by Renae on September 3, 2010
I can’t remember how I stumbled upon September West’s 4RPress, but I was immediately drawn to her beautiful notebook pages for a few of my favorite books, Hans Brinker, The Apple and the Arrow, and Heidi.
When her Little House in the Big Woods study was published, I added it to my wish list. A few days later, September offered me a free copy in exchange for a review. I was thrilled!
I printed it out, put it in a nice binder, and have been hauling it around to show all of my homeschooling friends. It even has the stamp of approval from a local, Principle Approach, master teacher.
This Little House in the Big Woods study is divided into two parts.
The first part contains 48 detailed lesson plans for the teacher. The second part is the wonderful notebooking pages for the student.
The 52 notebooking pages include:
- a timeline
- a map
- a letter from Laura Ingalls Wilder to children
- gorgeous, black and white illustrations
- charts and lines for taking notes
- spaces for student drawing
48 lessons may seem like a lot, but this is the only book my little ones will really study for a whole semester. (We’ll still have numerous read alouds.)
There is so much to be learned by going through one book slowly.
We’ll examine the five elements of literature: characterization, plot, setting, theme, and style. We’ll have time to be immersed in the story and all the ideas presented. When we are finished, we plan to celebrate a “Little House Day” with friends.
If you are looking for an excellent introduction to notebooking or the Principle Approach, this would be a great, affordable place to start.
This study is geared towards elementary students, but I’m tempted to join in the coloring and simple note taking.
Little House in the Big Woods Notebooking Study by 4RPress can be previewed and purchased at CurrClick.
Written by Renae Deckard, Biblical Principled mother of 3. Find Renae’s reflections about homeschool and family life at Life Nurturing Education.
Disclosure: I was given a free copy in exchange for a review, as stated above.
by Alicia on September 1, 2010
One of the very best things about homeschooling your kids is that you are free to choose any philosophy of teaching you wish. Paying attention to the way your child learns and adhering to his/her needs in the classroom is a huge benefit that homeschooled kids have. Many of you reading this review may have chosen to homeschool for the very reason that your child could not learn the in the style being taught at a traditional school. There are plenty of styles of schooling your kids out there. There’s Classical, Eclectic, Unit Study-based, Unschoolers, and more. But the style that has most worked with our family is the Charlotte Mason approach.
In a nutshell, Charlotte Mason was an educational reformer that live in England in the late 1800’s. She completely disagreed with how school worked and thought it could be better. She had no children of her own, but she made it her life’s mission to improve the educational system as it was. She set to work and started her own school. I love a woman willing to go against the grain!
Her philosophy can be hard to adopt for homeschoolers that were brought up in public (or private) school because it is so different from “regular” school. With a CM approach you use no text books. Everything is taught on a literature-based standard. Instead of having children memorize names and dates and cram for tests, you would read interesting and exciting literature to paint a mental picture that sticks with them…encouraging a love of learning.
So…pardon me for the long introduction. I’ll get the the review now 
. It can be difficult in the beginning to know how to use this philosophy, but I’ll share some of my very favorite Charlotte Mason guides that really helped me. (Please note: There are TONS of great websites and books to help you learn more, but these are my most “beat-up” CM books…meaning they are dog-eared, highlighted, “coffee-ringed”, and creased!)
Charlotte Mason Companion by Karen Andreola: Karen Andreola is a forerunner for starting the Charlotte Mason revival in the homeschooling community. She has written many books about teaching certain subjects the CM way, but this book is a compilation of allaspects of teaching the CM way. The contents include everything you need to know. She includes a background about what drew her to the CM method and bumps along the way. The book is sprinkled with personal stories about her life as a homeschool mom. She stresses the importance of having a support system and possibly even starting your own CM group. Each chapter ends with discussion questions and room for notes.
A Charlotte Mason Education Series by Catherine Levison: These are the books that first got me excited about CM. I love the way Catherine writes and her clear explanation of everything she discusses. Her series is made of three separate titles:
The first book is an overview of each school subject and how to do them the way CM would have. The second book goes a bit more in depth and gives great ideas for your classroom. Both books have great examples, lists, and sample schedules to help you get started.
The third book in the series is a compilation of books that CM used in her teaching and newer books that follow her guidelines of teaching. There are many books reviewed and I use many of them in our homeschool. This book also includes a great scope and sequence of grades K-12. It’s a wonderful way to get started, even if you don’t follow it all the way through high school, it’s a great starting point.
Catherine’s website also includes excellent articles that I’ve read over and over.
Again, this is just the tip of the iceberg with Charlotte Mason helps. A few others that come to mind are:
-Written by Alicia, a Charlotte Mason-loving, mom of three. You can find her blogging at La Famille.
