Showing posts with label Charlotte Mason. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Charlotte Mason. Show all posts

Thursday 29 July 2021

P is for Podcasts

 Welcome to week 17 of  Blogging Through the Alphabet 2021.  This week Desiree is sharing P is for Park and I wanted to talk about a couple of Podcasts I've enjoyed listening to over the years.  These podcasts have stretched me and changed my perspective and broadened my horizons in more ways than I could have imagined.  I found them both when looking for more information on a Charlotte Mason Education.

A delectable Education Podcast

 This was my first ever homeschool podcast I listened to.  I really loved each episode.  A Delectable Education is presented by 

  1. Emily Kiser - Operates the Living Books Library (founded in 2006), it is her great delight to help families implement the Charlotte Mason model of education. 
  2. Liz Cottrill - (Emiliy's Mom) has been homeschooling her six children using Charlotte Mason and living books.
  3. Nicole Williams - has been homeschooling her own children and others (some of them who have special needs) she blogs over at Sabbath Mood Homeschool.

 There are 200+ episodes of homeschool encouragement and know how with these three ladies who between them have over a centurary of homeschool wisdom and experience to impart.

I would really like to encourage you to start at episode one and work your way through the episodes. You can find a list of their episodes here, where they are grouped together by:

  • Charlotte Mason 101: exploring the WHY behind the Method.
  • An Abundant Feast: the WHAT and HOW of the Charlotte Mason Method
  • Immersion Lessons: Listen in on sample Charlotte Mason Lessons
  • Charlotte Mson in Our Homes: What the METHOD looks like in application
  • Liberal Education FOR ALL: The Charlotte Mason Method beyond the American Homeschool
  • The Grand conversation: We answer questions from our listeners

 Listen on: the website, podcasts on Apple

 Your Morning Basket Podcast is almost up to it's 100th episode and hosted by Pam Barnhill. To find out more about a Morning Basket and what it is go here. Pam has a passion to equip, encourage and breah life into your homeschool.   Listen on Apple Podcasts here.

What are some of YOUR best Homeschooling Podcasts?

Chareen

---oOo---

Find the other ABC posts in this series here:

  1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
  2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
  3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts 
  4. Delight Directed Education
  5. Encouragement for Weary Homeschooling Mothers
  6. For the Children's Sake  
  7. G is for Geography
  8. Homeschool Bloggers  
  9. Instagramers to follow who are homeschooling
  10. Joy in Your Homeschool Journey
  11. Know Yourself - Stop the Comparison Game  
  12. Life Skills in Your Homeschool
  13. Math Resource for Home Education
  14. Netflix in Your Homeschool
  15. Olympics 2021
  16. P is for Podcasts 

Featured from last week the letter O...

This Week over at Our Homeschool Notebook the topic is P is for Park

 

Please link up your posts starting with the letter P for this weeks ABC Blogging


 

 

Thursday 22 April 2021

Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts

Welcome to week three of Blogging Through the Alphabet.  This week Desiree at Our Homeschool Notebook is sharing Creator 3-in-1

Over the years here on the blog I've shared multiple posts on Charlotte Mason today I would like to share a round up of these posts with you.

  1. How to Pursue an Understanding of a Charlotte Mason Education - Some ideas on how to host a Charlotte Mason study Group.
  2. How does Charlotte Mason define Twaddle?  Twaddle is a word you will become familiar with when pursing this method and it's becomming more commonly used within the homeschooling community that focus on using living books to teach. 
  3. Books on the Charlotte Mson Method - Books I recommend to support your knowledge base of pursuing a Charlotte Mason Education in your homeschool. 
  4. Charlotte Mason - Why Read Her Original Works? - After finally reading her original works I discovered a treasure trove for every homeschooling parent.





The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum. - Charlotte Mason 

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.

Blessings
Chareen 

Featured from Week 2 all things 'B'

Find the other posts here:

  1. A is for Art Lessons at Home
  2. B is for Books Where do You Purchase Yours? 
  3. Charlotte Mason a Round Up of Posts


Please link up your posts starting with the letter C for this weeks ABC Blogging.

Wednesday 14 August 2019

Charlotte Mason {Not Back to School Blog Hop 2019}

Welcome to day three of the annual Not Back to School Party hosted by The Homeschool Review Crew.  Monday I shared a few links to help with ART in your Homeschool,  Tuesday two new books to help and equip you for your journey as a Home Educator and today I would like to talk a little bit about Charlotte Mason.



In her Home Education series Charlotte tackled many aspects of education.  However the one thing that surprised me is that she talked about parenting from many many different aspects and the impact our choices as parents make upon the lives of our children.

