A Delectable Education Charlotte Mason Podcast

Charlotte Mason is extraordinary in the arts and humanities, but does her method really work for science, especially in an age when science is king? This podcast will address all the aspects of teaching science that put most average parents in a panic at the high school level and you will find yourself eager to get on with it. Listen Now: If you are seeing this message, please make sure you are using the most current version of your web browser: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Chrome "Our aim in Education is to give a Full Life.––We begin to see what we want. Children make large demands upon us. We owe it to them to initiate an immense number of interests. Thou hast set my feet in a large room; should be the glad cry of every intelligent soul. Life should be all living, and not merely a tedious passing of time; not all doing or all feeling or all thinking––the strain would be too great––but, all living; that is to say, we should be in touch wherever we go, whatever we hear, whatever we see, with some manner of vital interest. We cannot give the children these interests; we prefer that they should never say they have learned botany or conchology, geology or astronomy. The question is not,––how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education––but how much does he care? and about how many orders of things does he care? In fact, how large is the room in which he finds his feet set? and, therefore, how full is the life he has before him?" (Vol. 3, pp. 170-71) "Where science does not teach a child to wonder and admire it has perhaps no educative value." (Vol. 6, p. 224) "Geology, mineralogy, physical geography, botany, natural history, biology, astronomy––the whole circle of the sciences is, as it were, set with gates ajar in order that a child may go forth furnished, not with scientific knowledge, but with, what Huxley calls, common information, so that he may feel for objects on the earth and in the heavens the sort of proprietary interest which the son of an old house has in its heirlooms." (Vol. 3, p. 79) "The essential mission of school science was to prepare pupils for civilised citizenship by revealing to them something of the beauty and the power of the world in which they lived, as well as introducing them to the methods by which the boundaries of natural knowledge had been extended. School science, therefore, was not intended to prepare for vocations, but to equip pupils for life. It should be part of a general education, unspecialised, in no direct connexion with possible university courses to follow." (Sir Richard Gregory, quoted by Charlotte Mason in Vol. 6, p. 222) "So much attention is now given to the practical and systematic study of science in schools that the valuable influence of descriptive scientific literature is apt to be overlooked. An intimate knowledge of the simplest fact in nature can be obtained only through personal observation or experiment in the open air or in the laboratory, but broad views of scientific thought and progress are secured best from books in which the methods and results of investigation is stated in language that is simple without being childish. "Books intended to promote interest in science must differ completely from laboratory guides, textbooks, or works of reference. They should aim at exalting the scientific spirit which leads men to devote their lives to the advancement of natural knowledge, and at showing how the human race eventually reaps the benefit of such research. Inspiration rather than information should be the keynote; and the execution should awaken in the reader not only appreciation of the scientific method of study and spirit of self sacrifice, but also a desire to emulate the desires of men whose labors have brought the knowledge of nature to its present position." (From The Wonders of Physical Science by Edward Fourlier, used in PNEU) The Mystery of the Periodic Table For the Love of Physics (Contains affiliate links) Read-Aloud Revival Episode with Dr. Pakaluk Nicole's Website with loads of information on living CM science *NEW Living Science Study Guides--Nicole guides us through a term or year of Middle School Biology Keeping a Science Notebook Living Science Ideas scroll down for a subject by subject list of living books

This podcast episode explores the ideas and objectives Charlotte Mason considered necessary for the study of science for grades 1-6. Listen to hear clear guidelines to follow, book suggestions, and practical applications for teaching science. Listen Now: If you are seeing this message, please make sure you are using the most current version of your web browser: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Chrome If you would like to study along with us, here are some passages from The Home Education Series and other Parent's Review articles that would be helpful for this episode's topic. You may also read the series online here, or get the free Kindle version from Fisher Academy. Home Education (Volume 1), Part V, Chapter XVI School Education (Volume 3), Chapter 21, Part II Towards a Philosophy of Education (Volume 6), Book I, Chapter 10, Section III Eyes and No Eyes Series Among the...People Series Margaret Waring Buck Books Glenn Blough Delia Goetz James Herriot Burgess Animal Book Burgess Book of Nature Lore Burgess Bird Book Otus Major Luna Backyard Birds of Summer Backyard Birds of Winter Nature Reader Madam How & Lady Why Life & Her Children Storybook of Science The Sciences The Stars JSB of Rain, Hail, Sleet & Snow Climate Maps Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Books Soap Science (Contains affiliate links) Nicole's Elementary Science Page at SabbathMoodHomeschool.com

