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After our previous post, many of you contacted us to find out where you might be able to get a copy of the book we mentioned: The Swedish Drill Teacher by M. H. Spalding. Originally published in 1910, this book…
This idea of Swedish drill that Charlotte Mason used in her schools intrigued me, so I went on a hunt for more information. Well, the wonderful inter-library loan lady at my local library found me a gem: The Swedish Drill…
It’s the middle of winter and many of us are looking for more ways to give the children exercise indoors during inclement weather. A couple of physical recreation activities that Charlotte Mason used in her schools can come to the…
Like many of you, I enjoy reading the Mitford books by Jan Karon. But you may be surprised to hear which one is my favorite: Patches of Godlight, a journal of quotes and mottoes that the fictional Father Tim has…
Do you ever feel like you’re on the Mommy See-saw? “I must teach my child to obey, yet I don’t want to be a dictator.” “I want my child to enjoy his childhood, but I can’t just allow him to…
It’s January — a great time for looking back and looking ahead. We thought a fun way to look back would be to review our most popular posts for 2008. Perhaps you missed one of these topics or will find…
We enjoyed getting to travel and meet many of you during 2008! And thanks to my husband John, you can take a look back over the year with us. John hauled his trusty digital camera to several of our All-Day…
That’s right! We are pleased to announce that the All-Day Charlotte Mason Seminar is now available on DVD. We’ve had so many requests to record this seminar and have been working on it for many months. It’s exciting to have…
I enjoy the annual Christmas tree trimming at our house. (Well, aside from climbing up into the attic and hauling down all the boxes.) We put on some Christmas music, light a cinnamon-scented candle, assemble the faithful old artificial tree,…
Well, we’ve taken down the Thanksgiving decorations and put up the Christmas ones. And along with the Christmas decorations come the Christmas resources that we’ve used in previous years. Want a quick peek?
“When all Thy mercies, O my God,My rising soul surveys,Transported with the view I’m lost,In wonder, love and praise”—Joseph Addison Charlotte Mason took time for her soul to survey God’s mercies, and here is what she found to be thankful…
Last November we launched the Simply Charlotte Mason community forum with the prayer that it would be a place of encouragement, grace, and help for all those using the Charlotte Mason method. We’re thrilled with the community that has grown…
We hope you’ve enjoyed the habit-training articles from the past few weeks. They are just a sampling of the thirteen articles and more than fifty Charlotte Mason quotes included in our new 2009 calendar journal, A Year of Smooth and…
“Trust me, you’re not going to like it.” My little girl’s big brown eyes peered solemnly across the table. “But I want to try it.” “If you try it, you will have to sit there until you drink it all.…
“I nag them and I nag them, but it does no good.” Most of us can testify to the truth of that statement. But I never understood why nagging doesn’t work until I started to study Charlotte’s habit-training principles. Now…
I recently got a new printer for my computer, and as I was unpacking it I came upon a huge stack of user documents. My heart sank. The amount of information was a bit overwhelming. It was all helpful, to…
Have you ever driven to the grocery store and, after you pulled into a parking place and shut off the car, you realized that you didn’t remember the drive there? It was almost as if you drove on auto-pilot. Whenever…
I can still picture the textured wall, the shiny smooth top of the spinet piano, and the white kitchen timer with its seemingly unmoving dial. I was supposed to be practicing my piano lesson, but I probably spent half of…
Last month we did a little deep cleaning around our house. Well, okay, not a little — a lot. At least it seemed like a lot. Cleaning can be hard work! By the time we had the furniture moved, the…
The past few months have brought about some changes for our SCM books. We think they’re good changes! Here are the details for you.
Welcome to this Narration edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival. We’re happy to be hosting the carnival this week. As you know, narration is a fundamental part of the Charlotte Mason method. We’re sure you will find a lot…
We’re excited about hosting the next CM Blog Carnival on September 16. (A blog carnival is an event where bloggers all write posts about a topic, which are collected and linked to on the hosting blog.) The theme for this…
We know of several groups that are using Laying Down the Rails for their weekly or monthly book discussions this coming year. How exciting! I wish I could be a part of each group and hear all the comments. It…
This week’s Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival contains a lot of encouragement and ideas on habit training. Be sure to check it out over at Barb-Harmony Art Mom’s Handbook of Nature Study blog.
Picture a banquet, a feast, lavishly spread on a long table. Now, keep that picture in your mind, for that is how Charlotte Mason described the abundance of ideas that we should make available to our children in their school…
Wow. We never dreamed we would sell out our first print run of Jack’s Insects within four days of its release. But that’s what happened. Quite the enthusiastic response!
