I’ve got something so amazing to share with you today that I almost cannot contain myself! It’s something that has been in the works or a long, long time; something that could revolutionize the way you do Charlotte Mason Homeschooling. It’s what we have named “The Lesson Book.”

I can’t stand it when people are discouraged from discovering something wonderful which could set them free, can you? This is so true when it comes to homeschooling, and particularly when it comes to Charlotte Mason homeschooling. There is such a simplicity to this method most moms never experience due to misinformation.

You see, I am a mom of 15 children and I have been homeschooling for the past three decades. I have cycled through almost every new idea that has come down the pike, from all-out boxed curriculum to unschooling. Along the way I have been able to glean the best out of all and create an environment of creative freedom coupled with structured academics. I believe this to be the balance that ensures children have both the tools and the freedom to take on learning and make it personal, productive, and life-giving.

It took me years upon years of research and observation before I was able to strike the balance my children and I enjoy today. While the journey was exciting and necessary, it is my hope I can shorten the trip quite a bit for you, my dear readers, so you can begin enjoying more of the fruits early-on with your children.

The Lesson Book is part of this effort.

One of the reasons I created this series of books is because I understand the needs of moms like me. We want so much for our children that we would give them slices of the moon on silver platters if we could. However, given the heavy responsibilities of rearing children, running a household, and often doing side jobs to help fatten the paycheck, our time and energy limits what we are actually able to accomplish.

Because of this we suffer from inner turmoil. In order to give our children the education of our dreams, what will we let go?–the house, the bills, our health, our own dear husbands?

For me, none of the above are negotiable. There is only one way to make sure every area is covered: Simplification. This is why I am constantly creating ways to streamline my life, to make “simples” out of messes.

The Lesson Book is one of those simples.

Here I have taken the best of workbooks:

• A definite place for distracted children to write responses and record information
• A compilation of work that is bound together into a book so that it cannot be easily lost and forgotten
• A way to turn things on “autopilot” for those days when the repairman is called or Mom has the flu
• An easy way to keep track of, record, and correct a child’s work

And combined them with the excellence and freedom of Charlotte Mason:

• Each lesson section is not specific, but open-ended.
• There are places designated for the different parts of her method, such as copywork, narration, and dictation.
• The lessons are easily adaptable to almost any type of literature, from the McGuffey readers, to any story or novel, to the Bible, and beyond.
• There is plenteous room for drawing and doodling (or cutting and pasting).

I’ve actually offered a free download of the types of pages in this book which you can definitely enjoy as well. However, these lesson books are even better because:

• You don’t have to print the pages out
• You don’t have to compile them and find a way to lose save them
• You don’t have to search between the couch cushions to find them

There are even FIVE levels–one for each stage in your child’s learning journey.

Level One:

This level is for those children who are beginning to understand the basics of word composition and are sounding out simple sentences. I love to use this one with the McGuffey’s Pictorial Eclectic Primer and McGuffey’s First Eclectic Reader (original version from Mott Media), but you could also use it with a simple book such as Dr. Seuss’ Hop on Pop

Level Two:

This is for those children who are doing well at reading whole sentences and paragraphs and have a good understanding as to the construction of words and sentences. I love to use this one with the McGuffey’s Second Eclectic Reader (original version from Mott Media), but you could also use it with a simple book such as Arnold Lobel’s Frog and Toad Together.

Level Three:

This is for those children who are becoming more comfortable with reading and writing so they no longer need guidelines as in primary lessons. I love to use this one with the second half of the McGuffey Second Eclectic Reader (original version from Mott Media), but you could also use it with a simple book such as Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White.

Level Four:

This is for those children who are fluent readers but are building on their vocabulary and writing skills. I love to use this one with the McGuffey’s Fourth Eclectic Reader (revised version), McGuffey’s Fifth Eclectic Reader (also revised), or McGuffey’s Third Eclectic Reader (original version from Mott Media), but you could also use it with a novel such as The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.

Level Five:

This level is for those children who are confident readers and writers but need to be challenged in fluidity, complexity, and higher vocabulary. I love to use this one with the McGuffey’s Sixth Eclectic Reader (revised version), but you could also use it with a challenging book such as Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin. (Don’t be afraid to mix things up and use this book for both at the same time.)

I know you have oodles and oodles of questions, such as what the inside pages look like, example pages, and more exact information on the different levels. 

No fear! Just click here and you will find yourself on the page with more details.