Simple Wonders Jessica

If you've been in the homeschooling realm for long you've probably heard the term "living books."

This is a term coined by Charlotte Mason, and has become extremely widespread, for good reason. Living books put the flesh on the dry bones of fact. Mason boldly stated that "


"no education seems to be worth the name which has not made children at home in the world of books, and so related them, mind to mind, with thinkers who have dealt with knowledge. We reject epitomes, compilations, and their like, and put into children’s hands books which, long or short, are living.”

 (Charlotte Mason, School Education, p. 226)



Today I'm speaking with book enthusiast Amber O'Neal Johnston of Heritage Mom all about living books -- what they are, why they're so important, and how we can use them build a rich heritage in our homes.

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Amber O’Neal Johnston is an author, speaker, and worldschooling Charlotte Mason mama who blends life-giving books and a culturally rich environment for her four children and others seeking to do the same. She recommends we offer children opportunities to see themselves and others reflected in their lessons, especially throughout their books, and she’s known for sharing literary “mirrors and windows” on HeritageMom.com and @heritagemomblog (IG). Amber is also the author of A Place to Belong, a guide for families of all backgrounds to raise kids to celebrate their heritage, community, and the world.



LINKS

Redeeming Reader

Stories of Color




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“In this time of extraordinary pressure—educational and social—perhaps a mother’s first duty to her children is to secure for them a quiet growing time" -Charlotte Mason, Home Education


"What should I do with my preschool-age kids to make sure they're ready for school?"

"Which preschool/kindergarten curriculum should I use?"
"My first grader keeps getting in trouble at school. He's so wiggly and disruptive. What should I do?"

The Early Years, the stage from birth to six years old, is a special time of immense growth -- both physically, mentally, and emotionally. And because of this they require a totally different educational approach than school-age children.

What do young kids actually need from adults and how can we best provide a "quiet growing time?" I'll answer those questions and more in this episode.
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The Early Years Guide

Preschool + Kindergarten at Home | YouTube https://youtu.be/rdSjIrWw3mg?si=RctWVAy-5A_GD2nJ

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Why don't my children enjoy school?
How can I increase their curiosity and desire to learn?
What kind of subjects should I teach and how should I present them?

In this episode I discuss these questions and how they relate to the last instrument of education (and my personal favorite):
LIFE.
In Charlotte Mason's 20 principles she says: "in saying 'education is a life,' the need of intellectual and moral as well as of physical sustenance is implied. The mind feeds on ideas, and therefore children should have a generous curriculum.”

In this episode I'll discuss big ideas, like how the mind works, grows, and develops. What is the best kind of mind-food, and how parents can provide a feast of ideas for their children.
PATREON: https://www.patreon.com/SimpleWonders557?utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator

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Which skills do my children need to succeed in life? 

My house is in complete chaos. How can I make my days smoother?

My child’s behavior isn’t meeting my expectations. What can I do? 



Paula Tough, author of How Children Succeed, was curious what kind of influences or conditions made some children do better in life than others. Charlotte Mason asked a similar question in her day: Why do some children never really succeed in life while others flourish?

Is it intelligence? 

Parents affluence?

Level of education?

Through they’re extensive research both  authors discovered this same answer: character traits like self-discipline, empathy, and positivity are more influential than anything else. Even more than intelligence. 

That’s why Charlotte Mason made habits the second instrument of education in her twenty principles. 

By "education is a discipline," we mean the discipline of habits, formed definitely and thoughtfully, whether habits of mind or body.” (Charlotte Mason, Philosophy of Education)

In this episode I discuss the big idea of discipline -- why good habits are essential, which ones to focus on, and how to set boundaries in your home.



If you enjoy this podcast and would like to support my work, you can now do so via PATREON. For $5 a month you will receive exclusive content--like mini episodes, articles, and videos--while making it possible for me to continue providing content ad-free.


PATREON: ⁠https://patreon.com/SimpleWonders557?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=join_link
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In this episode Leah Boden, of Modern Miss Mason, joins me to discuss the big idea of mother culture and self-care. Mothers choosing to educate their children at home have many responsibilities, and burn out is common. Apparently, this is true for every generation of women as Charlotte Mason gave wise advice to weary mothers of her time, and it's just as applicable for mothers today.

In this episode we discuss the following topics:


Why Charlotte Mason's method and philosophy are applicable for modern families
How we can apply the three instruments of education
A method versus a system
Why mothers become burnt out, what Charlotte advised, and how we can apply it.



Leah Boden is wife to Dave, mother to four children, and a longtime home educator. With over two decades of experience in church leadership, Leah’s background also features many years in youth, children’s, and family work within the church and for the local education authority. Leah speaks, hosts podcasts and coaching sessions, and runs workshops sharing the beauty of a Charlotte Mason approach to childhood, motherhood, and education. She and her family live in the West Midlands, England.




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One-room schoolhouses are extinct, but it's not because they were ineffective. On the contrary, one-room schoolhouses were actually more effective than grade-based at teaching multiple-age children and helping individual children advance intellectually than grade-based schools today.

So, why were one-room schoolhouses more effective and why are they extinct from the U.S. Education System? What did this model look like in practice?

In this episode Donna Goff shares the history behind the iconic one-room schoolhouse, why they were so effective at educating children, and how teachers were able to teach multiple age children different subjects every day. Most importantly, she shares how she adapted this model of teaching to work for families so you can begin implementing this method in your own home.


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Donna Goff is the owner and Director at MentoringOurOwn.Com. She is known as the Homeschool Mommy Mentor, helping moms succeed in homeschooling, family, home, and life. 

Donna and her husband, Roger, are parents of seven children and fifteen grandchildren. She began homeschooling in 1983 and is still in the trenches. She earned a Bachelor's of Art Degree in Fine Art & Design, and Master's of Arts Degree in Education.

Donna was first introduced to Charlotte Mason in 1988. She joined Penny Gardner's Charlotte Mason Study Group, in 1994. From 1995-2015, Donna hosted her own Charlotte Mason study group. From 2002-2015, Donna founded and led a private Charlotte Mason a cyber-cottage school. She is also the creator of the Power of an Hour: Gateway to a Classical Education curriculum and other Charlotte Mason inspired homeschooling resources. 

Donna loves to be a wife, mother, grandmother, and aunt. She also loves blogging, presenting, learning, organizing mom schools, mentoring homeschool moms, gardening, engaging in the lost arts, singing, creating stained glass murals, micro sand-carving in glass, frugality, provident living, writing poetry, nature studies, family history, and sharing. 

Since 1995, Donna has been presenting and keynoting at Charlotte Mason and Homeschooling conferences in California, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Washington, Nebraska, Virginia, and online. She created the Mentoring Our Own Yahoo Group in 2002. Donna has authored Charlotte Mason articles, a chapter in The Charlotte Mason Study Guide, by Penny Gardner, and also is a co-author of the Homeschooling Basics Series, with her daughter Julia Groves. In 2009, Donna and her daughters Julia Groves and Jennifer Walton co-founded Princess Academies/ Royal Academe and finally Mentoring Our Own.

 


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