The ancient author Horace wrote an instruction manual for poets and playwrights entitled Ars Poetica (The Art of Poetry). In it he said, “Poets wish either to profit (instruct) or to delight.”

As promised, here are a few nuts and bolts helps for planning your Morning Time reading. But, before I do that, I have to say something to those of you who have not started Morning Time with your family yet.

Anne has been much in the news of late, with lots of folks weighing in on the new series created by Netflix.

Charles Dickens' tale of Mr. Boffin and his 'great books course' is a delightful illustration of the fact that Dickens knew his classics well and easily takes his place in the Great Conversation.

Speaking of Plutarch, years ago I commonplaced this encouraging glimpse into his self-education in Latin from the Life of Demosthenes:

Recently, there was a long thread on the a facebook group in my feed with folks on both sides weighing in on one of the eternal questions among home educators—Is Charlotte Mason classical?

As I look back at our Morning Times from the perspective of years, Tennyson’s brook comes to mind.

Making time for Morning Time will probably require some re-imagining of what “doing school” should look like. If you are new to Morning Time, you will set yourself up for endless frustration if you try to simply add it on top of what you are currently doing—or what you think you should be doing.

I am certain that the daily delight and discipline of Morning Time—a.k.a Our Daily Feast—is the best pedagogical practice for bringing scholé to our homeschools Yet there is an even more important life practice which I believe is needed to bring scholé.

I have the honor of being a guest today at Pam Barnhill's Blog, sharing some thoughts about the benefits of regular reading aloud to Mom. You'll also find some tips for building your own read-aloud skills.

Another gem from my summer reading.

I had the absolute pleasure of spending an hour talking with Pam Barnhill of Your Morning Basket about our family's experience with Morning Time over the years.

A few rambling connections around a(nother) favorite poem, "Journey of the Magi," by T. S. Eliot, which incidentally is included as a featured selection in Poetics & Progym III.

Winter solstice is a delightful day! I love the reminder that the darkness is a passing thing. The true Light is come…

College campuses and "safe spaces" have been much in the news of late, often as an object of ridicule for an older generation. The trend is deplorable, in the true sense of the word. But it seems to me that a good share of the blame belongs squarely on the shoulders of that older generation itself.

Last week, in the midst of a whirlwind weekend wedding trip to Georgia, featuring 24+ out of 56 hours in the car, I woke from a little drowsy daydream on I-81 to spot the sign for Pulaski, Virginia. One of these mysterious fairy calls from out the void suddenly reached me.

And the dawn rose triumphant, making flee

The morning breeze before her; and far off

I recognized the shimmering of the sea.

~ Dante, Purgatory I.115-117

The last two weeks have passed in a whirlwind of preparation for our first day at Providence Prep . . . This morning, as I attempt to catch my breath, I finally have a few moments to think about a quiet anniversary from this past Thursday.

Many moons ago, as a new homeschooler, I was introduced to Landmark books, a series of history books for children published by Random House in the mid-twentieth century.

From the earliest days of our homeschool (22 years ago!), we spent at least an hour—and sometimes far more!—each day reading aloud, thanks to the influence of folks like Susan Schaeffer-Macaulay  and Sally Clarkson.