Strengthening the Will: I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will, part 5As we wrap up our series on Charlotte Mason’s motto for students, let’s look at how we can help our children strengthen their wills to do hard things—I am, I can, I ought, I will. Remember, Charlotte urged parents to…Sonya ShaferParenting, Charlotte Mason Method2 Comments
A Cultivated Conscience: I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will, part 4We hope these little thoughts on Charlotte Mason’s motto for students are encouraging you as you educate the whole persons who live in your house. So far we’ve looked at I am and I can. Today let’s talk a little…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Parenting1 Comment
For Their Own Good: I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will, part 3Last week we looked at the I am part of the motto and the importance of seeing your child as a person. This week let’s talk a little about how you can help your child realize I can. You’ve probably…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Parenting
The Lens of a Label: I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will, part 2Last week we introduced Charlotte’s motto for students and how it emphasizes helping our children to grow in all areas, not just academics. In this post, let’s look a little deeper at the first phrase: I am. The other day…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Parenting3 Comments
The Process of Shaping: I Am, I Can, I Ought, I Will, part 1This week we start on a new series, looking at Charlotte Mason’s motto for students: “I am, I can, I ought, I will.” We will take a few weeks to look at each of those phrases, mull over what it…Sonya ShaferParenting, Charlotte Mason Method
Announcing Picture Study Portfolios: Picture Study, part 4Many years ago when I first started doing picture study, I felt a bit like a fish out of water. I had maybe heard of Monet (I pronounced it “mo-NET.”) but didn’t know anything about him or his pictures. Happily,…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Art4 Comments
Picture Study FAQ: Picture Study, part 3As we have seen over the past couple of weeks, the Charlotte Mason method of picture study is a simple yet effective way to give our children art appreciation, fill their minds with beautiful ideas, and offer even more opportunities…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Art
How We Do Picture Study: Picture Study, part 2Last week we discussed some reasons to add picture study to your home school. Picture study is a simple method that reaps great rewards. This week let’s look at the how-to. Here are the easy steps that Charlotte Mason described…Sonya ShaferArt, Charlotte Mason Method10 Comments
Why We Do Picture StudyAs we have been on the road this homeschool convention season, we have stayed in many hotels and eaten at many different restaurants. Two truths have been reinforced along the way, and it dawned on me that those truths also…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Art6 Comments
A New Family Bible Study on HebrewsThose of you who have looked over our Free Curriculum Guide know that it suggests that students cover Genesis through Revelation in a six-year cycle. The foundation is laid with an emphasis on Bible history (Genesis through Acts) during the…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Bible
Relating and RamblingMom took a deep breath and began to read aloud: I wonder how many of my readers have ever sat upon an ottoman. If you have, you know that it . . . “What’s an ottoman, Mom?” six-year-old Stacy interrupted.…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Narration, Living Books17 Comments
Homeschool Convention Tips and HelpAs you read this we will be on our way to another homeschool convention, this time in Duluth, Minnesota. Conventions can be great opportunities to recharge your batteries, discover new resources, and connect with kindred spirits. They can also become…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Events1 Comment
New History ResourcesAbout a year ago we were scouring the shelves of an antique book store and came across a world history book for “young readers.” We gave it the one-page test and couldn’t put it down. The author had such a…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, History1 Comment
Small Steps: Nature Study Help for MomUsually the question goes something like this: “Nature study is a great idea, but I don’t know the names of the flowers and trees and birds, myself. What should I do?” I know, I faced the same situation. But SCM…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Nature Study3 Comments
Of Carnivals and ConventionsThe new issue of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival is now online and we’re pleased to be the host this time! As we mentioned last time, a blog carnival is a collection of blog posts about a common topic gathered…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Events
Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival: Education Is a Discipline, Vol. 1My heart is full. My mind is revving. My face is smiling. You see, I just finished reading the posts listed below. What a treat! They are a wonderful mixture of personal encouragement, humble challenges, and practical ideas. First are…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Habits12 Comments
Do Not Lose Sight of Great Ideals: Three Practical Do Not’s, Part 3Over the past two weeks we have looked at two practical Do Not bits of counsel that Charlotte gave her student teachers: Do Not Sit up Late and Do Not Bury Yourself in the Book. Charlotte’s ideas and teachings are…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Encouragement1 Comment
