Foundations of Habit Training: Getting Started with the Educational Tool of Discipline
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Foundations of Habit Training: Getting Started with the Educational Tool of Discipline

ByAmy

Habit training, thus far in my Charlotte Mason journey, has felt like a bit of a unicorn. It’s concept is beautiful (setting patterns into motion that lead to ‘smooth and easy days’ ahead? Yes, please!), but actually managing to do it… that has been beyond me. I’ve been reviewing Charlotte Mason’s motto recently: Education is…

Brain Science, Our Phones, and the Fight for Leisure
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Brain Science, Our Phones, and the Fight for Leisure

ByAmy

One of my big reasons for homeschooling is to keep my children as intrinsically motivated as possible in their learning, something I’ve personally struggled with over the years. Because of this, when I noticed The Self-Driven Child (affiliate link) mentioned (a few times!) in a blog I follow, and in my Amazon recommendations, it caught my…

Parenting like a queen: Charlotte Mason’s words on authority
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Parenting like a queen: Charlotte Mason’s words on authority

ByAmy

Some times I read something that is so significant I text a picture of it to my husband, so that he can read it, too.  This summer, I am reading through Charlotte Mason’s third and fourth volumes, starting with School Education.  The first two chapters are on docility and authority, and Miss Mason sets up Queen Elizabeth…

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…

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,…

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

ByAmy
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…

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

ByAmy
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

ByAmy
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

ByAmy
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…