Spreading the feast of the Charlotte Mason method of education through weekly podcasts. Join us for short discussions that provide information, examples, and encouragement to the homeschool parents putting CM's ideas into practice in their homes.
Charlotte Mason acknowledged that teaching reading can feel like moving at a snail’s pace, but that children love making progress. In this demonstration of a reading lesson, Maelle understands how to read, but is still building her fund of recognized words. Emily works with her in a short reading lesson in one example of how we can help our young reader get another step further down the road to independence.
This episode of A Delectable Education Charlotte Mason Podcast is an interview with Min Hwang to explore her implementation of Charlotte Mason’s ideas in the children’s ministry of her church. Miss Mason reminds us of Christ’s command to “let the little children come to me and hinder them not,” and believed in the child’s inherent dignity and respect due to them as persons. Min has a special vision of how her method and subjects can make “Sunday school” a fertile growing time for these children to be introduced to and grow in Christ and His word.
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“But let the imaginations of children be stored with the pictures, their minds nourished upon the words, of the gradually unfolding story of the Scriptures, and they will come to look out upon a wide horizon within which persons and events take shape in their due place and in due proportion . By degrees, they will see that the world is a stage whereon the goodness of God is continually striving with the wilfulness of man; that some heroic men take sides with God ; and that others, foolish and headstrong, oppose themselves to Him. The fire of enthusiasm will kindle in their breast, and the children, too, will take their side, without much exhortation, or any thought or talk of spiritual experience.” (1/249)
“[T]heir Bible lessons should help them to realise in early days that the knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and, therefore, that their Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” (1/251)
This is a monthly question and answer episode discussing how to interest our husbands in Charlotte Mason’s method, how to implement narration as an adult, and how and what can be done for children after school hours who attend a non-Charlotte Mason school.
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“Let the objector read an essay of Lamb’s, say, or of Matthew Arnold’s, Lycidas or the ‘ raven ‘ scene in Barnaby Rudge and then put himself to sleep or wile away an anxious or a dull hour by telling to himself what he has read. The result will be disappointing; he will have forgotten this and that turn of thought, link in the chain of argument, but he will know the whole thing in a surprising way ; the incidents, the figures, the delicate play of thought in the author will be brought out in his mind like the figures in the low relief which the sculptor produces from his block. He finds he has taken in ‘mind stuff’ which will come into use in a thousand ways perhaps as long as he lives.” (6/258-259)
“The War has forced new ideas upon us ; we begin, for instance, to realise the avidity of the adult mind for instruction; it was startling to read of 1,500 soldier candidates for twenty vacant places in a certain class. We begin to see that mind, the mind of all sorts and conditions of men, requires its rations, wholesome and regularly served.” (6/281)
“Some absorbing interest which shall keep our minds and senses healthily occupied and lead us to evergrowing knowledge of God’s universe, will add to the healthfulness of a holiday…While freedom and spontaneous enjoyment should still be distinctive of our holiday-season, there are ways in which, without any sacrifice of the spirit of either, a parent or tutor may give a direction to a [student’s] impulses which shall lead him to unfailing sources of delight and improvement.” (PR 4/513, 514)
“…the child shall be allowed to be alone with children and Nature a good part of every day. [Holidays will be most enjoyed, however,] if one hour or so every day is given to some fixed employment, of a kind as far as possible outside the ordinary school curriculum.” (PR 14/894-901)
This week’s Charlotte Mason podcast is an interview with a college graduate. Liz talks with Emma about her upbringing with Charlotte Mason’s method, how that prepared her for her future academic and job pursuits, and how Miss Mason’s lifestyle is continuing to nourish Emma’s life.
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{Emma Buckingham}{Emma with her parents, Bonnie and Ken Buckingham, at her college graduation}
Charlotte Mason included folk dance in the wide and varied feast. Today’s interview with Sandra Sosa explores some of the enormous range of possibilities that open up to us when we consider making dancing a part of our education. Her contagious enthusiasm will inspire even the most bashful among us to get moving and add a joyous element to our lives.
Listen Now:
“Therefore, children should learn dancing … at an early age. The subject of the natural training of eye and muscles was taken up pretty fully in treating of ‘Out-of-Door Life.’ I will only add, that to give the child pleasure in light and easy motion…dancing, drill, calisthenics, some sort of judicious physical exercise, should make part of every day’s routine.” (1/113)
“Dancing, and the various musical drills, lend themselves to grace of movement, and give more pleasure…to the little people.” (1/315)
