By Amber Johnston
Charlotte Mason was an educator in England at the turn of the twentieth century, and while
others thought that children were no more than empty vessels to be filled with information, she
believed that they were born full people, capable of independent, intelligent thought and that they
required vibrant ideas, rather than dry facts, to feed their budding minds. Nestled among the
pages of her six-volume book series is a philosophy of education followed by a growing number
of homeschoolers around the world, including my family.
What do the hundred-year-old practices and philosophical principles of an English woman
have to do with my American children and me in the twenty-first century?
That is a question I have considered many times, and the answer is simple: everything. Mason’s
teachings transcend ethnicity, time, and culture because they are grounded in the most basic
tenets of humanity. What do merit a second thought, however, are the booklists created by many
curriculum providers based on their interpretations of her writings.
The most beautiful thing about a Charlotte Mason education is that it is not a booklist. Following
her principles does not require your family to adhere to a certain prescribed list of resources with
weekly lesson plans that were not created with your family in mind. In fact, it is quite the
opposite. A true Charlotte Mason education relies on a wide and varied feast of ideas from living
books while encountering beautiful art, music, poetry, language, and nature, among other things.
For some families, this education rests on the shoulders of established classics along with
Rembrant, Bach, and Keats. But for others, including mine, the traditional fare is heavily diluted
with the likes of Henry Ossawa Tanner, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, and Langston Hughes.
Some families feast on Old English tunes and read of Helen Keller, Queen Elizabeth, and James
Madison. While in my home, we regularly marinate on old spirituals and read of Nelson
Mandela, George Washington Carver, and Jean Baptiste Point DuSable. Both approaches can be
fully encompassed within the confines of a legitimate and beautiful Charlotte Mason education,
and one cannot be held in higher or lower regard than the other by anyone who has studied her
teachings.
Why Spend Time in Nature?
History and living books alone do not comprise a complete Charlotte Mason experience. There
are many facets of the feast, and one in particular – nature study – was an aspect of her teachings
that intrigued and terrified me in equal measure. In her first volume, Mason states, “We were all
meant to be naturalists, each in his degree, and it is inexcusable to live in a world so full of the
marvels of plant and animal life and to care for none of these things.” While this concept resonated deeply with me, I had to sit back and chuckle because I was raised in the air
conditioning and had no clue where to begin.
At around the same time I was introduced to Charlotte Mason, a friend recommended that I read
Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv, in which the author discusses the staggering divide
between children and the outdoors. He directly links the lack of nature in the lives of today’s
wired generation (nature deficit) to some of the most disturbing childhood trends, such as the rise
in obesity, attention disorders, and depression. His book builds a compelling case for the idea
that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development.
Upon finishing Louv’s book, I went back to Charlotte Mason’s volumes and happened upon this
quote: “He must live hours daily in the open air, and, as far as possible, in the country; must look
and touch and listen; must be quick to note, consciously, every peculiarity of habit or structure,
in beast, bird, or insect; the manner of growth and fructification of every plant. He must be
accustomed to ask why — Why does the wind blow? Why does the river flow? Why is a leaf-
bud sticky? And do not hurry to answer his questions for him; let him think his difficulties out so
far as his small experience will carry him.”
How Can Nature Study Be Implemented?
Since encountering these thoughts, I’ve learned that the biggest obstacle to embracing time in
nature is the mindset of the mother. Armed with Charlotte Mason’s charge and Louv’s research,
I became determined to make time in nature a major part of my home life and, therefore, my
homeschool. This commitment ran so deep that we moved homes to live on a property that
allows my children to confront nature – wooded landscapes, lakes, a creek, and wildlife – steps
from the back door.
But figuring out what to do once we got there proved to be more challenging. Slowly, I learned
that our studies of plants, animals, waterways, fields, and forests would be grounded in
observations along with collections, journaling, and careful attention. And though I, the teacher,
knew next to nothing about the natural world, I clung to Louv’s words: “It’s a good thing to learn
more about nature in order to share this knowledge with children; it’s even better if the adult and
child learn about nature together. And it’s a lot more fun.”
So, each day that we can, my family gets out in nature to have fun – sometimes to study
something specific, occasionally to discover a new treasure, and often with no expectations
whatsoever. My children don’t know any other way of living, but I have discovered a secret that
I wish the little girl in me had known: The woods make me come alive!
Whether you are new to homeschooling or simply open to exploring a new way of pursuing
learning, I invite you to get to know Charlotte Mason. Discover on your own how her philosophy
of education can be used to infuse culture, heritage, beauty, truth, and goodness into your home education journey.
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About Amber
Amber Johnston lives in Georgia, nestled among pine trees, hammocks, and ziplines with her
husband and their four children. Her happy place is the back porch on a rainy day, preferably
with a giant mug of hot tea and a good book. She’s the author of A PLACE TO BELONG:
Celebrating Diversity and Kinship in the Home and Beyond, and she offers literature-based
lesson guides focused on history and culture at www.HeritageMom.com and on Instagram @heritagemomblog.
