5 Questions to Ask about Your ScheduleA slip of paper. That’s all. A slip of paper. I find it very interesting that the word schedule comes from the Latin for “a slip of paper.” Can you imagine? When Charlotte Mason homeschoolers talk about schedules, somehow it…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Books & Resources, Homeschool Planning10 Comments
Productive Afternoons in Charlotte Mason HomeschoolingI love how, with the Charlotte Mason approach, you’re done with lessons by lunch time. Younger students in her schools were done by 11:30, middle students by 12:00, and older students by 1:00. It’s so refreshing to focus head-down for…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning10 Comments
2019 Calendar Journal Now Available: Hope for TomorrowI am so happy to announce that the 2019 calendar journal is available, because it combines four things that I like to keep near me during the year. In some ways the year seems to fly by; but in other…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources1 Comment
A Project Week IdeaWhen my children were younger, we would always run out of time to do hands-on projects. By the time we got out all the materials and cleared a space for the activity, we had about ten minutes to work on…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning15 Comments
10 Do’s and Don’ts for Nature StudyAs we wrap up our series on nature study, I thought you might enjoy a highlights list of do’s and don’ts from Charlotte’s counsel to parents. Some of these tidbits of wisdom we have already covered in the series, but…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Nature Study
5 Great Nature Projects (plus a few more)During the past few weeks we have been sharing that there is more to nature study than just spending time outside. The well-rounded science education that Charlotte Mason described for her students included outdoor field work, living science books, natural…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Nature Study, Books & Resources6 Comments
Natural Object LessonsNature study is such a great way to help our children (and ourselves) develop a personal relation with God’s creation around us. Some children take to it quite naturally; others appreciate a little guidance and encouragement. That’s where object lessons…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Nature Study2 Comments
Nature Study, Plus Living BooksI hope you have been enjoying our series on nature study. We have talked about why Charlotte Mason included nature study in the curriculum line-up, when we should do nature study, the big picture of what it looks like, and…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Nature Study3 Comments
The Secret of the Nature Notebook“Where do I find a nature notebook?” “What does it look like?” “How do we go about creating a nature notebook? Is there a template somewhere?” Questions like these cross my desk regularly. So let’s reveal the secret of the…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Nature Study8 Comments
Nature Study in a NutshellSo far in this series we’ve talked about all the great benefits that we and our children can gain from doing nature study. We’ve also addressed Charlotte Mason’s encouragement to get outside one half-day per week, all year round. That…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Nature Study5 Comments
When Should I Do Nature Study?Have you ever noticed that the question When? has many facets? For example, if a person asked, “When should we go to the park?,” the reply could be any number of things. The person asking might be a mama who…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Nature Study14 Comments
8 Great Reasons To Do Nature StudyIf you had asked me, “Why do nature study?” when my children were young, I would have replied, “To get them outside and burn up some of that energy” (that we all wish we could tap into now at our…Sonya ShaferNature Study, Charlotte Mason Method8 Comments
6 Nature Book Finds in Bellevue, WashingtonOn a recent conference trip to the Seattle, Washington, area, we had a couple of free hours on Thursday morning before we had to set up our booth. The weather was beautiful that day: high 70s and sunny. (We found…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Nature Study, Books & Resources1 Comment
New Free Book: Subject by Subject the Charlotte Mason Way227,000. That’s a lot of homeschoolers. When you see that many home educators reading one particular blog post series, you take notice. Which series is everyone reading? Subject by Subject the Charlotte Mason Way. I wrote that series because it…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Books & Resources5 Comments
3 Ways to Sabotage Lifelong LearnersWe talked last time about how learning is a continuous process. It’s something that should happen your whole life. And if you use six Charlotte Mason methods, you can educate yourself on many, many things without depending on a teacher…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Education Is4 Comments
Charlotte Mason for Grown-UpsWhat’s your dream? Chances are if you have a dream, you will need to learn some things to get you there. Brittney has a dream to give her children a rich and enjoyable home education that will launch them into…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Education Is2 Comments
Setting Your Child Up for Success in His SurroundingsAs I type these words, I am having a problem. It’s not that I’m struggling with the content; I have a good handle on what we’re going to discuss in this post. It’s not an issue with the skills required;…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning, Special Needs7 Comments
