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Where does the time go? It’s hard to wrap my mind around the fact that my friend Karen (the other half of Simply Charlotte Mason) will be graduating her two youngest children this year. It’s a big commitment to homeschool…
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…
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…
“You shouldn’t eat white bread; white bread is bad for you. Whole wheat is best.” The little girl looked up at me with sincere and reproving eyes as I prepared lunch. We were taking care of her and her brother…
I was reading a biography on Louis Pasteur recently and came across this wonderful quote: “The greatest danger to the mind is to believe in something because one wishes to do so.” Charlotte Mason would agree. When it comes to…
Last week the children and I watched a nature video. We gazed in wonder as thousands of beautiful snow geese returned from their southern migration to celebrate spring in the far reaches of the north. Part of their celebration was…
We just returned from a trip to the store where, I will admit, I grabbed some ready-made food items. Yes, I could probably have made those items from scratch with a little time and effort, but that seems to be…
In The Story of Charlotte Mason it gives Charlotte’s birthday as January 1, 1842. Though we don’t know for certain whether she was born on January 1st or if it was just recorded on that default date because the actual…
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…
I think I’ve caught the bug. Not that icky respiratory bug that’s going around. I’m talking about the let’s-get-busy-and-tweak-what-needs-tweaking-so-we-can-enter-2012-ready-to-succeed bug. You know, that persistent urge to clean out closets or reorganize the kitchen cupboards. That itch to evaluate your life…
Joy. We sing about it. We desire it. But often we look for it in the wrong places. Too often we hope that this season of parties and family gatherings and gifts and special concerts and candlelight services will somehow…
Am I the only one whose mind is working in constant addendum mode during this season of the year? You know what I mean by “addendum mode,” don’t you? It’s that state of mind in which your brain adds to…
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…
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…
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,…
I have a daughter with special needs. We diagnosed her with autism and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder) when she was four years old, and I’ve been trying to use as many Charlotte Mason methods as possible in our homeschooling journey…
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…
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…
I remember sitting in our Charlotte Mason homeschool discussion group, explaining how a living book should give our children ideas, not just facts. One dear lady turned a puzzled look my way and asked, “What do you mean ‘ideas’?” That…
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…
