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: Corner Bookmarks. (more…)
Incredibooks
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, their site is all about their favorite books and authors. It’s called Incredibooks. (more…)
Happy New Year!
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 downloadsA suggested curriculum guide for twelve years of CM homeschoolingThe release of five books full of dictation exercises that contain […]
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas from all of us at Simply Charlotte Mason! May this season be filled with joy, peace, and lots of great books!
Confident Dictation
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 a series of dictation exercises that include the most frequently used words in the English […]
More Progress
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 to borrow from the library, and books you already have. I (Sonya) was just at […]
New Copywork
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 yourself! Now, the tip: Remember that Charlotte encouraged young children to select a favorite stanza […]
Trip Journals
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 projects: a trip journal. My thirteen-year-old daughter and I had fun laughing over her seven-year-old […]
A Fresh Look
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 and on our Web site. First, a fresh look at our project. We’re getting a […]
Memory Verses List
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 am so excited by the Scripture Memory System! What an easy way to keep track […]
Charlotte Who?
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 approach.” At this point, one of two things happens: either the other homeschooler looks at […]
Copywork Manuscripts
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 copywork went a whole lot easier if the student had larger lined paper and handwritten […]
Book of Centuries
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 the stairway to the bedrooms. Charlotte Mason had a great idea when she used a […]
Narration Ideas
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 part. However, it’s easy to get stuck in a rut by asking for the same […]
The Early Years
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, get dirty, and become friends with the various aspects of nature in their community. If […]
Handicrafts and Life Skills
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 help to support and enable the child as he or she grew to adulthood. So […]
Scripture Memory System
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 remember hundreds of verses in just five to ten minutes a day. (And isn’t “remembering” […]
Time-Savers
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 as free downloads and printable pages on SimplyCharlotteMason. What kind of time-savers? Here’s a short […]
Charlotte Mason Events Calendar
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 CMers all over the world could post their coffee shop book studies, tea parties, monthly […]
Personal Book Lists
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 to remember to buy for a future study; what you have on your perpetual wish […]
