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When I began using Charlotte Mason’s method of narration, I thought it should look like this: We sit on the couch. I open the book and read the next chapter. I close the book and ask a student to retell…
I like simple. Well, let me amend that statement. I like simple as long as it’s effective. As we continue our series on narration questions and answers, let’s look at a simple description Charlotte gave for using narration effectively. This…
How well do you know The Pledge of Allegiance? I’m pretty sure most of us can recite it. Want to try? (Those of you residing in a country other than the United States, bear with me while I make a…
We just returned from a homeschool convention in Texas that required four days on the road and three days at the convention hall. You do the math. During those days away from home, we ate in many different restaurants, and…
In my pantry are some foods I think of as staples. They can be included in a variety of dishes and used in a variety of ways. Take potatoes, for instance. I can add them to a stew or pop…
I have to smile when I recall three texts I received last week. The first message was from a dear friend who is providing CM-inspired Little House camps this summer. She sent me some sweet photos of the children copying…
The ladies over at Analytical Grammar recently sent out an excellent post in support of delaying formal grammar instruction until the student is at least 10 years old—just as Charlotte Mason advocated. Read Erin and Robin’s timely advice and be…
Pocketful of Pinecones is one of my favorite books to read in the springtime. It is such a gentle and uplifting story, with so many Nature Study nuggets woven throughout, that you can’t help but be inspired to get outdoors…
Some friends of ours are getting married this summer. As I’ve watched their relationships with their spouses-to-be grow, it struck me how silly it would be if one of them would say, “Okay, I now know my fiancé’s telephone number,…
It’s amazing how much our daily lives are shaped by our habits: getting up, getting ourselves ready, what clothes we put on, getting our children ready, taking care of pets, where we sit at the table, how we talk to…
When I first heard about the Charlotte Mason Method, we had already been homeschooling for a year. That was my oldest’s kindergarten year, and we had been doing a unit study approach. During that year I had discovered that unit…
About a year ago, my husband John and I were driving home from a convention and discussing how we might be able to help more people understand the Charlotte Mason Method. (We’ve found that drive times are perfect times for…
Not far from my house is a beautiful park called Vine’s Gardens. We went there today to meander around the path and enjoy springtime in the garden: the bright pink azaleas and the dainty white ones vying for our attention;…
Think back to the most recent time you were in one (or all) of these scenarios and let them replay in your mind: You walked into a store and encountered a salesperson. You got a telephone call from a survey…
This year marks my husband’s and my 30th wedding anniversary. If you had asked me 30 years ago why I loved John, I would have given many of the same answers that I would still give today: he is one…
I remember pulling some all-nighters during my high school and college years. A test was scheduled for the next day, and there were so many random facts and pieces of information to be recalled for it that every moment counted.…
Perhaps this isn’t the prime time of the year to talk about resolutions. Usually resolutions are discussed around New Year’s Day. However, it is homeschool convention season, and many good resolutions are made at conventions too. You hear a workshop…
The past few weeks I’ve been having a grand time “living” in 1800 thanks to two friends of mine. Christie you may already know. She designed My Book of Centuries with its helpful guides that give gentle direction for the…
Since 1994 Practical Homeschooling magazine has hosted annual Reader Awards for homeschool curriculum. This event is a little different in that the Reader Awards are not a “popularity” prize, but a “satisfaction” prize. First, homeschoolers nominate their favorite products in a wide…
With society’s push for starting formal education earlier and earlier, it feels like a breath of fresh air when an article or a study takes a stand against that trend. Charlotte Mason was a strong advocate of safeguarding a child’s…
Every weekday evening that I am home, I watch an episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood with my youngest daughter. (Thank goodness for Amazon Prime!) From the time my girls were little, Mister Rogers has been a staple around our house.…
There is such a feeling of anticipation and wonder that sweeps over a person when she walks into a library full of resources! I remember standing in the main entrance of one such library and thinking, This place must be…
As February winds down and March peeks around the corner, the promise of spring somehow starts to grow even before the daffodils. And with the promise of spring comes the urge to spruce things up a bit. Seed catalogs, paint…
Pressure. Most of us homeschoolers feel like we have a firsthand knowledge of that word. We feel pressured to succeed as we educate our children: pressure from standardized testing, from well-meaning (or not so well-meaning) relatives, from friends and neighbors,…
We’re looking forward to traveling the country and meeting up with many of you at homeschool events throughout 2014! In just a couple of weeks we will begin traveling from Minnesota to Florida and from Maryland to Colorado, with stops…
