I came across a basic Home Ec and Lifeskills free curriculum on a homeschooler's website (Amy Maryon). She has several offerings, so scroll down for Home Ec. I've never used it, but it may be worth looking through.

That's an extensive list! Thanks!

Yes! Thanks! This is a great resource. Let me dig into it...

Is there such a place that offers classical Socratic classroom training for b&m teachers or homeschool parents who'd like to understand better and practice this classroom style, hopefully with a practicum element? Training for all levels, elementary, middle, and HS, and in Socratic seminar. I came across this document that outlines a specific way in which to Socratic question and found it very informative, a bit of a how-to recipe. It was probably shared at one point on this website. One issue I've seen with those establishing classical bent or pure classical schools is that the teachers need some type of continuing ed or training that guides them in what a classical Socratic classroom looks like and how it behaves. Since it diverges from the traditional classroom, it's hard for the teachers to switch from what they've known and wrap their brain around how to do it. So, to that end, is there something quality out there that does this type of training?

Since I've never worked with CHC, would you consider it more traditional or classical or ???

Very good point. CHC's speed might be a good fit, or at least parts of it.

If you have any current high schoolers interested in studying and working in the computer cyber security field, there is an annual, FREE, week-long cyber camp at DSU in South Dakota this June, paid for by grants from the NSA and NSF. Space is limited, and participation is nationwide. I have a relative attending this year for the 1st time because we've heard good things about it--thought I'd pass on the information.

Thanks, very good to know! I'll take a look at CHC. I wonder how their gentle approach would work in a school setting...

Thank you! This is good information to know. I'll continue searching on this forum for more about Novare since it's "new" to me. I'll also take a look at what Tan has to offer.

Are you referring to the Novare science put out by CAP? I didn't think CAP was Catholic. I'll take a look.... Thanks!

My question is two-fold: If you could implement a specific Catholic (or at least not anti-Catholic) curriculum into a Catholic school system, what would it be? Perhaps more broadly crossed with specific educational pedagogy instead of a specific curriculum, like classical, montessori, etc., like the links to schools listed above. And, do you have any individual, subject-specific (or boxed) Catholic curriculum options that could replace what is currently used? So, MoDG, Kolbe, and Angelicum are good suggestions so I can explore what they use as a whole, and their scope & sequence. CTProject and Novare are good suggestions for the individual subjects. I hope this is clearer...I'd love to hear what you all think. Thank you!

If you were to implement a specifically Catholic curriculum into a large Catholic school system, what would you use? pre-K-12th. I'm looking for BOTH boxed and subject specific Catholic options. BUT if it's a close Christian or neutral, I'd be all ears. Nothing anti-Church. Trying to think outside the traditional brick-and-mortar school curriculum. I think St. Jerome Academy and St. Anges are intriguing for K-8th, and it doesn't need to be full-throttle classical like a Chesterton Academy, 9-12th. If you have links to specific schools or threads that do what you'd like to see or talk about these issues, please include them below. These ideas may land on open ears so this is an exercise with a positive end-goal. Who wants to play?

Me too. I've since moved to another part of the country so not many chances to run into each other.

