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.
Nature study is a critical part of the Charlotte Mason feast. This podcast episode is an interview with Nicole Handfield and her honest and inspiring testimony of the benefits to a mom when she takes up a nature journal herself.
Charlotte Mason referred to “slipshod” habits in reading. This podcast episode describes what she meant. Nothing is more important than reading in a literature-rich education, but there is a lot of reading habit formation that must occur between being a decoder and being a beautiful reader.
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Home Education (Volume 1) pp. 225-230
“The child who has been taught to read with care and deliberation until he has mastered the words of a limited vocabulary, usually does the rest for himself. The attention of his teachers should be fixed on two points–that he acquires the habit of reading, and that he does not fall into slipshod habits of reading.” (1/226)
“The most common and the monstrous defect in the education of the day is that children fail to acquire the habit of reading. Knowledge is conveyed to them by lessons and talk, but the studious habit of using books as a means of interest and delight is not acquired. This habit should be begun early; so soon as the child can read at all, he should read for himself, and to himself, history, legends, fairy tales, and other suitable matter. He should be trained from the first to think that one reading of any lesson is enough to enable him to narrate what he has read, and will thus get the habit of slow, careful reading, intelligent even when it is silent, because he reads with an eye to the full meaning of every clause.” (1/227)
“I have already spoken of the importance of a single reading. If a child is not able to narrate what he has read once, let him not get the notion that he may, or that he must, read it again. A look of slight regret because there is a gap in his knowledge will convict him.” (1/229-30)
“It is important that, when reading aloud, children should make due use of the vocal organs, and, for this reason, a reading lesson should be introduced by two or three simple breathing exercises, as, for a example, a long inspiration with closed lips and a slow expiration with open mouth.” (1/230)
“He should have practice, too, in reading aloud, for the most part, in the books he is using for his term’s work. These should include a good deal of poetry, to accustom him to the delicate rendering of shades of meaning, and especially to make him aware that words are beautiful in themselves, that they are a source of pleasure, and are worthy of our honour; and that a beautiful word deserves to be beautifully said, with a certain roundness of tone and precision of utterance. Quite young children are open to this sort of teaching, conveyed, not in a lesson, but by a word now and then.” (1/227)
“The child must express what he feels to be the author’s meaning; and this sort of intelligent reading comes only of the habit of reading with understanding.” (1/227)
This Charlotte Mason podcast episode is a special edition of our monthly Q&A. In March, 2018, down in the deep south, Art Middlekauff, Richele Baburina, Nicole, Emily, and Liz gathered with parents from across the country for the Charlotte Mason Soiree annual retreat. Questions were collected from the attendees and addressed to these five speakers and recorded live.
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“Let me repeat, that I venture to suggest, not what is practicable in any household, but what seems to me absolutely best for the children; and that, in the faith that mothers work wonders once they are convinced that wonders are demanded of them.” (1/44)
This Charlotte Mason podcast episode begins a new monthly series of interviewing families from all walks of life who are implementing her method. Nicole interviews Patty Sommer, a missionary in Ghana, Africa, about her CM journey, special challenges,, and beautiful benefits.
Every family is unique, but Miss Mason’s principles and practices fit each one.
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{The Sommer Family}
{Patty and her girls on the first day of school 2018-19}
This Charlotte Mason podcast episode addresses the teaching of foreign language. Becca Buslovich tackles commonly asked questions, shares resources, and inspires us to make our foreign language lessons effective and delightful.