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

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?

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,…

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

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…

Practicing Masterly Inactivity with your Toddler
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Practicing Masterly Inactivity with your Toddler

This entry is part 5 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

Recently, I introduced Charlotte Mason’s concept of masterly inactivity. Her thinking was that it is often best to ‘let children alone’ except in situations where we need to provide guidance and support, or to assert our authority. Additionally, in School Education (affiliate link) Miss Mason explains that there are several areas where parents really should practice masterly inactivity. I’d…

A Classic Case for Parenting Slowly
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A Classic Case for Parenting Slowly

This entry is part 4 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

Imagine you are at the playground with your toddler. He makes his way to a ladder leading to a slide. After considering it, he climbs up one rung and stops. He looks at you, and starts to fuss: he seems unable, or at least unwilling, to finish climbing the ladder. What do you do? From…

What should our young kids do all day?
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What should our young kids do all day?

This entry is part 3 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

What do we do with our children? Obviously we have to meet their basic needs. Food, water, clean diapers, sleep, shelter. I’d throw ‘secure relationships’ into that list, too. But what about when they aren’t eating, sleeping, or being cleaned? What do we do then? There is a lot of emphasis lately on doing enriching things with…

Understanding Your Child as a Whole Person
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Understanding Your Child as a Whole Person

This entry is part 2 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

There have been a few times recently when I have not heard my toddler, N, when he is speaking to me.  N is incredibly verbal lately, and like most 2.5 year olds, he babbles and repeats himself a lot, so on some level, I’m simply not expecting him to address me in conversation. My husband has called…

Charlotte Mason and the Early Years
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Charlotte Mason and the Early Years

This entry is part 1 of 10 in the series Charlotte Mason for the Early Years

When N was on the way, I started researching home education. (Can you say ‘planner’?) Blogs of home educating parents mesmerized me. I saw home education as an opportunity to have a flexible schedule, to live in any number of countries, and to protect my kids from the ‘carrot and stick’ education that I had growing up…