Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life
Our Approach at
Wild Haven
At Wild Haven, we follow the education philosophy of Charlotte Mason, a pioneering British educator whose innovative teaching methods and thoughts have left a lasting impact on homeschooling and beyond. Mason's educational principles are grounded in the idea that education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. She emphasized the importance that creating an encouraging and nurturing environment, cultivating good habits, and providing a rich and broad education that engages the whole person: mind, body, and spirit, respects the child as a person and encourages a life-long love of learning.
Value of Children
Children have wonderful minds that are naturally curious and so hungry. At Wild Haven, we provide a feast of knowledge with gentleness and joy. Children have space to read, ask questions, be creative and play. Their whole person is fed through the truth in God’s word, engaging stories, and enjoying nature, music and art.
Our Time Together
Living Books
We read "living books" rather than dry, fact-laden textbooks. Living books are written by authors passionate about their subjects, making the material engaging and inspiring for students. And we LOVE to read! We read at the table, snuggled on the couch, in the shade under a tree. We learn about the world through fascinating tales, stories and rich literature.
A key practice in our school is narration, where children retell what they have learned. This helps with comprehension and retention and develops communication skills. Instead of standard testing, narration allows children to articulate their understanding in their own words. Narration is done orally, written, typed, with props, on a stage - whatever the child chooses to share what they have learned. Narration is valuable at all ages.
Narration
Lessons are kept short, usually 15-20 minutes for younger children and up to 45 minutes for older ones. This approach is designed to keep children’s attention fresh and foster deep engagement with the material. A glazed over look is a quick indication of disengagement. With short and engaging lessons, natural curiosity increases and promotes the love of learning. We go at the pace of the child.
Short Lessons
Nature Study
We love being outside! Whether we are having our lessons outside, playing, or taking our nature walks, we enjoy being outside. We know that being outside in the natural world stimulates observation, appreciation, and scientific understanding. We take regular nature walks to observe, enjoy and journal.
Art and Music
Exposure to great art and music is integral to Wild Haven. We learn and enjoy works of great artists and composers, encouraging cultural literacy and aesthetic appreciation. We sketch and paint, learn hymns and folk songs. It is not unusual to see a child copying a famous work of art or humming to the composer playing during lessons.
Old and New
We love to learn at Wild Haven, learning from older, beautiful works of literature alongside modern resources. We learn handicrafts and read poetry, and we learn computer literacy in typing and coding. Children have the option to learn another language. We are in the world, but not of the world, and choose to stay relevant to today while not ditching old treasures.