This post is written by my good friend and fellow homeschooling mamma, Havalah Turner. Havalah and I had a wonderful conversation about writing on my podcast. You can listen to ...
If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten. — Rudyard Kipling Charlotte Mason used living books as the bulk of history lessons. Instead of ...
Books and primary sources aren’t the only tools we should use when teaching history. Timelines, century charts, and Charlotte Mason’s signature “Book of Centuries” are all tools to help our ...
“Next in order to religious knowledge, history is the pivot upon which our curriculum turns.” (Vol. 6, p. 273) Why Teach History? A while ago I saw a video of ...
One of my favorite parts about homeschool is history. Once I learned about “living books” from Charlotte Mason all subjects came alive for me and my kids, but especially history. ...
Nature Notebooks If you’ve been researching the Charlotte Mason for even a short about of time then you’ve most probably heard about nature notebooking (AKA journaling). Or maybe you’ve seen ...
On a warm day this fall I strolled out to my garden to pick some Swiss Chard. As I was folding back the leaves I noticed something large and black, ...
I began going on nature walks with my boys when they were still infants. I’d strap them to my back with my Ergo and head off into the backwoods of ...
“We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life ...
In this episode Nicole Williams and I discuss why you should be studying nature (hint: it’s the foundation of all STEM skills, but that’s not the most important reason…), how ...
My second son was born a calm soul. He was content to quietly watch people and smile when they made eye contact . He rarely cried. He was patient and ...
In the last episode I spoke with Amber O’ Neal Johnston about living books and how to recognize them. Charlotte Mason said that lesson material should be based on two ...
Six years ago I almost gave up homeschooling. And my son had just started first grade. He said he hated school lessons. And honestly, I kind of did, too. We ...
Charlotte Mason called the years before formal school lessons the “early years.” She believed this time was a special time for children to form relationships with themselves, family members, and ...
“Oh, what do you do in the summertime when all the world is green? Do you fish in a stream, or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go ...
This year my family did a year-long tree study. According to the Handbook of Nature Study, we picked a tree in the fall and studied it –what do the leaves ...
This year my oldest, who is 10 years old, began studying ancient history along with American history. We dedicated one term to Greek history, but didn’t get all the way ...
This year my family studied the historical time period from 1800-1900. There are so many interesting events, people, and topics to study that we only got through the Westward Expansion ...
One of the benefits of homeschooling is that you have the flexibility and freedom to travel any time of the year, and not just during school breaks. Over the past ...
“I HATE Sundays” my oldest son announced one Sunday morning. He was angry that he had to wear uncomfortable clothes, take a bath, wash his hair, and sit at church ...
This year my family is studying the 1800-1900 period of US history and we read so many good books during this time period that I simply cannot fit them into ...
This year my family is studying the 1800-1900 period of US history and we read so many good books during this time period that I simply cannot fit them into ...
What Are Living Books and Why Are They So Important? With Amber O’Neal Johnston If you’ve been in the homeschooling realm for long you’ve probably heard the term “living books.” ...
“In this time of extraordinary pressure—educational and social—perhaps a mother’s first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time” -Charlotte Mason, Home Education “What should ...
Why don’t my children enjoy school? How can I increase their curiosity and desire to learn? What kind of subjects should I teach and how should I present them? In ...
Which skills do my children need to succeed in life? My house is in complete chaos. How can I make my days smoother? My child’s behavior isn’t meeting my expectations. ...
In this episode Leah Boden, of Modern Miss Mason, joins me to discuss the big idea of mother culture and self-care. Mothers choosing to educate their children at home have ...
This park was one of my boys’ favorites. From the rich history of the cave to the actual adventure inside of it, it definitely became a core memory for them ...
Episode #20 | The One Room Schoolhouse and Family-Style Learning with Donna Goff One-room schoolhouses are extinct, but it’s not because they were ineffective. On the contrary, one-room schoolhouses were ...
This park is unique in that it is the only national park that is mostly underwater! It must be explored by boat or by snorkeling. You can pay for a ...
Early on in our marriage my husband and I decided that we wanted to prioritize traveling our own country before traveling internationally. We want our children to develop an intimate ...
In December 2021 my husband and I surprised our boys with an early Christmas gift: a weeklong trip to Florida, to visit Everglades National Park. We wrapped a suitcase filled ...
Episode #19 | Education is an Atmosphere (Relationship with the World) “When we say that ‘education is an atmosphere,’ we do not mean that a child should be isolated in ...
