Ep 06 | The Instruments: Atmosphere (Principle #6)
When we modern moms think about atmosphere in the homeschool, we usually think about the materials. We have a mental image of what the perfect home or homeschool looks like; what kind of stuff covers the walls, table, and floor. It can really feel like things must look a certain way to be done a certain way.
If you don’t believe me, just take a poll of any mom friends you have by asking: What comes to mind when you think of a Charlotte Mason homeschool?
[You know what I’m talking about, friend.]
Today, we’re going to leave behind our wooden manipulatives and botanical wall posters to give the world—and ourselves—a clearer picture of the Mason homeschool atmosphere:
A really good, commonplace family life.
Video Resource | Let’s get practical.
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Principle #6: When we say that "education is an atmosphere," we do not mean that a child should be isolated in what may be called a 'child-environment' specially adapted and prepared, but that we should take into account the educational value of his natural home atmosphere, both as regards persons and things, and should let him live freely among his proper conditions. It stultifies a child to bring down his world to the child's level.
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It’s time to take on our first instrument of education: atmosphere. But, it needs to be said, that we can’t really separate these three tools from one another. Your atmosphere is formed by your discipline of habit and forms your unconscious discipline of habit and your discipline of habit requires an inspiring living idea, which shapes your atmosphere towards those ideas and–you get the picture.
So while I’m going to do a quick zoom into each tool, know that they cannot be isolated from or used disproportionately from the others. Also, please know, that I’m choosing one angle to cover on each of these instruments. Only one. There is so much more that could be said, and I hope to say it to you at another time.
But, onward to atmosphere.
Most of what we modern moms know and think about atmosphere, home, or space are on the material side. We want the right stuff. We think things must look a certain way to be done a certain way. If you don’t believe me, just take a poll of any mom friends you have by asking: What comes to mind when you think of a Charlotte Mason homeschool?
I’ll tell you what comes to mind: crayons that look like twigs, wooden hand manipulatives, glass jars, color-coded bookshelves, nature wall prints, and lots of linen.
(Yes, it’s all so pretty. I know. I like it too.)
But my point is that we often think of atmosphere as something we need to buy and style. While Mason was all for considering the art and aesthetics in a child’s nursery, we know Mason considered atmosphere one of three tools available to the mother teacher, regardless of her class or privilege, which means, a life-giving, well-forming atmosphere is something other than the right image and items.
Let’s let the lady make her own case:
… It is not an environment that [children] want, a set of artificial relations carefully constructed, but an atmosphere which nobody has been at pains to constitute. It is there, about the child, his natural element, precisely as the atmosphere of the earth is about us. It is thrown off, as it were, from persons and things, stirred by events, sweetened by love, ventilated, kept in motion, by the regulated action of common sense. We all know the natural conditions under which a child should live; how he shares household ways with his mother, romps with his father, is teased by his brothers and petted by his sisters; is taught by his tumbles; learns self-denial by the baby’s needs … no compounded ‘environment’ could make up for this fresh air, this wholesome wind blowing now from one point, now from another.
Atmosphere is…life. It’s right relationships, not things. It’s born from ordinary family rhythms: helping mom cook dinner, wrestling with dad before bed, being doted on by a sister and pranked by a brother; it’s falling out of a tree, waiting for your turn, having your feelings hurt and experiencing disappointment…it’s the commonplace stuff of being loved, loving others, and learning to see God’s love in all things, which, for a child, happens at home.
A child has to learn how to rightly relate to a person, a thing, and a situation. Things like learning to be quiet while mom is on the phone, to make one’s bed, or to pay attention when one is tempted towards boredom all seem kind of mundane. Aren’t these just the ‘things of life?’ Isn’t educating a child more like math and Spanish? No, we’re educating a full person, which means learning to live the right way in God’s world, to love him and neighbor—which might involve math and Spanish but certainly involves patience, kindness, service, and self-control. These seemingly mundane moments are what allow our children to experience a meaningful life. You can’t know the deep joy of serving others if you’re not able to make a meal, clean a bathroom, write a note, or fix a broken pipe. Those early years of learning in the ordinary moments of family life are foundational and formational.
