Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series [Paperback]

Charlotte Mason (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1993 | ISBN-10: 1889209007 | ISBN-13: 978-1889209005

This is the complete unabridged and authorized edition of the works of turn-of-the-century British educator Charlotte Mason, with a forward by Dr. John Thorley of The Charlotte Mason College. This six-volume set includes over 2400 pages on education, child training and parenting. Recognized as a pioneer in home education and major school reforms, Charlotte Mason's practical methods are as revolutionary today as when they were first written. These books were out of print for over 80 years until Dean & Karen Andreola brought them to America in while returning from a mission s trip in the spring of 1987. A Charlotte Mason educational revival soon followed. Charlotte Mason s writings reflect a lifetime of experience teaching children and training teachers. Her topics are meaty. Her ideas radiate brilliantly in the thoughts of those who take the time to ponder them. With each idea comes a practical how-to "for bringing up children within the educational life." The power of attention, moral character, the discipline of habit, safeguarding a child s curiosity, is a tiny peek at the topics presented. Although Miss Mason began writing in the 1880s, her principles still apply. Today's homeschool parents are seeing first-hand how wonderfully they work. After ten years of intense study and application of Miss Mason s principles with her own children, Karen Andreola wrote A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning. Now today's parents can see what a Charlotte Mason education looks like in a contemporary setting while gleaning from its many benefits.

Product Details

• Paperback: 2400 pages
• Publisher: Charlotte Mason Research & Supply Company (July 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1889209007
• ISBN-13: 978-1889209005
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 4.6 x 5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #57,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

303 of 309 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely wonderful! ...just one note of caution November 3, 2005

By Kristina J. Ivey

Format:Paperback

I've known that I want to homeschool my children since birth and have slowly but surely been devouring everything I can about the subject. I started by reading general guides on the subject of homeschooling, then progressed into some more specific books based on the methods and curriculum choices that appealed to me the most. I purchased Charlotte Mason's original series after reading Karen Andreaola's companion book (which is excellent). When I began reading Charlotte Mason's original work, I couldn't believe how much wisdom just oozed out of it. It seemed to be dripping from the pages. I interrupted my husband's reading and tv shows to share her pearls of wisdom about 20 times an hour while reading it. I have been totally impressed with her general philosophy but, now that I have read further, I'm even more impressed with the VERY specific instructions to the homeschooling mother. I mean, just her discussion of teaching children about geography and boundaries, including the use of a compass, was mind-numbingly useful. I absolutely recommend her books to anyone interested in incorporating Charlotte Mason techniques into their homeschool. So, where's the caution? All of the other reviewers are right. This is some heavy reading and the reviewer who said you need to read it little by little in order to digest the wisdom is completely correct. That does not mean that it is intimidating reading! It is simply packed to the gills with incredibly useful information. I would like to caution anyone considering buying this six volume set to first select a companion guide to read.... I found that falling in love with the idea of Charlotte Mason instruction by reading a companion guide gave me the patience to read through the original works because I had a general idea of the wisdom contained therein. If I hadn't read a companion guide first, I might have grown impatient with the sheer weight of the originals. This may not be true for everyone, but I know it would have been for me. So, I recommend this without hesitation but with the recommendation to get your feet wet with a companion guide prior to reading the full set. Read more ›

177 of 184 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must reading for those interested in philosophy of education February 21, 1999

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

This six volume set is certainly not light reading, but it's well worth your time. Miss Mason was a widely read educator in Victorian England. She gathered ideas from many sources, and shared her conclusions on education with her readers. Her books are deep and thought provoking. She discusses everything from the proper amount of fresh air, to the development of good habits, the training of the will, the formation of character, to what sort of books contribute to a truly educated person. She also explains why to teach certain subjects as well as how. She is passionate about encouraging the natural love of learning in children. I do not agree with everything Miss Mason has to say, but I cannot recommend her more highly as wonderful reading for the serious home educator.

132 of 138 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The complete Charlotte Mason method. April 9, 1998

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

Well for those of you homeschoolers who have heard the name Charlotte Mason, this is it! This is her complete works written by Charlotte Mason herself. For those of you not familiar with this method of teaching and learning I will explain a little. A very basic definition is that she suggests a narrative method of learning. For just one exmple, a child reads a history lesson. The child then repeats back to you in his own words, what they have read. This assures comprehension of the material read. For those of you with reluctant writers, or younger children, this is great! Of course older children can write down what they have learned & experienced. She suggests studying the classics verus dry textbooks for learning. Similiar to that of a unit study approach. If you want the true Charlotte Mason method, this is all the material you will ever need.

81 of 83 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Seems to be Stolen from the AO Website March 4, 2013

By Afterthoughts

Format:Kindle Edition

Many *volunteers* for Ambleside Online spent thousands of hours typing and editing and making notations and proofreading all six volumes of Charlotte Mason's work, that they might be available free on the web. Now, someone seems to have cut and pasted all of the volunteer work into a single volume to make themselves a tidy sum. If you disagree with this sort of violation--cutting and pasting, and then publishing not just the public domain material, but also AO's own work, such as footnotes about baby care (which are NOT public domain, but the property of Ambleside Online), etc.--then I highly suggest you do not buy this. Read the material free on AO's website instead.

I look forward to the day that AO's work is made available free on Kindle, and edited to be professional, rather than such sloppy cutting and pasting.

It is one thing to type up your own copy of a public domain work, but quite another to capitalize on the work of others without their permission. Just because AO makes material available free on their website does not mean that others are free to take it and use it for their own profit.

61 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Series on Homeschooling I've Ever Read November 12, 2002

By A Customer

Format:Paperback

For those of you who want to have direct information, I strongly suggest reading this series. I borrowed and read five other books about Miss Mason's techniques but felt that I really needed to have the original. This series has not been disappointing. I will use this as reference material for many years to come and am so glad that I have been able to read through these books for myself. Please do not be fooled by the titles in the series and skip over any. The first one was especially useful. This is a MUST READ for ALL Homeschoolers.

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Must have if you're serious about Charlotte Mason December 16, 2003

By Amy Fitzpatrick

Format:Paperback

I had read comments in other books about Charlotte Mason's writings being very difficult to read, so I was nervous about getting her books. I read several of the companion books on the market before I decided to get these books. They are wonderful. They are not a quick, easy read, but they are full of wonderful, valuable information that the companion books don't give you. If you want to incorporate only a little of Charlotte Mason into your homeschool the companion books will probably be sufficient for you, but if you are serious about having a Charlotte Mason homeschool you should read these books for yourself.