Resources
Mason exhorts us to lay before the children a “feast of ideas.” Listed here are beginnings for that feast and living ideas for those of us growing in this journey of raising persons.
Book List
When Children Love to Learn, by Elaine Cooper - A helpful “first read” for being introduced to Charlotte Mason and her approach.
Charlotte Mason’s six-volume set begins with Home Education.
Crafts Throughout the Year by the Bergers pairs beautiful handwork ideas that can be attained with small children one-on-one. Some tweaks may need to be made with children ages 3 and 4, but we have found a few!
Articles and Periodicals
Schools are Targeting Our Children. It’s Time to Fight Back
Epoch Times - This resource has thoughtful and intelligent articles in both news and opinion. We enjoy our old-fashioned paper copy in the mail!
Online Resources and Reviews
Our Green House has many beautiful toys as well to foster imagination and made in the US!
Meadowsweet Naturals, while Waldorf-focused, has many lovely materials for schooling and producing beautiful work.
&etc.
Curriculum
There is a dearth of sites that will give you book lists and curriculum. Some I have seen work for many are listed below, but with a great caveat: a book list is greatly insufficient. One can teach a text full of ideas in a dead way. One can take a beautiful first reader and unwittingly teach sloth and carelessness. A book list is not a stand-in for training and delving in to the pedagogy and learning the life-giving method yourself. With my clients I seek to do the latter, which means not always using the books below. There are better books, but the way they are used is the difference-maker. If you are new to homeschooling, then the list below is for you! Feel free to reach out with any questions!
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Disciplinary
Math - Singapore Math has their Primary Mathematics curriculum, which has Home Educator guides available. What I appreciate most about this approach is that students learn the “why” of math, instead of just an algorithm to plug in.
Grammar - Check out Mason’s own First Grammar Lessons! The simplicity is refreshing and this edition is beautiful. This is not a subject that needs to be pushed too early, but the concepts can be introduced and discussed as the student is ready.
Penmanship, Transcription, Dictation - I am working on my own publication to explain how to integrate transcription and dictation. For those not clients of mine I encourage to find a Zaner Bloser book and make sure students are forming letters correctly from the start — just because you end up with something that looks like a “D” doesn’t mean the student formed it correctly. Another popular curriculum is Penny Gardener, though I have no personal experience yet.
Spelling and Phonics - For a beginning home educator I think Spell to Write and Read, by Wanda Sanseri is a good place to start. It covers multiple age ranges with a holistic approach to learning the language arts in the lower grades.
Composition - This does not happen formally until later grades and many curricula fall short. Have your student complete written narrations copiously starting second semester of 3rd grade, or when they show readiness, and watch them grow! Imitation and love of language is more valuable than any writing program I have encountered!
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Inspirational
Bible - Use the Bible! In younger grades the Egermeier’s Bible is a beautiful option.
Poetry - I love starting with Robert Louis Stevenson or Christina Rosetti in the lower grades.
Literature - Read good books! I often say “I would rather my child not read at all than read Captain Underpants!” Your job as the parent is to cultivate their appetite for the beautiful by setting the feast before them.
Read Aloud - This should be above the student’s own reading level for the purpose of enjoyment and interacting with ideas.
Nature Study - Anna Comstock has her “Handbook of Nature Study,” which is beautiful for any age.
Composer Study - Opal Wheeler’s biographies are delightful for many of the lower and middle elementary. This gives some structure for pieces to listen to in order to cultivate a relationship with the composer. However, just listening for musical elements in various pieces of a composer is all that is truly needed.
Artist Study - The portfolios from Simply Charlotte Mason are good quality and remove the burden of decision regarding which pieces to study. Riverbend Press also has lovely prints.