Community

Family is the first community and many CM families successfully homeschool their children, having simple days at home, without joining any kind of outside group. Groups can require added commitment and demands on an already busy homeschool schedule so it is good to think through what is most important to your family prior to making any long term commitments. 

This page lists groups that are known to be active as of 2023. This listing is in no way exhaustive, there are many other Charlotte Mason groups in Southern California. Some groups charge an annual fee. A listing here is not an endorsement by SoCalCM. If you would like your group to be listed on this page, send an email to admin@CharlotteMasonEducation.org

Book Groups

Corner Book Club

(Chino Hills, California) This group meets every 2nd Tuesday of the month and reads Charlotte Mason’s volumes and other related books. This group is led by Glenna Heustis & Aimee Nielsen. 

Contact: gjheustis@yahoo.com

Charlotte Mason Book Group

(Costa Mesa, California) This group meets every 2nd Saturday of the month from 9am – 11am throughout the school year and reads Charlotte Mason’s volumes and other related books. Group leaders are: Erin Kunkle, Naomi Goegan, Melissa Runcie and Crystal Lawrence. 

Contact: naomi@charlottemasoneducation.org or Crystal Lawrence.

Riches North

(Buena Park, California) We are a community of families gathering to behold and delight in God through the rich feast of a Charlotte Mason education – hymns, folk songs, recitation, artist and composer study, singing games and more. 

We believe dwelling on truth, goodness, and beauty leads to a deepened sense of wonder in God as Creator and Sovereign Lord over all. Our aim is to instill a sense of reverence in the hearts and minds of children so they may enjoy and glorify God. 

May the knowledge of God, man and creation illuminate our hearts through music, word and art.

May the word of Christ dwell in us richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in our hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16

Families meet Wednesday afternoons in North Orange County. In our cooperative community we serve one another and delight in learning together through the principles and methods of Charlotte Mason. Mothers share their gifts to contribute to the co-op and children actively participate in enrichment time.  Mothers with children of all ages are welcome!

Contact: richesnorth@gmail.com  Website: https://www.richesnorth.com/

CM SoCal Nature Days

We meet on Friday’s for hikes throughout Orange County and on Wednesdays we meet at Irvine park for riches. We sing a folk song and hymn together and study an artist and composer 

We are very flexible, no requirements I would say we are mostly Charlotte Mason. 

Contact: Charity Miley, charitynmiley@gmail.com

Live Oak Education

(Orange County, California) We exist to provide a broad and generous curriculum to every child, providing a grand feast of ideas that trigger the desire to be lifelong learners that positively impact their community, state, and country. We do this by presenting a classical education that supports the building of character and develops virtue that is implemented through the wisdom of Charlotte Mason principles.

Classes are offered twice a week, September through May, and include History, Citizenship, Grammar, Geography, Nature Study, Latin, and the arts.

Classes are separated into groups or forms based on subject and age of the child. Form I includes children ages 6-8 years old. Form II includes ages 9-12 years old. Curriculum is centered on literature, living books.

We are a mobile class, existing outdoors. The atmosphere provided by nature’s plants, skies, animals, and weather evoke creativity and strengthen the habit of attention.

Contact: liveoakeducation@gmail.com  Website:  https://liveoakeducation.wordpress.com/

Sursum Corda
Co-op

(Orange, California) We are a vibrant learning community where our children are challenged, motivated, and inspired by their peers, and where mothers flourish as educators seeking to impart a living education through the methods of Charlotte Mason.

Mission 

Sursum Corda provides a rich atmosphere of learning, inspiring children with a broad and generous educational feast that will challenge and inspire us as we nourish our souls on the true, the beautiful, and the good. We commit to growing together as mothers, educators and spiritual influencers in our families. 

Description 

From the early years to high school, families gather every Thursday for a full day of lessons in literature, history, science, Shakespeare, Plutarch, Latin, Logic & Apologetics, fine arts, and music appreciation. Times of remembering and sharing are incorporated into our weekly and term rhythms. With Shakespeare Showcases for friends and families, a variety of “Olea” events (Sursum Corda’s expression of Charlotte Mason’s “Mother Culture” idea), and a dedication to connect with the larger Charlotte Mason homeschooling community – our program, like our view of education, is broad and inclusive. 

Philosophy 

We pursue wisdom in accordance with the Classical Christian Tradition through the principles and methods of the Charlotte Mason philosophy. 

“For what, after all, are principles but those motives of first importance which govern us, move us in thought and action?” 

Charlotte Mason, Toward A Philosophy of Education

Affordability

We are able to offer a high-quality education at a lower cost than most programs by utilizing the resource of the talents, skills, and time of the mothers (and some fathers) in our program. We are completely volunteer run and every mother is assigned either a teaching, assistant, or administrative role in our community. We have found that this model allows our moms to also grow in their knowledge and passion for a particular subject and the students benefit greatly from a teacher who cares deeply. We are all here working together “for the children’s sake”. 

Contact: sursumcordacommunity@gmail.com Website: https://sursumcorda.co

This list is in no way exhaustive, there are many more Charlotte Mason groups in Southern California. 

Starting Community

CM Community exists in many forms in SoCal – book groups, play dates, nature groups, co-ops, fee-based co-ops, small schools, two or three families meeting weekly, etc. Charlotte Mason’s ideas foster and allow for all kinds of connection.

If you are unable to find a group that is a fit for your family, consider starting something yourself.  The following resources give you some ideas on how to do that: 

–Starting a Charlotte Mason Co-op video. 

–Growing Vibrant Charlotte Mason Communities 3-session training seminar for leaders. This course by Brandy Vencel and Dawn Duran will help you sort through everything you need to consider in order to begin and lead a CM group and more. 

-Reading Home Education together can provide invaluable learning and growth that your group’s development will flow out of.

–Charlotte Mason Co-ops with Liz Wetzel and Cindy Rollins is a podcast episode that can give some ideas on co-ops. 

-The SoCal Nature page can provide ideas for local places to visit as a family or a group. 

When starting a community, we recommend that you arrange an in-person meetup at a local park with your kids first to see if any of the families would be a fit. Issues like ages of children, location, behavior, commitment level, punctuality, educational goals, level of CM-ness, who will be responsible for communication/decision making of group plans, etc. can make or break a group so it’s best to think through those things first before making long  term commitments. 

Community Events

SoCalCM hosts an annual conference in Orange County, usually in October of each year (see 2020 here and 2019 here). We also host a Handicraft Fair once in the Spring and once in the Fall of each year. Additional events are planned periodically based on community needs. Visit the SoCal Events page for more information.  

online Community