Several years ago I heard about an intriguing living science book that Charlotte Mason had used in her schools. The book was called Jack’s Insects, and I looked everywhere for it. I couldn’t find it anywhere — online or off.…
Be sure to check out the biggest CM Blog Carnival yet! Cindy is hosting the Back to School Planning Bash over at On Our Journey Westward. She has posted more than forty entries from CMers, sharing ideas for Daily Schedules…
I love doing the All-Day Charlotte Mason Seminars! It’s so much fun to meet other CMers and spend the day discussing how practical and do-able the Charlotte Mason method really is. So what is an All-Day CM Seminar like? Glad…
Final exams. What memories does that phrase bring to your mind? Too often final exams are approached like evil dragons that students must occasionally slay. And too often a student prepares for the fight much like a foolish knight who…
The past few weeks we’ve been discussing Charlotte Mason methods for assessing what our children remember. Last time we looked briefly at narration. Now, those of you who have already read it, no peeking. What do you recall about narration?…
Last week we started a new series discussing the Charlotte Mason methods we can use to evaluate, or assess, what our children are learning. If you missed that introduction, you can read it on our SCM Blog. Today let’s talk…
As we wrap up a school year and plan for the next one, the question lurks in the back of our minds: How much does my child remember? Some assessments are built right in to the subject, like math and…
Do you feel like a cloud is hanging over your head this summer? I don’t mean a typical rain cloud; I mean a cloud called “Planning.” Sometimes that planning cloud casts a little shadow over all our activities. We know…
We had a great time in Iowa the past two weeks. It was so good to meet all of you Iowa CMers! And while we were there, I was able to finish the next book of daily lesson plans: Joshua…
We are in Iowa this week getting ready for the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators’ conference Friday and Saturday, June 6 and 7, in Des Moines. You can find the details on the NICHE site. Sonya will present a…
We’re pleased to announce several new features on the CM Organizer and CM Bookfinder are now up and running. Here’s a quick overview: Daily Journal note CM Organizer users asked for it, and here it is. With this new feature…
We just wanted to drop you all a quick note to let you know that SCM will be at the Georgia Home Education Association conference this weekend, May 2 and 3, near Atlanta. You can find registration details at GHEA’s…
We had a wonderful time Saturday at our All-Day Charlotte Mason Seminar! Here are a couple of comments from those who attended: “Today’s seminar was both informative and empowering! The ‘how-to’ was invaluable, the materials were excellent, and the practice…
I received this note today from a fellow CMer in California: California is in a fight to save homeschooling. Basic parental rights of how to raise our kids are at stake. If California succeeds in making homeschooling illegal, other states…
I have fondly dubbed 2008 as “The Year of A/V.” Yes, due to numerous requests from our readers, SCM is jumping into audio and video this year. We hope to make audio and video recordings of several of our workshops…
We’re pleased to be the host for this 11th edition of the Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival! This edition is dedicated to Mother Culture and to all those mothers who need a good mental “airing” during these last weeks of winter.
We’re excited to be hosting the next Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival on February 19! (A blog carnival is an event where bloggers all write posts about a topic, which are collected and linked to on the hosting blog.) Since this…
Have you visited the SCM Community Forum lately? We’re having some great discussions! Here are a few highlights . . .
“Daniel, I expect you to play nicely with your brother. Yes, Katie, I can change the baby’s diaper now; you go ahead and practice piano. Sarah, I’ll be right there to help you with your math. Hang on just a…
We hope you have enjoyed the past few weeks as we focused on Masterly Inactivity. The articles we shared with you are taken from our new 2008 personal calendar journal, A Year of Masterly Inactivity with Charlotte Mason. Several more…
“What do you try to control instead of allowing God to control?” the small-group leader posed the question. He gave an example, then someone else mentioned an area that hit home. “I try to control everything for my children,” she…
You’ve seen them — parents who are hoodwinked by their children time and time again. Suzy is a little terror to the other children, pulling hair and pushing the little ones. But when her mom enters the scene just as…
Here is an invitation for all of you who live in the Atlanta area. Join us for a wonderful evening of encouragement and refreshing on Thursday, January 10. Sonya will be sharing her workshop, “Reaching Your Child’s Heart,” at Calvary…
When our first two children were still preschoolers, my husband took them to the park without me. I had some work to finish up, so they went ahead and walked the two blocks before me. About twenty minutes later I…
