Living Heritage Homeschool Curriculum || Charlotte Mason || You NEED to hear this!

[@stephaniero9822]

I was drawn to her curriculum, because it was CM inspired. I think this was clearly stated throughout. This curriculum is also unique because much of it can be done family style. It doesn't include images of Christ which some protestants view as a violation of the second commandment. She also only includes American history for the first four years, which is different from many CM curriculums, and includes Shakespeare for the whole family. As far as being anti woke- as a transracial family I appreciate her stance on this.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

I agree that she mentions CM in this video… several times in fact. But it’s not mentioned even once on their website, and I think that would be a more important place to site that kind of information.

[@dacoolfruit]

Oh my goodness! As someone who grew up in another country, raised by a different race and now raising biracial children of my own, I definitely found this troubling! I do choose books with as much diversity, racial and otherwise as I can while still sticking to my values and choosing high quality literature.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

I totally agree with you! Thank you for sharing! ❤️

[@alishaberrey4479]

I'm so glad you bring balance to this. So many people have pride that is covered up and accepted because they take a 'moral stand.'

[@Hopelb]

I watched the video too, the full hour. She said most CM art study include pictures of Jesus and they don't include those pictures so parents don't have to shift through them. She also says in that same video that it closely aligns with CM and recommends CM books for parents to read to learn more.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes I agree with you. She does admit that the curriculum closely aligns with CM. The problem I, and others, have is that it IS a CM program in every aspect, without stating it anywhere on their website. Although I’m sure they will at some point change that. Also, if you did listen to the entire video, you would have heard that she believes her “Christian education philosophy” predates CM as far back as the renaissance. She both admits and denies being a CM curriculum.

[@Hopelb]

@@littlebitsofbliss Yes that is right. I wonder if it's not plainly stated as CM because she isn't strictly following how CM did things? Ex. instead of using 'Terms' she's using 'semesters'? All the other prominent CM choices out there follow her methods pretty strictly (specifically ADE, CMEC, and AO). I did see in the Q&A on the website that she follows a CM history cycle, the same structure as ADE and CMEC. If she promoted it as CM, then I'd expect it to be structured just as CM did. Just some things I noticed as I browsed her site.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@Hopelb I think as long as they are following CM philosophies and methods, curriculum writers need to give credit to CM. Many CM curriculum do not use the exact terminology. Ex: the Alveary and Simply Charlotte Mason use “Grades” and groups them as 1-3, 4-6, 7-9, etc rather than Forms. And others use the term “Years”. She called them Groups. It’s really semantics. There aren’t really any rules to follow. CM purists will prefer CMEC and AO. Even TGATB gives credit to CM, even when they are not CM in their teaching methods. But every aspect of Living Heritage imitates a CM curriculum.

[@priscillaboafo7745]

I like your comment. I also watched the video and I honestly didn't see anything bad she said. I think her emphasis was on the IMAGE of Jesus part. As a protestant, she probably doesn't favor iconics (I don't either). Also concerning the racist reference she mentioned, I support her. I'm black, however I believe there's a time to introduce some things to one's children in order to corrupt them. Also how you deliver it will determine if you raise up bitter children or just children who know the past. I too want my children to read good books, not books that are deemed good by culture. And that is why I've purchased the Living Heritage Homeschool Curriculum! So I'll say this review video helped me!

[@stephaniero9822]

@@littlebitsofbliss Charlotte Mason is just one christian educational philosopher in the Great Conversation- or Great Tradition if you will, so she isn't incorrect in stating that.

[@ezekielfenjavandehei3189]

Thank you for this. I'm a young, newer homeschool mom, and in just my limited knowledge, i thought the curriculum looked copy pasted from a bunch of curriculums with some reformed books mixed in put into a format like A gentle feast. I had very mixed feelings about it. I appreciate you going into depth on this. If i can see that from my younger perspective, I would have a hard time following a curriculum designed someone who is less aware of the curriculum out there than I am.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes that is a good point! It can look like an easy task to put together a homeschool program, but it definitely takes maturity and wisdom!

[@petagayejolly7577]

Thank you so much for sharing this review. I think your critique was very clear, simple and extremely helpful! I agree with you 100% on your take on the clip you shared.

[@alishaberrey4479]

This is so good. My frame of reference for dealing with ethnic, cultural, racial, etc differences is the parts of the Bible between the Jews and Gentiles, namely the counsel of Jerusalem where they had to figure out how to live peaceably together. Thank you for your honesty

[@seasonsofwonder]

This is so interesting and definitely good to know. I think the focus should not be on creating something 100 percent unique but on creating something that is of value and may be what actually works for some families.

