Simply Charlotte Mason — Charlotte Mason method homeschool helps.

This spring I am learning to treasure a certain Charlotte Mason phrase more deeply than ever. Charlotte talked about recognizing “the familiar face of a friend.” As we travel to various homeschool conventions across the country, it is a joy to meet new people; but there is something about recognizing the familiar face of a friend that warms the heart and refreshes the spirit like nothing else can. And the best part is that the new friends we meet this year will be familiar faces next year!

Charlotte well knew the advantages of forming those relations, of making friends that can be recognized across the room. In fact, she used that terminology to describe true learning. When describing how young readers should learn new words, she explained that they should recognize that new word anywhere, as the familiar face of a friend peeking out of a crowd. [Continue reading The Familiar Face of a Friend …]

Several months ago, a friend posted a description of how she was using pictures of ancient artifacts with a group of children who were studying the book of Daniel. As I followed the links to those pictures, I became aware of an awakening new connection within myself to Daniel and the setting in which he lived. It was amazing how much the focused artifact study added to my personal relation with the people of that time period!

What a great idea!, I thought. The stuff that the ancient civilizations left behind tells a deep story. Those ancient artifacts and architecture add a rich layer of understanding about what life was like during the eras of history. [Continue reading The Stuff They Left Behind …]

Yesterday we spent a delightful hour meandering around a pretty botanical garden near our home. Clouds of white azaleas lined the walkways, rosebuds of every color peeked around pillars, and fuzzy gray goslings trailed after their parents in the pond.

It was refreshing to see the results of a winter’s growth in some places; but other plants were still awaiting the right time to blossom. What a picture of a growing time! [Continue reading New Calendar Journal: A Growing Time …]

We’ve been talking about instilling good habits. Charlotte Mason likened that process to laying down railroad tracks upon which our children’s lives can run smoothly, without a lot of unnecessary bumping and jolting.

Many people have told us that these habit-training concepts along with the practical tips found in the award-winning book, Laying Down the Rails, have changed their families and homes! What a blessing!

I love to present the workshop based on those concepts at homeschool conventions across the country! And it seems like whenever I talk about laying down the rails of good habits, I usually get two questions: [Continue reading Laying Down the Rails for Children …]

Ever since we started publishing the Picture Study Portfolios, we’ve had requests for one on Claude Monet and one on Vincent van Gogh. People wanted those two artists not only because the beautiful quality of our art prints would do their works justice, but also because people knew that our artist biographies would be appropriate for the whole family.

We are happy to announce that the Impressionists have arrived! [Continue reading Monet, Van Gogh, and Titian Are Here! …]

Our friends just made a 12-hour drive across four states with their four children. They listened to audiobooks on the trip.

Another friend spends hours in her van each day, dropping off and picking up her oldest daughter in their faithful pursuit to develop her talents. They listen to a lot of audiobooks along the way.

Another friend has a child who struggles with reading. She regularly looks for books that are available in printed and audio, so he can listen and follow along at the same time. [Continue reading 3 New Audiobooks from SCM …]

We’ve been talking about the 5 steps to a successful narration lesson, and today we want to continue that series. So far we’ve discussed the importance of selecting a good living book. Book selection can make or break your child’s success at narration. We’ve also emphasized looking ahead and behind before you begin reading in order to help your child find his bearings and prepare his mind to absorb what you are about to share.

Unfortunately, in many parents’ minds a narration lesson has only two steps: read and narrate. The end. But to have a successful narration lesson—one in which your child’s mind embraces and enjoys living ideas on which to grow—you need all five steps: [Continue reading Time to Read …]

Okay, folks. This is a first. Simply Charlotte Mason is having a huge one-time-only sale on all of our electronic download resources now through February 14, 2013, Valentine’s Day!

As you know, we try to keep our prices reasonable year-round, so we don’t have special sales except when a new resource is announced. Well, we have some really exciting new projects in the works that we would love to have available for you at this spring’s homeschool conventions. But in order to make that happen so soon (Can you believe the first convention is next month!), we need a little boost to pay for them right now.

So we figured, with the challenge of increased taxes and the struggling economy, a huge sale would be a great way to benefit you now and jump-start some great new resources that will also help you in the future!

Here’s the deal. We have three bundles available. The bigger the bundle, the more you save! [Continue reading Save Up to 60% on SCM Titles (sale ended) …]

Probably the best way to illustrate Step 2 is to talk about the importance of framework. I saw an interesting video clip in which some instructions were read that were difficult to remember or to relate with. But once the person gave the viewer one little phrase . . .

Whoa. Stop right there. Take a moment to analyze what your mind is doing. How are you feeling about this post?

Chances are you’re either puzzled and floundering a bit or disengaged and skimming at this point. Why? Because I didn’t help you find your bearings at the beginning. [Continue reading Find Your Bearings …]

Last week we started a new series, 5 Steps to Successful Narration. Do you remember the five steps? Don’t worry, we’ll review them often as we talk our way through them over the coming weeks.

It’s tempting to think that we can just open a book, start reading, ask one of the children to tell us what happened, and be done. But such a process leaves out a couple of key components that can make the difference between just going through the motions and real learning. And, after all, don’t we want our efforts to result in real learning? [Continue reading The Power of a Good Story …]

My husband has been lifting weights for several months now in an effort to get into shape and improve his health. It’s been good. The program he is using challenges him to regularly increase the number of pounds he lifts, and he was happily making progress and attaining new lift records until January rolled around. Then the wheels fell off the wagon.

All of a sudden he couldn’t progress any farther. He couldn’t lift anything heavier. What was wrong? After shooting some video and analyzing it, he discovered the problem: his form was off. He was not following the basic mechanics of how to lift correctly, and it was impeding his progress. [Continue reading 5 Steps to Successful Narration …]

It has been such a treat to be able to read history with my children over the past seventeen years of homeschooling. The Charlotte Mason method of using living books has made the various time periods come alive for me, and I have learned so much.

But never have I learned as much as I did when I read the manuscript for our new book, Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors! What a gem! [Continue reading New Book on Ancient Egypt and Her Neighbors …]

New arrivals bring excitement! Just this morning the doorbell rang and I found two cardboard boxes with little printed smiles on my front porch. As I waved to the man driving the big brown truck, the questions rang out from onlookers inside the house: “What’s in the box?” “Who is it for?”

It’s so nice when a resource arrives that will help make our lives a little simpler—whether it is something for the kitchen, something for the cleaning shelf, or something for homeschooling. [Continue reading New Arrivals from 2012 …]

Next week the children and I will recite together Luke 2:1–20. It’s always a blessing to hear that passage read aloud, but you cannot know the thrill of hearing it recited together as a family until you have experienced it for yourself.

Here’s how it came about. A couple of years ago we printed that passage out on a little card and listened to someone read it once every day until we all knew it and could recite the verses along with the one reading it. Then with a twinkle in my eye, I tucked the card behind the divider marked “25″ in our Scripture Memory Box so we would be sure to review and recite it on the 25th of each month, including December. I thought it would be appropriate. [Continue reading A Gift for You …]

Not long ago I found a copy of a book from the early 1900s that was used in Charlotte Mason’s schools. Many books like this contain an introduction full of helpful comments, but the introduction to this book was so refreshing that I wanted to share a portion of it with you.

Of course, it stands to reason that the comments would dovetail with Charlotte’s philosophy. But I often find it helpful to read the same sentiments put into different words. [Continue reading Hints to Teachers …]

At the store yesterday I noticed a display of 2013 calendars. Most were the kind that you hang on the wall, but I’ve come to prefer the kind that are printed like a book with plenty of room to write.

It’s gratifying to think that Charlotte Mason preferred a book-type calendar too, for she kept one each year. If you visit the digital archives of her personal papers, carefully collected and provided at Redeemer University College, you will see her calendar diaries.

