As I worked on writing a post about copywork for the Build Your Bundle sale, I came across this quote which perfectly describes the WHY behind copying works of beauty and meaning. I immediately wanted to share the quote with you.
As the child is likely to carry through life what is copied or repeated from school books, the illustrative sentences should present the richest thoughts and choicest gems of expression that can be gathered from literature. In these rambles with the poets the child will hear the carol of the lark, the babbling of the brook, and the music of the sea; he will see the rainbow’s arch, the sumac’s gold and red, and the sunshine and the shadow chasing each other over the billowy fields. The child who is led into the bypaths of nature by these great word painters will learn to look through all “the five windows of the soul”; he will be charmed with the beauty of his surroundings; he will be deeply impressed with the dignity, power, and beauty of our mother tongue, the richest of all languages; he will be inspired to put meaning into his own sentences; he will learn that it is the gift of poetry to hallow every place in which it moves, — to breathe round nature a fragrance more exquisite than the perfume of the rose, and to shed over it a tint more magical than the blush of the morning. (from Wheeler’s graded studies in great authors)
I was especially enamored with this paragraph – don’t you want your child to learn how to put meaning in his own sentences and know the gift of poetry? This phrase sums up perfectly what Homeschool Copywork is all about: ” the illustrative sentences should present the richest thoughts and choicest gems of expression that can be gathered from literature.”
So where can you look to find the “richest thoughts and choicest gems of expression”?
As I search for new quotes and material to use on our Homeschool Coypwork pages, I look for three things as criteria for my choices.
1) What does it say about God, creation, and anything reflective of a Christian worldview?
2) What does it say about mankind?
3) What deeper meaning is conveyed?
You might guess from reading our criteria that we use Bible verses often. And you would be correct. We also use quotes from famous authors, poets, and song writers which reference God and creation. Finally, we look at quotes from famous authors, poets and song writers which convey deeper meaning and communicate truth about something we value. For example, as I put together the copywork for Wilbur and Orville Wright I found this quote which tells of the importance of freedom in childhood:
“We were lucky enough to grow up in an environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate what ever aroused curiosity.” ~Orville Wright
Does this quote fit the first criteria? No. Does it fit the second criteria? Not precisely. Does it fit the third criteria? Yes. Therefore it would make the cut and is a good selection for copywork in our homeschool.
If you are looking for copywork that is already thoughtfully chosen for you, prepared on handwriting paper in a variety of styles ready for you, and reflects a Christian worldview – Homeschool Copywork Membership is an excellent choice for your homeschool.
We include five line styles in each set (lined print, lined d’nealian, lined cursive, unlined print, and unlined cursive) and leave plenty of room for your student to copy what they read. We also include beautiful graphics on each page to illustrate the quote or passage.
Here is a sample of the copywork we offer. Click the image to download or click the link below.
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