Do you know what the definition of education is? I took some time to look up the definition of the word today versus 190 years ago and this is what I found.

Current definition:
  • the process of receiving or giving systematic instruction, especially at a school or university.
  • the act or process of imparting or acquiring particular knowledge or skills, as for a profession.
  •  the act or process of imparting or acquiring general knowledge, developing the powers of reasoning and judgement, and generally of preparing oneself or others intellectually for mature life.
  •  a degree, level, or kind of schooling
Back in Websters Dictionary of 1828 the definition was as follows:
  •  The bringing up, as of a child, instruction; formation of manners. Education comprehends all that series of instruction and discipline which is intended to enlighten the understanding, correct the temper, and form the manners and habits of youth, and fit them for usefulness in their future stations. To give children a good education in manners, arts and science, is important; to give them a religious education is indispensable; and an immense responsibility rests on parents and guardians who neglect these duties
This little exercise has really helped me to understand why her education series covers such a wide scope of life and not just the nuts and bolts of educating our children.  As home educators our responsibilities are far wider than the academics.  It's the equipping or our children for life.

If you haven't read any of the original books I highly recommend that you do.  The thing that I have appreciated the most has been the practical advice Charlotte imparts in her writing.  She gives examples and non judgemental recommendations.  Her voice is gentle and encouraging.  


The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason

More Posts on this Blog about Charlotte Mason and the Method




Books Written by Charlotte Mason

None of Charlotte's books were in publication when I first started home educating and come to think of it there was no Internet either! When they were first brought back into print they were still very rare.

There are six books in the series:

  1. Home Education
  2. Parents and Children 
  3. School Education
  4. Ourselves this book was written to be read with parents and high school aged students
  5. Formation of Character
  6. Towards a Philosophy of Education
The series has now been published in a single volume of over 2,700 pages! The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason.

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


The Original Home Schooling Series can also be purchased from

Online Resource for homeschooling with Charlotte Mason Methods

Connect with Charlotte Mason Home Educators on Facebook


I would love to hear about who is inspiring you on your home education journey.

Blessings
Chareen
There are over thirty home educating mom's participating in this years Not back to School Blog Hop.  Grab a cup of tea and take a look through the linky below for some homeschool Encouragement today.
  

Tuesday 27 November 2018

Beowulf - 3 Recommendations For Your Homeschool

This year has been an enlightening one.  I have joined a group of mothers and read The Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte Mason.  I was most intrigued with Miss Mason's words and recommendations on reading Beowulf in volume two.

Children should be in Touch with Beowulf––We have to thank Tennyson for our Arthur, and Shakespeare for our Henry the Fifth, but we imagine that parents will find their children's souls more in touch with Beowulf than with either of these, no doubt because the legends of a nation's youth are the pages of history which most easily reach a child; and Beowulf belongs to a younger stage of civilisation than even Arthur.(Volume 2 page 143)
This sent me on a quest to see what my local library had on Beowulf. Here are three that I would like to recommend.

Beowulf {Rob Lloyd Jones}

  • Format Hardback | 
  • 64 pages 
  • Dimensions 136 x 198 x 12mm | 222.26g 
  • Publication date 26 Sep 2009 
  • Publisher Usborne Publishing Ltd Publication 
  • Language English 
  • Illustrations note full colour illustrations throughout 
  • ISBN10 0746096860 
  • ISBN13 9780746096864 
  • Author - Rob Lloyd Jones
  • Illustrated - Victor Tavares
This book is beautifully illustrated and well written for younger readers.

Beowulf {Michael Morpugo}

  • Format Paperback | 160 pages 
  • Dimensions 129 x 198 x 11mm | 159g 
  • Publication date 03 Oct 2013 
  • Publisher Walker Books Ltd Publication 
  • Language English 
  • ISBN10 1406348872 
  • ISBN13 9781406348873 
  • Author - Michael Morpugo
  • Illustrated - Michael Foreman
This one is for older students and is a well written condensed translation which still brings across the beauty of the story and the depth of the character of Beowulf.

 Beowulf {Translated by Professor Burton Raffel}

  • Format Paperback | 152 pages 
  • Dimensions 105 x 172 x 15.24mm | 89g 
  • Publication date 04 Feb 2016 
  • Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc 
  • Language English 
  • ISBN10 0451530969 
  • ISBN13 9780451530967 
  • Translated by Professor Burton Raffel
This is the translation that Nathaniel and I will be reading together in the new year.  From my research and the recommendations of other Charlotte Mason home educators this edition captures the beauty of the English language and the heroic character of Beowulf drawing the reader into the story of the hero.

