Claim OwnershipThe New Mason Jar with Cindy Rollins
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The New Mason Jar with Cindy Rollins explores the application of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy to the atmosphere, discipline, and life of our homes and schools. We cover Charlotte’s timeless principles as they work themselves out in our real and modern lives. Interviewing seasoned moms who have cherished Charlotte’s works while raising real children in real families, we endeavor to lay a foundation of hope and possibility for our listeners. However imperfectly.
121 Episodes
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On this week’s episode of The New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn talk with Julie and Diana about their book discussion group, which recently celebrated its 20th year of meeting and reading together: How the group started and how they choose new books for the group to read Some of the ways they make book discussion nights special How Diana and Julie divide up roles and duties to share the load A little about the format of each book club meeting Why the ladies stick to classic literature and biographies instead of contemporary novels Julie and Diana’s tips for running a similar book club with their friends For full show notes, including links to books and podcasts mentioned, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/120.
On The New Mason Jar this week, we bring you a special Q&A episode recorded with Kay Pelham and Jami Marstal as a follow-up to our 2025 Back to School Online Conference How can a mom of many finish well with her last few students, implementing more of Mason’s methods now that she has more time with fewer children? What is some advice for dealing with disrespect from teens and pre-teens? What are some principles to help guide the upper years, making time for what really matters without overloading ourselves and our students? How should you approach starting a Charlotte Mason education with an older student? How can we communicate about Charlotte Mason’s principles with those unfamiliar with them in a community or cooperative context? To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/119.
Today on The New Mason Jar, we bring you a conversation Cindy and Dawn had with Anthony Coafield, Australian homeschooling father of three boys and founder of Living Book Press How Anthony and his wife found out about Charlotte Mason’s philosophy How stories shaped Anthony’s life from a young age Why and how Anthony started Living Books Press How Anthony juggles the publishing work and homeschooling his boys What Anthony has done to accommodate his children’s various learning needs What might people mean when they say they use a Charlotte Mason approach? What is some advice Anthony has for dads who are the primary home educators? Be sure to visit our website at https://thenewmasonjar.com/118 to view the full show notes for this episode, including links to all the resources mentioned in the show.
On this week's episode of The New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn talk with Sue Lee, veteran homeschool mom and French teacher How Sue first learned about Charlotte Mason How art history led Sue to studying French In what ways did Sue's teaching change as she learned about Charlotte Mason's principles? How Sue started teaching French classes for homeschoolers What are some of Sue's tips for teaching a foreign language? How can a family plan a trip to France or another dream country? What is the role of beauty in education? To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/117.
Today’s New Mason Jar episode features another episode from our archives with guests are Kay Pelham and Christy Hissong Kay is a veteran homeschooling mom to one son, as well as a piano teacher and literary enthusiast Christy is also a veteran homeschooling mom of one boy, and teaches at a local Charlotte Mason cottage school How did each of our guests learn about Charlotte Mason? What are some of the challenges you faced with homeschooling an only child? What did reading aloud look like in your home? How did you figure out if your child had some learning challenges that needed addressed? How did you use narration in your homeschool? Was there anything you wish had been different in your homeschooling years? How does a Charlotte Mason education continue for a mother after her children have graduated? To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/116.
Today on The New Mason Jar, we bring you an episode from the vault in which Cindy and Dawn talk with Jami Marstall, veteran homeschooling mom of 4 and a lifelong learner herself How Jami first started learning about Charlotte Mason Why do you think parents are hesitant about using Charlotte Mason through high school? What advice do you have for parents whose students are transitioning into high school? What about writing high school transcripts? Is high school a good time to outsource some of your child’s education? How did you adapt and change the curriculum for your different children’s interests and abilities? To sign up for the 2025 Back to School Conference, please visit MorningTimeforMoms.com. For the full show notes of this episode, you can visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/115.
1 On this week’s episode of The New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn talk with Lauren Fee, homeschooling mom of five with a passion for Charlotte Mason’s philosophy, especially as it applies to Bible lessons for children How Lauren came to learn about Charlotte Mason Which of Charlotte’s “20 Principles” should be considered by those responsible for teaching the Bible to children? Who was Canon J. Paterson Smyth, and why did Charlotte Mason recommend his work? How Lauren has created a children’s Bible study curriculum using Smyth’s work for the modern church Is this curriculum only for use in churches, or can it be used at home or in schools as well? To get Lauren’s curriculum 20% OFF through July 12, 2025, use coupon code MASONJAR20 when you check out at ChildrensFeast.com/shop To view the full show notes for this episode, including quotes and book links, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/114.