So, what encouragement does this give the mom in the early years of a Mason home education? I think it gives an ordered freedom.
We’re free from the pressure of social media or competing neighbor aesthetics. We’re free from fifteen Google tabs about entertaining kids on a rainy Tuesday. We’re free from overthinking and forcing lessons from ordinary, household moments. We’re free from trying to keep our children from all painful things. We’re free from worrying about perfection in all things.
But we’re not just free from, we’re also free to. We’re free to model faithful living and joyful service to our kids. We’re free to encounter God’s world with curiosity and wonder, teaching our kids to see the beauty around them. We’re free to invite our children into our ordinary rhythms, finding ways to let them learn, contribute, and grow. We’re free to repent and rejoice and try again. We’re free to laugh, you know, to enjoy the tiny, hilarious people around us. We’re free to be light. We, at home, doing all the commonplace things, are a real education for our children.
In fact, when Mason discusses the positives of kindergarten, she says it’s because of the rare qualities demanded of the teacher. She says the teacher needs, ‘Much common sense, common information, tact, intense sympathy with the children, much joyousness of nature, and much governing power.’ Who do you think is most likely to hold all of these qualities? A mom. Mason believed the mother was the best kindergarten for a child because we love our children. We want the best for them and from them, we’re delighted by them, and we’re their natural authority. The atmosphere a child needs is not a contrived environment, but a good home environment.
Now, I want to offer a practical takeaway because while this is encouraging, it can be difficult to figure out how your home atmosphere is formed. In my last YouTube resource (Come find me at The Commonplace over there.), I explained how a child’s atmosphere is created by a mom’s habits. What we repeatedly think and do shapes us and what we love, and that, of course, spills out unconsciously into our atmosphere.
So beyond considering your mom habits, you need to look at the common pinch points. I think most moms experience moments of overwhelm, weariness, tiredness, impatience, and frustration. It happens. But I think it often happens because we’ve misunderstood part of Mason’s beautiful picture. We think that a wonderful home atmosphere means we’re building it all alone, that it’s all on us. But just as we’re part of our family and need meaningful work to serve others, our children are full persons, part of the family, in need of meaningful work to serve others. This beautiful vision of home atmosphere may be set by us moms in many ways, but it involves every member of the family. So, I want you to take a second and consider three areas of life that may be tripping you up.
Toys. Cooking. Chores.
Over in Patreon a couple of weeks ago, I shared a minisode on classical principles that should be applied to toys. I know, toys don’t really seem like the classical conversation you wanted to have, but toys are a big part of the early years. I mean, people have rooms solely for playing with toys. And for a lot of moms, the pinch point can be the number of toys, the upkeep of toys, the sharing of toys, or the clean-up of toys.
Let’s consider how toys may shape the home atmosphere.
Do they invite active play where a child can embody a story? Practice goodness? Imitate beauty? Children need open-ended, simple toys. Think of them as tools for play.
Are your kids able to care for and clean up the toys on their own? Can they lift the baskets? Understand how toys are grouped? Manage the mess? From about two, a child should be able to clean up their own mess if the storage is simple and they’ve been fully taught how to do it.
Are there too many toys? Too fragile of toys? Do your kids seem overwhelmed? Are you cultivating entitlement, whining, or selfishness? In one PNEU article, a mother wrote it would be better for a child to have zero toys than too many, and I get her point. Too many toys can dull a child’s curiosity, increase the whining, or foster a demanding spirit–all things that can frustrate a mom and form a combative spirit in the house.
Do you see how toys can shape a number of things from home orderliness to hearts? If you find yourself, late at night, picking up a room full of toys, or breaking up constant sibling squabbles over toys, or hearing “I’m bored,” all day, or having to fight, bribe, or discipline your kids over toys on the regular–it might be helpful to think through the toys in your home. This, right here, is not an invitation to go around with a trash bag tossing everything you see that does not spark joy for you. This is an invitation to go see what, in the realm of toys, cultivates joy for the whole home.
