Charlotte Mason Notebooking

[@nataliecrowe2122]

Thank you!😁 I think people may be getting confused over this because of all the CM inspired curriculum out there that incorporates other methods like notebooking or unit studies.

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

There certainly is some confusion out there, but we all learn, grow, and deepen our understanding over time. That said, there is sometimes a difference between curriculum that claims to be CM vs CM inspired. Inspired is often a term used for borrowing just a few aspects of CM or a looser adherence to the methods.

[@luvantrees]

I love this!!! Totally our style of creative freedom. Thank you for sharing!

[@strykerdawn1]

This was extremely helpful. I'm planning to teach 10th, 4th, and 1st grades! What wisdom. Thank you for sharing this Sonja.

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

So glad that you found this encouraging and helpful!

[@KK7THK]

I just started my own common place book, but the other books I wouldn’t have ever considered for my kids! Thank you- I like the idea of the personal century timeline...

[@Dreblueskies]

Your videos are so helpful, thank you.

[@popehj]

I agree!!

[@Dreblueskies]

Heather Pope I wish Sonya could teach my kid! 🤣

[@ripplefargo]

Interesting stuff! Thank you for this.

[@UpliftedUniverse15]

Wow great video 👍🏻

[@colorswordsandlearning]

How do you collect the puzzles the kids have completed..? Won't they want to do them again? Thank you for all your wonderful videos.They are very helpful.

[@Nar3lle]

Take a photo?

[@mycrazyfamilyid]

Ziploc bag or a large envelope.

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Thank you for your question! There are some great ideas here! You can certainly keep the puzzle out while your child is still interested in it, this would be an idea for once they are no longer using it or if the puzzle were specific to a topic (for example geography) and you were finished with it and wanted to document how your child used it to learn for that subject.

[@mariedouglas6245]

How do we keep the students from copying their sibling? And encourage them to do their very own creative thoughts & ideas rather than having them all copy from the older sibling

[@UpliftedUniverse15]

Nice question

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Let’s walk through the notebooks with that question in mind, Marie. With the Book of Centuries, you will be making the entries in the family Book of Centuries for the younger students. The older ones have their own personal copies. And even if the younger wants to enter the same name and date as the older, that’s fine. Math notebooks are individual records of personal math lessons. The Book of Mottoes is for older students and is kept individually, so I doubt that younger students will see the entries nor be keeping a similar notebook on a similar book they are reading. Handwriting and spelling notebooks are individual as well, with different passages assigned to younger and older. I encourage you to follow the links to learn more about the details of those notebooks. So that leaves the Nature Notebook. You could approach the time in nature a couple of different ways. (1) Do a nature walk. This is more informal and the child simply records what he sees along the way or at the end of the walk. The younger child might watch the older to see what he is recording, but that will help the younger learn what kinds of things to enter in the notebook. You can also point out what you are entering in your notebook as you go along. (2) Do a nature study. This is heading to a certain spot with a certain nature friend in mind to study more closely. Let’s say you’re all going to look more closely at the daisies in the front garden today. You could instruct the children to find their location from which to observe the daisies, and encourage the older to go on a different side of them than the younger. They will both be recording daisies and their observations, but from different perspectives.

[@winterrain1947]

I dunno about from a parent or teacher pov, but as a person who grew up with very mean and rotten siblings...don't let the siblings make fun of the kid who does something different than they did. I never wanted to do anything different because I thought my two evil brothers were going to make fun of me and say mean things. No matter how good I did at anything, they only found mean things to say to me. So, after while I didn't want to even try at all.

[@rootedwillowhomeschool]

Thank you! Very helpful.

[@MrsHum100]

How do I encourage my young boys to record anything? If I leave things open ended, they tend to produce less work and put less effort and time into their lessons so they can run off to play.

[@SimplyCharlotteMason]

Young students should be directed in what they are writing in their math notebooks and their handwriting notebooks. Those are open-ended in that they are not preprinted worksheets, but the teacher is definitely telling the student what to write. In all notebooks, full attention and best effort is required. That means that if there are mistakes or sloppiness, the student must do it again until it is his best work and correct. (Children quickly learn to put forth the effort to do it right the first time if you are consistent with this natural consequence.) Young children will not be doing a Book of Mottoes. You will be the one writing in the Word Book, if the child is learning to read. You will also be doing the writing in a family Book of Centuries for young children. I encourage you to follow the links to learn more about those details of the specific notebooks. With the Nature Notebook, you can encourage your boys to put forth effort by setting a minimum time limit. Let’s say you are going to a park to look for birds. First go to a part of the park away from the playground where you can hear the birds more easily. Then set a minimum time limit. “We’re going to spend five minutes looking for birds, watching what they do, listening to them, and recording what we see and hear. When my phone timer goes off, you may show me what you entered in your notebook and then go play.” If you let them know that they will be in this spot doing nature study for a set time, they won’t be as inclined to rush through and see how quickly they can get to the swings. You will be helping them slow down and pause intentionally to really notice what’s around them. You can decide how long of a time to require, and feel free to gradually increase it as the children gain experience and maturity. Also, with young children, let them know that you will be happy to do the writing for them in their notebooks as they tell you what they want recorded there. Who knows, someday they may surprise you and want to stay and finish up even after the timer goes off!

[@victoria9663]

Very helpful!