Episode #18 | Video Games and Play with Dr. Peter Gray This is part two of my conversation with Dr Peter Gray. In this episode we discuss what play is, ...
Episode #17 | Real Life Learning with Dr. Peter Gray (Part 1) Charlotte Mason said that “When we say that ‘education is an atmosphere,’ we do not mean that a ...
Episode #16 | Education is an Atmosphere (Relationships with People) Charlotte Mason famously stated that parents and teachers have three instruments available to educate children: atmosphere, discipline, and life. What ...
This post is a compilation of what I’ve learned from planning my family’s education over the past six years, plus my time as a homeschool student myself. It’s a simple, ...
Episode #14 | Punished by Rewards with Alfie Kohn Charlotte Mason advised that we shouldn’t use external motivators to make children learn. She said “, prizes, places, rewards, punishments, praise, ...
Episode #13 | Rewards, Praise, and Punishment We can’t discuss the big idea of authority without addressing rewards and punishments. Do they actually contribute to our goal of developing moral, ...
Episode #12 | Authority and Docility In the last three episodes, I discussed the big ideas of attachment– what it is, why it’s important, and how we can nurture a ...
My family just spent the past year studying this time period in American History, and I want to share our favorite books we read this year, as well as a ...
Let’s discuss some ways parents treat (or don’t treat) their children like people. And for this article I’m going to shift gears to a more spiritual source. To the man ...
Charlotte Mason’s first principle seems so simple and obvious — of course I know my child is a person! But knowing your child is a human is different from seeing ...
All of us contributing to Simple Wonders have been introduced to Charlotte Mason and her philosophy at different points in our lives, but one thing is common among us all: ...
You’ve heard all the wonderful things about a Charlotte Mason education, but have no idea where to start. Her six volumes on education are intimidating, and yo You’ll learn the ...
Episode #14 | Punished by Rewards w/ Alfie Kohn [description] Episode Links
Episode #15 | The Ideal Parenting Style I’ve spent the last couple months talking about the two foundational elements of parenting: love and authority. These elements may also be known ...
Episode #11 | Creating an Atmosphere of Love and Learning As I’ve studied attachment and love, I’ve wondered how they affect children’s learning. So I asked Dr. Russell Osguthorpe, an ...
Episode #9 | Love + Attachment (part 2) “Let your children feel and see and be quite sure that you love them…. dear mother, take your big schoolgirl in your ...
Episode #9 | Love + Attachment (part 1) Why is it so difficult to teach my own children? It feels like my child is emotionally distant. How can I repair ...
Episode #8 | Freedom Within Boundaries Although I’ve been studying Mason’s philosophy of education for a few years now I still had some unanswered questions about her first principle. I ...
Episode #7 | Children Are Born Persons It’s important to understand principles, to have a framework, before we move on to applying Mason’s methods. So for the rest of the ...
Episode #6 | Teaching Children of All Abilities w/ Julie Christensen My child has a learning disability. Can I still apply Charlotte Mason’s methods? I’m feeling like my child needs ...
Episode #5 | The Connection Between Reading and Thinking We all want our children to receive a high-quality education – one that builds knowledge and teaches them how to think. ...
Episode #4 | Self-Education What makes Charlotte Mason’s philosophy and methods different from others? How do we nurture a love of learning in our children? What should parents look for ...
Christmas time can be a complicated time for mommas, especially if you’re trying to live a minimalist, intentional lifestyle. So what can we give a generation of children who has ...
Episode #3 | Mothers Work Wonders Families, especially mothers, are devalued in our society. We’re told mothers are replaceable, that we need to modernize motherhood; but all the science says ...
The relationship between mother and child is the most fascinating and beautiful of all human relationships. It’s inspired poets, artists, and authors since the beginning of time. For nine months ...
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, as I said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name, as touching one thing, behold, there will I ...
“We cannot measure the influence that one or another artist has upon the child’s sense of beauty, upon his power of seeing, as in a picture, the common sights of ...
Songs can be some of the best tools for helping your homeschool day go more smoothly. Do your children struggle with transitions? Let a song be your cue to switch ...
Learning by Heart Learning by heart is also known as “recitation” in Charlotte Mason’s method. Recitation is more than memorizing: memorizing is committing information to memory, but not necessarily comprehending ...
“The knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and therefore their Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” Charlotte Mason How Firm a Foundation There is a difference between ...
Episode #2 | Home-Centered Learning What makes the home an ideal learning environment? What does a home-centered education look like? Why was public education started and why were orphanages shut ...
