Showing posts with label Blog Hop. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blog Hop. Show all posts

Wednesday 30 March 2016

Tip TWO ... Find YOUR Rhythm

Welcome to day two of Tips for Homeschool Parents which is being hosted by the Schoolhouse Review Crew.  Yesterday's topic was Become Equipped Know What You Think and Why. Today I would like to encourage you to find your own personal rhythm and stick to it.

One of the challenges that face us as homeschool parents is to leave school at school. Most home educating families today were not home educated themselves and the only model of education they have in their minds is that of the school they personally attended. Part of the problem with this is that school is six to seven hours a day five days of week plus homework time and this model does not work at home.

When you home educate keep in mind you are not schooling you are tutoring and one of the majour differences is the amount of time required to accomplish the same amount of educating. 

At school you have a 1:30 ratio which means the teacher needs more time to teach and help the students in her care.  At home you have a one to one ratio which means you will know when your student grasps a concept.  The same principle applies to the quantity of written work you require for each subject.  The majority of written work issued at school is 'busy work'. The aim of this written work is to keep students busy and allow the teacher time to help the students who need assistance.

Finding the balance as to the amount of time you need each day to complete your daily requirements is the first step to successfully home educating. Time is a limited resource and one that needs to be managed.  Part of this management is finding your rhythm and sticking to it.

"Every lesson must have its own time, and no other time in this world is there for it. The sense of the preciousness of time, of the irreparable loss when a ten minutes' lesson is thrown away must be brought home." - Charlotte Mason Companion page 93 

The most important part of finding your rhythm is that you do not play the comparison game.  Stop comparing what you are doing with the next home school family in your group of friends or blog are doing.  Your family is unique.  It has it's own set of needs.  IF you are constantly changing up how you do things or adding to what you are doing because of what other families are doing you are going to wear yourself and your children out. 


Here are a few blog posts which cover some of the areas of time in  homeschool, each of these posts address a different aspect of homeschooling which directly impacts your homeschool schedule/rhythm:

I'm looking forward to sharing more tips with you later this week.  5 Days of Tips for Homeschool ParentsThis post is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop.  Blog posts from these bloggers will be going live between 8 am EST and Midday.

I invite you to grab a cup of tea and head on over to these bloggers to see their word of encouragement to you today.
Blessings
Chareen

If you're on Pinterest I encourage you to follow the board 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents for some wonderful NEW content for your Homeschool Boards.

Follow Every Bed of Roses's board 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents. on Pinterest.
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Tuesday 29 March 2016

Tip ONE ... Become Equipped Know What You Think

If you are a new homeschooling parent, welcome to one of the most amazing journeys you will ever embark on.  If you're an experienced homeschooling parent be encouraged.  Homeschooling is one of the most incredible journey's you will undertake with your children.  It's a marathon of a journey and not a sprint so slow down, enjoy the journey it will be over far quicker than you can imagine.  Pace yourself or you will run out of energy.  This week I am joining fifty bloggers from the Schoolhouse Review Crew and together we are aiming to bring you 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents.


Tip ONE - Become Equipped Know What You Think & Why

One of the things to be aware of is the homeschooling is no longer a new movement. We are into the third and fourth generation of homeschoolers. There are many many different approaches and more types of curriculum than you will ever work through in a hundred years.   Each and every curriculum company has put their heart and soul into developing their product and the internet has become a vehicle of creating even more accessible things to do with your children.  It can be incredibly overwhelming when you first start looking.

As a new or veteran homeschooler I encourage you to read up on the different philosophies of homeschooling.  By this I mean know a little bit about the different methods and approaches which are used today. You will hear terms such as the Charlotte Mason Method, Delight Directed Education, and so forth.

It's important that you know which one you would like to use and more importantly why you are choosing this option for your family.  Remember this is NOT set in stone and will change as your family grows and changes and as your experience as a home educator expands.  It is however important to have a starting point and to move forward from there.

IF you don't know what you think OR why you think what you do then every homeschool consultant will try to sell you their product and soon you will have a home full of different curriculum and you will be overwhelmed!  OR you will have a budget blow out or you will be so confused and not buy anything and give up the journey before you begin.

