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Picture study is a simple Charlotte Mason method, taking only a few minutes each week. Yet that practice can yield wonderful results. Lingering with one artist and allowing the students to look closely and carefully at his work—to look for…
We’re not talking about blueprints and square footage today. Rather, the question, How large is your student’s room?, refers to a powerful passage that Charlotte Mason wrote in School Education. It’s not about architecture; it’s about curriculum. Let me explain.…
Charlotte Mason’s original six-volume series is a wealth of ideas, encouragement, and good humor. The books are not easy reading, but they are rich reading. You will gain much insight and confidence if you spend even ten minutes a day…
I’ve had two constant companions over the 20 years that I’ve been homeschooling: my husband John and my pink six-volume set of The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason. Several years ago we had the privilege of getting to…
Of the many gifts that we can give our children, one of the greatest is a love of nature. And the sooner we encourage that relationship, the more time they will have to develop it and enjoy its benefits. Charlotte…
Once upon a time there was a little village nestled at the foot of snow-capped mountains. Its greatest treasure was a sparkling, life-giving stream that flowed right down the center. The people who lived near that stream were happy and…
Balance is a needful, but often elusive, state. We yearn for it, yet often we don’t consciously think about it until it’s gone. When life is humming along smoothly, we don’t usually focus on possible tweaks and changes we may…
If you have ever sat on a three-legged stool, you know how important the three legs are to keeping your balance. Take away any of the legs and the stool becomes unstable. It’s the same with a Charlotte Mason education.…
I have a little saying that sums up my goals for my children’s Bible lessons: Get the Word in your children and your children in the Word. The first part of that goal—get the Word in your children—is done through…
We at SCM are committed to continue to grow and improve the resources that we offer. As our name suggests, our goal is to make it simple for you to give your children an enjoyable, quality Charlotte Mason education. Today…
Children need food to grow. Nutritionists tell us that the best way to feed our children for physical growth is to regularly provide good portions of a variety of healthful foods several times a day. Charlotte Mason believed that the…
Maybe you are new to Charlotte Mason’s methods and are on the fence about whether to use them in your home school. Or perhaps you aren’t sure that CM methods would work with your boys. Well, take some encouragement from…
My daughter just sent me a sweet side-by-side picture that shows my granddaughter at five days old and at one year old in front of the same blossoming apple tree. Children grow so much that first year! It has been…
We are so excited to announce a new living history book for the whole family: A Castle with Many Rooms: The Story of the Middle Ages! Now you and your children can follow the fascinating story of the Middle Ages…
We hear a lot about nature study as one of Charlotte Mason’s key methods. And it is a key activity for learning. The question is sometimes asked, though: Is nature study all you do for science? Let’s talk a bit…
Charlotte Mason was sure that even young students could enjoy Shakespeare. She reported, “Their power to understand, visualise, and ‘tell’ a play of Shakespeare from nine years old and onwards is very surprising” (Vol. 6, p. 182). Michelle F. recently…
There’s something about looking closely and carefully at a historical object that makes that era become more real in your mind. Taking your time to observe in detail the treasures that people of the past created seems to help you…
We are thrilled to announce that the much-anticipated Visits to Asia geography notebook is now available! This gentle weekly study walks you through an exploration of the countries of Asia with captivating photography, a traveler’s firsthand accounts, delightful living books,…
Many of you are in the midst of planning for your home schools, so I thought it might be helpful to share a quick explanation of how I plan my weekly schedule. I’ve been using this 1-2-3 method of planning…
I recently read this wonderful reminder of what it is we are endeavoring to do when we give our children a Charlotte Mason education: I desire my children to form relations with what they study—not to know meagerly “about” something…
Thanks for coming along on this little study that caught my attention. This whole idea of self-educating seems clearer now. We’ve looked at six tools that facilitate self-education: Read or hear literary books. Put it in your own words (narrate).…
When my children were young we had a designated Craft Box. Into this box went empty paper towel tubes, clean styrofoam trays, sheets of felt on clearance at the fabric store, empty cereal boxes, paper that had been printed on…
I was talking with a mother recently whose daughter had memorized a poem. The mother shared how some relatives had stopped by, and the mother had taken advantage of their visit to encourage her daughter to recite the poem for…
Write it down. That was the instruction at the end of the first chapter in the book I was reading. The chapter had been full of ideas and possibilities. So much so that my head was spinning with different images…
Most of you are familiar with the illustrious fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. He is famous for solving mysteries by paying close attention to details. One scenario sticks out in my mind, because it sums up the Holmes character in a…
