Mother Culture 2011-2012

Dear Friends,

As the summer steam rolls into autumn I am finally ready to think towards some of the yummy events that are coming up around here during the next school year.  I am excited to have just received a shipment of Educating the Whole Hearted Child, the book that we will be studying in our little Charlotte Mason Support Group this school year, and I thought it was high time to let you in on the details of the meetings so that you can join us if you live nearby.

Our little meetings are a real time of refreshment and encouragement for me and I hope also for the folks that usually come.  You don’t have to have the book or to keep up with the readings in order to attend but it does help.  There is not fee, no sign up, no attendance.  You can come once or come to every gathering.  We meet every 5^th or 6^th Thursday from 7:30-9:30 at my home in Bradford (Ontario).

Our goal is to support one another in pursuing a vibrant and inspiring education for our families through some of the ideas and methods that Charlotte Mason used in her own schools and taught to the teachers that she trained.

In short, Charlotte Mason felt that children were born persons, valuable and thoughtful.  She didn’t see them as little ones with the potential to become someone significant but that they already were amazing and vibrant creations.

She felt that a real education should go beyond just the academics and should be gained through the acquisition of discipline or of habits and through the atmosphere that they children learn in.  She taught that children should be exposed to good books, to great works of art and to music, that they should enjoy nature by spending much time in the outdoors.  She believed in short lessons, no lectures, free time to play and pursue personal passions in the afternoon and no homework! 

If this style of educating interests you, the please mark the dates on your calendar now so that they don’t get double booked.  Contact me for my full address and so that I have an idea of who will be coming. 

Looking forward to our little gatherings!

Cori

Charlotte Mason Support Group Dates

September 22

October 27
December 1
January 12
February 16
March 22
May 3
June 7

***I do have extra copies of “Educating the Whole Hearted Child” in stock now.  The new edition has just come out and they are only $23.50 each!!! This edition is at least 50% bigger and the price is $10 less than I got mine for many years ago! Definitely worth investing in.***

P.S. – I know that many of you don’t live in the area but would like to participate in a Charlotte Mason group in your area.  I have a small list of other groups that are currently meeting in other areas (mostly in Ontario) and will post it here soon.  If you know of a group in your area, please send me the information and I will include it in my posting.

Flabbergasted

Friends,

This summer has been another wonderful series or camping trips, visits with family and friends, garden time and beach time and lots of time out doors in general. It's nice to just feel the sun on my face and to only come inside when we absolutely have to! (...though it would seem that some of the required indoor domesticity has fallen by the wayside. Alas, we shall start to climb that mountain again soon!)

As a result of all of the excitement about Fred I have already
made two orders and am preparing a third.  I am so glad that
you are able to benefit from my "experiment" at ordering
books from the US.

As such I haven't spent much time popping my jabbering into your inboxes but have just stopped by here and there for just one or two quick chats and a cup of tea.  Now, when I mentioned my new love affair with Life of Fred though a couple of weeks ago I certainly didn't expect the response that I got!  I am totally flabbergasted!!!  I am glad that you are all enamoured with him (as I am) and do hope that he is able to liven up your math lessons but it has taken me quite some time to catch up with all of your orders and inquiries.

Anyway, Fred has kept me from returning to my quiet little spot Under the Maple Tree for quite some time as I have been busily filling orders and trying to find my house again under all of these stacks of books. 

Soon I will ship the last of the orders out in the back to school rush and hope to spend a few minutes here and there updating you on upcoming stuff here Under the Maple Tree. Look for a few more posts in the next week or so.  (As a sneak peak, if you are in the area, mark your calendars now as our little Charlotte Mason support group will be meeting again this fall starting on September 22nd.  I can't wait and hope to see some of you then!)

Enjoy the last few "lazy days of summer"!

Blessings,

Cori

More News = Yummy Resources!

I had to follow that last post up with an update about the other books that I mentioned.  I said I have also been selling several other resources and wanted to let you know what they are and to ask if there are any other resources that you would suggest that I add to my “catalogue” as I would like for Maple Tree to become Canada’s supplier for Charlotte Mason style resources – something that I don’t think any homeschool retailer is focusing on right now. We are right now overhauling our website and so these books are not even yet listed on my online store but can be ordered through me none the less. Again you can call or email your order and I can send you a Paypal invoice which can be paid by credit or debit online. I am also happy to take cheques or if you are picking up your order, cash.