I was looking through her 1890 diary and noticed that she recorded expenses, appointments, reminders, summaries of the day’s activities, even snatches of poetry and meaningful quotes. Her calendar diary was her personal journal, which seems to have served her well during her lifetime and through which we are privileged to have a glimpse into her daily life. [Continue reading A Personal Calendar Journal …]

Every year Practical Homeschooling magazine hosts their much-anticipated Reader Awards for various homeschool resources. The way it works is that the magazine’s readers have an opportunity to nominate their favorite products; then once the ballot is compiled, everyone votes on the products they have used, ranking their satisfaction with those resources.

We are honored to announce that Simply Charlotte Mason received seven PHS Reader Awards this year! [Continue reading SCM Wins Seven PHS Reader Awards! …]

In the past whenever I read Charlotte Mason’s statement about math, “I need not touch upon the subject of Mathematics. It is receiving ample attention, and is rapidly becoming an instrument for living teaching in our schools” (Vol. 3, p. 236), I would mentally interrupt the narrative with, No! No! Touch on math! Touch on math! How is it becoming an instrument for living teaching? How are you teaching it?

To be sure, I had found tidbits and glimpses scattered throughout her writings, but nowhere could I find a step-by-step explanation of what math lessons looked like in the different grades or what math topics were covered in which grades. [Continue reading New Book on Charlotte Mason Math …]

(I am so pleased to welcome a guest writer today as we finish up our Subject-by-Subject series. Richele Baburina has extensively researched Charlotte Mason’s approach to math. In fact, her new book, Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching, is due out next week! See below for more details, and enjoy this insightful summary of math the Charlotte Mason way.)

At the beginning of our series, we saw that Charlotte valued a generous curriculum. Though emphasis on the three R’s alone makes for a meager education, these subjects did have their rightful place of study. Today we will look at several of the methods Charlotte employed in the teaching of mathematics, some of which might surprise you. [Continue reading Teaching Math: Subject by Subject, Part 17 …]

It’s hard to believe we have only three subjects left in our Subject-by-Subject series. I hope you are enjoying this little tour through using Charlotte Mason methods to teach each school subject. And I hope the ideas have infused new life into your homeschool days!

Remember, you don’t have to teach every subject every day, but making sure you include the vast array of subjects that Charlotte included will give your home school a broad curriculum.

Today we will discuss how to teach art; next week will be poetry; and the week after that, to wrap up the series, we will focus on teaching math in a Charlotte Mason way. First, art. [Continue reading Teaching Art: Subject by Subject, Part 15 …]

When my oldest child was a little one, the thought of teaching her how to read hovered in my mind as a huge challenge. I don’t remember waking up at night, wondering if I would be able to teach her to tie her shoes or to drive a car; but I do remember staring at the ceiling in the dark, wondering if I would be able to teach her to read.

It can seem a daunting task, because so much of education depends on reading. The better a child can read, the easier his schooling will be. But let me assure you that most children will pick up reading quite naturally if raised in a language-rich environment where books are treasured. Many people who grow up in such an environment cannot recall exactly how they learned to read, but learn they did.

So relax, pour yourself a cup of your favorite beverage, and soak up Charlotte Mason’s gentle and natural approach to teaching your child to read—today’s addition to our Subject-by-Subject series. [Continue reading Teaching Beginning Reading: Subject by Subject, Part 14 …]

Most of you were probably taught English grammar the same way I was. In first grade we were told, “A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. Circle the nouns in these five sentences.”

Then in second grade we were told, “A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. Circle the nouns in these ten sentences.”

And in third grade we were told, “A noun is the name of a person, place, thing, or idea. Circle the nouns in these fifteen sentences.”

Charlotte Mason’s approach to grammar was vastly different. Let’s take a look as we continue our Subject-by-Subject series. [Continue reading Teaching Grammar: Subject by Subject, Part 13 …]

I’ve been cleaning off my bookshelves these past couple of weeks, trying to cull out duplicates. Now, usually duplicate copies of a title are not a problem in a household of readers, but when the shelves are full and you need more space . . . sacrifices must be made.

Most of the duplicates in my collection are literature books that have been added to our home library over the years. And as I pull each book off the shelf, my mind reflects on the characters inside. They are like old friends to me now. I have to keep reminding myself that I do still have a copy; it’s not like I’m getting rid of all those close companions completely! [Continue reading Teaching Literature: Subject by Subject, Part 12 …]

We have covered many school subjects so far in this series, talking about the methods Charlotte Mason used to teach each one. I hope you are feeling a bit more confident with teaching history, geography, spelling, Bible, handicrafts, science, foreign language, and music.

And you remember that you do not have to teach every subject every day. In fact, you should welcome variety; your children will gain much by it.

We have just a few subjects left: art, English grammar, literature, poetry, beginning reading, math, and writing (which we will talk about today). Ready to dive in? Let’s go. [Continue reading Teaching Writing: Subject by Subject, Part 11 …]

Many of you are diligently working on plans for the upcoming months and terms of your home school. As you put together your schedules, please keep in mind an important key principle. This principle is very freeing, plus it can help your school days run much more smoothly. The key principle is this:

You don’t have to do every subject every day.

Got it? Read it again.

Charlotte tried to have a variety of subjects scheduled each day of the week, so no two days looked the same. Variety in your daily schedule will help the students pay full attention, as we discussed at the beginning of this series. You may find the posts on A Generous Curriculum and Three Basic CM Principles helpful reminders as you lay down plans for the coming weeks of schooling. [Continue reading Teaching Music: Subject by Subject, Part 10 …]

If you had graduated from one of Charlotte Mason’s schools, you would have studied several different foreign languages: French, German, Italian, and Latin. And not just studied, but used and understood those languages quite well.

In fact, her students were so fluent in French that they could read or listen to a reading in that language and then give their narrations in that language. How did she accomplish that level of expertise? Let’s talk a bit about Charlotte’s approach to foreign language, as we continue this subject-by-subject series. [Continue reading Teaching Foreign Language: Subject by Subject, Part 9 …]

We hope this Subject-by-Subject series is proving helpful to you as you homeschool your children. We’ve already covered several school subjects: history, geography, spelling, Bible, and handicrafts. And we have several more to go as we discuss which methods Charlotte used to teach each one.

And remember, if you don’t want to wait for a particular subject to show up, you can always refer to this handy chart and short explanations to get a quick overview and remind yourself which Charlotte Mason methods to use to teach each subject.

Today let’s talk about teaching science. [Continue reading Teaching Science: Subject by Subject, Part 8 …]

Those of you who have been around the Charlotte Mason Method for any length of time have probably discovered for yourself what a nicely balanced approach it is. CM is not all books and narration.

Charlotte emphasized the importance of educating the whole person, and part of that total education involves working with your hands: “Another elemental relationship, which every child should be taught and encouraged to set up, is that of power over material. Every child makes sand castles, mud-pies, paper boats, and he or she should go on to work in clay, wood, brass, iron, leather, dress-stuffs, food-stuffs, furnishing-stuffs. He should be able to make with his hands and should take delight in making” (Vol. 3, p. 80).

As we continue in our Subject by Subject series, let’s take a look at handicrafts and how to teach them. [Continue reading Teaching Handicrafts: Subject by Subject, Part 7 …]

We’re pleased to announce the release of our latest Bible study, written in a Charlotte Mason style that encourages the students to interact directly with Scripture. Come, Lord Jesus: Lessons from Revelation walks your whole family through the book of Revelation episode by episode, pointing them to the verses and asking them to describe or draw the exciting scenes as they read about them.