[@Rosamund311]

Thanks for the detailed breakdown of this curriculum. I agree with your points about giving credit where credit is due and also exposing our children to other cultures to learn about all God's children, not just our own community. Very helpful!

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Thank you! I was very nervous about this, not wanting to criticize others, but I believe these views are harmful!

[@AmandaCyr-ko7me]

This was a very nicely done review. After looking through the curriculum as well I feel that it’s trying to mash together a lot of the CM curricula out there and marketing as something new. One thing to point out is this a reformed Christian organization, which is probably why they emphasize not studying images of Christ. Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Thanks for clarifying that! I didn’t know that about Reformed.

[@gorgo4910]

If a church describes themselves as “reformed” it usually means some form of Calvinist. I’ve honestly never heard of this concern regarding art being tied to Calvinism, although they are not big fans of *praying* before images. I attend a pretty solidly Calvinist church and we’ve got all sorts of Jesus pictures in books, just not on the walls. I did understand from the context that she has a problem with a picture of Christ being a type of graven image, but it’s not directly related to being reformed.

[@AmandaCyr-ko7me]

@@gorgo4910 I’m sorry I didn’t mean to imply all reformed Christian’s consider pictures of Christ to be a graven image. But some do. I also am a Calvinist, however there are those who believe this within the reformer church. This curriculum is from G3 ministries. I do not know exactly all their beliefs, but I think their reformed theology maybe be why the creator of the curriculum emphasized that they would not be studying images of Christ.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@gorgo4910 yes I agree. It would be more forthright to include CM as the foundation of their philosophy on their website. They may include it in the future. Just prior to the video clip she talks about how CM’s ideas come from a Christian education philosophy predating her philosophies as far back as the Renaissance period. This is skating around the issue, that the foundation of their curriculum has been historically credited to CM.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@gorgo4910 thank you for your insights. 😊

[@kristankaszynski965]

I thought you did this critique very tastefully. I could tell it’s a touchy topic for you because your throat starts to get red (mine does the same thing!!) it is hard to say negative things about an individual you don’t actually know, so thank you for striving to be truthful but graceful in that sharing. I actually joined the alveary for this next school year because of your videos. ❤ I looked at them last year and thought they were progressive in the ‘woke’ sense…I am SO glad I saw your clips because it helped me to not be triggered and miss the actual point of their program. Happy summer!

[@littlebitsofbliss]

I’m so glad! I thought the same at first, but that is definitely not their intention at all! I hope you have a great first year! ❤️

[@chelsea_014]

I would humbly encourage people to listen to episode 60 of The New Mason Jar podcast. The episode is entitled: The Building Blocks of Story.

[@lesliebellomy3373]

I would love to see a review of the “Without Doors” curriculum

[@littlebitsofbliss]

I will look into it! Hopefully it has nothing controversial! Lol… kidding! 😁

[@Micasa22]

I’m trying it this year! It’s nothing like this. Her booklists are on her website (she has more books listed in the guides, too), along with really decent samples. She’s also really good about answering questions. I love how affordable her guides are, too. Even though I’m using her guide this coming year, I use other people’s guides loosely and put together our curriculum for the year.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@Micasa22 I took a quick glance at it, and I’ll do a deeper dive soon, but it looks great so far!

[@themodernhomemaker]

Me too! I feel like it hits all the areas of CM

[@samanthawoods615]

I am SOOO thankful that you shared this. I hadn't heard about it, but I get very fired up in the same way you do about stuff like this. I am also mixed race and my kids are as well. Honestly, this reminds me a lot of far right neonationalism and also The Good and the Beautiful 😬 there was a bit of a similar fiasco a year or two ago. The ONLY critique I would have is that we need to get away from using the term "woke" in this way. Woke is a term that came out of black culture that meant eyes being opened to injustices and what's really going on. I actually cringe anytime I hear it used today because of what it has turned into. I absolutely LOVE The Alveary. So much. It's been such an amazing gift to our family and we are so excited to use it again.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes I agree with you! People have taken the word woke and changed it’s meaning from something intended to be good. Thank you for sharing this!

[@littlebitsofbliss]

I am so excited to use the Alveary again this year! It has been amazing so far!

[@thesupportiveenvironment]

Wow woman, God bless you and help you to continue to create content to help to bring clarity to a world that is already confused enough. In the name of Jesus, amen.

