Sonya Shafer

Joined: April 19, 2006
Articles: 918
Comments: 658

Charlotte Mason Method

Now Get Free Shipping Every Day

Don’t you love it when you finally reach a goal that you have had your eye on for many years? Well, the year 2017 reflects just such a milestone goal for SCM. We are excited to announce that Free Shipping…

Sonya Shafer
January 4, 2017
1 Comment

Encouragement

Happy Results: Delight S.’s Habit Story

When we think of habits to be formed, we often think of tasks that will make our homes run smoother. We may look at a new year and decide to help our children focus on picking up toys, brushing teeth,…

Sonya Shafer
December 28, 2016

Seasonal Inspiration

Take Joy Home

I like to ponder this poem that Charlotte Mason and her student teachers pondered every Christmas season. Take joy home,And make a place in thy great heart for her,And give her time to grow, and cherish her!Then will She come…

Sonya Shafer
December 21, 2016
1 Comment

Encouragement

Happy Results: Zelena O.’s Music Study Story

Music is such a gift! And it doesn’t take a lot to give that gift to your children. Simply focusing on one composer for several weeks, listening to his works and enjoying them together, can have a large impact. Zelena…

Sonya Shafer
December 14, 2016

Charlotte Mason Method, Special Needs, Education Is, Nature Study, Homeschool Planning

Two Ways to Save at SCM

“Something old and something new.” Isn’t that how the rhyme goes? I know it is usually used in a wedding context, but those phrases keep coming to mind because we have two exciting announcements to make. Both of which will…

Sonya Shafer
November 30, 2016
2 Comments

Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method

New Shakespeare in Three Steps: Twelfth Night and Macbeth

The other day I heard someone describe Shakespeare’s plays as the “sitcoms of the 16th and 17th centuries.” At first I thought that was a trivial comparison; but the more I ponder it, the more sense it makes. Shakespeare’s plays…

Sonya Shafer
November 16, 2016

Charlotte Mason Method, Encouragement

Happy Results: Bek M.’s Nature Study Story

Nature study is such a wonderful opportunity for learning no matter where you live. The main thing is to keep your ears and eyes open to the natural world around you and be willing to explore where it takes you.…

Sonya Shafer
November 8, 2016

Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant

Books & Resources, Special Needs

Uniquely Human: A Book Review

I have a new favorite book about loving and educating a child with autism: Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant. I want to get copies for everyone in my extended family. I want to…

Sonya Shafer
November 3, 2016
6 Comments

Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method

More Poems to Enjoy: Holmes and Whittier

I love Charlotte Mason’s “permission” to simply enjoy poetry. The weekly happy opportunities to read a poem with my children have enriched my own spirit. There is something refreshing about having the freedom to make my own relations with the…

Sonya Shafer
October 26, 2016
1 Comment

Charlotte Mason Method, Encouragement

Happy Results: Katherine R.’s Book of Centuries Story

Charlotte Mason’s idea of keeping a timeline in a book is brilliant. Each time you read about a person or an event in history, you turn to the appropriate century in the book and make an entry. But the real…

Sonya Shafer
October 19, 2016
2 Comments

Answering your child's questions when you don't know the answer.

Charlotte Mason Method, Education Is

It’s OK to Say I Don’t Know

“Why do the leaves fall?” My mind raced as her little face turned toward me with that so-familiar quizzical expression. OK. Science. Think! You learned this, didn’t you? Elementary school. Come on, come on, she’s waiting. Say something. Say anything,…

Sonya Shafer
October 11, 2016
2 Comments

Laying Down the Rails for Yourself Calendar Journal

Books & Resources

2017 Calendar Journal Now Available

One of my favorite literary quotes is from Anne of Green Gables. (Some of you already know what it is, for you have hugged that quote to your own hearts too. Feel free to recite it along with me.) “Isn’t…

Sonya Shafer
October 4, 2016

Charlotte Mason Method, Encouragement

Happy Results: Sarah M.’s Nature Study Story

It’s always encouraging to hear stories of how Charlotte Mason’s methods work in real home schools. There’s something about listening to others’ successful experiences that bolsters your confidence and fuels your enthusiasm to keep spreading the feast for your own…

Sonya Shafer
September 27, 2016
2 Comments

Charlotte Mason Method, Parenting

Pilgrim Parent and the Three Shrines

Confession time: Today I didn’t want to be the parent. I didn’t want to do schoolwork. My daughter was willing and eager, but when she sat down in her favorite school-time chair my heart sank. Why do I have to…

Sonya Shafer
September 20, 2016
4 Comments

Art, Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method

Three New Picture Study Portfolios

Picture study is such a simple way to give our children beauty in the midst of life and to cultivate their tastes for what is worthy and good. It adds so much to our week to take just five or…

Sonya Shafer
September 13, 2016
1 Comment

Bible, Charlotte Mason Method

Scripture Memory: How

As we discussed last time, storing God’s Word in our hearts makes sure that His ideas are always right at hand, no matter what situations we encounter. When you have memorized Scripture, the Holy Spirit can readily reach into that…

Sonya Shafer
September 6, 2016

Charlotte Mason Method, Bible

Scripture Memory: Why

This morning as we did schoolwork, we started memorizing a new Bible verse. It’s not the first verse we’ve learned. Not by a long shot. We have been including Scripture memorization in our daily routine for about 15 years now…

Sonya Shafer
August 30, 2016

Sonya Shafer speaking at a Charlotte Mason homeschool conference

Charlotte Mason Method, Events

Keep Learning

One of the things I love about the Charlotte Mason Method is that I get to keep learning—as an adult! Just this past year I’ve been challenged by Joseph Haydn’s daily creativity, encouraged by Oliver Wendell Holmes’s contentment at home,…

Sonya Shafer
August 23, 2016

Charlotte Mason Method, Habits, Parenting

Becoming a Gandy Dancer: Habit-Training, part 9

Do you remember what a “gandy dancer” is? Way back in the first post of this series we mentioned that “gandy dancer” was the nickname that was given to early railroad workers who laid and maintained the tracks. Parents are…

Sonya Shafer
August 16, 2016