At the end of the year, it is often encouraging to look back and see what has been accomplished. While it’s tempting for any homeschool mom to focus on what she didn’t get done, there is a lot to be said for intentionally taking some time to remember what did get done. So give yourself […]
God bless you all this Christmas Day And drive the cares and griefs away. Oh, may the shining Bethlehem star Which led the wise men from afar Upon your heads, good sirs, still glow To light the path that ye should go. (more…)
Some days it requires a Herculean effort to do homeschooling. Let’s be honest. Homeschool moms carry a large load, and at times we just don’t feel like we have the gumption to do another math lesson or supervise another science experiment or even listen to another narration (let alone cook another meal!). Sometimes we feel […]
Today we’re happy to announce a new free video resource: SCM Answers Your Questions. Last week we invited you to send in your questions about homeschooling with the Charlotte Mason Method. We selected ten of those questions to answer, and I was able to sit down and record my thoughts for you via video. Click […]
When I was in grade school, a practical joke was popular. Some of you may remember it too. The jokester would find an unsuspecting and cooperative child to listen carefully and repeat these nonsense syllables: O wa ta goo siam (more…)
As we head into the holidays and the family gatherings that go with it, we can pretty much count on meeting up with two kinds of relatives: those who are interested in homeschooling and want to learn more about the Charlotte Mason Method that we use and those who are antagonistic toward homeschooling and want […]
You’re sitting on the couch, drinking cider from a holiday-themed paper cup, and carrying on a friendly conversation with Uncle Joe and Aunt Phyllis. Uncle Joe smiles and leans forward a bit. “We understand that you homeschool,” he says. “Our daughter is thinking of homeschooling. Can you tell us about it?” (more…)
Over the past few weeks I have been gleaning much from two people who are nearly as opposite as opposite can be: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Carl Sandburg. About the only things they have in common are that they were both men and were both poets. (more…)
A year ago I had never heard of C2C. Then my friend Crystal told me her dream: she wanted to walk across England. The entire country. From coast to coast (thus, C2C). This past August she and her husband Ethan fulfilled that dream. They walked all 192 miles in just sixteen days. (more…)
Have you ever noticed how some things jump out at you once you start thinking about them—things you didn’t notice until someone brought them to your attention? For example, portion sizes. My husband and I eat out a lot when we’re traveling around the country doing conferences, but I never really noticed how large the […]
Many of you are in the throes of habit training this fall. So over the next few weeks let’s take a look at three little words that will play a big role in that process. We’ve discussed key words in habit training before. Repetition is an important part of forming habits. Motivation is also crucial. […]
Every month you have a wonderful opportunity to access an inspiring collection of blog posts from other moms around the world who use the Charlotte Mason approach. It’s called the CM Blog Carnival. At the carnival site you will find links to the posts that have been submitted for October’s enjoyable reading. And if you […]
A couple of weeks ago my daughter and I visited New Zealand. We didn’t board an airplane or book passage on a ship; we made the trip from the floor of our school room with a map and a sweet little book, Herbert: The True Story of a Brave Sea Dog. On the way we […]
Choosing the books for your Charlotte Mason home school is an important task. Put any two CMers in a room for any length of time and chances are good that they will be talking books. “What do you think about this book?” “Did you like that one?” “What book would you recommend for this?” (more…)
I’ve been copying a lot of meaningful entries in my Commonplace Book lately. Many of them have come from the little but rich volume that Charlotte Mason gave all her teaching-school graduates, The Cloud of Witness compiled by Mrs. Lyttelton Gell. It is full of thought-provoking inspirational poetry and quotations organized by theme. (more…)
Last week we talked a bit about how living ideas feed the mind. You will hear that phrase “living ideas” often in a Charlotte Mason approach to learning. Sometimes it’s hard to grasp the concept of a living idea as opposed to a dry fact. So let’s dive into that subject a little deeper today. […]
My husband has been working on a retaining wall in our backyard this week. The ground slopes down to a wooded creek, and over the years erosion has become a problem as the trees have blocked the sun and the grass has disappeared back there. He’s been working hard. In Georgia heat. And every so […]
When I think about responsibilities within the household, I immediately think of chores. Who is in charge of emptying the trash this week? Who is in charge of doing lunch dishes or cleaning the downstairs bathroom? Many of those responsibilities depend on the age of the child. Some chores can easily be done by a […]
The habit of full attention. The habit of best effort. Would your home school be any different if your students had those two habits? Here are two tips to help you reinforce them—the last tips in this series. (more…)
There seems to be a somewhat common misconception among homeschoolers—especially those who are new to the Charlotte Mason Method. Let’s set the record straight: the Charlotte Mason approach is not just living books. There is much more to Charlotte Mason than reading and narrating! Charlotte’s students wrote, sang, memorized, recited, drew, worked with manipulatives, went […]
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