Of all the subjects we include in our children’s education, the most important should be their Bible lessons.
You may have heard about Charlotte Mason, but who was she? What is her method, and how can you apply it to your homeschool?
As busy moms, learning a new homeschool teaching method can get downright frustrating and stressful! Homeschooling alone is difficult, but learning a new co(...)
Pocketful of Pinecones is one of my favorite books to read in the springtime. It is such a gentle and uplifting story, with so many Nature Study nuggets woven
We spent the month of February looking at pyramids and mummies. I had these books on hand to use and all of them were fabulous. Each one gave the boys repeated info regarding the pyramids but from different angles thus making a more complete picture of the mystery of the pyramids. Pyramid by David Macaulay (this book showed us how the pyarmids may have been built) Fast Forward Pyramid (my boys favorite book because it has sort of a where's waldo aspect. On each page, which is richly illustrated, you get to look for a fat man, a monkey and a vulture. It takes you through the ages looking at the Giza pyramids as time passes.) The Great Pyramid by Elizabeth Mann (the story of pyramids how they came about, what they mean, and the burial process of the ancient Egyptians) Who Built the Pyramids? An Usborne book with internet links (an overview of the egyptians) Secrets of the Sphinx by James Cross Giblin (beautiful illustrations and lots of great info on pyramids as well as the sphinx) The Great Wonder by Annabelle Howard (a fun story about a modern boy who imagines he is present when the pyramids are built) Mummies Made in Egypt by Aliki (wonderfully inllustrated, with clear descritpions of the process and the meaning of mummification.) We began our study by drawing a pryamid using Ralph Masiello's Ancient Egyptian Drawing Book and then mounting it onto yet another pocket. It looks like a simple drawing but the boys found that drawing jaggedy lines was not easy. After a few false starts we finally got some great results. Don't they look old and crumbly? You may wonder why all our pyramids are red with gold cap stones....well in the Fast Forward Pyramid book (which we read first) is says that that is what the Ancient Egytians did. Later in Pyramid we learned many were also left white. But the capstone usually was gold. Here are a few things we have in our pockets. This little fold up book is from Evan Moor's Ancient Egypt History Pockets. There are five different pages describing the general steps of how the pryamids were built. Cover for the Great Giza Pyramid booklet. Also from Evan Moor's History Pockets. Inside is a page detailing the passages inside the pyramid structure. This another view of the tomb from the top, detaling what goes inside of the burial chambers. Also from Evan Moor. The Great Sphinx Booklet aslo from Evan Moor. This book contains information about the pryamids and the sphinx. I found the info on the internet somewhere and now I ahve lost it. I simply printed off the pages and bound the pages together by stapling the brown cover with the pages in between. The copywork booklet below is bound with my pro-click binder. The cover art can be found here. The copywork is from this source. It covers all the steps to mummify a corpse. I chopped off the extra paper around the edges to make the book smaller to fit in the pocket. With these FREE montesorri cards of the seven wonders of the ancient world we played concentration. It was fun to note that both the light house at Alexandria and the pyramids at Giza are one of the seven wonders. The pictures in the orginal are all in color. I am still using a B&W printer though. We did both 2D and 3D projects, but these two pyramids from an e-book called The Pyramids of Egypt by Cross Eyed Curriculum and they just may cross over the 3-D/2-D line. What I loved most about them is that they are joined together by rubber bands. So we can take them apart and slip them into our pockets once we are done with them. This was truely a delightful way to report on just about any pyramid you happen to be studying. The creative possiblities of these 3-D structures is inspiring. We all wanted to make more and more and more of them and just fill up the room with pyramids. Here is a second look at a different angle. Sugar cube pyramids. Lastly, we made these punch out and glue together (we used clear tape. It works much better and far less messy) sarcophoguses and then paper mache'd a cheap action figure for the mummy.
Inside: I thought my kids hated Charlotte Mason narration, so I quit using it. Two years later, my kids started narrating spontaneously and without prompting, but this kind of narration was different. I was introduced
I know many of you have already started your homeschool year. Here where we live the school system doesn't start back until the day after Labor Day and
I would like to write a little bit about this subject because I think it is a widespread concern among many mothers today. Children are ca...
A Charlotte Mason Approach can give your child a broad, rich, language-filled curriculum. Who is Charlotte Mason and why is she so popular among homeschooling families?
