Unschooling Charlotte Mason
There’s no way Charlotte Mason could have imagined the impact her ideas would have on the homeschooling community. Her name has become a method. Mention it, and words such as narration, nature journals, short lessons and living books instantly come to mind. Parents wonder if they should ‘do’ Charlotte Mason. Is her method the perfect way to educate homeschooling kids?
Charlotte Mason often entices families away from unschooling. Maybe that’s because of three other words often associated with this method of homeschooling: beauty, truth and goodness. Aren’t these what our souls yearn for? Aren’t they what we need? Could Charlotte Mason be the right way to live?
Or can we find everything our souls crave in the real world of unschooling?
Unschooling When Charlotte Mason Also Appeals to Our Hearts
A few years ago, I wrote a blog post called Unschooling When Charlotte Mason Also Appeals to Our Hearts.
‘It’s good to appreciate art that tells a story or engages our emotions and our senses. Then there’s music that sings to our souls and living books that capture our imaginations. And shouldn’t we be filling our heads with noble ideas?’
Strewing, Unschooling and Charlotte Mason
Later, I recorded a podcast where I shared this story and other ideas about strewing, Episode 178: Strewing, Unschooling and Charlotte Mason.
Replace Charlotte Mason
If you think your family will miss out if you abandon Charlotte Mason, you could do my challenge, 72: Replace Charlotte Mason. You’ll find it in my third unschooling book, The Unschool Challenge. Here’s part of the challenge:
The Challenge
Enrich your home with beauty, truth and goodness.
Hang paintings and prints on the walls. Play music that sings to your soul. Stock your bookshelves with living books. You could buy or hire a piano or keyboard or another instrument. Display photos and ornaments that you love. Arrange flowers in vases. Drape soft, snuggly throws on your chairs and toss cushions on your sofa. Place a few spiritual books where everyone can see and use them.
Strew more beauty, truth and goodness.
Say such things as "I'm going to watch Swan Lake. Does anyone want to join me?" Add links to plays, poems, paintings, novels, art history videos and music to your strewing notebook. Offer to read living books. Strew a few blank journals in case your kids want to fill them with words or drawings.
Recognise the beauty, truth and goodness that your kids are already experiencing.
Did you know there are lots of these in many video games? What could be more beautiful than the desire to set out on a mission to protect the good, build up your virtues and use your talents to fight evil?
Find beauty, truth and goodness in the bigger world.
Suggest outings to museums, art galleries, open and botanic gardens, parks, the beach, the bush, or a lake.
If you can't travel the world, take a virtual tour.
Visit ancient castles, awe-inspiring churches, national parks and wild, rugged places online.
Forget about short lessons.
They're not needed. Kids are good at concentrating. Just watch small children looking at worms, leaves, caterpillars, shadows or even drops of water. They are captivated and absorbed. It's adults who want to rush past all the fascinating things. We're the ones in a hurry. We don't seem to have the same patience as our
kids do have a problem sitting still, could the lessons be the problem rather than them? Are traditional methods of teaching failing to capture a child's attention? Are they foreign to a child's natural way of learning? Or are kids not ready for the information? Could it not be what they need at the moment?
Forget about narration.
We don't need to force a child to retell what they've just heard or write it down. All we have to do is listen. Most kids are eager to talk about the things that fascinate or excite them. Adults like to do this too. I often say, "Guess what I just heard... Can I tell you about...? Wow, this is so interesting!" Narration isn't necessary if we're in the habit of listening to our kids with our full attention.
If we make beauty, truth and goodness an integral part of our family lives, we won't have to turn to Charlotte Mason. Our kids will absorb these foundational things with open hearts without her help. We can stop looking over our shoulders and embrace unschooling fully, knowing it will provide everything our souls desire.
There are lots of other strewing stories and challenges in my book.
A Review of The Unschool Challenge
I really appreciate this kind review of The Unschool Challenge:
Lauren Gandharva
Unschooling in kindness & love & faith- so refreshing!
Reviewed in the United States ?? on May 26, 2023
Sue Elvis has done it again- brilliant writing in kindness, unconditional love, and family connection. She is truly the only voice of reason I even listen to in the unschooling community anymore and I will devour anything she writes. I want to live inside this book! I love curating our unschooling life with the brilliant and beautiful inspiration Sue shares. She is just one of my favorite favorite people on earth.
Thank you, Lauren!
Photo
There’s a lot of beauty in a garden centre. Why not visit one with your kids? You could take some photos, talk about the plants, and then choose something to bring home.
So, what do you think?
Do Charlotte Mason’s ideas appeal to you? Do you follow her method? Or have you found a way to strew truth, beauty and goodness while unschooling?