Beginning a Charlotte Mason Cottage School

After completing the series of Information Sessions, we had enough parents interested in Charlotte Mason education to consider offering something more organized to families in our little group.  Six of the mothers offered to take what they had learned in the spring and incorporate it into a summer cottage school.

Cottage School "Preview"

Because all of our mothers were very new to Charlotte Mason and the idea of a cottage school, I prepared the following summary of what we would hope to accomplish that summer.  I offer this so you’ll know exactly the scope of our cottage school and can compare it later to the scope of a co-op.  A cottage school is a great way for families to quickly see the fruit of Mason's philosophies because it is short term, lower in cost and still rich in content.

The Charlotte Mason Cottage School (CMCS) will begin its summer session on Thursday, June 14. The primary purpose of the Cottage School is to demonstrate to children and teachers (parents) how they can begin to cultivate a lifelong appreciation for literature, poetry, nature, hymns, art, music and literature.  Many of these topics have been minimized or eliminated in schools, and even some homeschool curriculums do not devote much time to these subjects.  

Charlotte Mason believed that all of these subjects are vital to the atmosphere of learning for the child, so the CMCS would like to come alongside you and your children in sharing with you ways to present these subjects to your family.

As such, the CMCS is not a drop-off program, and parents will be expected to remain for the duration of each session (9am to 12n).  We sincerely hope that you will enjoy the experience as much as your child!

Children ages 6 to 14 years are eligible for the CMCS.  At this time, we are offering three classes and are projecting to divide the children by ages 6-8, 9-11 and 12-14.  Teachers will be trained in the Charlotte Mason philosophy and methodology and will facilitate the sessions with engaging studies that encourage your child to love learning.

I want to start a Cottage School.  What's next?

On the following pages are ideas to help you organize and begin a Charlotte Mason Cottage School for your community.

Beginning a Cottage School - What Does Your Group Need?
Sample Course of Study
Sample Schedule
Cottage School Resources

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