The benefits of journaling are countless. It was truly one of the best things we implemented into our homeschooling. Not only did my children enjoy journal writing, the time they put into journaling during the elementary years laid the foundation for academic writing in the middle and high school years. However, I did not allow my… Continue reading Journal Writing
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
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
Free time is one of the greatest benefits of a homeschool education. It gives students space to think and create, to pursue and develop their passions fully and deeply. I’m so pleased with how much my daughter accomplished with her free time even during the middle school years. When she was thirteen, she taught herself… Continue reading Free Time
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
We’ve all heard this and that about how children need to get out in nature. Charlotte Mason advocated for nature study ruthlessly—demanding we gather our kids and a book and go sit outside somewhere natural, even if we have to take a twenty minute train ride every day to get there. She was passionate about… Continue reading Nature Study
I want to share some of the things we did for geography in our homeschool. Our method was not only educational, it was easy, and it included incorporating inspiring living books into our geography studies. Each summer at the homeschool convention we scoped out the YWAM booth. We would purchase all the Heroes of the… Continue reading Easy Geography
Have you ever asked yourself, "Am I doing enough?" I certainly did in the early days of homeschooling. Why do you think every homeschool mom asks this question at one time or another? I believe the problem is that when you are doing enough—it feels too, too easy. So you think, I’m surely not doing… Continue reading Am I Doing Enough?
"What do you remember from what I just read?" I ask the gathering of children around me. Looking to the four year old, I encourage him to begin. "I learned that the sun is ninety-three miles away. It's so far away that it would take a lot of years to fly there in a spaceship."… Continue reading Narration – A Foundational Educational Technique
So we were all told that nature walks were part of Charlotte Mason's education. Upon reading this, many of us promptly bought Comstock's Handbook of Nature Study, packed our pencils and nature journals—one set for each child—and drove to some lovely nature spot to explore and enjoy the beauty of God's creation. We hoped to… Continue reading Nature Walks That Work!