Scripture exhorts us in  Ephesians 4:14 thus: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming.

Knowledge is Power. That power is either in your hand or in someone elses. If you don't know what you think or what your goals are then there will be someone out there who is only too happy to lead you a merry dance and convince you to spend your money with them.

Knowing why you are doing something 
is the first step in being empowered 
to follow through with your choices.

Even if you are a seasoned homeschooler and you don't have your thoughts and focus set then every single time you see something new or meet a new homeschooler and hear what they are doing you will feel as though you are somehow failing your children or they are missing out which in turn will drive you to choose to add more to an already busy homeschool.  The danger of this is that soon you will be doing a great many things with mediocrity and become overwhelmed and exhausted.

STEP one form the cornerstone of your homeschool by Knowing What You Think & Why.

Equip Yourself Well for the journey ahead BEFORE you begin.I have shared some thoughts on a variety of topics which are foundational to the home education journey and would encourage you to look at the following posts:
I'm looking forward to sharing more tips with you later this week.  5 Days of Tips for Homeschool ParentsThis post is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Blog Hop.  Blog posts from these bloggers will be going live between 8 am EST and Midday.

I invite you to grab a cup of tea and head on over to these bloggers to see their word of encouragement to you today.
Blessings
Chareen
If you're on Pinterest I encourage you to follow the board 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents Content for some wonderful content for your Homeschool Boards.

Follow Every Bed of Roses's board 5 Days of Tips for Homeschool Parents. on Pinterest.
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Monday 14 March 2016

Week 2: What are your plans and goals for 2016?

This week I'm playing catch up with the Australian Mum's Encouraging Mums blog hop.  I had so many good intentions and not enough time in my week to follow through. Last week Monday I shared about how I stayed blogging and all the why's and in week two Belinda asked: What are your goals for different areas of your life, including homeschooling? Hmm I am not really an active goal setting kind of person so these questions have been a lot harder to answer than I initially thought they would be.

What worked for you last year – and what didn’t – and what you are going to change
  • Changing our homeschool to more of a Charlotte Mason philosophy has really worked.
  • Having too flexible a schedule really did not work.  I was trying to avoid a schedule because I thought it would help bring about a more peaceful day around here because of Aspergers Syndrome.  It did not.  Children on the spectrum really need routine to keep things peaceful and they need just enough change to learn flexibility.
  • This year I want more of a rhythm to our day than a rigid schedule and that is what I'm aiming for.
Share your week’s schedule/plan – or share the stories from one day this week
Share how you plan your day/week/year – how do you find your priorities
  • That's an interesting question.  This year I'm aiming for more of a daily rhythm in our homeschool.  As a result we are still working our way towards finding our perfect happy flow.  At present we follow breakfast with kitchen cleaning chores followed with school reading work with physical activity breaks. 
  • We are aiming to attend a minimum of ONE field trip a month.  No amount of book work could ever substitute a field trip and what immersion in an experience brings to learning.
  • Our homeschool group is also aiming to have one day a month where we get together for an afternoon of fellowship.
  • I'd like to start piano lessons for Nathaniel and I this year too but I will leave that for term two. 
Share how you stay motivated to stay on track with your goals
  • In one word:  FRIENDSHIP.  I love my homeschool friends they keep me accountable by asking me how it is going.  They inspire me to be a better home schooling Mom.  
  • New homeschool Mom's  I love to attend any meeting of new home educating families.  Their enthusiasm and passion re-ignite my zeal and fill me with the courage to continue this journey and finish it well.
  • INSTAGRAM.  I love to look through the photographs of other home educating families and be inspired to dig out long forgotten resources and use them. 
Blessings
Chareen

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Monday 7 March 2016

Week 1: Why did you start blogging (and why do you keep blogging)?

This post is going to have to be in the style of a Throwback Thursday post {but posting on a Monday}.  I had so many good intentions of joining in this wonderful opportunity hosted by Live Life with your Kids and Homeschooling Downunder.

