Happy Results: Katherine R.’s Book of Centuries Story

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 notice the entries you have already written on the page. That’s when mental connections are made. And if the child can make that connection for himself, that’s when it sticks!

Katherine R. saw one of those wonderful “ah-ha” moments occur recently and shared her Happy Results story in a note:

I also wanted to share a fun thing that happened yesterday with our family Book of Centuries. Last year, after studying Marco Polo and the Mongol empire, we made an entry in our B.O.C. Yesterday, after reading Giotto’s biography, my seven-year-old flipped to the 12th century to paste in a picture of Giotto and exclaimed, “LOOK! This is when Marco Polo lived, too! And they were both from Italy!!” It was such a satisfying moment.

You can keep a family Book of Centuries when the children are young, then graduate each student to keeping his own personal Book of Centuries after his handwriting is well established (around 4th grade or older).

Download a free Basic Book of Centuries or grab the deluxe version, My Book of Centuries, that gives more guidance on its pages.

Enter poets as you study them, artists you enjoy, composers you listen to, authors you read, scientists you discover, and historical figures that come alive through living books.

Use this brilliant method to set the stage for your children to make their own “ah-ha” moments!

Happy Results Stories

Do you have a Happy Results story about seeing Charlotte Mason’s methods work with your children? Let us know! We are committed to sharing personal experiences like Katherine’s that will keep us all encouraged.

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