Your children will learn to go to the Bible and see for themselves what it says, without depending on a human author to add his personal interpretation or time-table speculation. Use any Bible translation you prefer. [Continue reading New Revelation Bible Study …]

A smiling homeschool mom greeted me at a convention recently with these words: “Love, love, love the Scripture Memory System!” Of course, her comment made me smile too. It does my heart good when I hear that other families are memorizing the Bible together and reviewing those verses regularly.

As I tell people in my Discipleship Is . . . workshop, we should be careful not to teach our children that Scripture memory is a competition, a trick to be performed for a treat, or a skill only for children. It should be none of those things. Scripture memory should be a lifelong habit and another opportunity to encourage one another and build each other up. [Continue reading New Scripture Memory Video …]

Over the past three weeks we have pondered some wonderful gems of wisdom from Charlotte Mason.

Wisdom Gem #1: “Always remember that persons matter more than things. Don’t say anything that will leave a sting.”

Wisdom Gem #2: “State your theory and practice, but attack nothing. Be indignant at nothing. When people’s minds are put on the defensive they have no room to receive new ideas.”

Wisdom Gem #3: “It is pleasant to know that, even in mature life, it is possible by a little persistent effort to acquire a desirable habit.” [Continue reading New 2012-13 Calendar Journal: Wisdom for Moms …]

Simply Charlotte Mason is delighted to announce three new resources to help you teach modern history in a living way! The new books cover people and events from 1850 to the present day—both American history and world history.

Over the years I’ve discovered that the modern time period is one of the most difficult to find good living resources for; in particular, a good living spine book that will tell the stories of the time period and provide a continuous thread to which you may add biographies and other great living books. So I’m especially excited about Stories of America, Volume 2, and Stories of the Nations, Volume 2. With these two collections of living stories and the year’s worth of daily lesson plans in Modern Times, Epistles & Revelation, you’ll be well on your way to covering modern history simply and easily in a living CM way. [Continue reading Three New Modern History Books …]

In front of our house is a little perennial garden. I often tell people how much I love perennials because “you just plant them and forget them.” But that’s not quite true. Every morning as we return from walking the dog, we glance over that perennial garden and look for weeds. Usually there are only a couple of little ones, and we can easily pop them out of the ground and be done with garden care for the day.

But sometimes, when we’ve been traveling or when we’ve been busy and neglected the garden, we will see a weed patch with an occasional flower instead of a flower patch with an occasional weed. At times like those, we have to roll up our sleeves and set aside more concentrated time to work in that garden and get rid of those weeds. [Continue reading Pull the Weeds: A Growing Time, Part 3 …]

Picture study is such a great way to add a little something to your day that brings a nice change of pace and “freshens your wits,” as Charlotte liked to describe it. You don’t need an art degree to teach art appreciation with Charlotte Mason’s method. It’s simple yet effective.

Choose one artist. Look together at one of his works until you can see it clearly in your mind’s eye. Hide the picture and try to describe it in detail. Look at it again to confirm or clarify what you saw. Display that picture for the rest of the week. Next week do the same thing with a different picture by the same artist. Stay on that artist for several weeks, studying six or so of his pictures. If you can find a living biography about the artist, read it together. [Continue reading Picture Study FAQ and New Portfolios …]

We recently found two gems that are geared for elementary students but that the whole family will enjoy. Those are the best kind of gems!

I love to read a well-written elementary-level living book, for it keeps things focused and I usually walk away having learned something new. (Now, don’t get me wrong; I also love reading Dickens!)

The two books we want to tell you about today are just such works. Best of all they were both written in the “thick of things,” as the events were happening. So they give you a feeling that you were there during those days in history and you can know they were based on first-hand accounts. [Continue reading Two New History Books …]

A friend of mine posted a cartoon this week that caught my eye. The first character asks, “What exactly is a New Year’s resolution?” And the second replies, “It’s a to-do list for the first week of January.”

For some of us, that reply is all too true. Why? Because it is hard work making yourself do what you know you should, even when you don’t want to. When you’re snuggled in a warm bed and your alarm goes off to remind you to get up and exercise—again, in the dark, in the cold,—it takes a lot of effort to make yourself throw back those covers and get going. [Continue reading The Way of the Will, Free E-book …]

It seems that more and more homeschoolers are using audiobooks. It makes sense when you think about it, especially for those of us using the Charlotte Mason Method. We read a lot of books, and we keep an ongoing list of more books that we hope to read when we have a little extra time.

Audiobooks are a great way to save time and voice. I talk with moms all the time who play a recording of a selected living book during lunch or while running errands with the kids. Other moms use audiobooks for their own benefit, listening while they exercise. And some set it up so their younger students can listen to a chapter or two while Mom is busy working with the older students. [Continue reading New Audiobook of Outdoor Secrets …]

Note: This article is taken from I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will, our 2012 Charlotte Mason personal calendar journal. See details below.

To this day I don’t remember where, when, or whom; but I do remember the three-letter word and its power to completely change my attitude. Someone suggested that I tack this little word onto the end of any negative statement, such as “I can’t” or “My child is not able to” or “I haven’t gotten around to it.” I took this person’s advice, and it has made a world of difference in how I view my progress. [Continue reading Let Us Not Grow Weary …]

Have you ever noticed the different distances a Thank You can travel? I went through a drive-through the other day, and at the end of my order the employee told me the total and said, “Thank you.” That Thank You traveled from her head to my head.

On the other hand, I had lunch with a friend recently, and when we had finished talking about common struggles, she smiled and said, “Thank you.” That Thank You traveled from her heart to my heart. [Continue reading Straight from the Heart …]

It always intrigues me to find out exact titles that Charlotte Mason recommended in her writings and used in her schools. Recently I came across this recommendation:

Describing the best material to use for reading lessons, Charlotte said, Short fables, and such graceful, simple prose as we have in Mrs Gatty’s Parables from Nature, and, still better, in Mrs Barbauld’s prose poems, are very suitable. Even for their earliest reading lessons, it is unnecessary to put twaddle into the hands of children (Vol. 1, p. 205).

“Still better.” That phrase made me curious. So I did a little digging and unearthed a brilliant gem that Charlotte had already seen sparkling: Hymns in Prose for Children. [Continue reading “Still Better,” Hymns in Prose for Children …]

When it comes to cooking, it seems that there are two kinds of people: those who follow the recipe exactly and those who tweak it.

Those who tend to stick to the recipe probably like the security of doing what they’re told to do. Someone has already figured this out so I don’t have to can be a comforting thought. (Ask me how I know.)

But sometimes the recipe just doesn’t fit your situation. Maybe the person who created the recipe has a passion for hot and spicy, while your family prefers mildly spicy. Maybe the recipe says to bake at 450° for 15 minutes, but you know that your oven struggles to keep a constant heat at that high of a temperature. [Continue reading Teach the Child …]

I don’t know about you, but for me the two biggest challenges of teaching handicrafts are (1) not knowing how to do the craft myself and (2) coming up with projects. Despite my noticeable lack of “craftyness,” my oldest daughter Rebekah has become quite skilled in several handicrafts and has taught several children (and adults) how to sew and crochet and spin yarn and dye yarn and create props from cardboard and knit . . . .

So I asked Rebekah if she would be willing to share her knowledge and creativity to help make handicrafts a little simpler for Charlotte Mason homeschool moms, and she said yes. The result is the Handicrafts Made Simple DVD series. [Continue reading Handicrafts Made Simple DVD Series …]

Handicrafts and life skills are such a great way to spend cooler afternoons. And as the weather turns cold, they provide a wonderfully productive outlet for energetic minds and fingers indoors.

We like to combine handicrafts with life skills because there is a natural overlap and because Charlotte’s students were expected to do house work and garden work as part of their schooling. In fact, many times the handicrafts are listed under the heading of just plain “Work” on her schedules, along with life skills. [Continue reading Fall Handicrafts Tips and Ideas …]

It seems that children naturally want to make their mark as they grow. The tinies smear their highchair tray with sauces and puddings to explore what it might look like; the little ones scribble with crayons on any surface in sight; the older ones look for some clean paper on which to draw their imaginative pictures and soon want to add captions to those creations.