Charlotte Mason did not consider nature study to be optional. This podcast is an interview with a mother with eight children who took Mason's words to heart and exerted the effort to make it happen. Listen to her experiences and practical hints for being a successful mother of young naturalists. Listen Now: If you are seeing this message, please make sure you are using the most current version of your web browser: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Chrome "Never be within doors when you can rightly be without." (Vol. 1, p. 42) "I venture to suggest, not what is practicable in any household, but what seems to me absolutely best for the children; and that, in the faith that mothers work wonders once they are convinced that wonders are demanded of them." (Vol. 1, p. 44) "We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things." (Vol. 1, p. 61) Natural History Clubs from The Parents' Review via the Charlotte Mason Digital Collection: "Our P.N.E.U. Natural History Club" "Natural History Club" "P.N.E.U. Natural History Clubs" "The Educational Value of Natural History" Charlotte Mason Institute National Conference Grace to Build Retreat

This podcast episode explains Charlotte Mason's use of nature lore books and how they expand outdoor nature study work. Listen for lots of hints of our favorite such books. Listen Now: If you are seeing this message, please make sure you are using the most current version of your web browser: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Chrome "Our main dependence is on books as an adjunct to out-of-door work...In [these] books the children are put in the position of the original observer of biological and other phenomena. They learn what to observe, and make discoveries for themselves, original so far as they are concerned. They are put in the right attitude of mind for scientific observations and deductions, and their keen interest is awakened." (Vol. 3, p. 237 "The real use of naturalists' books is to give the child delightful glimpses into the world of wonders he lives in, reveal the sorts of things to be seen by curious eyes, and fill him with desire to make discoveries for himself." (Vol. 1, p. 64) If you would like to study along with us, here are some passages from The Home Education Series and other Parent's Review articles that would be helpful for this episode's topic. You may also read the series online here, or get the free Kindle version from Fisher Academy. The Charm of Nature Study, Parents' Review Article Eyes and No Eyes Series, Arabella Buckley or online here. Madam How and Lady Why, Charles Kingsley or online here. Life and Her Children, Arabella Buckley The Storybook of Science, Jean Henri Fabre or online here. Winners in Life's Race, Arabella Buckley or online here. We Were There with Charles Darwin on the H.M.S. Beagle, Philip Eisenberg Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, Annie Dillard John Muir Books John Burroughs Autumn Across America, Edwin Way Teale Life of the Spider, Jean Henri Fabre The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate, Jacqueline Kelly The Grasshopper Book, Wilfrid Bronson Robert McClung Books Olive Earle Books Millicent Selsam Books Charles Ripper Books Alice Goudey Books Girl of the Limberlost, Gene Stratton-Porter The Keeper of the Bees, Gene Stratton-Porter A Sand County Almanac, Aldo Leopold William Long Books Treasury for Children, James Herriot All Creatures Great and Small, James Herriot Rascal, Sterling North (Contains affiliate links)

This podcast episode explores the reasons Charlotte Mason gave for the necessity of a child's education to include a vast familiarity with the outside world. Beyond discussing why nature study is critical to knowledge of God, the benefits to personal growth, and its fundamental effects on future academic success, many practical suggestions for accomplishing this essential study are discussed to encourage your family's implementation of and regular involvement in nature study. Listen Now: If you are seeing this message, please make sure you are using the most current version of your web browser: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Chrome "We were all meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things." (Vol. 1, p. 61) "When children are old enough to understand that science itself is in a sense sacred, and demands some sacrifice, all the common information they have been gathering until then, and the habits of observation they have acquired, will form an excellent ground work for a scientific education. In the meantime let them consider the lilies of the field and fowls of the air." (Vol. 1, p. 63) "Consider, too, what an unequalled mental training the child-naturalist is getting for any study or calling under the sun––the powers of attention, of discrimination, of patient pursuit, growing with his growth, what will they not fit him for? Besides, life is so interesting to him, that he has no time for the faults of temper which generally have their source in ennui; there is no reason why he should be peevish or sulky or obstinate when he is always kept well amused." (Vol. 1, pp. 61-62) "Never be within doors when you can rightly be without." (Vol. 1, p. 42) "The first buttercup in a child's nature note book is shockingly crude, the sort of thing to scandalize a teacher of brush-drawing, but by and by another buttercup will appear with the delicate poise, uplift and radiance of the growing flower." (Vol. 6, p. 217) If you would like to study along with us, here are some passages from The Home Education Series and other Parent's Review articles that would be helpful for this episode's topic. You may also read the series online here, or get the free Kindle version from Fisher Academy. Home Education (Volume 1), Part II School Education (Volume 3), pp. 236-238 "The Charm of Nature Study" by G. Dowton, an article from the Parent's Review The Handbook of Nature Study, Anna Comstock The Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv (Contains affiliate links) Charlotte Mason Digital Collection Nature Journal Examples {Here}, {Here}, and {Here} John Muir Laws' Nature Journaling site Examples of Bird and Flower Lists PR Article on the benefits to language from Nature Study

