Mentally he must be developed so that as he grows older he may have the capacity to grasp the true meaning of social and political questions of the day. His mind should be so trained that he will be able to detect and reject fallacious statements, and quick to discover the claptrap of which our newspapers are so full. E. A. Smith, “Citizenship: Our Responsibility as Teachers”, June 1911 L’Umile Pianta Show Summary: Today’s guest on The New Mason Jar is Erin Kunkle, a veteran homeschool mom, speaker and co-host of the MAVEN parent podcast How Erin first heard about Charlotte Mason What is Maven all about? What do we mean when we say “culture” and why it is important to stay engaged with it? Does teaching apologetics and Christian worldview align with a Charlotte Mason education? How can we talk about cultural issues in a way that encourages kids to learn to think for themselves? Erin’s advice for talking with kids about difficult topics   Books and Links Mentioned: Affiliate links are included below. For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay Culture Making: Recovering Our Creative Calling by Andy Crouch More Than a Carpenter by Josh MacDowell with Sean MacDowell A Practical Guide to Culture by Brett Kunkle and John Stonestreet Questioning the Bible by Jonathan Morrow The Story of Reality by Greg Koukl   [We] must listen and consider, being sure that one of the purposes we are in the world for is, to form right opinions about all matters that come in our way. Charlotte Mason, Ourselves   Find Cindy and Erin: Morning Time for Moms Cindy’s Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy’s Facebook Cindy’s Instagram Maven Maven Conferences Maven Podcast

Melissa Bair, a mathematics expert and homeschooling mother of 4, discusses the beauty of mathematics and its impact on education. They explore the connection between math and music, the significance of noticing and wondering in math education, and the importance of play in learning. They also mention a Catholic Charlotte Mason curriculum and a math curriculum called Life of Fred.

Again, we have made a rather strange discovery, that the mind refuses to know anything except what reaches it in more or less literary form.  Persons can ‘get up’ the driest of pulverised text-books and enough mathematics for some public examination; but these attainments do not appear to touch the region of mind. Of Natural Science, too, we have to learn that the way into the secrets of nature is not through the barbed wire entanglements of science as she is taught but through field work or other immediate channel, illustrated and illuminated by books of literary value. Charlotte Mason, Philosophy of Education Show Summary: Today’s guest on The New Mason Jar is Jeanne Webb, veteran homeschool of one daughter and former member of the AmblesideOnline Auxilliary, and her whole family are involved in the sciences How Jeanne first heard about the Charlotte Mason philosophy What make Charlotte Mason’s approach to science different from that of typical American science education? What is the relationship of nature study to other areas of scientific study? How do nature study and nature lore prepare children for the more formal study of science? What Jeanne and her family did for nature study Does a Charlotte Mason approach to science do enough to prepare students for higher education?   Books and Links Mentioned: The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens The Burgess Bird Book by Thornton W. Burgess Napoleon’s Buttons by Penny Le Couteur and Jay Burreson The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Kean Gulp by Mary Roach It Couldn’t Just Happen by Lawrence O. Richards The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson Darwin’s Black Box by Michael Behe A Meaningful World by Benjamin Wiker and Jonathan Witt Who Made the Moon? by Sigmund Brouwer The Language of God by Francis Collins   But the object of the Parents’ Review School is not merely to raise the standard of work in the home schoolroom. Our chief wish is that the pupils of the School should find knowledge delightful in itself and for its own sake, without thought of marks, place, prize or other reward; that they should develop an intelligent curiosity about whatever is on the earth or in the heavens, about the past and the present. The children respond and take to their lessons with keen pleasure, if they get even tolerably good teaching, and the want of marks, companionship, or other stimulus is not felt in those home schoolrooms where the interest of knowledge is allowed free play. attributed to Charlotte Mason, from “Parents’ Review School”, The Parents’ Review, Vol. 12, No. 9 (1901)   Find Cindy: Morning Time for Moms Cindy’s Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy’s Facebook Cindy’s Instagram

“There can be no great art without great fable. Great art can only exist where great men brood intensely on something upon which all men brood a little. Without a popular body of fable there can be no unselfish art in any country. Shakespeare’s art was selfish till he turned to the great tales in the four most popular books of his time…” James Masefield, as Quoted by Charlotte Mason, Vol. 6, Toward a Philosophy of Education Show Summary: Today on the New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn welcome back previous guests Angelina Stanford and Timilyn Downey to cover some questions listeners had about Episode 60: The Building Blocks of Story Is there an objective answer to the question “What is art?” What do we mean when we say literature is art? Why do we say fairy tales are the building blocks of story? What is the danger of not giving children a foundation in myths, fairy tales and the Bible? Is it ever too late to develop a taste for these stories? What is the difference between historical fiction and literature? How does a wide and varied literary education add to our understanding of story?   Let us take it to ourselves that great character comes out of great thoughts, and that great thought must be initiated by great thinkers; then we shall have a definite aim in education. Thinking and not doing is the source of character. Charlotte Mason, Toward a Philosophy of Education   Books Mentioned: Northrop Frye C. S. Lewis J. R. R. Tolkien The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone Beowulf trans. by Burton Raffel English Literature for Boys and Girls by H. E. Marshall   Find Cindy, Angelina, and Timilyn: Morning Time for Moms Cindy’s Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy’s Facebook Cindy’s Instagram House of Humane Letters Angelina’s Facebook Angelina’s Instagram The Literary Life Online Conference 2023

