Search Results for: blog homeschooling philosophies the charlotte mason method

Mixed-up Methods

With all my talk about Charlotte Mason recently, readers are surely thinking, “Wow, she’s a confirmed Charlotte Mason-ite. Clearly, that’s her method. She sure loves Charlotte. Yessirree, no doubt about it. That Karen is a CM-er.” Well, yes. No. Maybe. Well, part of the time. But, then there’s our classical side. And our unschooling days. And sometimes, now and then, a workbook-y type of thing going on. And there you have our homeschool in a nutshell. I’m a pendulum, swinging back and forth between various methods and ideas. I try a bit of this, throw in a little of that. … Continue reading →

Charlotte Mason: Reluctant Narrators

Charlotte Mason advocated the use of oral or written narrations as a way of having a child report on his reading. There are several reasons that narration can be so helpful. Narrating a just-read passage helps a child to internalize and remember it, and aids reading comprehension. It’s also a great help to the homeschooling parent, who can find out immediately what and how much the child has absorbed. Sounds simple enough, doesn’t it? Have your child read a short passage (anywhere from a paragraph to a chapter, depending on your child’s age and ability.) Then, have him tell you … Continue reading →

More Charlotte Mason: An atmosphere, a discipline, a life

Recently, I discussed how Charlotte Mason’s ideas about living books and “education as a science of relations” influenced my homeschooling philosophies and methods. Today I want to take a look at another key phrase of Miss Mason’s that also shaped my approach to homeschooling. Charlotte Mason said, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” What, exactly, did she mean? Let’s break it down, bit by bit. Education is an atmosphere What is an educational atmosphere? For Charlotte Mason, it’s more than a room full of textbooks. An atmosphere that encourages rich learning is one full of living books written … Continue reading →

More on Charlotte Mason: The “Science of Relations”

In my last post, I talked about the ways in which my daughters made connections, through living books and hands-on activities, that helped them to learn (and retain what they’d learned) about various historical periods, specifically, late 19th and early 20th century history. Charlotte Mason, in her Original Homeschooling Series, spoke of these connections when she called education the “science of relations.” Miss Mason believed that children have a natural thirst for knowledge and a great capacity for amassing it. She believed that their quest to understand and absorb the world around them could be channeled quite productively into learning, … Continue reading →

More on Charlotte Mason and Living Books

Andrea’s recent post about her use of a Charlotte Mason (or, “CM”) curriculum inspired me to share a little more about how we use Miss Mason’s methods in our homeschool. Charlotte Mason, a 19th century British educator, was unmarried and childless, but she had a keen understanding of children and an expert’s eye for what interests them. One of the most prominent tenets of her philosophy — her belief that educators and parents should make use of “living books” rather than textbooks — has had a strong influence on our homeschool and on my personal philosophy. I was just beginning … Continue reading →

A little Bit of Charlotte Mason

As a relaxed homeschooler with an eclectic philosophy, I have found that I subscribe to the theories of the Charlotte Mason Curriculum. Charlotte Mason emphasizes gentle learning through reading. I myself am a testament that learning through reading works. I began reading for pleasure in the fourth grade. My teacher, sensing that I was bored with the (everybody at the same pace, private school) curriculum, and stressed from the bullying for being too smart, loaned me The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe. I read that book, the rest of the series, and everything from classic to best sellers for … Continue reading →

Introduction from a new homeschool blogger

I’d like to introduce myself to the Families.com family. I’m a mom, a freelance writer, and a new homeschooling blogger here. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to write about a lifestyle and method of education that I love. We’re a family of five from the Midwest. When people ask how long we’ve been homeschooling, I often say that we’ve done it since birth, since parents are the first and most important educators of their children. But, for an actual chronology of my kids’ education, I can also say that we started formally homeschooling our oldest when she entered first … Continue reading →

2006 in Review: Homeschooling Blog at a Glance

As a new homeschooling blogger at Families.com, I wanted to know everything that has been discussed to date. In response to my own curiosity, and in an effort to make perusing our articles easier for you, our readers, I have compiled all of the blogs for the year 2006. Deciding to Homeschool Why homeschool Am I qualified for this? Reasons that Homeschooling Works! My Most Important Advice for Homeschoolers. The Cost of Homeschooling Instead of standing up for their own kids, why not stand up for all kids? Disclaimer: I am hardly an expert in education. Did You Know? ‘Empirical … Continue reading →

Homeschooling Special Needs Kids: Resources

I set out to write one, maybe two blogs about homeschooling your child with special needs. However, I foolishly didn’t realize that there was so much to it. For those of you who homeschool special needs children, I welcome your suggestions for blogs. For now, we will start at the beginning, with a list of resources for you to check out. National Home Education Network NHEN has a great FAQs page about home schooling special needs children. National Challenged Homeschoolers Associated Network A resource for Christian families who are home schooling special needs kids. Aut2Be Home An e-mail list and … Continue reading →

Homeschooling Philosophies: The Charlotte Mason Method

There are a variety of home schooling philosophies, ideas about educating children and thoughts about how children learn best. This month, I want to take some time to explore some varying philosophies. I firmly believe that before making a commitment to a particular curriculum, it is worth your effort to explore different philosophies and decide for yourself what will work for your children and your family. Charlotte Mason is interesting in that she readily admitted that her philosophy continuously evolved. She never claimed to have finished writing any book and claimed that she was learning along with her students. She … Continue reading →