This progression is natural, and Charlotte Mason’s approach to teaching handwriting flows right along with that progression, moving at the child’s pace. Here is the process that Charlotte’s method follows. [Continue reading Delightful Handwriting …]

Ever since our first three Picture Study Portfolios came out, we have been receiving enthusiastic comments about them.

“I just purchased the Picture Study Portfolio featuring the works from Giotto at our homeschool conference today!! WOW!!!  These are beautiful, the colors are amazing, absolutely worth every penny. I am so excited to start picture studies with this artwork (we’re new to CM).  Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.  I cannot imagine getting nicer, larger sized prints at a museum shop, even!  Thank you so very much for putting these together, your SCM team is the best!!”—MonikaNC [Continue reading 3 New Picture Study Portfolios …]

This spring and summer have been chock full of homeschool conventions, and I have enjoyed many lovely opportunities to present workshops. It has been a blessing and a privilege to share ideas from my experience as a Charlotte Mason-style homeschool mom and from my heart as a mother of a special needs child.

As much as we would love to meet and encourage all of you, it is impossible for us to visit every homeschool conference, book fair, and convention across the country. So we are happy to be able to make available to you today some of the workshops I presented this year. One of our key goals at Simply Charlotte Mason is to help you keep things simple and to encourage you along the way. We hope these workshops will do just that. [Continue reading 3 New Workshop Recordings to Equip and Encourage Homeschool Moms …]

When I first heard about a Book of Centuries, I was relieved. Here was the perfect way to contain that wall timeline that was threatening to overtake my house—a timeline in a book! But, as usual, Charlotte Mason’s method was designed to do so much more than just keep things tidy.

With Charlotte’s Book of Centuries, the child creates his own keepsake of his studies, recording those people and events that have caught his interest and piqued his curiosity. And that’s when history really becomes memorable—when it’s personalized. What a great method! [Continue reading My Book of Centuries, A Great Joy …]

A few weeks ago we were on the road in Texas, between conventions, when our battery light came on. My husband is mechanically minded (for which I am often thankful), so he knew what to do. We found the nearest auto supply store that had free diagnostic testing, and they decided that it was either a bad alternator or a loose wire. We hoped for the loose wire, but it ended up being the alternator.

Now, it’s not easy to get at the alternator in our truck. My husband always takes a handy dandy tool kit along on our trips, and it proved its worth that time. But even with all of his tools, it was slow going until the service guy at the auto place loaned us a special tool, specifically built for one part of the process. That one tool couldn’t do the whole job, but it did its part well and contributed greatly to getting us back on the road in good time. [Continue reading A Variety of Tools for Teaching Reading …]

I am at peace. My mind can focus happily as I write this note. It is not wrestling with little nagging thoughts that flit in uninvited and interrupt the flow.

How did I achieve this happy state?, you ask.

Yesterday I took five minutes to make a list of meals for this week. This morning I simply glanced at the list, popped the potatoes into the slow cooker, and went on with my day, at peace. [Continue reading The Wonderful Ease of Having a Plan …]

We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on Charlotte Mason’s motto for students. There is much more to ponder, much more to consider and do to help our children realize the potential in those four powerful phrases: I am, I can, I ought, I will.

So we’re happy to announce that our new Charlotte Mason personal calendar journal is just back from the printer with even more articles on the student motto. Now you can have twelve months of I am, I can, I ought, I will encouragement in a beautiful keepsake, along with spacious calendars, places for prayer requests and gentle reminders, plenty of inspiring quotes, and lots of room to write! [Continue reading I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will Calendar Journal …]

Many years ago when I first started doing picture study, I felt a bit like a fish out of water. I had maybe heard of Monet (I pronounced it “mo-NET.”) but didn’t know anything about him or his pictures. Happily, one day in the discount section of a local bookstore, I found several large books of artists’ works, each book focusing on one artist. I snatched up those “finds” and have been using them ever since. Sadly, those bargain books are few and far between these days. [Continue reading Announcing Picture Study Portfolios: Picture Study, part 4 …]

As we have seen over the past couple of weeks, the Charlotte Mason method of picture study is a simple yet effective way to give our children art appreciation, fill their minds with beautiful ideas, and offer even more opportunities for them to make relations with what they are learning.

Over the years that we’ve been discussing and explaining picture study here at SCM, a few questions have appeared repeatedly. So we would like to mention them here, in case you have the same question. Hopefully these answers will be helpful. [Continue reading Picture Study FAQ: Picture Study, part 3 …]

Those of you who have looked over our Free Curriculum Guide know that it suggests that students cover Genesis through Revelation in a six-year cycle. The foundation is laid with an emphasis on Bible history (Genesis through Acts) during the first three years. Then the epistles and Revelation are studied during the final three years of the cycle. Throughout all six years, the older students are completing additional Bible studies.

Our new Bible study fits neatly with the Early Modern & Epistles module and focuses on the book of Hebrews. (Of course, you can use it any time you would like, though.) This 11-week Bible study, Jesus Is Better: Lessons from Hebrews, is designed for your family to do together. Now all your school-age children will be able to glean truths from Hebrews and learn how Jesus is better than anything. [Continue reading A New Family Bible Study on Hebrews …]

As you read this we will be on our way to another homeschool convention, this time in Duluth, Minnesota. Conventions can be great opportunities to recharge your batteries, discover new resources, and connect with kindred spirits.

They can also become overwhelming, tiring, and expensive if you’re not prepared.

So here are some short articles that we hope will help you to enter the convention doors well prepared and to leave well satisfied. [Continue reading Homeschool Convention Tips and Help …]

About a year ago we were scouring the shelves of an antique book store and came across a world history book for “young readers.” We gave it the one-page test and couldn’t put it down.

The author had such a wonderful gift of helping the reader to see the story with the mind’s eye, plus he told the story in such a grandfatherly tone, that we knew we wanted to get this treasure into everyone’s hands. It was fascinating for all ages! [Continue reading New History Resources …]

In the very first pages of her book, Home Education, Charlotte Mason challenged mothers to give their children a “thinking love.”

It’s easy to give our children an indulgent love that caters to their every whim. Or a lazy love that follows the crowd and does what is easiest. But giving them a thinking love requires effort.

Our new free e-book, A Thinking Love, walks through Charlotte’s wise counsel and practical suggestions for moms who want to consider, contemplate, and intentionally do what is best for their children. [Continue reading A Thinking Love, Free E-book …]

Those of you who have been on our e-mail list for a while know that we don’t normally release products so closely together. We try very hard to keep our posts mostly full of great Charlotte Mason homeschool tips.

But this week we’re making an exception for two reasons.

One, Doug is preparing an extra special free surprise for all of you and it’s not quite ready yet. Two, you will be able to take advantage of the special pricing on both new products for a few days this week.

So, without further ado, we would like to introduce Discipleship Is. [Continue reading Discipleship Workshop Now Available …]

It’s a question that seems to come up regularly: “Is my child learning enough?” Usually it comes from a homeschool mom who has recently discovered the Charlotte Mason Method.

She has eagerly embraced those methods and started using them with her children. She has seen enthusiasm and enjoyment and smiles begin to blossom in her home school. She has realized how much more pleasant this method is than spending hours over tedious textbooks and workbooks. And she starts to second-guess her decision. [Continue reading Is My Child Learning Enough? …]

Several months ago we received a note from a homeschool mom who was teaching her son how to read using Charlotte Mason’s method. (If you’re just joining this discussion, you can read our articles about Charlotte’s method of teaching reading.)

