Secular Charlotte Mason

I'd like to share this link to the NIH Office of Science Education that a friend recommended for supplementing our biology and psychology studies. I have not seen the materials myself (I just ordered mine) but they look good and, best of all, are free. It looks like there are also links at the site for doing online work (we are going to be checking out the time-lapse video of brain development). Overall, a worthwhile site to check out for supplementing K-12 science. 

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I realize that Lee Binz is not secular, but at least this month, she seems to be writing about many of the issues I usually end up addressing when mentoring other homeschoolers. This article sums up nicely my take on the DISADVANTAGES of having a teaching degree. I firmly believe that the key to great homeschooling is great PARENTING, not great teaching. Whenever I have academic issues with my kids it is almost always because of some parenting issue, not homeschooling or teaching issues. Most people do not realize that homeschooling your own kids is NOTHING like teaching other people's kids in a classroom!   (I've done both and there is a huge difference.) 

javascript:mox(); Read this brief article if you worry about whether you are qualified to teach your own kids. 

If you are in the throws of planning high school and trying to figure out how grades, transcripts and reading lists all fit into the picture you may want to check out The Home Scholar. The link below is for her free one hour webinar. I find her suggestions to be quite practical and she holds your hand as little or as much as you need/can afford. 

She is not secular in her beliefs but I have spoken with her in person and never had a problem as she doesn't seem to infuse her high school website/information with religion (it appears she does have some other blogs or websites that are Christian but those are easy to avoidl). She is also on Facebook if that is your preferred media. 

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PS Please let me know if the link doesn't work.

In the name of modernizing CM I really would like to include various podcast resources on the links and content pages. The only problem is that I do not use podcasts at this time.

Therefore, in order to include this information, I need SecularCM's members to email links of their favorite podcast programs or resources to Gina at javascript:mox(); .

Your help in this area would be greatly appreciated and could earn anyone who participates a free book! (Just include your name, children's ages/interests and mailing address when you send in the link and I will send you a free book.)

I came across this site as I was researching online books (Drakon needed a copy of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea ASAP). Wow, it has tons of links! An almost overwhelming number of them! Many are typical PBS type stuff but others are real gems. Think I will bookmark this site for my kids to explore when they are bored over summer. javascript:mox();  (don't know why the link came out funny but it should still work)

If you scroll all the way to the bottom there is a section called "By Kids For Kids" that looks interesting for those of us with writers. The section on "Creating and Reviewing Online Books" also looks pretty interesting.

If you are stuck at a family gathering or in a motel room during summer vacations this site could keep the kids occupied for hours. ;)

This article is about what is going on in England right now and how it is related to the United States and Charlotte Mason.  Not very long but enough to get an idea.  If you enjoyed the Finnish Education links, you might like this.  And this quote from the article is for all of us:

"So if anybody ever suggests to you that Charlotte Mason’s ideas are old-fashioned or out-dated, get them to listen carefully to the debates that still go on in education. I suspect that Charlotte would be concerned, though probably not too surprised, to learn that we are still debating today the same basic principles that she was debating, and that our politicians are still more interested in controlling the system of education than in developing the whole child."

~Cori

http://childlightusa.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/education-in-england-today-where-are-you-charlotte-mason-by-dr-john-thorley/

Charlotte Mason's ideas can be implemented a few at a time.  Read about a school teacher using her ideas...  Great article!  ~Cori

http://childlightusa.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/musings-of-a-masonite-by-dr-donna-johnson/

I just received a reminder from Catherine Levison that she is a featured speaker at the Washington Homeschool Organization Convention June 18 & 19th. If you are in the Pacific Northwest I highly recommend attending this. It is the best, and most inclusive, homeschool conference I have ever been to. As a featured speaker Ms. Levison will have a booth and give four workshops. 

In her letter she says her workshops will be light on theory and heavy on practical tips and application of the Charlotte Mason philosophy. Topics will include making a Book of the Centuries, collecting and using books, and how to stop dawdling. All within the subjects of Art Appreciation, Nature Sketching, Narration and Literature & Poetry. 

http://washhomeschool.org/convention/convention.html

http://charlottemasoneducation.com/

PS If you know of a CM friendly conference or convention near you email the information to Secular Charlotte Mason at SecularCM dot com and I will be glad to add it to the blog.

