How To Plan Mother Culture- Tips + Free Planner

40 Favorite Hymns series by Leland Ryken. I have 40 Favorite Hymns For The Christian Year which sorts hymns Liturgically. Leland expounds on each selection, telling the history and origin of the hymn, and interesting tidbits of each one. Love this one for myself as well as for planning hymn study in our homeschool.

This one has made it onto multiple lists at this point! I love the Brontës and Jane Eyre is the GOAT in my humble opinion. With moral goodness at the forefront, an inspiring heroin, and a happy ending, I loved every minute of it and it clearly has made an impression on me. Also available on Amazon.

This one fits into my 'Bedside Table' book category (see planner!). If you're short on time or just dipping your toes back into your reading happy, this one is great! You don't have to be a theology nerd or super into Puritans to love this book (but it certainly doesn't hurt anything!). It's a small book filled with super short sermon illustrations from Thomas Manton's sermons, and Charles Spurgeon's thoughts on them. This one will encourage you and have you highlighting and common-placing like crazy, all in just a few minutes of reading a day. Also available on Amazon.

I love all the Anne books but this one is especially fitting for Mother Culture reading. In Anne's House of Dreams, we see Anne setting up her own home as a new bride, and themes of motherhood are plentiful. One small trigger warning as this book deals with death and loss, but not more so than the other books in the series.

"O Pioneers! is a classic novel by Willa Cather, first published in 1913. It tells the story of the Bergsons, a Swedish immigrant family living on the Nebraska prairie. Alexandra, the oldest daughter, is a strong-willed, hardworking woman determined to keep the family together and make their farm thrive. In the face of many hardships, she finds the strength to persevere, leading to a transformation of the land and the people around her. This beautiful, timeless novel is filled with themes of family, love, courage, and perseverance, and is a must-read for anyone looking to explore the American frontier."

I've been meaning to read this one for 2 years and finally just downloaded the Kindle edition! I'm excited to see how this helps me understand narration and help my students flourish. Also available on Amazon.

It's always helpful to hear form other real Charlotte Mason moms and their take on her principles and methods. I don't think anyone would pretend that understanding the Charlotte Mason philosophy and methods is a simple thing! That's why I've enjoyed books like these to help me along as I get my head around new concepts. It can be an adjustment homeschooling in this way, especially when you weren't raised in it. Karen Andreola has been instrumental in breathing fresh life into Charlotte's original volumes and her methods, especially in America. She and her husband arranged to have the original volumes "republished for a new generation of homeschoolers" and she wrote this book after embracing and implementing Mason's methods for over 10 years with her own children. Also avilable on Amazon.

This one is next up on my TBR. If you enjoy Picture Study with your children, this one would be great for your own reading during your Mother Culture time. Personally, I find myself having to hold back during our Picture Study time as I want to do all the talking, explaining and question-asling, but I know I need to allow my children to make those connections themselves. That's why I'm determined to add Picture Study into my own Mother Culture time this year. This book sounds like an inspiring way to get started. Listen to this quote from the back of the book:

"The artists featured in these pages--artists who devoted their lives and work to what is good, true, and beautiful--remind us that we can, and should, do the same." --Karen Swallow Prior

How perfect!

You can get this one on Amazon, too.

No Mother Culture basket is complete without a Bible. This is the Bible I got for my last birthday. I hadn't had a new Bible since I was a teenager (!) and this one was exactly what I wanted: hardback, beautiful, easy-to-read font and format, with margins for notetaking. Highly recommend, especially if you love the ESV like I do!

If you're still making your way through the original volumes, I highly recommend this version of A Philosophy of Education. The annotations give helpful hints, and there's plenty of room for making your own annotations and observations. Another bonus is that the Charlotte Mason Plenary YouTube channel has the audiobook version of A Philosophy of Education in its entirety, so you can listen and read along, or even just listen totally for free! I love audiobooks because it's a lot easier to sneak in "reading" time while my hands are busy. But having this physical copy makes it easier to absorb everything and notetaking can really help you come back to concepts later.

I love this basketweave stitch! I feel like you could use it for a lot more than dishcloths, too. This is a pretty simple free pattern to follow if you have a little bit of experience with crochet, and such a practical item. I think this on'es great for Mother Culture because it's practical but beautiful, you can make several or just one as time allows, and you only need one color of yarn and one crochet hook!

How cute is this book protector and what could be better suited for a Mother Culture craft? This pattern is adjustable for any size book. Be sure to check out Mahum's YouTube channel for an easy-to-follow tutorial and more bookish patterns.

I'm determined to attempt a few beginner sewing projects this year. An apron would be a fantastic project for your Mother Culture time!

This zippered pouch looks totally doable, and such a practical item to sew. I've actually been wanting to learn to make one like this as a liner for a crocheted purse, combining two wonderful crafts!

Choose a free watercolor outline and find the corresponding tutorial on the Let's Make Art YouTube page for a beginner-friendly watercolor project. My kids and I love to follow these tutorials. There are so many free outlines to choose from and you can use whatever wtercolor supplies you have. A great choice for your Mother Culture practice.

This tutorial is super detailed and helpful. I feel like I could actually jump in and start this project! She goes over everything from transferring your image onto cloth, to how to use an embroidery hoop, to splitting your thread and how much to use at a time, how to secure it, even how to thread a needle if you're unsure. She has this pattern free to download on her blog and also goes over everything you'd need as far as supplies. Embroidery would be such a fun and creative way to add beauty to your home with your Mother Culture time.

These little taper candles are so pretty. This tutorial with lots of photos makes it easy and the materials list is short. Did anyone else do something like this as a kid at a Pioneer Days festival? Just me?

This would be such a fun way to get started with felting! So gorgeous and practical, too. I've seen little bars like these at farmer's markets and wondered how they were made. This would be great for those crunchy mamas that love to make everything with natural materials!

I've had my eye on a stack of these Tila bracelets for a while. Of course designer brands are super pricey so I'd be doing a DIY like this one. This would be a great way to get started with crafting because you don't need much to get started, and the payoff is quick compared to something like an embroidery sampler or a sewing project. What I love about them is how simple they are. I'm not a flashy, costume jewelry kind of girl. And with these you can easliy customize the colors to fit your vibe, or make several stacks! I'd love some more neutral tones with gold and black, personally. But a beachy blue and tan look, black and white, or '90's style hot pink and teal would be cute! I'm also thinking this would an easy way to show school or team spirit by carefully choosing your team's particular shades.

Flower arranging is an underrated skill in my opinion, and much harder than it looks. Just ask me, or anyone I've ever given flowers to (haha)! You can really simply with grocery store flowers, either single stems or small cheap bouquets. Then combine them in a creative way for a unique bouquet. You can beautify your home or give them as gifts. A perfect handicraft for your Mother Culture practice 🙂