19th century educational philosopher, Charlotte Mason, felt that children are ripe for learning to work with their hands in a way that can benefit and bless others. Her word for this type of work is "handicraft", also known as the “Common Arts.” Teaching our children to be precise and skilled with their hands is giving them a gift that will most definitely last a lifetime. Handicrafts are valuable for keeping young hands busy and industrious, they help teach accurate hand-eye coordination, and they allow "... children to see the progression that happens when diligence is applied to a skill or craft. Not to mention the cascading spiritual effect that goes alongside the practical benefits, namely, image bearers of a creative God learning to create themselves.

As created beings we are called to be creative, and handicrafts give context to this calling. Furthermore, as our students progress into Upper School (6th-12th) we begin to encourage and embrace a life of service to our neighbors. These handicrafts lay the foundation and opportunity to serve others with our hands and open wide doors for further training in these areas. Being familiar and skilled in the common arts serve as an opportunity to put that skill to use for our neighbors and venture into new ways to be a blessing to others. The Liberal Arts free their hearts and minds to go serve God in any capacity He may call them, and the Common Arts free their hands to pursue the same. We pray our students would have well-trained minds, rightly ordered loves, and calloused hands for the good of humanity and God's glory."

As co-educators in the lives of your children, parents and teachers can come together and have a great opportunity to train them in the processes that accompany the Common Arts. Do you make jewelry? Do you do woodworking? Do you garden? Do you paint? Do you make pottery? Do you build furniture? Do you knit, quilt, or cross stitch? Do you make clothing? Do you make candles? Are you a sculptor?

We are continually building our list of parents and their gifts, skills, trades, and talents so we can utilize these at our school to benefit our students. If you are interested in sharing your talents with our school please fill out the form below. There is no skill too small, so please don't hold back! We look forward to hearing from you!

https://forms.gle/e13zqpSxaYD5xdnU9

While it would be nice to eat a steady diet of pizza and candy bars, the reality is, not all foods are created equal. In his perfect wisdom, God designed our bodies to require a variety of fresh, whole foods to work properly. Similarly, Instagram reels and beach reads are not enough to stimulate our intellectual lives. Our minds require true, living nourishment.

Charlotte Mason said, “We know that food is to the body what fuel is to the steam-engine, the sole source of energy; once we realize that the mind too works only as it is fed, education will appear to us in a new light.”

One of the best ways to nourish our children’s minds is through books, but not just any old book will do. In order to fuel our minds, it must be a living book. A living book will feed the imagination and spark new ideas. A living book does not use dumbed-down language and is written by an author passionate about the subject which he is writing. Most of all, a living book contains elements of the good, the true, and the beautiful. Through complex characters and rich storylines, living books help identify vices and form virtues in the hearts of our children.

Just like cakes and cookies are fine as an occasional treat, it is not the end of the world if a child periodically reads what Charlotte Mason called “twaddle”, however, our goal at New Covenant School is to weave the good, the true, and the beautiful into every aspect of our day. Therefore, we have assembled a list of books that will entertain, challenge, and inform the hearts of our students. If your child’s teacher assigns independent reading for homework, we ask that you select a book from this list. If there is a book you would like to read that is not on the list, please contact your teacher or Erin Drago (edrago@newcovschool.net). You can also fill out the form below to inquire about a book being considered on our school-approved list.

“Classical education regularly reminds us of the immense fruit to be gained from the reading life. Such a life offers access to information and ideas, an open door to freedom and opportunity, and a powerful means for coming to know both others and ourselves. We read to experience community, to better understand humanity, and to enter into the Great Conversation that has shaped the history of human thought and is shaping us still. Some texts call us in with ease, and others are more difficult to access; a classical education makes use of both, believing that the effort required to read good literature is worth its yield.” -Sara Osborne

Book Request Form:

https://forms.gle/XYD5sBymDb5iGTUy9