When I started reading this book I was recommended by someone in the community to begin at the very beginning. I had no idea how much I would love her writing, but it became very clear within the first couple of paragraphs. Anna is much more adept at getting straight to the point than others from the same time period (who loved to use lots of words) and I can respect that and appreciate it as it's easier to understand what you've read when you're finished. Which is something I greatly need at this particular chapter.

I decided to publish these in short episodes instead of one fell swoop -- although when I am finished recording the entire "The Teaching of Nature-Study" preface I will then release it in a full file. But at the same time I feel like 6 minutes is easy for anyone to fit into their day and will perhaps encourage you to dig in to Nature-Study, the Why & How, and inspire you today.

I hope you enjoy! I look forward to reading this book as apart of my current weekly rotation and will post another piece next week.

I spent a long time recording today. It is so enjoyable. The added bonus of reading aloud and recording it is that I am forced to be held accountable for self education. Isn't it always a hard thing for us mother's to do to give ourselves time? As Charlotte Says, "Self-education is the only possible education; the rest is mere veneer laid on the surface of a child's nature.' Or replace "child's" with "person's", because it most definitely applies I think for all ages. 

I remember reading an article from the Parents' Review about mother's finding the time for self education and feeling convicted about my lack of setting aside time and putting effort into reading books for my own self edification. That was partially my motivation in starting this project. Me.

I fully consider this apart of my own mother culture ritual. It is a blessing that I also get to bless others, hopefully, with these episodes.

I thought I would start compiling a book list of books I will start reading in my Everyday Charlotte Podcast to give myself and you all an idea of what's to come and an order in which I will start.

I'm considering starting to read multiple books at a time so that I can have a rotation started and that way will give options for immediately helping with lessons in the meantime. Also, I will link to their public domain file so you can either find them there to read yourself, or read along, or whatever!

Some of these books I have physical copies and some I do not though I wish I did!

Here are a few that are on my immediate list:

This Country of Ours, H. E. Marshall 1876 
An Island Story, H. E. Marshall 1876 , >> Here
The Little Duke, or Richard the Fearless, by Charlotte M. Younge 1823
Sing-Song: a nursery rhyme book by Christina Rossetti
Parables from Nature Vol. 1, by Mrs. Gatty
Parables from Nature Vol. 2, by Mrs. Gatty
The Cloud of Witness: A Daily Sequence, by Mrs. Lyttleton Gell
The Aesop for Children, by Milo Winter, >> Here


I've also been asking for your best suggestions for Public Domain books that I could read aloud on the podcast and I received a few great suggestions, here are the ones I've received so far...


The Story of Rolf and the Vikings' Bow, by Allen French
Gabriel and the hour Book, by Evaleen Stein 
A Little Maid of Ticonderoga, by Alice Turner Curtis ( & others in the Little Maid Series)

• Little Maid of Virginia
• Little Maid of Old Connecticut
• Little Maid of Old New York
• Little Maid of Old Philadelphia
• Little Maid of Massachusetts Colony
• Little Maid of Old Maine
• Little Maid of Narragansett Bay
• Little Maid of Bunker Hill
• Little Maid of Province Town

The Minute Boys of Yorktown, by James Otis ( & others in the Minute Boys Series)

• Minute Boys of Philadelphia
• Minute Boys of Mohawk Valley 
• Minute Boys of South Carolina
• Minute Boys of New York City
• Minute Boys of Long Island: A Story of New York City in 1776
• Minute Boys of Boston

The Burgess Bird Book for Children, by Thornton Burgess,<<Here
The Burgess Animal Book for Children, by Thornton Burgess
The Burgess Seashore Book for Children, by Thornton Burgess - Still under copyright unfortunately!
Understood Betsy, by Dorothy Canfield Fisher
Eyes and No Eyes, by Arabella Buckley, Volume 1
Life and Her Children, by Arabella Buckley
Fairyland of Science, by Arabella Buckley
The Quest of the Atlantic, by Ingri D'Aulaire

I would love to include a whole range of public domain living books that are not widely known. There are thousands of wonderful living books waiting to be be loved again in our homes and I would love to be apart of making that possible.

If you have any book suggestions please send them our way!

God Bless,

Julie