Why A Gentle Feast?

Why did I choose A Gentle Feast for our home? Here’s why.

Choosing curriculum can be incredibly daunting and overwhelming to say the least. No matter which curriculum you choose, always remember that “published resources are to be wielded by you, not to rule over you.” (Sarah Mackenzie in Teaching From Rest.) But after you’ve narrowed down your educational method and sorted through the options, the moment when you find the right “fit” for your home is an exciting one.

Why the word “Gentle”?

One thing to note about the word “Gentle” in the title of this curriculum; I think people tend to think that the word “gentle” equates with “easy” and I would disagree with this idea. A “Gentle” Feast has meant more for me that it is simply “gentle” on me and my children because a lot of the work that would be required of me with other CM options is not needed (specifically the planning part). That doesn’t mean our work on narration and booklists is easier, it might be different (we might not be reading Our Island Story until form 2 for example) but it means that I am able to engage (alongside my child) in the “gentle” art of learning (As Karen Andreola would put it) for the whole family with greater ability because every single day, for every single term, of every single year is planned and printed. Praise be to God and a huge thank you to Julie. Ha. 😉

I chose A Gentle Feast for these reasons:

• I desire a full Charlotte Mason method for our educational journey.
• That option was available to me completely and exquisitely pre-planned, beautifully created, printed and shipped to my doorstep. Lessons are planned for 1st to 12th grade. Four different cycles pertain to the the different history periods to study which are revisited with age-appropriate material when they move on to a higher form.
• The curriculum is completely manageable and editable, with accessible guidance for the Charlotte Mason mother-educator. Julie Ross has membership calls with live-stream time, a thriving FB support group, and incredible hand-holding on all CM topics explained in the beginning of every teacher’s manual. Sample schedules are provided. Lesson plans are editable and online resources are abundant.
• And finally, there are magical touches to this curriculum that I simply couldn’t recreate on my own; specifically the language arts packets and how they blend in some way with other parts of the feast! For example, the copywork/dictation passage might be the poem for recitation that term, or a passage from the afternoon read-aloud or history lessons. It’s incredible and one of my favorite aspects of this curriculum.

The “curriculum” link in my profile will take you to A Gentle Feast where you can see examples of the curriculum for yourself, you can even try two weeks for free!

My list is simple, but that’s why I love AGF and why I chose it! It’s simply the perfect tool (for all those reasons) for our particular home(school). Thanks for reading and cheers!