I jumped into the "Challenge Years" head-on with my oldest as the Challenge A Tutor. I have an amazing class of eleven students - all of whom are fairly extrovert. We have been growing in our discussion quality, and learning how to respect each other by not "stepping on" one another's words. We have been stretched and challenge in so many ways already, and I am excited for what is yet to come this year. My oldest (a girl) is fairly studious and determined. The adaptation to Challenge A has … [Read more...]
Getting Ready for Essentials – School Year Prep
Last year, my oldest was in her third year of Essentials, and my second child was in his first year. While my daughter loved language, my son would have rather been building forts. Since I had three kids younger than them - one of them a VERY active toddler, I wanted to have my older kids' Essentials work all laid out for them before school began, so it would require a lot less guidance from me. So I am sharing the method we used last year, which is the same one we will use this year. It … [Read more...]
Getting Ready for CC Foundations – School Year Prep
I have learned over the years that one of the best indictors of a successful and more peaceful school year begins with quality summer planning and preparing. There are a few things I do over the summer that makes the Foundations side of our school day run well, and I share them with you in case they might help you have more sanity than chaos this school year. The Classical Conversations Foundations program is centered around Memory Work - memorizing a LOT of things - lists, sentences, … [Read more...]
Our Family’s Memory Work
MEMORY WORK Our Family will soon be entering our seventh year using the Classical Conversations Program. In the lower grades, this includes memory work covering English Grammar, Geography, Latin, Math, Science, History, and a timeline of world events from the dawn of time to the present. In addition to our CC Memory work, our family likes to add some extra memory work. We can do this easily using music - I don't push the kids to memorize it, I just play it around the house and in the car, … [Read more...]
Free CC Cycle 3 Review Games!
My family loves to use games to squeeze in memory work review. Especially if I have a Memory Master in the house (see this post)! I am excited to share with you two Review Game Downloads for use with Cycle 3! The first is a States and Capitals Memory Match Game - just download, print on two different colors, and cut out the cards. Then lay them face down on a table. Taking turns, each player flips one card of each color over, trying to match the state with the Capital. It … [Read more...]
Redeeming Valentines Day – A Biblical View on Love for Kids
I HAVE AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT and a GIVEAWAY!!! Are any of you frustrated with our culture that sells cheap lust and casual friendship as if it is real love? Add to that an attitude of "its-all-about-me" and self-entitlement, and you have a recipe for disaster. With Valentines Day on the horizon, I am anticipating the conversation hearts and heart-shaped chocolate boxes that will be filling the store shelves. While I love any excuse for chocolate, I sense that the sweet message … [Read more...]
My Memory Work Lapbooks 1.1-1.4 Quick Print Guide!!!
I am so excited to return to Cycle 1 with the ten commandments and some Ancient History! As I prep for the upcoming school year, I remembered that I posted a quick-print guide when I first released the Lapbooks for Cycle 1. Here are the links for all of you! Lapbook 1.1 Quick Print Guide Lapbook 1.2 Quick-Print Guide Lapbook 1.3 Quick Print Guide Lapbook 1.4 Quick Print Guide Happy Lapbooking! Blessings, Karen … [Read more...]
Our 2014-2015 Curriculum Choices
Memory Work – First and foremost, we will be focusing on our Memory Work. Every year when I evaluate what really stuck with my kids and what they can then use to apply to new understanding, the Memory work stands out high above other forms of learning in the grammar stage. In addition to our CC memory work, we will be memorizing the following things primarily using resources that connect it to song. For our CC memory work, I also choose to download … [Read more...]
Plan vs. Reality….a Look at What Really Happened…
I love reading about other homeschooler's curriculum choices, and what goes on in their homeschool days! Many times though, I just see posts of what the plans for the year are, but am left wondering if the year turned out like they planned, and what they would have done differently. So, I decided I should post an update of what I had planned versus how the year turned out for us. I basically cut and pasted my old post with my plans from the beginning of the school year last fall in BLACK, and … [Read more...]
The Question
The Question: Teaching Your Child the Essentials of Classical Education Who would have guessed that a book based on the premise of asking questions would answer so many? In January, I mentioned my plan to attack a list of books, most (but not all) of them stemming from the Challenge program of Classical Conversations. The Question is the first of the books on this list related to the Classical Model of education, and I was excited to dive into it. The book begins with a brief … [Read more...]