Next, let’s talk about cooking. We have to do it, particularly those of us who are mothering hobbits. The other day, my five-year-old looked at the clock and said, “Mama, it’s 4 o’clock! I forgot to eat elevensies, so can I eat it now?” Like I said, hobbits.
But cooking and the cleaning up required in cooking can take up a good portion of a mom’s day. Have you considered how your kids might be excellent kitchen crew members? This is true of any work in the home, but kids love to help. They want a real job that contributes in a real way, and the kitchen is a fantastic place to start practicing this. Does it take a lot of time to teach a kid a new skill? It can. Is it worth it? 100%. Allow your kids to help you in caring for the family. Teach them to set the table, wash produce, stir a pot, pour a cup of coffee, wash some dishes, unload the dishwasher, vacuum under the table, plate food, and so on. Kids want, need, and love to help. Let them.
Do you see, at this point, the way we moms can make burdens for ourselves out of things that are gifts for our children?
Okay, lastly, let’s talk chores. Around here, we think of our daily chore time as our purposeful work. We have our duties, and every one of my kids has something they captain. For a reminder, my kids are 5, 3.5, and 1.5. So, what is captaining? Being tapped in as a chore captain means that the job ultimately falls on you in its completion and quality of execution. You’re responsible for the work, but also for the way it’s done. Don’t forget: for Mason, cleaning is important, but how one cleans is just as important. So, the captain is in charge of rightly motivating and encouraging the others while they work, seeing the needs around them and figuring out how to meet them, and checking to see all is done before moving on to the next part of our day.
My oldest can captain an entire area of the house; say, the living space which includes two-thirds of our downstairs. For my middle, he can captain an activity, like the magna tile and lego creations. For my youngest, he can captain a task, like putting the blocks in the basket or taking the plates to the sink.
My kids love being the captain. The position and duty associated with it cause them to stand a little taller, take on a more encouraging tone with their siblings and see more clearly how they can help around the house. It isn’t a perfect moment every time and wisdom requires that I notice when they need my help, encouragement, or teaching; but this is a habit track in our home that helps everyone rightly relate to the people, the things, and the situation at hand.
You see, home atmosphere is something that should be a gift to everyone in the home, including you, mom. It’s not something we moms slave away to create, never tasting the goodness of fellowship or service of our kids. We show our families our love often through our service, right? We cook, we snuggle, we educate, we prepare, and we lay aside our preferences in order to love well. Do you realize your kids can do those things too? That they can communicate their love for the family by serving the family in the early years? They are full persons after all. They speak the same language we do, and they build into the home atmosphere too. This week, consider these areas in your life and ask yourself if you’re teaching your kids how to love and relate in a life-giving, well-forming way.
We’re all surrounded by atmosphere of some kind, but our job as mother-teachers is to use the environment of our homes to the best use, to bring to play—by God’s grace—the right loves, thoughts, and actions in our children. Will our atmospheres be perfect? No. Will there be sin? Yes. But a perfect atmosphere isn’t the actual goal. Our children will be living in the world, experiencing the beauty and the brokenness of human life. Just as they need a clear picture of joy and goodness, they need to know how to repent, forgive, and relate as sinners living with sinners. This is the primary reason Mason wrote about natural atmosphere. A child who never learns how to handle the ordinary painful things, in still-healthy family life, will not be equipped to move through a broken world in steadfast pursuit of truth, goodness, and beauty.
Isn’t that the kindest encouragement? For moms, for kids, for families? The home atmosphere—the toys, the cooking, the chores, the read alouds, the dance parties, the walks, the conversations—is a constant invitation to reorder our hearts, minds, and hands towards the Celestial City, no matter how many times we veer off the pilgrim’s path.
We can always grab those tiny hands and find the path back to truth, goodness, and beauty. And that’s what we’re doing with our atmosphere.
I’ll see you guys in two weeks.
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