This mom had pulled together some wonderfully rich reading selections and seemed to have a solid grasp of how Charlotte taught reading. We so enjoyed reading through her lesson plans, nodding our heads at her helpful ideas, and smiling at her inventive extra sentences! [Continue reading Delightful Reading: A Charlotte Mason Reading Curriculum …]

What do you picture in your mind when you read the word “obstacle”? How large of an obstacle do you imagine?

Obstacles can be of various sizes, you know. For example, you might encounter an empty tissue box sitting on the floor right where you intended to sweep. That tissue box is an obstacle, but you can easily pick it up and remove it.

On the other hand, the Rocky Mountains were quite the obstacle for Lewis and Clark to overcome on their trek across America. That size of an obstacle is not as easily removed. [Continue reading Overcoming 3 Obstacles to Enjoying Handicrafts: Handicrafts, part 3 …]

There is one question we see a lot when talking about elementary science lessons:

“But is it enough?”

Charlotte Mason used nature study and living science books with narration to teach science in the younger grades.

We CMers want to believe that those methods will accomplish what is needed during the elementary years, but for some reason it’s easy to keep second-guessing ourselves. Are nature study and living books enough? [Continue reading New Living Science Book: The Outdoor Secrets Companion …]

On Monday it seemed like most of my friends on Facebook were saying the same thing, “Can you believe it’s November already? Where has the year gone!”

2011 is fast approaching, and our latest calendar journal, The Way of the Will, is ready to walk through it with you.

Each month you will find an article that encourages you to consider your child’s will. Is he strong-willed or weak-willed? Charlotte Mason’s answer might surprise you, but it will also help you. And each month you will consider another aspect of training your child’s will to help him become strong in character. [Continue reading 2011 Calendar Journal: The Way of the Will …]

“You mean I don’t have to teach English grammar all year long in every grade?” Esther was astonished.

“You’re already teaching the correct way to use words every time you have the children read or write or tell or listen. ‘Grammar’ just means the set of rules for speaking and writing a language.” Beth smiled. “Think of it this way: Let’s say you wanted to learn how to play chess. Your household was full of chess players already, so you had ample opportunity to watch them play and try your hand at playing too. Would you learn how to play correctly?” [Continue reading A Charlotte Mason Approach to English Grammar: Language Arts, part 9 …]

If you have been following our Language Arts series from the beginning, you will remember that Charlotte Mason approached language arts in a balanced two-pronged way: first, she integrated many language arts skills into regular school subjects; and second, she taught some skills with specific language arts lessons.

We’re about to wrap up the series. Today we’ll discuss another specific language arts lesson: poetry. (And we’ll throw in Shakespeare too.) Next week we’ll finish up with how Charlotte taught English Grammar. [Continue reading Poetry: Language Arts, part 8 …]

In studying to put together our new book, Hearing and Reading, Telling and Writing: A Charlotte Mason Language Arts Handbook, I was once again amazed at the way Charlotte could take a simple idea and pack it full of benefits.

Take copywork, transcription, and dictation, for examples. Each of those methods is pretty simple to do and has one specific focus; however, each also reinforces several other language skills. [Continue reading Copywork, Transcription, Dictation: Language Arts, part 7 …]

People often ask me what curriculum I used to teach my children to read. I didn’t use one. We just played with letters and their sounds, and eventually, when they were ready, I showed them how to put those sounds together to figure out words.

That method worked well for my first three children, but for my youngest it just wasn’t clicking. There was one component that we were missing; when we added that component, everything fell into place. [Continue reading Teaching Reading: Language Arts, part 6 …]

If I were to ask you to write about your favorite kitchen appliance, your brain would begin working right away. In fact, you’re probably picturing your favorite appliance in your mind’s eye right now.

Your mind would think of all the ways you like to use that appliance and how it makes your life easier and what kinds of things you have produced with it, and maybe you would mentally compare it to other appliances you have tried. [Continue reading Composition the Charlotte Mason Way: Language Arts, part 5 …]

Narration is a cornerstone of Charlotte Mason’s language arts program. She wrote extensively on the subject, giving lots of helpful and practical tips.

In one sense, narration is simple; in another sense, it is an art form. So it’s no surprise that many moms have questions about doing narration.

What better place to get answers than from Charlotte’s own words!

Below are some common questions along with their answers quoted directly from Charlotte’s original writings. (The volume and page numbers refer to the books of her writings published as the Original Home Schooling Series. Printed copies and online copies are readily available.) [Continue reading Charlotte Mason Answers Your Questions about Narration: Language Arts, part 4 …]

If your school experience was anything like mine, you most likely sat through a multitude of vocabulary worksheets and reading comprehension worksheets in every grade. Plus, you probably had a separate class for Literature in junior high or high school.

Charlotte Mason’s approach to those subjects was much simpler and more effective. The three skills were not pulled out and tackled separately. She integrated good literature into other subjects like History, Geography, Science, and more. She believed the children would naturally expand their vocabularies as they read those good books. And she emphasized the necessity of reading carefully for comprehension in all subjects. [Continue reading Literature, Vocabulary, and Comprehension: Language Arts, part 3 …]

As we mentioned last week, Charlotte taught all the language arts skills in just a few power-packed subjects. One of Charlotte’s main strategies was to integrate language arts studies into other subjects, rather than pulling them out as separate skills. So as the students were doing History, for example, they were also practicing listening, reading, speaking, and writing, because Charlotte used the methods of Reading for Instruction and Narration for History.

Then Charlotte coupled that integrated approach with teaching some specific language arts lessons for a few particular subjects. Here’s the breakdown of her language arts program. [Continue reading Charlotte Mason’s Language Arts Program: Language Arts, part 2 …]

We all know how hard it is to find a good living book that relates American history from 1900–2010. Well, we would like to do something about that, and we would love for you to join us. Here’s the idea.

What if we in the CM community pool our love for good stories and our knowledge of recent American history? Maybe one person can’t write the entire book, but many of us have areas of interest and could write living stories about those events at least. [Continue reading Call for Writers: SCM American History Project …]

In my years of helping other Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, probably the one topic that comes up most often is language arts. I receive questions from “How do you do language arts the Charlotte Mason way?” to “What about composition?” to “How do you teach spelling and vocabulary?” to “Can you recommend a living English grammar book?”

So let’s take some time to look together at language arts. Over the next several weeks we will discuss what is included in language arts and how Charlotte taught all those components in simple yet effective ways. Today, let’s start by defining what “language arts” means. [Continue reading What Exactly Is Language Arts?: Language Arts, part 1 …]

Charlotte Mason thought that the Bible lesson should be the most important lesson of the day. We think so too.

But as my children grew older, I found it harder to apply Charlotte’s wonderful principles of direct contact with Scripture and forming your own relation with it through forms of narration.

You see, in the younger years, it was easy to simply read aloud the great accounts of the Old Testament and the Life of Christ and have the children narrate the episodes. But once we got into the older years, I wanted my children to learn how to study the entire Bible for themselves, to think about cause and effect, to learn how to analyze and synthesize and categorize in an effort to understand. But almost all the Bible studies I found used fill-in-the-blank, true-and-false, multiple choice, direct questions—all the things Charlotte told us to avoid if we wanted to encourage real learning. [Continue reading Charlotte Mason-style Bible Studies …]

We promised a little surprise this week and here it is: We are pleased to offer you this free book, Getting Started in Homeschooling.

All the information from this Getting Started article series, plus more helpful material, is collected into this one convenient and encouraging book.

Download your free copy of Getting Started in Homeschooling, and feel free to pass it along to your friends. We hope it will be helpful to everyone who is getting ready to embark on this exciting journey of homeschooling! [Continue reading Free Homeschool Book: Getting Started, part 6 …]

When I got married, I knew how to cook exactly two dishes: canned soup over rice and macaroni and cheese from a box. (And once I forgot to drain the macaroni.) Needless to say, those first few meals required a lot of effort and thinking on my part. But the more I cooked, the easier it got. Now I can cook a meal in my sleep.