Do Not Bury Yourself in the Book: Three Practical Do Not’s, Part 2Last week we looked at the first of three Do Not tips that Charlotte gave her student teachers: Do not sit up late preparing lessons. As many of you confirmed in your comments on that post, these practical Do Not’s…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Narration1 Comment
Do Not Sit Up Late: Three Practical Do Not’sIn reading some advice that Charlotte Mason gave to her student teachers, three little gems stood out to me. Interestingly, they all start with “Do not.” But don’t let the negative wording intimidate you. These Do Not’s are not designed…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning19 Comments
A Thinking Love, Free E-bookIn the very first pages of her book, Home Education, Charlotte Mason challenged mothers to give their children a “thinking love.” It’s easy to give our children an indulgent love that caters to their every whim. Or a lazy love…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Parenting2 Comments
A Day of Small ThingsToday was a day of small things. It looked something like this: Walk the dog Clear off kitchen counter Make grocery list at breakfast Take a phone message Put a load of jeans in the washer Teach young one’s schoolwork…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Encouragement2 Comments
Discipleship Workshop Now AvailableThose of you who have been on our e-mail list for a while know that we don’t normally release products so closely together. We try very hard to keep our posts mostly full of great Charlotte Mason homeschool tips. But…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Bible, Parenting1 Comment
Delightful Reading: A Charlotte Mason Reading CurriculumSeveral months ago we received a note from a homeschool mom who was teaching her son how to read using Charlotte Mason’s method. (If you’re just joining this discussion, you can read our articles about Charlotte’s method of teaching reading.)…Sonya ShaferReading, Language Arts, Preschool, Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method13 Comments
Word-Building and Phonics: Teaching Reading, part 4As you learned last time, Charlotte Mason’s reading lessons used two approaches: sight words and word-building. To add variety and keep things interesting for the student, Charlotte alternated lessons between the two. Last week we described how to do a…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Reading, Language Arts8 Comments
Sight Words and Sentences: Teaching Reading, part 3Up to this point in our series on teaching your child to read, we have been talking about informal play activities. Once your child can read several dozen words from those activities, it’s time to start actual reading lessons. Charlotte…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Reading, Language Arts9 Comments
Pre-Reading Activities: Teaching Reading, part 2Last week we talked about how to introduce the alphabet to your child through fun, informal play activities. Once your child knows his alphabet and the sounds the letters make, you can begin to put those sounds together to make…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Reading, Language Arts, Preschool4 Comments
Alphabet Fun: Teaching Reading, part 1I well remember trembling when, as a young homeschooling mom, I realized that it was up to me to teach my child to read. My imaginative mind started racing down the path of worst case scenarios. As if on cue,…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Reading, Language Arts, Preschool13 Comments
Unto Us Is GivenIsaiah 9:6 has been sitting in the Daily section of our Scripture Memory box lately. For unto us a child is bornUnto us a son is givenAnd the government shall be upon his shoulderAnd his name shall be calledWonderful CounselorMighty…Sonya ShaferSeasonal Inspiration, Charlotte Mason Method5 Comments
Overcoming 3 Obstacles to Enjoying Handicrafts: Handicrafts, part 3What do you picture in your mind when you read the word “obstacle”? How large of an obstacle do you imagine? Obstacles can be of various sizes, you know. For example, you might encounter an empty tissue box sitting on…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Handicrafts3 Comments
How to Do Homeschool Handicrafts: Handicrafts, part 2My daughter just showed me a little mouse that she knitted today. It’s the cutest little thing, with a tiny knit hat and pink ears peeking over the top. She found the pattern and decided to knit it just for…Sonya ShaferHandicrafts, Charlotte Mason Method4 Comments
7 Benefits of Homeschool Handicrafts: Handicrafts, part 1“What’s the point?” I often ask myself that question, especially when it comes to various demands on my time. If someone tells me I should add a certain activity to my already-full schedule, I want to know why. Tell me…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Handicrafts2 Comments
A Feast of Joy and ThanksgivingOur family is preparing for a large family reunion this week. One of the biggest parts of that preparation is planning the menus and gathering the ingredients for our time of feasting. But even as we walk the grocery store…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Seasonal Inspiration, Encouragement1 Comment
New Living Science Book: The Outdoor Secrets CompanionThere is one question we see a lot when talking about elementary science lessons: “But is it enough?” Charlotte Mason used nature study and living science books with narration to teach science in the younger grades. We CMers want to…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Nature Study, Science1 Comment
That One FaultWhy is it that one fault can be so glaring we can’t see past it? It becomes easy to stare fixedly at the bad attitude or the sloppy work or the once-again-forgotten chore or the disorderly room and never look…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Encouragement, Parenting7 Comments
