AfterCast: An Audio Companion for the Classical, Charlotte Mason Mama

Today’s episode is a crossover episode with the Charlotte Mason Poetry Podcast, and I’m chatting with CMP’s very own Brittney McGann! Brittney and I read the book Bandersnatch together – it was an excellent read (I highly recommend it) and a great place to start for a conversation about conflict in community. Join us today as we learn lessons from how the Inklings succeeded … and also failed ... and learn from them about building a healthy community. Posts and show notes: afterthoughtsblog.net/

So, you figured out something is wrong with your homeschool. Good. The question is what to do next. A lot of us find it paralyzing to discover our imperfections. Today, we’re devising an action plan to get moving. *** Posts and show notes: afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast Donate: afterthoughtsblog.net/donate Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AfterthoughtsBlog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandyvencel/ Thanks for being an Afterthinker!

Charlotte Mason prescribe a “broad and generous education” for her students. For a variety of reasons, this can be a daunting task. Today, we’re taking a look at one of the biggest obstacles to implementing this sort of education: OURSELVES. *** Posts and show notes: afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast Donate: afterthoughtsblog.net/donate Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AfterthoughtsBlog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandyvencel/ Thanks for being an Afterthinker!

If you’re thinking that because Charlotte Mason prescribed short lessons, this means your high schooler should only do 20 minutes of math, you’re thinking wrong! Today, we’re doing a deep dive into what we mean when we say “short lessons.” *** Posts and show notes: afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast Donate: afterthoughtsblog.net/donate Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AfterthoughtsBlog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandyvencel/ Thanks for being an Afterthinker!

It’s easy to say that our children should read hard books, but what does that look like in practice? Do we just throw them into the deep end and hope for the best? No! There’s actually a lot we can do to help, which is our topic for today. *** Posts and show notes: afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast Donate: afterthoughtsblog.net/donate Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AfterthoughtsBlog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandyvencel/ Thanks for being an Afterthinker!

Are you feeling the pressure to change things in your homeschool because there are new, hip curricula on the market? Or maybe it's the opposite -- you're tempted to hang on to something that isn't really working? Either way, this episode is for you! *** Posts and show notes: afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast Donate: afterthoughtsblog.net/donate Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/AfterthoughtsBlog Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandyvencel/ Thanks for being an Afterthinker!

Is YOUR child reading a hard book right now? Is he really struggling? Is your mommy heart going out to him, tempting you to let him drop the book? It’s completely normal to feel this way… BUT … before you let him drop the book, let’s think through the situation a bit. Sometimes, we need to drop a book. But lots of times, we don’t. It takes wisdom to know the difference. To access the posts and show notes for this podcast: afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast

Children are born persons. — Charlotte Mason’s First Principle of Education In today's episode, we're digging deeply into this principle. What does it mean? What are its limitations? How do we apply (or misapply) this principle? To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast . Thanks for being an Afterthinker!

I received a couple questions recently regarding AmblesideOnline, Charlotte Mason, the teaching of history, memorization of timelines, and more that made me think of conversations I've had in the past with Karen Glass. I decided to use them as an excuse to have a conversation with her and record it for AfterCast. That's what I'm presenting to you today. To get the bonus for this show go here: https://afterthoughtsblog.net/2017/10/charlotte-mason-history-karen-glass.html

Today's episode discusses something I picked up in Charlotte Mason's book, Home Education ... that IDEAS are the food of the MIND. What are the implications of this? What about when children are limited in their ability to read and discover ideas for themselves? How does this change the way that we treat our children? To access the posts and show notes for this podcast, go to afterthoughtsblog.net/podcast .

Today's episode isn't about homeschooling, unless you count the fact that it's part of my series, The Low-Energy Mom's Guide to Homeschooling. Life continues, even though we're homeschooling, and sometimes life gets ugly. Let's talk about why that is. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!

In today’s episode, I have a bit of debate with a chapter in Clark and Jain’s book, The Liberal Arts Tradition. I love what they said in terms of philosophy, but I don’t think they took the practical implementation of their philosophy nearly far enough. I tried to provide what I think is a helpful push in the right direction. Thanks for being an Afterthinker!

If you feel like you’re messing up your Charlotte Mason homeschool, the first thing you need to know is that you’re not alone. Returning to our basic principles – and remembering that principles and practices are not always the same thing – can help us focus on what matters most.

Homeschooling has a lot of side-benefits, as you probably know. These benefits aren’t reasons to homeschool, but they are good things nonetheless. We could talk about how children are able to get more sleep or have more free time. But are these the BEST kept secret? Nope. The best kept secret benefits US – the teachers – not the children. What is it? Keep listening and you’ll find out.

Why we don't need to rearrange the entire curriculum just because Johnny hates something on the day's agenda ... with some help from Aristotle via C.S. Lewis.