It’s the same with getting started in homeschooling. The Charlotte Mason methods may be new to you, something you’ve never done before. At first it may require a lot of thinking and effort on your part; but take heart, the more you do it, the easier it will get. [Continue reading Homeschooling One Step at a Time: Getting Started, part 5 …]

When I first heard about the Charlotte Mason Method, I envisioned my children and me sitting on the couch, reading wonderful books together and smiling. Well, we have done a lot of reading—and a lot of smiling—with the wonderful books. But over the years I have learned that there is much more to the Charlotte Mason approach.

Charlotte interspersed that reading and narrating with some other activities that used different parts of the brain and body. (Remember, that’s one of the basic principles.)

Today let’s take a look at some of those great Charlotte Mason activities that you can use to add variety to your days. [Continue reading Hands-On Methods the CM Way: Getting Started, part 4 …]

Don’t you love it when you can take just a couple of basic ideas, combine them with a couple of skills, and use them to accomplish a lot?

Take sewing, for example. The basic ideas to keep in mind for general sewing are (1) allow 5/8″ from the edge of the fabric to the seam, and (2) put the right sides of the fabric together.

Combine those ideas with a couple of skills—like (1) learning how to “steer” the fabric as it feeds into the sewing machine, and (2) running the foot pedal—and you can make a pillowcase pretty quickly, or some curtains, or a bedspread. [Continue reading Basic Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Skills: Getting Started, part 3 …]

Our family has been cooking and serving some meals for large groups lately. That’s a new adventure for us—not the cooking part, the “for large groups” part. So we’ve been scouring the Internet for helpful tips, ideas, and recipes.

Along the way we’ve discovered an important principle: Always know who is giving you advice. If a person posts a tip or a recipe with a hint as to how to make it serve a large group, we check to see if that person has actually served any large groups. [Continue reading Where Do You Get Your Homeschool Advice? Getting Started, part 2 …]

Planning season is upon us, and many people are using our free SCM Curriculum Guide to help make those decisions easier. We’ve been getting some questions on how our History, Bible, and Geography modules work, so let’s take a moment to walk through that flexible part of our curriculum guide.

I’m a firm believer in combining the children for as many subjects as possible, so the History, Bible, and Geography modules are set up that way.

The six modules cover six time periods through history. [Continue reading How to Use the SCM History Modules …]

We hope you’re enjoying the articles in the “Way of the Will” series. Charlotte had so many very practical insights and tips for parents!

We’re happy to announce that our new calendar journal, The Way of the Will, is now available. The articles in this series are taken from that calendar journal. Plus, the journal contains eight more articles on helping our children strengthen their wills to choose what is right.

We will continue our series next week, but we wanted to let you know about this popular resource just as soon as it was ready. [Continue reading The Way of the Will Calendar Journal …]

We are beginning a new series today on “The Way of the Will.” Over the next few weeks we will take a look at some of Charlotte Mason’s thoughts on how our children’s wills shape their characters for life.

If you have ever been on a diet, you are intimately acquainted with what Charlotte Mason called “the way of the will.”

Let’s say your friend invites you out to lunch. As you open the menu, you dutifully look for the salad section and make your selection. But as you set down the menu to wait for the server, your gaze falls on a gorgeous picture of chocolate cake. Moist, three-layer chocolate cake. With raspberry sauce. [Continue reading The Way of the Will, part 1 …]

At the Texas Book Fair last weekend, we were able to help many homeschoolers who were trying to stay within their budgets. And when we would tell them about all the free resources on our Web site, it was fun to watch their eyes light up when they heard the word “free.”

So we thought many of you might like a reminder of all the free books and other resources that are available at SCM to help you homeschool with the Charlotte Mason Method. [Continue reading Free Books and Resources at SCM …]

As we mentioned last week, we are very excited about a newly-completed project. Our Books & Things Seminar is now available on DVD!

Charlotte noted how an education based on books and things can simplify our home schools. Using good living books and the things around us to educate our children is also a very economical style of homeschooling.

Some of you may remember our Books & Things article series last year that gave an overview of these principles. [Continue reading New Books & Things Seminar on DVD …]

We hope you’ve been enjoying the series on homeschooling through high school the CM way. We are interrupting this series because we know many of you have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of three new products, and we thought you would want to know that they are here!

Middle Ages, Renaissance, Reformation & Epistles Handbook

[Continue reading New Middle Ages Handbook and Two Bible Studies …]

Last week we talked about the methods that remain consistent through high school when approached the Charlotte Mason way: a wide variety of subjects, living books, and narration. This week let’s take a closer look at specific subjects.

It appears from our research that Charlotte outlined the following subjects for the high school years: math, science, English grammar, composition, spelling, personal development/citizenship, foreign language, history, geography, Bible, literature, poetry, nature study, art, music, Shakespeare. [Continue reading Details by Subject: Homeschooling through High School the CM Way, part 2 …]

High School. Maybe it’s the name. Maybe it’s the emphasis our culture seems to place on its importance. Maybe it’s the expectations that we carry from our own past experiences.

Whatever the cause, it seems like many factors can contribute to a sense of intimidation when we think of teaching “high school.”

Then, along with that feeling of foreboding, add the thought of teaching high school in a non-traditional way—using Charlotte Mason methods—and it’s enough to cause even a seasoned homeschooler to take pause. [Continue reading Basic Mainstays: Homeschooling through High School the CM Way, part 1 …]

Charlotte Mason had a knack for keeping school interesting. Not only did she include a variety of subjects, but she taught those subjects with enjoyable (and effective) methods.

Take the subject of spelling, for example. Most of us were taught spelling with lists of words. Charlotte realized that lists have drawbacks: they aren’t interesting and they don’t show the words in context. Spelling is a lot more enjoyable when the student receives his spelling words couched in an interesting idea. [Continue reading Homeschool Spelling the Charlotte Mason Way …]

We have enjoyed some wonderful discussions on the SCM Forum lately. Here are some highlights that are sure to furnish you with ideas, encourage you along your homeschooling path, or give you some helpful tips.

• They Are Asking for Grades—What if your children ask for grades? A great discussion on how Charlotte Mason thought we should motivate our children and what that might look like in our homes.

[Continue reading Ideas, Encouragement, and Help …]

It’s getting to be about that time again — the season when many of us get the itch to start planning our next school year. Here are five things to keep in mind whether you are in the midst of planning or just trying to finish out this year.

1. Include more than just books.

   A Charlotte Mason education is one that uses both books and things. It includes hands-on activities like nature study, handicrafts, music, and art. Yet it seems like those activities are the items that most easily get pushed to the side. If you’ve found that “things” have slipped off your schedule, don’t give up. Put them back in your plan with a new resolve to enjoy the change of pace and enrichment they will bring.

[Continue reading 5 Things to Remember When You’re Planning Your Homeschool Curriculum …]

Don’t you just love it when you discover a way to make an old favorite even better? Like when my daughter comes up with a change to an old family recipe that makes us all ask for seconds or even thirds.

Here at SCM we’re excited to share with you a new version of an old favorite. Our Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt handbook is now available in an updated and expanded edition.

Those of you who have been waiting for the Second Edition, here it is! [Continue reading 2nd Edition Genesis through Deuteronomy & Ancient Egypt Now Available! …]

It’s our pleasure to announce a new free e-book on habits, Smooth and Easy Days with Charlotte Mason.

A new year lies before us. Perhaps you have some new goals and commitments with the turning of the calendar page. No doubt many of those goals, if not all, will depend on forming some new habit or breaking some bad habit.

