I remember sitting in our Charlotte Mason homeschool discussion group, explaining how a living book should give our children ideas, not just facts. One dear lady turned a puzzled look my way and asked, “What do you mean ‘ideas’?” That…
It seems that children naturally want to make their mark as they grow. The tinies smear their highchair tray with sauces and puddings to explore what it might look like; the little ones scribble with crayons on any surface in…
We are honored to have Karen Andreola as a guest writer for today’s post. Her book, A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning, has been a source of inspiration and encouragement for so many of…
Last week we started a discussion on whether Charlotte Mason’s approach should be described as “gentle.” We hear that description used a lot, but is it accurate? Much of the answer depends on how you define “gentle.” In the previous…
I have often heard homeschool moms refer to the Charlotte Mason approach as a “gentle” approach. I’ve even used the term myself, come to think of it, when describing some of her methods. Usually that word comes up when we…
Ever since our first three Picture Study Portfolios came out, we have been receiving enthusiastic comments about them. I just purchased the Picture Study Portfolio featuring the works from Giotto at our homeschool conference today!! WOW!!! These are beautiful, the…
As every fall rolls around, the time comes to re-evaluate my daily schedule. Yes, I try to organize my children’s daily homeschool schedule, but the evaluating and tweaking go further than that. I like to take a look at how…
This spring and summer have been chock full of homeschool conventions, and I have enjoyed many lovely opportunities to present workshops. It has been a blessing and a privilege to share ideas from my experience as a Charlotte Mason-style homeschool…
In the past couple of weeks we have looked at two very important questions for homeschool mothers: Why must the children learn? and What should they learn? Charlotte Mason believed that those questions needed definite and thoughtful answers if we…
It seems like What? is one of the main questions we homeschool mothers ask: What books? What math curriculum? What supplemental courses or classes? What outside activities? We spend a lot of time pondering the What as we pore over…
As we prepare for another year of homeschooling, many of us are asking a lot of questions: What can I buy with the money available? How detailed should my plans be? Am I leaving something out? How can I keep…
When I first heard about a Book of Centuries, I was relieved. Here was the perfect way to contain that wall timeline that was threatening to overtake my house—a timeline in a book! But, as usual, Charlotte Mason’s method was…
A few weeks ago we were on the road in Texas, between conventions, when our battery light came on. My husband is mechanically minded (for which I am often thankful), so he knew what to do. We found the nearest…
I am at peace. My mind can focus happily as I write this note. It is not wrestling with little nagging thoughts that flit in uninvited and interrupt the flow. How did I achieve this happy state?, you ask. Yesterday…
We hope you’ve enjoyed this series on Charlotte Mason’s motto for students. There is much more to ponder, much more to consider and do to help our children realize the potential in those four powerful phrases: I am, I can,…
