Homeschooling Methods: Charlotte Mason

The Charlotte Mason method attracts many homeschoolers because of its gentle approach. Charlotte Mason lived at the turned of the century in England and taught teachers to use her method. This method has become a popular method for home schools. It focues on such things a forming good habits, nature study, short lessons, narration and inspiring literature.

Charlotte Mason teaches that "habit, in the hands of the mother, is as his wheel to the potter, his knife to the carver - the instrument by means of which she turns out the design she has already conceived in her brain. She instructs in a gentle approach to training a child. For instances there is one example in her books where the mother says to her son that she will be helping him remember to close the door when he goes out. Of course it doesn't take long before she has the opportunity to do this. He leaves the door open and she gently - without nagging - calls him back and reminds him to close the door. When this approach is used consistently it can be a positive approach to helping children learn habits that will serve them well for a lifetime.

In nature study Charlotte Mason encourages the keeping of a notebook where you record nature. This can be done by drawing, painting and writing. Nature walks and observance of the world around us are encouraged.

Narration helps to form the habit of listening. When a child is young you may read a story to them and then ask them to tell you about what you just read to them. If you have several children they can all participate in narrating vocally, perhaps beginning with the youngest who is still learning. Older children should also be expected to do written narrations of what they've listened, read or observed.

Inspiring literature, as stated in my last post, should be part of any homeschooling method. Charlotte Mason calls them living books. She stresses that children should never read twaddle.

To describe her approach to education Charlotte Mason said, "Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life."

This method is lacking in drill and may work less effectively for teens. It can lead into the Classical method easily.

There are many resources for this popluar homeschooling method. Listed below are some of them:

• A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levinson
• More Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levinson
• A Literary Education by Catherine Levinson
• Charlotte Mason Study Guide by Penny Gardner
• Wild Days: Creating Discovery Journals by Karen Skidmore Rackliffe
• A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola
• Charlotte Mason't Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte M. Mason

Art Appreciation Notebook

         
Norman Rockwell made life look interesting. He took the most ordinary and added characters that make us smile. The work of Rockwell and other artists can be appreciated by creating an art appreciation notebook. Years ago at a Charlotte Mason conference, Erlyn Barlocher gave a presentation where she taught how to do this. I’ve may have made adjustments to what she taught there, but here is what we’ve done.

Choose an artist and find prints of several paintings. You will study one painting every week. Using paintings from the same artist for six weeks in a row brings familiarity with that artist’s work. One place to find collections of paintings is in calendars. It's most exciting when I find them discounted because it's several months into the year and they are surplus.

Use the following schedule outline of activities to develop your notebook. There are activities for four days, giving you some flexibility in your school week.

• Day 1 - Memory Drawing. Students study the painting for a couple minutes, trying to memorize as many details as possible. The painting is hidden and the students draw the painting from memory
• Day 2 – Narration. Again the painting is pulled out and they study it for a couple minutes and then put it away. The purpose in this is to train students to pay attention to details. The student then narrates the details of what they saw in the painting. If they are young it may be more effective to have them narrate verbally while you type. As they get older, let them record their voice and then write it down. They will help them become more comfortable with the process the more they do it and soon be writing their own narrations with no trouble.
• Day 3 – Write a Story. This was always the favorite activity of the week. Show the painting again. Let them study it for a couple minutes and put it away. Each student writes their own creative story about what they saw in the picture. They tend to get very creative and sometimes silly. With the younger ones it may be appropriate again to let them narrate their story verbally while you type. Give them as much time as they need. If you are concerned about staying on schedule, plan this activity at the end of your school day or some other time when you have more flexibility.
• Day 4 – Final Drawing. This time you keep the painting out for the entire activity. They study the painting, imitating the details in their own final drawing. They should be given as much time as they need to make this drawing as nice as possible.

Note: Finding the paintings can be the most challenging part of this activity. Do you know other places to find inexpensive prints?