How to Choose Memory Work for your Charlotte Mason Homeschool
| |

How to Choose Memory Work for your Charlotte Mason Homeschool

When my eldest son started his first ‘formal’ year of homeschooling in January, we made some changes to our morning time together. While we already had the habit of reading lovely stories and enjoying music together, I began to ask my son to narrate our Bible passage for the day, and we began in earnest…

Charlotte Mason and Unschooling: Comparing Two Philosophies of Education

Charlotte Mason and Unschooling: Comparing Two Philosophies of Education

I recently had the chance to speak at the online Learn Free conference about one of my favorite topics: Charlotte Mason for the Early Years. I focused my talk on three questions that Charlotte Mason believed would help parents direct their child’s education: why must children learn at all? What should children learn? How should…

Using Your Home’s Atmosphere as an Educational Tool
| |

Using Your Home’s Atmosphere as an Educational Tool

Sometimes you leave someone else’s house and you know that they have something special. They’ve created a home where a visitor is never an inconvenience, where the mess your kids make is never any trouble, where you feel welcome, comfortable, and able to let down your guard. You sense the hospitality and friendship. It is…

Impractical Faith: Worship is Sacrifice and Celebration
| | | |

Impractical Faith: Worship is Sacrifice and Celebration

This entry is part 5 of 5 in the series Real Rest for Tired Moms

Sometimes I get the feeling that as Christians, we often look for ‘practicality’ as a way to determine the merit of an event or activity. A good sermon provides relatable application points. A good conference leaves you with motivation to make specific changes in your life. A good house group or Bible study gives you…

Finding Freedom from Work for Work’s Sake
| |

Finding Freedom from Work for Work’s Sake

This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series Real Rest for Tired Moms

Whenever I think of chains, as in prison chains, I remember a scene in Disney’s Robin Hood: Prince John has been arresting all the animals of the forest, and we see a few of them in their striped shirts and hats, walking along to the work camp, each with a cuff around an ankle, links…

Cool, Calm, and Contemplative: Deep Rest for Tired Moms
| | | | |

Cool, Calm, and Contemplative: Deep Rest for Tired Moms

This entry is part 3 of 5 in the series Real Rest for Tired Moms

I have been blessed with babies and toddlers who were excellent nappers. Having two children under the age of two was very intense, but even in the early days, their afternoon naps would usually overlap. When everyone was a bit older, they took three-hour afternoon naps – at the same time, in the same room….

From Distraction to Leisure: Recapturing Peace in a Frenetic Culture
| | |

From Distraction to Leisure: Recapturing Peace in a Frenetic Culture

This entry is part 2 of 5 in the series Real Rest for Tired Moms

After my first son was born, I noticed something changed at church: I could no longer pay attention to the sermon. While disappointing, it wasn’t particularly surprising. I had responsibility for a little, fragile human who, in some ways, seemed an awful lot like a ticking time bomb. I never knew when he would sound…

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

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

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…