In this season of renewed focus, it helps to remember Charlotte Mason’s counsel on breaking bad habits: “Introduce some new habit as attractive to the child as is the wrong habit you set yourself to cure” (Vol. 2, p. 175). Concentrate on replacing the old habit with a new good habit. [Continue reading New Free E-book on Habits …]

We’re in the process of cataloging our home library with some new software. It’s turning out to be a great time of renewing old acquaintances. Books that I knew I had read somewhere turn up in the back row of a shelf. (Please tell me I’m not the only one who double stacks rows of books on shelves.)

I’m excited about having a record of all my books in one place for easy reference. It will be so helpful to find what I’m looking for at a glance. [Continue reading Renewing Old Acquaintances …]

Many school subjects are easy to do all together as a family regardless of the ages of the children. Last week we talked about how to combine the grade levels for subjects that involve books. This week let’s look at subjects that are more hands-on.

Picture Study

When you do picture study the Charlotte Mason way, you are allowing each child to form his own relationship with the picture and artist, so it’s easy to combine all your students. [Continue reading Combining Homeschool Grade Levels, Part 3 …]

We’re wrapping up this series on The Early Years with a few ideas specifically for you moms who have both preschoolers and school-age children.

Getting your older children’s school work done with preschoolers in the mix can be challenging. So here is an article from our archives with some tips, Preschoolers in the Mix. We hope the suggestions will be helpful. [Continue reading Tips for Teaching at Home with Preschoolers in the Mix–Early Years Homeschooling, Part 7 …]

My children have always loved a good book. I remember when my first two were preschoolers, we had two reading times set aside each day. They would come running to the couch with their arms full of their book choices—often from their special favorites—and we would read . . . and read . . . and read. Pretty soon I had to start setting the timer for twenty minutes, just so I wouldn’t lose my voice.

(By the way, a stack of books is a great opportunity to introduce the concept of “A-B-C order.” Rather than quarreling over which book should be read first, I would help them arrange the stack in alphabetical order according to title, then set the timer and read as far as we could get before it dinged.) [Continue reading Books & Stories in the Early Years–Early Years Homeschooling, Part 5 …]

A new arrival always brings excitement, and we’re excited about the new arrival at SCM—The Early Years: A Charlotte Mason Preschool Handbook! This book is filled with Charlotte Mason’s ideas for the preschool years, presented in bite-size chunks with modern-day examples, inspiring quotes, and practical tips.

The ideas presented in our series on the Early Years have been taken from the information in this book. Of course, you’ll find much more detail and many more ideas in its 144 pages. Topics include habit training, proper physical care, using the senses, outdoor life, a personal acquaintance with nature, books and stores, art and music, spiritual life, parenting a gifted child, Charlotte’s thoughts on kindergarten, teaching reading, and more. [Continue reading New Early Years Homeschool Book …]

“In this time of extraordinary pressure, educational and social, perhaps a mother’s first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time, a full six years of passive receptive life, the waking part of it spent for the most part out in the fresh air” (Vol. 1, p. 43).

Did you catch that? Even in Charlotte Mason’s day, a hundred years ago, mothers were feeling the pressure to push their preschool children in academics and social activities. But Charlotte advocated an opposite approach that still holds benefits for you today. [Continue reading Outdoor Life for Preschoolers–Early Years Homeschooling, Part 4 …]

A few weeks ago I was in the mountains of Colorado and noticed an unusual lamppost. This lamppost was made from a tree. But that wasn’t the unusual part. The unusual part was the complete curly-que that the tree trunk made right beneath the lamp. It looked like one of those silly straws that have a loop in the middle.

Someone had trained that tree to grow in that direction when it was just a sapling. Sure, full-grown trees can be trained to grow in certain ways, but it is so much easier to shape a tree when it is young and pliable. [Continue reading Habit Training in the Early Years–Early Years Homeschooling, Part 2 …]

“This homeschooling full-time looks so intimidating!”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to keep up with everything that is expected of me.”

“What if one of my children has special needs, or what if I get sick, or what if I have to go back to work?”

“Sometimes I feel like it’s me against the world.”

“I’m afraid I’ll ruin my child because I don’t know much about the subject he loves.” [Continue reading Looking Past Your Homeschool Fears …]

We have a full line-up of seminars and workshops that Sonya will be presenting this fall during October and November. The SCM Team has fondly dubbed this series of events the “SCM Southern Tour,” and we are eager to meet and encourage many of you during these days of travel. Please don’t feel left out if you don’t live in the southern US. We have an option for you too. [Continue reading SCM Seminars and Workshops This Fall …]

We have a secret. Well, it’s not really meant to be a secret. It’s meant to be a big help to you. So we’re letting everybody know about the secret . . . that’s not supposed to be a secret. Hmm, . . . this is getting complicated. Anyway, here’s the scoop.

For nearly every book that we publish, we include a page of helpful links, practical tips, and other useful information. It’s called the “Links, updates, & tips” page. You’ll find it on each book’s page on our site. [Continue reading A Well-Kept Secret …]

We hope the steps outlined in Stages 1 and 2 have been helpful as you make the transition to the Charlotte Mason Method. By the time you are ready to move on, you should be feeling pretty comfortable with the changes you and your children have made. Stage 3 is the time to check your existing Science, Math, Language Arts, and Bible curricula to see if they are CM compatible.

Science

Your science books should use a conversational tone (as if speaking directly to the reader) or a narrative (story) style. If the book reads like an encyclopedia, you may need to make a switch. In science, as in several other subjects, living books and narration work well. Many good living science books are available. Read the sample of Jack’s Insects for a great example of a science book written in narrative style. [Continue reading Transition to CM, Stage 3: Check Up …]

Joan wanted a garden. In her mind this garden would provide healthful fresh vegetables for her family. She could picture the crisp green beans, sweet onions, and bright red tomatoes. In fact, she could almost taste the fresh salsa!

But Joan was new to this whole gardening thing. She decided she needed some instructions that she could follow to the letter, something that would guarantee success. So Joan bought a book called 283 Easy Steps to a Healthy Vegetable Garden. [Continue reading A System or a Method? …]

What a great time we’ve had traveling to North Carolina, Iowa, and Ohio the past few weeks and meeting many of you at the homeschool book fairs and conventions! We’re looking forward to one more Expo the end of this month. Any of you who will be attending the CSTHEA curriculum fair on July 24 and 25 near Chattanooga, please stop by our booth and say hello. Sonya will be presenting two workshops, and we would love to meet you there!

[Continue reading SCM Summer Update …]

We hope you have been enjoying our current series on how the Charlotte Mason Method is different from other homeschool approaches. We’ll get back to our series next week. This week we wanted to let you know about a great new resource.

Letters from Egypt

Last summer while I was visiting family in Iowa, we spent a beautiful morning browsing through some antique shops. Of course, I’m interested in only one kind of antique: antique books! [Continue reading Letters from Egypt Now Available …]

One of my goals for my older students is to teach them how to perform various types of Bible studies, like character studies or topical studies. So I try to incorporate that goal in our history and Bible study each year.

If you use our family study handbooks, you’ll see those Bible studies listed in the lesson plans for grades 7–12.

[Continue reading Romans Bible Study for Grades 7-12 …]

Well, I almost have my voice back. Those of you who were at the Georgia homeschool convention (GHEA) this past weekend know what I’m talking about. We had a great time chatting with the hundreds of people who stopped by the Simply Charlotte Mason booth!

Our workshop, Charlotte Mason and Her Methods, ended up standing room only. [Continue reading SCM Spring Update …]

When I was growing up in Sunday School and church, I heard the stories of the Bible many times. I could tell you all the details of Who, What, Why, and How. But I never thought about the When. I knew those Bible accounts were true, just like the history accounts I read were true, but I never put the two subjects together to comprehend how Bible events fit into world history events.

