Conditions of Healthy Brain Activity [HE/1.7]
One of the first positive responsibilities of a mother in the education of her child, is care for his physical health. The mind works best when the body, which includes the brain, is enabled to function in peak condition. The main tenets of health outlined by Mason include mental exercise and rest, ample and varied meals that are enjoyed, much fresh air and sunshine, daily baths, and free perspiration.
Favorite Quotes
“[T]hat wonderful brain, by means of which we do our thinking, if it is to act healthily and in harmony with the healthful action of the members, should act only under such conditions of exercise, rest, and nutrition as secure health in every other part of the body.”
“Do not let the children pass the day without distinct efforts, intellectual, moral, volitional; let them brace themselves to understand; let them compel themselves to do and to bear; and let them do right at the sacrifice of ease and pleasure....”
“[T]he hours for lessons should be carefully chosen, after periods of mental rest—sleep or play, for instance—and when there is no excessive exercise in any other part of the system.”
“[I]t is not a matter of pampering them at all, but a matter of health, of due nutrition, that the children should enjoy their food, and that their meals should be eaten in gladness.... No pains should be spared to make the hours of meeting round the family table the brightest hours of the day.... Here is the parents’ opportunity to train them in manners and in morals, to cement family love, and to accustom them to habits, such as that of thorough mastication [chewing], for instance, as important on the score of health as on that of propriety.”
“True we must needs have houses for shelter from the weather by day and for rest at night; but in proportion as we cease to make our houses ‘comfortable,’ as we regard them merely as necessary shelters when we cannot be out of doors, shall we enjoy to the full the vigorous vitality possible to us.”
“There is no knowledge so appropriate to the early years of the child as that of the name and the look and the behavior in situ of every natural object he can get at. ‘He hath so done his marvelous works that they ought to be had in remembrance.’”
Cross Reference
related passages from other educational volumes by Mason
VOL. 5, P. 227-31
Study Questions
These answers express my personal opinions and interpretations.
1.What is the first condition of successful education?
Physical health is the first condition of successful education. The mind and intellect cannot function at its best, when its physical seat (the brain) is weakened by lack of proper exercise and nourishment.
2.Show that daily efforts, intellectual, moral, and physical, are necessary for children.
The intellect, the will, the brain are each like a muscle—exercise increases their power. As Mason quoted elsewhere, “In material things, what is Used is Spent. In intellectual and spiritual things, what is not Used is not Had.” In modern vernacular, Use it or lose it.
3.On what principle is the blood supply regulated?
Mason, using the limited science of her time, claimed that blood flow could be concentrated in “one set of organs.... excessively active” at a time. Although it is true that extra blood flow is directed to the muscles, and to the digestive system, when they are in respective use, it is not true that blood flow to the brain is ever appreciably affected (barring disaster).
4.Show the importance of rest after meals.
Mason (the scientists of her day) incorrectly believed that mental work increased blood flow to the brain, and should not be done shortly after a heavy meal that requires the extra blood for proper digestion.
Blood flow to the brain is tightly regulated, maintaining a constant level under a number of conditions, including digestion and exercise. A study involving a “conscious dog” revealed that blood flow to the brain “was not significantly changed” after a meal. Rather. augmented blood flow to the digestive system is redirected primarily from skeletal muscle tissue (and further increased by doubled cardiac output).
The main physiological shift that causes a “subjective state of low energy” and “desire to be at rest” is a shift of activity from the sympathetic nervous system (“fight-or-flight”) towards the parasympathetic system (“rest-and-digest”). The larger the meal, the greater the shift, regardless of the food composition. (Other factors may influence the after-meal slump: foods high in glucose or tryptophan, for instance.)
Mason appears correct in warning against vigorous physical exercise after meals. Also, the hours after a large meal are not ideal for lessons—not because of redirected blood flow, but because of decreased sympathetic nervous activity.
5.What is the best time for lessons? Why?
The morning is often the best time for lessons, as it follows a length of sleep and the light refreshment of breakfast. The mind is then most rested and alert.
6.On what principle should a time-table be arranged?
The time-table should arranged to give the mind a variety of work; disciplinary subjects, such as arithmetic or grammar, should alternate with inspirational subjects, such as poetry or history. [You can also alternate between lessons of “books” (such as Plutarch) and “things” (such as picture study). Physical lessons such as dance and song can be alternated with studies that involve sitting still.]
7.Show that brain activity is affected by nourishment.
The brain is a physical member of the body, and the quality of its activity is as much affected by the quality of nourishment as is any other part of the body. (The non-physical mind needs a well-nourished brain in order to fully realize its possibilities in the partially physical processes of thought, feeling, and expression.)
8.Under what conditions does food increase the vital quality of the blood?
Food can only vitalize the blood if it is properly digested. We require not only good food, but the physical (which does include mental) conditions that optimize assimilation of the nutrients.
9.Why must food be varied?
Various foods supply various kinds and amounts of nutrients, needed to supply the various tissues and functions of the body.
10.Show that children are spendthrifts of vitality.
The proper growth and development of children necessitates vigorous exercise of mind and body. Children love to shout, run, and ask questions. I would not call them ‘spendthrifts,’ however; though they do require plentiful nourishment, it is hardly wasted.
11.Give a few useful hints concerning meals.
Meals should be ample, varied, and served regularly. Food should be cooked so that it is digestible as well as tasty.
12.Why should there be talk at meals?
Talk at the table adds to the pleasantness of the meal, not only improving digestion, but strengthening family love and providing an opportunity for important discussion and instruction.
13.Give some rules to secure variety.
Mason suggested that no meal should be repeated within a two-week period. This is a useful guideline, though one that may stretch the creativity and budget of some mothers. Although leftovers make a fine meal, Mason warns against stretching a meal too long.
