When you hear a homeschool family say, “We use Charlotte Mason,” this refers to a method of teaching rather than a specific curriculum.
Charlotte Mason believed living books and a gentle, nature-based approach were the best ways to educate at home. This once-revolutionary mindset continues to be discussed and used by many families today. The Good and the Beautiful homeschool curriculum and other products incorporate many of Charlotte Mason’s inspiring ideas!
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Who Was Charlotte Mason?
Charlotte Mason (1842–1923) was a British educator who wrote unique and profound books on education and parenting. She believed in educating the whole child, and her famous quote, “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life,” is at the core of her methods.
Photo courtesy of The Charlotte Mason Digital Collection/Armitt Museum
Charlotte’s parents died when she was young. She then trained and began her lifelong work as a teacher. Her experiences deepened her understanding of how children learn best, and later in her career she began to share these findings publicly.
Photos courtesy of The Charlotte Mason Digital Collection/Armitt Museum
Charlotte’s original lectures (later turned into books) had been out of print for eight decades when missionaries Dean and Karen Andreola brought them to the United States in the late 1980s. Through modern technology, Charlotte’s writings and ideas are still in the homes of parents all over the world.
What She Taught
Charlotte Mason’s popular and long-used teaching style stems from her strong belief that each child must be educated as a whole person.
Photos courtesy of The Charlotte Mason Digital Collection/Armitt Museum
Main points of the Charlotte Mason homeschool method:
- Living books inspire children to learn through their own interests and curiosity rather than teacher-led lectures. Learning is a love rather than a task or a chore—it is a lifestyle.
- Short, varied lessons keep a child’s interest. Lesson length increases as the child gets older.
- Copywork of quotes or scripture fills a child’s mind with good thoughts and values.
- Dictation teaches grammar, sentence structure, and spelling. Dictation is when the parent says a word or sentence aloud and the child writes it.
- Narration, a retelling of what the child has learned, is how a parent assesses a child’s learning. For younger children narration is done orally. Around age 10, the child writes his or her narrations.
- Appreciation of:
- Nature—Children spend lots of time outdoors, observing and recording the beauty in the world around them.
- Art—Picture studies teach children to describe the fine details of an art piece. Children also learn to replicate techniques of master artists.
- Music—Composer study builds music appreciation.
- Cultural heritage—Family traditions and religious experiences pass from one generation to the next.
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Why and How We Use Her Methods
Charlotte Mason’s homeschool methods are noticeable throughout The Good and the Beautiful curriculum. Children experience short lessons, living books, nature, art appreciation, and so much more within the pages of their course books.
There is no start or stop from one subject to the next. Rather, subjects integrate naturally. For example, The Good and the Beautiful Language Arts courses include geography and art lessons. Real-world examples and experiences teach math concepts within all Simply Good and Beautiful Math courses.
Even our unique Handwriting books give opportunities for children to sharpen their drawing and sketching skills. This approach allows children to make connections across subjects and to understand how things relate to everyday life.
“The power of wholesome, high-value books; the wonder of nature and poetry; the emphasis on strengthening the heart along with the mind—these things are largely missing from education today. It is the passionate mission of The Good and the Beautiful to bring these things into our Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschool curriculum.”
Jenny Phillips, founder of The Good and the Beautiful
According to Charlotte’s methods, children complete most of their schoolwork in the mornings. Short lessons keep children interested and not easily bored. As they get older, lesson time increases. Afternoons are filled with self-directed creative exploration in nature, art, music, and more.
This is one reason that our courses are packed with powerful, connected learning in a way that shortens lesson times. (The Good and the Beautiful Levels K to 8 Language Arts and Simply Good and Beautiful Math Levels K to 6 are completely free. Download them now!)
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Choose Good Books
Charlotte Mason’s teachings align perfectly with The Good and the Beautiful mission of helping families fill their homes with good books. Mason believed living, clean books teach children to think critically yet develop a deep love and appreciation for the natural world God has created.
“Look at any publisher’s list of school books, and you shall find that the books recommended are carefully desiccated, drained of the least suspicion of an idea, reduced to the driest statements of fact. . . . the diet they afford may be meagre, meagre almost to starvation point . . .”
Charlotte Mason: A Philosophy of Education, pp. 105, 106
Our one-of-a-kind The Good and the Beautiful Book List supports Charlotte Mason’s beliefs about the need for high-quality children’s literature. This digital, searchable list includes hundreds of book titles that promote strong moral values and have clean language.
To understand the mission behind creating this unique list, read Jenny Phillips’ thoughts about “How Books Have Changed in the Last Century” and “How to Judge a Book, Why You Should, and Why It’s OK” on our Book Blog.
The next time you hear “Charlotte Mason curriculum,” you will know it is more than a subject to teach, but in fact, a way of living and learning for your entire family!
Home Education Series by Charlotte Mason
Vol 1. Home Education
Vol 2. Parents and Children
Vol 3. School Education
Vol 4. Ourselves, Our Souls and Bodies
Vol 5. Some Studies in the Formation of Character
Vol 6. An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education
**Her collection of writings is formally out of print, but reprints can be purchased online at various booksellers.
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Comments
I will be homeschooling for the first time this year, and I am looking forward to try out the TGTB with my first grader.
So glad you mention high quality children’s literature. One of the first videos I ever saw of Jenny was her talking about the impact good books had on her child’s behavior. Just because a child can read it, doesn’t mean it’s beneficial.
I love this approach to learning!! We are trying the Charlotte Mason approach to scripture memory this year. I am very excited to store God’s word in our families heart.
Charlotte Mason’s methods have inspired me in so many ways! I love that your curriculum ties in beautiful books, language, art and nature in one easy to use package. We have really enjoyed The Good and the Beautiful!
Love learning more about Charolette Mason