Interesting Dinner Conversations

Have you ever had one of those moments where you were totally thrilled with the idea you conceived?  Well, I had one such moment today.  My inspiration originated from Mrs. Carson (Ben Carson's mother on "Gifted Hands").


Mrs. Carson had her sons read and write two book reports a week.  Despite the fact that she couldn't read, she would underline certain passages of their reports.  This led to a broad base of useful knowledge that her sons gleaned from throughout their education.

Being a Charlotte Mason fan, I decided to incorporate narration into Mrs. Carson's idea.  Since it's almost summer vacation, my children only have to do ONE (1) report a week! (So thoughtful, don't you agree?)  And instead of giving me a written report, they can use their subject as the topic of our dinner conversations.  They need to be able to discuss the subject thoroughly and intelligently, answering any questions the rest of the family comes up with.

Since my older girls prepare dinner one night a week, we decided that each one will be the hostess that night as well.  She will be responsible for directing the conversation around the topic she has been reading or researching.

Isaac will do his "report" on Tuesday night, coinciding with the night that he helps me prepare supper.  I'm not certain exactly how it will go with Becca, but I'm thinking I will read a story to her and have her do her narration at supper on Thursday.

My goal is to encourage them to pursue a variety of interests and to help them be able to pass that information on to others.  I think it will also help them be better hostesses (hosts) for any visitors they may entertain later in life.