[@butterflylady5477]

Hi, i' m Hispanic mom and i know they want us to hate Spain for what they do to the Indian or native and African people is not just at American people this movement we all made mistakes all races made mistakes but that's not mean we are bad people or we still racist or hate or not live together like you said human race!! Don't let them put that absurb ideology in your minds!!

[@thereynoldstribe540]

You are doing the lord’s work! Thanks for the video.

[@gorgo4910]

In your clip of the writer, while we were initially focused on her statement regarding her racism philosophy, I noticed that she said “other Charlotte Mason” curriculum. So she completely acknowledges that she’s CM. (Which we can very obviously deduce, as you have done in your excellent and concise video, but that’s a clear admission). If she doesn’t understand that this is intellectual dishonesty she isn’t qualified to produce educational materials to mid and upper grades. Plagiarism is a very serious concept that she either doesn’t understand or doesn’t care about. That is an unacceptable gap in ethics she can’t apologize enough for. I don’t think I’m being too harsh- if you set yourself up as a one-stop-shop to educate a child into a virtuous adult, you set a very high bar for yourself that goes with the territory.

[@intentionallymade]

I don’t disagree with her though. On some of it. There are two cm curriculums who have changed book selections and modernize books based off race to almost “fit” the modern culture narrative. I think her point is more of a principle in that she won’t shift because of modern culture. I also don’t care for a lot of artist study images. I have had to cut many from my list due to personal conviction. I don’t like most children’s bibles either because of that. I’m just not seeing what you’re seeing I guess in that. I’ll have to go watch the whole video. We are using generation’s curriculum this year and still using some of a gentle feast but I’m slowly losing my taste for cm and how married people are to it. Kevin Swansons book apostate should be read by all Christian CMers. Edited to add though that I’m glad you shared because so many people go into things blindly and we must do our research! I like Kevin Swanson created his curriculum to build on Gods story over time for reading and has history cover church history in each continent and weaves God back through it all. It’s not CM and in some ways it’s refreshing because it’s about God and now about a woman’s philosophy.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

I would definitely agree with her on that, if that was what these other CM curriculum we’re actually doing. I even thought that myself until I checked out their book selections and discovered that it wasn’t the case. She accuses them of being poor quality books and woke, when they are simply stories revealing that other people have done amazing things too. And these CM curriculum also assign all the great old classics too, but they create a balance with some modern selections. Not all modern books are bad. I think some people are so afraid to conform with modern culture that they assume anything resembling it is no good. But I appreciate well written books that include other people of colour and their history because learning about others and ourselves is a good thing! And I believe all children should be able to see themselves in their education. Not to meet a status quo. Not to make sure no one’s feelings are hurt or feel left out. But because some people have done amazing things and we never heard about it because their weren’t white. I agree with you about not holding on so strongly to one woman’s philosophy! And I definitely filter everything we learn through the lens of the Bible too. Just my two cents, but I appreciate your thoughts and respectful opinion! 😊

[@intentionallymade]

@@littlebitsofblissyes very true. We have to meet our kids where they are at and follow our convictions which is why I think we should never be married to curricula and always be seeking wisdom from God on how to navigate each season. I really like G3 ministries though. Josh Buice brings on a lot of sound pastors and I always love their Panels. I think it’s good conversation and at the end of the day causes us to go deeper and think whether we agree or not on topics and such (generally speaking here not towards you) Thanks again for sharing your thoughts. ❤

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@intentionallymade yes I agree with you on G3 Ministry. They seem very sound!

[@LionWolverine]

I just finished listening to your second part. Thank you for clarifying that about the Already, I'd read so many times on FB that Alveary was 'woke' so I'd never even considered them, although I've been pretty happy with using CMEC. I'd love to add more diversity into our readings. I don't think either CMEC or Alveary will be in our budget this coming year, so I'm back to looking at free options. Have you ever heard of or looked at Well Educated Heart? They are not strictly CM but more a relaxed CM 'cousin'. I'd love to hear your thoughts!

[@littlebitsofbliss]

That is so sad that people are calling the Alveary woke. They really have all the right intentions behind their book selections! I’ve never heard about that curriculum, but I’ll take a look at it! Have you ever checked out Ambleside Online? We used to use many of their resources and they are completely free.