This week on The New Mason Jar, Dr. Jason Baxter returns to the podcast to talk with Cindy and Dawn about Dante as part of a new series of Mothers Education Course episodes When Dr. Baxter was first introduced to Dante’s Divine Comedy Why Dr. Baxter thinks Dante wrote this work in the form of epic poetry? How this translation is different than other modern English translations Does the language and mood of Inferno feel different from that in the Purgatorio? Why Jason chose the artwork he did for the covers of his translations Jason’s encouragement for the busy homeschool mom in approaching Dante Hear more from Dr. Baxter in Cindy’s summer discipleship which you can still register for here: Morning Time for Moms 2025 Summer Discipleship: Life Together You can also sign up for Jason’s summer class at TheHouseofHumaneLetters.com To view the full show notes for this episode, including quotes and book links, please visit our website at https://thenewmasonjar.com/113.
On The New Mason Jar Podcast this week, Cindy and Dawn talk with Anne White, AmblesideOnline Advisory member, about how she continues her own education as a veteran homeschool mom A little more background on how Anne learned about Charlotte Mason What kinds of books Anne remembers reading as a child How Anne realized she needed to continue her own education as an adult What ways Anne seeks to grow in knowledge now and keeps her curiosity alive What Anne’s reading life looks like these days How can busy moms use the little pockets of time in their day to keep moving forward? Learn more about Cindy’s 2025 Summer Discipleship “Life Together” and sign up to join in today at MorningTimeforMoms.com. To view the full show notes for this episode, including quotes and links to books and resources, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/112.
In this week's episode of The New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn talk with Jeannette Tullis about implementing Kindergarten in harmony with Charlotte Mason's methods What was Charlotte Mason's approach to early childhood education? Is the idea of modern early education a myth? What do you do about writing or narration during the kindergarten years? How Jeannette makes reading aloud interactive Do parents need a curriculum to guide them through the early years? How do you choose good quality picture books? What can parents do to keep records in states where it is required? Plus: a sidebar about Jeannette's CM Sunday School lesson Morning Time for Moms 2025 Summer Discipleship: Life Together information and registration can be found at Cindy's website now! To view the full show notes for this episode on our website, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/111/.
On this week's episode of The New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn share a conversation with Anna Fischer about the homeschool hybrid school, Canyon Creek Christian Academy in Tennessee How Anna first heard about Charlotte Mason's educational philosophy What is a hybrid school? How Anna got involved with CCCA and later became co-director What it is like to run the hybrid school How the school leadership seeks educate and support parents What are the benefits for the students and any potential drawbacks of this hybrid model? What does a typical day at the school look like? How does the school find teachers who are on board with the Charlotte Mason philosophy? How assessments work at CCCA What Anna would tell people considering starting a hybrid program like this To view the full show notes for this episode, including books and quotes, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/110
Today on The New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn have a veteran homeschool mom, Hailey White, and her daughter Vivien on the show to talk about speech and debate from a Charlotte Mason perspective How Hailey first learned about Charlotte Mason and her ideas What were Vivien's impressions of her education? How did the Whites become involved with Christian homeschooling speech and debate? How did participating in speech and debate influence Vivien's homeschool experience? What is the value of joining a Stoa club, and how does it work? What about concerns about the competitive nature of tournaments? Is there a benefit for students who don't initially seem interested in public speaking? To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://thenewmasonjar.com/109.
On The New Mason Jar this week, we bring you a replay of a great conversation all about spring nature study with Cindy, Dawn and Cindy’s friend Jeannette Tulis How can moms begin nature study when they have never done it before? How to find spring ephemeral wildflowers, and other things to look for at this time of year Ideas for stepping up your nature study game What are some tips for nature journaling? To view the full show notes for this episode, please visit our website at https://thenewmasonjar.com/108.
