Series Subject by Subject

How to teach each school subject in a Charlotte Mason way.

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Subject by Subject

A Generous Curriculum: Subject By Subject, Part 1

As mothers we know that children grow best on generous portions. Meagre meals can stunt a child’s physical growth, but a generous diet of food gives that growing body lots of nutrients to draw from. It’s the same emotionally; child…

Sonya Shafer
January 5, 2016
19 Comments

Charlotte Mason homeschooling subject by subject: basic principles

Three Basic CM Principles: Subject by Subject, Part 2

When I was taking piano lessons, my teacher started with some basic, foundational points: keep your fingers curved; sit tall on the bench with both feet on the floor; listen to your playing. No matter what piece I was working…

Sonya Shafer
January 12, 2016
1 Comment

Charlotte Mason homeschooling subjects: History

Teaching History: Subject by Subject, Part 3

When I graduated from “the school of the yellow bus,” I knew next to nothing about history. Yes, I had made good grades, but very little about history had stuck. There was no reason to retain that mental list of…

Sonya Shafer
January 19, 2016

Homeschool teaching subject by subject: Geography

Teaching Geography: Subject by Subject, Part 4

If you had mentioned geography to me twenty years ago, when I started homeschooling, my mind would have immediately visualized dusty maps with puzzling colored shapes and lists of imports, exports, and natural resources. Oh, and currency types. And sometimes…

Sonya Shafer
January 26, 2016
1 Comment

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Subjects: Bible

Teaching Bible: Subject by Subject, Part 5

Of all the subjects we include in our children’s education, the most important should be their Bible lessons. When Charlotte Mason talked about the knowledge that is important to give our children, she cited, “First and chiefest is the knowledge…

Sonya Shafer
February 2, 2016
3 Comments

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Subjects: Art

Teaching Art: Subject by Subject, Part 6

It seems that many schools either sprinkle a little art into the curriculum here and there as an afterthought or ignore it all together because of time constraints. Neither approach reflects the goal of a generous curriculum. Charlotte Mason approached…

Sonya Shafer
February 9, 2016
2 Comments

Charlotte Mason homeschooling subjects: Handicrafts

Teaching Handicrafts: Subject by Subject, Part 7

The more time you spend around the Charlotte Mason Method, the more you come to realize what a nicely balanced approach it is. CM is not all books and narration; Charlotte also recognized the importance of working with your hands.…

Sonya Shafer
February 16, 2016
6 Comments

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Subjects: Foreign Language

Teaching Foreign Language: Subject by Subject, Part 8

If you had graduated from one of Charlotte Mason’s schools, you would have studied several different foreign languages: French, German, Italian, and Latin. And not just studied, but used and understood those languages quite well. : Play in new window…

Sonya Shafer
February 23, 2016
11 Comments

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Subjects: Literature

Teaching Literature: Subject by Subject, Part 9

I’ve been cleaning off my bookshelves these past couple of weeks, trying to cull out duplicates. Now, usually duplicate copies of a title are not a problem in a household of readers, but when the shelves are full and you…

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Subjects: Poetry

Teaching Poetry: Subject by Subject, Part 11

Most homeschool parents I talk to get a funny look on their faces when I mention poetry. That’s because their own schooling experience with poetry consisted of dissecting a poem to bits at the teacher’s insistence. Such over-analysis and examination…

Sonya Shafer
March 15, 2016
3 Comments

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Subjects: Science

Teaching Science: Subject by Subject, Part 12

Charlotte Mason used a two-faceted approach to teaching science that was very effective: systematic studies and spontaneous discovery. The systematic studies were accomplished through reading and narrating living science books. The spontaneous facet was added through doing nature study. :…

Sonya Shafer
March 29, 2016

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Subjects: Beginning-Reading

Teaching Beginning Reading: Subject by Subject, Part 13

When my oldest child was a little one, the thought of teaching her how to read hovered in my mind as a huge challenge. I don’t remember waking up at night, wondering if I would be able to teach her…

Sonya Shafer
April 5, 2016
2 Comments

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Subjects: Music

Teaching Music: Subject by Subject, Part 10

Charlotte recognized that not every student would become a virtuoso, but she understood that beauty and enjoyment can be added to life by appreciating good music, singing, and learning the basics of playing music. Here’s how to approach music in…

Sonya Shafer
March 8, 2016

Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Subject by Subject: Spelling

Teaching Spelling: Subject by Subject, Part 14

I’m a list person. As I sit at my desk and type these words, I’ve lost count of how many items I’ve added to my to-do list already today. Lists can be effective tools for many things. But when it…

Sonya Shafer
April 12, 2016
17 Comments

Charlotte Mason Homeschool Subjects: Writing

Teaching Writing: Subject by Subject, Part 15

When we talk about writing, we usually have one or both of these aspects in mind: handwriting and composition. Let’s look at each one and outline how Charlotte Mason approached them. : Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: RSS |…