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179 of 181 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely wonderful! ...just one note of caution, November 3, 2005
This review is from: Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series (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.
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166 of 171 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
This review is from: Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series (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.
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113 of 117 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The complete Charlotte Mason method., April 9, 1998
By A Customer
This review is from: Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series (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.
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