementary curriculum.  Unfortunately, that coincided with the rise of progressive education, so the new additions tended to be along the lines of group construction paper projects and "social studies."

 

In those days, privately educated students would have followed a different path, one that was closer to the historic classical model.  This is the part I'm trying to figure out.  There wasn't much standardization, because college entrance was traditionally exam-based rather than credit-based.  As long as you knew the material, they didn't much care how you got there. 

 

Yes, sorry, I should have been more clear - this article was outlining her proposed alternative for public education for students who would likely be done with formal schooling at age 14. Still, I hadn't yet seen anything in which she addresses the older student, so that bit was new to me. She does claim that this course of study would result in a fourteen year old "with the qualities of mind and character we now look for in a college graduate."

 

Both of those pieces discuss the question of general classics vs. texts created specifically for children. In the first one, she argues for using real literature, like Hiawatha, to teach reading rather than contrived phonetically-controlled readers - and she quotes a really awful one. In the second, she mentions the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, A Tale of Two Cities, The Merchant of Venice, and "Evangeline," and says such texts can be used for the study of English (and this list actually isn't too dissimilar from what girls read in middle school at the private school where I attended high school), but also as a departure for discussion of personal character and "community good," which requires "a teacher of experience, judgment, and much wisdom." So we can see why her ideas didn't take off in the public schools...

[ElizabethB]

Here are the window markers, the pack includes white:

 

http://www.amazon.com/Crayola-Count-Washable-Window-Markers/dp/B001FQKPSU/ref=pd_sim_201_3?ie=UTF8&refRID=17T31MWWPX1WB0FG4ACE

 

They also seem to have ones that look like chalk now, but I know the ones I linked here work well and erase well. The chalk window markers do have good reviews, though.

 

Most of the bad reviews for the above are for people who did not understand how to clean them and were using windex instead of water or people who left their young children with them unattended.

[Hunter]

This is the one I was looking for, though it's much shorter than I remembered.  It's from a column titled "With the Women of Today" by Mrs. Lillian Campbell, which appeared in many newspapers toward the end of May in 1925. 

 

"There are six rocks upon which every mother must build her child's character and education, according to Ella Frances Lynch (...).   They are simplicity of surroundings, obedience, work, training in observation, reverence and a good vocabulary. 

 

Of these simplicity of surroundings is the most important, says Miss Lynch, who believes, for instance, that it is not necessary to surround a child with beautiful pictures in order to foster a love of beauty.  There is always the sky!"

 

It goes on to talk a bit about her method in general.

 

I don't suppose that's going to answer your questions, LostCove, but at least we're all stranded here on the rocks together.   ;)

 

I think we could use an individual thread for each of the "rocks". There are people who think they are not interested in EFL, but might be interested in the individual topic.

 

I'm most interested in "Simplicity of Surroundings" right now.

[Michael12]

I have a newspaper article most likely by Lynch that, as yet, I cannot source. Two possibilities are the Catholic Herald or Catholic Citizen (both of Milwaukee, WI). The article title is "Exalting the School at the Expense of the Home". It cites a March 15, 1925 article by Rev. Charles Bruehl so that gives a clue as to the date. Drop a line if you are interested in a PDF. Any help on pinning down the citation information would be welcome.

[LostintheCosmos]

ltlmrs, I admire what you are doing in an urban environment - when we were still condo-dwelling urbanites I had a really hard time both getting us out the door to do stuff and keeping us occupied with good work when we were home, and we still have some bad habits dating from those years...

 

One of the challenges for me has been to not “plan†what I’m going to have them do, but as the Nike slogan goes “Just Do It.† When I try to go through chore lists and things a child can do at this age, or set aside a specific time to teach something, things just don’t get done.  I’ve really had to focus on the advice in Large Family Logistics and Raising Godly Tomatoes and just make a routine and keep my kids close to me so that I can teach them as I do things or make up work for them to do even if it is inconvenient for me (and honestly, it is always inconvenient).  

 

YES!!! I have found the exact same thing with regard to child-training - I have got to stop trying to create a system and just do it. When I was driving around doing errands this week, I listened to a talk Leila Lawler gave in which she, riffing on Oakeshott, I guess, pointed out that we're all, as products of our age, rationalists to one degree or another because we're always looking for a program rather than just living our lives, and I immediately saw about half a dozen areas of my life in which I've been doing exactly that. I've made progress with kids and work, but still catch myself thinking maybe I should just take some time laminating chore cards and that will somehow make the kids do their work without any effort on my part.  :rolleyes:

 

I'm really intrigued that you've limited your daughter's reading time. My oldest sounds similar - I send them outside to play and he takes a book or a twaddly magazine (thanks, grandma) and lies in the hammock and reads all morning. He has a pretty good work ethic, especially if he's working along side me or my husband (he LOVES doing "farm chores" with papa), but the way he spends his leisure time in solitary reading does feel very passive to me, and I think he would be better off spending more time just moving. So I'm not sure what to do about that at this juncture.

 

Lastly, I'm so glad you reported on your Latin studies. I really want to start us with Latin this year, but was feeling doubtful about getting myself together to do it. I'd never seen I Speak Latin somehow, but that actually looks quite doable and in line with EFL's suggestions.

