Secular Charlotte Mason

1. A big thank you to Cori for finding wonderful CM friendly blogs for us to check out. Just click on "Blog" in the sidebar to read her posts and see what gems she has found to share with us. 

2. New feature on some of the resource pages. You will notice that I am beginning to add slightly more detailed reviews/recommendations and that many pages seem incomplete. My goal with these pages is to add content as I come across it in my homeschooling or consulting. Therefore these pages are a long-term work in progress. Be sure to check them periodically for updates!

 3. Just for Facebook users: we now have a page. Search for Secular Charlotte Mason from your personal page and be sure to tell your CM friends about the page.

4. If you came here looking for the PDX Charlotte Mason Support Group email me at secularcharlottemason at secularcm dot com and I will be glad to send you information about the meetings and the PDX CM yahoo group.  (And yes, the support group is inclusive and not just secular!)

 Updated 5/2010

"Education is an atmosphere."

"Education is a discipline."

"Education is a life."

Charlotte Mason

Come on in and take a look around!!!

The site is still, very much, a work in progress so please bear with the typos and formatting errors.

As the website fills with content I realize it can be challenging to quickly find the exact detail or specific information you are looking for.  If you are new to the site or in a hurry feel free to post a question about the information you need to the forums.  This can greatly ease any frustration you may be encountering. (You do need to become a member to post to the forums but it is a painless process and then provides you with update blasts as content is added. I will never use your information for anything other than contacting you about this website!)

You know what they say.....it takes a village to educate a child...and this is our village!

Gina

                                     Masterly inactivity.  The joy of childhood!

While I believe whole-heartedly in a Charlotte Mason Education I must also point out that we need to adapt many of her ideas to our more modern world. I must also admit that years of teaching and interacting with both adults and children has colored how I approach our Charlotte Mason Education. I admit that my version of a Charlotte Mason Education may not be the strictest interpretation of her philosophy.  My goal is to make Miss Mason's educational philosophy accessible to a wider audience. 

 I tend to agree with the classical education trivium stages even though Miss Mason did not use them herself.  One reason I have chosen to use these categories when describing books for the website is because they provide a wider range of ages than our well-known grade levels. Even in regular life, I find myself unable to give recommendations by specific grade levels or ages since not all 5 yo or all 10 yo or all 14 yo are alike. Using the trivium provides more flexibility.  Another aspect of this site that may be different is the addition of technology-based ideas and suggestions.  Many Charlotte Mason websites stick only to the Victorian Era recommendations. I find those too limiting for my high-tech children. Based on my readings and research I believe Miss Mason would have taken advantage of the technology available to us.  As with her book recommendations, I believe she would search for the best of the best. Even though this is a secular site, I do not wish to overlook the fact that Miss Mason felt a spiritual upbringing was an important part of a Charlotte Mason Education.  This site is secular because I want all faiths and nonfaiths to feel welcome here. 

 ***Please note that even though they share a similarity in name, this website is not affiliated with the SecularCM yahoo group in any way.  I do highly recommend that yahoo group though.  It is one of the best around!***

Storytelling at it's finest....in the rain.  Charlotte Mason advocated spending time outside in all the different types of weather.