Teaching children at home has become the new normal for many families this year as schools struggle with new guidelines and restrictions for classroom learning. For families like ours who’ve been homeschooling for years, it’s just another year. But for those who are wading through all the information and advice for the first time, it may be overwhelming. I thought I’d share a little about how we homeschool and what I’ve learned in over 20 years of homeschooling our children. I hope it’s helpful.
There are a lot of choices in curriculum these days. There’s computer based curriculum, textbook based curriculum, workbook based curriculum, unit based curriculum, hands on activity curriculum, classical curriculum, and the list goes on. When we began homeschooling, there were many less options (and we still had dial up internet). We’ve tried a few different things, but we always come back to one simple concept – we use living books.
What’s a Living Book?
The Charlotte Mason* educational approach calls them Living Books. Living books are those that engage the mind and feed all the senses. The characters come to life and give us so much more to think about than simple names and dates. They’re classics (or if they’re newer, they are on par to become classics).
Once example of a living book is Pedro’s Journal by Pam Conrad. This is a fictional story about a fictional boy who works for Christopher Columbus as a ship’s boy. Reading this book, we follow along Columbus’ travels on the Santa Maria. We are immersed in the journey, reading of the dangers, the fears, the excitement, and the sadness. We are left with a deeper understanding of Columbus’ travels. We’d never get the same depth from a textbook that gives dry names and dates.
Resources
There are a few different resources to help find living books. Some of these are:
- Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt
- Books Children Love by Elizabeth Wilson
- Beautiful Feet Books
- Ambleside Online (this is a free curriculum but even if you don’t use the curriculum, the book lists are wonderful). There’s many, many more resources, but I don’t want to overwhelm with too much information.
An Excellent Education
Education is more than knowing facts. An excellent education will include the ideas behind events, will give children the tools to become life long learners, will establish healthy habits and character traits, and will help children grow into compassionate, adults who model integrity and are able to reason.
Charlotte Mason said, “Education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.”
Living books are the foundation of an excellent education.
* Charlotte Mason was an educator who lived at the turn of the 20th century. Her educational approach inspires many (myself included). There are several books with her own writings available, and there are several other books that have been written on her ideas that are easier reads which summarize and inspire parents to embrace this gentle approach.