It seems there is a movement afoot that encourages people to slow down in order to prepare and eat real food in delicious ways, to enjoy the process as well as the health benefits. It’s called the slow-food movement because…
In the midst of yet another cold front and winter weather advisory, I wondered what nature lovers during Charlotte Mason’s day did for winter nature study. So I turned to The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady to see what…
We’re excited to announce that Visits to North America, the latest in our Visits to . . . geography notebooks, is now available! Each notebook combines step-by-step map work with delightful living book suggestions for older and younger students, plus…
Every once in a while you meet a kindred spirit who just knows how to nourish your heart. I had that privilege last fall when my travels took me to McDonough, Georgia, and the Hildreth family. I had actually met…
Near our neighborhood are two houses that provide a study in contrast. Each has a pond on its property, and each of the owners has built a little dock at the edge of his pool. When you drive by in…
There’s something about a blank calendar that excites me! All those days are spread out in enticing array as opportunities. When I look at 2014, I see so many opportunities to learn and grow as a person! But if there…
Sometimes a turn of phrase can bring a fresh perspective on the familiar. That is what Charlotte Mason’s poetry has done for me this season. Ponder, for a moment, these descriptions of the shepherds’ experience on the night of Christ’s…
As we near the end of the year, it’s fun and interesting to look at summaries in different areas of life. We run financial reports to summarize how we spent our money during the year and are sometimes astonished to…
Encouragement. We all need it. Sometimes more than we know. When you’re first starting to learn about Charlotte Mason methods and everything is new, encouragement can assure your heart and give you confidence to keep moving in the right direction.…
It’s hard to believe that winter is nearly here. The leaves are off the trees and it seems like there is nothing green growing in sight. Yet this time of year is important to the growth process. Something is happening…
Reading aloud well is an art form and a skill that we would do well to practice, especially those of us who use the Charlotte Mason approach for homeschooling. Reading aloud holds a prominent place in Charlotte’s methods; it rests…
I once worked with an organist who had been taught the mechanics of playing the instrument. She had also been informed about the idea of “playing with feeling” and was careful to vary the speed and volume of the piece…
During my high school years, I spent summers working at a camp. One particular week, all the campers had various special needs, and my job was to help serve the meals to their tables. As I was going about my…
Last week we started a series on the art of reading aloud. Those of us who use the Charlotte Mason Method of homeschooling read aloud regularly. And Charlotte gave us some tips to help us read in a way that…
From the time my children were tiny, reading aloud has been a fixed pleasure in our lives. I remember sitting on the couch with a stack of books that my little ones had gleefully selected, hauled over, and handed to…
Earlier this week a dear friend showed me her 100-year-old house. We tread on the original wood floors, admired the multiple fireplaces, and talked about the people who had lived there before. The house has a rich history, and my…
As I sit at my desk, I can see so many pieces of furniture that my father has crafted from wood for our family: four beautiful bookcases that stretch to the ceiling and hold much of my precious library; a…
First, the calendar. Each year SCM publishes a specially-themed calendar in two versions: a school-year version (July through June) and a calendar-year version (January through December). We’re happy to announce that the 2014 Calendar Journal, A Growing Time, calendar-year version,…
A couple of weeks ago, for no compelling reason, I pulled off the shelf a historical fiction book that I first enjoyed about 25 years ago. I figured its 1400 pages would again give me many happy moments over the…
The art of narrating—telling back what you know in your own words—can be a challenge for most every student. But for those who struggle with auditory processing or speech issues, narration can be even more challenging—for both student and parent.…
Sometimes we make things harder than they need to be. Take writing this blog, for instance. I started the process several times this morning, deliberating, pondering, debating over how best to communicate what I’ve been thinking and feeling. I must…
Last weekend the neighbor’s daughter came over to our house to deliver a message. We could tell she was a bit uneasy at our front door. She kept glancing over to the large spider web featured between two pillars of…
For years we have tried to find a foreign language resource that we could recommend without hesitation. One that was truly Charlotte Mason in style. One that used the same methods Charlotte did. One that worked well in a family…
Maybe it’s never happened to you, but it has to me. I’ve cooked a particular dish for years and think I know the recipe inside and out. But then one day I come across the original recipe, and lo and…
A big part of homeschooling—and especially Charlotte Mason homeschooling—is cultivating our children’s characters through good habits. “The habits of the child produce the character of the man.” As you make plans for the upcoming school year, along with the academics,…
