Homeschool History Made Beautiful: The Age of Enlightenment Curriculum

Explore the Age of Enlightenment with a Charlotte Mason homeschool curriculum filled with living books, discussion, and meaningful ideas.

Explore the Enlightenment with this Charlotte Mason Curriculum

Have you ever wished you could help your children truly understand the ideas that shaped our world, not just memorize names and dates?

The Age of Enlightenment is one of those time periods that feels big and important, but also a little hard to bring down to a child’s level. It is filled with deep thinkers, new ideas, and world-changing conversations about truth, government, science, and human nature.

That is exactly why this Age of Enlightenment curriculum was created. This study is designed to gently guide your family through this fascinating period in a way that feels meaningful, engaging, and doable for real homeschool days.

One of the most beautiful parts of studying the Enlightenment is realizing how much it still affects our lives today. The ideas your children explore in this study connect to freedom and responsibility, education and learning, government and justice, and even science and discovery.

These are not just “history topics.” They are part of the world your children are growing up in. Helping them understand these ideas now gives them a foundation they will carry with them for years to come. In our Age of Enlightenment morning time curriculum, we explore these complex ideas through the lens of art, literature, music, poetry, and more, making this period of history come to life for younger and older students alike! Find a small sample of what’s included in this session below!

Age of Enlightenment Tea Time Recipes & Reading

For a special touch, we paired our study with simple tea time treats from across the Enlightenment world, using modernized versions of actual recipes that were used during this era! As a bonus, we featured a recipe from each of the main countries involved in the Enlightenment: France, England, America, Scotland, the Netherlands, and Germany! From delicate French meringues to hearty Scottish bannocks, each recipe adds a little taste of history to the table and makes each week feel memorable.

American Independence Day Cake
Orsaderolletjes (Dutch Almond Cookies)
English Mini Lemon Cheesecakes
French Meringues
Mandel-Kränzlein (German Almond Wreaths)
Scottish Bannocks

Bake a new recipe together each week and enjoy them paired with tea and a reading selection we have chosen to go along with each recipe for the ultimate cozy learning experience! You never know- these moments might just become some of your family’s favorite homeschool memories.

Add a Historical Poem to Your Tea Time:

Our featured poet for this session is Johann Wolfgang Goethe, a polymath who lived throughout the late Enlightenment era into the Romanticism movement. We selected six of his poems to study and paired four of our favorites with copywork sheets for deeper study. Check out a sample of one of these selections below:

Found (Gefunden)
by Johann Wolfgang Goethe

Into the woodland,

Alone I went.

Seeking nothing,

My sole intent.

In the shadows I saw

A flower grow,

Shining like starlight,

Its bright eyes aglow

I went to pick it,

It gently said:

Must I be broken,

Withered, and dead?

So I dug it up with all

Its roots and rich loam,

Carried it to the garden

Of my lovely home.

And planted it again

In a quiet place;

There it spreads out its flowers

Blooming with grace.

Discover History with the 180 page “Age of Enlightenment Morning Time Session”!

Step into an age of reason, curiosity, and discovery with this Age of Enlightenment morning time curriculum! This 180 page guide has everything you need to study pivotal moment of history through creative, hands-on learning activities.

Inside, you’ll find:

6-week Calendar with each subject scheduled on it
Prayer and scripture memorization
Copywork selections from Great God, with Wonder and with Praise, James 1:2-8, Found, Wanderer’s Night Song, May Song, and Autumn Feelings in primary, elementary, cursive, and a notebook sheet for high school students (and moms)
Memory Work: Prayer, scripture memory, and poetry memorization
Living Books recommended reading list
Artist & Picture Study: Jacques-Louis David
Music Study: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Poet & Poetry Study: Johann Wolfgang Goethe, with the poems, Rosebud in the Heather, Found, Wanderer’s Night Song, May Song, Autumn Feelings, and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Hymn Study: Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing with sheet music and listening links
Folk Song Study: The Oak and The Ash, with sheet music and listening links
Industrial Age Recipes: American Independence Day Cake, Orsaderolletjes (Dutch Almond Cookies), English Mini Lemon Cheesecakes, French Meringues, Mandel-Kränzlein (German Almond Wreaths), and Scottish Bannocks
Tea Time Readings: Excerpt from Common Sense, by Thomas Paine, Excerpt from The Life and Perambulations of a Mouse, by Dorothy Kilner, Pride and Prejudice, Ch. VIII, by Jane Austen, La Fontaine’s Fables, “The Lion and the Gnat,” by Jean de La Fontaine, Grimm’s Fairy Tales, “Little Red Cap,” by the Brothers Grimm, The Renowned History of Goody Two-Shoes, Ch. 1-4, by Anonymous
Handicraft: Paper Quilling
Art Lesson: Peaches, Pears and Plums Still Life
Nature Study: Comte de Buffon-Inspired Nature Study
Plutarch: The Children’s Plutarch: Stories of the Greeks, “Tully”
And more!

Ready to explore history in your homeschool? Get your guide today and let your adventure begin!

Purchase the Age of Enlightenment Morning Time Session for Only $47

Peaches, Pears and Plums Art Lesson

Bring a quiet moment of beauty into your homeschool day as you explore Peaches, Pears and Plums by Jean Siméon Chardin, an Enlightenment-era artist. In this gentle, step-by-step lesson included in our curriculum, your children will learn how simple layers of mid-tones, highlights, and shadows can transform ordinary fruit into a rich, three-dimensional painting. If your children feel inspired, invite them to gather their own fruit and create a still life from real life, bringing art and observation together in a meaningful, hands-on way.

Enjoying your art lesson too much to stop? Grab these history-themed lessons from the Masterpiece Society to keep the fun going!

Art Through the Ages: Classical Art

Historical ARTchives

Living Books to Explore the Age of Enlightenment in Your Homeschool

What better way to “enlighten” your homeschool than with living books? These books on the Enlightenment are a great way to dive into the era further- pick them up at a library near you or grab them below to get a few copies to add to your homeschool collection!

Explore a World of Ideas with the Age of Enlightenment Morning Time Curriculum

At its heart, this study is about more than history. It is about learning how to think, how to ask questions, and how to engage with ideas in a meaningful way. It is about slowing down and giving your children the gift of thoughtful learning.

And maybe, along the way, you will find yourself enjoying these conversations just as much as they do. If you have been looking for a way to make the Age of Enlightenment feel approachable, meaningful, and even a little bit cozy, I hope this curriculum becomes a sweet part of your homeschool days.