There’s a quote that says, “If Satan can’t tempt us with destruction, he’ll tempt us with distraction.” How true for the homeschool mom! Our enemy tempts us to veer off God’s perfect path by distracting us with a plethora of “good” things: things that seem beneficial, things that seem profitable, things that even seem necessary. Things Read More
Of all the things we desire to accomplish in our homeschool day, devotions with our children should uncompromisingly be done first. Why? Because nurturing our children’s heart and character is paramount for success in all areas of their life—whether sports, academics, leadership, or daily choices. I’ve said this for years, and it still rings true: Read More
There’s confusion among homeschoolers about when to teach science. Some Charlotte Mason educators avoid teaching science in the early elementary years. Often, they consider nature study enough. Perhaps part of it is they are uninterested in science—the outcome of their own education. After all, the way science is presented in the school system renders it Read More
Free time in the homeschool is an art. One worth pursuing. It’s a long forgotten yet invaluable rhythm of education and is truly one of homeschooling’s best kept secrets. Not only is it necessary to understand the importance of free time, you need to know how to implement it into your homeschool day. Leisure was Read More
Students who have developed a foundation of good character (no, not perfect children, but those who have a conscience about doing the right thing) and have gained personal responsibility for their education—with an eye set on the future—are prime candidates for self learning. The first step to moving toward self learning is to carefully select Read More
As the idea of self learning in the homeschool began to take hold, I was asked to share some practical tips on how to move your children into a self learning lifestyle. Let me begin by saying I feel the biggest problem we find in government and private schools is that the students are taught to Read More
Homeschool planning was something I enjoyed. It helped me stay in touch with my children’s needs, goals, interests, personality, and learning style. I always took these things into account when writing and evaluating each child’s plan. My oldest was an independent learner and my youngest a self-starter. One was overcoming dyslexia and the other was Read More
Where to begin? There are so many reasons why you should homeschool, the first being the freedom it affords you children—freedom to pursue an individualized education and life path that enables them to be true to themself and mature into the person God created them to be. Freedom Let’s begin with academic freedom. Sadly, our nation Read More
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, Read More
When it comes to passion for a child’s educational success, nothing rivals a homeschool mom. We diligently research the latest methodologies and put to test the newest curriculum. We devour books on education, creating sophisticated lessons based on newfangled ideas. Yet Charlotte Mason found amazing success using the age old, timeless and simple tool of Read More
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 Read More