For Homeschoolers
"One more thing is of vital importance; children must have books, living books; the best are not too good for them; anything less than the best is not good enough."
- CHARLOTTE MASON, PARENTS AND CHILDREN (1897)
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At Windermere Press, we publish books that encourage children to immerse themselves in the realms of nature, history, and the imagination. Our mission harmonizes with the ideals of Charlotte Mason, a British educator who championed reading real books and spending time in nature to breathe new life and fresh air into the educational methods of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Then, as now, it was common to use standardized textbooks in children's schools, but Mason believed that "living books," or books that could truly spark a child's interest and make their subjects come to life, should be at the heart of every child's education; as Mason wrote, "A book may be long or short, old or new, easy or hard, written by a great man or a lesser man, and yet be the living book which finds its way to the mind of a young reader." All of the books we print here at Windermere Press are chosen with this principle in mind.
In her books Home Education (1886) and School Education (1905), Charlotte Mason guides parents and educators on how to use living books in the schoolroom. Below, we've suggested some ways homeschooling families of today can use books from Windermere Press to revive the activities and exercises from Mason's teachings.
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The Seasons should be followed . . . But it is hard to keep pace with the wonders that unfold themselves in the ‘bountiful season bland’ . . . .
- CHARLOTTE MASON, HOME EDUCATION (1886)
​Nature Study and the Seasons
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Fostering a love of nature and connecting with the world outdoors was key to Charlotte Mason’s approach to educating children—in fact, nearly a quarter of her book Home Education is devoted to what she terms “out-of-door life”!
For Mason, one important facet of this outdoor education was following the course of the seasons, observing and noting the comings and goings in the natural world as the earth completes its yearly cycle. Our Seasonal Treasury Series also follows the ever-changing pageant of nature, as seen through the eyes of writers and poets, and highlights holiday celebrations that make the most of what the season has to offer. For holidays in particular, we’ve focused on the kinds of traditional seasonal festivals that marked the passage of the year in Charlotte Mason’s time and earlier, as seen in contemporary works such as Edith Holden’s Nature Notes for 1906, later published as The Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady (1977). In keeping with Charlotte Mason’s own faith and culture, many of these holidays come from the Western European tradition of Christianity, though their seasonal nature may appeal to those from other backgrounds too. As an American publisher, we have also included the major secular holidays of the United States, but we do explore some Canadian and British secular holidays as well.​​
Reading aloud . . . . should include a good deal of poetry, to accustom him to the delicate rendering of shades of meaning, and especially to make him aware that words are beautiful in themselves, that they are a source of pleasure, and are worthy of our honour.
- CHARLOTTE MASON, HOME EDUCATION (1886)
Poetry Recitation​
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Reading poetry aloud and learning poetry by heart were both common pastimes for children and families in Charlotte Mason's time. Reading aloud, which Mason calls "recitation," helps children to learn good pronunciation and intonation, and fosters an appreciation for the power and rhythm of good poetry. You'll find dozens of poems perfect for reading aloud in each volume of our Seasonal Treasury Series, all of which demonstrate the beautiful language and delightful meter that makes such poetry a pleasure to recite.​​​​
Recitation and committing to memory are not necessarily the same thing, and it is well to store a child's memory with a good deal of poetry, learnt without labour . . . . The child must not try to recollect or to say the verse over to himself, but, as far as may be, present an open mind to receive an impression of interest.
- CHARLOTTE MASON, HOME EDUCATION (1886)
Poetry Memorization
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For Mason, reading poetry aloud is also key to learning it by heart. Rather than assigning children to memorize poetry on their own, as was common in her time, Mason recommends that parents recite poetry to their children during moments of relaxation, repeating the same poem on several occasions so that the words sink in without conscious effort. Using our Seasonal Treasury Series, you can choose a handful of poems per term to share and memorize in this way, learning them together as a family. You may also wish to combine this practice with Poetry Teatime, a popular homeschooling activity during which families share poetry over tea and other treats--our seasonal selections make especially nice pairings for holiday-themed teatimes!
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​A certain sense of possession and delight may be added to this exercise if children are allowed to choose for transcription their favourite verse in one poem and another . . . . A book of their own, made up of their own chosen verses, should give them pleasure.
- CHARLOTTE MASON, HOME EDUCATION (1886)
Transcription and Copywork
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Our Seasonal Treasury Series offers a rich collection of poems that are ideal for the handwriting practice that Charlotte Mason called "transcription," also known as "copywork." For this exercise, Mason recommends copying short poems or lines from longer works into a notebook, which will eventually become a collection of favorite quotations. You'll find both short verses and quotable lyrics in each of our treasuries, with plenty of variety in style and subject to allow children to find lines that particularly speak to them.
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Since our treasuries follow the course of each season from beginning to end, they're especially suited for creating a "year-book" of quotations for each day of the year as Charlotte Mason suggests in School Education. By choosing two or three excerpts from each poem in our treasuries to copy, homeschooling families can create a seasonally-themed book of daily quotations that reflect the changes in nature and holiday traditions we observe throughout the year.​​​​
​That the history we teach may be the more living, we work in . . . some of the literature of the period and some of the best historical novels and poems that treat of the period; and so on with other subjects.
- CHARLOTTE MASON, SCHOOL EDUCATION (1905)
​History
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As Charlotte Mason highlights in School Education, one of the best ways to bring the past to life is to read historical fiction. Many of the books in our Vintage Reprints series delve into the history of England and the United States, exploring both the everyday lives of ordinary people from the past and the important events and prominent figures that shaped the course of history. We've included an outline of historical topics featured in each of our books on each title's listing page, so that homeschooling families may incorporate these works into their history lessons.​​
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