I'm glad to hear from some of you! The thread caused me a great deal of reflection on whether a history-centric approach to learning is ideal. I've come to the conclusion - for now - that my family will continue to use history as a spine for art, literature, music, geography, theology, ideas, inventions, biographies, etc. However, we will do so with caution. By that I mean, we WILL study literature outside of the historic time period that we're in. Second, we'll focus on Western Civilization, with less emphasis on Far East / Asia and Africa. I love other cultures and countries - personally I'm very multicultural - but I'm looking for continuity and connecting the dots. If my children can learn how to learn well....then when they're older they can easily learn more about the rest of the world, with depth. (plus they'll get some of that history when we read about Gandhi, and other famous people) I believe that literature and history are both very important. So we may enjoy Treasure Island, while we're studying the ancient world. But we also will enjoy GA Henty's The Destruction of the Temple, while we are studying the Early Church. We'll study Vivaldi's Four Seasons at anytime. What I've learned from this thread and other research, is that we will be cautious not to overdo the history approach - that it won't drive everything we study. But so far it's working well for us. I'm still learning a lot and I value the breadth of experience of those on this forum. Regarding CiRCE - it's been a life changer for me. CiRCE podcasts and articles support a wonderful approach to Christian classical education - not just for us as teachers, but for us as learners. I'm doing the apprenticeship this year - it's sort of a big deal, I feel like I'm going back to school. And yes, it will enrich our homeschooling and help me grow as a teacher (I teach at a co-op), but I'm excited to grow as a person as well. Thanks for "listening"! Alex Gonzalez

I would love to hear an update from you ladies five years later!! I discovered CiRCE two years ago and like yourselves, I've been inspired to rethink our homeschooling. I'm doing the CiRCE Apprenticeship this fall. I love great literature and I love history. So I feel like maybe the solution is....both? Read great literature. Also read some good historic fiction - but when it comes to history learn about the art, music, science, culture, religion, geography...etc.? I met Andrew at a conference. He gave me great advice. Not to teach by subject. To learn the whole first, not fragmented. That said, I am very history-centric! So please share with me, after these five years....what are your thoughts? We just finished a year of learning from Pentecost to the age of the Vikings. We overlapped a lot with other disciplines. Tonight we're finishing For the Temple by GA Henty. We love it. I consider it a win-win because it's history, it's character-building, and it's rich language. Thanks ladies, I hope you enjoy going back in time and seeing where you were five years ago. And I hope you don't mind sharing some lessons learned. I really appreciate your ideas exchanged here! Alex

Hello, I created the Parent's Guide to History for a classical Christian co-op that I founded in 2016. Here's a few things to know: - Starts with Pentecost (33 AD), ends with Prince Vladimir I of Kiev (d. 1015) - can be tailored for multiple ages - This is history not theology - but it does cover the Council of Nicea and the Council of Chalcedon - at a high level - any Christian or secular student will gain from learning this history - encourages interdisciplinary learning - early Christian art and music, language, geography - suggested picture books, chapter books and selections from SOTW and Story of the Middle Ages - includes suggested discussion and coming soon a customized writing guide (IEW based) I hope this material blesses many people. We found learning in a small group setting to be ideal, but this guide can be used at home or a co-op setting. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1PmT6fI9Y0U0EadAq82c6MFMiflsOzj8tOnPnmdHbv8A/edit?usp=sharing Yours in Christ, Alex Gonzalez

I've been watching the videos that Andrew Kern made with Matt Bianco: "Restful Teaching: Be Anxious For Nothing," which are available on Vimeo for $10 (for all five videos). I find a lot of golden nuggets nestled in these talks, but you do have to be patient. And I plan to re-listen to them. God willing we are attending an Orthodox Homeschool Conference next month in PA where is he will speaking. I would like to prepare a few specific questions in case I get a chance to ask him. Anyone have any good questions you want me to ask? The obvious is too broad: How do you apply Restful Teaching and Learning on an everyday basis, practically speaking? But I think that Mr. Kern (and Mr. Pudewa too) are inspiring us to have the big picture in the forefront of our mind, and we are the ones who need to figure out how to best meet our big picture goal with our children on an everyday basis. Maybe it looks like this: more read aloud (this is restful for me and my children) more discussion (also restful for us and often done in the car) more discovery together (certain areas great....but I'm not so well-rounded!) Mom learns alongside children. (we do this anyways, honestly I feel like I'm giving all I have. Do I need to give more?) I am trying to resist the temptation to feel completely inadequate about my teaching and fearful about how my own sins affect my children and their virtues or lack thereof. I also feel that we Moms need time alone. I treasure alone time! Last thought: Time doesn't seem to be on our side nowadays. I feel like Classical Education requires time. Open schedules. No rushing around. No distractions! I think about the olden days. Horse and carriage. There was no such thing as arriving 10 minutes late. Who could be so precise? I try really hard not to overload our schedule, but we have friends and a very full life. Maybe if we could wake up before 8:30AM, we'd feel like we had more time? LOL And also, I know that multi-tasking is not all that it's cracked up to be! Some days my head is spinning! Thank you, my first time posting on this forum!