My personal favorite. Books, time spent outdoors, well-mannered children…What’s not to love?
My comparison of The Well Trained Mind and Charlotte Mason - By Mama B
A friend asked me to compare the Well Trained Mind and Charlotte Mason. Here was my response:
////How WTM is like CM… Well, they both use narration and copywork.
Differences… WTM puts very little focus on the arts. CM puts a lot of emphasis on art appreciation, music, poetry, and Shakespeare and of course Nature Study. WTM has Shakespeare in the resource list and has Biology as part of the science rotation, but it seems more technical. WTM also has a literature list similar to CM, but then describes notetaking and outlining, where as CM is more about enjoying books with occasional oral and sometimes written narration. Here I just got an email from another Yahoo group with this explanation of CM:
“A Charlotte Mason education is an Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life.” It is actually a classical approach, but I believe it is more wholistic. That is to say, spirit, mind & body. ” (If anyone knows who wrote is quoted, please let me know. I’d love to give them credit! Ann)////
I read The Well Trained Mind first and thought it was a bit overwhelming, but loved the resource lists. Recently, I have found myself loving the Charlotte Mason approach. I want to provide my children with ideas. I want them to love learning. I want time for structure and time for play and free exploration. CM seems to provide that. It feel like this homeschooling puzzle is coming together… at least for now 
Articles about the Charlotte Mason philosophy
What Drew Me to a Charlotte Mason Education By Karen Andreola From Practical Homeschooling Magazine
Homeschool Highlights By Karen Andreola - Ahhh, just picking up her book A Charlotte Mason Companion makes me breath a deep sigh of contentment. Here, she has articles, books and reviews. Karen’s faith is very present in these books, but a secular reader could just skim through those to find the gems of parenting that remind me to enjoy these fleeting moments.
Charlotte Mason Approach- A very informative site with articles written by Penny Gardner author of Charlotte Mason Study Guide. Includes articles about beginning reading, spelling, nature journaling. Penny also wrote The New Nine-Note Recorder Method which is a lovely resource for learning to play the recorder. My kids received this from Granny last year for Christmas and loved the ease and quickness that they were able to produce real songs.
The ABC’s of Charlotte Mason - Just what it says… “Probably the most important letter is “B. Books! Just what are we doing with all those books? CM is a literature-based approach to education. That means we use few, if any, textbooks or workbooks. Instead, the children read literature chosen to cover the material as much as possible. Quality is more important than quantity. Give your children living Ideas, encounters with great minds, and they will never forget them.”
Charlotte Mason Blog Carnival- a “gathering” of bloggers with their thoughts about Charlotte Mason and homeschooling.
Secular Charlotte Mason: For The Modern Homeschool Family Living the Educational Life - A comprehensive site with loads of resources including a forum. I don’t belong to her forum, but her philosophy looks inclusive of faith/secular folks alike.
MacBeth’s Opinion – Ideas and articles from a Charlotte Mason fan with a love of Shakespeare and nature. Also includes a series of monthly outdoor newsletters.
