.jpg)
(Listen to "S - is for Science" which is the sister article to this piece by clicking here.)
Charlotte Mason reminds me to not try to be the “showman of the universe” for others. In no place is this a bigger temptation than when it comes to the teaching of science. It is because I love it so much that I want to show them all of the things. It is because I love it so much that I want the show to work. I want the experiment to do its thing, I want the audience to be wowed, and ask why, and keep coming back for more. The problem is, our experiences rarely lived up to my expectations or the images sold to me on curriculum advertisements and Pinterest. This doing of science was supposed to be the crème de la crem. The answer for piquing curiosity, motivating wonder, and instigating understanding.
Maybe it was just us – but here is how it usually happened at our house. We interrupted the flow of lessons, got out all of the stuff, went through the motions and did all of the things, looked. Took the token picture against a background of someone saying that they already knew what was going to happen. And then, rather lack lusterly, picked up the pieces of the rest of the day’s lessons. Again, maybe it was us; it certainly couldn’t have been the curriculum since we jumped around using all of the big names offering big promises.
At some point I began telling my oldest to just read through the experiments carefully. It will be obvious what is supposed to happen and why, then continue with the reading. This was the guilt-ridden advice of a jaded mom! The experiments simply weren’t worth the effort. There wasn’t enough bang for the buck. More and more we leaned into reading for our understanding. More and more it was reading that instigated excited exclamations of recognition and understanding – and then into our lives walked Charlotte Mason.
She has given me the courage say – it wasn’t just me. The modern textbook-spiced-up-with-experiments approach over promised and under delivered. Our level of commitment, my level of preparedness and organization weren’t to blame. The method was lacking.
In saying that living books can be the foundation of science education, I am not advocating for a regression to a pre-Archimedean, purely philosophical view of science. The willingness to experiment and test has been an advancing force of western culture. The recognition of a need for tangible trial and error and seeing what DOES actually happen rather than merely reasoning about what should or could happen was an important step towards the truth of the interconnectedness of the immaterial and physical worlds.
What I am saying is that in K-12 education the majority of what we offer students under the title “experiment” are not experiments! This may seem like a trivial point – but it matters. We are misrepresenting one of the most fascinating and fundamental aspects of science by inoculating children to the thrill of true discovery and the, sometimes, disappointing drudgery that is a true experiment. It’s why the “experiments” we host often have the tinny sound of falseness, why students are forced into an entertain-me posture and the mature ones often feel the need to prop up our emotions and expectations. Children are honest. They know what an experiment is supposed to be. And more often than not, it is not what we serve.
Most of what we facilitate in the way of hands-on science in the K-12 years would be more properly called science “demonstrations”. We set up various demonstrations of various scientific principles precisely because we have rejected gnostic reasoning as the road to truth. “Yes – we know what is going to happen here (because we’ve read around this subject from a living book!), but let’s prove it. It’s not enough to just think about things – action matters, the material world matters.” This is subtle but huge. Words have power to set expectations and so also disappointments. Words create spaces for us to function in and we can only function in true spaces well.
The flip side of this coin is that once people started experimenting, developed the Scientific Method, and discovered the amazingness of a key element tey had been there was a temptation to "throw the baby out with the bath water" and lean exclusively on what can be touched, tasted, tested and proved materialy as the determiner of truth. Immaterial ideas were viewed as subjective and suspect. As with most pendulum swings, there is a sweet spot in the middle, and this is where Charlotte Mason’s philosophy rests.
In our time, with the push for STEM and utility, the pendulum is obviously towards the purely materialist extreme and so the question we are faced with is: Are we doing enough with a Charlotte Mason approach to science. Are we settling?
To answer this question, answer another: What is our goal for K-12 education? Is our objective to make genuine scientific discoveries with our students? We could – they are out there, but they are out on the limb. Rather than shove our children out onto the tender reaches of the scientific frontier (even if you see that this is where their destiny lies), our goal for their youth should be to give them a firm hold on the trunk and principle limbs of each tree in the field. The men and their stories, properties and possibilities, the equations and how they were discovered are best sown in words. Living words. And because of the sciences’ emphasis on recording and communicating well – sometimes even the very words of the scientists themselves! Always the people who are most passionate and articulate.
