New arrivals bring excitement! Just this morning the doorbell rang and I found two cardboard boxes with little printed smiles on my front porch. As I waved to the man driving the big brown truck, the questions rang out from onlookers inside the house: “What’s in the box?” “Who is it for?”

It’s so nice when a resource arrives that will help make our lives a little simpler—whether it is something for the kitchen, something for the cleaning shelf, or something for homeschooling.

That’s our goal here at SCM: to help you homeschool with the Charlotte Mason Method. We want to provide resources that will make it simpler for you to spread a feast of living ideas for your children.

And as we look back over 2012, we’re thankful for the new resources that we’ve been able to share with you. If any of these have already arrived at your house, we hope they are serving you well. And if you notice any new titles below that would help make your homeschool life simpler, we invite you to download a free sample and try it out.

Language Arts

A Child’s Copybook Reader, Volumes 1–3—This reader and copybook in one gives your student practice in reading and review by writing. Quality selections from classic children’s poetry, Aesop’s fables, the Bible, and more! A great way to help your beginning reader gain fluency and confidence! (Grades 1–3)

Print to Cursive Proverbs—Gives your student opportunity to continue practicing printing while learning cursive—all centered around more than thirty wisdom verses from the book of Proverbs. A great way to make the transition from print to cursive gently and gradually. (Grades 2–3)

History

Only a Dog—A retelling of a true story from World War I. Appropriate for younger children as well as older. Introduces aspects of the war from the eyes of a loyal Irish terrier who is rescued from No Man’s Land. (Grades 1–6)

The Story of Thomas A. Edison—Combines an engaging narrative of the inventor’s life with pages from his diary and original drawings and patents from his work. Vintage photographs are included. (Grades 1–12)

Stories of America, Volume 2—A second collection of American history stories to make the past come alive for your child. This volume contains narratives from the Oregon Trail to the present day, approximately 1850–2012. Includes corresponding poetry and helpful maps of the era. (Grades 1–6)

Stories of the Nations, Volume 2—Another delightful feast of stories relating famous people and events in world history, this time from 1850 to present day. The conversational tone and flowing narrative have been preserved in these chapters, making this book a joy to narrate. (Grades 1–6)

Modern Times, Epistles, & Revelation handbook—Teach all your children together for history, geography, and Bible with these daily lesson plans covering the famous men and events of Modern times, including both American History and World History. This handbook, the sixth in our award-winning series, also covers the geography of North America and the United States. The Bible lessons cover the rest of the Epistles with a separate family study on the book of Revelation. (Grades 1–12)

Bible

Come, Lord Jesus: Lessons from Revelation—A Bible study designed for the whole family covering the exciting book of Revelation. Encourages students of all ages to read through the Scripture and draw or describe each scene. Additional in-depth studies are included for older students and adults. (Grades 1–12)

Art and Handicrafts

Four new Picture Study Portfolios: Durer, Constable, Fra Angelico, Botticelli—Everything you need to do art appreciation, all gathered into one beautiful package: gorgeous art prints, an artist biography, information on the pictures, and more! Choose from an ever-growing selection of artists. (Grades 1–12)

Handicrafts Made Simple: Knitting—With the Handicrafts Made Simple DVD series it’s easy to add handicrafts to your school schedule. The step-by-step demonstrations and accompanying booklet walk you and your children through interesting and useful projects using a variety of life skills and handicrafts. (Grades 1–12)

Creating a Masterpiece art instruction DVDs—Looking for a good art teacher? Check out this encouraging and professional art instruction in a wonderful series of DVDs, covering a wide variety of art media: watercolor, pencil drawing, pastel, sculpture, acrylic painting, ink, and more! Available in Level 1 for beginners of all ages and Level 2 for students with some experience in their medium of choice. (Grades 1–12)

Science and Math

Jack’s Insects Narration & Nature Study Notebook—Now your student can expand on what he learns from Jack’s Insects. Additional learning opportunities with leading narration questions, prescreened websites and recommended reading, nature study tips, and lots of room to record findings all organized in one attractive notebook. (Grades 4–6)

Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching—Learn how Charlotte Mason taught math from beginning numbers through algebra and geometry. A ground-breaking handbook that reveals what every parent-teacher wants to know about Charlotte’s life-related approach to mathematics.

Time for Mom

Wisdom for Moms calendar journal—The latest in our popular personal calendar journals, Wisdom for Moms shares twelve of our favorite gems of wisdom from Charlotte Mason for teachers and parents. Encouraging articles, inspiring quotes, handy calendars, and plenty of room to write. Available in the 2013 edition. This calendar journal is now out of print. See our current calendar journal.

A New Shopping Cart

While this one is not exactly a new resource, it is something that will help make your life simpler. Many of you wrote to let us know that you preferred more payment options and an easier way to order from our online store. In 2012 we completely replaced our software to make the checkout process much nicer. And if you create an account, you can sign in to see your orders and re-download any e-books you have purchased.