Post about books and other resources to help in your Charlotte Mason method homeschool. Also information about our own SCM books.
We know of several groups that are using Laying Down the Rails for their weekly or monthly book discussions this coming year. How exciting! I wish I could be a part of each group and hear all the comments. It is always so helpful to learn what other people are doing and how they are applying Charlotte’s habit-training principles.
If you will be leading one of those discussions, here are a few ideas to help get the comments started. [Continue reading Habits Book Discussion Tips …]
Wow. We never dreamed we would sell out our first print run of Jack’s Insects within four days of its release. But that’s what happened. Quite the enthusiastic response! [Continue reading Enthusiastic Response to Jack’s Insects …]
Several years ago I heard about an intriguing living science book that Charlotte Mason had used in her schools. The book was called Jack’s Insects, and I looked everywhere for it. I couldn’t find it anywhere — online or off. So I kept it on my watch list and went on about my schooling. Imagine my excitement when I finally spotted a copy this year from an antique book seller online! [Continue reading Jack’s Insects …]
I love doing the All-Day Charlotte Mason Seminars! It’s so much fun to meet other CMers and spend the day discussing how practical and do-able the Charlotte Mason method really is.
So what is an All-Day CM Seminar like? Glad you asked. [Continue reading CM Seminars in Nashville & Charleston …]
Do you feel like a cloud is hanging over your head this summer? I don’t mean a typical rain cloud; I mean a cloud called “Planning.”
Sometimes that planning cloud casts a little shadow over all our activities. We know we have to deal with it sometime, but it’s so easy to push off planning to another day. [Continue reading A CM Planning Getaway …]
We had a great time in Iowa the past two weeks. It was so good to meet all of you Iowa CMers! And while we were there, I was able to finish the next book of daily lesson plans: Joshua through Malachi & Ancient Greece. [Continue reading New Joshua through Malachi & Ancient Greece Book …]
We are in Iowa this week getting ready for the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators’ conference Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, in Des Moines. You can find the details on the NICHE site.
Sonya will present a habits workshop, Smooth and Easy Days, based on our book Laying Down the Rails on Saturday at 11:15 AM. (As always, check the schedule at the conference for any last-minute shuffling.) Come learn why habits are so powerful, which habits Charlotte Mason encouraged parents to focus on, and lots of practical ideas for how to cultivate those good habits.
We’ll also have the new Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education book and DVD available for you to get your hands on. Those of you who can’t make the conference can still download a sample of the book from our site.
We’re eager to meet all of you Iowa CMers, so be sure to stop by the SCM booth and say hello to Sonya and her husband John. We would love to see you there!
We hope that you found the planning series helpful. We’re very pleased to announce that our new Planning Your Charlotte Mason Education book and DVD are now available on our Web site. We’ve taken all the goodies from the planning series and added even more practical tips, ideas, and worksheets to help you plan your best year ever. [Continue reading New Planning Book and DVD …]
We just wanted to drop you all a quick note to let you know that SCM will be at the Georgia Home Education Association conference this weekend, May 2 and 3, near Atlanta. You can find registration details at GHEA’s site.
Sonya will present a habits workshop, Smooth and Easy Days, based on our book Laying Down the Rails on Friday at 11:00 AM. (As always, check the schedule at the conference for any last-minute shuffling.) Come learn why habits are so powerful, which habits Charlotte Mason encouraged parents to focus on, and lots of practical ideas for how to cultivate those good habits
And be sure to stop by the SCM booth in the exhibit hall to say hello to Sonya and her husband John. We would love to see you there!
“How many days per week should I do science?” “What about history?” “Do you think I need to do math five days a week?”