In a Charlotte Mason education (To which we now primarily subscribe), you will hear certain terms and phrases, like "copywork", that may seem foreign when thinking about education. Charlotte Mason was a British educator in the late 1800's that revolutionized how the upbringing and education of a child should be approached. Her philosophy is best understood by reading her 6-volume set of books she wrote for the people of her time.
Education as an atmosphere is one of Mason’s fundamental pillars for education. What are the components of education as an atmosphere? There are two broad categories in my mind: Spiritual and Ph…
A Charlotte Mason History Lesson Before we begin A Charlotte Mason History Lesson… First, I explain why I’m focusing subject by subject. Also, I include Charlotte Mason quotes because I find her original lectures on education to be SO inspiring and helpful. Next, please keep reading to see the break down of implementing lessons, the […]
If you have been following around here for a little while you may know that we (well, I) decided to give the Charlotte Mason method a try for this school
Simple steps to help you make the transition into a Charlotte Mason homeschool.
Hymn study is a easy way to teach theology to your children and here's how to do it along with a lesson plan you can use today to get started!
Share Wildflower Ramblings!I am looking forward to sharing our First Grade Charlotte Mason Inspired Schedule. Here we are, in our Year 1 (Form 1B) of homeschooling. I have never felt more grounded or more sure that I am doing what is right for my son and his education. Ever since I began listening to the...
For our first official year of homeschooling, we are using A Mind in the Light to guide us through Year 1 of a Charlotte Mason style education.
When teach art, I use the immersive Charlotte-Mason approach which includes living books, narration, copywork, and creative expression. Here's how.
Our reading by sight lessons are inspired by Charlotte Mason, but I am not claiming that this is the only way to achieve teaching reading, nor is this the “perfect” Charlotte Mason way (there’s no such thing, friend). However, after just a few weeks of using this method, I can confidently say my child has been introduced to many new words, embraces reading challenging words, and actually enjoys our lessons again!
Our reading by sight lessons are inspired by Charlotte Mason, but I am not claiming that this is the only way to achieve teaching reading, nor is this the “perfect” Charlotte Mason way (there’s no such thing, friend). However, after just a few weeks of using this method, I can confidently say my child has been introduced to many new words, embraces reading challenging words, and actually enjoys our lessons again!
Classical and Charlotte Mason homeschool methods are perfect compliments to each other! See our Classical Charlotte Mason Kindergarten and 2nd Curriculum.
Do you want to add some aspects of a Charlotte Mason education into your homeschool? Here is a short overview that includes practical ideas!
Do you sometimes ask questions about a reading passage, and your kids just return a deer-in-headlights stare? Please tell me I am not the only one. That is what I get sometimes now, but when my son was little it was different. I would try to ask him about what I just had read him, and his answer was almost always… plainly… Jesus. It was adorable but I was like, “What else honey?”
First of all, I want to make it super duper clear that I am not writing this because I think i have it all nailed down and am this amazing homeschool mom. Honestly, that soooo not the case. I’m a girl who can get lazy, procrastinate, be a tad too relaxed about things and then have to scurry to get caught up. I am a girl that needed a TON of help to figure out what I was going to do, how to do it, work through my fears and then need help again and again as I hit snags and discouragement along the way. My intention in writing this post is to simply try to help..... so many people have given their time to me and to be able to pass that on to others is a joy. Education can be a sensitive subject, we all have our values and opinions on how we want our children to be raised and educated. Im just sharing mine...... Why homeschool and why the Charlotte Mason Method? I feel like I’m cheating a bit here but... why recreate something thats already done so well? This is a blog post one of my closest friends wrote... we’ve been friends for over 12 years and are very like minded on this topic. I think this post is very accurate to my heart on the matter, if not exact. Im not kidding, stop now, click on this link and then come back :) I wrote a blog post about some of the main concepts you find in the Charlotte Mason philosophy HERE Are there other great philosophies out there? Sure there is! This just happens to be the one we chose :) What curriculum do I use? We use Ambleside Online “Ambleside Online is a free curriculum designed to be as close as possible to the curriculum that Charlotte Mason used in her own PNEU schools. Our goal is to be true to Charlotte Mason's high literary standards.” I go online to this site and this is how I know what Im doing each year, month, week and day! This is what I use to create my schedule book that I”ll show you below. As I learn our groove and myself as a teacher, we might switch things out here and there or add certain things in... but this is what I use as the core. We also meet up with a Nature Group once a week, taking piano lessons every other week and the girls