pToday we are pleased to announce four new artists have been added to our collection of Picture Study Portfolios. You may recognize some of their names: Raphael, Cassatt, Rubens, and Homer. Raphael is known for his portrayals of cherubic angels and peaceful Madonnas, but there is more to his work than that. He also composed more complex works that invite the viewer to stop and ponder great truths of life. Mary Cassatt painted many sweet scenes of children with their mothers. She had a lovely way of elevating what is considered a mundane, everyday activity to a place of quiet…/p

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pPicture study is a simple Charlotte Mason method, taking only a few minutes each week. Yet that practice can yield wonderful results. Lingering with one artist and allowing the students to look closely and carefully at his work—to look for themselves—is the key. When children are allowed to do that, they are free to form that oh-so-important personal relation with art. Elsie L. witnessed the power of picture study with her son. Here is her Happy Results story. For years we worked with the eldest of our four boys, trying to foster a love for art. Popular art curriculums, drawing…/p

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pWe’re not talking about blueprints and square footage today. Rather, the question, How large is your student’s room?, refers to a powerful passage that Charlotte Mason wrote in School Education. It’s not about architecture; it’s about curriculum. Let me explain. Picture a toddler who is learning about this world. That toddler wants to explore everything in sight. Some items grab his full attention, and he will spend hours discovering every aspect he possibly can about each one. Other items are duly noted and tucked away in his mind. The best part is to watch him discover connections as he begins…/p

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pCharlotte Mason’s original six-volume series is a wealth of ideas, encouragement, and good humor. The books are not easy reading, but they are rich reading. You will gain much insight and confidence if you spend even ten minutes a day reading and then narrating to yourself what you have read. I often get asked, “Which volume should I start with?” Each book in the series has a definite focus. Once you know each one’s focus, you have a good framework for choosing the one that will encourage you most during a particular season of life. So here is a quick…/p

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pI’ve had two constant companions over the 20 years that I’ve been homeschooling: my husband John and my pink six-volume set of The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason. Several years ago we had the privilege of getting to know Dean and Karen Andreola. Such wonderful people! One of the first things we did was to thank them for their work in printing Charlotte Mason’s original writings and making them available for us all those years ago. Those six pink volumes—authentic scans of her books—have meant the world to so many of us who are learning about Charlotte Mason…/p

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pOf the many gifts that we can give our children, one of the greatest is a love of nature. And the sooner we encourage that relationship, the more time they will have to develop it and enjoy its benefits. Charlotte Mason described such a gift like this: “A love of Nature, implanted so early that it will seem to them hereafter to have been born in them, will enrich their lives with pure interests, absorbing pursuits, health, and good humour” (Vol. 1, p. 71). Heather F. has seen that firsthand in her children. Here is her story. My oldest child…/p

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pOnce upon a time there was a little village nestled at the foot of snow-capped mountains. Its greatest treasure was a sparkling, life-giving stream that flowed right down the center. The people who lived near that stream were happy and vibrant. One day the Town Council gathered to go over the budget, and they came upon an expense that seemed unnecessary to them: payment to the Keeper of the Springs. They had never heard of this person.An old timer explained: “It is his job to walk the mountain springs. Every day he clears away leaves and twigs and logs that…/p

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pBalance is a needful, but often elusive, state. We yearn for it, yet often we don’t consciously think about it until it’s gone. When life is humming along smoothly, we don’t usually focus on possible tweaks and changes we may need to make. It’s when we lose our balance and things get wobbly, or come crashing down altogether, that we suddenly turn our attention to what we should be doing; what we need to do to regain what we have lost—and make sure we don’t lose it again. This year don’t wait until you’ve lost your balance to think about…/p

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pIf you have ever sat on a three-legged stool, you know how important the three legs are to keeping your balance. Take away any of the legs and the stool becomes unstable. It’s the same with a Charlotte Mason education. Charlotte described her philosophy of education in three words—three legs of a stool, if you will. “Education is a discipline—that is, the discipline of the good habits in which the child is trained. Education is a life, nourished upon ideas; and education is an atmosphere—that is, the child breathes the atmosphere emanating from his parents; that of the ideas which…/p

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pI have a little saying that sums up my goals for my children’s Bible lessons: Get the Word in your children and your children in the Word. The first part of that goal—get the Word in your children—is done through short, daily Scripture Memory. The second part of that goal—get your children in the Word—reflects my desire to help my students know their way around the Bible and learn how to study it for themselves, accurately and effectively. The elementary years are a good time to give your children the great stories in the Bible. As they grow older you…/p

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