Get up to speed on the Charlotte Mason Method with this 12-session seminar that will equip, encourage, and inspire you to teach your children with confidence! If you want to fully grasp just how practical and doable the Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling is, Learning and Living: Homeschooling the Charlotte Mason Way is for you! See full description
Learning and Living: Homeschooling the Charlotte Mason Way brings you practical help and lots of encouragement for your children’s education. This series of videos, recorded live at an SCM conference in Jacksonville, Florida, is designed to equip you with the knowledge and confidence you need to teach your children the Charlotte Mason way—all the way through high school.
Session 1: Meet Charlotte Mason and Her Methods (50 minutes)
Charlotte’s methods are simple and effective. Learn about who Charlotte was and try some of her methods for yourself.
Session 2: Living Books and Narration (50 minutes)
Living books and narration make learning stick. Discover what makes a living book “living” and practice using one to narrate.
Session 3: Learning with Books (45 minutes)
Now that you know how to use living books effectively, find out which school subjects depend on them, along with other techniques to keep learning enjoyable.
Session 4: Learning with Language (45 minutes)
Increase your confidence as you get a firm grasp on language arts the Charlotte Mason way. Plus, discover her wonderful method for teaching foreign languages!
Session 5: Learning with Things (35 minutes)
Art, music, nature, handicrafts—so many fascinating things are around us! Learn how to include these things as you spread the feast of ideas for your student.
Session 6: Laying Down the Rails: The Power of Good Habits (70 minutes)
Good habits are the secret to smooth and easy days. Find out how to instill them, along with practical tips for Charlotte’s Top Three habits.
Sessions 7 & 8: A CM-Style Morning of Studies (110 minutes)
Witness Charlotte Mason methods in action! Experience a morning of studies and see what this style of education actually looks like. These two discs walk you through the studies in real time, so you can participate along with the conference attendees.
Session 9: Reflections on a Charlotte Mason Education (30 minutes)
Compare Charlotte Mason to other homeschooling styles and explore some key principles that were evident throughout the morning of studies—ideas that can make a big difference in your own home school!
Session 10: Four Ways to Destroy Your Child’s Love for Knowledge (20 minutes)
Now that you have experienced Charlotte Mason-style studies, you will better appreciate Charlotte’s comments on four ways you can destroy your child’s love for knowledge. (This session was not part of the live conference, but we think the information is so valuable that we have included it as a special bonus session.)
Session 11: Putting It All Together (35 minutes)
A wide variety of subjects is essential to spreading the feast for your student. Learn how to put it all together to schedule a delightful week of studies with these hands-on guidelines.
Session 12: Navigating the High School Years (75 minutes)
Yes, you can homeschool the Charlotte Mason way through high school! Gain encouragement and practical insights for staying the course and finishing well.
Learning and Living Notebook
More than 180 pages of notes, samples, and ideas in a handy spiral notebook that corresponds to the 12 sessions. Plus, a For Further Study section with passages from Charlotte’s writings that relate to the topics discussed throughout the sessions. The notebook is included as an e-book download.
Comments from Homeschool Parents at the Conference
Awesome! Tangible.
It’s a lifestyle of developing, learning, growing, strengthening a person.
I love Sonya! She’s an awesome speaker; she gets it down where we are instead of talking over our heads.
You really feel like she’s there urging you on, wanting you to succeed.
The morning of studies gave me a concept of, “Oh, this is how I could do a day!” and I’m very thankful for that.
Traditional school was so hard. Now I have another way!
Comparison to Other SCM Videos
Learning and Living: Homeschooling the Charlotte Mason Way replaces the All-Day Charlotte Mason Seminar and the Books & Things Seminar. This new 12-session set not only covers the same topics but expands on them, including updated and new material.
Sessions 1–5 are similar to what was covered on the All-Day Charlotte Mason Seminar and the Books & Things Seminar; however, the explanations of how to teach the subjects of composition, foreign language, and math have been expanded. Session 6 (Laying Down the Rails) contains the same principles as the previously released recording, but has been updated with more examples and illustrations. The first half of Session 10, Four Ways to Destroy Your Child’s Love for Knowledge, is similar to that session from Books & Things, but contains a new section about Spreading the Feast of ideas.
Group Video Showings
Learning and Living works wonderfully for group study and discussion. We’re happy to accommodate group showings of these videos and provide additional notebooks and a free downloadable leader’s guide. Visit the Learning and Living group video showing page for details and practical help for group leaders.
11 reviews for Learning and Living: Homeschooling the Charlotte Mason Way Video Series
Rated 5 out of 5
ruth –
I received this set in the mail yesterday and I am already hooked – Sonya’s years of experience, and ability to explain things simply and clearly, are helping me understand CM education on a whole new level. I can’t wait to finish watching the whole set. Thank you SCM team.