will probably be taking cooking lessons from another mom and ill teach her girls about photography! Its so neat when you can trade skills with other moms to add richness to their education at no cost when possible. I know my little ones want to take ballet too, but that all depends on what we have a budget for. What Math program do I use? We started out using Right Start a lot of good mama’s love this program but I found it to be too much. Too much preparation, too many games, scales, cards...stuff. Im not the most organized person in the world, a bit of a procrastinator and since I’m still newer at this thing, the bigness of this program just seemed overwhelming. Then, after asking around a ton, I changed to Math U See . The reason I like this is that its simple and I know that Im doing it right. All you use is a DVD, workbook and manipulative blocks. I love that I get to watch a lesson by the teacher so I know Im teaching correctly back to my girls. It has kept our interest and seems to be a great fit for us now! As always, I will keep evaluating things as we go and if I see any struggles or holes with the program, Ill change it up or add on to it if I need to. What reading program do I use? First of all this was one of those things where I was thinking “oh wait, how in the word do you teach someone how to read!?”. Last year we used “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons” by Siegfried Engelmann. It worked... it really worked. We liked it and it worked. Yippee! This year we will be adding some grammar stuff in, but I haven't got that in concrete yet. Ill share when I do. What nature journal supplies do I use? A. I like having a bag that holds all my supplies - its always kept in one spot B. Strathmore Visual Journal - 140lbs cold press paper (cheapest on Amazon) C. Laminated folding field guides for local spots (makes it easier to identify things your seeing then flipping through a big book) D. Windsor & Newton pocket box watercolor set (much cheaper on Amazon) E. Little pencil case F. Micron pens both size 05 and 005, paints brushes (I normally use Artist Loft or something similar quality...not pricey at all), eraser and sharpener G. Water bottle cap or tiny jar to put water in When do you do school and where? This totally varies for my family. I am not a morning person at all and I want to make sure Im as pleasant as possible and ready for the patience required to teach. I usually start school right after my morning fog fades. I open the blinds, put on a pot of coffee and get out of my jammies... or not. There is a fine line of wanting to be relaxed and cozy but I know as they get older I will want to add more structure so they learn the concept of having to wake up, get dressed by a certain time and so on. Things they will need to be familiar with when they get a job ...etc. We do school all over! Sometimes we are in their room, in the living room, in our backyard, in a field, near a creek, at a nature center or a coffee shop. Whatever we feel like or what I think will compliment the lesson. Im super grateful for this aspect of homeschooling. How long does it take per day? Kindergarden took about 2 hours per day total. 1st grade took anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on what we were doing, interruptions, if she’s grasping what were doing or needing further instruction on something. Im thinking 2nd grade will be under 4 hours as well. There is no homework. How long does it take to prepare? The most prep I do is at the beginning of the year when I create the schedule and order my books. From day to day, my prep is hardly anything! I just grab my schedule and the books we’ll be using that day, nature supplies if needed and go through the list of what we need to do that day. If I get behind or we go on vacation I would need to sit back down and prep our schedule to “catch up”, but still that is only a few times a year I need to do this. What is my schedule? I made this by looking at the Ambleside for what I need and then mooching off of moms wiser then me and tweaking it a bit. I created it and then went to Kinko's and got it printed on thick paper and spiral bound for under $20.00. This way my week is all before me with the skeleton guidelines and I will fill things in as we make it through each day. Click HERE to download my year 2 (second grade) schedule. You can tweak it all you need and I have Kinko's print it front and back. So all the squares/chart part is on the front and all the "notes" are on the back. I print around 50 pages in it. In the back I add in the Ambleside reading schedule so I don't have to keep checking online for what Im supposed to read that day. You can find it on Ambleside under year 2 HERE. What do I do with Adia while I’m schooling Madison? Adia is always nearby when we do school. She is totally involved when we do things like hymns, bible, nature journals, poetry and foreign language. When we are doing things like history, math and narration she is still nearby but maybe building legos, coloring, building a fort...etc. During this age it is important for me to work on her learning good habits, sitting still, listening and having a bunch of fun and outside time :) Hands on learning and exploring. Next year, I will officially start schooling Adia and that will be a whole new experience teaching two grades at one time.... so Im sure Ill have a ton of adjusting to do. Another thing I starting doing with the Madison and Adia before they officially started school was prep them for narration... I did a blog post about it