As for Literature–to introduce children to literature is to install them in a very rich and glorious kingdom, to bring a continual holiday to their doors, to lay before them a feast exquisitely served. But they must learn to know literature by being familiar with it from the very first. A child’s intercourse must always be with good books, the best that we can find. Charlotte Mason, Vol. 6, Philosophy of Education, p. 51 Show Summary: Our guests on The New Mason Jar podcast today are Jeannette Tulis and Sherry Early How Sherry first heard about Charlotte Mason How Jeannette started her own home library that then turned into a lending library How did Sherry and Jeannette learn what books to collect and what not to bring home? Where are the best, budget-friendly places to look for good books to buy? How Sherry and Jeannette run their lending libraries What are a few of our guests’ favorite books?   Books and Links Mentioned: Episode 12: Charlotte Mason Study Groups with Jeannette Tulis Picture Book Preschool Thrift Store Shopping Without Leaving Your House – Bibioguides Private Lending Libraries List – Biblioguides The Card Catalogue – Plumfield and Paideia Jeannette’s Books About Books List Jeannette’s Favorite Books by Category List Jeannette’s Favorite Picture Book Authors List For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay Let the Authors Speak by Carolyn Hatcher All Through the Ages by Christine Miller Who Should We Then Read, Vols. 1 & 2 by Jan Bloom Anatole Series by Eve Titus Henry the Explorer from Purple House Press The Biggest Bear by Lynd Ward David McPhail Don Freeman Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban Obadiah Trio by Brinton Turkle Deep in the Forest by Brinton Turkle Charlotte Zolotow Jan Wahl Little Bear Books by Else Holmelund Minarik Frog and Toad Books by Arnold Lobel Millicent Selsam Animals Do the Strangest Things by Arthur and Leonora Hornblow Carolyn Haywood The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook by Joyce Brisley Sugar Creek Gang Original Series by Paul Hutchens Clementine Books by Sarah Pennypacker The Cobble Street Cousins by Cynthia Rylant Strong Poison by Dorothy L. Sayers Mothering by the Book by Jennifer Pepito Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson You Are Not Your Own by Alan Noble   Find Cindy and Sherry: Morning Time for Moms Cindy’s Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy’s Facebook Cindy’s Instagram Sherry Early’s Blog, Semicolon   When I get a little money, I buy books, and if any is left, I buy food. My luggage is my library. My home is where my books are. Erasmus

All our teaching of children should be given reverently, with the humble sense that we are invited in this matter to co-operate with the Holy Spirit; but it should be given dutifully and diligently. Charlotte Mason, Vol. 2, Parents and Children Show Summary: Our guests on The New Mason Jar podcast this week are Emily Raible and Tracy Fast How Tracy was homeschooled and came to learn about Charlotte Mason How Emily first heard about Charlotte Mason How Tracy got started using Charlotte Mason’s principles in teaching Sunday school How Emily began creating a Sunday school curriculum using Miss Mason’s principles What differences have been noticeable since implementing the new methods? What a typical Sunday school class looks like in Tracy’s church What Emily’s Sunday school class typically looks like Some more benefits of a Charlotte Mason Sunday school Books and Links Mentioned: For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay The Bible Story Handbook by John and Kim Walton The Burgess Bird Book by Thornton W. Burgess House of Humane Letters Simply Charlotte Mason AmblesideOnline Blue Sky Daisies publishing Example of nature coloring pages Emily mentioned Find Cindy: Morning Time for Moms Cindy’s Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy’s Facebook Cindy’s Instagram   Above all, do not read the Bible at the child: do not let any words of the Scriptures be occasions for gibbeting his faults. It is the office of the Holy Ghost to convince of sin; and He is able to use the Word for this purpose, without risk of that hardening of the heart in which our clumsy dealings too often result. Charlotte Mason, Home Education

Heather Bunting, former public school music teacher, joins Cindy Rollins on the podcast. They discuss the significance of music in a Charlotte Mason education and the benefits of learning solfege. They explore integrating culture and traditions through folk songs in homeschooling and highlight the importance of singing together as a family. The podcast also touches on the connection between nature and human life.

