L’Umile Pianta

The medal above with a rush plant pictured in the center of it is from Charlotte Mason’s original students’ association.

In 1895 the House of Education Old Students’ Association was formed to provide current and ‘old’ students who were scattered abroad, opportunities to keep in touch and provide mutual support. In 1896 they began publishing the magazine, L’Umile Pianta, named after a plant growing near Ambleside which Charlotte Mason admired for its ability to bend without breaking. This plant was also pictured on the House of Education’s medal, with the motto “For the Children’s Sake.”

Aesop has a simple story titled The Oak and The Reeds that we read with our younger students that tells a similar story.