Episode 141. Leah Boden on How the Legacy of Charlotte Mason is Informing Our Motherhood Journeys 100 Years Later
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Episode 141. Leah Boden on How the Legacy of Charlotte Mason is Informing Our Motherhood Journeys 100 Years Later

Episode 141

Leah Boden is back! Leah & I recorded Charlotte Mason 101 back in Episode 56…I highly recommend both of her episodes! Leah truly is the Modern Miss Mason and now has a book with the same title. I 10/10 recommend her book—it’s my favorite book of the year!

Charlotte Mason is a niche pedagogy that I passionately believe should be less niche and more mainstream. Charlotte Mason’s philosophies can be applied to education, homeschool, parenting, and life in general. I know I’m a better woman and mother after being introduced to her philosophies…and who better to introduce us to all things Charlotte Mason than Leah Boden!

Leah’s Bio: Leah Boden is wife to Dave, mother to four children, and a longtime home educator. With over two decades of experience in church leadership, Leah’s background also features many years in youth, children’s, and family work within the church and for the local education authority. Leah speaks, hosts podcasts and coaching sessions, and runs workshops sharing the beauty of a Charlotte Mason approach to childhood, motherhood, and education. She and her family live in the West Midlands, England.

In this episode, Leah & I talk about:

  • Talking about Charlotte Mason even 100 years after her death
  • How the teachings of Charlotte Mason brought confidence and confirmation
  • “Every mother is calling out for confidence.” -Leah Boden
  • Staying alive in our learning as mothers
  • Life-long learning
  • The Strength’s Finder Test
  • All important things are simple
  • The impact of our inner life on our outer life
  • How the beauty of life fills moms more than “me time”
  • Mothering without regret
  • Song for a Fifth Child poem
  • Advice that helped us when we first became moms
  • Being content with the season that we’re in
  • Pausing in motherhood
  • “Me time” as consumerism and advertising
  • How are you spending your time and money?
  • Focus on simplicity
  • Taking permission out of “me time” and just making it part of your life
  • “I’m confident that you are all intelligent, innovative educators.” -Leah Boden
  • Atmosphere as an instrument of education
  • The values that we hold
  • The conversations we have around the table
  • What we celebrate
  • What “hangs in the air” that our children grasp
  • Love and nurture our children
  • Learning how to enjoy our time with our children
  • Childhood is fleeting
  • Mothering is not tidy
  • Intentional vs Overthinking
  • The freedom in Charlotte Mason’s teachings
  • Charlotte Mason as a breath of fresh air
  • What creating atmosphere means
  • Setting the tone of your home
  • Letting kids learn at the age they are instead of forcing or controlling
  • Creating habits
  • “There is no expectation without explanation”
  • You don’t need to judge yourself on your parenting until your kids are 40
  • Explanation and demonstration lead to motivation
  • Children often emulate what those around us are doing
  • Making sure our kids don’t feel like an inconvenience
  • Making shifts to be more intentional
  • Being curious about what we need as moms
  • Being curious about what our kids need
  • Asking questions as a healthy expression of love
  • The power of apologizing to our children
  • The power of attention
  • Nature study’s importance in our everyday lives
  • Children connecting to God’s creation in nature
  • Get outside as much as you can
  • Nature being a place we can hone our observation and attention skills
  • Observe seasons and changes

Leah’s Links: Instagram and Website

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SPONSOR

Blossom & Root. Today’s episode of Elevating Motherhood is sponsored by Blossom & Root a nature-based, Charlotte Mason inspired homeschool curriculum company that has been gently guiding and supporting families for years! This thoughtful, age appropriate curriculum begins at the preschool level with options all the way up to 5th grade with more grade levels being released each year. Kristina Garner—the creator of Blossom & Root—also has beautiful unit studies she calls Book Seeds available on her site which are deep dives into beautiful, nature-based books. It’s one of my favorite things about her curriculum along with her incredible book lists for each grade. You can find out more about Kristina’s heart behind Blossom & Root in Episode 16.

Blossom & Root is one of the homeschool curriculums my family uses and loves! The information and ideas are easy to follow, fun, and engaging. If you’re new to homeschool or are simply looking for an inspiring homeschool curriculum to help you lovingly teach and guide your children, I highly recommend Blossom & Root. Using this curriculum has brought so much connection and joy to my family’s homeschool days—I love it, my kids love, and I think you’ll love it, too! Blossom & Root has generously offered a discount for listeners of Elevating Motherhood: use the code LORIBETH10 at checkout for 10% OFF your order.

For more information about Blossom & Root, head over to www.elevatingmotherhood.com/homeschool

LINKS

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