Five Books, Twenty Minutes, One Charlotte Mason Friendly Home Preschool
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Five Books, Twenty Minutes, One Charlotte Mason Friendly Home Preschool

ByAmy
This entry is part 9 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

In previous posts, I’ve covered both why we are doing preschool at home this year, and how we are keeping it in line with Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy.  Now I’d like share the five books I have in our preschool basket. Each of these books is appropriate for my nearly four-year-old. Some are just a…

Charlotte Mason Friendly Preschool at Home
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Charlotte Mason Friendly Preschool at Home

ByAmy
This entry is part 8 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

In my last post, I listed the reasons why our family is spending time on ‘preschool’ this year. Despite Charlotte Mason’s belief that children shouldn’t have formal lessons before the age of six, I think that our approach to preschool is in line with her philosophy. Preschool is short. Really short. We are looking at…

Why bother with Preschool at Home?
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Why bother with Preschool at Home?

ByAmy
This entry is part 7 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

One year ago, I assumed I wouldn’t do any sort of a formal preschool with my kids. Charlotte Mason advocates starting formal lessons no earlier than age six. So why complicate things? I trusted the method, and the wisdom of many home educators who said, ‘Wait on formal academics’. How things change in a year,…

Teaching Reading the Charlotte Mason Way – Getting Started
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Teaching Reading the Charlotte Mason Way – Getting Started

ByAmy
This entry is part 6 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

It’s easy to think that there isn’t much to do school-wise for the first six years of a child’s life when you plan to home educate the Charlotte Mason way. She assertively states in her writing that a mother’s (modern-day me reads that as ‘parent’s) chief responsibility is to make sure that a child’s first…

What Americans are Getting Right and Wrong in Their Obsession with Parenting
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What Americans are Getting Right and Wrong in Their Obsession with Parenting

ByAmy

Parents are investing more and more time into their children’s development, Alia Wong points out in the beginning of her recent article on The Atlantic: The American Obsession with Parenting. Wong points to several studies showing that this is quantitatively true, and I think we all know in our gut that there is an intensity around…

Three Simple Activities to do when your Preschooler is Interested in Rainbows
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Three Simple Activities to do when your Preschooler is Interested in Rainbows

ByAmy

[sc name=”Disclosure” ] A few weeks ago, I mentioned that N age-nearly-three asked me if we could make a rainbow. I saw this as a great opportunity to follow his interest and to expand his experience with rainbows. Today I want to share a few, simple activities we did together to ‘go with the flow’…

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Lovely Christmas and Birthday Gifts for the Early Years

ByAmy

[sc name=”Disclosure” ] What do you give a child who may not remember this holiday? With a child who is growing by leaps and bounds, how do you choose a gift that is going to last longer than their current developmental stage? What toys will encourage creativity and meaningful play? Over the last few years,…

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Not a Bully, Not a Victim: Using Sibling Conflict to Teach Empathy and Empowerment

ByAmy

How many ways can you manage sibling conflict? My kids are very young – nearly 3 and 1.5 years old. Both of them occasionally bite the other (for no apparent reason). The older quite likes to push the younger down (for no apparent reason). I see them both snatch toys, pull hair, and do everything…