Category Charlotte Mason Method

Charlotte Mason method homeschool posts.

Enjoy the Poems: Holmes and Whittier

More Poems to Enjoy: Holmes and Whittier

I love Charlotte Mason’s “permission” to simply enjoy poetry. The weekly happy opportunities to read a poem with my children have enriched my own spirit. There is something refreshing about having the freedom to make my own relations with the…

Answering your child's questions when you don't know the answer.

It’s OK to Say I Don’t Know

“Why do the leaves fall?” My mind raced as her little face turned toward me with that so-familiar quizzical expression. OK. Science. Think! You learned this, didn’t you? Elementary school. Come on, come on, she’s waiting. Say something. Say anything,…

Charlotte Mason Nature Study

Happy Results: Sarah M.’s Nature Study Story

It’s always encouraging to hear stories of how Charlotte Mason’s methods work in real home schools. There’s something about listening to others’ successful experiences that bolsters your confidence and fuels your enthusiasm to keep spreading the feast for your own…

Mom and Kids Walking Outdoors

Pilgrim Parent and the Three Shrines

Confession time: Today I didn’t want to be the parent. I didn’t want to do schoolwork. My daughter was willing and eager, but when she sat down in her favorite school-time chair my heart sank. Why do I have to…

Homeschool family scripture memory

Scripture Memory: How

As we discussed last time, storing God’s Word in our hearts makes sure that His ideas are always right at hand, no matter what situations we encounter. When you have memorized Scripture, the Holy Spirit can readily reach into that…

The Importance of Scripture Memory

Scripture Memory: Why

This morning as we did schoolwork, we started memorizing a new Bible verse. It’s not the first verse we’ve learned. Not by a long shot. We have been including Scripture memorization in our daily routine for about 15 years now…

Sonya Shafer speaking at a Charlotte Mason homeschool conference

Keep Learning

One of the things I love about the Charlotte Mason Method is that I get to keep learning—as an adult! Just this past year I’ve been challenged by Joseph Haydn’s daily creativity, encouraged by Oliver Wendell Holmes’s contentment at home,…

Happy Family

Becoming a Gandy Dancer: Habit-Training, part 9

Do you remember what a “gandy dancer” is? Way back in the first post of this series we mentioned that “gandy dancer” was the nickname that was given to early railroad workers who laid and maintained the tracks. Parents are…

New Individual and Enrichment Studies books

New Enrichment Studies and Individual Studies

One of the great things about a Charlotte Mason education is the wide variety of subjects the students get to enjoy: history, geography, Bible, science, math, and language arts; plus music study, art, nature study, picture study, handicrafts, singing, poetry,…

Delightful Reading Kits

New Delightful Reading Kits

Over the years since Delightful Reading first came out, we have seen many faces light up as parents discover Charlotte Mason’s brilliant method of teaching children to read. Her techniques work with both new readers and reluctant readers and have…

Establishing Good Habits

Parents Give an Endowment: Habit-Training, part 7

The good habits you instill in your child’s life are an endowment. There is a subtle difference between an endowment and an investment. Habit-training yourself is an investment with a large return. An investment is something you usually do for…

Support and Encouragement-sq

Parents Support the Will: Habit-Training, part 6

All of the things we have discussed over the past few weeks on habit-training—taking on the effort of decision, spotlighting the trigger, and adjusting the consequences—are ways to help support your child’s Will. Habit-training yourself depends on a strong Will…