Charlotte Mason was a British educator whose teaching methods included using “living books” (books which written by a person with a passion for the subject, as opposed to a dry and lifeless textbook which is merely a compilation of other people’s thoughts ), narration (especially oral narration for younger children), short lessons, the development of good habits, and the study of art, nature and poetry. One of her mottos was “Education is the science of relations,” and another was “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline, a life.” The atmosphere in this kind of approach is gentle and flexible, yet still the parent guides the learning process.

You can check out Ambleside Online to get a sense of what the Charlotte Mason home schooling method is all about.

Though the following are generalizations, this home schooling method tends to work well for you if you (in no particular order):

• want to create a learning environment that encourages your child to explore and appreciate the world around him, perhaps not rigidly sticking to a schedule,
• see a value in evaluating your child’s learning on things other than formal written tests,
• want to offer a well-rounded education, including enjoying art, nature, music and of course lots of books,
• don’t mind being very involved in the process of your child’s education – discussing books, giving dictation, listening and encouraging narration, and enjoying poetry, art and music together,
• have a child who is doesn’t mind not having lots of boxes to check off.

As this type of home schooling method is becoming more popular, there are increasing varieties of how students use the computer for their home schooling. Some computer-based curriculums have the curriculum on CDs or DVDs, such as Switched-On Schoolhouse . Others are more like distance learning courses taken through the Internet (see Online Home Schooling Options below for more information.)

Here, too, though the following are generalizations, this home schooling method tends to work well for you if you:

• want to have your child follow a set scope and sequence,
• want to have step-by-step accountability for your child,
• see a value in using modern technology and don’t have concerns for its over-use,
• need to find a way to not be involved so much in the day-to-day process of your child’s education, though you would be available to give help and general guidance,
• have a child who likes being able to work at his own pace and use the computer.

Sonlight Home School Curriculum is probably the oldest and one of the most popular of the literature-based home school curriculums. Rather than use textbooks, which can be rather dry and uninteresting to many children, literature-based curriculums use “living books” like Charlotte Mason advocated. Students read historical fiction, first-person accounts and books written by people with a passion for their subject. The Literature-based method actually covers a broad range of home schooling methods, including the Unit Study method, Charlotte Mason method, and other methods.

Usually a literature-based home schooling method will work quite well for you (at least you’ll have less stress in continuing on) if you:

• want to have your child follow a set scope and sequence,
• want to have general accountability for your child,
• see a value in having your child love to read by reading books he or she will love to read,
• want to be involved in the day-to-day process of your child’s education, through discussion that will draw out what your child is learning and perhaps controversial issues raised through the books.

In this home schooling method children process what they are learning by creating notebooks of various subjects. An emphasis is on what the children are interested in, collecting information, and documenting their learning. Cindy Rushton's notebooking materials are now available online as ebooks.

Usually the notebook method of home schooling works well for you (at least you’ll have less stress in continuing on) if you:

• want your child to have the freedom to follow her own interests,
• have enough confidence in the process of learning that you don’t mind if not all of your child’s learning can be documented by a written test (see Unschooling),
• see a value in having your child develop expertise in an interest, and are willing to let other activities take second place, at least for a season,
• have a child who has interests, hobbies or collections they want to pursue,
• you want to document their learning by a written record of a notebook,
• your child is willing to learn to let his creativity out in his learning. Note: he doesn’t necessarily have to start off with skill, but at least willing to learn.

This home schooling method bases its model on the traditional idea of a classroom school, with workbooks and textbooks. Learning is usually laid out in a clear scope and sequence to maximize continuity and minimize the potential for major gaps in what the students are learning. One popular textbook-based curriculum is AOP's Award Winning Homeschool Resources! and others are A Beka, and Bob Jones.

Usually the textbook home schooling method works well for you if you:

• want your child to be studying material in a similar scope and sequence as other public or private schools,
• value the style of a classroom school and want your child to experience that at home,
• want your child to be able to do well and learn through fill-in-the-blanks and quizzes,
• have definite ideas about what content you want your child to learn, and it matches well with the textbook you have chosen.

In the unschooling approach the parent offers support, resources and encouragement, and the child leads the way in learning. In this home school method, the belief is that the child will learn best if he is interested and self-motivated. Because the student sets the pace for learning, he may learn things at a later date than the traditional scope and sequence would suggest. However, when a child is ready to learn and motivated, he may very very well be able to catch up and move quickly beyond others his age, and all in all, the whole learning process will be more enjoyable than if force-fed.

Unschooling can be similar to the Notebooking Home Schooling Method in many ways, though you don't have to do notebooks to do Unschooling. This may be an excellent choice of home schooling methods if you:

• don’t mind not having a set scope and sequence and structure to your child’s learning,
• want your child to have the freedom to follow her own interests,
• have enough confidence in the process of learning that you don’t mind if not all of your child’s learning can be documented by a written test,
• see a value in having your child develop expertise in an interest, and are willing to let other activities take second place, at least for a season,
• have a child who has interests, hobbies or collections they want to pursue.

In this home schooling method, the parent helps the child to learn how to learn, and then the child uses the tools of reading, writing and arithmetic to learn more advanced concepts on his own. The parent is not there to teach, but to help the child through the process of developing confidence that he can learn on his own. You can read more about this in the Robinson Curriculum's FAQs about their Self-Teaching Method.

Self-learning home schooling may work well for you over the long haul if you:

• want your child to develop the ability to learn on his own,
• see a value in having your child develop good study skills apart from your involvement,
• are willing to work with a younger child enough until he is able to take on more and more work independently.
• would rather have your child develop good learning strategies and time management on his own than be accountable to someone outside of the family (such as in an Umbrella School).

In this home schooling method, the umbrella organization takes on the oversight of the student’s learning, giving guidance, evaluating, and accountability. Umbrella programs can be very helpful if you want help in choosing curriculum, keeping track of records, or you want outside accountability for your child. Calvert and Christian Liberty Academy (CLASS) are two popular programs that offer such services, though A Beka and many other home school curriculum providers also offer this service. Online home schooling can be similar to umbrella programs, though you might choose to do only one or two courses online (such as writing).

Umbrella programs or online home schooling can be a very good option of the home schooling method if you:

• want your child to have outside accountability,
• don’t have confidence in your ability to plan, correct or document your child’s learning,
• don’t mind other people choosing the curriculum your child will use,
• don’t mind giving up a bit of flexibility
• want to spend less time planning your home school and gathering resources, and more time enjoying being with your child.

“Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”