News — Narration

One of the first Charlotte Mason philosophies that I learned about was the idea of living books. A living book is generally defined as a book which tells a heartfelt story about a particular topic, often told from first-hand experience or from dedicated research and a genuine love for the topic. It could be a biography, or a fictional story based in a particular place or time period, or a non-fiction book that tells the author’s experiences and findings. Charlotte Mason emphasised the importance of using living books to teach your child, rather than books co-authored by multiple authors that...

You can easily bring Charlotte Mason methods into your child's schooling by using the method of narration. This method can be used whether your child is attending school or being educated at home.  Narration is a powerful technique that allows your child to take what they've read and turn it into their own words, helping them to recall it again later. In a nutshell it is "telling back". After carefully reading a short passage just once, your child closes the book and tells you about what they've just read. It shouldn't be just a parrot fashion recall of facts. Rather your child should...