There are many styles of homeschooling and many kinds of kids. Finding the right one for your family can be challenging. Our journey finding a style to fit our family took us to Charlotte Mason. Making the switch felt intimidating; however, we have taken it slowly and have been enjoying it along the way.
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If you are wondering where to start your own journey to Charlotte Mason, I recommend beginning with three things:
Use Living Books
To begin our journey into a Charlotte Mason homeschool lifestyle, we started with living books. Who doesn’t love a great story?! Living books are simply well written pieces of literature that teach while telling a story. The story is usually fictional; however, the characters and the setting are based on facts.
Living books are wonderful ways to teach history, geography and science. We have read some amazing fictional stories to learn about the vikings, the Revolutionary War, Abraham Lincoln, animals, energy, and more.
We followed a snapping turtle’s travels down the Mississippi River and a wooden Indian’s journey through the Great Lakes on to the ocean. A little girl named Joan of Arc taught us the impact she made by listening to the voice of God and Mother Nature has been teaching us all about the many animals, their families, and their characteristics. While studying energy, we discovered The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind. This is a great true story of a boy who learned how to use windmill power to save his village from famine.
We found history to be the easiest way to begin with a Charlotte Mason style of education. Beginning with history, we began to see how living books could be effective learning tools in other subjects as well.
Introduce Narration
Narration is a key component to Charlotte’s style of teaching. Narration is simply telling the story back. It is so simplistic in nature, that we tend to make it harder than it truly is.
Narration involves reading a section to your child and then taking a moment for the child to tell you what they heard. They do not need to repeat it word for word or retell every detail. It is just what they remember from the reading. As they do this process more often, you will find greater details being shared.
Charlotte actually used two forms of narration, oral and written. To begin with, just concentrate on oral narration. The written will come as you both get a better grasp on narration as a whole. We are just beginning to introduce written narration into our homeschool routine.
Create an Atmosphere
Charlotte Mason said that “education in an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” Creating an atmosphere of learning at home is a wonderful first step of switching to a Charlotte Mason style of learning. Having books readily available, spending time outside, and having handicraft options on hand instead of watching television are all examples of creating an atmosphere of learning.
However, Charlotte was not just speaking of creating an atmosphere of school learning. She was talking about children learning from the people and events in their lives. How we speak to our children and to others, how we spend our time, and how we treat others all have an impact on what and how our children learn and develop into full functioning adults.
What we include in our daily activities teaches our children what things are important. Do we read the Bible and pray together, work outside, take walks or hike trails, provide meals for others or give our time serving others? All of what we might consider ordinary, everyday things we do are important parts of our children’s education.
Homeschooling by Charlotte Mason principles has been a slow journey for us, but one we have found worth making.
Living Books and other Curriculum Resources:
The Good and the Beautiful Curriculum
The Burgess Bird Book for Children (ages 6-11)
The Burgess Animal Book for Children (This link should be specifically for the one with pictures – not all of the versions from Amazon are printed with pictures. Be sure to click on the book before ordering if you want pictures.)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (ages 7-12)
The Door in the Wall (set in 14th century – ages 7-12)
The Golden Goblet (Egyptian studies – ages 7-12)
Tree in the Trail (history of the Great Plains and Santa Fe trail based around a cottonwood tree)
Liberty Kids DVD set – Educational Edition
Charlotte Mason Resources
- Home Education – Charlotte Mason Home Education Series Volume 1
- Parents and Children – Charlotte Mason Home Education Series Volume 2
- School Education – Charlotte Mason Home Education Series Volume 3
- Ourselves – Charlotte Mason Home Education Series Volume 4
- Formation of Character – Charlotte Mason Home Education Series Volume 5
- Philosophy of Eduation – Charlotte Mason Home Education Series Volume 6
Other Homeschooling Posts:
Is My Child Too Old for Read-Alouds?
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