2011 Calendar Journal: The Way of the WillOn Monday it seemed like most of my friends on Facebook were saying the same thing, “Can you believe it’s November already? Where has the year gone!” 2011 is fast approaching, and our latest calendar journal, The Way of the…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method
A Charlotte Mason Approach to English Grammar: Language Arts, part 9“You mean I don’t have to teach English grammar all year long in every grade?” Esther was astonished. “You’re already teaching the correct way to use words every time you have the children read or write or tell or listen.…Sonya ShaferGrammar, Language Arts, Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method
Poetry: Language Arts, part 8If you have been following our Language Arts series from the beginning, you will remember that Charlotte Mason approached language arts in a balanced two-pronged way: first, she integrated many language arts skills into regular school subjects; and second, she…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Literature, Language Arts2 Comments
Copywork, Transcription, Dictation: Language Arts, part 7In studying to put together our new book, Hearing and Reading, Telling and Writing: A Charlotte Mason Language Arts Handbook, I was once again amazed at the way Charlotte could take a simple idea and pack it full of benefits.…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Spelling, Writing, Language Arts2 Comments
Teaching Reading: Language Arts, part 6People often ask me what curriculum I used to teach my children to read. I didn’t use one. We just played with letters and their sounds, and eventually, when they were ready, I showed them how to put those sounds…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Reading, Language Arts
Composition the Charlotte Mason Way: Language Arts, part 5If I were to ask you to write about your favorite kitchen appliance, your brain would begin working right away. In fact, you’re probably picturing your favorite appliance in your mind’s eye right now. Your mind would think of all…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Writing, Language Arts, Books & Resources6 Comments
Charlotte Mason Answers Your Questions about Narration: Language Arts, part 4Narration is a cornerstone of Charlotte Mason’s language arts program. She wrote extensively on the subject, giving lots of helpful and practical tips. In one sense, narration is simple; in another sense, it is an art form. So it’s no…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Narration, Language Arts2 Comments
Literature, Vocabulary, and Comprehension: Language Arts, part 3If your school experience was anything like mine, you most likely sat through a multitude of vocabulary worksheets and reading comprehension worksheets in every grade. Plus, you probably had a separate class for Literature in junior high or high school.…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Literature, Language Arts, Books & Resources3 Comments
Charlotte Mason’s Language Arts Program: Language Arts, part 2As we mentioned last week, Charlotte taught all the language arts skills in just a few power-packed subjects. One of Charlotte’s main strategies was to integrate language arts studies into other subjects, rather than pulling them out as separate skills.…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Language Arts
Call for Writers: SCM American History ProjectWe all know how hard it is to find a good living book that relates American history from 1900–2010. Well, we would like to do something about that, and we would love for you to join us. Here’s the idea.…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources5 Comments
What Exactly Is Language Arts?: Language Arts, part 1In my years of helping other Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, probably the one topic that comes up most often is language arts. I receive questions from “How do you do language arts the Charlotte Mason way?” to “What about composition?” to…Sonya ShaferLanguage Arts, Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method
Bible Study Winners and a New SeriesThanks to everyone who posted comments on last week’s article about the various Bible study resources we offer. We’re pleased to announce that our random drawing awarded these three people each a study of her choice: Stephanie selected Wisdom for…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method
Charlotte Mason-style Bible StudiesCharlotte Mason thought that the Bible lesson should be the most important lesson of the day. We think so too. But as my children grew older, I found it harder to apply Charlotte’s wonderful principles of direct contact with Scripture…Sonya ShaferBible, Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method253 Comments
Free Homeschool Book: Getting Started, part 6We promised a little surprise this week and here it is: We are pleased to offer you this free book, Getting Started in Homeschooling. All the information from this Getting Started article series, plus more helpful material, is collected into…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning
Homeschooling One Step at a Time: Getting Started, part 5When I got married, I knew how to cook exactly two dishes: canned soup over rice and macaroni and cheese from a box. (And once I forgot to drain the macaroni.) Needless to say, those first few meals required a…Sonya ShaferHomeschool Planning, Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method1 Comment
Hands-On Methods the CM Way: Getting Started, part 4When I first heard about the Charlotte Mason Method, I envisioned my children and me sitting on the couch, reading wonderful books together and smiling. Well, we have done a lot of reading—and a lot of smiling—with the wonderful books.…Sonya ShaferHomeschool Planning, Books & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method
