Charlotte Mason

A Gentle Feast is a Charlotte Mason-based homeschool curriculum for grades 1-12 that emphasizes living books, nature study, and family-style learning across four-year rotating cycles.

Ambleside Online is a completely free Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum providing detailed schedules, living book lists, and teaching resources for kindergarten through 12th grade.

Atmosphere is one of Charlotte Mason's three instruments of education, referring to the educational value of a child's natural home environment including the people, relationships, values, and surroundings in which they live and learn.

A Century Book (also called Book of Centuries) is a timeline notebook used in Charlotte Mason education where each two-page spread represents one century. Students record historical figures, events, and artwork as they encounter them, creating a personal chronological reference that grows throughout their education.

The Charlotte Mason Institute (CMI) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to researching and promoting Charlotte Mason educational philosophy. CMI offers the Alveary curriculum, teacher training programs, certification courses, and scholarly publications for homeschools, co-ops, and schools.

A commonplace book is a personal notebook where students copy favorite quotes, poems, and passages that resonate with them—creating a curated collection of wisdom and beautiful language that becomes a lifelong intellectual companion.

Composer study is a Charlotte Mason method where children become familiar with one classical composer at a time through repeated listening over a term, developing the ability to recognize that composer's unique musical style.

Copywork is a classical educational practice where students carefully copy passages of excellent writing word-for-word to develop handwriting, spelling, grammar, and exposure to quality composition.

Dictation in the Charlotte Mason method is the practice of having children write passages from memory after careful study, combining spelling, grammar, and punctuation instruction into one efficient exercise.

In Charlotte Mason's philosophy, discipline means the formation of good habits through gentle, consistent training—not punishment. She viewed children as disciples (learners) who need parents to "lay down the rails" of habits that will guide them throughout life.

In Charlotte Mason education, "feast" refers to the abundant, varied curriculum of living books and rich ideas spread before children—an educational banquet where students encounter high-quality literature, history, science, and art across many subjects.

Habit training is a Charlotte Mason method that systematically develops good habits in children—like attention, obedience, and truthfulness—through consistent daily practice, laying the foundation for character and making family life run more smoothly.

Handicrafts in Charlotte Mason education are practical, skill-building crafts—like knitting, woodworking, and sewing—that create useful items while developing fine motor skills, patience, and 'power over material.' They're intentionally distinct from disposable arts and crafts projects.

In Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy, 'Life' refers to the academic component of her famous motto, emphasizing that children should be nourished with living ideas and engaging content rather than dry, disconnected facts.

Living books are engaging, well-written works by passionate authors that present ideas through narrative rather than dry facts—central to Charlotte Mason's philosophy that children's minds need nourishing literature rather than dumbed-down textbooks.

A living books curriculum uses high-quality, narrative-rich books written by passionate authors to teach subjects like history, science, and literature, replacing dry textbooks with engaging stories that make learning memorable.

Masterly inactivity is Charlotte Mason's term for the deliberate practice of stepping back and allowing children to learn, explore, and solve problems independently—while remaining watchfully present and maintaining clear authority.

Mater Amabilis is a free online Catholic homeschool curriculum that applies Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy while integrating Catholic faith throughout all subjects, from preschool through high school.

A Morning Basket is a Charlotte Mason-inspired practice where homeschool families gather at the beginning of each day to explore shared subjects like poetry, music, art appreciation, and read-alouds together.

Morning Time is a daily homeschool practice where families gather together for shared learning focused on truth, goodness, and beauty—typically including read-alouds, poetry, music, art, and character development.

Mother Culture is a Charlotte Mason concept emphasizing that homeschooling mothers must continue their own intellectual and personal growth to remain effective educators and avoid burnout.

Narration is a Charlotte Mason teaching method where students retell or 'tell back' what they've heard or read, beginning with oral narration around age 6 and progressing to written narration around age 10.

A nature journal is a personal record where students document outdoor observations through sketches, written notes, and collected specimens, serving as both artistic expression and scientific practice in Charlotte Mason education.

Nature study is a Charlotte Mason educational practice where children learn science foundations through regular, direct observation of the natural world outdoors, creating personal connections with nature before formal science instruction.

Picture study is a Charlotte Mason method of art appreciation where children spend time quietly observing great masterpieces, one artist per term, developing attention, observation skills, and a personal relationship with fine art.

Short lessons are a core Charlotte Mason principle where academic subjects are taught in brief, focused time periods (10-45 minutes depending on age) rather than extended sessions, designed to capture a child's full attention and build concentration habits.

Simply Charlotte Mason (SCM) is a Christian homeschool curriculum provider offering Charlotte Mason-style lesson plans, living books lists, and educational resources designed to make the Charlotte Mason method practical and accessible for busy families.

"Spreading the Feast" is a Charlotte Mason metaphor for providing children with a rich, generous, and varied curriculum of living books and ideas across many subjects - feeding the mind as nutritious food feeds the body.

The Science of Relations is Charlotte Mason's core educational philosophy asserting that education is fundamentally about helping children form meaningful, personal connections with knowledge, nature, people, and ideas—rather than simply transferring information.

Twaddle is Charlotte Mason's term for dumbed-down, trivial reading material that talks down to children and underestimates their intelligence - essentially junk food for the mind that fails to nourish intellectual growth.

Wide margin refers to notebooks with extra blank space for annotations, used in Charlotte Mason education for nature journals, commonplace books, and encouraging active engagement with reading material.