About twenty-five years ago, when I started homeschooling, I didn’t have the Internet. (I’ll pause here for a minute to let that sink in.) . . . I heard about Charlotte Mason at a state homeschool conference and immediately went looking for any books I could find about her methods. One of the first books […]
Today was one of “those” days. It took a Herculean effort just to make sure we accomplished all that needed to be done: meals, vitamins, exercises, beginning reading, copywork, math, groceries, Bible, literature, Scripture memory. Not to mention conference calls, e-mails, writing, and scheduling. I’m sure your to-do list looked just as full and loomed […]
Many homeschool moms, as they learn more about Charlotte Mason’s methods, get a funny look on their faces and say something like, “That’s what I’ve been trying to do all along, because . . . well, it just makes sense. You mean, that has a name?” It’s so rewarding to watch faces light up, burdens […]
Of the many gifts that we can give our children, one of the greatest is a love of nature. And the sooner we encourage that relationship, the more time they will have to develop it and enjoy its benefits. Charlotte Mason described such a gift like this: “A love of Nature, implanted so early that […]
Maybe you are new to Charlotte Mason’s methods and are on the fence about whether to use them in your home school. Or perhaps you aren’t sure that CM methods would work with your boys. Well, take some encouragement from Amanda L.’s experience with her two sons. Here is her Happy Results story. I have […]
My daughter just sent me a sweet side-by-side picture that shows my granddaughter at five days old and at one year old in front of the same blossoming apple tree. Children grow so much that first year! It has been especially fun to watch that little one become mobile. She has wanted to move and […]
Charlotte Mason was sure that even young students could enjoy Shakespeare. She reported, “Their power to understand, visualise, and ‘tell’ a play of Shakespeare from nine years old and onwards is very surprising” (Vol. 6, p. 182). Michelle F. recently witnessed the same thing when she introduced Shakespeare to her nine-year-old. Here is her Happy […]
I recently read this wonderful reminder of what it is we are endeavoring to do when we give our children a Charlotte Mason education: I desire my children to form relations with what they study—not to know meagerly “about” something but to really know something by establishing a relationship with it (A Charlotte Mason Companion […]
When we think of habits to be formed, we often think of tasks that will make our homes run smoother. We may look at a new year and decide to help our children focus on picking up toys, brushing teeth, putting away shoes, or wiping off kitchen counters. But there is one habit that can […]
Music is such a gift! And it doesn’t take a lot to give that gift to your children. Simply focusing on one composer for several weeks, listening to his works and enjoying them together, can have a large impact. Zelena O. had the privilege of seeing how much her boys have gleaned from the gift […]
Nature study is such a wonderful opportunity for learning no matter where you live. The main thing is to keep your ears and eyes open to the natural world around you and be willing to explore where it takes you. Bek M. recently did just that. Here is her story. (more…)
Charlotte Mason’s idea of keeping a timeline in a book is brilliant. Each time you read about a person or an event in history, you turn to the appropriate century in the book and make an entry. But the real genius of the method is revealed when you go to enter another person and you […]
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 children. Charlotte knew that people like to be told whether her approach works. And she […]
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 […]
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…)
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 […]
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…)
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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