Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Refreshed in Body, Soul, and Spirit/Erholt in Körper, Seele und Geist

We're back, it's still hot and was hot where we traveled, but everybody seems to be refreshed.  The children look quite energetic, the parents have maybe aged a bit (traveling 1500 miles with five children can be exhausting), but everybody had a good time.

Jonathan's camera broke on our last day of vacation, and we don't know if we can rescue his many pictures.  I only took a few because I also wanted a break from taking pictures.  I will try to post a few of my pictures during the next days. 

Wir sind wieder da, es ist hier immer noch heiß und es war heiß, wo wir gereist sind, aber alle haben sich erholt, wie man auf den Fotos sehen kann.  Vielleicht sind die Kinder ein wenig frischer geworden, die Eltern ein wenig älter, (wenn man 2400 km mit fünf kleinen Kindern zurücklegt, kann das recht ermüdend werden), aber alle sind ganz fidel. 

Leider ist Jonathans Fotoapparat am letzten Tag gefallen und zeigt nun auf dem Bildschirm nichts mehr an.  Jonathan hat viele Fotos gemacht, doch wissen wir noch nicht, ob wir die Fotos retten können.  Ich habe wenig fotografiert, weil ich auch eine Fotografierpause gemacht habe.  Ich werde aber versuchen, einige Fotos vom Urlaub hier erscheinen zu lassen. 






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8 comments:

  1. Hi,
    I'm d., an italian catholic mom of five.
    I follow you since your interview for Buntglas, and I was missing you all.
    Welcome back!

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  2. Hello D., welcome here and thank you for the nice comments. I went to look at your blog -- too bad that I don't read Italian. I tried to understand a few things -- Latin comes in handy --. Do you live in Turin? Do you like the Benedictine order?

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  3. Yes, I live in Turin and I'm an oblate of the benedictine Abbey of Sainte-Madeleine at Le Barroux (in southern France).
    I'm fascinated by homeschooling, even if my familiar condition doesn't allow this choice for us.
    I'm reading Charlotte Manson books and trying to bring a little of her methods in our home.

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  4. That's very interesting. I know that some homeschooling moms are oblates with the carmelites. Is it very common in Italy to become an oblate? Is homeschooling popular in Turin? Do your children go to a public school or a private one? I'm always interested in other people's choices for schools.
    Have you been enjoying Charlotte Mason?

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  5. I think that is not very common in Italy to become an oblate and is ever less common to be an homeschooling family. Homeschooling is legal, but few people knows this opportunity. Further, there are a lot of prejudices about the role of the public school (regarding socialization and laicity).
    I've searched for each child his personal solution:
    1. G. (aged 16) goes to a public high school (liceo classico, with a curriculum centered on literature, philosophy, latin and greek);
    2. C. (aged 9) goes to public school (and I'm very happy);
    3. G. (aged 8) goes to a catholic private school;
    4. M. (aged 6) is going to start the same catholic school;
    5. B. (aged 4) goes to public school (and I'm not so happy with her school).

    Charlotte Mason is a new discovery to me: for the first time I understood how homeschooling and catholicism can be put together. I had a problem with waldorf and montessori homeschooling due to their spiritual side. I appreciate some of their methods, but can't share some of their beliefs.

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  6. That's great that you try to tailor your school choices to your children. Does your 4-year-old really have to go to school already? Here you don't have to start until you're 6.

    I do understand the problems with Waldorf and Catholicism. I have several books on Christian beliefs and Waldorf ideas. I don't quite understand the problem with Montessori, though. After all, Maria Montessori was a Catholic. I even have a book on the traditional Mass for children by her. Here is a big movement in Catholic churches that uses her ideas (Catechesis of the Good Shepherd) for small children.
    Some very traditional Catholics here even don't like Charlotte Mason because she was a protestant. Most Catholic homeschoolers really like her methods, though.

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  7. My 4 years old is not compelled to go to school, but I need few hours for my job...

    Maria Montessori at a certain age joined the theosophical society, founded by Helena Petrovna Blavatsky. This society is a mix between anthroposophy, hinduism and spiritism. Nevertheless you are right: the Montessori method in education is more neutral than Steiner's and can be successfully adapted to every belief.
    But I believe that Charlotte Mason method fits better to christian anthropology and also to my sensibility: the part on living book is something I always thought, so when I read read it it was so right, so simple...

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  8. I'm familiar with the theosophical society, but did not know about Maria Montessori's involvement. Actually, I don't know very much about her educational theories, either. I've never been drawn to them.

    Charlotte Mason has the ability to address many people, I also like her "living books," her emphasis on the outdoors and that she tries to instill good habits and virtues.

    Do you know Laura Berquist? She is a Catholic homeschooling mother who has written "Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education." She uses many "living books" as well -- some of her core subjects use more traditional sources, though. Most of her book ideas are carried by "Emmanuel Books."

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