Secular Charlotte Mason

Here is a nice blog.  The link will take you to her posts related to Charlotte Mason but there are other good posts too.  Enjoy, Cori

http://secularnature.blogspot.com/search/label/Charlotte%20Mason

I collect books and materials for a school year but I don't create a daily schedule because I know I will not stick to it.  I have yet to find a flexible scheduling method.  Instead, I like this idea:   

http://www.whiteoakschool.com/camp-creek-blog/2008/11/3/inside-my-project-journal.html

~Cori

An interesting blog about history found in children's literature that is written by a history museum educator.  ~ Cori

http://kidlithistory.com/

Geocaching and homeschooling and Charlotte Mason's Formidable List of Attainments for a Child of Six.  ~Cori

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/03/09/geocaching-and-homeschooling/

Last week I started thinking about our plans for history to prepare for a Charlotte Mason support group meeting.  Here is what we are doing...

~Cori

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/03/08/history-not-what-i-thought/

I found a great website for Nature Study!  It is organized and informative and they also carry a wide variety of products for nature study. 

"For over 20 years, Acorn Naturalists has offered resources that advance science education and promote environmental literacy. On our website and in our print catalog we present a dazzling array of resources and activities that nurture curiosity about the natural world. Our selection provides teachers, outdoor educators, parents, and naturalists materials to enhance classroom and field learning."

I found it while linking books for my blog.  I wrote a post about Animal Tracking and included some of our favorite books about animals too.

Check out the Acorn Naturalists website:

http://www.acornnaturalists.com/store/Animal-Tracking-C8.aspx

And my blog post, Animal Behaviors, Signs and Tracks:

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/03/02/animal-behaviors-signs-and-tracks/

I would love to hear about your favorite resources for animal tracking.

~Cori

We are having so much fun with Fairy related play.  Yes, my boys love them!  They enjoy trying to find them, pretending to protect them, and are making a home for them.  I wrote a blog post today and Wordpress automatically generated this post from the Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden.  There are some interesting links as well. We have not read the Fairy House books by Tracy Kane but they look good.  This botanical garden is located in Virginia.

http://lewisginter.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/making-a-home-for-fairies-at-lewis-ginter-botanical-garden/#comment-2912

Here is my blog post too. 

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/02/26/fairies-blackberries-and-a-celebration/

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Cori

This site is amazing.  There are thousands of educational videos organized by subject, with ratings on the videos, and ability to sort by age range to name a few things I like about it.  I started watching this video on Daedalus and Icarus.

http://www.watchknow.org/Video.aspx?VideoID=14308

This is one resource I think I will use over and over. 

Cori

Here is a blog post about games including some interesting links, such as "better late than early," our favorite games, a few homemade games with instructions, an excerpt from Charlotte Mason, and few other interesting links.

Cori

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/games-are-brilliant/ 

Better Late Than Early

http://www.homeschool.com/articles/bookexcerpt/default.asp

Brain Research on Games

http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/nurtureshock/archive/2009/12/10/new-research-13-christmas-gifts-13-point-gain-in-kids-iq.aspx

Teaching a child to read in a CM friendly way

http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/eyguide/teachtoread/

I learned about the Language Experience Approach on the Secular CM website.  This is a great method to use with my son since he often mixes fact and fiction. lol  It would be easier to have him read it back to me if he only said one or two sentences but I think either way is fine.  It is a fun way to learn.  Here is our experience with it yesterday.  I also included a couple of related links about making books with children and a glue binding tutorial.

Have a good week!

Cori

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/language-experience-approach/

The follow up as promised in the last nature post.

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/02/19/nature-close-up/

Whew, I'm tired.  And I think I'm getting the cold my kids had a week ago.  Our weather forecast is for sun, sun, and more sun.  I hope to fight off this bug and enjoy it.

Have a good weekend. 

~Cori

I wrote this blog post about our decision to homeschool. It includes several interesting links and a pertinent quote from Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series.

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/02/18/deciding-to-homeschool/

Cori

P.S. If you are already a seasoned homeschooler, you might enjoy some of the links in the post. Here they are for easy reference:

Myth of Socialization (if you love public school do not read this):

http://school-is-hell.blogspot.com/2007/12/socialization-myth.html

How to Homeschool:

http://www.wikihow.com/Homeschool-Your-Children

One of my inspirations for nature study in all types of weather:

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article5308533.ece

Short Lessons:

http://www.charlottemasoneducation.com/shortlessons.html

Artist Study with many suggestions and helpful links:

http://www.squidoo.com/cmartiststudy

Composer study, includes helpful links:

http://www.amblesideonline.org/ComposerSch.shtml

Handcrafts, why to do them:

http://higherupandfurtherin.blogspot.com/2006/06/handicrafts-should-be-handy.html

Shakespeare, a nice post about getting started:

http://wastedtextbooks.blogspot.com/2009/02/charlotte-mason-minute-shakespeare.html

A chart of subjects for a Charlotte Mason Education:

http://simplycharlottemason.com/planning/scmguide/

A decent summary of Charlotte Mason method:

http://www.charlottemasoneducation.com/overview.html

Charlotte Mason Method Resources:

http://www.secularcm.com/

http://www.charlottemason.com/cmcompanion.html

http://www.amblesideonline.org/CM/toc.html   (The Original Homeschooling Series)

http://www.amazon.com/When-Children-Love-Learn-Application/dp/1581342594

http://www.amblesideonline.org

http://simplycharlottemason.com

Living books, what they are:

http://www.home-school.com/Articles/CharlotteMason.html

Living books touching your heart:

http://www.amblesideonline.org/LivingBks.shtml

What is a Spine? Includes popular spines for history (some may not be secular):

http://www.design-your-homeschool.com/Teaching-History-Spine-book.html

Last Child in the Woods website:

http://richardlouv.com

Ansel Adams who was tutored at home:

http://www.anseladams.com/content/ansel_info/anseladams_biography2.html

A wonderful post on Tidal Learning:

http://melissawiley.com/blog/2006/01/11/tidal-homeschooling/

And the benefits of Free Play:

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/53699.php

According to Silvia from "Homeschooling in a Bilingual Home" blog, here is a great Living Math Resource.  This is what she says about it:

"I found out that there is this great blog called LIVING MATH, great discussions in their yahoo group, and invaluable resources for making math fun, reading math living books, games, and reviews of materials, manipulatives, curriculum. I'm loving this to me new way of looking at math."

http://livingmath.net/Home/tabid/250/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Cori

Understanding Charlotte Mason's principles for young children is often challenging.  There are many great ideas in Volume 1: Home Education.  I read it last year and it changed the way I educate my young sons.  However, it is important to note that the academic recommendations found in Volume 1 are for children aged 6 to 9. 

I also like to read about implementing her methods in our modern times.  If you dive into Charlotte Mason's method and understand the true needs of young children, you can save yourself a lot of money in tuition and curriculum.  I enjoyed these blog posts:

http://educandoenelhogar.blogspot.com/2010/02/educating-versus-entertaining.html

http://www.homeschoolblogger.com/carrotqueen/501795/

Cori

If you are looking for inspiration to get outdoors, here is how we are approaching our Charlotte Mason nature study.  Older children might enjoy scavenger hunts.  My younger children love looking for fairy homes...

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/signs-of-spring-daffodils-and-crocus/

Cori