Hi friend,
For the past four weeks, I’ve been working extra hard to get the website and curriculum ready. It has been a full season, but a very meaningful one. Now I’m feeling ready to slow down and fully implement it in my own homeschooling with my children.
Life always brings ups and downs, but having a plan in place helps everything go more smoothly. It does not make every day perfect, but it brings peace, direction, and a steadier rhythm to the week.
I’m proud to share that I now have two videos up on YouTube, with more coming soon. For now they are on my personal YouTube page, but I plan to move them over to Fostering Wonder’s own channel soon. It was such a joy to make these with my children and create keepsake memories together, and I hope they will be a helpful resource for your family too.
Free Resources
I also wanted to mention the free resources now available on the Fostering Wonder website. Right now families can find a free fill-in weekly schedule template along with sample schedules to help picture what a gentle Charlotte Mason week can look like in different seasons and grade levels. The free template is easy to fill in and works especially well on a desktop or on a mobile device in landscape mode. My hope is that these resources will give practical help, fresh ideas, and a little encouragement as you shape a peaceful rhythm in your own home.
A note about “Mom’s Pick Independent Reading”
On the weekly schedule, you may notice the phrase “Mom’s Pick Independent Reading.” By that I simply mean this: with Fostering Wonder, I do not use an overwhelming number of books for every subject. My main goal is to use rich living books to teach the essential skills of a Charlotte Mason education while still leaving room in the day for delight. Because the curriculum is not overloaded, parent and child still have time to enjoy other wonderful books that fit the child’s age and interests. For my oldest, I keep a basket of five books she can choose from during independent reading time—historical novels, biographies, fiction, and fun reads—all chosen to offer a wide feast of ideas and wonder in her day.
What we’re reading aloud
We just finished reading The BFG together as a family, and honestly it was such a sweet milestone for us. Using Fostering Wonder helped us finish our daily school work quickly and without rushing, and it also gave us room to enjoy a beloved read-aloud together. We celebrated by watching the movie afterward, and I’m not going to lie — it made me teary-eyed by the end. It was beautifully done and stayed surprisingly close to the sequence of the book. A few things were added for cinema, of course, but nothing too drastic.
A Charlotte Mason reminder
“The question is not,—how much does the youth know? when he has finished his education—but how much does he care?”
That reminder helps me slow down. Homeschooling does not need to feel rushed to be fruitful. There is so much good that grows in a quiet, steady, intentional week.
A resource we’ve enjoyed
If you’d like a music resource that has been a blessing in our home, I’ve really enjoyed following The Singing Family. The lessons are short, the instructor is very easy to follow, and it has become such a sweet part of our week. All of my children, even my youngest who is four, like to join in. My eight-year-old is the one who actually does it correctly, but we all enjoy that time together.
Warmly,
Scarlette
Fostering Wonder