With Living Books the very breath of science has the opportunity to shiver our students! Thought begets thought. Thought that has been assimilated begets action. It is in this secondary place that we put our hands on it – after the ideas, after the thought, we demonstrate. After all of the above is fully rooted, we may experiment.
I once heard a working scientist use CS Lewis’s book The Four Loves as a template for a sane and effective approach to science instruction:
Affection: a wide familiarity, not personal choice – but because it is there, and because of exposure – care develops over time. A level that is always maintained even as other loves come.
Friendship: a particular care, a choice, a knowing of oneself that leads to reaching out for kindred.
Eros: an exclusive love that excludes others, a commitment. Narrows and confines.
Agape: a selfless and sacrificial love. Service without expectations.
I ask again. What is our goal for K-12 education? I propose we take too much on ourselves and our children.
Aim small, miss small.
Affection is our primary sphere, Friendship in the upper years.
Why are we pushing students into commitments and narrowness in their childhood? Those loves will come in their time (college and adult pursuits) – but out of place and time will damage.
With these thoughts in mind, what follows is not a point by point description of what Charlotte Mason did in her time, but rather what evolved over the course of mine. My love for science found its outlet in Charlotte Mason’s principles and approach and as I came to trust her method a practical, lifegiving way of teaching science using living books evolved.
Here is what I would recommend for my grandkids!
1. The foundation of science education for Charlotte Mason was Nature Study. Knowledge of the Universe must begin with getting to know the parts closest to us and then working outward concentrically. I have written about Nature Study in detail here. But briefly, this broad phrase can be broken down into 4 parts: An outdoor life, nature readings/ lore, nature journaling, and The object lesson. An observant outdoor life of a child should be cultivated as soon as possible. The more formal aspects of nature study can begin at 6 yrs old. Nature Study as cornerstone is never outgrown but should grow with the student and challenge them in new ways as they level up. Resist the urge to make nature journaling exclusively an art experience. Lists, dates, charts, measurements and narrations are all needful for scientific ability. Help your children recognize that it isn’t any one entry – but the consistency of keeping over weeks and seasons and years that data and patterns can be observed and appreciated. Long term goals.
2. A more formal study using living books can begin at 6 years. Be sure to use living books and require narrations. In Form 1 (1st – 3rd ) and Form 2 (4th – 6th ) I have science on the schedule 3x per week. If you view those time slots like an ice tray, there are various ways of thinking of books to plug into those spaces and these can mixed and matched differently over the years. Here are some categories we identified and use:
- Spine Study: a specific book or theme that you are working through. For those who struggle to let go of curriculum, this could even be a “living” curriculum (be wary!) that you will be content to work through at a slower pace, possibly 1 book per form instead of a 1 per year.
- Special Study or Interest Study: a specific topic of the scientific world. (butterflies, rocks, magnetism, etc.) Take them to your nearest Living Book Library and maybe even let them choose their own books.
- Nature Lore: personal/ personified narrative accounts centering on Rhythms, seasons, or cycles of life on earth. Perhaps the stories or travels of a naturalist, a snake’s eye view of year, a farmer’s description of his life on the land, etc.
- Nature Journaling: Time outside with the goal of one entry. As they get older start various “projects” to watch and track. Line or bar graphs for temperature readings or rain amounts; Nature circle for the week, month, season; Phenology wheels, moon phases, Lists of firsts; insect, plant, bird lists, etc.)
- Science Biography – self-explanatory! There are some great ones out there and honestly this is the stuff my kids remember the most.
- Bonus Thoughts: Some years a study may warrant 2 days per category, but for the most part try to think in terms of 1 category per day. Ms. Mason’s use of “streams” allows us to not feel compelled to make everything matchy-matchy (ie – Spine study: space / Special study: Jupiter / Science Biography: Galileo) mismatched streams of thought flowing throughout the year work on the premise that a change is a good as a break and it also allows many opportunities for the student themself to make organic connections across fields of thought.
3. Map out a Plan: There is no right way to use living books, but the fluidity of living books can be intimidating. It can lend to a sense of peace to have a plan about where you have been and where you are going. Some people like to “theme a form”. For example: Form 1 Nature Topics / Form 2 Physics topics / Form 3 Human Body or Astronomy. You get the idea. Give yourself some structure but make it your own. Here are some general science topics to consider:
· Animals: Birds, Mammals, Insects, Fish, etc.