Without knowledge, Reason carries a man into the wilderness and Rebellion joins company. The man is not to be blamed: it is a glorious thing to perceive your mind, your reasoning power, acting of its own accord as it were and producing argument after argument in support of any initial notion; how is a man to be persuaded, when he wakes up to this tremendous power he has of involuntary reasoning, that his conclusions are not necessarily right, but rather that he who reasons without knowledge is like a child playing with edged tools? Charlotte Mason, Vol. 6, Philosophy of Education, p. 315 Show Summary: On the New Mason Jar today, Cindy chats with Dan Bunting, a pastor and father of 4 homeschooled children How Dan first learned about Charlotte Mason’s philosophy Did you have any concerns about using a Charlotte Mason curriculum initially? What Dan saw about this educational philosophy that impressed him What Dan’s role is in his family’s homeschool journey How Dan is continuing his own education as a father Do you think that a Charlotte Mason education is strong enough in STEM subjects? Dan’s best advice for fathers to support their homeschooling families   Books and Links Mentioned: Range by David Epstein Mind to Mind by Karen Glass H. P. Lovecraft Terry Pratchett The 5th Annual Back to School Conference Dan’s Episode on The Literary Life podcast Dan’s Reading the Psalms podcast   Find Cindy: Morning Time for Moms Cindy’s Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy’s Facebook Cindy’s Instagram   …habit is inevitable. If we fail to ease life by laying down habits of right thinking and right acting, habits of wrong thinking and wrong acting fix themselves of their own accord. Charlotte Mason, Vol. 6, Philosophy of Education, p. 101

In the things of science, in the things of art, in the things of practical everyday life, his God doth instruct him and doth teach him, her God doth instruct her and doth teach her. Let this be the mother’s key to the whole of the education of each boy and each girl; not of her children; the Divine Spirit does not work with nouns of multitude, but with each single child. Because He is infinite, the whole world is not too great a school for this indefatigable Teacher, and because He is infinite, He is able to give the whole of his infinite attention for the whole time to each one of his multitudinous pupils. We do not sufficiently rejoice in the wealth that the infinite nature of our God brings to each of us. Charlotte Mason, Vol. 2, Parents and Children Show Summary: Today on the New Mason Jar, Camille Malucci is back on the podcast to talk with Cindy about a painting that had a great effect on Charlotte Mason How did Charlotte Mason come to view these frescoes? What are some of the scenes depicted in the frescoes in the Spanish Chapel, Santa Maria Novella? What was it about this painting that so impacted Miss Mason? Why is it so hard for us to grasp the concept of “the Great Recognition” that Mason talks about? How did Charlotte Mason see this recognition as helpful to resolving some of the discord in modernity?   Books and Links Mentioned: The 5th Annual Back to School Conference Parents and Children by Charlotte Mason Common Place Quarterly Magazine The CMEC Camille’s episode on the CMEC curriculum Mornings in Florence by John Ruskin The Story of Charlotte Mason by Essex Cholmondeley The Charlotte Mason Collection at the Armitt Museum Print of The Great Recognition from Riverbend Press   Find Cindy: Morning Time for Moms Cindy’s Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy’s Facebook Cindy’s Instagram   We must think, we must know, we must rejoice in and create the beautiful. And if all the burning thoughts that stir in the minds of men, all the beautiful conceptions they give birth to, are things apart from God, then we too must have a separate life, a life apart from God, a division of ourselves into secular and religious––discord and unrest. We believe that this is the fertile source of the unfaith of the day, especially in young and ardent minds…and the young man or woman, full of promise and power, becomes a free-thinker, an agnostic, what you will. But once the intimate relation, the relation of Teacher and taught in all things of the mind and spirit, be fully recognised, our feet are set in a large room; there is space for free development in all directions, and this free and joyous development, whether of intellect or heart, is recognised as a Godward movement. Charlotte Mason, Parents and Children

Commonplace Tales: Tales of Imagination––Stories, again, of the Christmas holidays, of George and Lucy, of the amusements, foibles, and virtues of children in their own condition of life, leave nothing to the imagination. The children know all about everything so well that it never occurs to them to play at the situations in any one of these tales, or even to read it twice over. But let them have tales of the imagination, scenes laid in other lands and other times, heroic adventures, hairbreadth escapes, delicious fairy tales in which they are never roughly pulled up by the impossible––even where all is impossible, and they know it, and yet believe. Charlotte Mason, Vol. 1, Home Education Show Summary: Today on the New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn chat with friends Angelina Stanford and Timilyn Downey about the building blocks of stories in relation to a Charlotte Mason education How Angelina came to learn about Charlotte Mason Why Timilyn values the building blocks of story so much What are stories versus literature? What is the difference between how modernity sees art and stories and how the medievals saw them? What is wrong with the idea of literature as a mirror or a window? Some metaphors for approaching story Why are unit studies problematic in approaching a Charlotte Mason education? How can you learn the language of literature so that you can teach your children?   Last but not least, the fact that the story does not turn on children, and does not foster that self-consciousness, the dawn of which in the child is, perhaps, the individual “Fall of Man.” Charlotte Mason, Formation of Character   Books Mentioned: Northrop Frye C. S. Lewis J. R. R. Tolkien Harold Goddard “Meditation on a Toolshed” by C. S. Lewis Aesop’s Fables illus. by Jerry Pinkney He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands illus. by Kadir Nelson   Find Cindy, Angelina, and Timilyn: Morning Time for Moms Cindy’s Patreon Discipleship Group Mere Motherhood Facebook Group The Literary Life Podcast Cindy’s Facebook Cindy’s Instagram House of Humane Letters Angelina’s Facebook Angelina’s Instagram The Literary Life Online Conference 2023