This step in the 5-step planning process will show you how to answer those questions. If you have already completed steps 1–3 (the Big Picture, Your Year, and Your Term), planning your week will be pretty simple. Here’s how. [Continue reading Your Week …]
Last week we talked about determining which subjects you plan to teach in each grade. Did you outline them? That information will make the next step much easier: planning your year. [Continue reading Your Year …]
I have fondly dubbed 2008 as “The Year of A/V.” Yes, due to numerous requests from our readers, SCM is jumping into audio and video this year. [Continue reading Our Foray into Audio and Video …]
Have you visited the SCM Community Forum lately? We’re having some great discussions! Here are a few highlights . . . [Continue reading Recent Discussions on the SCM Forum …]
“Daniel, I expect you to play nicely with your brother. Yes, Katie, I can change the baby’s diaper now; you go ahead and practice piano. Sarah, I’ll be right there to help you with your math. Hang on just a minute.”
Sound familiar? As we all can testify, parenting and homeschooling are inextricably interwoven. [Continue reading Intentional Parents …]
We hope you have enjoyed the past few weeks as we focused on Masterly Inactivity. The articles we shared with you are taken from our new 2008 personal calendar journal, A Year of Masterly Inactivity with Charlotte Mason.
Several more articles are included in the calendar, along with more than fifty Charlotte Mason quotes on parenting. [Continue reading A Year of Masterly Inactivity …]
Here is an invitation for all of you who live in the Atlanta area.
Join us for a wonderful evening of encouragement and refreshing on Thursday, January 10. Sonya will be sharing her workshop, “Reaching Your Child’s Heart,” at Calvary Chapel Gwinnett in Buford. We will sharpen our focus for the new year, enjoy great fellowship and snacks, and spend time in prayer for our families.
We will also have a book table available where you can purchase SCM printed books at a discounted rate (plus no shipping fees!) while they last.
Cost for the workshop is just $6. But space is limited, so register today.
For more details or to register online, visit our Speaking Schedule page.
A fenced-in backyard can be a wonderful thing when you have small children. Ask any mother who has spent a hot summer day chasing after her adventurous terrier and perpetually active toddler. Fences are good. [Continue reading The Fence of Authority …]
We love our children. And we have great hopes for them. As Charlotte Mason so aptly put it, “People feel that they can bring up their children to be something more than themselves, that they ought to do so, and that they must” (Vol. 3, p. 26).
That’s why we homeschool. We want to give our children something more.
But because of that desire, we can easily fall into a trap. [Continue reading You Need Both: Masterly Inactivity …]
Okay, everyone, this is it. The deadline for turning in your photos is this Thursday, November 8. You can find all the specifics on our SCM Photo Contest page. [Continue reading Final Call for Photo Contest …]
We’re excited to announce the latest resource on Simply Charlotte Mason: our new SCM Community Forum! Many of you have asked for a place to discuss CM topics in general and SCM-specific topics as well. It’s our pleasure to provide this forum for you all to use. [Continue reading New SCM Community Forum …]
Fall and winter seem to be good seasons for handicrafts. There’s just something appealing about being in a warm, comfortable room and working with your hands while the wind blows outside. [Continue reading Handicraft Questions (and answers) …]
Our children love to make their own movies and explore the various aspects of filmmaking. They have found that the bonus features on movie DVDs offer many insights about how films are made that they can try to emulate. Those little extras can add a lot!
As we wrap up this series, we wanted to make sure you know about the Bonus Features page we’ve put together for nature study.
On this special page, you’ll find lots of little extras! [Continue reading Nature Study Bonus Features …]
We’ve had a great time doing this nature study series, and we’re excited to announce our new nature study handbook: Hours in the Out-of-Doors: A Charlotte Mason Nature Study Handbook!
Hours in the Out-of-Doors compiles and organizes Charlotte Mason’s comments on nature study. [Continue reading New Nature Study Book …]
During the past few weeks we have been sharing that there is more to nature study than just spending time outside. We’ve looked at Charlotte Mason’s ideas about
- why to do nature study,
- when to do nature study,
- what nature study looks like, and
- how to keep a nature notebook.