· Astronomy
· Biology
· Human Body
· Chemistry
· Physics
· Inventions and Tech
· Geology
· Origins / Apologetics
· Ocean
· Plants
· Biomes
· Medicine / Disease
· Cycles: water, carbon, air, insects, life, food webs, etc.
4. Opportunities for hands on science via demonstrations and experiments should always be an outworking of ideas inwardly assimilated and ideally self-motivated. The tremendous value of a consistent flow of morning lessons is not worth sacrificing on that alter of STEM. A nice space for demonstrations and experiments can be Afternoon Occupations. In the same way Ms. Mason hints that evidence for child’s history studies having taken root is that they “play at” their lessons in their free time, so this can be true for science. Provide - space: uncluttered afternoons; materials: keep a box stocked with various things; and ideas: either: ideas from the week’s reading, often the living book itself will present options, my kids often wanted to interrupt their reading time to “try something”, tell them to hold-that-thought for after lunch. Or else find the books devoted to themed activities that you may keep on hand for free time use.
There are times that in the flow of a lesson a demonstration is useful. In a home setting – I still say, let it wait for afternoon. In a class setting, fully present the idea with narrations first in order to activate and train “the inward eye” and then let the demonstration follow in the next class session. Ideas for things in your science box could include:
· String
· Coils of steel, copper, and aluminum wire.
· Tape
· Batteries
· Paper cups
· Eye droppers
· Rulers
· Clay
· Wooden dowl rods
· Magnifying glass
· Compass
· Magnets
· Paperclips
· Digital kitchen scale
· Thermometer
· Glass bowls of various sizes
· Rectangular cake pan
· Cookie sheet
5. Speaking of class settings, where can a school community meet needs?
One of the sweet aspects of pursuing a Charlotte Mason approach to science in a community setting is that her understanding of “streams” can allow the home to have one cohesive conversation around one “stream”, while the school hosts another and separate. This eliminates the struggle for communication across the spaces. Sometimes the part families want help with is a host for the mess and clutter of the hands-on aspect. While this may feel like a given, balance it with the thought that sometimes a group demonstrating together looses focus on the ideas, as well as the fact that ideas and discussion in the vibrance of community are also amazing. Weigh what is actually needed for your families carefully. There are many templates to choose from, one could be: ideas/ readings at home, applications in class. In a multiple day per week situation you could devote one day to ideas and a 2nd day to demonstrations, or focus on ideas in both spaces and cluster denostrations into a couple of weeks towards the end of the year. Whatever the case, set the tone with correct wording (demonstration vs. experiment) and expectations. Wherever possible the kids should be the ones reading the instructions and doing the experiments themselves. Be mindful of your role to stand aside and facilitate. The chief benefit of these activities is not the outcome of the demonstration itself but the skills it lets the students develop.
· Deciphering and following instructions
· Dexterity in handling and setting things up
· Observing and recording data
· Communicating results
6. How it plays out at Red-Brick. For our high schoolers we host science labs once per year, clustered together over 2-4 weeks, meeting on a separate day than our usual class days. One year Biology, One year Chemistry, etc. On a set rotation. When working with a larger class, I will often divide the class into groups of 3-4 kids. Each team is given the instructions and box of supplies and expected to facilitate the demonstration on their own “cooking show” style. Narrating as they go. In the audience the other teams record data, details and diagrams in their lab notebooks. We rotate through the afternoon’s objectives with each team getting a turn practicing each skill and no team ever a passive observer, I the teacher doing very little other than continually asking why.
7. Speaking of High School… We upgrade science to 4x per week on the schedule. At this level the pressure to conform to modern approaches can be heavy. Strive to keep in mind the objectives of Affection and Friendship. Do all you can to keep their studies broad. Look for creative ways to maintain an observant outdoor life. As far as scheduling goes, while a theme per year approach can be done in an authentic Charlotte Mason way (9th Physical/ Earth Science / 10th Biology / 11th Chemistry / 12th Physics) you might also consider a “stream” approach to High School Science (1 day physical/ Earth; 1 day Biology; 1day Chemistry; 1 day Physics) or some combination of the two. Regardless of what you choose, as long as you are thorough and don’t misrepresent what your child has in fact studied, I think it is fair to make your transcript say what people are going to expect it to say for each given year. Most secondary institutions don’t want to wade through the details of how you used living books!