“So where shall we meet?” I was arranging to have lunch with a friend, and we were trying to answer one of the most difficult questions that can ever be posed to two or more people: Where do you want…
It struck me the other day how much time and effort we homeschooling parents put into teaching. We spend hours discussing strategies, learning techniques, and evaluating materials, striving to improve our presentations as teachers. All of that is good. We…
Don’t you love it when you finally reach a goal that you have had your eye on for many years? Well, the year 2017 reflects just such a milestone goal for SCM. We are excited to announce that Free Shipping…
When we think of habits to be formed, we often think of tasks that will make our homes run smoother. We may look at a new year and decide to help our children focus on picking up toys, brushing teeth,…
I like to ponder this poem that Charlotte Mason and her student teachers pondered every Christmas season. Take joy home,And make a place in thy great heart for her,And give her time to grow, and cherish her!Then will She come…
Music is such a gift! And it doesn’t take a lot to give that gift to your children. Simply focusing on one composer for several weeks, listening to his works and enjoying them together, can have a large impact. Zelena…
Thousands of you have enjoyed our free video resource, SCM Answers Your Questions. We’re glad those short, informal recordings have been encouraging. And we thought it might be helpful to add some more videos to the series, answering more of…
“Something old and something new.” Isn’t that how the rhyme goes? I know it is usually used in a wedding context, but those phrases keep coming to mind because we have two exciting announcements to make. Both of which will…
Today I am happy to introduce a guest post from Doug Smith. Doug and his wife Karen are no strangers to many of you. They are co-creators of Simply Charlotte Mason, and you may have met them working the SCM…
The other day I heard someone describe Shakespeare’s plays as the “sitcoms of the 16th and 17th centuries.” At first I thought that was a trivial comparison; but the more I ponder it, the more sense it makes. Shakespeare’s plays…
Nature study is such a wonderful opportunity for learning no matter where you live. The main thing is to keep your ears and eyes open to the natural world around you and be willing to explore where it takes you.…
I have a new favorite book about loving and educating a child with autism: Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Barry M. Prizant. I want to get copies for everyone in my extended family. I want to…
I love Charlotte Mason’s “permission” to simply enjoy poetry. The weekly happy opportunities to read a poem with my children have enriched my own spirit. There is something refreshing about having the freedom to make my own relations with the…
Charlotte Mason’s idea of keeping a timeline in a book is brilliant. Each time you read about a person or an event in history, you turn to the appropriate century in the book and make an entry. But the real…
“Why do the leaves fall?” My mind raced as her little face turned toward me with that so-familiar quizzical expression. OK. Science. Think! You learned this, didn’t you? Elementary school. Come on, come on, she’s waiting. Say something. Say anything,…
One of my favorite literary quotes is from Anne of Green Gables. (Some of you already know what it is, for you have hugged that quote to your own hearts too. Feel free to recite it along with me.) “Isn’t…
It’s always encouraging to hear stories of how Charlotte Mason’s methods work in real home schools. There’s something about listening to others’ successful experiences that bolsters your confidence and fuels your enthusiasm to keep spreading the feast for your own…
Confession time: Today I didn’t want to be the parent. I didn’t want to do schoolwork. My daughter was willing and eager, but when she sat down in her favorite school-time chair my heart sank. Why do I have to…
Picture study is such a simple way to give our children beauty in the midst of life and to cultivate their tastes for what is worthy and good. It adds so much to our week to take just five or…
As we discussed last time, storing God’s Word in our hearts makes sure that His ideas are always right at hand, no matter what situations we encounter. When you have memorized Scripture, the Holy Spirit can readily reach into that…
This morning as we did schoolwork, we started memorizing a new Bible verse. It’s not the first verse we’ve learned. Not by a long shot. We have been including Scripture memorization in our daily routine for about 15 years now…
One of the things I love about the Charlotte Mason Method is that I get to keep learning—as an adult! Just this past year I’ve been challenged by Joseph Haydn’s daily creativity, encouraged by Oliver Wendell Holmes’s contentment at home,…
Do you remember what a “gandy dancer” is? Way back in the first post of this series we mentioned that “gandy dancer” was the nickname that was given to early railroad workers who laid and maintained the tracks. Parents are…
One of the best gifts you can give your child is to help him become a person of excellent character. That is what habit-training can do: mold a child’s character. “ ‘Sow a habit, reap a character’; that is, the…
One of the great things about a Charlotte Mason education is the wide variety of subjects the students get to enjoy: history, geography, Bible, science, math, and language arts; plus music study, art, nature study, picture study, handicrafts, singing, poetry,…