Why I blog?
  • I love the act of writing and sharing.  
  • It's encourages me to research and find out more. I've always loved information and I love to share it with others.  Blogging gives me a platform to share
What attracted you to blogging
  • When I was doing my computing certification many many moons ago I learned how to build a website.  I really liked working with HTML but couldn't afford to rent web space.  Blogging allows me to be creative on the internet.
  • I loved sharing the new books I had discovered with my friends and had no way of doing that other than flooding everyone's mailboxes.  This got me wondering how I could share what I loved without writing an email but still have access to my own information.
My blogging story.
  • Oh my this little space looked so different back then.  I started blogging on the 20 May 2011. Back then my only two regular features were Tuesdays Treasures and the Homeschool Mother's Journal.  
  • These two things continue to this day on the blog. 
  • The Homeschool Mother's Journal posts up on a Saturday morning most weeks, we're up to edition  number 145 now.   Here is where I share what I've been reading online.  I share about the books, YouTube clips etc we watch and what Nathaniel has been learning at school.  I share about new homeschool posts of interest.
  • Tuesday's Treasures is in the process of being revived. This is where I love to share about books and resources for the family, home education and books I've enjoyed.
What I’ve learned because I blog
  • That there are many other woman out there who struggle with the same things I do.
What do I do other than blog (yes, I do have another life)
  • Read.  I love a good book. 
  • I'm in the process of setting aside one evening a month to catch up on all those Unfinished Projects lying around my home.
  • I co-ordinate a homeschool support group called: Christian  Home Educating Families. 
  • Work a few hours a week for the Schoolhouse Review Crew.
What are some things about you that you’ve never shared on your blog
  • Even though I've been homeschooling for over 17 years I still panic about it every now and then.
  • I'm six foot tall. 
Do you read other blogs? Which blogs inspire you
Links to your top blog posts 
I was a little surprised when I looked up the stats to find the answer to this question.  Here are a couple
Thank you Belinda and Michelle for hosting this link up it was so much fun reminiscing over why I blog and where I am going with my blogging.

Blessings my bloggy Friends who read my little world on the WWW I appreciate you company and inspiration.

Chareen



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Friday 19 February 2016

A Day Home Schooling an Only


Welcome to a day in our home school.  I don't know where or how the tradition started but we always wake up and enjoy a cup of tea together.  It's something we did as a family before the children joined us and once they were about four months old they joined us for a wake up cup of tea.  It's what we do to start off our day.  Very few days go by without a morning cup of tea.  Somehow it does not feel complete unless we have sat together in the lounge before Paul leaves before work.  These day's it's just the three of us as Jane is currently enjoying a year overseas working and exploring the U.K. at the moment and Timothy has a slightly different schedule to us.

As I share our day with you I would leave one word of caution.  Never try to make a carbon copy of another families normal day.  Every home schooling family is unique and therefore so should their day be unique.

The Schoolhouse Review Crew would like to welcome you into their homes this week as they share their unique and individual days with you.

Paul works a slightly unique roster meaning that our daily rhythm is slightly different every week.  On a work day he leaves for work at around 7:30 am.

Once he leaves it's time for breakfast, bed making, getting dressed for the day and morning chores.  These are normally things like unpacking the dishwasher and either starting the clothes washer or hanging the already washed clothing. Once these are complete it's time to begin with our school work.


We start our reading list with bible study and encouraging books.
We then read some more and explore different subjects.  If Nathaniel asks a question while we are reading we will take some time and look for the answer.  We also do word studies while we are reading.  Little Pilgrim's Progress has given us plenty of opportunities to expand our vocabulary recently.

 Our currently read aloud for fun is The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B.White.  This is such a beautifully written story.
This year I am adding in poetry reading.  We are not studying poetry but rather just taking the time to read it as part of our day.  We are using Favorite Poems of Childhood.
My all time favourite composer study series is from Zeezok publishing and we are currently reading their book on the life of Joseph Haydn - The Merry Little Peasant.

 We take a small break and then it is time for music practice followed by morning tea.