These are the books that I am currently carrying:

Educating the Whole Hearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson $23.50

A Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola $21.50

A Charlotte Mason Education by Katherine Levison $11.75

More Charlotte Mason Education by Katherine Levison $16.25

For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay $16.50

The Three R’s by Dr. Ruth Beechick $12.95

Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt $13.95

Please let me know if I can help you with any of these books or what other books you would like to see me carry as I am looking to expand my offerings over the next several months.

Many blessings,

Cori Dean

Math = Exciting News! Life of Fred!

Dear Friends,

As I continue to enjoy the homeschooling life with my family so constantly all around me, I have enjoyed more and more the chance to be so involved with Maple Tree Publications. Some of you may know that now, in addition to carrying books published by Maple Tree (like Working Together, The GreatCanadian ArtPak and Come Sit By Me) I am now providing some other books that we don't publish. These books are simply books that have been so valuable in our homeschool and that I have recommended to so many people that I
started to carry them myself though this little business of mine.

As such, I thought that I would make an announcement that is really
quite exciting to me:

As a math teacher I have never been satisfied with one math curriculum that I came across. Everyone was too boring or too out of touch with reality or focused on the wrong skills. I have finally found a math curriculum that I love and I am so excited about it that I am planning to start selling it myself through Maple Tree. Life of Fred is a whole
different way of learning math. Life of Fred is a series of stories of "a day in the life of" the main character Fred. Fred is 5 and he is larger than life. In the course of his every day life he runs into practical applications of all the math that the reader has the opportunity to learn. Then, at the end of each chapter in the story there is the chance to practice a few problems ("Your turn to play!") on the topic that was taught through the story. After about 5 chapters there is a bridge (or test) that the reader must cross (or pass) in order to continue on to the next chapter.

I love this curriculum because it always finds application of the mathematical concepts in real life. This reduces (but of course does not eliminate) the need to repeat excersises so much since the student gets the opportunity to make a real connection with the subject matter rather than having to memorize concepts. As well, the story is entertaining and engaging. It is funny. And I have consistently had to take away the book from my daughter as she was studying since she liked it so much that she was neglecting her other studies. Now that is a math curriculum worth investing in! Life of Fred books are clear and comprehensive, they are very economical in comparison to other curriculums and they are just plain fun.

Since I am so excited about these books, I thought that I would offer up a special deal to any of you who are also wanting to switch to "Life of Fred" as your main curriculum or who are interested in using it as a supplement to the curriculum that you are already using. I plan to make my first order of Life of Fred books from the distributor in order to get books in in time for school to start. If you order these books through me now and prepay for them - I will give you 10% off of your order. That is in addition to the fact that as a microbusiness I don't have to charge you taxes! You only pay for the books at a discount and pay for shipping (15%).

I'm sure that many of you are in my shoes and have had a very fast paced summer and so I realize that this is short notice but in order to get the books to you by the start of school I can only extend this offer until this Friday, August the 12th at noon. If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity please let me know ASAP and I will send you a Paypal
invoice which you can pay by debit or credit online.

More specific information about Life of Fred can be found here at the author's home page. Canadian Pricing through Maple Tree is as follows. (Prepaid orders made by August 12th receive 10% off of these prices!):

Elementary Math

Life of Fred: Apples $18
Life of Fred: Butterflies $18
Life of Fred: Cats $18
Life of Fred: Dogs $18

Life of Fred Elementary Set $68

*** (More books in the Elementary Books Before Fractions Section are being
planned.)***

Before High School Mathematics

Life of Fred: Fractions $21
Life of Fred: Decimals and Percents $21
Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 1 with Biology $32
Life of Fred: Pre-Algebra 2 with Economics $32

Life of Fred Before High School Math Set $104

High School Mathematics (Freshman, Sophomore, Junior, Senior)

