“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 out in the fresh air.” – Charlotte Mason
As a young mom with no nanny, I survived the long days of breastfeeeding and toddler tantrums mainly because of two things: a consistent rhythm in our day and the free assistance of nature. Yes, Nature. Nature was our nanny, our teacher, our playground, and also our source of rest.
Just like most moms, I began my Nanay career reading everything I can to be equipped for the task of taking care of young ones. The worldwide web had many to say. It told me to prepare activities, fix the children’s room a certain way, buy a certain phone app, teach them all these “essential” facts, prepare them for kinder (at age 2!), and so on.
There were only a few voices that told me to slow down and enjoy this period. Only a few voices told me that I did not need to bombard them with too much. And I listened to those gentle voices because it made a lot of sense that time when I barely had extra energy to do other things.
It all started with short 10-minute morning walks. I had to exert extra energy to clothe my children properly, prepare a few snacks (because children are always hungry), and drag myself out in the sunshine. But once we were out, the one-hour preparation for a 10-minute walk was all worth it.
“At the same time, here is the mother’s opportunity to train the seeing eye, the hearing ear, and to drop seeds of truth into the open soul of a child, which shall germinate, blossom, and bear fruit, without further help or knowledge of hers.”
The short 10-minute walks slowly extended to 15 minutes then to one hour. Before I knew it, we’ve been out the whole morning.
I would always bring a picnic blanket with me, a book I could read aloud to my kids, snacks, water, my own book, and a lot of wet wipes. When our mornings with Nature became consistent, I started bringing a nature journal where I drew what I saw. My children picked up the habit and requested for their own nature journals as well. They made nature doodles or stuck some of the leaves and flowers they have collected, and I still have those sweet nature journals with me today.
We were constantly observing and looking. There was no particular objective but to simply satisfy the natural curiosity of my kids. I did not need to pre-plan anything. Nature just invited them to see, from a beautiful blooming flower, to a millipede taking it’s time to crawl, to a perfect shady spot under a tree. I did not know that the quiet years of exploring and all the free time to play would pave way to interesting conversations and ignite in them an interest in literature, art, science, and even math.
There are a lot of recent studies on the importance of nature and outdoor play/exploration. The question is how to actually implement it. Here are some basic things one can do to start the habit of being out in nature.
- One can start with 10-15 minute nature walks around the village. The exposure to sun and the fresh air will do wonders. Best to take these nature walks around 7 in the morning or 4 in the afternoon. Nature walks at night are also fun. Try to take these walks consistently until it becomes part of the routine.
- Choose nature spots you can visit. We often go to UP Diliman and setup a picnic there. Bring a ball, frisbee, or your bikes. And of course, yummy snacks! Kids love having a picnic!
- Start asking simple questions like, “What do you see?” “What do you hear?”, and just let the child answer without interrupting them. Slowly introduce the concept of having a nature journal where they can doodle and collect nature clippings like leaves and petals.
- Limit gadgets, and let kids be “bored” until they find themselves playing outdoors.
- There are other ways to implement nature journaling, but these suggestions are a good start.
My children are now 10, 8, 6, and 3 years old. Although they play outdoors on a daily basis, we don’t get to go out and intentionally observe nature anymore. We’ve only managed to schedule it once a week but I am happy that relationship with Nature has already been established. And they never get “bored” because they always have the outdoors.
Our long hours outside made us more receptive to the beauty and complexity of nature. In becoming more receptive, we’ve come to develop an observing eye. There are a lot of things I wouldn’t have bothered to look at, but because of consistently observing our surroundings, our attention to detail blossomed, with an appetite and an eagerness to discover more.
Gina Guerrero-Roldan is a homeschooling mother of 4. She has been using Charlotte Mason’s method to educate her four children in what is called a “Feast of Learning.” Her passion and commitment for a “living” education led her to start Our Living Learning where she has been sharing her CM knowledge and experience through stories and classes for both children and parents – all with the goal of immersing children in their need for Truth, Goodness, and Beauty.
She, along with her OLL team, continues to assist the growing CM community by providing Living Books and other resources at their online shop. They also offer DepEd accreditation support and homeschool accountability through Living Learning Homeschool, a homeschool provider specifically catering to families who use the Charlotte Mason Method.
There are three upcoming CM workshops for parents on October 12 at UP Diliman. These are Charlotte Mason: The Early Years, Narration: The Act of Knowing, and CM Language Arts. Details and registration at OurLivingLearning.com/Parents