And most recently we’ve been discussing how Charlotte supplemented nature study with living science books and object lessons in their natural settings. Today let’s look at one more way to supplement nature study: nature projects. [Continue reading 5 Great Nature Projects …]
As wonderful as Charlotte Mason-style nature study is, it does have its limits. Charlotte was aware of those limits, and she did not use natural study exclusively. As we researched her comments about nature study, we discovered that she supplemented that foundation with three things: living science books, object lessons, and nature projects. [Continue reading Nature Study, Plus . . . …]
“Where do I find a nature notebook?”
“What does it look like?”
“How do we go about creating a nature notebook? Is there a template somewhere?”
Questions like these cross my desk regularly. So let’s reveal the secret of the mysterious nature notebook. [Continue reading The Secret of the Nature Notebook …]
Two highlights have added excitement to our July here at Simply Charlotte Mason!
First, we just published a new book — that is also an old friend. [Continue reading New SCM Book, Upcoming Workshops …]
1. Use the CM Bookfinder.
Our very own CM Bookfinder contains more than 1,500 living books that we recommend for those using the Charlotte Mason method.
We’ve had a lot of new sign-ups to the e-mail list lately. Welcome to all of you!
Our regular readers know that we try to keep a good balance between teaching posts and site announcements. Today, we’re excited to let you know about a new book we have available. [Continue reading New Ancient Egypt Study Available! …]
We’ve had a great response to our series on Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life — Charlotte Mason’s three-pronged approach to educating our children! It’s been refreshing to go back to the basics over the past few weeks.
Now here is that little surprise we promised you: [Continue reading Our Little E-Book Surprise …]
Just a quick note to let you know that the response to the printed version of Laying Down the Rails has been very good, so we have begun the process of making other Simply Charlotte Mason titles available in printed form also. [Continue reading More Printed Books Now Available! …]
1. Forgetting that the child is a person.
One of Charlotte Mason’s chief principles is “The child is a person with all the possibilities and powers included in personality” (Vol. 1, p. 4). Each child is unique. Become a student of your child and work with him or her as an individual. [Continue reading 10 Mistakes CMers Should Avoid …]
We really enjoyed “meeting” you and talking with you at the Webinars last week! You had lots of great questions and lots of great suggestions. A couple of questions came up frequently, and we would like to answer those for everyone. [Continue reading 5 Reasons the CM Organizer Is an Online Service …]
We’re looking forward to getting together with you through our live CM Organizer Webinars this week! For those of you who may not have heard, the CM Organizer is our new online planner designed specifically for homeschoolers using the Charlotte Mason method. We would love to show you how it works! [Continue reading Webinar Reminder …]
We are receiving so many encouraging comments about the new CM Organizer! Here’s a sample: “For almost three years, I have searched for the ‘perfect’ homeschool organizer. [Continue reading Live CM Organizer Webinars …]
Those of you who have been with us from the beginning know that it’s been our goal all along to develop an online planner and record keeper specifically for CMers. Well, after years of designing and developing, we’re thrilled to announce that the CM Organizer is now officially online! [Continue reading Announcing the CM Organizer! …]
Since Laying Down the Rails, our new habits book, was released we have received many requests for a printed version. Today we’re happy to announce that Laying Down the Rails is now available in printed form! [Continue reading Habits Book in Print! …]
Wow! February has arrived sooner than I expected. Just wanted to let you know that I (Sonya) will be presenting three workshops in Bishop, Georgia, on February 10: [Continue reading SCM Workshops Feb. 10 …]
Did you ever have a project that expanded? I started on a little project last year and just completed it last week. In the process it expanded into quite a large project! Here’s the story. [Continue reading Habits Book Now Available …]
Laws are not exactly the most thrilling topic for reading or discussing — not, that is, until a law affects you personally. Then all of a sudden, that law becomes quite important! You either marvel at the fairness and common sense that went into that law, or you wonder, “Who in his right mind ever thought up this one?” [Continue reading Announcing Jashub’s Journal …]
When I (Sonya) was a young mom with my first baby, the idea of teaching my child to read ranked right up there on the “Scary Meter” with singing a solo and snake pits. [Continue reading Teaching Your Child to Read …]
Our kids like to check out the Bonus Features on any DVDs we watch as a family, and we like it too. You never know what interesting tidbits you might find!
