Category: Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason was a nineteenth-century British educator who wrote with wisdom and grace.

How to homeschool the Charlotte Mason Way by Anya Campbell

Homeschool 101: Charlotte Mason Style

In which a student of Charlotte Mason (British educator 1842-1923) imperfectly outlines first steps of the Mason method with an eye toward hope and encouragement to new home educators. By: Anya Campbell  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ampc7/ Ideas on How to Begin I...

When is Reading Hard?

Reading, Comprehension, and Knowledge Do you enjoy reading? I do. I grew up reading voraciously — new books, old books, books set in the city, the country, in foreign lands, and many books that featured characters that lived lives very...

Penmanship Matters; Here's Why.

Penmanship Matters: Here’s Why You Need to Teach It

Is there any reason for an ordinary person to learn decent penmanship? I believe there is, even if handwriting seems difficult or unnecessary. Clear italic or cursive penmanship is an art form that virtually anyone can master. Because handwriting is...

You can make nature notebooks the easy way.

Nature Notebooks the Easy Way

I have always loved Charlotte Mason’s idea of keeping nature notebooks, and tried different ways of doing it with my boys. We were never able to make a habit of nature journaling, and looking back, I realize it’s because we were trying...

Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose by John Singer Sargent,

Take your children outside! Here’s why.

Most of my favorite childhood moments took place outside. I remember hours of playing with neighborhood children — skating, riding bikes, playing hopscotch, and acting out stories around my swing set and playhouse. Other happy hours were spent with my grandfather...

How to memorize using classic methods.

How to Memorize

How (and why) to memorize using the first-letter method or the method of loci.

The Memory Project: Pied Beauty and More

The Memory Project: Pied Beauty and More

Memory is the storehouse of whatever knowledge we possess; and it is upon the fact of the stores lodged in the memory that we take rank as intelligent beings. Charlotte Mason, Home Education, p. 151 I’ve been thinking about memory...

Autumn Carnival: Looking Forward, Looking Back

This 463rd Carnival of Homeschooling offers a smorgasbord of creative ideas, inspiration, and practical tips for homeschooling. As you read each post, I hope you’ll find kindred spirits among the bloggers, and lots of good things to read as you sit by the fire and sip tea.

Education is an atmosphere;, illustrated by a Mary Cassatt image.

Charlotte Mason was Right! Education is an Atmosphere

Charlotte Mason said that “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life,” and she was right. A study published in 2010 on “Family Scholarly Culture and Educational Success” (PDF), reports that a family’s “scholarly culture – the way of life in homes where books are numerous, esteemed, read, and enjoyed” matters. Here’s how!

Thomas Edison attributed much of his success to his mother's teaching.

How to Be a Good Homeschool Quitter: Part 2

Gifted students learn differently, and most learners have a primary learning style that makes teaching easier. Learning to adapt your curriculum to your student rather than trying to squash the student into a curriculum is an important part of becoming a great homeschool teacher.

How to Be a Good Homeschool Quitter: Part 1

Knowing when to drop what isn’t working, or how to supplement or adapt your curriculum is an important part of becoming a great homeschool teacher.

Three or more books for the homeschool journey: Charlotte Mason and more.

Three (or so) Books for the Homeschool Journey

Homeschooling can be challenging, but a good book can encourage and help to renew your mind. Here are three of my favorite books about family and learning.

How to Teach Your Child: Charlotte Mason’s Education Manifesto

Charlotte Mason’s Educational Manifesto declared that not only did children have a right to knowledge, but they also had an appetite for such knowledge, and that appetite, if not squelched, would motivate them to learn.

Blossoms everywhere in the spring.

Poems for Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins and Amy Lowell

Here are two spring poems by two of my favorite poets: Spring by Gerard Manley Hopkins and Lilacs by Amy Lowell. Both are suitable for copywork and recitation. Enjoy!

Words Matter: How to Use Good Essay Models to Become a Better Writer

One of the best ways you can teach writing is to share good models. I especially like working with excellent essays, as they tend to expand not only vocabulary and usage skills, but also because they expand thought. Here’s an example.

Wintery Mix: The Carnival of Homeschooling

Here is the Wintery Mix Carnival of Homeschooling, with a healthy variety of posts on topics as varied as reading aloud, being on the bottom of the gymnastics stack, and visiting the optometrist. Enjoy!

Charlotte Mason on Copywork

Charlotte Mason recommended copywork, which she called “transcription,” as an early step in teaching language arts. In Home Education, she wrote about the value of copywork, as well as what and how to copy. I have provided her instructions and added a few notes of my own.

What do homeschoolers need to teach?

Homeschoolers: What Must You Teach?

If you’re feeling overwhelmed at homeschooling your students through high school, remember that you don’t have to teach them everything they’ll ever need to know.

Copying a text is one way to absorb great ideas and improve writing skills.

The Power of Copying a Text

The power of a text is different when it is read from when it is copied out. Only the copied text thus commands the soul of him who is occupied with it, whereas the mere reader never discovers the new...

Charlotte Mason on Teaching With Literature

Stories bring knowledge alive and engage emotional memory in a way that makes abstract principles and arcane facts easy to understand and remember. When learning can be joyous and simple, why make it boring and difficult (and pointless because they are unlikely to remember anything) by using tedious worksheets and canned curriculum? It’s never too late to start teaching well. Resolve now to make literature and stories a major part of your educational adventure!

Streamline life with habits and routines.

Streamline Your Life with Habits

Charlotte Mason believed that a habit is “ten natures,” and she was right. Habits can make life smoother by automating repetitive tasks. By simply thinking through the things you do each day, and figuring out how to do them most...

How King James Can Boost Reading Skills

As your students move toward high school and college, reading skills become increasingly important. A student who grows up hearing and reading a wide variety of literature, both old and new, tends to be well prepared to be a strong...

The core curriculum teaches connections.

The Core Curriculum Teaches Connections

  Whenever the weather permits, I eat lunch outside on the patio in the edge of the woodland. At this time of year, there are spiderwebs everywhere. It doesn’t matter that I come out every day and sit in the...

Charlotte Mason on teachers who talk too much.

Charlotte Mason on Teachers Who Talk Too Much

One of the things I most appreciate about Charlotte Mason is her deep understanding of how children learn, and how curiosity and creativity can be stifled by certain teaching norms, including talking too much, being repetitive, and giving tests and...

You can use copywork for teens and adults, as well as for children.

Copywork for Teens

“Mom, I need some copywork!” I thought my son was kidding when he approached me this morning. After all, he is taking college classes, and doing quite a lot of writing. I thought he’d finished with copywork years ago! As...