Today I'm sharing about a wonderful Charlotte Mason inspired membership for homeschoolers called The Homeschool Garden. We'll talk about everything it includes, but especially The Homeschool Garden music resources!
Disclosure: I received a membership to The Homeschool Garden so I could effectively and honestly share about it here. I also get commissions for purchases made through affiliate links in this post.
Ancient History 1 – Egypt and Mesopotamia (coming in April 2021)
Ancient History 2 – Rome and Greece (coming in July 2021)
Pilgrim’s Progress (coming in August 2021)
Medieval History 1 – Early medieval period (coming in October 2021)
The Homeschool Garden Club Morning Time Membership Sessions Include:
Morning Basket Schedule – everything is planned out for you to keep the rotation simple and delightful.
Copywork – primary, cursive, and elementary versions included, college rule sheets included for older students and mothers to make notes or copy
2–3 poetry selections for listening and practicing recitation if your children are older
2–3 teatimes – 2 recipe/hospitality based and 1 with a fun theme
Composer biography and 4-6 music selections (listening tracks are included)
Hymn and folk song with sheet music and audio tracks included
Artist biography and 6 art selections
Handicraft lesson
Art lesson
Brush drawing lesson
Weekly nature study you can do from your table
Geography study based off living books
Scripture, prayer, and poetry memory work
Shakespeare stories or Plutarch Lives
Recommended reading lists to complement the current study
Access to the private membership forum through Mighty Networks to keep you accountable and to share your success
How-to videos for teaching each subject to multiple ages.
What are The Homeschool Garden Music Resources Included?
There are several music resources in each unit of The Homeschool Garden membership: a composer study with a biography and 4-6 compositions to listen to (audio tracks included) as well as a hymn and a folk song. Here are some of my favorites:
“His Eye Is on the Sparrow” is a beautiful hymn. Included on lovely printables with pictures of sparrows is the story behind the song, a Scripture passage, the lyrics, the sheet music, copywork pages of Matthew 10:29-31, and notebooking pages for the composer and lyricist.
Frédéric François Chopin and Hector Berlioz composer study and pieces to listen to
MP3 audio piano accompaniments of many of the songs
Fun folk songs from around the world like “Waltzing Matilda” and “Alouette”
Links to the Solfa lessons from Open Air.
How We Used The Homeschool Garden in Our Homeschool
We spent some time using two different Homeschool Garden units:
What I enjoyed most about the Winter Birds unit were the stories from The Burgess Bird Book for Children, the Peanut Butter Hearts recipe, the nature study cards using Audubon's bird paintings, the backyard bird count activity, the Chopin composer study, the hymn Praise God from Whom All Blessings Flow, the folksong Alouette, and the Birdseed Cakes handicraft!
Vive la France Unit
My kids loved the Starry Night art lesson from the Vive la France unit. Here are some pictures:
We also watched the movie Ratatouille and talked through the movie study questions included in the unit.
The music selections included for Vive la France are very easy to use and are all included on one web page. There's the hymn “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” with a biography and the story behind the song, an audio track of a choir singing the hymn a capella in parts on “ahh” so you can use it as a background track, and a video of Mahalia Jackson singing it in gospel style. The sheet music is also available to download. The folk song “Ah ! vous dirais-je, maman” has the lyrics in French and English, an audio track of the instrumental accompaniment, a video of a lady singing it in French, and a video of the Mozart tune (the same as “Twinkle Little Star”) played in variations on the piano.
Finally, the composer study is Hector Berlioz with 6 pieces to listen to. The audio tracks are included right there on the page. An additional option for music is to use the YouTube Solfa lessons from Open Air and the Intro to Level A video lesson is included.
Next, I'm excited to do the Mother Culture art lesson in Vive la France–an acrylic art lesson on Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms–just for moms!
Final Thoughts About The Homeschool Garden Music Resources
I love the variety of music resources in the different units. There are hymns, folk songs, and composer study with the great composers. There are two different types of composer study notebooking pages to choose from. If you follow the suggested homeschool schedule, you'll see that each day includes something related to music. I love that!
You'll be listening to some of the greatest music from some of the best composers. There are 4-6 pieces for each composer included so you really get a chance to know his or her style. The hymns are meaningful and the folk songs are fun–and often relate to the unit's theme! The folk songs are also often unique; there are several that I've never even heard before.
One of the best features is that almost always the sheet music and audio tracks are included. And, you don't need to have any musical background in order to use the lessons. They're simple for every homeschool mom. You'll learn so much from The Homeschool Garden music resources!
FAQ about The Homeschool Garden
Do I need to purchase other programs to use these plans?
Everything you need is included. There are NO other program purchases required for The Homeschool Garden morning time plans.
Is this a faith-based resource?
Yes! They include classic hymns, poems, readings, and copywork that contain Christian content.
Can I use The Homeschool Garden with my High School Students?
Now, who wants to win this amazing resource? One blessed family will win a Yearly membership to The Homeschool Garden Morning Time, a $221.99 value.
It's such a great joy to help other homeschool families succeed, simplify, and be consistent while still maintaining a delightful home atmosphere. The Homeschool Garden is a Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum that works well for many different families and is designed for the entire family to learn together which makes things easier on mom!
They offer The Homeschool Garden as individual sessions for families who want to take things at their own pace, and they offer the Yearly membership described below. Currently, there are 23 sessions available to yearly members with 5 more being added in 2021.
The Homeschool Garden Yearly Members have access to ALL current and future morning time sessions for as long as you are a member.
Weekly Schedule – Ready-to-go plans set up to keep the rotation simple and delightful
Subjects included in each session include: Copywork; poetry; tea time; composer study and music selections; art study and art selections; handicrafts; art lessons; hymns and folk songs; weekly nature study; geography; memory work including scripture, prayer, and poetry; Shakespeare or Plutarch; recommended reading lists to compliment the session.
Access to the private online support community to keep you accountable and to share your success.
Access to the video library of how-to's – subject by subject videos to help you teach morning time subjects effectively.
Members-only bonus content and printable resources.
Yearly members receive a 25% discount on all other products and courses.
The Homeschool Garden is a non-denominational faith-based resource. We include classic hymns, poems, readings, prayers, and copywork that contain Christian content.
Thank you to our sponsor:
Lara believes you are the gate-keeper, grace-giver, and cultivator of your home – a sacred space – and when you step into your God-given capacity you are capable of providing a delightful and life-giving education to your children.
Her desire to create a life-giving home filled with Truth, goodness, and beauty while also simplifying her homeschool for her two active boys led to the creation of The Homeschool Garden. Now hundreds of homeschool families just like yours are celebrating the wonder of joyful learning through a gentle but rigorous feast each and every day!
Enter to win on the Rafflecopter app below.The giveaway officially ends at 12 am on 3/22/2021.
It is your responsibility to read the terms and conditions upon entering. By entering, all entrants understand that they are subject to being added to each of the participating blogger’s email lists.
Lara believes you are the gate-keeper, grace-giver, and cultivator of your home – a sacred space – and when you step into your God-given capacity you are capable of providing a delightful and life-giving education to your children.
