Discover the Magic of the Renaissance in Your Morning Time

Step into the Renaissance with your kids! Explore art, music, history, and faith through this Charlotte Mason homeschool study.

Bring the Wonder of the Renaissance to Your Homeschool

There’s something so captivating about the Renaissance- a time bursting with creativity, discovery, and faith in the beauty of God’s world. From Michelangelo painting the Sistine Chapel to Galileo studying the stars, it was an age that encouraged curiosity and imagination. And that’s exactly what this Renaissance-themed Charlotte Mason curriculum is all about: bringing that same spirit of wonder and learning into your homeschool days.

Imagine your mornings filled with beautiful art, inspiring music, and fascinating stories from a time when artists, inventors, and explorers were changing the world. With this curriculum, your family can step back into the 15th and 16th centuries to meet the great minds who shaped our understanding of art, science, literature, and faith.

In true Charlotte Mason fashion, this study invites your children to experience living ideas rather than dry facts. You’ll read rich biographies of artists like Leonardo da Vinci, listen to the timeless music of composers like Josquin des Prés, and read the rich literature of poets like Ben Jonson, all while exploring the spirit of creativity that transformed Europe.

Each lesson is designed to weave together history, art, music, and literature in a way that feels natural and joyful. Instead of memorizing dates, your children will get to know the people and ideas that made the Renaissance so extraordinary, making their studies come alive. Want to explore more? Below, you will find a small sample of what we have included in this rich curriculum!

Renaissance Tea Time Recipes

At Awaken to Delight, we believe one of the very best ways to explore a time period is through learning about its food. Asking questions like what people ate and how they prepared it is an excellent way to bring the everyday lives of the people of the Renaissance to light. We have included six hands-on recipes for your family to create, dating back to the Renaissance (though slightly adjusted for modern ingredients/use), making history come alive in a fun and accessible way!

Pumpkin Torte
Fruit-Filled Cinammon Twists
Fruit and Nut Pie
Rose Water Bread
Fruit-Filled Cinammon Twists
Mostaccioli a la Romana (Almond Cakes)
Castagnaccio (Italian Chestnut Cake)

Here is a close-up view of the Renaissance recipes we have in store for you! As a fun bonus, we have also included a biography of Bartolomeo Scappi- the famous Renaissance cook who was the author of many of these recipes. Learn about the life and cooking of Scappi, recreate his recipes, and enjoy them with the tea time story selections we have chosen to accompany each recipe, making learning an exciting treat!

A Renaissance Poem to Accompany Your Tea Time:

We have included several poetry selections and a biography of our featured Renaissance poet, Ben Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare’s! For each poem, we have created copywork sheets for ages ranging from primary through high school, perfect for deeper study! Here is a sample of one of our favorite pieces:

On Life and Death
by Ben Jonson

The ports of death are sins; of life, good deeds:

Through which our merit leads us to our meeds.

How wilful blind is he, then, that would stray,

And hath it in his powers to make his way!

This world death’s region is, the other life’s:

And here it should be one of our first strifes,

So to front death, as men might judge us past it:

For good men but see death, the wicked taste it.

Explore the Beauty of Art with the 170+ page “Renaissance Morning Time Session”!

Explore the culture, art, and music of the Renaissance with our beautifully crafted “Renaissance Morning Time Session!” This 170+ page guide has everything you need to explore the Renaissance 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 Luther’s Morning Prayer, Psalm 46, Come Down, O Love Divine, Of Life and Death, On a Robbery, A Hymn to God the Father, and Queen Elizabeth’s Tilbury Speech 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: Leonardo Da Vinci
Composer & Music Study: Josquin des Prez
Poet & Poetry Study: Ben Jonson, with the poems X: Song: To Celia, Of Life and Death, On a Robbery, A Fit of Rhyme Against Rhyme, Hymn to the Belly, and A Hymn to God the Father
Hymn Study: Come Down, O Love Divine with sheet music, copywork, and listening links
Folk Song Study: Scarborough Fair, with sheet music and listening links
Renaissance Teatime Recipes: Pumpkin Torte, Fruit and Nut Pie, Rose Water Bread, Fruit-Filled Cinammon Twists, Mostaccioli a la Romana (Almond Cakes), and Castagnaccio (Italian Chestnut Cake)
Tea Time Readings: Cinderella, or the Little Glass Slipper, by Andrew Lang, The Hare and the Tortoise, by Aesop, Rapunzel, by the Brothers Grimm, The Shepherd Boy and the Wolf, by Aesop, Hansel and Grettel, by Andrew Lang, and The Lion and the Mouse, by Aesop
Geography: Book of Marvels: The Occident, by Richard Halliburton, 2 Renaissance maps, The Story of Mankind by Hendrik Van Loon, and copywork of Queen Elizabeth’s Tilbury Speech
Handicraft: Gilded Frame
Art Lesson: The Birth of Venus
Nature study: Nature’s Paint Pigments
Plutarch: “The Man Who Made Athens Beautiful”
And more!
Explore art, history, and faith with this Charlotte Mason Renaissance study designed for joyful homeschool learning.

Ready to step back in time and explore the Renaissance? Get your guide today and let your homeschooling adventure begin!

Purchase the Renaissance Morning Time Session for Only $47

Paint like the Renaissance Artists!

Learn how to paint like a Renaissance artist with this gorgeous tutorial exploring Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus– perfect for any budding artists in your family! This simple tutorial is perfect for any skill level and will bring the art of the Renaissance to life within your own home!

The Birth of Venus by Olivia Gratehouse.

Enjoying your paint party too much to stop? Grab these lessons featuring Renaissance art from the Masterpiece Society to keep the fun going!

Da Vinci Study – Masterpiece Society Art Study

Women Artists

Living Books to Explore the Renaissance in Your Homeschool

Want more? Uncover the fascinating story of the Renaissance with these living books- perfect for any homeschool library!

A Celebration of God’s Creativity

At its heart, this Renaissance study is a celebration of God’s gift of imagination. It reminds us that learning about the past isn’t just about dusty old books—it’s about seeing how people through history reflected His creativity in their work. As your family studies this incredible era, you’ll be reminded that every child has the same spark of wonder that inspired artists, inventors, and thinkers centuries ago.

So, if you’re ready to bring a little more art, music, and inspiration into your homeschool, the Renaissance is a wonderful place to begin. Gather your books, your paints, and your sense of adventure- it’s time to rediscover the joy of learning through the eyes of history’s greatest dreamers.