The Early Years

I am a huge fan of the Charlotte Mason method of education. As you can guess, this book was no exception to that delight. It really helped me to solidify some thoughts I had on the inadequecies of common education. The goal with pre-school children is not to shove countless ideas in their heads or keep them enrolled in countless busy activities. The idea is to teach them to explore the earth themselves. Our hope is not that they memorize what they are taught, but that they have a genuine love of learning. I have wondered if we were robbing our children of a propensity toward genius by dumbing down everything we give them. I loved how the goals for each day were easy, simple, fun, and enriching. She explained how to best teach music, art, language, reading, writing, and more. There are several sections on developing habits in children. I had not thought of it, but truth and obedience are habits that must be cultivated. This is an excellent resource for the parents of small children.

http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/early-years-charlotte-mason-preschool-handbook/