A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning

This is the book that made me choose Charlotte Mason’s method of education over all the other philosophies over fifteen years ago. Now I am buying gift copies for other young families exploring their options.

I’ve read it twice already. We’ve been homeschooling for 8 years. I have a 13 year old, 8 year old, and 2 year old at home full time. If you are homeschooling it is a must read. Charlotte Mason is very firmly Christian, but the techniques outlined in the book are easily applied to all children. I had not heard of Charlotte Mason until recently and this book confirms everything I believe about educating children. Children are not empty vessels to be filled, they are their own persons, with emotions and thoughts of their own. I have argued many times with people who believe in the “empty vessel” of a child. This book also emphasizes self learning (not unschooling) and ample outdoor exploration. Before reading this book, my children were scheduled 2 outdoor times per day of 1 hour. I have extended the length of time to include nature journaling. If you believe lessons should be shorter and make personal connections with the child, this book will resonate with you. It covers how to handle main subjects, how to track progress, and how to instill long term retention through self learning/personal connections with the content or subject at hand. Hands down the best homeschool book I have purchased. I have been recommending it to all homeschooling parents I know. It’s life changing. No bookstore, library, etc had it within an hours drive from us. I plan to donate copies to local libraries and homeschool groups.

This is a must read for all homeschools and all parents in general! It is a how to on how to homeschool using the Charlotte Mason method, but it is also a wonderful resource for all parents. I keep going back to chapters about sibling relations and a child’s will… so much good information!

If you’re considering a Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling, I cannot recommend this book enough especially if your children are young. Andreola does a beautiful job of condensing a vast amount of information into a very easy to read and understandable format.

I greatly admire the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, but this book is a wonderful resource, even if you don't homeschool. Karen Andreola's writing style is wonderful - she communicates Charlotte Mason's methodology in a very easy-to-understand, and, more importantly, an easy-to-apply manner. In addition to teaching homeschooling parents the theory of and application of this homeschooling method, Karen Andreola also has delightful recipes and fun, educational ideas throughout the book. Even her sections on character building and habit development are very useful sections to read from a parenting perspective. In addition, she has literature suggestions for children that I have used which have always been a hit. I would not have found many of these selections had it not been for her book. This book is worth every penny you spend on it, whether you buy it used or new. The wealth of information and ideas found within it are endless, in my opinion, and you will most likely find yourself referring back to it many times throughout your parenting or homeschooling years. I have been homeschooling for 12 years and expect to homeschool about 14 more years. This book will be with me throughout my journey.

Karen Andreola, thank you. Thank you for sharing insight into Charlotte Mason's methodology for educating our children. I highly recommend this book to mothers who are desiring to educate their child(ren) the Charlotte Mason way. I lost mine in a hospital, but when the time is right, I'll be buying it again.

This is our second year homeschooling. Of course, Charlotte Mason comes up often in homeschool circles and I was looking for an overview of the techniques used by Ms. Mason. This book provided it. I feel that I am a better home educator for having read it. My copy is full of dog ears, highlighter marks, and is heavily underlined. I definitely recommend purchasing “A Charlotte Mason Companion” if you are hoping to understand her methods better and apply them to your homeschool. The only reason I rated the book 4 stars is that it is very prescriptive, and Euro-centric. If you follow the method and plan laid out in its pages to a T your children will know a lot about the ancient Greeks, British literature, and the paintings of the Monet…but they will know next to nothing of Indigenious legends, American slave narratives, or the prints of Hokusai. It is understandable that a Victorian English educator would neglect to think globally. We 21st century educators have the resources to offer our children the very best thoughts in the world (not just Europe) however. It is easy enough to round out the education advocated for in this book, and so it is still a useful tool to any homeschooling parent.

Another reviewer was disappointed in this book because it was not a concise guide to Charlotte Mason's methods. I would agree that this book is more rambling than concise, but I would also point out that the title of the book is quite accurate. It is not titled "A Guide to Charlotte Mason" but A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on the Gentle Art of Learning. I think this title describes this lovely book perfectly. It is indeed not a clear guide to Charlotte Mason's ideas, but a companion to them, and the book is made up of Karen Andreola's personal ideas, and her stories of how she taught her children the "Charlotte Mason way." Physically, this is an attractive book. It is a nice thick size, with heavy white paper, and is sprinkled with beautiful antique illustrations throughout. The Victorian illustrations are the reader's first clue as to the author's love affair with the Victorian era. Some readers might be put off by the old fashioned tone and old fashioned ideas in this book. Others, like myself, might find it an interesting change. This is certainly the first homeschooling book I have read which includes instructions for knitting Victorian lace! Ms. Andreola includes many other interesting tidbits towards the end of the book (after she has spent many chapters explaining the benefits of using "living" books, narration, etc)--for example she dedicates an entire chapter to playing with sand, and another on how to take your children on a pleasant picnic. I found these later chapters the most interesting, and I received some fresh ideas for our homeschool from them. In short, this is a pleasant and helpful book to read for homeschooling mothers. It will especially appeal to those who admire not only CM's ideas on education, but the Victorian culture from which those ideas came forth. I'm not sure if this book would be a good introduction to Charlotte Mason--it is a bit rambling (in a nice way!) for that. For those wanting to know more about this method of education, I would look for websites to read first before I bought this book (there are many websites dedicated to CM out there). But if you are a homeschooling mother who is already familiar with CM, or is already using her methods, and you are looking for a bit of inspiration, then this book is for you! I'm so glad I bought it myself, It is well worth the cost.

great book and great service. thanks a lot

I was looking forward for this book because this book is very useful to parents who wants to start homeschooling childen. Charlotte Mason has been the guiding vehicle to take up confidently as an educator, as a parent to work with children. I would definitely recommend this book for educators, parents and any who is interested in working with children. There is so much to learn from this book. Two thumps up for Charlotte's work and intricacies of activities for children.👍👍

Love this book. Easy to read and enjoy at your own pace, beautifully written and illustrated. Comforting and compelling reading for any mother considering or already trying to home educate her children using the Charlotte Mason philosophy.

I haven't looked through this yet much, but I've been told it's the best companion out there. I can't wait to read it!