 | Makes Charlotte Mason Very Manageable Jul 7, 2008 |
| This is a wonderful book for anyone wanting to know more about Charlotte Mason's educational philosophies. This book breaks it all down into manageable pieces that are very easy to follow and understand. This should be on every CM fans "must-read" list. An excellent book! |
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 | Am I the only one who hates this book??? May 1, 2008 |
| If you've read the Charlotte Mason 6 volume set, there is no need for this companion book. My hope in reading this book was to get a modernized take on Miss Mason's educational theories. I was sadly disappointed. I find this book to be just about as victorian as the original. I do believe that the CM method will work in today's homeschools, but let's be honest, my children (and my home for that matter) look nothing like the rosy picture painted by Karen Andreola. I was hoping this book would break down the meat of CM's philosophy into what works for the modern home. I guess I'll have to do that myself. |
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 | My favorite book regarding Charlotte Mason Apr 18, 2008 |
This book was my favorite (as written by a homeschool mom) to describe the Charlotte Mason philosophy and how one can use it in a practical way to teach their own children at home.
It is not only easy to read but a charming book. I have passed it on to my oldest child, who has begun homeschooling her daughter and son. |
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 | Charlotte Mason Handbook Apr 9, 2008 |
| A book that makes the ideal childhood including education feasible and practical to implement. It shows that education does not have to take place in a chair and behind a desk. It shows that learning takes place all the time and the most important lessons are taught outside of textbooks. |
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 | Full of direction and inspiration!! Mar 12, 2008 |
This book gave me more inspiration, enthusiasm and direction for homeschooling than I ever expected to have with my oldest child still just two years old. Written by Karen Andreola, an intelligent, well-written and passionate mother who has homeschooled three children Charlotte Mason-style, the thrust of the book is not how to mold intellectually superior children (though that may be a natural result :) but rather how to nurture their natural curiosities and cultivate in them a love of learning. Reading "whole" or "living" books is foundational to this method, that is, books written by authors who have a personal passion for the subject, an enthusiasm that the reader may catch. Charlotte Mason is critical of most textbooks as they are over-stuffed with information compiled by committees aiming to meet generalized standards of what a child should learn in a particular grade. Charlotte felt that to know about something was not the same as knowing it personally. "Children are educated by their intimacies," was an oft-repeated theme which Charlotte was convinced of. A necessary partner to the reading of whole books is the "narration" of them, when a child is asked to re-tell what they have learned in their own words. Naturally the child will begin to incorporate the words of their authors into their own vocabularies. As they get older, they may narrate in both written and oral forms. In a child's early years (the first 6), no formal schooling is recommended but rather abundant play and exploration in nature, that they might experience the world through the five senses, as well as songs and books and practice at helpfulness in the home. Most importantly, Charlotte Mason recognizes Christ in her theories, placing spiritual formation as central to the child's education "...because knowledge without virtue is nothing to God." A perfect compliment to this book in its emphasis on spiritual formation in the home: "Family Driven Faith," by Voddie Baucher. |
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