The Original Home Schooling Series by Charlotte Mason

by Charlotte M. Mason

Book Overview

Charlotte Mason's ideas were far ahead of her time. She believed that children are born persons worthy of respect, rather than blank slates, and that it was better to feed their growing minds with living literature and vital ideas and knowledge, rather than dry facts and knowledge filtered and pre-digested by the teacher. Her method of education is gentle and flexible, especially with younger children, and includes first-hand exposure...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1604594381
• ISBN13: 9781604594386
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Wilder Publications
• Length: 812 Pages
• Weight: 3.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 7.0" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Not the book advertised.

I paid $80.00 for this book and instead of a book with the whole series, I received volume 1 home education. Does the 6 in 1 even exist?

Know which edition you’re buying

Steer clear of the “6-in-1 Omnibus Edition” by wilder publications. The title page misspelled Charlotte Mason’s name, the print is small and tightly packed together, and they do not differentiate which book you’re reading at the top of the page. I’m hoping this is a faithful reproduction of Charlotte Mason’s writings but now I’m not sure because of the misspelling on the cover and spine. What an obvious error! I’m embarrassed to display it on my shelf.

Absolutely wonderful! ...just one note of caution

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.

Must have if you're serious about Charlotte Mason

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.

Best Series on Homeschooling I've Ever Read

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.

Must reading for those interested in philosophy of education

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.

The complete Charlotte Mason method.

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.