But it is not only the idea of a hero which we have in Beowulf, it is also the idea of a king, the just governor, the wise politician, the builder of peace, the defender of his own folk at the price of his life, "the good king, the folk king, the beloved king, the war ward of his land, the winner of treasure for the need of his people, the hero who thinks in death of those who sail the sea, the gentle and terrible warrior, who is buried amid the tears of his people. (vol 2 pg 144 & 145)
Have you read Beowulf? IF so which translations did you use and why?

Friday 24 August 2018

Books on the Charlotte Mason Method {Day 5 Friday Favorites}


Welcome to day 5 of the Homeschool Review Crew Homeschool Encouragement blog hop.  Today the Crew will be sharing their Favourite Homeschool items. I am a paper girl at heart and as such love to be surrounded by beautiful books.  On Monday I shared how I am pursuing a deeper understanding of the Charlotte Mason method of education by reading The Original Home Schooling Series.  Today I would like to share a list of books written by other's who are implementing Charlotte Mason in their homes today.


A Charoltte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola

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.

Consider This : Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition

Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass.


I highly recommend you read this gem from Karen Glass. This thought provoking book helps you to understand the back ground to Charlotte Mason's methods.  Once you understand the underlying motivational principles you will be better equipped to make appropriate choices for your home school using Charlotte Mason's philosophy.

Consider This is availaible for purchase from Book Depository.

The Living Page : Keeping Notebooks with Charlotte Mason by Laurie Bestvater

The Living Page : Keeping Notebooks with Charlotte Mason by Laurie Bestvater

Laurie has done an incredible job of researching every type of notebook mentioned in Charlotte's writings.  Within The Living Page you will discover not only the different types of notebooks used but why they were used, how they were used and when they were used within Charlotte's school and the PNEU.  This book changed my perspective on Notebooking and Timelines.

You can purchase it from Book Depository.

 Know and Tell The Art of Narration by Karen Glass

Know and Tell The Art of Narration by Karen Glass

One of the fundamental aspects of a Charlotte Mason education is the Art of Narration. Karen shares the theory behind the use of narration and then provides us with a step by step guide on how to implement this wonderful tool within your home school. She not only tells us how to implement narration but provides examples  and resources to help you use narration successfully within your home.

Purchase Know and Tell from Book Depository.


A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-to Manual by Catherine Levison More A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-to Manual by Catherine Levison

A Charlotte Mason Education: A Home Schooling How-to Manual by Catherine Levison

Catherine has shared her collection of the key points of Charlotte Mason's methods.  She shares practical and easy to understand insights to empower families to begin using Charlotte's methods within their home schools.

Purchase this book from the Book Depository as well as the sequal More Charlotte Mason Education : A Homeschooling How-to Manual.

The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason published by Living Book Press

Books written by Charlotte Mason

The Original Home Schooling Series can also be purchased from

To find out more about the different published versions please watch this Video Review Comparing the NEW printed versions of Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Series by Brandy from AfterThoughts Blog.

If you are looking for others who are following Charlotte's Methods and sharing about their journeys be sure to take a look at this blog post: 10 Charlotte Mason blogs to follow
---oOo---


This post is part of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop.

Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be motivated for the year ahead.  Here are a few of the participants of this years blog hop.  Be sure to take a look at some of the posts shared by our wonderful home educating mom's.

Tuesday 21 August 2018

How does Charlotte Mason Define Twaddle? {Take a Look Tuesday}

Welcome to Take a Look Tuesday.  I rather like the sound of that and think I may just change Tuesday's Treasures to Take a Look Tuesday.  Books are my passion and if you ever drop on in for a cup of tea I would gently have to inform you that the library of books you will encounter are a result of who I am rather than home educting.

The quaility of the books upon my shelves are solely the fault of my home educating journey and Charlotte Mason!  Years ago when reading a Charlotte Mason Companion I was introduced to a wonderful word - TWADDLE (drivel, nonsense, prattle, rubbish...)  I knew from my homeschool friends that twaddle was something to avoid in my book selections, but I wanted to know how to evaluate a book before I used in our home school?

How does Charlotte Mason Define Twaddle
This year I have begun reading Charlotte in her own words with a group of commited home educating Mums in an effort to pursue a better understanding of a Charlotte Mason education and have discovered that Charlotte Mason had some very particular thoughts concerning twaddle.

What does Charlotte say about Twaddle?

Volume 2 {Parents and Children} page 263 
  • Children must be Nurtured on the Best 
  • There must never be a period in their lives when they are allowed to read or listen to twaddle or reading-made-easy. 
  • There is never a time when they are unequal to worthy thoughts, well put; inspiring tales, well told.

