Classical Conversations at home?

[A home for their hearts]

Is it possible to do Classical Conversations at home without going to a CC group? I'm considering this for next year but I don't think we can afford it. I think I would have four in foundations and 2 in essentials, possibly 3 in foundations 1 in essentials and 1 in challenage, I don't think it's in the budget to pay for all of that. Plus I don't think my dd12, who will be 13 in the fall, is ready for challenge. Is it possible for us to do the program at home on our own?

Thanks!

[Paula in MS]

It is possible to do the Foundations classes at home easily. It is really not possible to do the Essentials and Challenge programs at home because the instructor guides are only available for those enrolled in the program. You can mimic the Essentials classes somewhat by using your own grammar program along with IEW. The strength of the Challenge program lies with the discussion/debate among the students. If cost were a factor for me, I would do foundations at home and see if your local CC community offers a partial day for Challenge. You could pay for only those classes you wanted to take.

 

Paula

[A home for their hearts]

It is possible to do the Foundations classes at home easily. It is really not possible to do the Essentials and Challenge programs at home because the instructor guides are only available for those enrolled in the program. You can mimic the Essentials classes somewhat by using your own grammar program along with IEW. The strength of the Challenge program lies with the discussion/debate among the students. If cost were a factor for me, I would do foundations at home and see if your local CC community offers a partial day for Challenge. You could pay for only those classes you wanted to take.

 

Paula

 

What would I need to purchase to do the Foundations classes at home? So far there isn't a Challenge Class for our area. They are only offering Foundations and Essentials. Would my dd12 be allowed in these two programs if I think she isn't ready for Challenge?

[Paula in MS]

For foundations, you would need the foundations guide and the audio CDs. If you are going to do fine arts and science experiments, you would need additional resources which are listed in the foundations guide. I am not sure about your 12 year old and foundations. You should probably ask your local CC director.

 

Paula

[Mamachick2]

I'm considering this for next year but I don't think we can afford it. I think I would have four in foundations and 2 in essentials, possibly 3 in foundations 1 in essentials and 1 in challenage, I don't think it's in the budget to pay for all of that.

 

Have you considered tutoring one of the classes? That could help pay for it.

[Mom0012]

I did it at home for a number of years with my kids after briefly trying out a CC group. After spending a couple of days in CC Foundations classes, I realized that I was spending hours doing what could be done at home in 20 minutes since my main interest was in the memory work. IMO, I would only be interested in CC in a group setting for the social aspect and at the time we were doing it, all the groups were quite a distance from my home, so I didn't think we'd make lasting friendships in them.

 

I do think it was great for my son. It was a real boost to his confidence because people would always be amazed at the information he knew. However, after we'd finished all 3 cycles, the continual review became too cumbersome and once we stopped reviewing, my kids forgot most of what they'd memorized.

 

Lisa

[tkdkidsmom]

We will be joining a new CC community in our area this fall, and we will not have a Challenge program our first year. I agree to check with the director as we have a similar situation (12yo student in foundations). After all isn't part of the reason for h'schooling to meet and challenge your children at their level?

Good luck with your decision!

[Hedgehogs4]

I did it at home for a number of years with my kids after briefly trying out a CC group. After spending a couple of days in CC Foundations classes, I realized that I was spending hours doing what could be done at home in 20 minutes since my main interest was in the memory work. IMO, I would only be interested in CC in a group setting for the social aspect and at the time we were doing it, all the groups were quite a distance from my home, so I didn't think we'd make lasting friendships in them.

 

I do think it was great for my son. It was a real boost to his confidence because people would always be amazed at the information he knew. However, after we'd finished all 3 cycles, the continual review became too cumbersome and once we stopped reviewing, my kids forgot most of what they'd memorized.

 

Lisa

 

:iagree:

[Blessedmomof4:)]

I think that even though it seems they have forgotten what they memorized, when they start learning in depth about certain subjects the forgotten facts will come right back to them. I have it happen to me all the time. Its never really gone just stored in another location until needed:)

[MeganW]

I think that even though it seems they have forgotten what they memorized, when they start learning in depth about certain subjects the forgotten facts will come right back to them. I have it happen to me all the time. Its never really gone just stored in another location until needed:)

 

We've only been through one cycle, so I may change my tune, but for now, popping the old CD in once a month has kept the material fresh.

[LearningGrace]

I'm so glad I found this thread! We have been pursuing a classical ed. for 3 years and will begin our 4th in a few weeks. I have been disappointed in my lack of doing the memory work with the kids. I really like the layout of CC Foundations for that reason. However, I am now a little daunted about how to go about it. At this point, my plan is to just do the memory work alone. I have a 13 ds who will be doing Modern History/SOTW 4 this year and a 7 dd who is finishing SOTW 2 and will begin SOTW 3. So my questions are these:

 

Where should I start? Should I start with Cycle 2 b/c of where we are historically or should I start w/1 just since it's the beginning and we've pretty much done no memory work?

 

Do I need the audio cds for whichever cycle I start? Are these intended for in-home use or when in the car with no book to view?

 

What do you think of the flashcards?

 

Which set of cards would you buy? I have the 3rd ed. Foundations, but know it would be easy to divide the newer CC cards as well. Have you seen both? Which set do you like and why?

 

Do you agree that perhaps popping in a CD once or twice a year would help refresh the memory with these things or if we will not be part of a group we should try something else?

 

I would sure appreciate your input. Thanks!

[melmichigan]

We are starting with Cycle 3 because that is where we are in history. We have the new CC cards, flash cards, foundations guide, and the ipad app. I downloaded all my audio/power point and pdf's from CC connected but you could look for them on ebay or other used merchants in CD and CD-ROM formats.