A Charlotte Mason Education Works!
Throughout my 20 years of homeschooling, I sought to model Charlotte Mason’s ideas, insights and inspiration.
I hope that in these Charlotte Mason pages you will discover bits of wisdom to help you cultivate a love for learning in your children.
Many educators promote the spiral or survey approach to education, wherein a child is exposed over and over again to minute amounts of a variety of science topics. Those supporting these approaches aim to “expose” the child to science each year giving a bit more information than was given the year before. This method has… Continue reading Immersion Science
Some people leave the womb with a natural inclination toward spelling. For others, spelling is a lifelong struggle. I'm in the second category. So is one of my children. After years of searching for the perfect spelling solution that would finally enable my son to master the most basic words, I fell upon a set… Continue reading Spelling Solution
We all know how important knowledge is, but what about creative expression? Could it be that creativity is the missing link between joy and learning? Albert Einstein said, “It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge.” He believed creative expression to be an essential element of all academic… Continue reading Notebooking: Cultivating Creativity
There are several philosophies and methodologies that homeschoolers use when educating their children. Some people choose one and follow it all the way through, others mix and match depending on what they want to accomplish, still others begin with one then change their methodologies as the years wear on and they begin to understand more… Continue reading Homeschool Methodologies
Over the years, I’ve shared my story at conferences and workshops about how God led me to teach my son to spell. As a result, I've received many queries about the program that I used. In essence, I did not use a program, but a procedure. I want to share it with you in the… Continue reading The Truth about Spelling
Laying a foundation of character is essential if you are to successfully move your child from dependence upon you as the teacher to independence and self learning. Obviously, children that are not yet reading need a lot of supervision. The same is true when teaching elementary students new concepts. In addition, when a… Continue reading Laying a Foundation
Narration is one of those treasures that, if done consistently, has potential for great reward. I believe it's foundational to a successful homeschool education, reaping benefits far into the high school years. Here are some questions one homeschool mom asked about narration: My oldest is going into first grade and is reading probably at a… Continue reading Narration
Over the years homeschool moms have asked, "Why notebooks?" And to that I would have to say creating and using notebooks was one of the most rewarding and fulfilling things we did in our homeschool. It honestly kept me afloat and from feeling discouraged or ineffective. In fact, notebooks even gave me a sense of accomplishment,… Continue reading Why Notebooks?
Charlotte Mason found amazing success using the tool of short lessons—lessons that span only ten to fifteen minutes for elementary students. I found this same tool to be extremely helpful in aiding my children's retention. Here’s why I believe this works: Studies show that we remember only the very first part and the very last… Continue reading Short Lessons
One of the most profound—and often under appreciated—methods of Charlotte Mason is her teachings on habits. How I wish I had known of this extremely influential concept when my children were younger, before they formed the bad habits we invested a lot of time undoing. Mason addresses the fascinating subject of attention: The Habit of… Continue reading The Habit of Attention
