Classical Conversations Challenge A

[celeryseedling]

If your child (‘tween) has participated in Classical Conversations Challenge A program, may I ask you about your experience?  

 

I’m considering placing my child in this program this upcoming Fall 2018.   My concern is that I’ve heard that it takes 6 hours daily to implement the program at home.   I’m concerned about how we are going to fit in our music practice (1 hour daily), our few extra-curriculars (attends music lesson twice a week), and the 2 other subjects we wish to do IN ADDITION to the Challenge A program (would take about 1.5-2 hours daily to do these 2 subjects).     

We’ve been in CC’s Essentials program for this past year.  Essentials has taken about 35-45 minutes for grammar and about 30-40 minutes for the writing daily.  I’m accustomed to CC comprising only 1.5 hours of our school day, which has been totally do-able.  However, to leap to CC taking SIX hours daily concerns me.   

The pros of the program look very inviting.   He loves his friends that will be in the program with him.  The tutor is wonderful.  The subject matter looks very robust.   I like that he’ll be gaining independence and will be learning to be accountable to someone other than his parents,

but…

Does it REALLY take six hours daily to implement at home?   

Please share your experience in this program.

Thank you!

 

[Lori D.]

Welcome to the Well-Trained Mind boards! :)

 

Links to a few past threads on the topic of CC Challenge A, or threads that touch on what Challenge A looks like, while you're waiting for some responses:

"Classical Conversations Challenge A/B: experienced input requested"

"If your child is (or has been) in Classical Conversations' Challenge..."

"Has anyone had their DC [dear children] in Classical Conversations Challenge A or B?"

"WTM [Well-Trained Mind] way and/or CC Challenge A for 7t grade?"

"Classical Conversations Challenge A"

"Rethinking CC Challenge 1"

"Classical Conversations families: Challenge B for 9th grade high school?"

Edited January 27, 2018 by Lori D.

[Omma]

Have you done Latin before?  Do you have a separate math program or will you be using Saxon?  If using Saxon, are you ahead, behind, or right on level?  If you have already done Foundations, you may gain a few extra minutes as you've already been learning a bit of Latin, etc.

 

We found that it really did take 6 hours per day and that we really could not do much else, except for our music extracurricular activities.  But we were brand new to Latin, brand new to the Lost Tools of Writing, and brand new to Saxon Math with a struggling math student at the time.  Drawing the world for geography and memorizing all the capitals of every country in the world basically took a full hour, too.

 

If you have an excellent tutor and your dc has friends already in the program, it could be a very good fit for middle school.  For us, it was a winner for Challenge A and probably even for Challenge B (but not. at. all. for high school).

[momofabcd]

I’m tutoring Challenge A this year and, so far, our experience with the content has been wonderful. However, it really does take my dd 6 hours. CC can be used as a supplement at the Foundations/Essentials Level, but it becomes the main curriculum at the Challenge Level. There really isn’t room for a lot of extras. That said, I see growth in my dd’s ability to reason and think because of the discussions we have with each seminar. She loves the Science research seminar as well as the rhetoric and excitedly tells me all she’s learning. As we progress with LTW, I’m more and more impressed with the skills it’s introducing. I do believe Challenge A is worth the effort and giving up some extras. (I do think it’s possible to continue music for sure). Hope this helps!

Edited January 28, 2018 by momofabcd