Charlotte Mason resource similar to WTM?

[nancyb]

Is there a book like WTM for Charlotte Mason? I have read some of her work and a couple books summarizing her theories. I have spent hours on the Ambleside site and just can’t get it. What I really want is someone to explain the goal for each year and offer choices like WTM.

[Donna A.]

Teaching the Trivium by Harvey Bluedorn http://www.triviumpursuit.com/

 

TTT is classical, yet has a very different style than WTM and meshes nicely with CM methods. TTT also offers a more biblical perspective of a classical education than WTM.

 

A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison are practical how-to books for implementing CM (with or without the biblical emphasis that TTT offers). She also gives sample schedules in the back of the books, one which CM herself used, and one which Ms. Levison used in her own home.

 

And I'll just say this up front: Someone is probably going to chime in here and offer books by Karen Andreola. ;) Problem is, while Mrs. Andreola is a lovely writer and her books are a great fireside read, Mrs. Andreola portrays a much more laid-back Charlotte Mason that Miss Mason actually was.

 

The best source, of course, is Miss Mason's own writings which are found on the Ambleside website. But if you're looking for practical ways to get started, I'd recommend the Levison books, and then TTT for a deeper read more like WTM.

[Amy Jo]

My favorite website for explanations is http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/ (Her 12 guide is here: http://www.charlottemasonhelp.com/2009/07/12-year-curriculum-plan.html )

 

You might try this chart: http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/ and http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/eyguide/

 

For the Children's Sake is supposed to be good, I haven't managed to get a copy yet.

 

What books have you tried? Are you a member of Ambleside's schedules group on Yahoo? This might be a good question for the AO Yahoo group.

 

HTH!

Amy

[FO4UR]

A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison :iagree:

 

I find it pretty easy to take the AO booklists and substitute where needed. I use SOTW for history, a neat Nature Story book I found instead of Burgess, Shel Silverstein for poetry some weeks, etc...

 

The important thing is getting to the heart of narrating and savoring the books. That you need to get from CM herself, I think.

[Mothersweets]

I second the SimplyCharlotteMason website.

 

Sonia Schafer does a really good job of breaking down the "what and when to do it" aspects of Charlotte Mason's writings.

[hmschooling]

The Heart of Dakota author has written some great explainations as well as ways to implement the methods on her site. I think it's under "HOD Philosphy"

[MicheleinMN]

A Charlotte Mason Education and More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison are practical how-to books for implementing CM (with or without the biblical emphasis that TTT offers). She also gives sample schedules in the back of the books, one which CM herself used, and one which Ms. Levison used in her own home.

 

And I'll just say this up front: Someone is probably going to chime in here and offer books by Karen Andreola. ;) Problem is, while Mrs. Andreola is a lovely writer and her books are a great fireside read, Mrs. Andreola portrays a much more laid-back Charlotte Mason that Miss Mason actually was.

 

:iagree::iagree::iagree:

[stripe]

Mater Amabilis is a Catholic-based curriculum that includes local history options for the US, UK, and now Australia. The religious element can be changed to suit the users. They based theirs structurally on CM's original schools, abbreviated PNEU. They also use more modern resources than either Simply Charlotte Mason or Ambleside Online (and as a consequence don't tend to include items with loads of questionable or so-called "old fashioned" attitudes towards non-white people and Catholics). Their curriculum is free as well.

 

I didn't find the Levison books extremely illuminating. I found For the Children's Sake and When Children Love to Learn much more helpful. Childlight USA (affiliated with the author of these books) is apparently developing a curriculum, but it's not been released, but their website does have some interesting tidbits.

[Dianne-TX]

A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison :iagree:

 

I find it pretty easy to take the AO booklists and substitute where needed. I use SOTW for history, a neat Nature Story book I found instead of Burgess, Shel Silverstein for poetry some weeks, etc...

 

The important thing is getting to the heart of narrating and savoring the books. That you need to get from CM herself, I think.

 

We use AO. What nature story book do you use? I would love to supplement with it. Thanks.

[Poke Salad Annie]

We use AO. What nature story book do you use? I would love to supplement with it. Thanks.