14.Show fully that air is as important as food.
Air is more continuously necessary to life and health than is food. We recognize that quality of food greatly affects health, and we should recognize that quality of air is also important. As long as we are alive and well, we are breathing, so air is one of the great health factors.
15.What have you to say of the children’s daily walk?
A daily walk is good, but it should not be the sum of a child’s outdoor exercise. Longs hours of vigorous exercise outdoors are ideal for the full realization of a child’s development.
16.What is meant by the oxygenation of the blood?
Oxygenation of the blood is the amount of oxygen carried by red blood cells from the lungs to the various organs and tissues of the body.
17.Show that oxygen has its limitations.
“Nothing can act but where it is, and waste attends work.” [C.M.]
18.What are the dangers of unchanged air in spacious rooms?
Unchanged air become stale from use; oxygen is depleted, and carbon dioxide builds up along with pollutants (VOC’s from paint, carpeting, cleaning chemicals, plastic, etc.).
19.‘I feed Alice on beef tea.’ Why?
Food, even richly nourishing food like beef tea, is not the whole answer to health and vitality. The child also needs abundant fresh air enjoyed out of doors.
20.What of Alice’s mind?
Also necessary to Alice’s health is the free exercise of her mind on the living things of nature.
21.What are the joys of Wordsworth’s ‘Lucy’?
Wordsworth’s ‘Lucy’ epitomizes the vitality and beauty of body and mind that comes by living so much in Nature. Her freedom and gladness attract me most.
22.Show the dangers of stuffy rooms.
The chief danger is that it quickly becomes imperceptible. How soon after you enter a stuffy room, are you unable to perceive that same stuffiness?
24.Why is night-air wholesome?
Today, it is accepted that there are no appreciable differences between daytime and night-time air quality, other than temperature. Mason contends that night air has less vitiating demands on oxygen, but I am not certain this theory remains plausible in a culture that does not use flame for lighting. The U.S. Department of Energy offers this irresolute report on differences in daytime and nighttime urban air quality; the focus is air pollution rather than oxygenation.
25.Upon what physical facts does the need of sunshine depend?
Healthy exposure to sunlight increases the count of red blood cells, and therefore the oxygenation capabilities of the blood. Today, sunlight is also recognized as necessary to the body’s production of vitamin D.
26.Show that the skin does much scavenger’s work.
The skin plays a complementary but important work in the body’s detoxification. Heavy metals and other toxins can be excreted through the pores of our skin. It is documented that our sweat pores combined can expel up to two pounds of waste, as much as a kidney or two.
27.Why do persons die of external scalds and burns?
Mason suggested that such deaths are caused by the consequent inability of the skin to perspire freely and release impurities. Ironically, current medical knowledge recognizes that such burns cause death through fluid loss. External scalds and burns covering a large percentage of the body can cause life-threatening shock from serious fluid loss through blistering, swelling, and direct injury. Burns and scalds around the face and neck can also affect breathing. Source.
28.Why is a daily bath necessary?
Mason contends that a daily bath is necessary to wash away impurities discharged by the skin. (A sponge-bath or a quick rinse in warm water is all that is necessary. Hot water, soap, and unnecessary scrubbing remove beneficial bacteria and oils necessary to healthy skin.)
29.Give some instructions for clothing children.
Children should be clothed in sturdy, comfortable clothes that allow them to breathe and move freely. The clothing should also be appropriate to the clime and weather, allowing free perspiration.
Personal Notes
Mason’s comment that most of our day should be spent outdoors and our houses be only “necessary shelters,” reminds me of a quote I read in a book about the Arts and Crafts Movement in California (Building with Nature by Freudenheim)—“Hillside Architecture is Landscape Gardening around a few rooms for use in case of rain.”
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As Mason wrote, health habits whose reasons are thoroughly understood “cannot be evaded without a sense of law-breaking.” This is something I found very true after reading William Dufty’s book Sugar Blues. To continue to eat refined sugar would have been deliberate harm to my body, and I could not do it. The conviction holds two years later because the knowledge remains.
Education is assuredly the first step of meaningful and beneficial change. I have other eating habits that are unhealthy, but vague, unspecific awareness of “unhealthiness” provides little impetus to change. For this reason, people who want to enjoy health should study the whys and wherefores of healthy habits.
Personal Application
•Continue to study health, especially nutrition, lifestyle, and botanical medicine.
•Spend more time outside. See how many of my daily activities can be transferred out of doors—eating, study, reading, writing, etc.
•Reference Cheryl Mendelson’s manual Home Comforts to decide how I can maximize ventilation in my own home.
Resources
“How Night Air Became Good Air.” Peter C. Baldwin.
“Lucy IV.” William Wordsworth. Excerpts from this poem were included in this section of Mason’s writing.
Other Home Education Commentaries
Becoming Three: Charlotte Mason Volume I Part I.V-VI Hindering, and the Brain
Sparrow Tree Square: Charlotte Mason Monday Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16, Part 17
Next Time...
Mason completes her “Preliminary Considerations” with a discussion of ‘The Reign of Law’ in Education. All—Christians and non-believers—who observe God’s moral and scientific laws will experience blessing insofar as they do obey them.
Unfortunately, I am getting ready to stop blogging (at least for a time), and may not get to this section before then. We’ll see... Meanwhile, you can benefit from the ongoing commentary at Sparrow Tree Square and Becoming Three.
Friday, May 25, 2012
I am rereading Home Education, the first in Charlotte Mason’s six-volume series on her theory and method of education. This time I will expand my reading by narration and personal notes—guided by the study questions provided in the appendix.
You are welcome to join me! Mason’s complete series is available for free online reading at Ambleside Online. I’d love to read your thoughts in a comment or email.