How would you like to have an educational method named after you? Charlotte Mason did just that. She was a nanny in late 19^th/early 20^th century England, looking to help others in her position provide a better education for the children in their charge. Her ideas ended up bringing new life to the homeschool world.

Key elements

One of the hallmarks of her method is the use of “living books”. Thankfully they do not actually turn the pages for themselves! A living book is generally written on one topic, deep in content, by a subject matter expert. Living books do not include textbooks, where many topics are presented at a shallow depth. The best living books grapple with big ideas and noble virtues. Books that do not contain much in the way of character training or mind training are labeled “twaddle”.

Another key element of Charlotte Mason homeschooling is short bursts of learning – 15 to 20 minutes on each subject (45 minutes at the high school level). These blocks of learning would be alternated so that children would use different levels of thinking between each one. For example, math and science would be separated by reading or spelling. She argues that short bursts of learning allow the child to give full attention to a subject while recognizing the need children have for varied activities.

Instead of worksheets and testing, children are asked to record learning in journal entries and through discussions. Nature walking and observations are a key element of learning. Active observation, exploration, and discovery of things the child is interested in are important in developing a love for learning. In the Charlotte Mason method, students are encouraged to delight in learning for the sake of learning.

Another item of note is that the Charlotte Mason method was originally Christian based, meaning many of the resources available today come from that perspective.  Students are guided in memorizing Scripture and reading Bible stories.

Resources and Curriculum

The cost can be quite minimal, especially if you take advantage of your local library for the many living books you will use. There are lesson plans and suggestions available at Ambleside Online, and you can find other resources at Simply Charlotte Mason and Charlotte Mason Homeschooling.

MasterBooks offers complete curriculum with a “Charlotte Mason flavor”. You can choose 1 or 2 subjects if you are a pick-and-choose person, or the whole set if you want everything laid out for you.

This method was developed primarily for use for elementary students, so you may find it harder to continue in an exclusively Charlotte Mason style for middle and high school students, but it is possible. Many families use resources that may be more classical in nature at the high school level, while retaining much of the delight-directed learning in subjects such as art and music.

If you like the idea of short periods of learning on each subject, with lots of time for outdoor exploration, journaling, and reading (not textbooks!), this method may be ideal for you. What are your thoughts?

Looking for other methods? Check them out here.