Working with Your Student’s SkillsI enjoy watching The Great British Baking Show. The challenges, the creativity, and the camaraderie all combine to make it a pleasant diversion. But I have to be careful, because sometimes I get carried away with the success of some…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning, Special Needs6 Comments
How to Teach the Child, Not Just the CurriculumNo matter what curriculum you use, it is never going to fit every child perfectly. That’s when you have a choice to make: you can either choose to teach the curriculum or to teach the child. I often compare that…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning, Special Needs7 Comments
Top Three Habits for a Homeschool MomI was chatting with a young mom today about habit training, and she asked a great question. We had talked about how important it is to have living examples for our children to see and spend time with as they…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Habits23 Comments
New 2018–19 Calendar by Karen Andreola: Hope for TomorrowWe are excited to announce that this year’s personal calendar journal is written by Karen Andreola. Many of you know Karen as the beloved author of A Charlotte Mason Companion. Her gentle and practical wisdom has lighted the way for…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method
You Move Toward What You Focus OnWhen we lived near Chicago, my husband John rode his bike for long treks in all kinds of weather. He liked to take the roads that led out of our suburb and into relatively undeveloped country, because they were less…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Habits
10 Mistakes Charlotte Mason Homeschoolers Should AvoidMost of the time I like to focus on the positive and think about what I should do. But sometimes it can be just as helpful to turn that around and consider what not to do. Flipping things over sometimes…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method3 Comments
Book Review: The Naturalist’s Notebook(The Naturalist’s Notebook: An Observation Guide and 5-Year Calendar-Journal for Tracking Changes in the Natural World Around You by Nathaniel T. Wheelwright and Bernd Heinrich, Storey Publishing, 2017.) I’ve discovered something about nature study. It’s not a static activity. By…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Books & Resources, Nature Study5 Comments
When Your Student Mentally Checks OutWe’ve all seen those looks: the glazed-over eyes, the dulled expressions, the partly-concealed yawns. Let’s face it, sometimes our children just “check out” during the school day. What is a homeschool parent to do? Charlotte Mason gave great advice for…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning2 Comments
Homeschooling with Preschoolers in the MixCertainly one of the biggest challenges facing a homeschool mom or dad is trying to teach with little ones underfoot. You might have laid out the best plans in the world, but those plans might never become a reality if…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning, Preschool1 Comment
Not Pride and PrejudiceNear the end of Jane Austen’s classic book, Pride and Prejudice, Mr. Darcy makes a startling statement that sums up why he struggled so much in winning Elizabeth Bennet’s regard. It is startling because he puts his finger on a…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Parenting5 Comments
Starting Charlotte Mason Homeschooling in High SchoolI recently watched a rehearsal for a folk dancing group. There were only five ladies on the floor, but the dances were quite involved. Each lady held half of a hula hoop in an arch over her head as they…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, High School1 Comment
Narration and Composition in the High School YearsOf all of the questions we received on homeschooling through high school with the Charlotte Mason Method, the area that raised the most concerns, by far, was composition. I find that fact interesting . . . and a bit ironic.…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Narration, High School3 Comments
A Generation of Charlotte Mason Kids(We asked Karen Andreola to share some of her thoughts and experiences with Charlotte Mason graduates and how they get on in college and in life. I feel certain you’ll enjoy what she has to say.) A couple summers ago…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, High School3 Comments
How Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Prepares a Student for College and LifeLast week a friend recommended a book. After she told me about it, I looked it up online and read the summary and the publisher’s description. They looked good. From everything so far, it seemed to be a great book.…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, High School1 Comment
Challenging Courses and Dual EnrollmentWhen my husband John has a big job to do around the house, he doesn’t just pull out a hammer and start banging away, expecting it to do everything. He has a whole five-gallon bucket full of carefully selected and…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, High School
Courses, Credits, Grades, and TranscriptsMy mother makes the best potato salad. Every time we have a family cookout, she politely asks what she can bring, knowing full well what the answer will be. “You bring the potato salad, please, Mom.” But if you ask…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, High School9 Comments
Scheduling with a High Schooler in the MixAs homeschoolers, educating a child through the high school years is going to look different from a typical high school classroom situation. Most high schools are concerned with one thing: getting the course work done. But a Charlotte Mason-style home…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Homeschool Planning, High School8 Comments
