HollyDay Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I am new to CHarlotte Mason. In fact, without realizing it, I was doing quite a bit last year! But, I would like to read more and be encouraged to continue with the concept. I want to learn more. What book(s) should I get? Our library carries nothing. No one in my cover has any CM books. In fact, several ladies asked me "What is that all about? Never heard of it" So, whatever I need, I will have to purchase. My children are 5th and 8th. My 8th grader will be doing several classes for high school credit next year, so I really need information about high school. Again, what books should I get that would help with my dc ages/stages? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tami Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I am new to CHarlotte Mason. In fact, without realizing it, I was doing quite a bit last year! But, I would like to read more and be encouraged to continue with the concept. I want to learn more. What book(s) should I get? At a bare minimum, read Charlotte's Original Homeschoooling Volume 6. It is in modern language at ambleside online. It will be instructive as to the "why's" as well as the "how's" of the method. The best thing is to go straight to Miss Mason's own writings, rather than reading other's interpretations that can lean toward anything from unit studies to unschooling. Everything you need to know at this point is contained in Volume 6! If you go to the AO site, try printing out a chapter a day, reading and highlighting the important points. It's very do-able, and free! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alphabetika Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 If you haven't already discovered the website SimplyCharlotteMason.com, this may also be a huge help to you! Besides all the resources and information, SCM also has a forum with many helpful ladies on it. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I agree with the previous posts. I'm finishing up volume 1 of Charlotte Mason's series and it's inspiring and informative. I'll probably read volume 6 next to delve into the practical aspects of the Charlotte Mason method. Simply Charlotte Mason's One Day Seminar is instructive and makes everything clear and simple. I experienced many lightbulb moments while watching the seminar and felt more confident about implementing Charlotte Mason's methodology. I watched the DVD prior to reading volume 1 of the homeschool series and I believe the seminar made Charlotte Mason's writing more meaningful to me. Everything in the book is familiar since most of the topics were at least mentioned in Simply Charlotte Mason's seminar and I'm better equipped to grasp Charlotte Mason's intentions in her book. I also read Karen Andreola's book and I prefer the Simply Charlotte Mason seminar. The seminar is fun to watch and gets straight to the point. Sonya Shafer has a talent for clearing away all of the unnecessary details and focusing on the key points to implement CM's methodology. I am also just getting started with CM so I hope sharing my personal experience is helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Thank you so much! I am going to read the AO volumes first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amtmcm Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Since you asked specifically about older children, I'd like to add another comment, but remember I am new to this too. I am a firm believer in schedules and Jessie Wise encourages this in her "If I Could Do It Over Again" DVD lecture. My DD followed a schedule, but school would take all day and we experienced the old adage that if there's an hour to complete something that's how long it will take. One of CM's key prescriptions is short lessons. In volume 1, she seems to indicate about 10-15 minutes per lesson for a young child (under 9), or shorter if the child is losing focus. There is a certain art to this which CM details in her book. CM specially says do not allow children to "moon" (aka dawdle) over their lessons, or this will form a bad habit. I immediately decided to try this with my 12 year old, but adjusted for her age. I set a timer for 30 minutes to work on each assignment. If she wasn't finished I allowed 10 more minutes and told her she would set aside any unfinished work to complete later that day (aka "homework") so we could move onto the next subject. She finished each assignment in 40 minutes or less and our 6 hour days magically turned into 3 hour days. My experience is based on a child who loves workbooks and mostly works independently, and I don't believe this matches CM's vision of a "living education." But for us, I'm hoping it will establish the habit of staying focussed on the task at hand. Could I implement CM with my rising 8th grader? Probably not for two reasons. 1) Because I don't think I can catch up in my knowledge of CM to be where she would need me to be (that train has left the station) and 2) because it doesn't really match her learning style. I'm educating myself on Charlotte Mason's methods for my 4th grader because it fits her learning style perfectly. I also believe both of my children will benefit from nature, art & composer study and a peaceful home established through good habits which is the foundation of Charlotte Mason's philosophy. Again, this is just my personal experience, I'm not an expert but I hope you find it helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 (edited) Those are great free resources! I really like When Children Love to Learn. It will give you sample schedules as well, and information on the upper grades. It has several articles written by different authors, and one includes nature study with thirteen-year-olds. Edited July 7, 2009 by sagira Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emilylou Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 For your enjoyment... read Pocketful of Pinecones by Karen Andreola's. It is the best book ever. About doing a nature study CM style. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tess in the Burbs Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I think asking this question on a Charlotte Mason homeschool board you would get more and varied answers than here. But yes, the simplycharlottemason.com site is a great resource. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 http://www.amazon.com/When-Children-Love-Learn-Application/dp/1581342594/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246981036&sr=8-1 I just bought this. I also bought the $50! original CM series. Wish I'd bought this book first, and read the series online for free. Oh well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sagira Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 http://www.amazon.com/When-Children-Love-Learn-Application/dp/1581342594/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1246981036&sr=8-1 I just bought this. Yes! That's the book I was talking about in the above post :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennefer@SSA Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 At a bare minimum, read Charlotte's Original Homeschoooling Volume 6. It is in modern language at ambleside online. It will be instructive as to the "why's" as well as the "how's" of the method. The best thing is to go straight to Miss Mason's own writings, rather than reading other's interpretations that can lean toward anything from unit studies to unschooling. Everything you need to know at this point is contained in Volume 6! If you go to the AO site, try printing out a chapter a day, reading and highlighting the important points. It's very do-able, and free! I did this per Tami's advice when I was starting out on my CM journey! I actually read Volume 1 first (I have younger ones). Then I read A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison. Several people told me that her synopsis of a CM education were a great place to start. They are very short and quickly readable. I would not use them in place of Charlotte's original works though. If you are trying to start now and need a quick overview, they are perfect. They will be a great review for me every so often to for review as well. I read CM's works at AO in modern English so that I could move through them more quickly in order to implement at a faster pace. I was ready for change! Oh and printing it off, highlighting and making notes in the margins was such a great option for me. It allowed me to really interact with the text rather than just reading it off my computer screen. I also made my own sort of index as I read. On a blank page at the back I made notes about passages/ideas I really liked and the page number I found it on. Her works are long and to try and go back and find just that one perfect idea she mentioned about math or reading or nature walks... is near impossible! ;) Happy journey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I think asking this question on a Charlotte Mason homeschool board you would get more and varied answers than here. But yes, the simplycharlottemason.com site is a great resource. There is a CM social group here on TWTM boards. It would be wonderful if it became more active. So, anyone who is watching this thread it would be great if you joined the social group.:) Mandy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momee Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Dumb me, but what's a social group? I've only been here for years! How's that for paying attention? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mandy in TN Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Dumb me, but what's a social group?I've only been here for years! How's that for paying attention? Along the top is the word community with a down arrow. Click on the word Community and you will see a drop down menu. The first choice is Social Groups.;) Mandy ETA- The CM social group is called Following Charlotte Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted July 7, 2009 Author Share Posted July 7, 2009 Hi Tess, I did post over at Simply Charlotte Mason and got no response. Other posts from around the same time did get answered, but mine was left alone for some reason. So, I took a chance and posted here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stripe Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 Then I read A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison. Several people told me that her synopsis of a CM education were a great place to start. They are very short and quickly readable. I would not use them in place of Charlotte's original works though. "Very short" is an understatement -- they offer maybe a page or two on each subject matter. I would try to borrow these from someone, and then decide if you really want them. I third the suggestion of When Children Love to Learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmsmama Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 I immediately decided to try this with my 12 year old, but adjusted for her age. I set a timer for 30 minutes to work on each assignment. If she wasn't finished I allowed 10 more minutes and told her she would set aside any unfinished work to complete later that day (aka "homework") so we could move onto the next subject. She finished each assignment in 40 minutes or less and our 6 hour days magically turned into 3 hour days. My experience is based on a child who loves workbooks and mostly works independently, and I don't believe this matches CM's vision of a "living education." But for us, I'm hoping it will establish the habit of staying focussed on the task at hand. I really like this idea. I find that often dd dawdles and it holds up the whole day when a 30 min. Math lesson ends up taking 1 hr. I'm going to give this a try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted July 7, 2009 Share Posted July 7, 2009 My all-time favorite book about the Charlotte Mason method is indeed Karen Andreola's Charlotte Mason Companion. I would also like to mention a book that is "like" Charlotte Mason even though they do not push her strictly. It is Educating the Wholehearted Child By Clay & Sally Clarkson. It is a rich living homeschool book on homeschooling. I think you would love it. They are coming out with a brand new version of this book in August, so watch for it. You can already see it on www.christianbook.com . God Bless, Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ariasmommy Posted July 8, 2009 Share Posted July 8, 2009 I would also like to mention a book that is "like" Charlotte Mason even though they do not push her strictly. It is Educating the Wholehearted Child By Clay & Sally Clarkson. It is a rich living homeschool book on homeschooling. I think you would love it. They are coming out with a brand new version of this book in August, so watch for it. You can already see it on www.christianbook.com . Yeah! I'd forgotten about this. It is a good book! I've recently begun (again:D) to try to read Charlotte Mason's original series. I'm only on the first one, but it seems to be coming easier this time...not sure why. I'll probably read Volume 6 afterward, as that seems to be the most recommended one. I've had them sitting on my shelf for several years, making me feel guilty every time I look at them.:lol: I'm still trying to figure out my "homeschooling style", which currently seems to be a crazy mixture of CM, WTM and Sonlight.:tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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