HERE. What about them being socially awkward , dressing weird or not being street smart? I poured my heart and time out on this topic last year - You can read that all HERE What about upper level education I may struggle teaching? There is no doubt that this is a possibility...but I also think its an easy fix. If we begin to hit levels in their schooling where I am struggling to teach them I would probably get a tutor, have them take a junior college class on the subject, meet up with other students and work through the subject together, etc. There are a lot of options if this arrises and we can turn to the best option when/if it does. Random things to remember: You do not need to register with the state of California as a private school until Year 1 (1st Grade). But if you are starting First Grade or higher you will need to register as stated here "If you have a child who is six years old or older by December 2, 2011 and not yet 18 years old, and you are establishing your own private school in your home, you will need to file a private school affidavit this year. This must be done in order to be legally recognized as a private school in California and for your children to be exempt from having to attend a public school." Also, It is a good idea that once you register with the state as a school that you also sign up with theHSLDA ( Home school Legal Defense Association). What do they do? Here is a clip of info from their site! I will for sure be signing up with them : Protects your right to homeschool and defends your family. A lawyer is on call 24/7. Provides fast help by phone or email: Get direct answers to your specific questions about home education. Veteran homeschooling parents are available to answer your questions and help you find resources for teaching your children: • Early years (PreK-8th grade) • High school (including preparing for college or career paths) • Struggling learners (special needs/gifted and talented) Preserves homeschool freedom for all families by promoting homeschooling nationwide, as well as by working with state homeschooling groups to pass homeschool-friendly legislation and stop unfavorable bills at the state and federal levels. Partners you with the cause: Although homeschooling is recognized in every state, HSLDA receives phone calls each day from families whose right to homeschool is being challenged or discriminated against by school officials, social workers, employers, colleges, armed services recruitment officers, and government bureaucrats. The customizable nature of homeschooling defies the educational elite's ideal of mandatory, uniform indoctrination—making parental choice in education a target for elimination. By joining HSLDA, you are supporting families who are fighting for their right to homeschool today and standing together to preserve homeschooling freedom for tomorrow. Blog links that are helpful: One of the most helpful is "Living Charlotte Mason in California". It is run by my friend and I have contributed to it a couple of times. She updates it often with very practical and thoughtful topics. She also has a running link of blogs she finds useful off to the left for you to check out too. Okay! PHEW! I really hope that was helpful in some way! If you have further questions go ahead and leave a comment and Ill try to do a follow up post answering them. Make sure you check out Ambleside Online and the blog I posted above first, it will answer a ton of specific questions about narration, reading, struggles.....etc. I really wish I could give all you mama's a hug, share a cup of coffee with you and just talk about this. Its an amazing liberty and responsibility to be the teacher of our children and goes against the flow of society in many ways. If you are like me, you will get to see some really ugly bits about yourself during this process and your strengths and weaknesses will be come very evident. But what a better purpose and goal to work through those for the sake of our calling and children! I will ask for grace and strength for you.... will you for me? Happy Homeschooling!!!
If you are new to the Charlotte Mason method of home educating your children, you may be a little overwhelmed on how to teach preschool through 2nd grade the Charlotte Mason way. I hope these ideas not only erases some of these feelings but gets you excited for the good things that will come from learning this way. How to Teach Preschool through 2nd Grade the Charlotte Mason Way This is the best time of the a child's life to solidify the natural way child learn and give them the time and tools to embrace their curiosity and learn
I love the wonderful lists of Living Books compiled by Amblesideonline.org. For fans of Charlotte Mason, Classical Education and even Unschoolers, their website is a treasure trove of great resources, even if you don't plan to follow their curriculum.
My kids are out of control- because I can't, in a healthy relationship, control other people. Charlotte Mason's 4th principle tells us why.
Habit training is one of the Charlotte Mason topics which has become a main attraction of modern day homeschoolers.
A few favorite writing quotes. “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” ― Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt “Let me live, love and say it well in good sentences.” …
The homeschool movement is gaining momentum all over the world, and many home educators are looking back to the ideas of Charlotte Mason as a compass for teaching their own children. Charlotte Mason was an educator who lived in England from...
