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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…
Last week we discussed how important repetition is in forming a new habit. Just as hours of practicing a pirouette makes it easier to perform one, so lots of practice at a new skill—like getting out of bed at a…
A couple of evenings ago, my daughter and I enjoyed watching two ballet dancers, a husband and wife, perform to one of my favorite Beethoven pieces. Their movements were absolutely beautiful! We knew they were stretching and stressing their muscles…
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…
It is always interesting to hear the reasons different parents give for deciding to homeschool their children. We’ve heard many explanations and reasons over the years. But one thing we have never heard a parent say: “I’m homeschooling because I…
We are gearing up for traveling to homeschool conventions over the next several weeks. And as I check each convention’s website for a schedule, I am reminded how much that goes on at a convention is not on the schedule.…
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…
The time has come for your child to perform the Act of Knowing. We’ve discussed the first three steps to a successful narration lesson: pick a good living book, look ahead and behind, and read the passage. Those steps are…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
I’ve been thinking a lot about balance since I read the book In Search of Balance by Richard Swenson last fall. (His book Margin is an all-time favorite of mine, by the way.) As much as we hear about being…
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,…
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…
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…
Encouragement. We all need it. We all welcome it with open arms when it comes our way. Sometimes it comes as a heartfelt reassurance: Yes, you can do this! Sometimes it appears in the form of a practical tip: This…
Have you ever listened to a debate rage—both sides championing their points in ever-louder voices and ever-longer speeches—and you suddenly realized that they’re both wrong? It’s not a matter of which of the two sides is correct; it’s a matter…
If you’ve been in Charlotte Mason homeschooling very long, you know the emphasis Charlotte put on doing things only once. She explained that we cultivate the habit of attention by reading the passage only once before requiring a narration. We…
Somehow Thanksgiving snuck up on me this year. Usually I make it a point to get out Thanksgiving decorations on November 1, because I like to remind everyone that there is an important holiday before Christmas too. I pull out…
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