 Followed by more time cuddled together on the couch when we tackle our history read alouds. This year we are continuing our journey with the ancients and have added an introduction to Australian History.  Our books are:
 Some days we choose to watch documentaries on Netflix or we take one off our DVD shelf.  Yesterday we looked up a few YouTube clips about the ancient Chinese practice of foot binding.

By now it's usually lunch time and time for more chores.


 After lunch we tackle the remaining books in our pile and this day it was the sciences. We are reading:


Next it's time to get out all the pencils and practice the rest of the Three R's. It's time writing and arithmetic.

Most afternoons we have something happening.  Some days it's art co-op and on others it's fellowship etc.



Paul get's home at around 5 pm and then it's time to play with Pugsley and do evening chores.  Pugsley adores Nathaniel and loves his ball (Yes it's a golf ball.  That's the only ball he does not destroy!)

 Homeschooling an only has stretched me in ways I never thought possible and it's a blessing in the most amazing ways as well.  Asperger's Syndrome frustrates us both some days and on other days it's brought about much laughter.  Every day is different and yet somehow the same. Homeschooling has been one of life surprises and it's biggest blessing.  I'm grateful for each new day I get to be this boys Mom and friend.  I get to be there for every amazing adventure and new discovery.  His passion at the moment is movie making and through this I am learning how God has made this miracle gift to me in His image and not mine.

Thank you for sharing our day with us.  I endevour to share our days / week each week on a Saturday via The Homeschool Mother's Journal and daily on Instagram (@Chareenr).  You can see what our favourite books are and hands on projects we have been up to as well as the places we explore on our Field Trips.

This post is part of the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog Hop A Day in Our Homeschool.  Be sure to check out what my homeschooling friends days look like.

Blessings
Chareen 
A Day in Our Homeschool


A Day in Our Homeschool 2017


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Wednesday 26 August 2015

Math, Science, Biology and History in the High School Years

Welcome to the third edition of this years Homeschool High School Blog Hop. This months topic covers a wide variety of subjects.

We will be looking at Math, Science, Biology and History. I have shared in depth on these topics here over the years so I will be sharing a short introduction to each subject area and linking to my other posts where you will be able to read more about my in depth thoughts on the particular topic at hand.

I will also share some links to FREE curriculum you can access from around the web and links to my posts introducing curriculum from around the web to get you started on your research.

One of the things I realise now in retrospect is that you do not need to change the way you teach when you reach the high school years.  I was under the impression that I needed to change a whole heap of things because my students were now home schoolers and this in turn caused my children stress as well as myself.  Enjoy the journey and allow your students to set the pace for the change.  As they grow and change so will your methods and requirements slowly change along with your relationship.  It is far easier on you and your student to allow this change to naturally occur.

Things to consider before the high school years
  • Research your options while they are in the primary school years so that you have a clear pathway before you.  The high school years arrive far quicker than you realise.  Use the first four to five years of homeschool to research your options and plan ahead.  Without a plan you will end up floundering.
  • Be clear on your expectations. This is imperative for both you and your student. It's important to know what you want completed in order to graduate from high school at home.
  • Have an understanding of the level of maths required to tackle different areas in the high school sciences.
  • Research and save for more expensive items such as a microscope.  Do you have to have a microscope ?  No but it is a great hands on learning tool that makes the sciences come alive in your home.
  • Find out where to purchase the items you need to do the practical labs.
  • Consider the scope and sequence before changing curriculum or you might end up repeating what you have already done.
  • Get to know your student and what their long term study goals are and work towards those. Make it a priority to achieve what they need to accomplish their tertiary goals in the science arena. 
  • Research your State/Country requirement for graduating High School.
 


Math in High School

One of the things I insisted on my children completing was math up to the level of Algebra 1 and Geometry. Needless to say this was one of their biggest complaints!  Why do we have to do that Mom? was a question often heard in our home during the high school years. Math is a subject that is imperative in helping our students develop higher order thinking. 

Math seems to be one of those topics within the homeschool environment that often comes up in conversation. As homeschooling parents we need to be-careful that we do not transmit our personal negative experience of math at school onto our children.  During our high school years I came to realize this with my first two children that as long as we moved at their pace they were able to easily learn what I found to be difficult at school.