I also never thought about how the different Bible stories fit together. For example, I knew the story of Joseph’s being sold into slavery and eventually rising into the place of leadership in Egypt, [Continue reading New Matthew through Acts & Ancient Rome Handbook …]

I well remember the first homeschool convention I attended. I was very excited to gain the insights and tips from the workshops I had selected from the brochure’s schedule. I was eager to listen to veteran homeschoolers, get some encouragement, and take lots of notes.

But I was not prepared for the vendor hall.

[Continue reading Preparing for a Homeschool Convention …]

Today is grocery day at our house. And you can be sure that after last time’s post, I’m going to be picky in the produce section.

But you know, bringing home that delightful food is just the first step. It’s what you do with it after you get it home that counts.

If I set all that delicious fruit on the countertop, arrange it nicely, and make a point of looking at it every day, it will profit me nothing. In fact, it will turn into a wasteful distraction.

It’s the same with books. Selecting good living books [Continue reading Using Living Books Effectively …]

It’s rather entertaining to watch shoppers in the produce section. Some approach a fruit stand with fear and trepidation. They know they’re supposed to be picky about which mangos they buy, but they haven’t the foggiest idea how to tell if it’s ripe, not yet ripe, or past its prime. [Continue reading Choosing Books Like a Connoisseur …]

“Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there stood in a large orchard a beautiful Apple-Tree. All through the long winter it had held out bare branches. The March sun whispered to it that spring had come. But the cold March winds were not a bit polite, and would say: ‘No, it hasn’t.’ . . .”

I dare say that many of us feel like that apple tree. Now that March is here, we all wish that spring has come with it. We are getting that itch to go outside, soak in the fresh air, and explore.

What a perfect time to read about nature secrets that may be hiding in your own backyard! [Continue reading Outdoor Secrets Nature Stories …]

After our previous post, many of you contacted us to find out where you might be able to get a copy of the book we mentioned: The Swedish Drill Teacher by M. H. Spalding.

Originally published in 1910, this book gives the most comprehensive explanation of Swedish Drill that we’ve found. Charlotte Mason used Swedish Drill exercises as part of her physical education program for her students. [Continue reading The Swedish Drill Teacher …]

Do you ever feel like you’re on the Mommy See-saw?

“I must teach my child to obey, yet I don’t want to be a dictator.”

“I want my child to enjoy his childhood, but I can’t just allow him to run wild and do anything he wants to do.”

Welcome to the Mommy See-saw. Up and down, back and forth we teeter, wishing we knew the secret to keeping a happy balance.

Charlotte Mason called that happy balanced state Masterly Inactivity. [Continue reading Masterly Inactivity Free Charlotte Mason E-Book …]

We hope you’ve enjoyed the habit-training articles from the past few weeks. They are just a sampling of the thirteen articles and more than fifty Charlotte Mason quotes included in our new 2009 calendar journal, A Year of Smooth and Easy Days. [Continue reading 2009 Calendar Now Available …]

I recently got a new printer for my computer, and as I was unpacking it I came upon a huge stack of user documents. My heart sank. The amount of information was a bit overwhelming. It was all helpful, to be sure; but the sheer volume of it all looked intimidating, and I didn’t know where to begin.

Then my gaze fell upon these welcome words: Quick Start. [Continue reading Habits Workshop Now on DVD! …]

The past few months have brought about some changes for our SCM books. We think they’re good changes! Here are the details for you. [Continue reading SCM Book News …]

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.

[Continue reading 5 Ways to Find Living Books …]

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: [Continue reading Confident Dictation …]

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?” [Continue reading Charlotte Who? …]

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 the will.

Their replies included words like “gentle,” “natural,” “loving,” “alive,” “flexible,” “thorough,” “relaxed,” and “nurturing” to describe Charlotte’s approach to education.

Several of the moms also named specific CM methods that they love. Here are the top five methods they mentioned: [Continue reading Charlotte’s Attractive Approach …]

Ever try to post a timeline on your living room wall? It seems like those strips of paper soon spill over onto the hallway wall, and the kitchen, then the dining room, and before you know it, they’re creeping toward the stairway to the bedrooms. Charlotte Mason had a great idea when she used a Book of Centuries with her students. [Continue reading Book of Centuries …]

We frequently hear the question, “What kinds of Charlotte Mason things can I do with my children in the early years — before we start formal schooling?”

First, give them plenty of free-play time outdoors. Let them run, yell, climb, get dirty, and become friends with the various aspects of nature in their community. If they’re curious about the name of a certain flower, tree, or bug, give them that information; otherwise, just let them play.

Second, if you’re already educating older children using Charlotte Mason’s methods, the younger ones can easily join in when you do Picture Study, Music Study, and Nature Study. Invite their participation, but don’t compel them. Simply spread the feast before them and let them partake as desired.

Third, read lots of good books together, avoiding twaddle. Many moms have asked for a list of titles, so we’ve added a page of more than seventy Early Years Books. These books were introduced to our children in their early years (ages 2-5) and have become well-loved friends.

In the Charlotte Mason method of education, lessons should be completed in the mornings. So what do you do with your child during the afternoons?

For one thing, Charlotte advocated the child’s learning handicrafts. In her day, those handicrafts could help to support and enable the child as he or she grew to adulthood. So we have expanded our handicrafts list to include life skills, which are likewise important in teaching children to be industrious and preparing them to manage their own households someday.

Take a look at our (always incomplete) list of more than fifty possible Handicrafts and Life Skills — another one of our CM Time Savers.

You’ll also find Charlotte’s four guidelines for teaching handicrafts (which also apply to life skills). We hope this list will get you started along the enjoyable and educational road that can wind through free afternoons.

About five years ago the Shafers discovered a great little system to help us memorize and review Scripture as a family. By using Charlotte Mason’s wonderful method of recitation and this simple review system, we’ve been able to memorize and remember hundreds of verses in just five to ten minutes a day. (And isn’t “remembering” the key?)

We’ve provided easy step-by-step instructions for you to create this same Scripture Memory System for your own family. Those of you who have read previous updates from us know that this System is one of the Time Savers we mentioned; it’s ready for you now.

We think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at how simple it is to hide God’s Word in your hearts as a family, and we hope you’ll make it a lifelong habit.

For some time now, we’ve been telling you about the features we’re planning and building for Simply Charlotte Mason. Many of you have responded with encouraging comments, suggestions, and questions. Thank you!

One question we are asked repeatedly is “When will it be ready to use?” [Continue reading Your CM Destinations …]

Over the years we’ve gathered some great information and created some documents that have been helpful in our homeschooling. We want to save you time and effort by making those tools available to you, so we’re planning to have them as free downloads and printable pages on SimplyCharlotteMason. What kind of time-savers? Here’s a short list. [Continue reading Time-Savers …]

When you get a home library as large as ours are, it’s easy to get confused between what you thought about buying and did; what you thought about buying and decided to get from the library instead; what you want to remember to buy for a future study; what you have on your perpetual wish list; and what you actually need to buy for the next couple of months.

We’re working on an organizational feature in Simply Charlotte Mason to help moms keep track of all the books and other resources they deal with: personal book lists. Right now we’re planning on three options for your personal book lists:

• Later List – for resources you’re interested in but don’t want to schedule right away
• Library List – for resources you want to borrow from the library or someone else
• Shopping List – for resources you want to buy for your home library

So when you select a resource from the database, you can add it to any of these lists and/or schedule it. Any other lists you’d like to suggest?

Hopefully, this feature will help make all our homes a little more organized and all our home libraries a little bit larger! (Now, if we just had more bookshelves . . .)

If you’re like us (and most CM moms), living books are good friends, not just pieces of paper glued together. But good friends — as the saying goes — are hard to find.

And the survey results agree. Next to planning and record keeping issues (the top three), the most difficult aspect of homeschooling the CM way is “finding and choosing books and resources.” [Continue reading Books, Etc. …]