Rated 5 out of 5
Sunny –
Three months after starting, I was ready to throw up my hands and enroll my son in school. I felt like I was failing him. I was so stressed out I was having panic attacks at night. Something had to change, and I really didn’t want to send him off to school.
The Learning and Living DVD’s offer SO much fantastic information on how to make a CM education work for us. In addition to the practical how-to information Sonya presents a lot of grace in “teaching to the child”.
My educational background is through the public school system, so my thoughts needed to be reorganized from “teaching the program, facts, and information” to “teaching the child to learn.”
Thanks so much to Sonya for the grace and hope you offered me through this series.
I initially hesitated to spend the money on this set, but I realized if we continue to homeschool through high school, this comes out to about $10 per year. Well worth it to avoid all the stress, arguments, panic attacks, and feelings of failure.
Rated 5 out of 5
Kayla –
I received this as a birthday gift and have watched all the way through twice. Multiple friends have borrowed it and it has brought the CM style of schooling into their homes. Sonya makes it seem so simple!
Emily –
Love this set. Watched it a couple times last summer. Fixing to get it out to watch it again. Thinking this may become a summer tradition. 🙂
Rated 5 out of 5
Angela –
I purchased this set along with the Early Years DVD and I must say that this is a definite must have if you are new to the Charlotte Mason style of teaching or want a refresher. I think I will start a new tradition each year by watching these DVDs during my planning phase for the next school year to give myself a refresher. It’s packed with a lot of information, tools, resources, and even a sample of what it is like to teach in this style. As a mom who is new to this style and is transitioning from a boxed curriculum, this has been a God send. I have been wanting to try this style of teaching for year, but was afraid and honestly a little intimidated until I found this site. I felt complete peace and really encouraged after watching these DVDs. Sonya is truly anointed by God and I am so thankful she allowed Him to use her while she was teaching. I am actually looking forward to teaching this year and even laying down some rails for my children!
Rated 5 out of 5
Yuliya McCallum –
I have had this set for a while now (awesome by the way, everyone should buy it) but I had a question for SCM folks. In the series Sonya was talking about a photographer that had a hard time in school and then his parents took him out and put him outside to explore nature and he became a famous photographer. Can anyone tell me what book she had read this in or at least a photographers name??? I do not remember which CD she said that on and do not have the time to listen to all of them in this season of my life to figure it out!! Would greatly appreciate your help, thanks so much!!!!
Sonya Shafer –
Hi, Yuliya. The photographer’s name was Ansel Adams. I read about his circumstances in a book called Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Hope this helps!
Rated 5 out of 5
Erin P –
I wanted to give this set the highest praise!!!! I wished that I had had this set before my oldest was in high school and then I wouldn’t have freaked out and left behind CM in order to make sure everything was covered on the transcript with test grades and worksheets. That transcript “Ruled” my life and I resented homeschooling and the “Public School” for controlling me through the transcript. Most of that was in my head but I needed to see what this looked like in order to calm down and carry on. This set is soooo worth the money and I have watched it over and over again and I discover new things each time. Now, my other kids won’t be trapped by textbooks(because of their Mother who had temporary high school “freak out”) because Sonya shows how it is done for older kids, too. Thanks Sonya for this!!!! The videos take the theoretical and make it very practical and do-able.
Rated 5 out of 5
Amanda –
Buy it already! Within 30 min of the first DVD my stress around homeschooling died completely. By the third DVD I couldn’t wait to start and wished I had more children in our family to teach. Thank you God for this beautiful woman, who has brought healing to my heart and renewed vision to my soul. My children will also be so blessed because of this curriculum and these DVDs!!
Rated 5 out of 5
Tisha –
This is such a valuable resource that I will use for years to come.
This is my 3rd year homeschooling and I have slowly been learning more and more about a Charlotte Mason education. With 5 children ages 2-10, it’s difficult to get to a conference or book discussion to learn more. This DVD set has allowed me to go at my own pace and when I have the available time.
I bought this set back in November and am watching again for the 2nd time this spring. I got so much out of it the first time and am getting even more new insights this time around. My husband even joined me one night and it was so helpful for him to hear about all this Charlotte Mason stuff I’m talking about. 🙂
Sonja does has a gift for breaking things down in a simple and understandable way! Thank you for producing such a great tool for homeschoolers!
Rated 5 out of 5
Sarah –
As a beginner i found this extremely helpful, thank you!
