Charlotte Mason Companion

This book is a wonderful overview of the educational philosophy of Charlotte Mason. I think anyone thinking of following her style should read this book and keep it on hand to be a gentle reminder where you want your homeschool to keep heading.

This book absolutely changed the way I homeschool We went from drudgery to loving our learning lifestyle! Karen Andreola makes you feel like a life long friend and this book is a homeschool classic I have read it over and over always gleaning some new treasure from it This book emphasizes learning from "living books" rather than textbooks as much as possible Living books are written by an author who is passionate about his/her subject thereby passing that passion on to you through their writings The book also covers Charlotte Mason's advice on all other subjects and is chock full of good advice If homeschool still feels like work to you-give this book a try and watch you kids eyes light up when you apply her methods

This manual is the best tool to begin homeschooling with in my opinion Not only does it give you an overview of how formal education for children started it leads you to formulate a method that works for the youngest of children to the oldest It is wonderful to give ideas thoughts and plans without being daunting overwhelming or oppressive This is the book I pick up when I need to recharge my ideas methods and approach again

Warm and encouraging this is my favorite homeschool guidebook It explains how to teach your children in a non-academic way Rather than teaching to pass the test you teach your child to love the subject They learn far more than testing requires and enjoy learning it Teaching this way is fun Living books are used rather than textbooks Living books are written by a single author who loves her subject and puts the facts in story form Textbooks are written by several authors with an editor and tend to be boringNarration is used to check for understanding and retention of the facts instead of workbooks Nature notebooks where you draw your observations of insects animals plants motors or anything are used instead of fill in the blank science workbooks The knowledge one gains by using these methods is broader than what is gained teaching to pass the test There is little time spent sitting at a desk in the early years I've been using Charlotte Mason's approach for two years with my children and been pleased with their progress and enthusiasm to learn in all areas Also this book is helpful in training a child in other ways such as willpower getting along with siblings organization and self discipline It says "we can draw a child forward with an inspiring idea instead of using an endless string of nagging or threatening do's and don'ts Idea is the motivating power of life" (p75)I go through this book again and again for what I need help on with lesson plans and parenting ideas I've found Ruth Beechick's three short books A Home Start in Reading An Easy Start in Arithmetic and A Strong Start in Language helpful for specifics of what to teach and how for K-3 They go along with Charlotte Mason's philosophy