Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival: Inspired to Do Better

Reading through the entries for this edition, I began to see a distinct theme building. As homeschoolers we have the unique position to offer our children a tailor made education that fits just right. Charlotte Mason put down some wonderful principles and how those principles look in each family is unique and multi-faceted. There is no "one size fits all" with Charlotte Mason no matter how hard we try to squeeze into the mold.

As you read this edition's entries, please try to glean the gems to be found in each entry. Every entry is an opportunity to see how Miss Mason's ideas are producing better families, better students, and better relationships with the materials offered in the homeschooling day.

Enjoy this really full and inspiring edition of the Charlotte Mason Carnival.

Tammy at Adventures on Beck's Bounty took my challenge to write a blog entry sharing how Charlotte Mason's ideas changed their homeschool. You might want to bookmark this entry for future reference and encouragement: Boundless Blessings. She sums up her entry with these final words:"Our family has been blessed beyond measure by the methods of a certain school teacher named Charlotte Mason, who lived and worked in England, the the late 1800's and early 1900's. She changed our lives in so many ways, bestowing blessing after blessing ... boundless blessings. Her writings never cease to inspire and encourage me .... and for our children, her "methods" have provided a truly beautiful "childhood", Good Habits, a heart inscribed with the Holy Word of God, and an education second to none. "

Several ladies submitted entries with the same theme and I am sure that you will glean some ideas for making Charlotte Mason's principles work in your family just like they have.

Kris at the Science of Relations starts us off with her outline of subjects and books for her CM homeschool but with her own flair. Here is a quote from her entry My Charlotte Mason."What I have embraced fundamentally, as the title of this blog reflects, is that "education is the science of relations." Those relations are lifelong pursuits when education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. They are best formed through living books and materials. The rest is an eclectic mix of educational material to achieve these goals."

Now it is Jimmie's turn to share her thoughts in her entry, Sorry, Miss Mason, But We Must Part Ways. Maybe you feel like Jimmie and need to adjust some of the CM principles to fit your family's style. She shares how she veers away from CM principles with regards to poetry, reading aloud, and crafts.

Jamie shares her thoughts in CM and the Bereans. She encourages us to keep on testing to see whether what we are learning and teaching is true.

Okay, so I found another post that helps us to see concrete examples of how we need to be adapting our homeschooling styles to fit our children. Penny shares two entries discussing how she discovered that it was the particular literature book that was bogging them down and making a switch brought much success. Making a last minute substitution and
Success find us!

Another mom shares how she is adjusting the CM approach to their homeschool. Belinda shares Charlotte Mason's Philosophy and a Discipleship Approach. She outlines some of Miss Mason's principles and how she applies them within their family. She says, "...I have to ‘tweak’ things to fit my family – my family is unique, just as yours is, and each unique child needs a unique approach in order for them to reach their optimum. "

Planning and organizing were also on the minds of those that submitted entries.

Erin has come up with a way to develop great study habits in her children. She shares her ideas in this blog post, Great Expectations. Her children now have a clear path to achieving their daily goals. I really love this idea and I have visual children who would gain a great deal from having clear instructions for each step of their day. We all want our children to develop good habits and this might just do the trick in your homeschool.

Tami has another organizing tool set up and ready to go in her homeschool. In her entry to the carnival she shares the particulars. Maybe you will get some ideas for your children by reading
How I Am Planning My Year Using Workboxes. Even without using the workbox system you will glean some ideas for projects and schedules from this entry.

Good habits are always something to strive for with your children and Masterpiece Mom is working on the habit of resilience with her son. Resilience and Charlotte Mason outlines her thoughts on how to develop this habit with some great quotes and applications of Charlotte Mason's principles.

How about a handicraft/hobby?

Heather at Maple Hill Academy shares her childhood hobby with her children in her entry Kids Need Stamps. We have a couple of stamp collectors in our family as well and I love the learning that takes place with the stamps and books come out. Geography and culture, art and science...stamp collecting is so much more than it appears on the surface. This is a hobby that children and adults can share together.

Kathy from Art Projects for Kids is joining the carnival for the first time! I know many of you already love her blog, but I am hoping that this entry will introduce even more families to her great ideas. She shares the first blog entry in a series of entries that step you through the process of making a personalized art journal: Art Journaling 101. She is up to Art Journaling 115 and every entry is a work of art that you could try with your children. Have fun with her blog!