In our home I chose to use  Teaching Textbooks during the high school years. It's like having a personal tutor on call 24/7! We would work through the lesson in the book. Answer the questions. Pop in the disk and watch the tutor teach the specific sums we got wrong. I like the fact that they don't assume you know the steps. The tutor breaks down the sum into step by step and explains each step as they go through the complete sum.  

 Before we transitioned to TT we used to call on a friend who was a high school math teacher to help us with any sums we became stuck with.

Here on the blog I've shared

For me one of the defining moments of understanding teaching math came after I read the article History and Research on the Teaching of Math I highly recommend you read this article before you make a decision on your math curriculum.

Scope and Sequence
When looking at changing math programs remember to take  scope and sequence into account.

  • Scope refers to the content.  In other words these are the topics covered (A to Z)
  • Sequence is the order in which the scope is taught (IE the order in which things are covered within the program)
It is important to know this about your math product or you might end up redoing math your child is already familiar with or you might end up skipping a whole lot of important content that your child needs in order to succeed at math.


Resources
Please go to my Math Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.

Pinterest


Science & Biology in High School

"Can I teach high school science?  NO. As your student gets older, your role changes from teacher to fellow learner." Dr. Jay L. Wile
Define: Science

  • The word science comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning knowledge especially knowledge based on reproducible data.
  • Science is the systematic knowledge of the physical or material world gained through observation and experimentation. 
From this definition we can see that science is not solely about science labs and microscopes, formulas and chemicals it's all about the world around us. The sciences need not fill you with fear the high school years can be a wonderful time of learning alongside your students and discovering amazing things together.

  Here on the blog I've shared
Resources
Please go to my Science Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.



History in High School

The story of life is one of my passions.  I loved history in high school and I've grown to love it even more especially after studying it for two years chronologically with Timothy and Jane in junior high.  In fact I loved the experience so much I am doing it for a second time with Nathaniel now and am planning a third trip through with more of a Charlotte Mason focus when he is in High School.

his·to·ry noun \ˈhis-t(É™-)rÄ“\

  1. tale, story 
  2. a : a chronological record of significant events (as affecting a nation or institution) often including an explanation of their causes
    b : a treatise presenting systematically related natural phenomena
    c : an account of a patient's medical background
    d : an established record  
  3. a branch of knowledge that records and explains past events
Studying history in the high school years is an adventure in itself.  Students ask interesting questions and it's a time for deeper understanding.  It's a marvelous time for digging deeper and comparing notes and seeing the cause and effect more clearly of the different things that are happening concurrently in the world.

There is no need to change the method you use to teach history.  Keep using whatever is working well for you.  Once again watch for the scope and sequence if you want to change curriculum.  The source texts become a little more complex but generally speaking history is an adventure in discovery!


Here on the blog I've shared
Resources
Please go to my History Curriculum page for a full page of links to resources.
Here are a few links to get you started.

Home School High School Hosts Share this Month:

Home School High School Topics

Over the next seven months we will be sharing some insights into the following aspects of home educating through the high school years
  • Planning for High School {How and When,ways to/how we're planning to earn college credit while still in high school, Meeting High School Requirements, how to assign credit when there aren't tests, What records do you keep? How do you present them? What influences your method, your emphasis in certain areas?}
  • Electives in the High School Years {Following Passions, following interests, fitting a job in with school, and Being intentional in Preparing for what comes after high school, Life skills.}
  • Math, Science, Biology, History {What do you use ? Why do you use ... ? What influences your choices/selection? }
  • 30 September - Language Arts {Poetry, Literature, Composition, writing, What influenced your choices/selection?}
  • 28 October - "How am I going to teach High School ...?" {Addressing the fear factor of teaching subjects we struggle with or know nothing about, How to achieve credit in subjects your student *hates*}
  • 25 November - How do you fit it all in ? {homeschooling high school alongside homeschooling the others, Fostering Independence, Do you generalise or specialise? Schedules,}
  • 30 December - Graduation { Fostering Independence, How do you know when they are done ?}
Until next month.  Happy blog hopping
Blessings
Chareen

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Tuesday 11 August 2015

Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education {Day 2/5 Back to School Blog Hop}

5 Days of Back to Homeschool Blog Hop Day 2 William Shakespeare Resource List
My very first encounter with Shakespeare was well over 20 years ago in high school.  Our assigned work was Macbeth.  I loved every minute of the class but the thought of teaching Shakespeare in our home left me quaking in my shoes!

