Charlotte Mason carefully laid the foundation for the upper years in the lower forms. What are the differences in subjects and practices once students enter the middle form and are working toward the high school years? This podcast will survey and summarize “Form III.”

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“But we are considering, not the religious life of children, but their education by lessons; and their Bible lessons should help them to realise in early days that the knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and, therefore, that their Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” (Vol. 1, p. 251)

“Forms III-IV (12 to 15) read for themselves the whole of the Old Testament as produced by the Rev. Costley-White in his Old Testament History. Wise and necessary omissions in this work make it more possible to deal with Old Testament history…The footnotes which form the only commentary upon the text are commendably short and to the point.” (Vol. 6, pp. 164-65)

“The map of any country calls up in a child’s imagination a wonderful panorama of the diversities of the country, of the people, their history and occupations. It is evident that this kind of geographical image cannot be secured in any other way than by considering Europe country by country. They begin with a general survey of the seas and shores of the continent, of the countries and people, of the diversities of tongues and their historical origin, of the plains and mountains, of the rivers and their basins.” (Vol. 6, p. 225)

“The object of children’s literary studies is not to give them precise information as to who wrote what in the reign of whom?––but to give them a sense of the spaciousness of the days, not only of great Elizabeth, but of all those times of which poets, historians and the makers of tales, have left us living pictures.” (Vol. 6, p. 184)

Costley-White (Living Library Press)

The Saviour of the World

Ourselves, Audio Book

Listener’s Guide to Music

Winners in Life’s Race

Men, Microscopes and Living Things

Fairyland of Science

(Contains affiliate links)

Episode 13: The Saviour of the World

History Tools Webinar

Episode 15: History Things

Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching

Episodes 56 and 57 with Richele Baburina

CM’s Streams of Science

How Nicole modified CM’s streams of science

Sabbath Mood Homeschool’s Living Science Study Guides

Special Studies Rotation

Subjects by Form Page

Charlotte Mason had definite ideas for why the children should learn, as well as what was to be learned at every stage of school education. This episode provides an overview of the last two years of the “elementary years,” or the top of the second Form.

Listen Now:

“But we are considering, not the religious life of children, but their education by lessons; and their Bible lessons should help them to realise in early days that the knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and, therefore, that their Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” (Vol. 1, p. 251)

“Next in order to religious knowledge, history is the pivot upon which our curriculum turns.” (Vol. 6, p. 273)

J. Paterson Smyth Commentaries (or, in ebook format here)

British Museum for Children

Outdoor Geography

Bulfinch’s Age of Fable

Lessons in Elementary and Practical Geometry

Life and Her Children

Storybook of Science

The Sciences

(Contains affiliate links)

Charlotte Mason’s Bible Rotation

Episode 12: The Chronology of History

History Streams Charts

Episode 15: History Things

Book of Centuries Parents’ Review Article

History Tools Webinar

The New Handwriting

Sabbath Mood Homeschool’s Living Science Study Guides

Special Studies Rotation

Subjects by Form Page

Charlotte Mason’s students moved to a new “form” at age 9 or 10. What makes Form II different from Form I in the subject content and skills? This podcast discusses the wider room experienced by students entering the upper elementary school years.

Listen Now:

“But we are considering, not the religious life of children, but their education by lessons; and their Bible lessons should help them to realise in early days that the knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and, therefore, that their Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” (Vol. 1, p. 251)

“Next in order to religious knowledge, history is the pivot upon which our curriculum turns.” (Vol. 6, p. 273)

“In Form I children begin to gather conclusions as to the general life of the community from tales, fables, and the story of one or another great citizen. In Form II, citizenship becomes a definite subject rather from the point of view of what may be called the inspiration of citizenship than from that of the knowledge proper to a citizen.” (Vol. 6, p. 185)

“Except in Form I the study of Literature goes pari passu with that of History.” (Vol. 6, p. 180)

J. Paterson Smyth Commentaries (or, in ebook format here)

Stories from the History of Rome

Outdoor Geography

Heroes of Asgard

Life and Her Children

Storybook of Science

The Sciences

Outdoor Geography, H. Hatch (parent/teacher resource in teaching Geography recommended by the PNEU)

(Contains affiliate links)

Subjects by Form Page

Charlotte Mason’s Bible Rotation

Episode 12: The Chronology of History

The New Handwriting

Sabbath Mood Homeschool’s Living Science Study Guides

Special Studies Rotation

Charlotte Mason’s young students had an abundant feast. This episode summarizes and reflects on the aspects of the subjects included for the upper part of the first form of school. What do they move on to after that first introductory year?

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“Children of seven are promoted to Form IA in which they remain for a couple of years.” (Vol. 6, p. 174)

“But we are considering, not the religious life of children, but their education by lessons; and their Bible lessons should help them to realise in early days that the knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and, therefore, that their Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” (Vol. 1, p. 251)

Pilgrim’s Progress

Tales of Troy and Greece

J. Paterson Smyth Commentaries (or, in ebook format here)

Elementary Geography, Charlotte Mason

Eyes and No Eyes Series, Arabella Buckley

(Contains affiliate links)

Subjects by Form Page

Charlotte Mason’s Bible Rotation

Episode 12: The Chronology of History

History Tools Webinar

Nicole’s Out-of-Door Geography post

Episode 76: Physical Training

The New Handwriting

Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching

Special Studies Webinar

Special Studies Rotation

Charlotte Mason wanted children to set good intellectual habits, and these begin in the first year of formal lessons. A. A. Milne said, “Now we are Six,” Mason said, “Now it’s time to read,” and this episode will describe the scope of the first year of school and its lessons.

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“We (of the PNEU) begin the definite ‘school’ education of children when they are six; they are no doubt capable of beginning a year or two earlier but the fact is that nature and circumstances have provided such a wide field of education for young children that it seems better to abstain from requiring direct intellectual efforts until they have arrived at that age.” (Vol. 6, p. 159)

“But we are considering, not the religious life of children, but their education by lessons; and their Bible lessons should help them to realise in early days that the knowledge of God is the principal knowledge, and, therefore, that their Bible lessons are their chief lessons.” (Vol. 1, p. 251)

“Children between six and nine should get considerable knowledge of the Bible text. By nine they should have read the simple (and suitable) narrative portions of the Old Testament, and, say, two of the gospels.” (Vol. 1, p. 248)

“But let the imaginations of children be stored with the pictures, their minds nourished upon the words, of the gradually unfolding story of the Scriptures, and they will come to look out upon a wide horizon within which persons and events take shape in their due place and in due proportion.” (Vol. 1, p. 249)

“Next in order to religious knowledge, history is the pivot upon which our curriculum turns.” (Vol. 6, p. 273)

“Every day’s walk gives him something to enter…While he is quite young (five or six), he should begin to illustrate his notes freely with brush drawings.” (Vol 1, pp. 54-55)

“Children who are too small to write dictate their notes which are written down for them.” (“The Work and Aims of the P.U.S.” Parents’ Review)

“The first buttercup in a child’s nature note book is shockingly crude, the sort of thing to scandalise a teacher of brush-drawing, but by and by another buttercup will appear with the delicate poise, uplift and radiance of the growing flower.” (Vol. 6, p. 217)

J. Paterson Smyth Commentaries (or, in ebook format here)

Elementary Geography, Charlotte Mason

Eyes and No Eyes Series, Arabella Buckley

(Contains affiliate links)

Charlotte Mason’s Bible Rotation

Nicole’s Out-of-Door Geography post

The New Handwriting

The Joyous Book of Singing Games

Mathematics: An Instrument for Living Teaching

Special Studies Rotation

Subjects by Form Page