Charlotte Mason recommended that the education we offer students be based on books and things, ideas and habits and it is in the sphere of science education that we see best how sane and unifying of extremes her philosophy is.
In her book School Education, she speaks of being wary of referencing the material and immaterial part of a person separately for fear that it will lead to a misunderstanding of the unified whole that a human being truly is. These thoughts can be overlain onto the conversations around the teaching of science.
The word science literally means knowledge; as a school subject we use the word to reference the “knowledge the universe” as a set of specific ideas, but its original meaning and our modern take on it hold insight into modernist thinking. Just as a man is a unified whole – so is knowledge. This was Ms. Mason’s great recognition – may it be ours. Our goal for this time should be to superimpose onto modern thinking the cohesive understanding that science/ knowledge is not divided or one sided: material (experiment and demonstration heavy) nor immaterial (idea and reasoning exclusively). May our approach with our students honor their interconnected personhood with cohesive study that balances the inward and the outward in proper order, inward out.
Sara Timothy 2025
Below are links to resources I have created to facilitate science education in homes and schools. By no means are they required, or are they the only resources out there, nor are they necessarily the best (they have some typos and are due for some revisions!) What they are gathering places for the books and conversations and points I have loved the most over the years collected into one place.
High School - Designed for independent use, however many co-ops have adapted for group use. Order directly from these links:
Physical & Earth Science: Charlotte Mason High School Science
Biology: Charlotte Mason High School Biology
Chemistry: Charlotte Mason High School Chemistry
Physics & Worldview: Charlotte Mason High School Physics +Worldview
Elementary - Detailed Lesson plans designed for group/ class use. Use the contact form for more info or to order:
Form 1 Vertebrates
Description: This is a study we love for our year 1 students but could be appropriate for Year 1 or 2 students. As the name implies this is a study of animals with backbones! This is a unique study, incorporating all the elements of a Charlotte Mason lesson including Living Books, developing the art of narration along with developing some fun age-appropriate skills such as cutting, pasting, and stapling as they create books of their own, along with personal charts they will keep and add to throughout the year’s study.
Books & Details: This study requires the purchase of 13 books (but it’s worth it!) 1 each for the teacher. Animals with Backbones by Evan Moor, When Animals Change Clothes by May, Everyday Turtles, Toads & Their Kin by Allen, Downy Woodpecker by Sears, Spring Peepers by Hawes, Chickens Aren’t the Only Ones by Heller, All About Eggs by Selsam, What is a Fish by Eastman, Animals in the Wild: Snakes by Hoffman, How Bird’s Fly by Jaspersen, Growing & Changing by Howie, One Small Square: African Savannah by Silver, Just Me by Ets. This study has 2 built in Charlotte Mason review sessions with a fun End-of-Year Special “Exam”! 30 min. lessons / 1x week / 28 weeks.
Form 1 Freshwater Ecosystems
Description: This is a study of Freshwater ecosystems suitable for grades 1-3. This study has all of the great Charlotte Mason elements including: Living books and the practice of listening well, practice in oral narration and in participating in conversation. Students will also use art to create and continually add to various freshwater habitats they create as they study. This study contains 26 black & white sketches and drawings to bring the relational introductions to life, plus a couple of science demonstration/ experiments and an optional end of year project.
Books & Details: This study requires the purchase of 7 books, 1 each for the teacher: Pond & Stream by Ransome, Ducks Don’t Get Wet by Goldin, Bufo by McClung, Beavers by Wood, Busy Water by Black, Who Lives in the Meadow by Blough, The Ugly Duckling by Anderson.
Form 1 The Human Body
Description: This study is an amazing, hands-on, first introduction to bodies! Students’ studies will fall under 3 broad categories: Senses, Systems and Care. Along with readings from Living books and practice in the art of narration students will create their own booklet, create an almost life size model of themselves and add in organs as they study systems, make a hygiene chart, learn a little first aid and a bit about nutrition. There is Charlotte Mason style review throughout and in lieu of exams we end the year with a fun 2-week review game!