Rated 5 out of 5
Lindsay –
I am thoroughly enjoying this valuable resource as a new-to-be homeschooling mom who plans to officially begin lessons with my oldest (grade 1) in the near future. I highly recommend and appreciate this learning tool from Sonya Shafer and SCM Team!
ruth –
I received this set in the mail yesterday and I am already hooked – Sonya’s years of experience, and ability to explain things simply and clearly, are helping me understand CM education on a whole new level. I can’t wait to finish watching the whole set. Thank you SCM team.
Sunny –
Three months after starting, I was ready to throw up my hands and enroll my son in school. I felt like I was failing him. I was so stressed out I was having panic attacks at night. Something had to change, and I really didn’t want to send him off to school.
The Learning and Living DVD’s offer SO much fantastic information on how to make a CM education work for us. In addition to the practical how-to information Sonya presents a lot of grace in “teaching to the child”.
My educational background is through the public school system, so my thoughts needed to be reorganized from “teaching the program, facts, and information” to “teaching the child to learn.”
Thanks so much to Sonya for the grace and hope you offered me through this series.
I initially hesitated to spend the money on this set, but I realized if we continue to homeschool through high school, this comes out to about $10 per year. Well worth it to avoid all the stress, arguments, panic attacks, and feelings of failure.
Kayla –
I received this as a birthday gift and have watched all the way through twice. Multiple friends have borrowed it and it has brought the CM style of schooling into their homes. Sonya makes it seem so simple!
Emily –
Love this set. Watched it a couple times last summer. Fixing to get it out to watch it again. Thinking this may become a summer tradition. 🙂
Angela –
I purchased this set along with the Early Years DVD and I must say that this is a definite must have if you are new to the Charlotte Mason style of teaching or want a refresher. I think I will start a new tradition each year by watching these DVDs during my planning phase for the next school year to give myself a refresher. It’s packed with a lot of information, tools, resources, and even a sample of what it is like to teach in this style. As a mom who is new to this style and is transitioning from a boxed curriculum, this has been a God send. I have been wanting to try this style of teaching for year, but was afraid and honestly a little intimidated until I found this site. I felt complete peace and really encouraged after watching these DVDs. Sonya is truly anointed by God and I am so thankful she allowed Him to use her while she was teaching. I am actually looking forward to teaching this year and even laying down some rails for my children!
Yuliya McCallum –
I have had this set for a while now (awesome by the way, everyone should buy it) but I had a question for SCM folks. In the series Sonya was talking about a photographer that had a hard time in school and then his parents took him out and put him outside to explore nature and he became a famous photographer. Can anyone tell me what book she had read this in or at least a photographers name??? I do not remember which CD she said that on and do not have the time to listen to all of them in this season of my life to figure it out!! Would greatly appreciate your help, thanks so much!!!!
Sonya Shafer –
Hi, Yuliya. The photographer’s name was Ansel Adams. I read about his circumstances in a book called Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv. Hope this helps!
Erin P –
I wanted to give this set the highest praise!!!! I wished that I had had this set before my oldest was in high school and then I wouldn’t have freaked out and left behind CM in order to make sure everything was covered on the transcript with test grades and worksheets. That transcript “Ruled” my life and I resented homeschooling and the “Public School” for controlling me through the transcript. Most of that was in my head but I needed to see what this looked like in order to calm down and carry on. This set is soooo worth the money and I have watched it over and over again and I discover new things each time. Now, my other kids won’t be trapped by textbooks(because of their Mother who had temporary high school “freak out”) because Sonya shows how it is done for older kids, too. Thanks Sonya for this!!!! The videos take the theoretical and make it very practical and do-able.
Amanda –
Buy it already! Within 30 min of the first DVD my stress around homeschooling died completely. By the third DVD I couldn’t wait to start and wished I had more children in our family to teach. Thank you God for this beautiful woman, who has brought healing to my heart and renewed vision to my soul. My children will also be so blessed because of this curriculum and these DVDs!!
Tisha –
This is such a valuable resource that I will use for years to come.
This is my 3rd year homeschooling and I have slowly been learning more and more about a Charlotte Mason education. With 5 children ages 2-10, it’s difficult to get to a conference or book discussion to learn more. This DVD set has allowed me to go at my own pace and when I have the available time.
I bought this set back in November and am watching again for the 2nd time this spring. I got so much out of it the first time and am getting even more new insights this time around. My husband even joined me one night and it was so helpful for him to hear about all this Charlotte Mason stuff I’m talking about. 🙂
Sonja does has a gift for breaking things down in a simple and understandable way! Thank you for producing such a great tool for homeschoolers!
Sarah –
As a beginner i found this extremely helpful, thank you!
Lindsay –
I am thoroughly enjoying this valuable resource as a new-to-be homeschooling mom who plans to officially begin lessons with my oldest (grade 1) in the near future. I highly recommend and appreciate this learning tool from Sonya Shafer and SCM Team!