Year 2005

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from all of us at Simply Charlotte Mason! May this season be filled with joy, peace, and lots of great books!

Confident Dictation

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…

More Progress

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…

New Copywork

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…

Trip Journals

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…

A Fresh Look

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…

Memory Verses List

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…

Charlotte Who?

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…

Copywork Manuscripts

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…

Book of Centuries

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…

Narration Ideas

A key component of Charlotte Mason’s method is narration. In simple terms, narration is telling back in your own words what you just read or heard. It’s a wonderful evaluation tool that requires much thinking and assimilating on the student’s…

The Early Years

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,…

Handicrafts and Life Skills

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…

Scripture Memory System

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…

Time-Savers

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…