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Important characteristics of a Charlotte Mason education include the use of inspirational and engaging “living books”, nature study, and exposure to music, art, poetry, and literature. Copywork and narration are commonly used techniques, along with picture study, composer study, and nature journaling. Often, short lessons in many different subjects are encouraged. Above all, the development of constructive habits and good character are key principles of the approach. While there are many resources that provide Charlotte Mason lesson plans, books, and complete online curricula, the Charlotte Mason philosophy and homeschooling style is meant to encourage educational possibilities that lie far beyond any one curriculum. ? Charlotte Mason style homeschooling has gone from being virtually unheard of only a few years ago to enjoying an enormous surge in recent popularity. A wonderful source of information for applying Charlotte Mason techniques can now be found in the homeschooling blog community, as significant numbers of homeschool bloggers are currently using some or all of Ms. Mason’s educational methods. Reading their blogs allows you to be a fly on the wall of dozens of Charlotte Mason homeschools. Learning from their experiences provides you with a steady supply of ideas and food for thought!

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Charlotte Mason homeschooling is one of the easier methods for new homeschoolers to jump into, as there are now numerous Charlotte Mason style curricula and materials available, and the intuitive techniques are generally easy to pick up by those who find themselves drawn to them. Online support groups are common, as are local groups of Charlotte Mason oriented homeschoolers. Many of the learning materials needed for a Charlotte Mason education are available in local libraries.

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Charlotte Mason’s recommendations are also easy to combine with other approaches to homeschooling. It is particularly common to find homeschoolers using a combination of Classical and Charlotte Mason homeschooling materials and techniques, since the educational philosophies dovetail nicely in many ways.?? ? You can find access to Charlotte Mason based lesson plans (along with many other styles) at http://www.bonment.com