Posts and comments about Charlotte’s philosophy of education as an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.
As we’ve been traveling this homeschool convention season, two repeated scenarios have come to the forefront of my mind because they have reinforced basic Charlotte Mason principles. In other words, I’ve made a couple of mental connections that I’d like…
As we travel to various homeschool conventions across the nation, there is much to observe, much to learn. This season I have been pondering two lessons that have been played out in the exhibit hall again and again. I’ll share…
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…
We’re happy to be hosting the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival this week. The carnival has been pondering the 20 Principles of a CM Education over the year, and this edition of the carnival centers on #19. I love Principle 19.…
“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…
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…
We are honored to have Karen Andreola as a guest writer for today’s post. Her book, A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning, has been a source of inspiration and encouragement for so many of…
Last week we started a discussion on whether Charlotte Mason’s approach should be described as “gentle.” We hear that description used a lot, but is it accurate? Much of the answer depends on how you define “gentle.” In the previous…
I have often heard homeschool moms refer to the Charlotte Mason approach as a “gentle” approach. I’ve even used the term myself, come to think of it, when describing some of her methods. Usually that word comes up when we…
In the past couple of weeks we have looked at two very important questions for homeschool mothers: Why must the children learn? and What should they learn? Charlotte Mason believed that those questions needed definite and thoughtful answers if we…
It seems like What? is one of the main questions we homeschool mothers ask: What books? What math curriculum? What supplemental courses or classes? What outside activities? We spend a lot of time pondering the What as we pore over…