We wanted to let all of you know that we’ve added a few pages of Bonus Features to our Web site. [Continue reading Bonus Features Added for E-books …]
Schedules. On some days they seem to have a mind of their own. So here are some quick Charlotte Mason-style reminders to help us all keep on track as we use our schedules to navigate through the year. [Continue reading 5 Questions to Ask about Your Schedule …]
Our students need to know what they believe and why. So do we adults, for that matter. We’re happy to announce that Discovering Doctrine: A Personal Bible Study is now available. [Continue reading Doctrine Notebook Now Available …]
A lot of Charlotte Mason book discussions, teas, and support group meetings are starting up in full swing again. We would love to help you get the word out about your events and let other CMers in your area know where they can find you! [Continue reading CM Events …]
Ever been to one of those CM get-togethers where someone recommends a book and immediately everybody begins firing questions: “What was that title again?” “Who’s the author?” “Where can I get it?” We certainly have. Many times. [Continue reading Curriculum Guide Now Linked to Details …]
A Bible study done Charlotte Mason style — that was my (Sonya’s) goal. Most Bible studies I’ve seen are the typical read-a-verse-fill-in-the-blank-then-read-the-author’s-thoughts style. Now, if we’re trying to avoid that type of approach for other subjects, why would we settle for it in this most important subject: Bible? No, there had to be a way to use Charlotte’s method of direct contact with a living book and narration for Bible study too. [Continue reading Wisdom for Life …]
I well remember those years when I (Sonya) had only a two-year-old and a four-year-old to keep me company throughout the day, and I wondered, “What should I be doing with them? Should I be teaching them to read? Should I get a set of flashcards and drill the addition facts?” [Continue reading The Early Years …]
“Does anyone know of a living book about beavers?” “Could someone recommend a book for my eighth grader on Johannes Kepler?” “I’m looking for good biographies of composers that would be written for younger children around first or second grade.” Sound familiar? We’ve all been there, hunting for that certain living book. It can be a time-consuming process. But the process just got a whole lot easier! [Continue reading The CM Bookfinder Is Here! …]
Just a quick note to let you know that Sonya will be presenting two workshops at the MTHEA’s Workshop Weekend on August 11 and 12 in Madison, Tennessee. [Continue reading Workshops in Tennessee …]
What do you get when you put together 1 school year, 3 students in first through sixth grades, 50 Bible passages, 15 simple science experiments, 18 living books, and 20 nature study ideas? 106 Days of Creation Studies! [Continue reading 106 Days of Creation Studies …]
A few years ago, when my (Sonya’s) oldest two were in the 8-12 year old range, I got this idea for a fun, living way to review math skills: We pretended that each child was the owner of a store. They each got to choose what kind of store they wanted to own. [Continue reading New Living Math Kits …]
We know things have been quiet from us for a while and that’s because we’ve been working really hard behind the scenes. [Continue reading A Brand New Look …]
During a recent interview, I (Sonya) was asked, “If someone wanted to homeschool, how would they begin?” I thought, “Good question! How did I begin those many years ago?” [Continue reading Back to Basics …]
Well, we’ve been holed up in the office for several weeks, but we’re pleased to announce that the dictation books we’ve been talking about and working on are complete! They’re called “Spelling Wisdom.” [Continue reading Spelling Wisdom Now Available …]
Just a quick note to let you know that we’re moving full-steam-ahead on the dictation books. We have five books in the works that cover 12,500 spelling words, including 6,000 of the most-frequently-used words in the English language. [Continue reading Confident Dictation Update …]
We’re pleased to see new people signing up every day to receive these updates! Welcome to all you newer readers. Those of you who have been with us from the beginning have a pretty good idea of the big picture: who we are, what has been accomplished so far, and our goals for future development. But the newbies might like a fast summary in order to get up to speed, so to speak. [Continue reading The Story of Simply Charlotte Mason …]
What does every avid book reader need? (OK, besides more shelf space …) Bookmarks! And of course, what could be better to a CMer than bookmarks with Charlotte Mason sayings on them? [Continue reading Corner Bookmarks …]
In true homeschool fashion, our children have taught themselves a lot about the Internet these past few months. As we have been building our site, they have been building a site of their own. [Continue reading Incredibooks …]
We’re excited as we look to the year ahead! We have many hopes and plans of what we want to add to Simply Charlotte Mason in the upcoming months. Here’s a short list:
- More free downloads
- A suggested curriculum guide for twelve years of CM homeschooling
- The release of five books full of dictation exercises that contain the most frequently used words in the English language
- Public access to our database of more than 1,000 CM resources
- The launch of our scheduling and record-keeping online tool
Thanks to all of you who have helped to encourage us during 2005 as we started this project. We look forward to all that we can do to encourage and help you during 2006.