Form 2 Earth & Life Science (Finding & Doing)
Description: This is study of the natural world via the child’s own backyard, it uses a living book - but also exploration! This is a lovely extension of Charlotte Mason’s use of nature study. For those students who are nature journaling regularly at home – this study will show value and application to things they are already practicing, bring them into a more formal study of science. For those who are not using CM at home – this study will introduce them to all-of-the-lovely-things and inspire them with the idea of observing, collecting, classifying, and researching. This is a fun hands-on study to pique curiosity. Students will train the habit of attention by listening to readings, gathering ideas and narrating. Teachers will host a nature find show and tell at the start of each class and facilitate a “collection” over the course of the year, along with term assignments for collection and research. From the stars to core of the Earth this study is a fun introduction to the natural world.
Books & Details: This study uses 1 book plus a couple of nature guides of your choice. Science in Your Own Back Yard, by Cooper (1 for the teacher).
Form 2 Physical Science:
Description: The is a study of physical science and some key laws via the life of Archimedes. I love that the book used brings in an element of biography, history, and real-life problems to be solved thus creating a context and need for the scientific concept to be understood. This study teaches important physics and mathematical concepts. Beyond the book these lesson plans have custom connecting narratives and activities. Students will participate in readings, narrations, keeping a journal, science experiments/demonstrations. There are also suggestions for short Youtube videos.
Books & Details: This study uses 1 book Archimedes and the Door to Science by Jeanne Bendick (1 per student + teacher).
Form 2 Astronomy & Physical Science
Description: The story of Galileo is one of the great stories of the scientific world. Here is a chance to look at Galileo’s life, and the lives of his contemporaries, and into a range of scientific topics from gravity to refraction, from astronomy to the physics of movement. Of course, the story of Galileo seems to always lead to questions of Faith vs. Science. Let’s talk about that and see that all truth is harmonious (as Galileo said) and more than that – that all truth is God’s truth. Science and Faith are not at odds. While by no means the emphasis of this study – this is a nice foundation thought.
Students will read, narrate, keep a science journal, learn about the Scientific Method conduct 5 experiment/ demonstrations and be introduced to and practice Studied Dictations with quotes from the man himself all via the teacher being fully supported.
Books & Details: This study uses 2 books: Along Came Galileo by Jeanne Bendick (1 per student + teacher), Galileo for Kids by Richard Panchyk (1 for teacher).
Jr. High - Detailed Lesson plans designed for group/ class use. Use the contact form for more info or to order:
Form 3 Physical Science:
Description: This is a great study that blends in many physical science topics through narrative real-world connections and dilemmas. Touch on: light, waves, electricity, sound, Newton’s Laws of Motion, properties of water, chemistry, atmospheric pressure, The Coriolis Effect, a snippet on genetics and finish the year with several weeks of Astronomy. This study provides so many good Charlotte Mason things along with: guided public readings, various forms of oral and group narrations, keeping a science journal, a couple of science demonstrations, provided diagrams and student sheets, a quick convo on Intelligent Design via Newton, plus a couple of great optional add-ons for at home. This study makes a great “stream”, or a starting point for further home study, or an enjoyable group supplement to a textbook.
Books & Details: This study uses “Curveballs and Rainbows” by Flatow. 1 for the teacher and 1 per student.
Form 3 Life Science & Origins:
Description: This is a unique approach to a bigger-kid introduction to Life Science. Students will be introduced to, understand, and use the Taxonomic Categories; They will study various forms of microscopic water life; Various forms of non-vascular & non-photosynthetic plants; an invertebrate, and arachnid and various insects. Lab opportunities each term and weekly guided science journaling along with narration provide plenty of space for the assimilation of ideas. The final 6 weeks are reserved for a great conversation on origins with “The Case for the Creator” DVD series – adapted to Charlotte Mason’s philosophy with custom arrangements, prompts, narration and more. This study makes a great “stream”, or a starting point for further home study, or an enjoyable group supplement to a textbook.
Books & Details: This study uses “Adventures with a Microscope” by Headstrom. 1 for the teacher and 1 per student + “The Case for a Creator” DVD series, at least 1 microscope and assumes access to Youtube.
Comments