Charlotte Mason

Charlotte Mason was a British educator who had a love for children and wanted to instill in them good habits and a love of learning. Her motto for children was, “I am, I can, I ought, I will.”

Here are some elements of
a Charlotte Mason education:

Living books - Living books are written by a single person with a passion for the subject. These are the kind of books you get lost in. They stimulate the imagination and make the subject come alive. Ms. Mason opposed the use of predigested text books and dumbed down books she referred to as “twaddle”. She believed parents should cultivate good tastes in children and help them enjoy literature.

Copywork – In copywork, children copy passages from good literature as a method of learning spelling, grammar, writing structure and handwriting.

Dictation – In dictation, children write a passage that is read aloud, being mindful of capitalization and punctuation.

Narration – Narration is asking a child to retell a story that was read aloud. It is a form of reading comprehension that focuses on what the child knows instead of what he doesn’t know. Narration improves a child’s concentration and ability to recall information. It is done orally in the early years, and in writing beginning at age 10.

Short Lessons – Ms. Mason believed in short lessons that prompt children to focus and allow them to study a broad range of subjects such as French, music and art appreciation. Lessons can take 10-15 minutes in early years, 30 min in middle school, and an hour in high school.

Nature Study – Ms. Mason believed children should be outdoors daily, and take weekly nature walks. On these walks children can observe, identify, sketch and collect nature. Magnifying glasses, field guides, bug jars, sketch pads and art pencils will come in handy on nature walks.

Resources for Further Study

The following literature-based curricula complement the CM style of education:
Ambleside Online
Five in a Row
Living Books Curriculum
Sonlight Curriculum
Winter Promise

The Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock is a great resource for use with nature study.

Queen Homeschool Supplies is a good source of CM curriculum and supplies.

For more information, read For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay and A Charlotte Mason Education by Catherine Levison, or visit Catherine Levison's website.