 

Not the previous poster, but I thought I would mention a cute nature story book that we have. It's A Golden Book Stories from Nature Thirty-One Animal Tales (1973) by Jane Werner Watson. It's 140 pp. long and has stories from:

 

*Woods and Meadows

*Mountains and Valleys

*Arctic and Antarctic

*Desert and Prairie

*Marsh, Pond and Bog

*Sea and Shore

*Jungle and Rain Forest

 

Another book that is nice for nature study and also hand skills (basket weaving, making lichen dye, making a a sundial, etc.) is The Long Ago Lake, A Book of Nature Lore and Crafts by Marne Wilkins.

[Penelope]

I don't know of anything exactly like that. Catherine Levison is close.

 

There is also When Children Love to Learn.

 

And you could check on websites (or write to ask them?) of actual Ambleside schools. There are several schools in the U.S. modelled on CM.

 

http://www.ambleside.org/aca-curriculum.html

http://www.amblesideocala.com/Ambleside_School_of_Ocala/Resources.html

http://claphamschool.com/curriculum.html

[Tammyla]

The Original Homeschooling Series, by Charlotte Mason

[Dianne-TX]

Not the previous poster, but I thought I would mention a cute nature story book that we have. It's A Golden Book Stories from Nature Thirty-One Animal Tales (1973) by Jane Werner Watson. It's 140 pp. long and has stories from:

 

*Woods and Meadows

*Mountains and Valleys

*Arctic and Antarctic

*Desert and Prairie

*Marsh, Pond and Bog

*Sea and Shore

*Jungle and Rain Forest

 

Another book that is nice for nature study and also hand skills (basket weaving, making lichen dye, making a a sundial, etc.) is The Long Ago Lake, A Book of Nature Lore and Crafts by Marne Wilkins.

 

Thanks so much!

[FO4UR]

Not the previous poster, but I thought I would mention a cute nature story book that we have. It's A Golden Book Stories from Nature Thirty-One Animal Tales (1973) by Jane Werner Watson. It's 140 pp. long and has stories from:

 

*Woods and Meadows

*Mountains and Valleys

*Arctic and Antarctic

*Desert and Prairie

*Marsh, Pond and Bog

*Sea and Shore

*Jungle and Rain Forest

 

[/i]by Marne Wilkins.

 

That's the book I have!!! :001_smile: It's perfect for my dc's age range 4-7yo.

[Dianne-TX]

I agree with the books/websites that have been suggested. I wanted to add one that I didn't see mentioned yet. Queen Homeschool is a good online resource I like to use. It's not a book or an explanation of CM, but I think it's great! I love the paper catalog because they have great write-ups on all the products and it's nice to have it all in your hand instead of turning screens on the computer. The CM philosophy comes through as you read the write-ups. Also, I've not seen some of the books/resources she offers anywhere else.

 

www.queenhomeschool.com

[Donna A.]

We use AO. What nature story book do you use? I would love to supplement with it. Thanks.

 

We like the Nature Readers from Christian Liberty Press. There are 5 or 6 of them altogether, and they have them scheduled from K-5th grade. They also have another really sweet one called Trottino's Tales.

 

This year I'm scheduling in for us two books by Arabella B. Buckley: Birds of the Air and Plant Life in Field and Garden. These say they're for ages 8 and up, but they could also be done as read-alouds.

[stripe]

The "Among the -- People" books by Clara Dillingham Pierson are nice too. I think they're mentioned on AO's site as a non-religious alternative to Mrs. Gatty's book. A reference to learn about good behavior at least as much as nature.

[Poke Salad Annie]

The "Among the -- People" books by Clara Dillingham Pierson are nice too. I think they're mentioned on AO's site as a non-religious alternative to Mrs. Gatty's book. A reference to learn about good behavior at least as much as nature.

 

You could also read through the Rainbow Book of Nature, correlating the books with the readings in that book, making notebooking pages of the animals and their habitats.

