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So far in our Narration Q & A series, we’ve talked about the reason we use Charlotte Mason’s method of narration and how it cements the material in the student’s mind; we’ve discussed what narration is and how to get…
Isn’t it great when a song gets stuck in your head? I suppose it depends on the song. These past couple of days I’ve had a wonderful stream of words lilting through my mind, thanks to a hymn we sang…
I was listening to a music teacher talk about Chopin yesterday. He mentioned that some people might think Chopin was a lesser composer than Beethoven because Chopin’s compositions are so much shorter. But the music teacher set everyone’s doubts at…
A change of scene. Sometimes a change of scene is the key to refreshing our wits and renewing our energy. A biography on Charlotte Mason tells us that her daily life of teaching and supervising and corresponding and running a…
When I began using Charlotte Mason’s method of narration, I thought it should look like this: We sit on the couch. I open the book and read the next chapter. I close the book and ask a student to retell…
I like simple. Well, let me amend that statement. I like simple as long as it’s effective. As we continue our series on narration questions and answers, let’s look at a simple description Charlotte gave for using narration effectively. This…
How well do you know The Pledge of Allegiance? I’m pretty sure most of us can recite it. Want to try? (Those of you residing in a country other than the United States, bear with me while I make a…
We just returned from a homeschool convention in Texas that required four days on the road and three days at the convention hall. You do the math. During those days away from home, we ate in many different restaurants, and…
In my pantry are some foods I think of as staples. They can be included in a variety of dishes and used in a variety of ways. Take potatoes, for instance. I can add them to a stew or pop…
I have to smile when I recall three texts I received last week. The first message was from a dear friend who is providing CM-inspired Little House camps this summer. She sent me some sweet photos of the children copying…
The ladies over at Analytical Grammar recently sent out an excellent post in support of delaying formal grammar instruction until the student is at least 10 years old—just as Charlotte Mason advocated. Read Erin and Robin’s timely advice and be…
Pocketful of Pinecones is one of my favorite books to read in the springtime. It is such a gentle and uplifting story, with so many Nature Study nuggets woven throughout, that you can’t help but be inspired to get outdoors…
Some friends of ours are getting married this summer. As I’ve watched their relationships with their spouses-to-be grow, it struck me how silly it would be if one of them would say, “Okay, I now know my fiancé’s telephone number,…
It’s amazing how much our daily lives are shaped by our habits: getting up, getting ourselves ready, what clothes we put on, getting our children ready, taking care of pets, where we sit at the table, how we talk to…
When I first heard about the Charlotte Mason Method, we had already been homeschooling for a year. That was my oldest’s kindergarten year, and we had been doing a unit study approach. During that year I had discovered that unit…
About a year ago, my husband John and I were driving home from a convention and discussing how we might be able to help more people understand the Charlotte Mason Method. (We’ve found that drive times are perfect times for…
Not far from my house is a beautiful park called Vine’s Gardens. We went there today to meander around the path and enjoy springtime in the garden: the bright pink azaleas and the dainty white ones vying for our attention;…
Think back to the most recent time you were in one (or all) of these scenarios and let them replay in your mind: You walked into a store and encountered a salesperson. You got a telephone call from a survey…
This year marks my husband’s and my 30th wedding anniversary. If you had asked me 30 years ago why I loved John, I would have given many of the same answers that I would still give today: he is one…
I remember pulling some all-nighters during my high school and college years. A test was scheduled for the next day, and there were so many random facts and pieces of information to be recalled for it that every moment counted.…