Back to school for Jimmie and her daughter Sprite allows some time for more Living Math and she has pulled together some great ideas for teaching important math concepts which we can tailor to meet our particular child's way of learning. Here is her entry: Living Math with Factors, Multiples, and Primes. This is an entry with many useful links and resources.

It would not be a Charlotte Mason Carnival without some nature study entries.

So did you know that there is a complete section in the Handbook of Nature Study on strawberries? How much fun is that? Here is my latest Outdoor Hour Challenge post sharing a study of strawberries.....Outdoor Hour Challenge: Crop Plants-Strawberries. It is a good excuse to buy some strawberries and taste them as part of your weekly nature study. Enjoy!

Sarah shares her ideas for Studying the Sun in this edition of the carnival. I noticed how much of their work was done outside and that made me smile. My favorite part of the entry though is how she incorporates art with her study of the sun and makes the study meaningful to all ages of children in her family. This is a great lesson that we can draw and include in our families. Charlotte Mason would be proud of this nature study/science study/art study. Besides, any study that includes eating chocolate is okay with me. :)

Simple nature study ideas are always the best. Keri at SunnyScholars shares her terrific ideas for a weekly nature study in their own backyard. LOVE this idea. Nature Study and Preparation.

Kris from At Home Science shares some suggestions for living books to get started in a study of physics. How did she know I could use these this year? Living books are the backbone of Charlotte Mason's philosophy and can make learning more meaningful. Be sure to put these books in your Charlotte Mason notes for future reference. Living Science Author: Robert Gilmore: The Wizard of Quarks and Once Upon a Universe. Big thank you from me for this information!

Erin has pulled together a great collection of information and links for a complete study of Raphael in her entry, Ambleside Online. This is one to bookmark for future picture study!

Kris is working on an eclectic unit study of the Renaissance/Prince Henry the Navigator/Van Gogh this week and shares Unit Studies Eclectic Style from her blog Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

After a short break from blogging, Angie is back with an entry titled God's Amazing Creation Comes in All Shapes, Sizes, and Colors. Angie and her boys spend a lot of time outdoors together. She has this quote on the top of her blog from Charlotte Mason, "This pleasant earth of ours is not to be overlooked in the out-of-door education of the children. " I think she does a great job of keeping that principle alive in her family.

Shannon and her family were outdoors this week as well and they share their nature finds and the Great Sunflower Project in the entry: Backyard Naturin' In West Virginia. Head on over to Mountaineer Country to see some great photos of their part of the world right in their very own backyard.

Now for some food for thought from Mama Squirrel over at Dewey's Treehouse and from my Harmony Art Mom blog. We both have had the same thing on our minds and wrote almost simultaneously about the topic of keeping our homeschooling simple. We are passing on a little bit of our experience....perhaps some wisdom in these entries for you.

Mama Squirrel over at Dewey's Treehouse shares this entry to the carnival: When True Simplicity is Gained . My entry titled, Keeping Things Real in Our Homeschool: Simplicity, explains how we need to keep our minds fixed on the basic principles of a good Charlotte Mason education, not get distracted from our goals, and keep building good habits in our children.

Kelsey sums up her back to school thoughts in her entry, "It's Inevitable".

Just as a note to those of you new to Charlotte Mason's ideas and principles, I wanted to give you a link that I find inspiring. Sonya at Simply Charlotte Mason has written and offers for free an eBook titled, "Education is...an atmosphere, a discipline, a life." I think that many of us need to have reminders from time to time and this eBook is a great introduction and then encouragement for those families wishing to follow the CM principles with their families. I highly recommend Simply Charlotte Mason to all of this carnival's readers.

That wraps up this edition of the carnival and it has been fun reading all the entries thoroughly and gleaning lots of ideas to either think about or implement in my own homeschool. I hope you feel the same way.

See you in three weeks over at Jimmie's Collage for the next edition of the carnival. If you are interested in submitting an entry, here is the link: Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival.

Barb-Harmony Art Mom

PS There were a lot of entries this time around so if I missed your entry...please email me. harmonyfinearts@yahoo.com