[@kathryngeerlings4283]

I would appreciate a review of well educated heart as well. I would like to know how much of the Mormon religion is quoted and used in the content. I’m usually good at just skipping things, but if there is too much I would like to be aware before investing. Would love to know your thoughts.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@kathryngeerlings4283 I will look into it, but I’m not sure how much detail I will get access to without purchasing it. I’ll do my best! 😊

[@LionWolverine]

@@littlebitsofbliss @kathryngeerlings4283 there isn't anything you have to purchase with WEH. All of her forgotten classics, podcasts etc are available for free on the website.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@LionWolverine that’s great! I’ll check it out!

[@Blessed_assurance-777]

I purchased Cycle 1 and notice Plutarch’s Lives for Boys and Girls by W.H. Weston is scheduled in 6th grade.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes, I did see that. That is an adapted version for younger children.

[@LionWolverine]

I gave the website a quick look and I completely agree with your assessment. I noticed right away that it's CM without mentioning CM, which I thought really odd. Shakespeare is started so late, whereas all my children 12 and under love Shakespeare and Plutarch. I already recognized many books from AO and other curriculum. I wanted to point out that CMEC doesn't include any sort of feast days curriculum, maybe you are thinking of Celeste's blog recommendations? (We've happily used CMEC for two years, and AO before that. Both are excellent CM curriculum!)

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes the CMEC and AO are both excellent! Thanks for clarifying that about CMEC. I heard Autumn Kearn from The Commonplace mention Festival Days, and she uses CMEC, but that must just be something she does on her own! 😊

[@StephanieMT]

Her mentioning windows and mirrors feels like an attack on Amber at Heritage mom who mentions that on her blog.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes I agree. And I believe children do need to see themselves and their cultures more in literature. Not throwing away old classics, but adding to them. 😊

[@AdorableTwist]

Just found your channel and I’ve been loving your content- it’s so helpful! Have you looked at little world wanderers? She does Charlotte Mason for younger children and tries to include a lot of other cultures- I would love to know your thoughts!

[@littlebitsofbliss]

No I have never heard of it! I’ll check it out! Thanks for sharing! 😊

[@AdorableTwist]

@@littlebitsofbliss thank YOU 😊 I feel like more and more Charlotte Mason “inspired” curriculum are coming out and while some of them are wonderful I do feel like there’s quite a bit of copy and paste. I find your videos super helpful to parse out the differences as well as any red flags to look out for. Makes curriculum shopping more fun than terrifying 😂

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@AdorableTwist I’ll keep you posted!

[@a.violet5905]

Thanks for showing us this. I find the way the curriculum writer used the phrase "windows and mirrors" very problematic. It shows that she doesn't understand that the self esteem and pride in one's heritage can be damaged by never seeing people of importance who are like themselves. It isn't woke or anti-White racism to want for children to have their own image experiencing joy or just being a kid without it being about struggle and suffering all of the time. That's what Amber Johnston was trying to get across when she brought back the phrase "windows and mirrors".

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes I totally agree! I noticed that as well, but because she stopped herself short and didn’t finish the thought, I didn’t mention it. But that is definitely problematic.

[@genabrady1348]

It's not very family style. They have a 'together time' option, but each level/form has it's own history and science. I want history and science to be done as a family and I have been having a very difficult time finding curriculum that offers that for all grade levels.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes, that is true! Thank you for sharing that info! Yes that does seem to be the case with many curriculum. You either have to bring some students down a level or others up.

[@homeschoollifemom]

I don’t know if you’ve already looked into it and disliked it for some reason. But I’m planing to use Simply Charlotte Mason’s history this fall. You use the same core books for all the kids and than you do have a few selections for the different age groups. It’s the reason I chose it because it’s the only CM history curriculum that I know of that does it family style. (I’m not familiar with how the CMEC or the Alveary does it as I’ve never used those due to the content being behind a pay wall) I’m not interested in having all my kids in different historical time periods like you have with AO.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@homeschoollifemom Simply Charlotte Mason is an excellent curriculum. I included them in my top 5 CM curriculum companies. I do have a video on it called Best Charlotte Mason Curriculum. I can link it below. I will also be posting next week about another family style CM curriculum next week called Without Doors. Spoiler alert, I think it’s great! But I’ll go through the details in my upcoming video!

[@homeschoollifemom]

@@littlebitsofbliss awesome! I briefly looked at it after I saw it mentioned here in the comments! I’m like ooh it kinda looks like SCM history studies and what we do for Morning Time from Brighter Day Press combined. Anxious for that video!

