Leafdays

Niccolo is just starting to understand the passing of time beyond his immediate experience. He now ‘gets’ that the Romans lived much earlier than his beloved knights, for example, and the Egyptians earlier still. To help him, I have decided to give him a Book of Centuries.

The Book of Centuries is a learning tool created about a hundred years ago by a British educator, Charlotte Mason. It is essentially a notebook to keep a chronological record of historical facts with a creative approach (drawing and collageing have as important a place in a good Book of Centuries as writing). Mason recommended it for children aged ten or more, so her Book of Centuries could be a pretty sophisticated affair. Obviously, Nicco is much smaller, and I don’t expect he will use it as a study tool so much as a way to understand a bit more about history, perhaps by sticking images linked to books he has been reading—the Magic Treehouse goes strong here—in the relevant century.

And to make it more fun for him, I made his book by altering a bogstandard notebook with imagery and colours that he likes, but that also symbolise the passing of time in some way.

I’ll be honest—I am not completely sold on it. Meaning, I don’t like it, partly because it is a departure from my usual style, partly because I feel the composition is not strong enough. But I am a bit short of time, so I am giving it to him as it is. I hope his young age and lack of artistic discernment will ensure he likes it!