What is a friend? Webster's 1828 Dictionary of the English language defines a friend as, "One who is attached to another by affection; one who entertains for another sentiments of esteem, respect and affection, which lead him to desire his company." I can easily apply that definition as I make friends with books and I definitely seek to pass that friendship on to my own children. This post contains affiliate links. Living Book Characteristics Charlotte Mason advocated the use of living books. We can define a living book by some of these characteristics: A book that has the power to say what would be said in such a way that we're not likely to forget it. It becomes forged in ... Read More
Charlotte Mason Homeschooling
Charlotte Mason homeschooling encompasses everything that is wonderful about homeschooling. Gentle lessons in a literature-rich environment, short lessons that focus on real-life with plenty of opportunity to explore the world indoors and out. And, these are just a few of the reasons I love this style of homeschooling! In these articles, my goal is to share the wonder, joy and creativity of the Charlotte Mason style, while giving you plenty of ideas and practical advice for implementing it in your own home. Enjoy!
How to Teach Geography with Living Books
I HATED geography as a child. It was tedious, repetitive, and included lots of looking up things like the population of a given country that I have never cared to look up since. It wasn't until I learned to teach geography with living books and learned right alongside my children that I realized what a joy it really is. What is Geography? Simply put, geography is the relation of every place to someplace else and understanding each place's physical features and activities. It gives us a sense of belonging, a sense of our own place in the world in relation to other humans, just as history gives us a sense of our place in the world's timeline. What better way, then, to introduce a child to ... Read More
Rosy Cheeked and Resourceful: Charlotte Mason Outdoor Play
Many mommas come upon the Charlotte Mason method at a pivotal time in their children's growing-up - the time when "school" begins. "We'll need textbooks. Maybe little chairs and desks." They start to feel pulled in different directions trying to teach all the different subjects, while school and life quickly feel fragmented. It isn't long before the balancing act begins, that for the most part has been culture created. But, what culture? And just what is being created? In the quest to answer that question, light bulbs begin going off and parents oftentimes find themselves resisting "school" for something better. This post contains affiliate links. Making a list and checking it ... Read More
Boyschooling Homeschool Curriculum for 5th and 12th Grades (2017-18)
I have another senior. How is that possible? It's really, indescribably true when you hear that time flies and your kids will be grown in the blink of an eye. So, this year I'm boyschooling a 12th grader and 5th grader. These boys keep me so busy with music lessons, sports, and more that I rarely know whether I'm coming or going. But it's all good and I treasure (almost) every single moment I have with them. I just know we're going to have a great homeschooling year - even with all the bumps that will inevitably come. Boyschooling Homeschool Curriculum Since my boys are so far apart in age, we aren't doing too much as a family in homeschooling anymore. Caleb is off doing his ... Read More
Fairy Tales Boys Love
Boy oh boy.... take a look at this list of fairy tales boys love. And why wouldn't they? These stories are filled with adventure and mystery! I don't know if you've noticed, but quite a lot of fairy tales have wonderfully strong female characters. There's not a thing in the world wrong with that! However, when I set out to write my Character Building Chapter Books for Boys post, I had a hard time finding wonderful fairy tales with strong male characters to include in that list. So, I went on a quest to locate the best of the best fairy tales that will capture the interest of boys and include adventures that define good from evil. Where magic takes place and lessons are learned is a ... Read More
Mastering the Art of Delight in Your Charlotte Mason Homeschool
Mastering the Art of Delight in your Charlotte Mason Homeschool Though I love all of Charlotte Mason's 20 Principles, one in particular is a wonderful blueprint for any homeschool. It is, "Therefore, we are limited to three educational instruments--the atmosphere of environment, the discipline of habit, and the presentation of living ideas." I diverge from Ms. Mason only in her use of the word limited. These three educational instruments are anything but limiting! They are key to delight in your homeschool. To master something means to excel at it. Art is a skill. And delight? A high degree of pleasure and satisfaction of mind. All those fancy words together simply mean that Charlotte ... Read More
Simple Field Guide Hint
Here's a simple field guide hint that will work for all ages from preschool through adult. We started using this little trick before our children were even readers and we still use it to this very day. Simple Field Guide Hint Get out the stickers! Before they could write, or even draw very well, I wanted a way for my children to note the plants or animals we had identified. I pulled out a sheet of mini-stickers and we placed a sticker on each picture as we came across something during our nature walks. As the children have grown, we haven’t stopped marking our field guides with stickers. It’s proven to be a great tool for all of us in remembering what we’ve already identified - and ... Read More
How To Start Your Homeschool Morning Beautifully
For years, our homeschool mornings have begun on a note of family time. Those mornings gathered around the table at the start of each day have been such a blessing. And...as some of my children are moving out of our homeschool as of late, the memories I have of all of us gathered joyfully together at the start of our day are precious. Morning time has set the tone for our school days, given the children some common ground in lessons, and allowed us the daily opportunity to worship together. It's also been a wonderful way for me to "kill several birds with one stone" as morning time lends itself to teaching several subjects in a relatively short amount of time. How To Start Your ... Read More
Living Literature Booklists
If you asked me to name a few things that have made THE most impact in our homeschool over the years, one of the answers I would give without hesitation is living literature. Many precious hours have been spent together around books. Those moments have built strong bonds between us, created warm memories, and sparked lively discussions. We've been gently prodded to build our character and define our values as we've learned from great victories and tragic mistakes of the characters in our books.We've been planted knee-deep in historical time periods and come to know and love each era because of it. We've turned around on the other side of science books and seen just how much new ... Read More
6 MORE of Our Family’s Favorite Picture Book Authors
Our family's favorite picture book authors earn "forever spots" on our bookshelves. Those spots don't just go to any old books. Nope. To earn a coveted spot on our shelves, a book has to be pretty special. While bunches and bunches of authors have found a space or two on our shelves, there are only a handful who have large spaces dedicated to several of their books. Those are the authors I think you should know about, too, so your family can enjoy their stories as much as we have. This is the second of two posts sharing our favorite picture book authors with you. If you haven't already, be sure to make note of the authors from the first post, too. My children and I hope you love all ... Read More