[@Hookhamhomestead]

It does seem like she is very strongly CM leaning but definitely is putting a spin on some of it with moving Shakespeare and Plutarch. I do think the no images of Jesus can be a religious view point of not making images of God. If her history cycle is specifically four time periods she cycles through them some CM curriculum go that route but some go farther with streams so it’s not specifically not CM.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes I agree. She definitely leans toward CM and maybe even a Classical tradition. She doesn’t seem to be denying a CM influence in her video, but doesn’t mention CM anywhere on her website where the curriculum is purchased. Each CM curriculum has its own unique take on the CM method, but they still give CM credit for their philosophies and principles 😊. Thanks for your insights!

[@shirleysoeth]

Thank you for sharing!

[@maepostings1871]

Nail on the head. The only new thing she is offering is speaking on what the world is doing and reacting to it. As my mentors have said, … Shining a light on all the lies is futile work as they will always rear a new head, instead shine a light on truth and the lies will be exposed. I’m sure her curriculum is just fine, but I think we should just focus on truth and let it speak for itself rather than react to the world’s constant shifting sand.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Yes that is a excellent point!

[@courtneyendicott1832]

Wait a minute, what in the world is wrong with the Alisa Childers quote???

[@littlebitsofbliss]

Nothing!! I used this video clip to give an example of a right perspective on issues of racism and understanding differences.

[@taniap564]

Personally I would agree that putting a curriculum together is difficult and takes time and don’t see any reason for trying to say you’re doing something different that is clearly modeled in the Charlotte Mason style. Simpky coming at it from a reformed Christian angle would already be a welcome option for many I’m sure. On the other hand, I would say that what I have seen of the Alveary is bordering a fine line (in my opinion) on progressive which is why I opted not to use it for our family. It is right for all of us to research well what we use for our family and make sure it aligns with our values and reason for educating our children so I appreciate the insight and opinions your sharing here regarding this particular curriculum.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

To be honest, I’m less concerned about their originality and whether or not they call their curriculum a CM approach or not, and I’m more concerned that the curriculum writer’s views seem racist, whether she realizes it or not. That being said, it otherwise looks like it will be a thorough and well planned curriculum. I’m just curious, what makes you think the Alveary is progressive? I haven’t come across any progressive views (I’m completely against them), but I know that a lot of rumors are going around. Thank you for your thoughtful comments! I enjoy hearing them, whether I agree or not. 😊

[@taniap564]

@@littlebitsofbliss I'm actually listening to the full interview on G3 regarding the curriculum where she specifies that they are based on Charlotte Mason's philosophy, I'm glad to listen to it in context. I would disagree that what she is saying is racist, I don't think she explained herself well but again, listening to the full context is helpful for me to better understand where she is coming from. If I can narrow it down to a particular regarding the book choices it would be a choice for this upcoming program (which I purchased because I wanted to see if it would be useful to us, I hadn't heard any rumors personally) it would be in Bible there is a book choice that I was quick to look up since I have Native kids as well as having more ethnicities in our family. I listened to an talk among some of the users too sharing about it and how it made them feel reading it. The book is described as being in the "heart language" of Native American's which is concerning to me as a Christian primarily. The reason I would read a Bible translated to Spanish is if I speak Spanish. My mom didn't speak English when we started going to church so she needed the Bible in the language she understood so her heart could be transformed by the renewing of her mind. I want all my children (Native, Hispanic, white) to read God's word so they come to know and love him, so their hearts can conform to Christ. I'm aware of course I don't have to use all the suggested books but it made me less confident it could be useful to us so I am looking through it but thinking I may have spent money on something that won't be all that useful for us.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@taniap564 hmm.. I will take a look at that book. Thanks for the heads-up. I also listened to the full interview. She does mention following CM philosophies (yet differently), but she should also include this on her website. In terms of what curriculum is right for you, I think it’s important to follow your convictions! 😊

[@taniap564]

@@littlebitsofbliss yes, in that regard I agree with you, I'm not sure why that wouldn't be an automatic thing for the curriculum description, Charlotte Mason style that is Reformed Christian (especially with the art choices not having images of Christ as is the conviction of several in the reformed churches) would seem like a vital part of their draw.

[@littlebitsofbliss]

@@taniap564 thank you for this discussion! I will definitely keep my eyes open for any progressive signs in the Alveary, or any curriculum I use. It’s difficult when the creators come from many Christian denominational backgrounds. Everything may not always perfectly align with my beliefs, but at least I can pick and choose what my children will read.