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Schedule
- 3:00pm (Optional) Self-guided nature walk at San Joaquin Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary.
- (Optional) Meet at Sea & Sage Audubon House, 5 Riparian View, Irvine, CA 92612
- Download/View Self Guided Trail Map
- 3:15pm
- (Optional) head out for self-guided nature walk. (bring binoculars or borrow from Audubon House)
- 5:00pm-6:00pm Dinner Break
- 6:15pm Meet & Greet, Coffee/Tea & Dessert at Grace Fellowship
- 7:00pm -8:30pm Friday Evening Conference
- 8:30am Registration Opens, Pick up Registration Packet, Coffee/Tea & Pastries
- 9:00am Conference Begins
- 12:00 pm Lunch by Fork, Knife + Spoon Catering (included)
- 1:30pm Afternoon Session Begins
- 5:00 pm Conference Ends
*Schedule may change without notice.
Friday Evening
Angie Baldelomar – Journeying with Charlotte Mason: A Rich Path Through Unique Learning Needs and Bilingual, Bicultural Education
In her talk, Angie will share her journey of discovering Charlotte Mason’s teachings and how she has applied them in her homeschool. She will explore how Mason’s philosophy has guided her in supporting her daughter’s struggles with dyslexia and ADHD. With a focus on raising fully bilingual, bicultural children, Angie will discuss how she has integrated her Latino heritage into their education. She believes that Charlotte Mason’s principles can be adapted to create a rich, meaningful learning experience for every family.
Evening Group Discussion – with Naomi Goegan & Miriam Adkins
Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. (1961). Please pre-read the story prior to the event. [Discussion Questions]
Saturday
April Brover
Hymn
Naomi Goegan
Authority: A Gift and a Grace
How did Charlotte Mason view authority and why did she call it a gift and a grace? In this session Naomi will be sharing some of her personal journey in understanding what authority looked like in her homeschool.
Karra Kroeze
Sunday School – Whose Authority
A ‘necessary evil’; Charlotte Mason viewed Sunday Schools in this very clear and concise statement. How do we, as families, unpack that statement and what does this mean for us today? How do we cultivate reverence, wonder and other worthy pursuits in churches that may not have the same personhood-focus as we do in our homes? How do we cultivate truth, goodness, and beauty in the church? We need to lean into what the Lord has called us to as parents and what Charlotte Mason reminds us to do in her writings. Christ is the ultimate authority over the church; therefore, the church is authority over us and our families. The church cares for the body, but we need to be reminded that it’s not the church’s responsibility to educate our kids, it’s ours, even on Sundays.
Kaci Bergey
Composer Study Immersion
“Why hurry over beautiful things? Why not linger and enjoy them?”-Clara Schumann
We will embark togther on a journey to linger and fully experience a composer study while enjoying the life and work of Clara Schumann- Wife, Mother, Pianist and Composer.
Erin Kunkle
Raising kids in a world that hates authority
We have a crisis of authority in our culture and two of the most important authorities in our children’s lives – the authority of God and the authority of parents – are constantly being undermined. We will look at ways we can create alternative cultures in our homes and help our families see authority as a good gift from God.
Saturday Workshops
Session 1
A Day in the Life of…
Miriam Adkins
Do you love Charlotte Mason’s life-giving ideas about home education but wonder how to practically carry them out in your home? Join Miriam for this discussion that will weave together Charlotte’s guiding principles with practical advice about a day-in-the-life in a Charlotte Mason homeschool. Just as we are all born persons, beautifully individual and different, so each of our homes and homeschools are unique. Charlotte describes the culture and atmosphere of each of our homes as “sacred.” This talk will not discuss a cookie-cutter, one-size-fits-all approach. Rather, it will focus on how a firm understanding of Charlotte’s key principles will give you freedom and peace as you lay a rich education feast with your children. While the practical portion of the talk will focus on implementation of the Ambleside Online curriculum, it can be applied to any CM curriculum. There will be time for questions, so come ready to discuss and brainstorm collaboratively.
Refocusing for the Upper Years
Naomi Goegan, Glenna Heustis, Erin Kunkle & Amy Johnson
Now that your student is maturing and heading into the upper years, it’s a good time to consider and reflect: What drew you to a Charlotte Mason Education in the first place? What are the things that you cared most about for your child and how has that changed? Why are we drawn to other things? In this workshop we’ll look at these and other questions as a group and spend time thinking through, discussing and refocusing for the future. We will close with a Q&A time.
Brittany Riedel
Created to Create: Intentions to Create
Somehow we can believe wholeheartedly in providing our children with a generous feast and forget that it starts with the parent. Parents will often feel ill equipped to teach art, but it is such a sweet gift to learn alongside our children. To be intentional with how we nourish our own souls with good and beautiful things is a habit worthy of our time. To provide a generous feast we must feed our own minds with living ideas and creative endeavors. This session will provide a time for Mothers to learn some basic watercolor skills and some understanding on how to approach painting. Within a Charlotte Mason education we are encouraged to do this alongside our children. This discipline can bring delight while building the habit of attention through observation of the natural world. The hope is to further understand the pursuit of creativity and how it reflects our creator while supplying our lives with beauty.
Session 2
Narration / Copywork Immersion
Beth Anne Young & Charity Miley
As Charlotte Mason homeschoolers narration and copywork are main portions of our day with our children, but is it enough? Will my children actually be able to spell and understand the rules of grammar through copy work? Will my child progress in understanding literature, history, etc. by narrating? We invite you to be active participants in copy work and narration as we discuss these questions together. In this immersion workshop we will put to practice narrating and absorbing well written sentences and their punctuation, capitalization, and prose. The benefits of narration and copywork will be realized through actively participating in these practices, discussing in groups, and reading directly from Charlotte Mason on narration and copywork.
Middle-High School Groups
Naomi Goegan & Glenna Heustis
Is high school the time to abandon Charlotte Mason homeschooling and transition to more “serious” forms of education like public/private school or expensive course offerings? In this workshop, we’ll look at examples of how Charlotte Mason’s key principles can be practically applied to this phase of education. Contrary to popular opinion, you may be surprised to learn that it gets even better in the upper years. This is a time when students are taking more of their education in hand, learning to discern truth and find their place in a complicated world, reading source documents, chewing on meaty ideas with peers, and sharing the creative aspects of their education. We will end with a group discussion brainstorming ways to form a uniquely Charlotte Mason group for the upper levels.
Handicraft: Sourdough Bread
Shannon Kelly (@joyfilled_kitchen & @sourdough_party) & Amy Johnson
Learn the basics of making sourdough bread with just water flour and salt! From starter to making the dough to stretching and folding, bulk fermenting, shaping, and scoring, our local experts will be sharing tips and demonstrating all the steps and answer your questions. Participants will enjoy fresh baked break and receive their very own take home starter. $5 materials fee per participant.