Update as of 3/2/06: The five-book series is now available as Spelling Wisdom. We have also added a fun Corner Bookmarks download.
Merry Christmas from all of us at Simply Charlotte Mason! May this season be filled with joy, peace, and lots of great books!
We love Charlotte’s concept of using prepared dictation to teach spelling, but at the same time it’s hard to let go of the security of those most-frequently-used word lists. So here’s an idea we’re working on: combine the two into a series of dictation exercises that include the most frequently used words in the English language.
Here are some specifics:
- Use selected passages from classic literature, Scripture, poetry, historic documents, biographies, etc.;
- Incorporate a variety of topics to go along with Miss Mason’s love of a broad education;
- Provide an index of words used and in which exercises;
- Make the dictation exercises increasingly longer and with more difficult words as the student progresses through them;
- Make sure several thousand of the most frequently used words in the English language are covered in the exercises.
What do you think of the idea? We would love to hear your comments and suggestions.
Update as of 3/2/06: This series of books is now available. Take a look at Spelling Wisdom!
If you’re going to be traveling during the holiday season, check out the CM Destinations page for great twaddle-free field trip locations along your route.
We’re excited that the page now features more than 375 CM-friendly, educational destinations! Thanks to all of you who have contributed your favorite historical, science, and fine arts locations.
Feel free to add more CM Destinations for fellow CMers who may be traveling soon. And if you’ve been to one of the destinations listed, go ahead and add your personal review. It helps to hear what a CM mom thought of the place.
Just use the form at the bottom of the page. We look forward to hearing from you, and travel safely.
Behind the scenes, we’re adding the finishing touches to your Personal Book Lists. We’re excited about this feature that will help you keep track of books you want to get, books you want to remember for later, books you want to borrow from the library, and books you already have.
I (Sonya) was just at the store today looking at the books on sale and wondering, “Do I already have Oliver Twist, or am I thinking of The Prince and the Pauper?” I’m really looking forward to using this feature!
For more details, check out the Books section.
Hello, all! Just a quick note and a tip today.
First, the note: We’ve added more manuscript copywork. The eight new files offer two more hymns, four more poems (including a delightful Thanksgiving poem), and two more Scripture passages. Help yourself!
Now, the tip: Remember that Charlotte encouraged young children to select a favorite stanza to copy from the poem, or a favorite verse to copy from the psalm. Since we don’t know which stanza will be your child’s favorite, we’ve posted the whole poem or psalm. So feel free to download the file, and then print and use only the portion of it that your child selects.
We love to be sneaky — well, when it comes to sneaking “schoolwork” into life events without the children’s knowing about it. When I (Sonya) was looking through a bookshelf the other day, I came upon one of those sneaky projects: a trip journal. My thirteen-year-old daughter and I had fun laughing over her seven-year-old narrations, looking at the photos, and reliving the memories of that family vacation.