On the New Mason Jar today, we are sharing a conversation Cindy and Dawn had with Zach and Andrea Vaughn. Zach serves as a U.S. Navy chaplain while Andrea homeschools their four children. How Zach and Andrea found out about Charlotte Mason What it is like being an active duty chaplain What are some of the benefits of homeschooling through frequent moves? How have you found homeschooling community when arriving a new place? How Zach participates in homeschooling when he is at home What is it like when Dad comes home from a long time away? How do you stay connected and keep communication open when apart? To view the full show notes for this episode including book links and quotes, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/107.
On this week’s episode of The New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn are joined by Denise Gaskins, veteran homeschool mom and math coach and tutor What are math logbooks, and why are they a helpful learning tool? Would Charlotte Mason have encouraged math games? How can math games progress as students gain proficiency with them? What is wrong with traditional math curricula, and do we need to change it? Denise gives Cindy and Dawn a math game prompt to show how these practices can work What are some ideas for students with math anxiety? To view the full show notes for this episode, including links to all the resources mentioned, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/106.
Today on The New Mason Jar, Cindy and Dawn talk with Stephanie Russell about studying the Scriptures How Stephanie first learned about Charlotte Mason and her educational philosophy What is a “clew,” and how does this apply to studying the Bible? How Stephanie came upon this book along with Charlotte’s Mother’s Education Course Who was Mary Petrie, and how was she connected with Mason? How is Clews to Holy Writ set up? How can a busy mom actually implement this type of study? To view the full show notes for this episode, including all books and links mentioned, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/105
This week we are delighted to bring you another conversation between Cindy Rollins and guest Karen Glass, veteran homeschool mom and member of the AmblesideOnline Advisory Karen and Cindy tackle the subject of Charlotte Mason and classical education, refuting some misrepresentations of a Charlotte Mason education Cindy explains why she has a problem with the current neo-classical education movement Karen explains how this conversation even came about in the first place Karen discusses the value of spending time reading and re-reading Charlotte Mason's work Cindy asks Karen to explain why she believes Charlotte Mason is in the classical paradigm To view the full show notes for this episode, including quotes, book links and more about our hosts and guests, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/104.
Today on The New Mason Jar podcast, Dawn moderates a discussion between host Cindy Rollins and guest Karen Glass, veteran homeschool mom and member of the AmblesideOnline Advisory Karen and Cindy talk about narration and composition in the Charlotte Mason paradigm, beginning with a little background on Karen’s new book, The Art of Composition Why Cindy has always said that parents don’t need a writing program and Karen’s response Cindy’s concern for parents to remember to focus on ideas in narration over the form of composition Karen’s thoughts on the building blocks of narration as the foundation of writing and composition How Karen came to see that she had developed a sort of philosophy of writing as a conversation Cindy talks about distinguishing between narration and summaries of a text Karen shares some encouragement for moms with struggling narrators To see the full show notes for this episode, including quotes and book links, please visit https://thenewmasonjar.com/103/.
Welcome back to The New Mason Jar and another episode in our Morning Time for Moms self-education series Today Cindy and Dawn chat with Megan Graham, homeschooling mother of nine, two of whom she has graduated How Megan came to learn about the philosophy of Charlotte Mason What Megan’s own education was like and what her perception of learning was as a young person How did your idea of education shift, and were there any books that helped you form new ideas about education? How does Megan build in times to read in the midst of the busy seasons of life What Megan is currently reading To view the full show notes, including quotes and link to books mentioned, please visit our website at https://thenewmasonjar.com/102/.
This week on The New Mason Jar, we bring you another special Q&A episode with Cindy’s Patreon members What is the approach to reading a book with a high school student in the Charlotte Mason paradigm? How do you deal with “imperfect” narrations, and how can you make stopping for narrations mid-read less distracting? Should we have students narrate poetry regularly? How can we start out narrations with young children, and what are some tips for helping students in the beginning? What can we do about teens who are affected by the fear of missing out on opportunities in public school? To view the complete show notes with quotes and links to books mentioned, please visit our website at https://thenewmasonjar.com/101/.
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I was on that nature walk with Naomi at the creek in TN. I lead nature walks in NH typically so felt as out of my element as Naomi did being from CA. I can attest that it was indeed magical. We huddled over fossils together and she recognized a species related to something she's seen in tidepools in CA. ❤ I'll never forget it.
Poor The Babysitters Club! At present time, it's probably much more erudite than many new books coming out now. I missed the era and had only boys so I've not read them but they always get trashed in CM and classical discussions. 😁