Our discussions on the subject of history resulted in an onslaught of questions. This podcast episode slowly and carefully addresses the most common and frequently asked history concerns, misunderstandings, and points of confusion we have received about Charlotte Mason's approach to teaching this subject. Listen Now: If you are seeing this message, please make sure you are using the most current version of your web browser: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Chrome "We introduce children as early as possible to the contemporary history of other countries as the study of English history alone is apt to lead to a certain insular and arrogant habit of mind." (Vol. 6, p. 175) "The flowers, it is true, are not new; but the children are; and it is the fault of their elders if every new flower they come upon is not to them a Picciola, a mystery of beauty to be watched from day to day with unspeakable awe and delight." (Vol.1, p.53) Colonial Living, Edwin Tunis Frontier Living, Edwin Tunis Our Island Story, H.E. Marshall Winston Churchill and the Story of Two World Wars, Olivia Coolidge Most Gracious Majesty: The Story of Queen Elizabeth II, Elinor Parker The Battle of Britain, Quentin Reynolds The Story of Edith Cavell, Iris Vinton (Contains affiliate links) Check out Leah Boden's Periscope, The Charlotte Mason Show

The scope of the subject of geography matches the size of the world it covers and Charlotte Mason's approach to this subject is likewise vast and multifaceted. This podcast episode discusses the purpose of geography study, the variety of resources used for learning, and gives a broad overview of the progression throughout forms I to VI.

The Bible is the most authoritative and ancient of all books and Mason considered its lessons to be the supreme lesson, leading most directly to knowledge of God. This podcast explores why she was of this opinion, why we must not neglect its lessons, and how those lessons should be presented.

Since it's impossible to cover every aspect of a subject each week, questions arise in our listeners' minds. Many of you are sending us your questions and in this podcast we attempt to thoroughly answer a few of these based on the wisdom of Charlotte Mason and our experience in using her method. This is the first of several sporadic Q&A sessions we will post. Listen Now: If you are seeing this message, please make sure you are using the most current version of your web browser: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Chrome The March of Folly, Barbara Tuchman Hannah Coulter, Wendell Berry (Contains affiliate links) Addall Used Book Search Engine Living Books Library's Book Sale Pages List of living books libraries around the country Another list of living books libraries Ten Books you can read in Ten Minutes a Day Liz's Annual List of Books She Read

Beyond the books, what are some tools that are useful in putting history into living color for a child? At what age should we begin to use a timeline, or should we use a timeline at all? How do we implement the book of centuries? Listen in as we wrestle with some of the things that make history lessons come alive. Listen Now: If you are seeing this message, please make sure you are using the most current version of your web browser: Internet Explorer 9, Firefox, Chrome If you would like to study along with us, here are some passages from The Home Education Series and other Parent's Review articles that would be helpful for this episode's topic. You may also read the series online here, or get the free Kindle version from Fisher Academy. Home Education (Volume 1), pg. 292 Towards a Philosophy of Education (Volume 6), pg. 177 Miss Beale's Parents' Review Article on "The Teaching of Chronology" Parents' Review Article on making and keeping a Book of Centuries The Living Page, Laurie Bestvater (Contains affiliate links) Laurie Bestvater's Book of Centuries Another Book of Centuries from Riverbend Press Bernau's Article on the Book of Centuries With much gratitude to the Charlotte Mason Institute for making this PDF available Beale's Article on the Teaching of Chronology With much gratitude to the Charlotte Mason Institute for making this PDF available H.B.'s Article on the Teaching of History With much gratitude to the Charlotte Mason Institute for making this PDF available Biggar's Article on How to Make a Century Chart With much gratitude to the Charlotte Mason Institute for making this PDF available