{{hugs}} not easy! My dad was diagnosed Manic Depressive before the renaming to Bipolar. I'm not sure which type he'd be considered but not rapid cycling. He deals more with the depression side than the manic in general. He also deals with migraines. About 30 years ago, he had a massive manic episode that lasted a few months (widely productive, but dangerous), ending with a psych ward stay for a few weeks. (I mean, cops escorting him to the hospital from the doctor's office--that's a story!) Between his altered reality and the heavy meds given to bring him down, there's a large chunk of time he'll never remember. Afterward, they had him on, what we "lovingly" call, an upper, a downer, and an in-betweener, lithium being one of them. He shook sooooo bad on lithium that he wanted off--hated the stuff. Hindsight being 20/20, my mom thinks he went through a minor manic episode a half dozen years before that, but it righted itself before too long so she didn't think it needed medical attention. For him, his triggers were some major emotional life change, poor eating, decrease in sun (largest depression episodes always came in the fall), and lack of exercise. The minor manic episode's emotional trigger was a family business deal that went sideways, and the major episode was he mom dying. Over the years, the ONE greatest thing he's done to manage his BP (and subsequently his migraines), more than meds or nutritional supplements, is a clean diet that is tailored to him. He's mostly paleo (I think???), stays completely away from most carbs and sugars, no added anything, only homemade, simple rotation diet. He has a few small "cheat" treats every so often. He has a few restaurant items he knows he can temporarily do ok with. To meet him you'd never know he had a mental disorder since it's been managed--he's a great guy to be around. And, 30 years later he's been able to maintain it well. It's hardest on my mom since she's the "gatekeeper" of his health and knows that their relationship has this impediment that blocks a complete adult relationship between the two. She's learned she can't be completely open with him because she doesn't know how he'd use the information if he goes into another manic state--this is a legitimate concern. To me, she's a living example of Christian love, what it means to love someone in sickness/health, etc...still tough, no doubt, but when managed, it's mostly fine, living a normal life. He trusts her completely to recognize symptoms early and knows she has his best interest at heart. When he was diagnosed, we passed the news around since it runs in families, and at least one of my 1st cousins was soon diagnosed with it, too, as a young adult and is married now with children. I also have a niece (young adult) who has "something" that presents a little like rapid-cycling BP. She manages it mostly through diet (vegan), exercise, and proper sleep, being on the lookout for symptoms that may necessitate meds. She's also in a normal, serious relationship. I'm always on the lookout for symptoms in myself and kids. My mom made the decision that it needed to be talked about and not hidden like a secret, for which I'm very proud of her for shining a light on it--it's helped many. For what it's worth, alcoholism, diabetes, Alzheimers all run in his family. Dad is from a large family, where most of his brothers were alcoholics (died young-ish from it), but luckily for him, he isn't. Who knows what they were "medicating" with the alcohol. There is hope! I pray there's something in my story that brings light to you in your sadness.

DH taught one year of Kreeft's logic to a group of high school students along with oldest DD, and here is what he had to say: I don't know if any websites that discuss how to use Kreeft's Logic text for homeschooling, but here's what I did. We did logic once a week for 30-45 minutes or so. Each week's assignment generally entailed reading a few pages, having the student come up with 2-4 questions (as a way to help with reading comprehension) and then doing some of the exercises for that section. Then during class we discussed the reading content, answering their questions as we went, to ensure that the material was understood. Second, we worked through the exercises that were assigned as a group (four students), letting them discuss their answers before explaining the correct answer. A couple notes: in some cases I just assigned reading & question-creation, as I had to break up the reading into a couple weeks. And on other occasions, there was not reading assigned, just more exercises. In the course of a school year (30ish wks) we got through chapter three skipping the (P) sections of the book. Hope this helps!

Yes, we've counted Religion or Theology as a credit, and, yes, every year. We're not under an umbrella school, just what is required by our state for graduation. Think of private Catholic schools. They have 4 years of religion. Not all 4 years are Old or New Testament, but they use the other years to round out the study of their faith.

This reminds me of childhood, hot, humid, and no A/C, something about the simple life...good memories. I'd also like to tour the plantations, connection to history.

HA! So true!

Count me in! I'm not much for big cruises, but this sounds extremely interesting.

Let's pair that with the olive oil and cheese and chocolate and...notice a trend?!? 👍

You could try northern Minnesota. I've seen them there. Beautiful!

Word On Fire, Ignition, Leedom to Life (new), Fulwiler I'll keep thinking... ETA: Not a podcast per se, but I think it would be interesting to listen to, Fulton Sheen's audio collection.

You guys!! My computer must have been listening to me b/c I saw an ad for Swiss Raclette melted cheese and touring their facilities in Switzerland on it. Delicious looking!

That would be a fun tour. I always wonder about the undeserved hype for some of those places, but I'd try it out.

Although I'm not as well traveled as your amazing list, I agree that I've been fortunate to go and see where and what I have. Hot springs sound fabulous! ETA: And, a few on that list are right here in the States, fairly easy to get to.