The Four Tests to be Applied to a book

Volume 1 {Home Education} page 177
  1. should provide material for their mental growth,
  2. should exercise the several powers of their minds, 
  3. should furnish them with fruitful ideas
  4. should afford them knowledge, really valuable for its own sake, accurate, and interesting, of the kind that the child may recall as a man with profit and pleasure.

Why should we avoid twaddle?

  • Thought breeds thought; children familiar with great thoughts take as naturally to thinking for themselves as the well-nourished body takes to growing: and we must bear in mind that growth; physical, intellectual, moral, spiritual, is the sole end of education. – Charlotte Mason
  • Volume 2 {Parents and Children} page 263 - For the children? They must grow up upon the best . . . There is never a time when they are unequal to worthy thoughts, well put; inspiring tales, well told.

Read More about Twaddle within the Charlotte Mason Community

The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason can be purchased from The Book Depostiory

The Original Home Schooling Series can also be purchased from


This post is part of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop.

Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be motivated for the year ahead.  Here are a few of the participants of this years blog hop.  Be sure to take a look at some of the posts shared by our wonderful home educating mom's.

Monday 20 August 2018

How to Pursue an Understanding of a Charlotte Mason Education {Day 1 - Motivation Monday}

I've been wondering what I could possibly write about today that hasn't been already covered somewhere on this blog  and realised that I've been home educating for 20 years.  That's two decades.  I was a little stunned to come to that realisation and it also made me realise why I was feeling as weary as I was.

Nathaniel and I have been on this journey together for a while and are approaching our final stretch and the finish line seems to be peeking at us both on the far horizon.  Over the last five years I have been growing a passion for the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy. At the end of last year I came to the realisation if I truly wanted to know more about this philosophy I would need to earnestly do something about it.


Tip ONE - Stay in the Village

Looking back over the last few years I have noticed a big shift within the home educating community.  There has been a move towards the digital era and we have lost the art of face to face relationships.  Home educating is a marathon not a sprint and as such we need the support of other Mom's who are on the same journey we are on.

I am deeply grateful to a group of younger home school Mom's from the local Charlotte Mason support group I've been attending. I have gained much from their enthusiasm and energy. Each time we meet I come home with a new list of fabulous books to bless my son with and a renewed sense of purpose.

If you have been on this journey for a while I would encourage you to keep meeting with younger Mom's they have much to give us.

The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason

Tip TWO - Keep Learning

Last year while attending my local Charlotte Mason support group I came to realise that I had never actually read all of Charlotte's writings.  Each time I looked at the box of books containing The Original Home Schooling Series I felt a little overwhelmed at the prospect of taking on reading Charlotte in her own words.

Caddie W from the support group encouraged me to listen to some podcasts (I highly recommend Stitcher - Podcasts & Radio App, it is easy to install and use.) presented by a group of home educating Mothers from A Delectable Education.  I decided to go all the way back to the beginning and listen to the podcasts in order.  I was totally blown away by the depth and richness of Charlotte Mason and her philosophy.

It was at this point I grew a deep hunger to read the complete set of six books that Charlotte wrote.


Tip THREE - Surround Yourself with Accountability Partners

Once I had decided I wanted to read Charlotte in her own words I knew I needed some support.  Having a group of close woman who were committed to read was what I needed.  I knew that each month we would be meeting and I would need to have read the book in order to participate in the conversation and I did not want to miss out!   I have a wonderful group of three other Mom's who I know are reading and preparing for the next meeting and this inspires me to keep moving forward.

Tip FOUR - Set Attainable Goals

Once we had our group set up we realised we needed an attainable goals.  Caddie found some fabulous ideas and thoughts on starting a group and after some looking at the books and calculations we decided that reading through the volumes was an attainable goal.  A few of us are in the high school years and realised that we could not take too slow a pace or we would still be reading the books and our children would have completed school!  We settled on reading SIX page a day and meeting once a month via Skype call to talk about our reading and what had impacted each of us.

 Tip FIVE - Set a Time Limit

This was important for all of us. As mom's we crave time to connect and fellowship. We however knew that in order to make a success of this meeting we needed a time limit or we would end up talking about all sorts of things other than what we started with.  We also needed to know what time we would start and end as each of us would be at home for these meetings.  We meet for an hour once a month and we aim to get together twice a year during the school holidays to fellowship.

Closing Thoughts on Pursuing Knowledge of a Charlotte Mason Education

I have been surprised at how relevant Charlotte's writings are for us today. She was a woman wise beyond her years.  Every bit of her writing is spot on and in line with what is scientifically known today.   When I first started reading her works, it took time to read the pages as her writings are wonderfully rich and thought provoking.  As I have become more familiar with the depth of her thoughts it's become easier and faster to read the six pages a day.

