Flowers and, yes, literature too

I first learned of the Charlotte Mason method in a book about homeschooling. I don't recall the name of the book, but it included a list of all sorts of ways to homeschool. What caught my eye about the Charlotte Mason method was that it was described as a "literature approach" to homeschooling.

That sounded absolutely perfect to me, as I read book after book about homeschooling while my first child was still toddling around the park and playing on the baby slide in the playground. I pictured a homeschooling future for my family filled with great books.

I'm in the midst of that future now, with books surrounding me in my tiny Manhattan apartment and with hours spent each day with literature, but I had no idea at the time that drawing flowers would trump literature in what I love most about Charlotte Mason.

"The artist is the confidant of nature. Flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him." ~ Auguste Rodin

Drawing: Gerber daisy from a bouquet I received as a gift.