These next two books are a pair.
Life of Fred: Beginning Algebra $32
Fred's Home Companion: Beginning Algebra $16
These next two books are a pair.
Life of Fred: Advanced Algebra $32
Fred's Home Companion: Advanced Algebra $16
These next two books are a pair.
Life of Fred: Geometry $42
Life of Fred: Geometry Answer Key $8
These next two books are a pair.
Life of Fred: Trigonometry $32
Fred's Home Companion: Trigonometry $16

Life of Fred: High School Math Set $189

University Mathematics

These next two books are a pair.
Life of Fred: Calculus $42
Life of Fred: Calculus Answer Key $8
These next two books are a pair.
Life of Fred: Statistics $42
Life of Fred: Statistics Answer Key $8
These next two books are a pair.
Life of Fred: Linear Algebra $53
Life of Fred: Linear Algebra Answer Key $8

Life of Fred: University Set $157

Life of Fred: Complete Set $438

As always, I would hate to sell you something that you didn't need or want.  Life of Fred will not be the ideal for everyone.  I do however love helping people to find the resources that they need.

Blessings,

Cori

Newby Workshops - Last Call

Dear Friends,

I just thought I would post one last call for this month's upcoming Newby Workshops.

This Tuesday, August 9th, will be the last one at my home, in Bradford. For more information about this workshop please see my blog: http://mapletreepublications.blogspot.com/2011/06/newby-workshops.html. You can register for this workshop by contacting me at mapletreepublications@sympatico.ca.

The final Newby Workshop for this season is on Tuesday, August 23rd at the home of Henry and Corrinna Keizebrink near Barrie. Registration for this workshop is through Henry at s.c.h.i.l@hotmail.com

Both workshops are free and are for anyone who is relatively new to homeschooling or who is thinking of homeschooling.

There will be lots of Q&A time and some yummy handouts and freebies. Please feel free to pass this information on. The July workshop was packed full and a lot of fun. I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on these as I won't be holding these for free again until next summer.

Looking forward to Tuesday!

Blessings,

Core

In Search of the Secret

Summer seems to be zooming by so quickly.  I lament that there just isn’t enough time.  I wanted to make changes to my website, add some of my favourite products, share some new discoveries, finish making edits and changes to books.  What has been distracting me? Camping with the family, playing at the beach, lounging in my backyard, yummy treats in the garden.  One particularly sunny afternoon I found myself at a beach with friends wishing I could get wifi so that I could chatter on my blog a bit.  My friend and I sat with our littlest people all about us as our husbands played in the water with the older kids.  As her husband paddled off with some children in a canoe she commented, “I wish I could be in the canoe and not here on the beach with the little ones.”  It reminded me of so many other conversations, moms who wanted a change in the routine, friends that wanted more rest and less work in their vacations, me complaining that I don’t have enough time to get my work done because I am too busy resting and relaxing with the family.

As I reflect on it, it seems silly that I’d rather be twiddling on my laptop than resting with a cuddly toddler in my lap but human nature is so powerful: we always want what we don’t have.  It is in those moments that I have to step out of my circumstances and give my head a shake and wonder at my own stubbornness.  The Lord gave me so many things to rejoice at that there should be no room for envy, for wishing for that which I don’t have.

The apostle Paul wrote it well: I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (Philippians 4:12-13, NIV). 

I think it should read more like this, “I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want: I can do everything through him who gives me strength. (The Unauthorized Cori Version)  Did you catch that change?  The colon.  In Greek there were no punctuation marks so they have been added to help translate the meaning of the text.  I think that what Paul was teaching here was just this….

We are all seeking that secret to being happy.  Paul says it doesn’t have anything to do with your circumstances but that it has everything to do with Him who gives us the strength to rise above circumstances. 

If I find it a struggle to be happy when the sun is shining down, when surrounded by friends and family that love me, when the pantry is full and its hard not to run outdoors at all hours just to breath in the summery air, then what of the winter months when we feel like we have been locked inside for days and yet another little one is sick.  The challenge, in both circumstances is to find my contentedness in Christ who is my all in all.

True contentment is knowing that Christ’s death on the cross is really all that we have ever needed, more than food, more than shelter, more than family or acceptance, more than the air that we breathe.  Walking in contentedness then comes from relying on the strength that can only come from that supernatural source that makes us able to truly smile in difficult circumstances.  That is bliss!

Wishing you blissful summer moments Friends!

Cori