A Growing Time [HE/2.1]
In this time of great educational and social pressure, nothing may be so valuable to a young child as long hours spent in the fresh air. Mason suggested for a rule of life: “Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.” Even those in towns and suburbs can find ways to spend much time out-of-doors—perhaps taking a picnic-lunch to the park every fine day. In these long hours outside, children must be supervised by an adult, but should be left much to themselves to shout, play, and take in the beauty of nature without “perpetual cackle” and management.—Although the adult can make the most of the time by some gentle methods and wise hints.
Favorite Quotes
“Never be within doors when you can rightly be without.”
“In this time of extraordinary pressure, educational and social, perhaps a mother’s first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part in the fresh air.”
“They must be let alone, left to themselves a great deal, to take in what they can of the beauty of the earth and heavens; for of the evils of education few are worse than this—that the perpetual cackle of his elders leaves the poor child not a moment of time, or an inch of space, wherein to wonder and to grow. At the same time, here is a mother’s opportunity to train the seeing eye, the hearing ear, and to drop seeds of truth into the open soul of the child, which shall germinate, blossom, and bear fruit, without further help or knowledge of hers.”
Study Questions
These answers express my personal beliefs, opinions, and interpretations.
1.Why is out-of-door life for young children especially important in these days?
The benefits of time spent in nature are as timeless and universal as they are varied and abundant, but they seem especially important in our culture of increasing virtuality and abstraction. Mason mentioned the emotional recovery provided by nature from educational and social pressures.
2.What are the gains of meals out of doors?
More hours are spent in the fresh air. Meals eaten al fresco tend to be festive, and the joyous atmosphere (and the fresh air acting as an appetite stimulant) contributes to the immediate benefit of improved digestion, and the enduring benefit of happy memories.
3.What might be accomplished by dwellers in towns and suburbs?
Mason suggested daily trips to the countryside, but her audience was upper-class Victorian mothers whose servants could manage the house and prepare meals in her absence; also, urban sprawl was not a problem of the time and place. For today’s mothers, the backyard, a nearby park, or a botanical garden may be viable opportunities. Mason elsewhere maintains that a weekly half-afternoon in “open places” is inarguably the bare minimum. A weekly visit to a large park—especially a national park, with its un-manicured nature—may be a good choice.
4.What five or six points should be remembered in a day in the open?
1) Long hours in the fresh air should be enjoyed every day, ideally four to six hours. 2) At least two hours should be spent in vigorous play. 3) Children should be supervised, but left mostly to their own devices. 4) There must be some method. 5) But entertainment is not the mother’s concern.
5.What of story-books or tale-telling on such occasions?
Mother’s task here is not to entertain the children, distracting them from the beauties and lessons of nature which await discovery.
6.What of ‘the baby’?
The baby too should enjoy long hours in the fresh air. He should be dressed for comfort and free movement. The mother watches over him as he “kicks and crawls” and “takes in his knowledge of shapes and properties”—perhaps clutching at grass or watching an ant run along his arm. In her suggestion for proper clothing, Mason seems to anticipate that the baby’s adventures may result in some dirtiness.
Personal Notes
Mason’s argument for meals enjoyed al fresco reminded me of Elizabeth van Antrim’s declaration that “Bread and butter, devoid of charm in the drawing room, is ambrosia eaten under a tree.”
Personal Application
•Spend more time outside. See how many of my daily activities can be transferred out of doors—eating, study, reading, writing, etc.
Resources
Other Home Education Commentaries
Becoming Three: Charlotte Mason Volume I Part II.1-VI A growing time
Sparrow Tree Square: Charlotte Mason Monday Part 19 and Part 20
Next Time...
Charlotte Mason will continue to outline a method for the long hours spent out of doors. The next section is devoted to a practice she termed ‘Sight-Seeing.’
Tuesday, July 10, 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.