Since we’re all so busy with summer fun, I’ve made the post descriptions short and sweet!  Enjoy!

• Even though we haven’t been doing “official” school, our summer has been filled with lots of hands-on learning as we work in the garden and harvest the veggies, take extra field trips, play board games in the shade of the porch on a hot afternoon, and spend many lazy hours reading good books.  Here’s a peak into our very hands-on VBS…A Trip to Rome!

• Our Busy Homeschool shares how much fun writing in Colonial times must have been in her post titled Writing With a Quill and Ink.  She also shows how much fun a dinosaur dig can be in Paleontologists and Climbing.

• Homegrown Mommy shares a fun Biblical lesson her children presented and video taped in Here’s a Quick Lesson Plan for Samson and the Lion (Judges 14).

• Homeschool Bytes put birthday party plans in the hands of her daughter in Give Kids Money and a Budget – Tuesday Tips.

• Home4Skool shares how she and her children have been creating their own structures in Making Domes.

• ToddlerCraft shares a simple, but fun idea for little ones in Learning About the Ocean.

• Talking to Myself gives a very unique idea for getting children to cooperate in Studying New England – Part 2.

• Roots and Wings shows you very clearly how to make a homemade planter in Topsy Turvy Tomato Tutorial.

• School For Us shares a super hands-on artist study in Henri Matisse and Icarus.

• Harmony Art Mom’s entire family had fun in Sculpey Projects – Great Summer Creative Fun.

• Schooling Memoirs made a lesson from Story of the World come to life in Mummy’s.

• Mountaineer Country celebrated our country’s independence in hands-on style as she shares in Our 4th of July.

• Leaving Footprints has a wonderful hands-on idea for *moms* of preschoolers in Preschool Activity Box.

Thanks for visiting!  I hope you’re making wonderful summer memories!!  You can submit to the next Hands-On Homeschool Carnival (in August) by clicking here.

I’m hosting the July edition of the Hands-On Homeschool Carnival next Monday.  I know lots of us are taking a break from school as usual right now, but I’d love to hear about some of the hands-on summer fun you’re having!  You can submit your posts here.  Thanks!

Suddenly the sky turned gray,

The day,

Which had been bitter and chill,

Grew soft and still.

Quietly

From some invisible blossoming tree

Millions of petals cool and white

Drifted and blew,

Lifted and flew,

Fell with the falling might.

~Melville Cane

Welcome to the first edition of the Charlotte Mason Carnival in 2009!  You sure are in for a treat as there are over 30 posts to savor and enjoy.  I know there are gems to be found in every CM Carnival, but this one is full of really great posts!  I hope you’ll take the time to encourage each one of the writers with a kind comment.  Enjoy!

Thinking About a New Start to the Year

Jimmie of One Child Policy Homeschool shares her new scheduling plans in Rotation Scheduling for Our Homeschool.  She also shares an eye opening post about living math in Living Math is Not Quick or Neat.

Dana from School For Us gets us thinking about being passionate homeschoolers in Great Teachers.

Penny from Our Crazy Adventures in Autismland! reviews her learning goals for the new year in Task #64 Make 1 yr and 5 yr Homeschool Plans.  She continues the planning as she shares Our New School Schedule!  WooHoo!  I am on a roll!!

Sandy from Falling Like Rain has been rethinking some things for the upcoming school year, too, and shared them in A Peek Inside My Planner.

Makita of Twinkling Stars Family School reviews last semester’s plans and makes goals to improve on a few things in Change of Direction – Mid Year Review.

Christin of Journey to a Gracious Woman has written a post about all the CM goals she has for the upcoming months in As We Resume School.

Jennefer of Smooth Stone Academy is just beginning her journey into CM style learning.  She shares some of her thoughts in Learnings From Miss Mason.

Our CM Carnival organizer deserves a big thank you in her comment section!  Jamie from Rose CottageIntentional Homeschooling shares some of her thoughts about school and life in .

Preschool

The Queen of Carrots from Introducing the World talks about Charlotte Mason’s ideas on reading books versus storytelling with preschoolers in Tell, Don’t Show.

I have a busy toddler in the house who can make school challenging (to say the least!)  I’ve written a post called Taming the Toddler to remind myself of things to keep him meaningfully busy while the big kids are involved in school work.

Habit Training

Anne of French Kids Don’t Get Fat takes an interesting look at Charlotte Mason’s thoughts on reward systems as they relate to getting our children to eat well in How You Might Be Teaching Your Child to Hate the Very Foods You Most Want Him to Eat.

Teaching Ideas

Lapbooking has become a popular method of recording lessons learned.  Lynn from Eclectic EducationChristmas Lapbook shares one of her son’s latest creations and links in .

Artist and Composer Study

Kris from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers presents Simple Artist and Composer Studies at Homeschool Bliss.

Barb from Harmony Art Mom gets us thinking about a topic we may or may not have ever considered in Art Books-How to Deal with Nudity.

Patti from Charlotte Mason in America gives tips about artist study, including some nice links, in Art.

Melissa of Living Life Between the Trees had me chuckling as I read her post about artist study in Do Art (Not Crafts).

Amanda from Hearts and Trees continues her watercolor tutorial series in Watercolor Techniques #8 Watercolor Splatters.

Handicrafts

5intow from Delighting in His Richness gives a wonderful paper quilling tutorial in Giving and Quilling.

Living Learning

Kris of At Home Science has started a new blog called Education is the Science of Relations.  She shares an interesting post about twaddle free viewing and listening in Living Media.

Molly of Counter-Culture School shares a post from her series about living literature in Whatever is Noble: Hero Stories.

Nature Study

Jonnia of Giggles, Wiggles and Wonder takes us on an impromptu nature study in Unofficial Outdoor Hour.

Julie of Homeschooling Ideas gets us thinking about displaying nature finds in Homeschool Nature Table.

Melissa from In the Sparrow’s Nest gives us some great winter activity ideas in Snowflake Craft and Project – Paper Snowflakes and Borax Snowflakes.  She also encourages us to get outside and enjoy winter in Winter Nature Study.

Barb shares a post encouraging a winter nature study of birds in Watching Sparrows and Learning Their Habits on her nature blog Handbook of Nature Study.

Candace from His Mercy is New shares all sorts of snowy ideas in A Winter Nature Study.  She also shows a wonderful idea for keeping nature study memories in A Nature Scrapbook.

Shannon from Song of My Heart gives several practical and fun ideas for studying nature this season in Winter Nature Fun!

Theresa of Grace Like Rain also gives several practical and fun ideas for nature study this season in Winter Nature Study.

Jacci (if you’ll remember as the founder of the Charlotte Mason Carnival) is back with a new blog called Understanding Charlotte.  She shares a post about getting outside in winter in Winter Nature Walks (a.k.a. a mother self-talks through the PNEU motto to combat her SAD and get her grumpy self outside).

And believe it or not, there’s one more exciting thing to tell before this carnival wraps up…. Barb from Handbook of Nature Study has come up with a plan to help us all get ourselves moving with winter nature study.  It’s called Winter Wednesday.  Click on the button to see what it’s all about.  I hope to be able to join Barb and many of you some weeks!

Ladies, thanks for starting off 2009 with such a great carnival full of practical Charlotte Mason ideas!  I pray 2009 is a year full of wonderful memories with your children.  Take time to snuggle with them during these peaceful winter days.

Nest of Pleasant Thoughts will be hosting the next CM Carnival in two weeks.  Be sure to submit a post here.

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