Since reading A Charlotte Mason Companion chapter on teaching Shakespeare I've been inspired to start reading a simplified version of Shakespeare to Nathaniel and to my surprise he rather enjoys it.

A wonderful new book on How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare  by Ken Ludwig recently caught my eye. In this book you will understand the many reasons to read Shakespeare to your children as well as find the tools on just how to equip your children to appreciate all that Shakespeare is to our modern culture.

Many of the words we use in today's modern vernacular are created by Shakespeare himself.  Here is a sample: "You've got to be cruel to be kind" "If Truth were known"  "Love is blind"  "Seen better days" and many more.

Shakespeare Books

  • The Young Reader's Shakespeare books are one of my favourite resources.  They are well written and beautifully illustrated.  Available titles: Macbeth, Othello, Julius Caesar, Romeo and Juliet   and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
  • The Usborne Young Reading William Shakespeare has been a delight.
  • Mr William Shakespeare's Plays by Marcia Williams presents seven classic Shakespeare plays. This title includes such novels as "Romeo and Juliet", "Hamlet", "A Midsummer Night's Dream", "Macbeth", "Julius Caesar", "The Winter's Tale" and "The Tempest". 
  • Bravo, Mr. William Shakespeare! by Marcia Williams presents As You Like It, Antony and Cleopatra, Richard III, Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing 
  • Open Source: Shakespeare 
  • For the Lego lovers in your family:  Brick Shakespeare: Four Tragedies & Four Comedies
  • Shakespeare Stories By (author) William Shakespeare, Edited by Leon Garfield Here are twelve of Shakespeare's most memorable plays, presented in a fresh narrative form to delight both those who know the plays well and those who are new to them. Dramatic color illustrations and varied black-and-white drawings perfectly capture the mood of each story.
  • Shakespeare Stories II "By skillfully weaving his own prose with Shakespeare's language, Garfield has refashioned nine of the Elizabethan playwright's dramas into stories, capturing all the richness of the characters, plot, mood, and setting. Foreman's dramatic illustrations are the perfect complement to this celebration of Shakespeare's genius." 
  •  The Shakespeare Stories is a box set of 16 shortened Shakespeare stories.  This is a good set for young readers. These books are available separately.
  • Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb
  • Illustrated Stories from Shakespeare "It is full of colourful illustrations from the Usborne Young Reading Programme. It contains the plays "A Midummer Night's Dream", "Hamlet", "Macbeth", "Romeo and Juliet", "The Tempest", and "Twelfth Night". It also includes a section at the back on the life and times of Shakespeare."
  • Shakespeare's Stories for Young Readers by E.Nesbit

Books on The Life of Shakespeare

Teaching Shakespeare

Notebook Pages and Unit Studies on Shakespeare



Follow my Pinterest Board for Shakespearean Resources


Other posts in the 5 Days of Charlotte Mason Resources Series


  1. Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
  2. Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education
  3. Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool Bloggers
  4. Charles Dickens for a Charlotte Mason Education



The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be joining forces with Homeschool Blogging Connection to bring you a week full of back to school encouragement.

I encourage you to grab a cup of tea and take some time to take a look at what my fellow bloggers are sharing this week in the 2015 Back to Homeschool Blog Hop


Rebecca @ Raventhreads
Annette @ In All You Do

What are some of your favourite Shakespearean resources ?  I'd love to add them to my list.
Blessings
Chareen

PS The BBC produced this interesting song on the quotes of Shakespeare that we use today.



