Hymns
Perhaps we do not attach enough importance to the habit of praise in our children’s devotion. Praise and thanksgiving come freely from the young heart; gladness is natural and holy, and music is a delight. The singing of hymns at home and of the hymns and canticles in church should be a special delight; and the habit of soft and reverent singing, of offering our very best in praise, should be carefully formed.
But the duty of praise is not for occasional or rare seasons; it waits at our doors every day.
–Charlotte Mason
Hymn Study Made Easy/Teaching at Spread the Feast Co-op:
In our family, we chose to learn one hymn about every month, depending upon the length and “language” of the hymn. (Some of the words and concepts are lengthier and/or more difficult than others.) Our basic routine follows:
1. First, choose a hymn, type up the words and copy them for each child. It is often helpful to copy each stanza together in paragraph form to enable children to really focus on the words. If you have young children, you might want to copy the hymns using the Startwrite Program, especially if you plan to use the hymn for copy work.
2. Before presenting the hymn to your children, read about its history as well as that of the authors (usually one person created the words and another, the melody). Again, the NetHymn site is helpful for this and often you discover some captivating tidbit about the hymn’s history or authors.
3. Point out the theology inherent in the hymn and identify new words as necessary.
4. Sing the hymn with all of its verses (or not, as you choose) each day.
5. If you or one of your children play piano or guitar, make sure you have accompaniment.
You would be surprised how easily memorization comes if you faithfully sing the hymn every day for a month! (This is what we do as well. This was taken from http://epikardia.com/blog/hymn-study/)
Resources:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/hymn/ http://www.amblesideonline.org/Hymns.shtml
http://practicalpages.wordpress.com/category/practising-charlotte-mason/hymn-study/
Hymnbook
But the duty of praise is not for occasional or rare seasons; it waits at our doors every day.
–Charlotte Mason
Hymn Study Made Easy/Teaching at Spread the Feast Co-op:
In our family, we chose to learn one hymn about every month, depending upon the length and “language” of the hymn. (Some of the words and concepts are lengthier and/or more difficult than others.) Our basic routine follows:
1. First, choose a hymn, type up the words and copy them for each child. It is often helpful to copy each stanza together in paragraph form to enable children to really focus on the words. If you have young children, you might want to copy the hymns using the Startwrite Program, especially if you plan to use the hymn for copy work.
2. Before presenting the hymn to your children, read about its history as well as that of the authors (usually one person created the words and another, the melody). Again, the NetHymn site is helpful for this and often you discover some captivating tidbit about the hymn’s history or authors.
3. Point out the theology inherent in the hymn and identify new words as necessary.
4. Sing the hymn with all of its verses (or not, as you choose) each day.
5. If you or one of your children play piano or guitar, make sure you have accompaniment.
You would be surprised how easily memorization comes if you faithfully sing the hymn every day for a month! (This is what we do as well. This was taken from http://epikardia.com/blog/hymn-study/)
Resources:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/hymn/ http://www.amblesideonline.org/Hymns.shtml
http://practicalpages.wordpress.com/category/practising-charlotte-mason/hymn-study/
Hymnbook
