Best Charlotte Mason Homeschool Curriculum – Elementary

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Please note: this article is part of a series on Charlotte Mason-style homeschool curriculums. This article discusses curriculums for the elementary level. If you have an older child, check out our articles Best Charlotte Mason Homeschool Curriculum – Middle School and Best Charlotte Mason Homeschool Curriculum – High School. 

Our picks for the best elementary Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum:

In recent years, more and more homeschooling families have begun following what is known as the Charlotte Mason homeschool approach. So who was Charlotte Mason, and why has her approach to education become so popular among 21st-century homeschoolers? Mason was a British educator who lived at the turn of the last century and advocated for reforms in the educational system. Specifically, she believed that education should be child-centered, focus more on liberal arts, and inspire children through wonderful stories, good morals, and lofty ideals. It was Mason who coined the term “Living Books” in reference to high-quality literature that inspires children’s imaginations.

Inspired by Mason’s ideas, modern-day Charlotte Mason-style homeschoolers focus on exposing their children to high-quality “Living Books”. Rather than doing worksheets or long writing assignments, children are asked to orally “narrate” back what they have learned. Lessons are generally short and varied. Students are exposed to art, music, handicrafts, and nature, and plenty of time is provided for reading and being outdoors. 

In this article, we’ll tell you about our favorite Charlotte Mason-style homeschool curriculum for elementary students in each of the four core subject areas – language arts, social studies, math, and science. If you have an older student, don’t forget to check out our other articles, Best Charlotte Mason Homeschool Curriculum – Middle School and Best Charlotte Mason Homeschool Curriculum – High School. 

Best for Language Arts

Language Lessons for Children and Language Lessons for Grammar Students, Cottage Press

If you are looking for a wonderful Charlotte Mason-style language arts curriculum, consider the Language Lessons for Children (grades 1-4) and Language Lessons for Grammar Students (grades 4-6) programs published by Cottage Press. These curriculums are firmly rooted in the Charlotte Mason philosophy, emphasizing narration, picture study, nature observation, and the reading of classic literature. 

The elementary series is divided into three incremental programs:

Both the Primer programs consists of three separate units based on the seasons – Autumn, Winter, and Spring. The literature and poetry selections in each unit are inspired by that season of this year, making these units wonderful to cover over the course of a standard school year. While each Primer course can be completed in one year, some families choose to spread the material over a longer period. The Fable & Song program, geared toward older elementary students, also takes about one school year to complete. 

With the exception of phonics instruction, the Language Lessons programs provide a complete language arts education covering writing skills, grammar, parts of speech, and reading comprehension. The literature selections include a combination of classic poems, nursery rhymes, excerpts from classic literature, Bible passages, and the lyrics of classic songs. Students starting the program should have basic beginning spelling and phonics skills, have the ability to copy short works and sentences, and be ready to start chapter books. 

If your child is in grades 1-4, you should start with Primer One. You’ll need the following materials:

Additionally, your child will need a good-quality colored pencil set (we like this one by Prismacolor). You should also plan to supplement this program with a solid spelling and phonics curriculum appropriate to your child’s level.

If you have an older elementary student who will be using Fable & Song, you’ll need the following materials:

For Fable & Song, your child will also need a good dictionary (we like the Merriam-Webster’s Elementary Dictionary), two composition books (such as these), and the free PDF flashcard set that goes with the program. Also recommended are The Aesop for Children, illustrated by Milo Winter, and Robert Louis Stevenson’s A Child’s Garden of Verses. Free online versions of both books are available, but many families prefer print copies.

Best for Social Studies

Beautiful Feet Books Literature Packs

If you are looking for a Charlotte Mason-inspired social studies curriculum, we highly recommend the literature guides and corresponding book packs offered by Beautiful Feet Books. Each literature pack consists of a collection of quality fiction and non-fiction books centered around one period of history or social studies subject. Included in each pack is a teacher guide with daily lessons, which provide discussion questions and ideas for extension activities. These guides are fantastic to use as a family, helping children understand the important ideas in the stories and biographies they are reading. 

Beautiful Feet offers literature packs on numerous topics for elementary students. Most of these packs are designed to be used over one school year, but you can use them at whatever pace works best for your family. The early elementary literature packs are made up of picture books, whereas the older elementary packs include age-appropriate chapter books. 

The following literature packs are offered for elementary students. Some of these can also be used by middle school students, a great option if you have children of different ages that will be working together.

To learn more about these literature packs and their accompanying teacher guides, check out bfbooks.com.

Best for Math

Math Lessons for a Living Education, Angela O’Dell

If you are looking for a Charlotte Mason-inspired math curriculum for your elementary student, we recommend the Math Lessons for a Living Education series by Angela O’Dell. This program approaches math through a story-based, living-education model. Each level of the program uses a different story about brother and sister Charlie and Charlotte to introduce students to various math concepts, helping kids naturally see how math relates to “real life”. 

Kids really enjoy the story-based aspect of Math Lessons for a Living Education, while parents appreciate the simplicity of the program overall. Lessons are short, and no expensive manipulatives are required; instead, everyday household objects are used to illustrate math concepts. Lesson plans are simple and flexible.

Kindergarten

1st grade

2nd grade

This program is built around a 5-day/week, 36-week schedule, though families can move through the material faster or slower if they prefer. The program levels correspond loosely to grade, but your child may move up to the next level whenever he or she is ready. A consumable text is required for each level, and a teaching companion that can be used for all levels is also available. The texts for the program are listed here by grade level, along with the teacher’s companion. 

Best for Science

Sassafras Science, Elemental Science

If you are looking for a wonderfully engaging, thorough Charlotte Mason-style approach to science, look no further than the Sassafras Science series by Elemental Science. The program uses a living-books model to introduce kids to science, with a novel-style story forming the core of each stage of learning. The fictional stories in this series follow the adventures of Blaine and Tracey Sassafras as they travel the world learning about science. In true Charlotte Mason style, the program includes many hands-on activities. 

Six main volumes (as well as a Pre-Journey starter volume) form the core of this curriculum. The volumes each focus on a specific theme, such as zoology, anatomy, botany, earth science, geology, or astronomy. Each volume takes about one semester to read, including the time it takes to complete the corresponding activities and assignments. Along with reading the main text, kids do supplementary reading, dictation and copywork exercises, hands-on experiments, and fun projects. 

Volume 1: Zoology

The Sassafras Guide to Zoology

The volumes build on each other, but they are all designed for the same elementary age level, so it’s fine to begin the program with the first book even if your child is an older elementary student. For the best experience, begin the program with either the Pre-Journey starter volume or the first volume, which focuses on Zoology. You’ll need the following materials for Volume 1:

For the most dynamic and hands-on experience, you might consider using Sassafras Science in combination with a regular science subscription box. To learn about our favorite ones for elementary kids, see our article Best Science Subscription Boxes.

Conclusion

If you would like to incorporate the methods of Charlotte Mason into your homeschool, there are many curriculums and resources out there to help you. If you have questions or would like more information on this topic, please email us!