Now, lest this journal should sound intimidating, let me hasten to explain that it is a three-prong pocket folder that took about five minutes to create. You can easily make one for each child to take on your next family trip. We’ve added simple instructions under the Narration Ideas section. You can even download the main pages of the journal for free.
So go ahead and make a trip journal. It can include geography, narration, nature study, and even math. But don’t let your children know it counts for schoolwork!
It’s fall. I (Sonya) just gave my front porch a fresh look with a straw wreath and a bushel basket full of leaves, apples, and a pumpkin. Since it’s fall, it’s also time for a fresh look at our project and on our Web site.
First, a fresh look at our project. We’re getting a great response to all the free downloads and practical information we’ve put on the site. And we’re eager to bring you the main features, but we’re finding that it’s taking extra time to make sure the job is done right. We want to be sure all the features are simple to use. So thanks for your patience and all your encouragement. We’ll keep working and keep you posted.
Second, a fresh look for our Web site. When you visit, you’ll notice a couple of new sections on that first page. We’ve added a Find It Quick section with quick links to some of the most frequently used features of the site. We’ve also added a Work in Progress section that will outline the features we’re still working on. Those of you who have not been with us from the beginning may not be aware of all our plans for the site. In fact, here’s a progress update for all of you: so far we’ve entered more than 1,000 CM-style books into the database! Visit the first page for more details.
Happy fall!
We’re thrilled with your response to the Scripture Memory System instructions posted on our Web site! Hundreds of people have visited that page recently. And some of you have sent e-mail to let us know how it’s encouraging you:
- “I am so excited by the Scripture Memory System! What an easy way to keep track and consistently review God’s Word!”
- “I have been wanting to memorize Scripture with the kids, and yet kept failing and giving up due to a lack of confidence . . . Well, after your talk the other night, I knew God was speaking to me and that this can work for me and our family.”
- “We made our box the other day and started today!! What a blessing it was to hear all of us together speaking God’s Word!!”
Probably the one question we get asked more than any other is “What verses should we memorize?” Of course, you can select any verses you like. But if a list of suggestions would help you get started, take a look at our Verses List.
We hope this list will be helpful. Thanks for sharing the encouragement with us; keep those e-mails coming!
It’s happened often — probably to you too. You’re introduced by a mutual friend to another homeschooler, who smiles and asks, “What curriculum do you use?”
“We don’t use a set curriculum really,” we respond. “We use the Charlotte Mason approach.”
At this point, one of two things happens: either the other homeschooler looks at you blankly and says, “Who?” or she looks interested and says, “I’ve heard of that. How is it different from regular homeschooling?”
So then you have thirty seconds to tell who Charlotte Mason was and describe her philosophy of education. Can you do it? We’ve certainly had lots of opportunities to try — some more successful than others.
Well, we just added a brief summary of Charlotte and her philosophy of education to the Getting Started section. Hopefully, the description there will give you some ideas, and if you want more, we also recommend several great books about her and her approach. Take a look and practice your thirty-second summary.
Charlotte’s method of copywork for teaching writing is terrific. We especially love her emphasis on copying meaningful content right from the start. None of this “Fill this page with A’s” stuff for our children!
However, we did notice that beginning copywork went a whole lot easier if the student had larger lined paper and handwritten words to copy. It was hard enough for those little ones to concentrate on how each letter was shaped, without having to use one hand to keep a book open to the correct page, keep a finger on the correct sentence on that page, and remember that type-written lower-case a’s are different from manuscript hand-written a’s.
So to save you some time and effort, we’ve just added some manuscript copywork documents to our CM Time Savers section. These documents contain selected poetry, Scripture, and hymn lyrics. Feel free to download as many as you like. And check back regularly; we plan to add more.
Recently, we asked more than 250 CMers, “What attracts you to the Charlotte Mason approach?” Many of their responses referred to her emphasis on respect of the child, training in habits, character, and the training of t