I highly encourage you to take the time to become familiar with the Original Home Schooling Series written by Charlotte Mason.

Blessings
Chareen

The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason can be purchased from The Book Depostiory

The Original Home Schooling Series can also be purchased from



This post is part of the Homeschool Review Crew 5 Days of Homeschool Encouragement Blog Hop.

Grab a cuppa and be prepared to be motivated for the year ahead.  Here are a few of the participants of this years blog hop.  Be sure to take a look at some of the posts shared by our wonderful home educating mom's.


Wednesday 2 May 2018

Classical Christian Education & Charlotte Mason In-depth Guide for FREE

I am super excited to share a new FREE resource I heard about today.  The Old Schoolhouse has compiled a brand new FREE guide for Classical and Charlotte Mason Home Educators.


This beautiful full colour ditial supplement contains:
  • 70 pages of encouragement.
  • 20 Different articles covering: The Value of High School Latin, Why Teach with Historical Fiction, Learning Disabilities: How to Adapt the Curriculum, Living an Educational Lifestyle with Charlotte Mason and many more.
  • Learn from Sonya Shafer from Simply Charlotte Mason, Lee and Robert Bortins with Classical Conversations, Karen Andreola from Charlotte Mason Research & Supply, Dr. Christopher Perrin with Classical Academic Press—and so many more!
I'm always so blessed by the greater home educating community when they give freely of themselves.  I've been a part of the Old Schoolhouse community now for five years and recently read about how Gena and her husband Paul started the company.  I remember years ago we used to look forward to the copy of their magazine arriving in New Zealand and our local support group would share the magazine around for encouragement and news of new products.

Pop on over to The Old Schoolhouse for your FREE copy of Classical Christian Education & Charlotte Mason: An In-Depth Guide.

Blessings
Chareen

Friday 21 April 2017

Charlotte Mason and Geography

Welcome to day five of the Homeschool Review Crew annual blog hop. Today I would like to encourage you to teach the subject of geography holistically and not as an isolated subject within your homeschool. One of the things I appreciate about Charlotte Mason approach is making geography an integrated and living aspect of your education process.
"The panoramic method unrolls the landscape of the world, region by region, before the eyes of the scholar with in every region its own conditions of climate, its productions, its people, their industries and their history. This way of teaching the most delightful of all subjects has the effect of giving to a map of a country or region the brilliancy of colour and the wealth of detail which a panorama might afford, together with a sense of proportion and a knowledge of general principles.Charlotte Mason Vol 6 p 228

Geography is often thought of synonymously with mapping but this is only a small part of geography.  Geography is all about places to begin with but ultimately it's about the people and those places. C. C. LONG, Ph.D. had this to say:
Geography may be divided into the geography of the home and the geography of the world at large. A knowledge of the home must be obtained by direct observation; of the rest of the world, through the imagination assisted by information. Ideas acquired by direct observation form a basis for imagining those things which are distant and unknown.
Geography begins with finding the content you are learning about and then it drills down to countries and finally cities.  It has taken me a few years to discover what a living geography text is but the journey has been worthwhile.  The first living geography books I ever read were by Holling Clancy Holling.
The process was so easy.  Read the book, find the place on the map at the end of each reading. Learning to know the names of places takes practice and for each family this needs to take on it's own form.  Some families print maps and fill them in daily, others use tracing paper and trace the maps and fill them in until through route it is learned and others use geography songs.


I am directionally challenged and am eternally grateful that gps navigation is now at my finger tips.  As immigrants we posses an un-quenching desire to see the world around us and as such love to explore new places.  I find there is no better way to learn geography then to go for trips both short and long.  Stop and read memorials where ever you go and you will soon build a repertoire of places and people.  Many signs will explain things of significance and these days the information on geology and ecology abound in public places.

I have found some amazing resources and explanations on teaching Geography from a Charlotte Mason perspective, that I would rather not reinvent the wheel but would encourage you to grab a warm cuppa and read a few of the posts I have found below.

The Parents Review - Geography

A Monthly Magazine of Home-Training and Culture
Edited by Charlotte Mason


On the WWW
Thank you for joining me in a look at geography in homeschool.  What are your favourite resources?

Blessings
Chareen

There are some pretty fabulous posts the crew have been sharing and I would encourage you to grab a cuppa and spend some time cruising the blog hop list at the bottom of this post. 
5 Days of Homeschool Annual Blog Hop - 2017