I really like this blog, Jimmie's Collage.  While she is not secular she has a lot of great ideas that anyone can use in their homeschool.  In her latest post she talks about having flexibility with homeschool curriculum and how she goes about changing it.  She also gives summaries year by year in the 2nd link.  ~ Cori

http://jimmiescollage.com/2010/04/flexibility-in-homeschool-curriculum/

http://www.squidoo.com/jimmies-curriculum

The original article reminds me of a Charlotte Mason education in the way the kids are not pressured and the teachers can choose books, etc.  Also reading is a high priority in this country.  Other countries are now looking at the schools in Finland, wanting to replicate their success.  Here is the article and my blog post about and Free Range Kids, Lenore Skenazy's comments on it.  ~Cori

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/04/11/free-range-finnish-education/

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120425355065601997.html?mod=wsj_share_twitter

http://freerangekids.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/what-makes-finnish-kids-so-smart/

http://ptable.com/

This looks pretty interesting. Posting it here so others can see it and so that I can find it when my girls need it.

This is the blog where my friend originally found the link. 

http://www.freelyeducate.com/2010/03/the-coolest-periodic-table-of-the-elements-weve-seen-its-free.html

"Ordinary Life Magic" is a great unschooling blog.  I love her ideas for art, science, nature study and the all around encouragement for masterly inactivity.  I also liked her post about Negative Thinking.   She has a couple of blog addresses, so be sure to click on each link.  Enjoy!  ~ Cori

Arts and Crafts with Egg Ideas:

http://ordinarylifemagic.com/blog/2009/01/31/art-and-craft-tutorials-2/

Science Posts:

http://ordinarylifemagic.com/blog/2009/01/31/scientific-spec-i-al-ities/

Nature Adventures:

http://ordinarylifemagic.blogspot.com/2009/02/adventuring-naturally.html

A good post about Negative Thinking:

http://happy-and-free.blogspot.com/index.html

Lisa at "Keen Kids at Home" has a great blog post and review of the book "Mindset: The New Psychology of Success," by Dr. Carol S. Dweck.  Lisa's to do list and the ABC news coverage on Brainology reminds me of Charlotte Mason's ideas.  Gina, you might like Brainology also since you have been reading the lastest brain research.  ~ Cori

From her post, Lisa says:  "Did I:

•Offer constructive criticism (to assist in learning from mistakes) without judgment?

•Praise effort, not ability?

•Ensure that the work given was challenging?

•Say “no” in a fair, thoughtful & respectful way?

•Learn something today?

•Foster a love of learning in a nurturing but challenging environment?"

http://keenkidsathome.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/growing-a-growth-mindset/

http://www.brainology.us/

I just found this nice Charlotte Mason blog.  Like mine it's not completely secular but most of the posts are neutral.   Keri has Charlotte Mason quotes and some nice tabs on nature, books, movies, and music.    ~ Cori

http://www.sunnyscholars.blogspot.com/

This Charlotte Mason article is not talking about the students attitude, instead it is a teaching tool.  Read on...  (Note: It is religion free except for the last paragraph which talks about the church calendar and I don't know how it fits exactly, maybe someone can tell me.)  ~Cori

http://childlightusa.wordpress.com/2010/03/13/detachment-disinterest-by-melanie-walker/

Echoes in Time is located near Salem, Oregon.  I would love to see other homeschoolers there!  Debbie, who also works at the Gilbert House, runs the children's camp (for the children of adult participants only).  I wrote about what it is like at Echoes camp.   ~ Cori

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/echoes-in-time/

Classes offered last year:

http://www.echoes-in-time.com/about.php#classes

Other gatherings around the U.S. and Canada

http://www.hollowtop.com/Primitive_Skills_Gatherings.htm

This post includes a few nice links to a tea party website and blogs about tea.  According to Karen Andreola tea parties are a Charlotte Mason thing to do.  The manners and habits are good too. =)  ~ Cori

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/tea-parties-with-boys/

I've been working on this one for several days (here and there). Such a big topic! Some of our favorite books and links are in there too. Now we are going outside because it's a beautiful day!  Have a great week!  ~ Cori

http://wonderinthewoods.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/literature/

Sorry if you get tired of me recommending this site but it really is a great one, even if it is not secular. I particularly like their newsletter and this month begins a series on a topic near and dear to many of our hearts: how to do CM through the high school years. Head on over to their site http://simplycharlottemason.com/ and sign up for their newsletter. I am quite excited about this particular series. 

Note: Most of the newsletter articles mention religion only in passing, if at all, and the ones that focus on religion tend to be pretty obvious from the article titles. I just delete the more religious titles from my inbox without reading. 

From today's article:

In this series we will be discussing

Basic Mainstays

Details by Subject

Grades and Transcripts

Individualizing Your CM High School

Habit-Training in High School

This website has so many ideas!  ~Cori

http://www.artprojectsforkids.org/