Charlotte Mason Recitation Memory Binder

Charlotte Mason inspired teachers to bring an array of knowledge and experience to children.  They should experience many facets of the feast of knowledge and we should not withhold the beauty of the world.  This includes music, art, poetry, the awe and wisdom of nature, so many aspects of our daily living can be celebrated and studied in our homeschool!

Our morning meetings include many aspects of this feast of knowledge.  One portion of our days, and our mornings, is that of recitation.  Mason recommended that children as young as six years old could learn and value the beauty of the written word! (Our younger daughter also participates but it is not mandatory for her.)

We have been memorizing songs, scripture, poems…. all for quite some time now!  And here on the blog I offer free printable cards to aid in memorization! (I didn’t realize how Mason-esque that was! I have been seeking this education and her vision for a while now!)

But now that our children are older and we have kicked it in high gear for their Charlotte Mason education, and we like to be more intentional with their recitation.  This is not simply memorization, it is being able to articulate and recite beautiful words and verse!

I have created a Charlotte Mason Memory Binder for our children.  The following are the tabs:

Recitation Subjects:

• Scripture Verse
• Hymn
• Poem
• Latin Chant
• Patriotic Hymn
• Folk Song

Each time we begin a new recitation piece in each of the categories, which will be about every month, I add a page to his binder!  Then he will see all he has memorized and recited throughout the year!  This has been a treasure filled binder, as we continue to add to it through the years.

Materials:

• white binder
• tabs
• recitation sheets

Recitation Tips

• Read the title or reference out loud.
• Read/sing the passage out loud.  If it is long, read only the first four stanzas.
• Read the title or reference out loud.
• Repeat, if desired.

That’s it.  Do that every day, or as you are able!  We have been only reading the passage once, and I’m amazed at all they remember.

Here are just a few recitation pieces we will be using this year.  I’m also including just a few of the poems and verses my son already knows, so he can see them behind his current work in his binder and be satisfied that he already knows them!  We will choose future poems and verses as their needs arise.

Our current work is the first one listed, and we will add the others from Hymns and Latin Chants as we move on.  I’m not making a printable available for the Memory Binders because of copyright reasons.  I am providing the resources we use — and as for the poems, I believe they are public domain, but don’t want to make them available and then find out they are not!!  Hopefully this will help you with organizing if you are looking to make one too!!

Scripture:

We are using the Scripture Memory Cards from Simply Charlotte Mason and longer scripture passages from various summer camps we have gone to and need to continue a review.  You can download the free version of these verses to easily print for the children’s binders.  I bought the SCM first pack (1-6) so I can have a small box on our kitchen table for the mornings. (I print for the children’s binders by simply only printing the one section from the free printable at a time, using Adobe.)

• Isaiah 53: 1-5
• Psalm 23
• Proverbs 4:20-21
• Ephesians 6:1-3
• Titus 3:1-2
• Proverbs 3:5-6

Hymn:

I am using Singing the Great Hymns from Simply Charlotte Mason.  So well organized and thought out, with a lovely audio cd too!  These are the hymns we are memorizing for the first 12 weeks of my classical music class.

• I Sing the Mighty Power of God
• To God be the Glory
• Like a River Glorious
• Crown Him with Many Crowns
• Glory Be To Jesus (amazing Easter hymn)
• Come Thou Long Expected Jesus
• Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing

Poem:

I have several lovely anthologies of beautiful poems.  Two of my favorites are A Child’s Book of Poems by Gyo Fuijkawa and The Sound of Poetry by Mary C. Austin, the latter of which I found for 25 cents at a rummage sale!  It is old and beat up and beautiful.  Our current poem was found in that volume.  We make a copy of our current poem and put it in the binder!

• Very Early by Karla Kuskin
• The Friendly Cow by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Caterpillar by Christina Rossetti
• Hurt No Living Thing by Christina Rossetti
• Whole Duty of Children by Robert Louis Stevenson
• It’s All I Have to Bring Today by Emily Dickinson
• Rain by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Bed in Summer by Robert Louis Stevenson

Latin Chant:

Our Latin Chants are mostly found in Latina Angelica from Memoria Press.  Though some are from the public domain and my memory.  I would recommend the full set for translation.

• Christus Vincit
• Dona Nobis Pacem
• Non Nobis Domine

Patriotic Hymn

I love to help my children to love their country!  And my 90+ year old grandmother was moved to tears when she discovered that my children know the hymns of her childhood — patriotic hymns that are not taught in schools any more! We print them off from our Wee Sing America book.

• My Country Tis of Thee
• You’re a Grand Old Flag
• America the Beautiful
• The Star Spangled Banner
• God Bless America

Folk Song

We decided to incorporate some fun music that often includes hand claps and gestures.  You can find an amazing list of folk songs (with YouTube links!) here.  Our favorites are:

• Loch Lomond
• Frog Went A-Courting
• Shenandoah
• Lavender’s Blue
• Miss Sue
• A Sailor Went to Sea
• You are my Sunshine

Three more sections….

We also like to include Spanish, Tin Whistle, or Solfa into our mornings.  I have this in our scheduled rotation, but often will just go one after the other!

Our Solfa is from the incredible Sing Solfa site!

And our Tin Whistle lessons are from Living Music from the Heart: The Magic Flute!

I will be making a post soon about our Spanish program from a dear friend who made her own curriculum!  You can see Spanish resources here for a great musical start with Spanish.

Recitation Memory Binder

There we are!  Our Charlotte Mason inspired memory work all in a beautiful Recitation Memory Binder!  Here is a free cover you can use for your binder.  Enjoy this time with your precious ones — they will soak up these beautiful poems and songs if we just expose them to the beauty and wisdom of them!