Great video. We recently had to scale back a bit by alternating subjects that took a lot of seat time. My boys were getting massively burned out, school time was dragging, and I was not getting their best effort. Truth be told, they weren’t getting mine either. This small change has not put us behind, as it were, but rather opened up more time in the day for working together around the house, personal reading time, and play. The kids are also more excited for school because it feels more manageable for them.
Wow, thank you for sharing your experience! What an encouragement to families who may be struggling with knowing they need to cut back but are worried about the impact that may have on their children's education.
Very practical. I so appreciate the stress on everyone is not the same. One of the things I that stands out to me about this program is that you are not “dogmatic” about how education should be. The framework is given, help and resources are provided, and support is available to the parents, but not a “my way or the highway” approach. It is refreshing.
Thank you for joining us and sharing your feedback. SCM values people as individuals (as Charlotte Mason did) and we are glad that these values are shining through to you! Make the curriculum your servant, not your master. Here is another post that speaks to this view. simplycharlottemason.com/blog/a-system-or-a-method/
This is a helpful, practical, and refreshing perspective, as always! I'm always striving to strike that balance of doing enough - not too much and not too little, a la Goldilocks 😉 doing too much becomes evident more easily because I become burnt out, stressed, anxious, and chores fall to the wayside. Doing too little becomes evident when the children seem listless, uninspired, and more easily angered with one another. Thank you for making this about the whole child and all of the activities which can contribute to "too-muchness". Sonya and SCM have always helped me to consider this balance. Thanks for the video!
This was refreshing. It can be quite challenging for individuals who attended public schools, like myself, to realize that education isn't merely about cramming information into our minds. Instead, it's an avenue for cultivating interests, exploring diverse subjects, and embarking on a lifelong journey of learning and living authentically. Do you have any insights on how homeschooling parents, who were once part of the public school system, can break free from the ingrained mentality of what school 'should' be like?
Hi, Thank you for reaching out with your thoughts to continue this conversation and your question! It is absolutely a mind shift for any of us that attended public school or were educated in a way other than using Charlotte Mason's methods. Here are some helpful resources. Even if your children have not attended public school, the principles in this post will be helpful. Switching to Charlotte Mason From a Classroom: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/switching-to-charlotte-mason-from-a-classroom/ This is the first in a multi-part series on switching to a Charlotte Mason approach. Again, even if your children have not been homeschooled in another way, it can be helpful to ease into using Charlotte Mason's methods. simplycharlottemason.com/blog/transition-to-cm-basics/ Here is a post specific to easing into formal lessons in first grade if you are starting from the beginning with your children. simplycharlottemason.com/blog/how-to-ease-into-formal-lessons-in-first-grade/ There are several blog posts on what a Charlotte Mason approach looks like at different grade levels (e.g. preschool, elementary, etc.). Here are the links to all, choose those that apply to your family or watch them all to see how this progresses through the grade levels! What Charlotte Mason Preschool Looks Like: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/charlotte-mason-homeschool-preschool/ What Charlotte Mason Elementary School Looks Like: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/charlotte-mason-elementary-school/ What Charlotte Mason Middle School Looks Like: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/charlotte-mason-middle-school/ What Charlotte Mason High School Looks Like: simplycharlottemason.com/blog/charlotte-mason-high-school/ Please reach out to us with any questions you may have on your homeschooling journey! If you are planning on using SCM resources in your homeschool, you may wish to join us in our group on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/simplycm/
Hi, Thank you for joining us. Charlotte Mason advocated that children should be allowed a period of time for growing without the requirement of formal school lessons until they were six years old. Up until that point, you can certainly create a routine and read to them good living books, but it will more be as they are interested and not on a set schedule. If your child is interested in sitting and reading more books, you can, if it is a struggle for them to sit and listen to books at this time, start slow and meet them where they are, slowly working on establishing a habit of reading good literature with them. You will not be requiring narration at this point as you mention. You will also want to balance reading aloud with the other preschool priorities, here is a link to those of you are interested in reading more about what else to focus on during the preschool years. simplycharlottemason.com/planning/preschool-guide/
