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As I’ve been studying Charlotte’s writings these past few months (especially her thoughts on habits — but more about that later), I was delighted to find some specific advice she gave about the Christmas holidays.
Laws are not exactly the most thrilling topic for reading or discussing — not, that is, until a law affects you personally. Then all of a sudden, that law becomes quite important! You either marvel at the fairness and common…
When I (Sonya) was a young mom with my first baby, the idea of teaching my child to read ranked right up there on the “Scary Meter” with singing a solo and snake pits. Sure, I could teach her the…
Our kids like to check out the Bonus Features on any DVDs we watch as a family, and we like it too. You never know what interesting tidbits you might find! We wanted to let all of you know that…
“I have a question for you,” says one mother. “The more I read and hear about the Charlotte Mason approach, the more I want to use it with my children. But we’ve been using a different approach for several years.…
Our students need to know what they believe and why. So do we adults, for that matter. We’re happy to announce that Discovering Doctrine: A Personal Bible Study is now available.
A lot of Charlotte Mason book discussions, teas, and support group meetings are starting up in full swing again. We would love to help you get the word out about your events and let other CMers in your area know…
Ever been to one of those CM get-togethers where someone recommends a book and immediately everybody begins firing questions: “What was that title again?” “Who’s the author?” “Where can I get it?” We certainly have. Many times. Usually, the person…
A Bible study done Charlotte Mason style — that was my (Sonya’s) goal. Most Bible studies I’ve seen are the typical read-a-verse-fill-in-the-blank-then-read-the-author’s-thoughts style. Now, if we’re trying to avoid that type of approach for other subjects, why would we settle…
I well remember those years when I (Sonya) had only a two-year-old and a four-year-old to keep me company throughout the day, and I wondered, “What should I be doing with them? Should I be teaching them to read? Should…
“Does anyone know of a living book about beavers?” “Could someone recommend a book for my eighth grader on Johannes Kepler?” “I’m looking for good biographies of composers that would be written for younger children around first or second grade.”…
Just a quick note to let you know that Sonya will be presenting two workshops at the MTHEA’s Workshop Weekend on August 11 and 12 in Madison, Tennessee. She’ll be giving an overview workshop: “Charlotte Mason and Her Method.” And…
What do you get when you put together 1 school year, 3 students in first through sixth grades, 50 Bible passages, 15 simple science experiments, 18 living books, and 20 nature study ideas? 106 Days of Creation Studies!
Someone recently asked if she could come to my (Sonya’s) house and be a fly on the wall for a day or two. While I certainly don’t mind having company, what this mom really wanted was help figuring out how…
A few years ago, when my (Sonya’s) oldest two were in the 8-12 year old range, I got this idea for a fun, living way to review math skills: We pretended that each child was the owner of a store.…
We know things have been quiet from us for a while and that’s because we’ve been working really hard behind the scenes.
Sorry you haven’t heard from us lately. Some of you may already know that Sonya had an unexpected trip to the hospital and emergency surgery. Needless to say, that turn of events required some unexpected down time. Thanks for your…
During a recent interview, I (Sonya) was asked, “If someone wanted to homeschool, how would they begin?” I thought, “Good question! How did I begin those many years ago?” A little later, the interviewer asked, “Why did you choose to…
Well, we’ve been holed up in the office for several weeks, but we’re pleased to announce that the dictation books we’ve been talking about and working on are complete! They’re called “Spelling Wisdom.” We thought that was a fitting title…
Just a quick note to let you know that we’re moving full-steam-ahead on the dictation books. We have five books in the works that cover 12,500 spelling words, including 6,000 of the most-frequently-used words in the English language. Each book…
What does every avid book reader need? (OK, besides more shelf space …) Bookmarks! And of course, what could be better to a CMer than bookmarks with Charlotte Mason sayings on them? We’re happy to announce our latest Time Saver:…
In true homeschool fashion, our children have taught themselves a lot about the Internet these past few months. As we have been building our site, they have been building a site of their own. And in true Charlotte Mason fashion,…
We’re excited as we look to the year ahead! We have many hopes and plans of what we want to add to Simply Charlotte Mason in the upcoming months. Here’s a short list: More free downloads A suggested curriculum guide…
Merry Christmas from all of us at Simply Charlotte Mason! May this season be filled with joy, peace, and lots of great books!
We love Charlotte’s concept of using prepared dictation to teach spelling, but at the same time it’s hard to let go of the security of those most-frequently-used word lists. So here’s an idea we’re working on: combine the two into…
Behind the scenes, we’re adding the finishing touches to your Personal Book Lists. We’re excited about this feature that will help you keep track of books you want to get, books you want to remember for later, books you want…
Hello, all! Just a quick note and a tip today. First, the note: We’ve added more manuscript copywork. The eight new files offer two more hymns, four more poems (including a delightful Thanksgiving poem), and two more Scripture passages. Help…
We love to be sneaky — well, when it comes to sneaking “schoolwork” into life events without the children’s knowing about it. When I (Sonya) was looking through a bookshelf the other day, I came upon one of those sneaky…
It’s fall. I (Sonya) just gave my front porch a fresh look with a straw wreath and a bushel basket full of leaves, apples, and a pumpkin. Since it’s fall, it’s also time for a fresh look at our project…
We’re thrilled with your response to the Scripture Memory System instructions posted on our Web site! Hundreds of people have visited that page recently. And some of you have sent e-mail to let us know how it’s encouraging you: “I…
It’s happened often — probably to you too. You’re introduced by a mutual friend to another homeschooler, who smiles and asks, “What curriculum do you use?” “We don’t use a set curriculum really,” we respond. “We use the Charlotte Mason…
Charlotte’s method of copywork for teaching writing is terrific. We especially love her emphasis on copying meaningful content right from the start. None of this “Fill this page with A’s” stuff for our children! However, we did notice that beginning…
Ever try to post a timeline on your living room wall? It seems like those strips of paper soon spill over onto the hallway wall, and the kitchen, then the dining room, and before you know it, they’re creeping toward…
A key component of Charlotte Mason’s method is narration. In simple terms, narration is telling back in your own words what you just read or heard. It’s a wonderful evaluation tool that requires much thinking and assimilating on the student’s…
We frequently hear the question, “What kinds of Charlotte Mason things can I do with my children in the early years — before we start formal schooling?” First, give them plenty of free-play time outdoors. Let them run, yell, climb,…
In the Charlotte Mason method of education, lessons should be completed in the mornings. So what do you do with your child during the afternoons? For one thing, Charlotte advocated the child’s learning handicrafts. In her day, those handicrafts could…
About five years ago the Shafers discovered a great little system to help us memorize and review Scripture as a family. By using Charlotte Mason’s wonderful method of recitation and this simple review system, we’ve been able to memorize and…
Over the years we’ve gathered some great information and created some documents that have been helpful in our homeschooling. We want to save you time and effort by making those tools available to you, so we’re planning to have them…
Let’s face it, unless you know somebody who knows somebody, you don’t often find out about Charlotte Mason-friendly events — even in your own backyard. Wouldn’t it be great to have one centralized Charlotte Mason Events calendar? Just think, fellow…
When you get a home library as large as ours are, it’s easy to get confused between what you thought about buying and did; what you thought about buying and decided to get from the library instead; what you want…