[stripe]

Don't mean to go too far astray but I happened to be reading The Adventures of Two Ants by Nanny Hammarström, and curiously enough this unintentionally "coordinated" with Finn Family Moomintroll's ant-lion character. You could also check out The Junior Classics — Volume 8 Animal and Nature Stories (online at ManyBooks and Google, among, I am sure, others). Morley's books about insects are also fairly interesting.

[Dianne-TX]

We like the Nature Readers from Christian Liberty Press. There are 5 or 6 of them altogether, and they have them scheduled from K-5th grade. They also have another really sweet one called Trottino's Tales.

 

This year I'm scheduling in for us two books by Arabella B. Buckley: Birds of the Air and Plant Life in Field and Garden. These say they're for ages 8 and up, but they could also be done as read-alouds.

 

:iagree: Nature Readers are among my children's favorites and they have learned SO much from them.

[justamouse]

Is there a book like WTM for Charlotte Mason? I have read some of her work and a couple books summarizing her theories. I have spent hours on the Ambleside site and just can’t get it. What I really want is someone to explain the goal for each year and offer choices like WTM.

 

 

Keep at it. IT takes a while to 'get' AO. Let it settle for a bit, then go back. It took me a few years to get it, and now that I do, it's given me a whole new passion for homeschooling. I think it seems so complicated, but it's not. It's actually so amazingly simple that you keep thinking you're missing something.

 

BUT I think that WTM is also an indispensable resource. They're synergistic, I think.

Edited January 3, 2011 by justamouse

[AngelaNYC]

Keep at it. IT takes a while to 'get' AO. Let it settle for a bit, then go back. It took me a few years to get it, and now that I do, it's given me a whole new passion for homeschooling. I think it seems so complicated, but it's not. It's actually so amazingly simple that you keep thinking you're missing something.

 

BUT I think that WTM is also an indispensably resource. They're synergistic, I think.

 

:iagree: Can't agree with this more.

[AngelBee]

Keep at it. IT takes a while to 'get' AO. Let it settle for a bit, then go back. It took me a few years to get it, and now that I do, it's given me a whole new passion for homeschooling. I think it seems so complicated, but it's not. It's actually so amazingly simple that you keep thinking you're missing something.

 

BUT I think that WTM is also an indispensable resource. They're synergistic, I think.

:iagree:

[jvenice]

When Children Love to Learn: When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mas… avail on Amazon

 

This is the best book I have read on CM. It is written by many of the people associated with Childlight USA. I believe Ranald Macaulay has a chapter as well as Jack Beckman and Bobby Scott. I think it is edited by Levinson. It breaks down each of the four pillars of a CM education. I have met and listened to many of these speakers many times and they are an amazing array of CM knowledge and just great people in general.

[kristinannie]

I highly recommend this book. It is called When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today.

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1581342594/ref=oss_product

[michelle l]

:lurk5:

[KeriJ]

I think the Clarkson's book, Educating the Whole-Hearted Child...which has been updated and now has a different name (going to look it up) was a great resource for implementing CM!

[KeriJ]

Sorry, not a new name, just revised.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Educating-WholeHearted-Child-Clay-Clarkson/dp/1932012958/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1295882156&sr=1-6

[blakereese]

The "Among the -- People" books by Clara Dillingham Pierson are nice too. I think they're mentioned on AO's site as a non-religious alternative to Mrs. Gatty's book. A reference to learn about good behavior at least as much as nature.

 

You could also read through the Rainbow Book of Nature, correlating the books with the readings in that book, making notebooking pages of the animals and their habitats.

 

Could you tell me more about these books? First the Among the --People books...have you used these? These look very interesting to me. Did you buy these? Amazon?

 

Also, a link to the Rainbow Book of Nature, please? :001_smile: Thank you!

[mbosh237]

Could you tell me more about these books? First the Among the --People books...have you used these? These look very interesting to me. Did you buy these? Amazon?

 

Also, a link to the Rainbow Book of Nature, please? :001_smile: Thank you!

 

I'm not the one who you are asking, but we have these books and LOVE them! They are great little stories we use to open up a study on an animal and they have great moral teachings at the end of each chapter.

[stripe]

Could you tell me more about these books? First the Among the --People books...have you used these? These look very interesting to me. Did you buy these? Amazon?