PPS: Win a Microscope {1894.99 value}

For your chance to win a Microscope and  microscope Camera be sure to enter the giveaway over at the Schoolhouse Review Crew.
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Monday 10 August 2015

Charlotte Mason {Day 1/5 Back to School Blog Hop}

5 Days of Back to Homeschool Blog Hop Day 1 Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
When you first start looking at home education one of the things you will notice is that there are a lot of terms and definitions that home educators use. People speak about the method or style of home schooling. They fling around words like: Twaddle Free, living books, delight directed education, trivium education, classical education and more.  Soon you start to hear the words: A Charlotte Mason Education.

Years ago I discovered Memories of a P.N.E.U. Education online and became inspired to search for a more practical application of using the Charlotte Mason approach to home education.

Today I would like to share with you a very brief overview of who Charlotte Mason was followed by a few resources to help you find out more about this educational philosophy and method.  

Who was Charlotte Mason?


She was born in Bangor and christened Charlotte Maria Shaw Mason (1 January 1842 – 16 January 1923). Miss Mason was a pioneering educator who developed a matchless approach to education. She believed that all children should have a wide-ranging, generous education and to be allowed to reach their full potential.
Charlotte Mason

During her life she taught school, was a lecturer at a Teacher Training College, wrote many books and pamphlets, started a training school for governess’ which became Charlotte Mason College, became a popular public lecturer, established the Parents National Education Union (PNEU), and was Editor of it’s magazine, “Parent’s Review”. Miss Mason’s philosophy of education is designed for homes, private schools, and homeschools.

Charlotte Mason had never claimed to have invented the methods that she put forth, rather she modified and combined them in a practical and intelligent way. Her methods include Narration and copywork, Nature Notebooks, Fine Arts, Languages, a Literature based curriculum instead of textbooks, and real-life applications.

My Journey to Charlotte Mason

The first book I ever read on the topic of Homeschooling was: For the Children's Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (first published in 1984).

This book I am pleased to say is back in print and available from
The Book Depository, Amazon and Christian Book.com For the Children's Sake has six chapters and is 158 pages.

Susan challenged some of the fundamental beliefs I had and the surprising thing is I was not even aware I had them until I read the book. I was introduced to Charlotte Mason in this book and really loved the idea of twaddle free books. 

The idea of real books as a basis of education really appealed and still appeals to me today, and thus began my search for a curriculum that contained 'living' books.  Books that would touch our lives for years to come, books that were not dead, books that were real and did not leave us treading water going nowhere.


A couple of years later Karen Andreola introduced me to the practical side of a Charlotte Mason education and A Charlotte Mason Companion soon become my favourite home schooling resource and is one that I recommend to any homeschool Mom who asks me which books I would recommend they read.

This beautifully illustrated book is full of encouragement and how to chapters. Karen covers practical topics like: The Art of Narration, Mother Culture, Shakespeare and Dickens. Topics of Art and Music appreciation along with Grammar, History, Nature Study and a few more kernels of wisdom.  A beautiful book full of gorgeous line illustrations.

Purchase this book from Book Depository, Amazon. For online encouragement meet Karen over at Moments with Mother Culture.


Books written by Charlotte Mason

The Original Home Schooling Series is available on Kindle  
FREE:  Charlotte Mason in Modern English

 Books on a Charlotte Mason Education

Online Resource for homeschooling with Charlotte Mason Methods

Connect with Charlotte Mason Home Educators on Facebook


Other posts in the 5 Days of Charlotte Mason Resources Series


  1. Charlotte Mason Education Resource List
  2. Shakespeare for a Charlotte Mason Education
  3. Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool Bloggers
  4. Charles Dickens for a Charlotte Mason Education


The Schoolhouse Review Crew will be joining forces with Homeschool Blogging Connection to bring you a week full of back to school encouragement.

I encourage you to grab a cup of tea and take some time to take a look at what my fellow bloggers are sharing this week in the 2015 Back to Homeschool Blog Hop

Marcy @ Ben and Me

Win a Microscope {1894.99 value}

For your chance to win a Microscope and  microscope Camera be sure to enter the giveaway over at the Schoolhouse Review Crew.

Blessings
Chareen
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