Tag Archives: charlotte mason

Math on a Roll: Using Dice to Spice it Up

Math can be a very frustrating and exhausting subject for both the student and the teacher. So, let’s take a break from boring old textbooks and workbooks and have a bit of fun. Instead of abstract numbers in a book, let’s give them life and dimension by using manipulatives. Manipulatives come in many forms: counting bears, dice, dominoes, beans, legos, measuring cups, or whatever you use daily. A favorite manipulative and the focus of this article is dice. First, gather a variety of dice for your student to roll. Here are a few ways to incorporate dice based on age: … Continue reading →

Top 20 Narration Ideas

Those who homeschool using Classical or Charlotte Mason methods are familiar with daily narrations. A narration is a short summary of an assigned reading given orally by the student. Narrations serve two purposes. One, it helps the teacher determine the level of reading comprehension of the student. Two, it helps reading comprehension on the part of the student. The length of a narration is usually two to three thoughtful sentences. Narrations do not always have to be given in the same manner everyday. Adding some creativity to this daily exercise will enhance the student’s comprehension and keep him more engaged … Continue reading →

Learning to Spell Through Dictation

Dictation is the process where the parent speaks while the child transcribes exactly what the parent is saying. This is a method used by, but not limited to those who follow the Charlotte Mason approach to home schooling. Dictation is primarily used to reinforce grammar and spelling skills. This is an effective method if done correctly and consistently. For the purpose of this blog I will focus on how dictation can be used to master spelling. The first step is to choose a passage from your child’s reading, the Bible, a Hymn, etc. to use for dictation. Give your child … Continue reading →

Home School Blogger Intro

I started as a home schooling blogger on Families.com about a month ago. My introduction post is a little overdue, but I wanted to share with others a bit about myself and my background as a home schooling single mother. My two oldest daughters went to public school all the way through high school. A move to a rough area of Baltimore had me quickly pulling my three youngest out of school and home schooling them myself. It was a decision I wish I had made with my older girls. Live and learn though, right? For the most part I … Continue reading →

Lessons Learned The Hard Way: Avoid Oil Paints

I’m a pretty laid back person and encourage my children to always try new things. Not much irritates me or has made me fret over how white my carpets are or how clean the floors are. This peaceful aura was only accomplished after having raised five daughters, mostly on my own. However, several years ago we tried an art project that made me wish I had a time machine that would transport us back to the day before I conceived this bright idea. A fan of the Charlotte Mason method, I loved teaching my children about classical music, books, and … Continue reading →

Self-Paced Learning When Your Nerves Are Shot

In a previous blog post I had mentioned how I home schooled my kids using the Charlotte Mason method. I found it to be very thorough yet relaxed at the same time. It also gave me the opportunity to let my kids do a lot of the assignments on their own without me hovering over them every moment or answering a long list of questions that I knew they could answer on their own if they thought about it for awhile. Each weekend I would simply make a curriculum schedule for the week, get them started in the morning, then … Continue reading →

Homeschooling With Charlotte Mason

After watching my two oldest girls struggle with public school due to boredom and friction with “the cool kids,” I decided to home school my three youngest. It was an easy decision, but creating my own curriculum was often confusing. I didn’t want to use the traditional Christian home school programs such as Alpha Omega, Abeka and others. Aside from the fact that they’re quite costly and need to be purchased for each grade, I found them to be more stringent than what I was looking for. While doing some research on homeschooling programs, I came upon the Charlotte Mason … Continue reading →

How I Became a Reformed Copy Work Supporter

Okay, I’ll admit it: I once thought copy work was dumb. I mean, where’s the critical thinking in copying exactly what’s written before you? What’s the point? No thinking, no analyzing, just plain old copying. But I have been reformed. In case you’re not familiar with the idea of copywork, it is really a Charlotte Mason idea. The idea is that you take great quotes from literature and have the children copy it. Ironically, the curriculum I use has regular copywork assignments, which until recently, I skipped over. It has to be just about the only thing I didn’t like … Continue reading →

Homeschool Glossary (Books Parents Should Read) B-C

As I mentioned in the introduction, new homeschooling parents should learn as much about homeschooling as possible by reading many different sources. Here continues my Homeschool Glossary of books parents should read. Books to Build On: A Grade-by-Grade Resource Guide for Parents and Teachers (Core Knowledge Series) by E. D. Hirsch Jr. and John Holdren (Paperback – Oct 1, 1996) The book list for new and prospective homeschool parents should include more than just books specifically for homeschoolers, you should also read books teachers should read. This book is a great resource to have and keep in your homeschooling library. … Continue reading →

Homeschool Curriculum Glossary: (Accel – Ask Dr.)

Accelerated Christian Education is a biblically based curriculum. It provides a child with reasonable goals, measurable success that motivates and rewards the child. ACE is known for its use of PACES a system of breaking the curriculum up into bite size pieces that gives the child a sense of accomplishment while informing them of how much further they have to go. This K-12 program also offers post-secondary courses to give a child a head start on college. Activity Math is a manipulative based workbook program. “Each book is organized into 10 strands including place value, multiplication, fractions, decimals, and geometry. … Continue reading →