 

Some of them are online. You can see several of Clara Dillingham Pierson at the Baldwin Project, and on Google Books, I see three of them. You can download them and check them out. I have a few that I bought, the ones reprinted by Yesterday's Classics. They've also got them available as ePub, if you prefer to put them on some sort of ereader, I think they run about $2 each.

 

I read one story every few weeks with my kids. I think they are gentle and informative. There are only a few illustrations, so honestly, if you have a way to read them without buying the physical volumes, that would likely work fine.

 

The Rainbow Book of Nature is an older book that's out of print, but you can probably find somewhere.

[blakereese]

Some of them are online. You can see several of Clara Dillingham Pierson at the Baldwin Project, and on Google Books, I see three of them. You can download them and check them out. I have a few that I bought, the ones reprinted by Yesterday's Classics. They've also got them available as ePub, if you prefer to put them on some sort of ereader, I think they run about $2 each.

 

I read one story every few weeks with my kids. I think they are gentle and informative. There are only a few illustrations, so honestly, if you have a way to read them without buying the physical volumes, that would likely work fine.

 

The Rainbow Book of Nature is an older book that's out of print, but you can probably find somewhere.

 

Thanks for the info. Good to know they are on the Baldwin Project and Google Books. Maybe I should do it that way. I am such a book person though, gotta have it in my hand. :lol: But I am trying to get over that. Especially with all of these cool older books that I can get for free!

 

I did see this edition at Amazon, which is tempting. Hmmmm....

 

Anyway, thanks for the help. I think these resources are right up my alley. Oh yeh, and the kids will like them, too. :lol:

[mbosh237]

Thanks for the info. Good to know they are on the Baldwin Project and Google Books. Maybe I should do it that way. I am such a book person though, gotta have it in my hand. :lol: But I am trying to get over that. Especially with all of these cool older books that I can get for free!

 

I did see this edition at Amazon, which is tempting. Hmmmm....

 

Anyway, thanks for the help. I think these resources are right up my alley. Oh yeh, and the kids will like them, too. :lol:

 

I'm the same way! I love to physically have the book, being able to turn the pages, etc. It seems like I'm at my computer so much as it is (I work from home) and so being able to get off and go sit in my chair and crack open a book is a treat for me! :tongue_smilie:

[AngelBee]

Some of them are online. You can see several of Clara Dillingham Pierson at the Baldwin Project, and on Google Books, I see three of them. You can download them and check them out. I have a few that I bought, the ones reprinted by Yesterday's Classics. They've also got them available as ePub, if you prefer to put them on some sort of ereader, I think they run about $2 each.

 

I read one story every few weeks with my kids. I think they are gentle and informative. There are only a few illustrations, so honestly, if you have a way to read them without buying the physical volumes, that would likely work fine.

 

The Rainbow Book of Nature is an older book that's out of print, but you can probably find somewhere.

We use them off of the Baldwin site. I now also have them on my Kindle. They are great! My kids LOVE them. :)

[AngelBee]

Thanks for the info. Good to know they are on the Baldwin Project and Google Books. Maybe I should do it that way. I am such a book person though, gotta have it in my hand. :lol: But I am trying to get over that. Especially with all of these cool older books that I can get for free!

 

I did see this edition at Amazon, which is tempting. Hmmmm....

 

Anyway, thanks for the help. I think these resources are right up my alley. Oh yeh, and the kids will like them, too. :lol:

If you have the money, that is a great deal. They are classic. You kids will enjoy them.

 

I am a book kind of girl too. I asked for a Kindle for my birthday and my whole family chipped in. That way I can "hold" my free books from online. :D

[stripe]

I did see this edition at Amazon, which is tempting. Hmmmm....

Someone somewhere on here once suggested (I think) that the quality was bad on these. Yesterday's Classics ones are nice, at least, I can vouch for them.

 

Anyone?

[blakereese]

Someone somewhere on here once suggested (I think) that the quality was bad on these. Yesterday's Classics ones are nice, at least, I can vouch for them.

 

Anyone?

