Maybe you’ve figured out your school plan for the fall term (or maybe not). And all of us who’ve schooled children know what that means: THE CURRICULUM. Yet, all CM educators know it’s more than books. The “joyful feast” requires an atmosphere, items that push us into the aesthetics of life.
But … I know … budget. Families are stretched these days, for sure. Add-ons are just that, extras with extra cost. Yet, if you’ve got a little room to spend, and could use a little more visual calm, why not consider one or more of these truly lovely additions to keep the beauty in those busy school days?
Here are my five picks for this fall:
The Charlotte Mason Home School Planner from Charlotte Mason Today. CM schooling is different from institutional schooling, so off-the-shelf teacher planners just don’t accommodate a CM educator’s needs. This planner does, with pages for foreign language, family reading, habits (!), academic subjects, morning time, and the usual “at-a-glance” calendars. Of course, each page is gorgeous so you will always get that CM feel, no matter what the day is like! $8.
A Nature Mini Pack from Raising Up Wild Things. The artwork alone, all hand-rendered, would put this on the list, but when you factor in the variety of truly low cost ($3 for the dragon fly life cycle!), you really cannot go wrong with any one of the products from this artist. We especially like the mini-packs for Honey Bees, Harvest Moon Nature Journaling and the Winter Sky Mini Nature pack (about $3 each), but no matter what you need for the coming term, you’ll find something amazing!
Artist Study Tea Time. The makers of this popular item, Teaspoons and Kettle, have it figured out. Why not combine the loveliness of tea time with a gentle lesson in 19th century artists? The package include 12 bios, photos, two art samples, questions and even recipes for — hang on — only $16!! It’s set up for one artist per week, but you could follow a more traditional CM schedule and get even more bang for your buck, making these tea time lessons a special intro to artists you’re covering for several weeks. Whatever you choose, everybody wins with this great combination!
Nature Field Journal for Kids. We’ve all wanted this nature journal: kid-sized, and the right page layout for your student. It’s got places for notes on weather, drawing and extra spaces. Offered by Garcia Family Tribe, who generously include many additional ideas for enhancing lessons. It will also fit easily into a backpack, or can be carried without much fuss. It also fits nicely into a tight budget at just under $9!
Tree Scavenger Hunt. Saving the best for last … the best deal, that is. This little hunt from Mamot Printables keeps your young one focused on finding different types of trees, as well as tree characteristics, such as hollows, acorns, distressed trees and more. It’s a one time page, perfect for that first nature walk of the school season. It’s 37 cents. You read that right. $.37. Worth every penny.
So that adds up to just $36 and change. Not bad for a planner, a year’s worth of nature notebooking, a couple of outdoor lessons and weeks of tea times with your child!
Everything Charlotte Mason 