Serving the Feast in High SchoolAsk any parent of a high school student how much they spend on groceries and you will be reminded of a young adult’s healthy appetite. Teens require food and lots of it. Their bodies are growing at a phenomenal rate,…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, High School3 Comments
Keeping Your Perspective in the High School YearsOnce upon a time, a traveler was passing through a town. He was tired and thirsty, so he thought he would stop and rest a bit by the fountain in the town square. He was just enjoying the last drops…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, High School3 Comments
Announcing Narration NotecardsYou want to give your student interesting and specific narration prompts for each chapter he reads, but sometimes you just don’t have time to pre-read all of the books on the schedule. Or maybe you have time but you’re not…Sonya ShaferBooks & Resources, Charlotte Mason Method, Narration2 Comments
Narration Notecards: A Fabulous Written Narration IdeaIf you have a student who is old enough to be doing written narrations, you may have run into this dilemma: “I want my student to spell names and places and events correctly in his narration, but I’m reluctant to…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Narration3 Comments
Announcing The Charlotte Mason Elementary Arithmetic SeriesFor many years we have longed for a truly Charlotte Mason math curriculum. But since none was available, we settled for finding programs that at least included some CM components. So you can imagine how excited we are to announce…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Books & Resources15 Comments
Happy Results: Min Hwang’s Math StoryWe’re hearing so many good things about Charlotte Mason’s way of teaching math! Parents tell us about improved attitudes, renewed interest and excitement, plus a solid understanding of arithmetic. Min Hwang’s experience is especially encouraging. Here is her Happy Results…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Math1 Comment
Charlotte Mason Math with Special NeedsIt is 9:30 A.M. and my daughter is sitting in a brown chair in my office. She is ready for our school time. Though she is 19 now, we still home school, for she enjoys it—as witnessed by the fact…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Special Needs, Math1 Comment
Everyday Objects in the Charlotte Mason Math Lesson(Here is another great post from Richele Baburina, author of the Charlotte Mason math handbook, Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching, and its corresponding DVD set, Charlotte Mason’s Living Math: A Guided Journey.) I picked up my car from the…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Math1 Comment
Handwriting as a Joy in Math Lessons(We are pleased to present the following post by Richele Baburina, author of Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching and its corresponding DVD set, Charlotte Mason’s Living Math: A Guided Journey.) Charlotte Mason elementary arithmetic lessons are primarily oral. Rather…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Math1 Comment
Ideal Math Lessons for a Young LearnerJust for a moment, throw out all of your memories of math lessons from your school days. Set aside the images and promotional explanations from that math curriculum you were recently researching online. And let’s start from scratch. If we…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Math1 Comment
2018 Calendar Journal Now AvailableMy husband and I used to ride tandem bicycles around Chicagoland. We would throw on our biking clothes and go for miles on the Rails to Trails paths. During our bicycling days, I learned two very important lessons. First, I’m…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Books & Resources1 Comment
Your Questions about High School the Charlotte Mason WayIt’s exciting to talk to more and more homeschoolers who are educating their children through high school. Those high school years can be very rewarding and challenging at the same time, and Charlotte Mason’s methods give a great balance between…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, High School13 Comments
Happy Results: Jill C’s Journey to Charlotte MasonMany homeschool moms, as they learn more about Charlotte Mason’s methods, get a funny look on their faces and say something like, “That’s what I’ve been trying to do all along, because . . . well, it just makes sense.…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Encouragement1 Comment
How Fiction Helps Children GrowMy youngest has been traveling to conventions with us over the past few months. Amid the different locations and changing venues, she has held tightly to one constant: on every trip she brings a classic children’s literature book. These books…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Literature1 Comment
5 Ways to Strengthen Your Child’s WillpowerJoey sits in his room and plays video games hour after hour, sulking anytime he is asked to do anything else. Samantha pitches a fit when she is told she may not have a cookie right now. Alex stares out…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Parenting1 Comment
Charlotte Mason and The Marshmallow TestFour-year-old Susie sits at a little table in a plain room, listening intently. “Susie, which do you like better: one marshmallow or two marshmallows?” the nice lady asks as she points to the sweet treats sitting on paper plates on…Sonya ShaferCharlotte Mason Method, Parenting2 Comments