 

Oh, actually, one more thing: I think I mentioned this in another thread somewhere, but I've found vintage nature readers really helpful in self-educating and preparing myself for informal nature study. Some of my favorites are Leaves and Flowers, Buds, Stems and Roots, Aunt May's Bird Talks, and Hunter recently turned me on to the Murche Science Readers. 

[Hunter]

The Amish often limit the reading of too many novels by children. They, too, see it as light and passive entertainment, no different than TV watching.

[arliemaria]

ltlmrs, I admire what you are doing in an urban environment - when we were still condo-dwelling urbanites I had a really hard time both getting us out the door to do stuff and keeping us occupied with good work when we were home, and we still have some bad habits dating from those years...

 

 

YES!!! I have found the exact same thing with regard to child-training - I have got to stop trying to create a system and just do it. When I was driving around doing errands this week, I listened to a talk Leila Lawler gave in which she, riffing on Oakeshott, I guess, pointed out that we're all, as products of our age, rationalists to one degree or another because we're always looking for a program rather than just living our lives, and I immediately saw about half a dozen areas of my life in which I've been doing exactly that. I've made progress with kids and work, but still catch myself thinking maybe I should just take some time laminating chore cards and that will somehow make the kids do their work without any effort on my part.  :rolleyes:

 

I'm really intrigued that you've limited your daughter's reading time. My oldest sounds similar - I send them outside to play and he takes a book or a twaddly magazine (thanks, grandma) and lies in the hammock and reads all morning. He has a pretty good work ethic, especially if he's working along side me or my husband (he LOVES doing "farm chores" with papa), but the way he spends his leisure time in solitary reading does feel very passive to me, and I think he would be better off spending more time just moving. So I'm not sure what to do about that at this juncture.

 

Lastly, I'm so glad you reported on your Latin studies. I really want to start us with Latin this year, but was feeling doubtful about getting myself together to do it. I'd never seen I Speak Latin somehow, but that actually looks quite doable and in line with EFL's suggestions.

 

Oh, actually, one more thing: I think I mentioned this in another thread somewhere, but I've found vintage nature readers really helpful in self-educating and preparing myself for informal nature study. Some of my favorites are Leaves and Flowers, Buds, Stems and Roots, Aunt May's Bird Talks, and Hunter recently turned me on to the Murche Science Readers. 

 

Thank you for the links.  Perhaps after I put the children to bed I can listen to Leila tonight.  I was re-reading my Raising Godly Tomatoes today.  I have let things slide for too long with my two year old due to my difficult pregnancy and now I need to get back to staking and actually watching them and raising them more diligently.  Of course, I need to train myself first.  

[ElizaG]

This one seems particularly interesting because it suggests her outline for studies for an older child, up to age 14: an hour each for math and English daily, an hour for history and geography (including copying maps) and an hour devoted to "physics and chemistry, as indicated, to mechanical drawing, to natural sciences--and to the subjects suggested by community requirements." So that's four hours, and then "the other half of the day should be spent in active, useful employment."

 

If this is for a school schedule, would there be additional study time at home?  I can't remember what she says on that topic. 

 

I just came across a particularly helpful example of the 19th century American classical curriculum.  They've switched over to departmental teaching, but the course of studies is still fairly traditional, compared to other Protestant institutions of that era.  

 

1890/91 Catalog of Denison University, Granville Academy, and Shepardson College

 

So if homeschooled students were preparing to apply to college, they would learn the sort of material in the "academy" course.  But they could start this at age 10 or so, as had been common in colonial times, and was still done in Europe and among US Catholics.  I'm guessing that's what children using EFL's method would have done, if there was no good school available.  I don't know if she would have expected them to be able to do the entire college prep curriculum by self-study, without even having language tutors -- it seems crazy, but then again, Nathaniel Bowditch certainly learned a lot on his own.  And it would be easier now that we have audio and video courses for foreign language study.   Plus no indentures!

 

In our time, though, there's this other teeny weeny problem:  the classical college course described above no longer exists, having been conveniently "vanished" (starting in the early stage of globalization) to create the illusion that American students weren't behind after all.    A good part of the math and science was moved down to the prep years, but most of the high-level studies of language, literature, rhetoric, and philosophy were just dropped.  Which means that for the last hundred years or more, Americans have been going to university with the equivalent of a junior-high humanities education.  

 

This has led to all kinds of confusion; for instance, "back to basics" reformers are shocked that today's college students need to be taught how to write.  But American college students never knew how to write at a mature level.  Just look at the listings above.  Teaching writing was one of the main functions of the old-time college! 

 

Okay, getting back from my rant... in order to learn the material that was taught in a traditional American classical liberal arts education, and simultaneously prepare for a modern post-secondary education, the student would have to find a way to do the whole 7 or 8 year curriculum (equivalent of "academy" + "college") as a homeschooler, while ensuring that the last four years met the requirements for a high school transcript, and maybe getting some (modern) college credit as well.   

 

I'm quite sure that EFL never wrote an article about how to do that, though.  :tongue_smilie: