everlastingstarflower
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Posts posted by everlastingstarflower
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I completely understand your dilemna. I like things to match and compliment each other. That said, it doesn't matter all that much if CC doesn't line up with SOTW. We did CC Foundations Cycle 1 last year and SOTW I at the same time. Not all of the history sentences in Cycle 1 dealt with "ancients".
From all the reviews that I have read about SOTW IV, I don't think you'd want to skip to it because the activites change from doing narration summaries to outlining. SOTW IV is designed for much older students. Also, some who purchased it were indicating that the book lists in the activity guide were all much more difficult titles that didn't leave room for younger students. If you decide to stay with SOTW, I'd definitely do them in the order that they were created.
We like SOTW but, I'm going to be finishing it up and will have three years when I am not sure what I'm going to do for history for my dd. I wish I would have known about VP history before we started SOTW but, we've already done one year of SOTW and I've already purchased II & III and gotten the library book list lined up so...we're going to finish it. If I had it to do all over again, I'd have done VP for all of the years. I know that CC has changed the order that they use the cards so, even VP won't match up exactly with CC but, I think it would have been easier on me to do it that way. It also would have been easier because I could have combined history, Bible and literature using VP. And VP doesn't have the students read as many books as what is listed in the SOTW activity guide. So I think my dc would welcome the slower reading pace. As it is, I'm going to try and do all 5 VP years in 3. I am hoping that I can make it work.
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We used SOTW I last year and I think you may want to go with FIAR. It was fine for my dc but, both my ds is advanced and my dd was in 2nd grade. My ds was frustrated with the art projects and neither of them could do the narration/summaries. I ended up writing the summaries out that were in the book and had them do it as copy work. I would recommend waiting until 1st grade for SOTW when your dc can appreciate what you're reading. My dc did love the coloring pages and the stories, though!
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The difference between 60# and 80# paper is the weight. 80# paper will be thicker than 60# paper. If you're creating a brochure or something like that, it would matter but if you're just using it for drawing it shouldn't make that big of a difference. The 80# paper will just be more durable than the 60#, which may be good for a younger child who may tend/want to erase a lot.
They may be requesting newsprint as warm up paper because it is usually cheaper than other types of paper and if you're just going to be throwing it away when you've finished with it as opposed to keeping it for a portfolio or framing it, they may just be trying to save you money. Plus newsprint is usually a much larger size than regular paper and it wouldn't have any lines on it. I don't see why you couldn't substitute other paper for your "warm-up" paper unless you need the larger newsprint size, IMO.
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We did CC Foundations last year and found it very useful for helping with the memory work portion of our curriculum. We didn't do any other memory work except for what was given at CC.
Here's how it works:
Each week the student attends "class" from 9AM - 12PM. During that class time the teacher tutor leads the students in beginning to memorize 8 history facts from the VP cards, one history sentence, one latin grammar card, one science fact, one geography region (includes about 5 areas) and one math fact card from the CC Cycle cards. There are 3 CC cycles. Cycle 1 has history facts from ancients - before the renaissance. Cycle 2's history facts are from around the renaissance - early american. Cycle 3's history facts are from about early american to present day. (These are loose from memory and the periods may not be totally accurate.) There are 24 weeks in each cycle.
In addition to the memory work, each week there is a science experiment, an art project with instruction about different artists or music instruction in the tin whistle or learning about the orchestra. Each week the students must also give a short presentation. In the younger classes, our tutors allowed it to be a show-and-tell type of presentation just to get the children used to speaking in front of the group. In the older classes, the students would be given an assignment to talk about for the next week. For example, the teacher/tutor might ask them to come prepared to talk about a book they had recently read at home. During their presentations, they would concentrate on making eye-contact with each member of their audience.
The teacher/tutor's job is to begin the process of memorization in class and then it's the parent/child's job to work on solidifying that memory work at home. At home, you're also supposed to find the geography locations on the map so that the student not only memorizes the names but, also where they are on the globe/map.
Each CC cycle card has a song or chant to help the child memorize the information. So you need either the Song CD or the Computer CD for the student to learn the songs. If you purchase the book, you don't need the CC cycle cards but, if you don't want the book you'll need the cards. The book just gives an overview of which cards are going to be taught what week, what the science experiment is going to be, etc. The cards are handy for the students to use when practicing because they're portable and you can choose to only give them the cards that they're studying instead of the entire set. The computer CD has a power point presentation on it along with the songs and chants for each week. We did not use the Computer CD very much but, we used the Song CD all of the time. My dc could put the CD on themselves and listen to what they needed to memorize for the week.
The science cards are new and so I'm not sure how the teacher/tutors will use them in class. They are not required but, they are nice to have if you want additional information to study about the science fact that your child is learning. The science cards also have information about different scientists...not all of which are studied in CC. Some parents use the science that's taught at CC as their sole science program so I guess the science cards would be helpful to those parents who want to enrich their home science using CC as their science base.
Then from 12PM - 1PM, we'd have lunch and recess as a group and it was good for my dc to have the opportunity to play with their classmates and to make new friends. Plus I had the opportunity to have some chat time with the other moms. CC was a blessing for our family but, I know that it doesn't fit everyone's needs.
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We've used Shurley Grammar because it's what my dd used when she was enrolled in a classical Christian school. It's the only thing that we've used and we've liked it so far. Both of my dc like the jingles that help them to remember the parts of speech. The jingles are also helpful when we're studying Latin. When we get to a portion of Latin grammar that they are looking confused about, I can sing the jingle that goes with the part of Latin speech that we're studying and then the wheels start to turn and their minds click on that grammar is grammar no matter what the language. A noun in English works just like a noun in Latin so the Shurley jingles have been great to help them put the Latin pieces of the puzzle together, too.
I like the practice books that go along with the student workbooks, which have all of the sentences that the students need to parse in them so I don't have to write them on the board everyday. I also like it that we can choose not to do the writing portion because we're doing WWE for writing. We also don't do the vocabulary because we're using Roots of English (that goes along with our Latin). I like that the lessons are scripted which saves me time.
I think my dd is more of a visual learner and I'm still waiting to see about my ds but, they both are doing amazingly well with Shurley. I know some people don't like the repetitive nature of Shurley but, my dd is only going to do Shurley for one more year because she'll be starting IEW with our Classical Conversations group next year and I'm not sure what I'll do with my ds until he's ready for IEW. I figure that the repetition will only work to strengthen their knowledge and confidence with grammar. They will definitely never be confused about finding the nouns in a sentence! :D
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We're going to be finishing SOTW next summer and I will have 4th - 6th grade to teach a history curriculum to my dd. (I like to plan ahead.) If I would have known about VP earlier, we wouldn't have even done SOTW but, I just found out about it and I really would like to use it for those 3 grades. Is it possible to do 5 years in 3 or is it a pipe dream? If you've done it, how did you make it work? One of my saving graces is that we hs year round so I have the summers to work with too. I'd like to start Omnibus when she's in 7th grade. Any advice and help would be greatly appreciated.
Also, I'm not sure whether we'd be doing the history & bible together or if it would just be the history portion. I'm not opposed to doing both but, if it would make it easier to just do the history then I'd definitely consider that......unless it's easier to combine them.....oh, help me decide!?! :willy_nilly:
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According to TWTM, WWE I is supposed to be for first grade but, last year my dd was in 2nd and my ds was in kindergarten and they both did WWE I. So, I think that it all depends upon what your child is ready to do. My dd could have done WWE II but, I wanted to start her at the beginning so that she wouldn't miss the basics. This year we're combining WWE II & III so that my dd can do IV in the summer before she begins IEW in Classical Conversations. I don't know if my ds will keep up or not. If he doesn't, that's o.k. but, I know that my dd will do fine because she loves writing.
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We used SG2 last year and will be using SG3 this year. We did SG in 3 days per week but, we didn't do the writing assignments because we used WWE I. It was easy to combine days since we were doing strictly the grammar portion of the lessons. We did do the writing a friendly letter and the thank you notes but, that was all that we did for the creative writing. I've looked through SG3 and it looks as though we'll be able to do the same thing that we did last year since we're doing WWE II & III this year along with SG3.
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We used PL last year. My dd was in 2nd and my ds was in K but, both my dc are reading way above grade level. After using Latina Christiana I this summer, I am finding that the PL teacher's manual didn't do a very good job of explaining the best way to approach the lessons with your children. The LCI teacher's manual is so much more descriptive and helpful by telling you how to break the lessons down.
My dc did not like PL. They felt that it went too fast and the workbook was way too much writing for my ds. They did not feel that they were retaining any of the vocabulary. I made pictoral flash cards for them and it helped them to see that they were retaining the vocab, which helped a little bit but, it wasn't until we started LCI that they've been enjoying it more.
I had some good advice from a hs classical school principal who told me that if my ds could verbalize the information, he didn't necessarily need to write it all out. So, I would only make my ds complete half of the written work and if he could recite the words to me, that was sufficient. We also reviewed the flash cards every day and that has been one of the best things for them to build their confidence with the language.
I would also recommend splitting the lesson and maybe the exercises up into smaller parts. We have found that LCI has the students doing little bits of work everyday instead of doing an entire lesson & drill & exercises all in one day. It really helps to reinforce the work if you repeat parts of the vocab and lesson each day in little snippets. Then when it comes time for the quizes and tests, the dc can answer easier because they will know how to spell the Latin words as well as their meaning.
I would also take it slowly and not rush through just to finish the book. We're doing one LCI lesson over a 2 week period, interspersing Latina Angelica songs and Ludere Latine puzzles with it and my dc are actually enjoying Latin this way. They ask to do more work than what I am requiring but, I won't let them because I don't want them to get burned out like they did when we were doing PL. If I had to do PL over again, we'd take it slow and steady with a lot of repetition.
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We used Prima Latina last year and my dc had trouble with it because they felt that it went too fast and they weren't retaining anything. Then I made a set of pictoral flash cards and regular flash cards and once they saw how many of them they knew, it went better. Latin still was not their favorite subject.
This year, we started Latina Christiana I and we are having much better success because the teacher's manual is so much better than PL. There are directions as to how to break up the lessons and my dc are actually enjoying Latin now.
Here's how we break up the lessons....maybe you could customize it for PL? Because my dc complained that it went too fast, we do one lesson over about a 2 week period.
Day 1: We do the greeting, say the pledge in Latin (I got that off of the internet), recite the Table Blessing, and sing our Latin song (I bought the Latina Angelica CD for the songs). I read over the lesson and the kids write out their vocabulary words with meanings and their 1st congugation verb endings.
Day 2: Greeting, pledge, Table Blessing, Christus Vincit song, kids write out the vocabulary words w/meanings & verb endings drill and we do one of the Ludere Latine games
Day 3: Greeting, pledge, Table Blessing, Christus Vincit, vocabulary drill & verb endings drill and a Ludere Latine game
Day 4: Greeting, pledge, Table Blessing, Christus Vincit, then we do the lesson's exercises. My dc are able to do the exercises on their own better than with PL because they've had several days' practice writing the vocab & verb ending drills. This is so much easier for all of us than what we tried last year!
Day 5: Greeting, pledge, Table Blessing, Christus Vincit and the dc do the Quiz for the lesson and if there's another Ludere Latine game, we'll do it then.
My dc ask if we can do more Latin but, I have found that doing a little bit each day is better than a lot in one day. We don't become as frustrated with the lessons and my dc feel more of a sense of accomplishment when it comes to taking the quizes and tests because they know how to spell the Latin words because of the practice on the prior days. I also have my dc review their Latin vocabulary every morning using their flash cards, which I think has helped to boost their confidence. Hope this helps!
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I'm wondering the same thing.
If I do CC, I'll keep doing everything else as planned and do Foundations for supplementation and fun.
I'm curious what other CC'ers do..... :bigear:
We joined CC last fall and used CC as a supplement to the curriculum that we had at home. I liked CC for several reasons:
1. all of my dc's memory work is taken care of through CC, which simplifies my life greatly
2. my dc had the opportunity to be in a classroom setting sitting under the authority of another teacher/tutor
3. I was able to meet with other like-minded hs-ing moms for wisdom, advice and commiseration, when needed ;)
4. my dc were able to make friends with other children and be spurred on in their little competitions....my dc are very competitive and they didn't want to be shown up by their classmates when it came time for review games, which means that they studied their memory work at home ON THIER OWN. :D
5. seeing that there are other families memorizing these vast amounts of information all at once made my dc think "this is normal" so they didn't complain about it...if I'd have tried to have them memorize over 400 pieces of information at home in a 24 week period I'd have almost had a mutiny on my hands...well, maybe a lot of groaning & complaining at the very least.
I know that there were other CCers who used Foundations as their core and then did supplementary things at home to "beef-up" what they were learning at CC but, I'm all for rigor and so we're doing our core curriculum at home and CC is our supplement. But, then again I'm only hs-ing two and most of the other moms at CC who were using it as their core had at least 2x's as many children as I have and/or they were expecting/just had another baby. I think that's the beauty of CC....the parent is still in charge of their dc's education and each family can tailor it to be what they want/need it to be for themselves. Even with the cost of the program and what we paid for our curriculum last year, we paid 1/3 the amount that we would have if we'd have sent them to a classical Christian or traditional Christian school. To me, CC is worth every penny for the value that both myself and my dc are getting out of it IMO.
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I just received my copy a couple of days ago and I am loving it! I just read chapter 7. We were in CC last year but, the tutors didn't have the students doing the grid lines/blobbling. I think I'm going to start it at home, though.
I was blown away by all of the information about how illiterate we are as a nation as well as how the ps system has changed over the years. I kept reading portions of it to my dh and I think that I've convinced him that he needs to read this book too. We both want to be a part of the 'great conversation' with our dc in the years to come.
I think The Core should be required reading for every parent in America.
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We're going to try La Clase Divertida and Spanish for Children A this year.
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How many days a week do you teach....
Math 4 days a week in the summer/ 3 days per week in the fall, winter & spring
Phonics dc are beyond this /Language Arts/Spelling 3 days per week in the summer & will probably have it 1 or 2xs in the fall/winter /Handwriting only did some worksheets last year whenever we could fit it in but, bought a workbook this year so we'll do it at least once a week
We also do grammar 3xs per week, writing 4xs per week in the summer/3xs in the fall/winter, vocabulary 4xs in summer/3xs fall & winter
Science reading/narration 3xs per week and experiments 1x per week fall & winter
History reading every day, curriculum with maps (SOTW) 2xs per week fall & winter
Art 4xs per week in the summer, 1x per week fall/winter
P.E. karate 1x per week in summer, 2x per week fall/winter: swimming 2-4xs per week in summer
We do Bible 4xs in summer 3xs fall/winter, Latin 3xs per week year-round, geography review 4xs, health 1x per week and I'm hoping to start Spanish but not sure how often we'll do that.
We are also a part of a homeschool group that meets 1x per week for 24 weeks between September and April/May.
etc...
Does anyone take Fridays off for fieldtrips or other activities?
We only do review work on Fridays and if we want to do a field trip Friday is the day because my dh has off on Fridays. It's REALLY difficult to do hs with him home...everyone wants to be off, so we just do it!
I also give dc piano lessons and we try to listen to music cds like Beethoven Lives Upstairs, Song of the Unicorn and the Beethoven's Wig Sing-Along-Symphonies.
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Hi, I usually just lurk, but had a few questions.
When it is that time of year to choose what the kids are going to use for curriculum, does your DH have input or do you choose everything?
My DH doesn't ask many questions about the curriculum except for "how much is it going to cost?" I choose all of the curriculum but, I do my best to find it as inexpensively as possible to help our budget.
Did you have to convince DH to homeschool, was he all for it, or did he not care either way?
My DH has wanted me to hs from the beginning. I was the one who didn't think that I could do it without driving our entire family insane. (I tend to be a perfectionist.)
Anyways for kindergarten (2011-2012) we have the option of using CAVA which uses K12 or filing a private school affidavit. I am so torn. He would really like the boys to enroll in CAVA because it is accredited, they tell you exactly what you need to do everyday, and the biggest perk for him it is completely FREE. He is lind of cheap when it comes to spending money, lol. In the end he says it is up to me and he will support me 100%. I have nothing against using a virtual academy accept with having to do attendance daily, reporting to a teacher, and not being able to combine lessons when all three boys are in school (they are two years ahead). But I really think I would like the freedom to do it on my own, but then I worry what if I fail. My dc were actually enrolled in a private Christian school when we decided to hs. I actually asked the enrollment advisor if my dc could come mid-year in case I totally blew it hs-ing. You're not alone in that feeling! It is kind of nice when you are given everything and know what to do to make sure you are not behind. You have the option to choose curriculum that gives you everything you need to know/how to teach in the teacher's manuals. I only buy curriculum like that. I don't want to/like to/have time to create my own curriculum gathered from everywhere, although some hsers love to do that and are great at it. I'm just not. I know I am rambling, sorry.
I was thinking of maybe just doing it on my own and then enrolling them in CAVA (if it is still available) for highschool for the accreditation I know it is such a long ways off, but I am always thinking ahead.
What do you think? Any advice or suggestions?
Do you ever worry that you will fail at homeschooling? In the beginning I did but, after just one year under our belts and seeing how my dc are thriving, I'm not killing anyone figuratively or literally and hs doesn't encompass every breathing moment to our detriment as I thought it might, I don't worry about failing. I am concerned about how I'll teach dialectic and rhetoric effectively as the dc get older but, I figure we'll cross that bridge when we get to it and try to be comfortable in the here and now.
I know you hear homeschool kids getting into great colleges, but do you ever worry that you will do something wrong and your kids won't be able to get into college? ( I know this sounds ridiculous)
No. I think that God will provide and if I feel that I can no longer meet the academic needs of our dc that we'll find a good fit for them to be educated elsewhere. I'm hoping that we'll be able to hs until they graduate but, we'll just have to wait and see.
If you had the choice of a free k12 virtual academy would you use it or homeschool on your own?
I would do it on my own. I would want more control over what is being taught than what k12 would allow.
Do you think it is possible to do k12 with three children, or do you think it would be way too much work that is not needed?
I know several families who have used k12 who have 3+ children. As far as I know, they liked it o.k. but, I never really talked with them in detail as to the ins and outs of the program. I do know that many people feel that k12 is just another way for the public school system to be able to control homeschooling families. I personally don't know if that is valid or not. Hope this helps. As far as the being afraid of failure....you're where I was last year at this time and we made it with flying colors. It's been so much fun for our whole family. It's great that your dh is supporting you. Good luck!
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My husband and two dc take Seidokan karate. Seidokan originated in Okinawa, Japan. Their premise is that the first defense is to run away but, if you can't do that then you need to defend yourself. Seidokan has blocks, punches and kicks. There is sparring but, it is optional in our dojo. The senseis would like students to at least try sparring so that they know what it feels like to take a punch. A person in an altercation can get thrown off by not knowing what it's like to be hit but, a person who's had some sparring experience will still be able to defend themselves in the event that their blocking isn't effective initally.
They don't do any board or cinder-block breaking. Children cannot attain complete black belt status until they're 18 years old. A 16-year-old can acquire a junior black belt but, they don't become a full black belt until they're 18. Students aren't promoted up in rank all that quickly, either. They need to attend a certain number of classes and the senseis have to be of the opinion that the student is ready to test. Each belt level has to be able to perform and certain number of strength/conditioning exercises e.g. sit-ups, push-ups, etc. as well as be able to perform the basic blocks, punches and kicks. They also have to learn a different kata at each belt level. A kata is a "form", which is a series of blocks and kicks and movements in which the student pretends to be fighting off invisible attackers. Each kata has it's own set of movements that have to be performed in a specific order. Seidokan has 17 katas total.
Our head sensei is very particular about making sure that no students, especially the children in class, are getting hurt. We have had special needs students in our class, too so really most anyone is able to learn this art of self-defense. Our head sensei also teaches a self-defense class at Penn State University and all of the self-defense tactics he teaches in that class are also taught in our dojo as well.
Parents are not required to participate in the class and once the child enters the dojo, the senseis are in charge of the child. If my child is doing something wrong that the sensei doesn't see or correct in class, we have to address it at home and not in class. That was one of the hardest things for me to get used to but, I see the reasoning behind it. There has to be one main authority figure and the children need to see the sensei as that authority while they're in class. I just have a higher standard of discipline for my dc than the senseis do sometimes. But, overall the senseis do a good job of keeping my dc diligent in their work.
I think that most styles of karate are good for several reasons: they're a good form of exercise, you are learning a skill that will be useful for the rest of your life (which may someday save your life or the life of someone you love), it promotes healthy discipline and allows your dc to have the opportunity to learn to respect another form of authority. In our dojo, there are many senseis and they all have different teaching styles. It is good for my dc to be able to learn to adapt to the different ways that the senseis teach the same concept. So, I like that aspect of Seidokan, too.
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Before my dd went to school, I had begun "How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons" but, I had gotten sick and only gotten to about lesson 50 before she started school. I don't think that it really did much in the way of helping her with reading except to familiarize her with the alphabet and some beginning sounds because we didn't actually finish the book.
My dd attended a Classical Christian school for two years (K & 1st). They used SSRW and she loved it. By the time we decided to hs, she was already reading so well that I did not continue with any formal reading/phonics program. I was going to check into SSRW for my ds but, my dd had already taught him how to read so it was kind of a mute point.
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In April we finished WWE I and SOTW I. It seems that SOTW I required more of a request for the students to summarize than WWE I did. My dc had no idea how to summarize a passage so we had quite a bit of trouble with the narration part of SOTW I. But WWE I was much easier for them because they were only asked to tell one thing that they remembered about the story.
In the beginning, they started out with shorter sentences but, by the end of the year their responses were more lengthy because they had gotten used to the way the program works. After a while, they caught on that however they responded to that question had to be written down. So, some days they would try to find the shortest thing they could remember with the fewest number of words in order to circumvent actually having to write out anything. :glare: At that point, I would ask them to try again with something more substantial to their answers. When they realized that I was on to their game and they couldn't get away with it, they stopped trying to get out of doing their work.
In WWE II, which we started two weeks ago, students begin to learn to summarize by having you ask them certain questions. Through the questioning process, they learn how to pick out the main points of the story. My dc are starting to get the hang of it and I think that it will help them not only with WWE II but, also with the narration portion of SOTW II, which we'll be beginning in the fall.
IMO, your dd is doing fine for where you are. She will improve with time as she gets used to listening to the passages and learns what kind of answers you are looking for when you ask questions of her about the passages that are being read.
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We have a pretty established bed time, although nights they have karate or go to Wed. night prayer meeting makes it later.
My ds is the early bird and usually gets up between 6:30AM and 7AM. My dd gets up around 7:30AM but, if it's been a later night she may sleep in until 9AM.
I have some medical issues and my dr. has me sleeping until 9AM so the dc have morning assignments that they complete until it's time for me to get up. My goal is to start school by 10:30AM but, sometimes we don't get started until 11AM.
Last year we counted days so it didn't much matter about keeping track of time but, this year I decided to count hours because I think we'll be at 900 hours much earlier than if we count 180 days. So, the dc keep track of when they start their morning assignments and when they finish so we can add it to their daily school hours. We've been doing this system for about two weeks and it seems to work pretty well. The dc are loving keeping track of their time. I think it makes them feel more grown-up and important since they have some responsibility for part of their time log.
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Several years ago the kids and I saved our gift money to purchase all 10 Seasons of Little House on the Prairie. We've watched about 2 seasons (we are sparing about allowing the dc to watch TV). My dd especially loves to watch and now she's reading the series. We live near Amish country and a friend had purchased a bonnet for my dd two years ago. She still wears the bonnet and plays LHP with her ds. She has bonnets for her dolls and they play away....although not as realistically as your family is. lol
Our local library has LHP DVDs/videos that can be checked out, which is what we did before we had our money saved to buy the set ourselves. Maybe after you're ready to turn the electric lights back on, you could treat yourselves to a 21st century luxury of watching some LHP DVDs? Sounds like you're having a great time. Enjoy!
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Another CCer had their own laminator that she let me borrow last year. We've only been in CC one year and are planning to continue with Foundations for the next 6 years so I felt that it would be a good idea to protect them. It cost $15 for the laminating sheets and my friend didn't charge me to use her laminator. I trimmed and punched holes in the cards myself but, I scrapbook so I already had a great trimmer. It took several hours from start to finish but, I'm glad I did it. We took our cards whenever we went on car rides that were at least an hour so the kids could practice. I admonished my dc to be careful with the cards but even with careful handling, the laminated corners are starting to bend from all of the travel that they have seen. I'm glad it's just the lamination thats bent and not the cards themselves.
Now, I've decided to use VP for history for the next several years so we'll be using the cards even more than just with CC. If you choose not to laminate, I'd definitely recommend protecting them in some form if you want them to last for a number of years.
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Thank you to all who have responded to my post and for the PM's I've received. I have a more thorough understanding as to the scope and purpose of Challenge that I didn't have before. I think all of your responses will help me make a much more informed decision. Thanks so much!
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My dd was in a very rigorous Classical Christian Academy. For various reasons, we decided to take her out and hs both her and my ds last year. It was our first year hs-ing and thankfully, we all came out on the other end gloriously. But, I still have this BIG, I mean HUGE, hang-up about trying to keep pace with what the school is providing for the students there.....just in case hs-ing becomes a total flop and we decide to put our dc back in the school.
I have a friend who was in the same boat. Her oldest will be in 6th grade in the fall and she said that this year she finally decided to stop trying to keep up with the school. (I think that having baby #4 on the way helped her come to that conlusion.)
Anyway, I called a friend....a very wise friend, who also homeschools explaining my feelings about messing up my dc's education for all of the "stuff" that I might be missing or not giving to them and this is what she said, "God has already determined what it is that your dc need for their futures. He knows that one might be a history major and one might be an english major (or whatever). God will give you the ability to give to your dcs exactly what they need for their future. Maybe they don't need to be exceptionally gifted in Math (that's my weakest area) for the thing that God is calling them to do but, they do need ______ (fill in the blank) and that is the very thing that you are already giving to your dcs. So in the end God will provide for your children exactly what they need when they need it for the plan that He has for their lives."
Wow, what a mind-blower. It really helped me to put things into perspective. Do I still freak out? Absolutely. I'm human. ;) But, then I think about what my friend said and I try just to do my best, pray and ask God to give me the grace to not worry so much after that.
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As a side note, I have taught LitCT in co-op classes, and I am not impressed. I have taught many programs (I usually have to teach what the parents/directors want,) and I disliked it more than most. I would love to copy edit it for them, as there are many mistakes/typos. I can't imagine teaching it without knowing Latin, considering the errors. I think the Henle in Challenge I-IV would be far better, provided the tutor knows Latin and how to teach it. The Latin in Challenge A and B (LNST) isn't great, either, but I know there are plans to switch that soon.
Thanks for sharing about LitCT. It looked like such a promising program when I first looked at it on-line. I have read lots of good reviews about Henle so I'll look into it. I had Latin for 3 years in jr./hs and loved it but, I had a superb teacher. I'm trying to pass that love of Latin on to my dc. The Challenge tutor would have to be very good with Henle for me to be impressed b/c I'll always be comparing their abilities with my exceptional Latin teacher. We would definitely be opting out of LNST if they're still using it by the time we get there. My dc would be bored b/c they'd already know the material. Hopefully, they'll switch to something more substantial, although if the CC higher-ups are expecting students to be able to do a more weighty Latin, they'll have to make sure that the enrolling parents know that the Foundations Latin memory work won't prepare their students for the more challenging curriculum.
Classical Conversations just for the memory work?
in K-8 Curriculum Board
Posted
Yes, but if you want the history timeline, you still need the VP cards too.