Question about classical conversations materials--foundations (for 5 yo)

[pehp]

My son will be taking part in our local CC this fall--he'll be 5 in june. :) I am trying to decide exactly which supplies he will need and which we can forgo--I know he will need the tin whistle, and I'm inclined to purchase the memory CDs (I'm really not pushing any memory work--we're mostly doing this for a change of scenery/social interaction/community-building--because, after all, he is FIVE!). I think we will forgo the flashcards (memory/history/science) for this year (I don't know if we will do CC next year or not--I'm just feeling my way here!)

 

I am wondering if I should purchase the Foundations Curriculum Guide as well. Is that a necessity? Is it very useful? It's $50 *on sale* so I'm hesitant to purchase it if it is not all that important.

 

TIA!

[Jim]

The guide will have everything in it you will need, broken down by week. From it, you can create your own flash cards if you do decide to try the memory work. All the rest, including the cds, are for convenience. They do make life easier and the cds are a hit with my boys, including our 5 yo who can recite most of the cycle 3 history sentences and many of the science facts. They do work.

 

To her credit, our leader is quick to say that you need very little other than the guide.

 

 

Jim

[Guest AnneS]

You might want to check with your director. Families in our program are required to have the guide.

 

I agree that the flashcards aren't necessary, especially for a five year old.

[amselby81]

If you want to do any drilling of the facts at home, but yet you don't want to be too serious about it, then I'd recommend getting the CD and not the guide. With the CD you will have the songs to listen to. We listen to it in the car. For what it's worth, my daughter turned five in October, and she did a marvelous job with memory work. Don't underestimate your son just b/c he's young. :) But we didn't do a lot of drilling at home. Just listening to the CD a lot on car rides.

 

IMO, you'll want to do some memory work at home. There is a family at my CC campus who only use CC for social reasons. They do BJU at home, and no CC curriculum at all. Well, CC does review every week, and her 6 year old son didn't know any of the material for review. His way of coping so he didn't feel left out was by goofing off, so it caused some behavior problems. Maybe he would have goofed off anyway, but it was kind of sad when he couldn't recite any of the review stuff when all of the other kids in his class could.

 

ETA: if you get the new Cycle 1 CD's, it will have a song for the history cards. So you really won't need the history cards. And maybe your director will say that you need the guide, but honestly, how will she know if you don't have it? The only people who are using it on CC days are the tutors. I can't imagine that your director will expect the parents to bring their's with them every week.

Edited April 27, 2012 by amselby81

[wormbuy]

I have not used the guide very much at all, I joined cc connected, printed the memory work pages and used those on a tri-fold board. Cc connected is $6 a month if you are part of a group. Our goals for cc are similar to yours. The guide does have useful info included and I am glad to have it, but I could definitly have done without.

I spoke with our tutor about the fourth edition, she has looked it over briefly and her first impression is that the changes are minor. The biggest change is the inclusion of the timeline. So you maybe could get a 3rd edition used for less. There may even be info on the changes on the cc site somewhere.

 

ETA- the most useful item I purchased was the audio cd, the majority of our review was in the car using the cd.

Edited April 27, 2012 by wormbuy

[pehp]

Thank you, helpful souls!

 

I think we'll get the CDs (he will enjoy the audio, I think, and it will help him work on the memorization) and I'll probably go ahead and get the guide, just to have it as a resource...and if I don't need/use it (our director did not say it was necessary at all) then I will pass it along/sell it at the end of the year. We shall see.

 

We don't plan to do CC at home but will be doing 'memory work' via the CDs. I don't plan to quiz at home or anything like that, but I think the CDs will fill in that gap just fine. I thought about CC connected but decided to go ahead and order the physical CDs b/c I am so un-technologically-capable and probably wouldn't use the online resource much during this first year, as we are just getting our feet wet with CC....& otherwise doing very 'lite' kindergarten work on our own, just for fun.

 

Thank you so much for the help!

[dsmama]

I agree that the guide and the audio CD are very helpful (we just finished our 2nd year in CC -- started when younger DD was 4).

 

I agree that the history cards and other written items would not be necessary.

 

Also -- the guide is brand new this year. You may find someone selling a used one for cheap. The old guide wouldn't have the timeline right, and a few math items are different, but if you are really trying to go frugal, this might help.

[lindsrae]

The guide helps you see the scope and sequence, but I use the CC Connected lots more for ideas :)