 

Good to know.

 

Chime in if you know about this... :001_smile:

 

Meanwhile, I'll check them out online.

[LittleHouseHomeschool]

Just subbing to listen in...

 

Great thread!

[birchbark]

Is there a book like WTM for Charlotte Mason? I have read some of her work and a couple books summarizing her theories. I have spent hours on the Ambleside site and just can’t get it. What I really want is someone to explain the goal for each year and offer choices like WTM.

 

I would love to see a very modern book written on Charlotte Mason's methods for today. A lot less on the philosophy side, and more nuts-and-bolts, how-to, resource suggestions, and a scope-and-sequence to shoot for. (This is why I like the WTM and frankly, find it more readable the the CM stuff.) Also helpful would be how and when to include instruction that was not needed in CM's day (like computer science).

 

Oh, and NO Victorian illustrations. :001_smile:

[AngelBee]

I would love to see a very modern book written on Charlotte Mason's methods for today. A lot less on the philosophy side, and more nuts-and-bolts, how-to, resource suggestions, and a scope-and-sequence to shoot for. (This is why I like the WTM and frankly, find it more readable the the CM stuff.) Also helpful would be how and when to include instruction that was not needed in CM's day (like computer science).

 

Oh, and NO Victorian illustrations. :001_smile:

I too would like this.

 

My kids LOVE DK books. I hate when people are like, "Oh....CM sould never use those!" Or Netflix. Or the internet. :glare:

 

You get the point. :D

 

How do we know for sure? She didn't have the opportunity.

[stripe]

Childlight USA is working on something but it's going to take a few years or something for it to be ready.

[rowan25]

I would love to see a very modern book written on Charlotte Mason's methods for today. A lot less on the philosophy side, and more nuts-and-bolts, how-to, resource suggestions, and a scope-and-sequence to shoot for. (This is why I like the WTM and frankly, find it more readable the the CM stuff.) Also helpful would be how and when to include instruction that was not needed in CM's day (like computer science).

 

Oh, and NO Victorian illustrations. :001_smile:

I haven't finished the thread yet, but I too would love this! lol

[MyFourSons]

I would love to see a very modern book written on Charlotte Mason's methods for today. A lot less on the philosophy side, and more nuts-and-bolts, how-to, resource suggestions, and a scope-and-sequence to shoot for. (This is why I like the WTM and frankly, find it more readable the the CM stuff.) Also helpful would be how and when to include instruction that was not needed in CM's day (like computer science).

 

Oh, and NO Victorian illustrations. :001_smile:

 

LOL about the illustrations!

 

I too would love a book like this, as I have been lurking around AO and MA for two years wishing I had a practical, "step a then b" type guide to help. I have read and re-read both curriculum in the hopes that by next year I will be comfortable enough to make the "switch." I have a 6 yo, a 3 yo, and a 6 month old, so I would like to use it with them if not also with my oldest two.

 

www.charlottemasonhelp.com is a great site created by a CM mom who adapted AO and CM for her home, and she shares her own curriculum called "Higher Up and Further In." It is based on a four year history cycle so it meshes well with WTM and other history based classical approaches. I love her booklist, it has quite a few of the AO recommendations, but is a modern take on CM and includes some newer book choices. The website has more "how to" than philosophy.

 

This site is not that well organized like a book such as WTM, but if you have time to dig around in the various topics and explore all the links you can find a lot of useful and practical advice and basic routines that you can implement easily in your own home. The author was a classroom teacher before she became a homeschooler, so you can tell she is writing with helping the "teacher" in mind. She does explain exactly how she teaches the different "subjects."

 

She does use some inspirational quotes from Miss Mason, but I didn't see any Victorian clipart (that I can recall, anyways)!

 

I also chatted with a Mom on this board who was talking about getting approval from AO to write a comprehensive "how to" guide for AO. I would be all for it, but I haven't hear anything more.

[justamouse]

Give me another year to get AO under my belt and I'll write you one. :001_smile:

[MyFourSons]

Give me another year to get AO under my belt and I'll write you one. :001_smile:

 

 

I'm going to hold you to that!:lol: