A few years ago, my son really didn’t want to go to bed and launched into full lights-out-postponement tactics, grasping at any thread of conversation that would keep me talking. So when I mentioned that he needed sleep so that we could do school tomorrow, he quickly asked, ‘Why?’ ‘Because it’s my responsibility to ensure…
The attention cottage (a la Alan Jacobs) is an exciting metaphor. I think it’s something that many of us want: habits and homes that are marked by wisdom and contemplation of eternal truths, rather than by the sort of frenzied chaos that characterizes everything from our to-do list to social media. This comparison is worth…
Rooting out weeds from a garden has two parts: pulling up the weeds that are growing on one hand and establishing the plants that you do want on the other. If we only ever pull at the weeds, we’ll be at it forever. Once that lettuce or those pumpkins or the dahlias get going, however,…
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…
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…
You don’t need a curriculum to get started with the Charlotte Mason method. However, you do need an understanding of a few, simple principles. Find out where to start.
Reading Charlotte Mason for yourself can seem daunting when your time and energy are limited as a homeschooling mom. Here’s why you should make the time. Plus, an invitation to read Charlotte Mason with me!
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…
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…
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…