13 | Can't Find a Catholic Charlotte Mason Curriculum? This Homeschool Plan Helps You Start Tomorrow

I watched my daughter open tab after tab. CMEC. Ambleside Online. Mater Amabilis. Piecing things together from everywhere she could find.

The beautiful CM resources weren't Catholic enough. The Catholic resources felt either too dry or too incomplete. I also knew that no matter what she chose, she was going to have to build it out to fit her family. 

So I went down the rabbit hole right alongside her. As I watched, I began to think about what was actually missing.

 I called her and told her that we were going to start building a simple framework with three layers that align with Charlotte Mason philosophy.

She didn't need to find the perfect curriculum. She just needed a path.

And that is what I want to give you in this episode.

What You'll Learn:

• Why the perfect Catholic Charlotte Mason curriculum was never going to be found and why that is actually freeing
• The three layer framework that replaces the curriculum search; liturgical spine, living books, and peaceful rhythms
• A simple Start Tomorrow plan you can do tonight and tomorrow morning without buying a single thing

I pray this encourages your heart today.

Go be the peace God created you to be.

— Dana

Related Episodes:

Episode 7 - Living Books vs. Twaddle: Why the Books You Choose Matter More Than the Curriculum You Buy

Episode 9 - How Morning Time Builds Peace, Focus, and Family Culture

Episode 6 - Peace in a Real Day of Motherhood: What the PEACE Framework Actually Looks Like

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:06

Hey friends, I'm so excited about today's episode, and I want to start it by telling you a story about my daughter. And I bet many of you have gone down this same rabbit hole. She spent hours upon hours searching for that perfect Catholic Charlotte Mason curriculum, dozens of tabs opening on her computer, trying to decide the perfect curriculum for her family. And she would share everything with me that she found. And of course, I went down that same rabbit hole right alongside of her. We found so many beautiful Charlotte Mason resources, but most were secular or even maybe just a few steps away from being Catholic enough. The secular options needed a lot of adapting, and the Catholic options sometimes they felt too dry or just too incomplete for us. And no matter what we chose, we knew we were going to have to build it out to fit her family. And that felt even more overwhelming. So as I watched and followed her in her journey and having been an educator for so long, I began to think about what was actually missing. And as I sat with that question, I kept coming back

The Curriculum Rabbit Hole

SPEAKER_00 1:12

to Martha. You know the story. Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Friend, we had become Martha. Tabs open, comparing, worried and troubled about so many curriculum things. But what I knew beyond a doubt, that there is no such thing as a perfect curriculum. And I knew what she needed was a framework, a simple framework that she could trust and that she could build on. So I called her and told her, we're done. We're done with the searching, so stop. We're going to start building a foundation that aligns with Charlotte Mason philosophy. And it's going to include faith, living books, and rhythms. Because sometimes simplicity is the best place to start. She didn't need to find the perfect curriculum. She just needed a path. And that is exactly what I want to give you today. Are you ready to learn about our framework? Because I'm so ready to share it with you. Our framework consists

Becoming Martha With All The Options

SPEAKER_00 2:15

of three layers. The first layer of our framework is the liturgical spine, and this is your scope and sequence. It's the church's calendar and it becomes your year at a glance. The feast, the church's seasons, and the saints give you the when and the why. You don't have to manufacture a plan because the church already made one for you. Layer two is living books, and this is actually my favorite layer. One book per week or per unit. It's tied to a saint, a season, or a feast in the liturgical calendar. Not textbooks, not dry summaries, real stories that breathe. And here's what I want you to hear. Living books are not just for reading, they are science, geography, history, nature study, and language arts all in one. And we are going to go so much deeper into this layer in future episodes because this layer is way bigger than it looks today. Layer three is peaceful rhythms.

The Three-Layer Homeschool Framework

SPEAKER_00 3:19

This is a simple morning time basket that holds it

Layer One The Liturgical Spine

SPEAKER_00 3:22

all together: a hymn, a scripture, a read aloud, and one hands-on element. And you're done. And that rhythm is what makes the whole day feel peaceful instead of chaotic. Now, when you have all three of these layers, a liturgical spine, living books, and a morning time rhythm, you don't need a curriculum because you already have one.

Layer Two Learning Through Living Books

SPEAKER_00 3:54

Friend, one candle, one book, one feast day, the Lord is going to be rejoicing over that because that is enough. And I know what you're thinking right now. Okay, this sounds great, but how do I even start? No worries, I got you. What I want you to do tonight is look up one feast day or liturgical moment coming in the next seven days. Doesn't have to be a major one. A simple Saint's Day is

Layer Three Peaceful Morning Rhythms

SPEAKER_00 4:22

perfect. Just pick one. Then tomorrow morning, pull one book from your shelf or the library connected to that feast. Even loosely connected is fine. If you have nothing, a scripture passage works. Then just light a candle, say a simple opening prayer together, and read the book out loud. That's it. That is a Charlotte Mason morning time. That is your liturgical spine in action. And that is living books doing their work. And guess what? You just started with what you already have. I want you to know we are just getting started, and I'm so excited. I have so much more coming for you. Big things are coming, and you're going to want to be here for all of it. So make sure you're

How To Start In Seven Days

SPEAKER_00 5:10

subscribed to Peaceful Catholic Homeschooling Podcast, and don't you dare miss what's coming next. Now, let's bring it all together and talk about our simple practical framework that has three layers. Layer one is the liturgical spine, the church's liturgical calendar, and it becomes your scope and sequence, your year at a glance. Layer two, my favorite, living books, one book per week or per unit tied to a saint, a season, or a feast. And layer three is peaceful rhythms, a simple morning time basket that holds it all together. And here's what I want you to hear before you go. You are probably never going to find a finished Catholic Charlotte Mason curriculum that meets all of your family's needs. And that's okay, because the most beautiful ones are always built, not bought. And you, you are exactly the right person to build it. You are not behind, you are not unqualified, and the Holy Spirit, He brought you here to this podcast exactly at the right moment because He knows your family needs what only you

Subscribe For What Comes Next

SPEAKER_00 6:09

can build for them. Now, go build it, friend, and I will be right here walking beside you.