We have finished up our time with Classical Conversations Challenge program this past school year. My son experienced extreme anxiety due to the rush of the Challenge 1 program and what is expected in 30 weeks versus a regular 36 week school year. Now I'm having anxiety trying figure out where to go from here. He has always wanted more of an actual history course as CC doesn't cover that until Challenge 3 & 4 (11th & 12th grade). I just want a more comfortable pace and less stress this year but I am feeling the pressure of getting things covered because he is 16 and we only have a couple of years left and there seems like we have so much to cover! I want to teach classically but I need hand holding which is why I stayed with CC for as long as I did. I also dont want to just throw aside all that we have learned just to go back to a traditional textbook method. Should I stay the course and find a used Challenge 2 guide to just work through at home without community? Is that an awful idea? I would love some feedback and ideas to chew on. TIA!

Can anyone here direct me to a Lego Globe Theater pattern? My son has a project for CC Ch 1 for Taming of the Shrew due at the end of the semester. We have tons of Lego’s and I’ve seen pictures all over the internet of them but it would be nice if there is are any instructions from someone that has built one before. Thanks!

I’m wondering if anyone here can suggest a history book or series that is neutral/balanced toward history when it comes to Catholicism and Protestantism. I’m currently on the fence where I stand when it comes to Christianity and would really like a history that would teach both sides. I’m no longer a strict Sola Scriptura proponent. I want to teach my highschooler from a stance that he sees both sides as they both had their problems. Catch Duffy suggests a new series called the Catholic Textbook Project and Memoria Press has the Dorothy Mills history series which both look interesting. Just not sure where to go from here. I appreciate the help!

We just finished Blue Book Exams for Classical Conversations Challenge A today. Yikes. I’m disappointed at the results of a whole year of school. I have waffled back and forth about continuing Challenge for my son all year. The pace of the program is mostly what has killed us. The learning also just seems surface level with not much understanding. My son has really struggled with the LTW program and the Henle Latin because of how fast they move through it.🤯 I joined CC primarily so he could have social interaction with kids his age. My son is very social but has not made any deep friendships to make us want to return. I’ve tried and tried to get the families together but with little success. Unless you are a tutor/director, you just can’t get the attention needed to develop deep relationships. He actually likes going to class but just because it gets him out of the house. He loved the Fallacy Detective though! I just don’t know where to go from here. Are there other families out there that have moved away from CC after Challenge A? What did you move to and did your child do better? Are there some things that you have found that CC does better than other programs such as debate (coming up in Ch B)? I feel as if I’m leaving a cult and don’t know what to do! Funny thing is, I’ve homeschooled outside of CC with my older son AND graduated him but it’s been so long that I’m feeling overwhelmed about leaving even though I feel that it’s what we need to do. I could really use input here. Thanks!

Are there any history resources out there that present both views on Catholic history and Protestant history? I am frustrated at how the homeschool community is primarily Protestant (at least that's what I am finding) curriculum. There were two differing views on the Protestant Reformation and I'd like to present this information in way that it can create discussion.

Hello all! As I am getting ready to transition my son from CC to homeschooling without an umbrella, I am in need of some advice as to where I can go from here in regards to writing. CC uses The Lost Tools of Writing and as much as I like the ANI chart idea, the program itself is kind of confusing to use. I read on the Cathy Duffy reviews site that it's really meant to be used in a classroom setting which I'm seeing is accurate. We have completed a couple years of IEW theme based writing courses through the CC Essentials program also. Does anyone have any suggestions as to where I can go from here? We've only been using LTW for a few months and honestly, because of the ridiculous pace of CC, we really haven't had much luck actually getting to the writing portion of the papers. We've only gotten as far as the outline. Thanks so much!

I realize this may be a bit late to reply but I thought I'd reply just in case. My 7th grader has been struggling to catch up in math for some time. Because of this, I was looking in to the Saxon D.I.V.E. program and saw the parent resources they suggested reading through. Reading through their info, I found that as long as the student is 12 yo/ 7th grade, there is no need to put the student in a lower book (in a nutshell). So, I ordered the Saxon 8/7 math along with the D.I.V.E. streaming and so far it's been a great program. We DO NOT complete one lesson a day. D.I.V.E suggests taking as long as 3 days to complete a lesson if needed. My son Is definitely challenged but it's not so hard that he can't do it. Saxon 8/7 used to be a remedial math before going in to Algebra. Now Saxon has Saxon 1/2 which you can go to AFTER the 8/7 or depending on how well 8/7 was completed, you can go straight to Algebra 1. I'll be honest. I used to be one of those homeschool moms that hate Saxon. After going through so many curriculum (Teaching Textbooks, Math- U-See, Right Start, etc) choices I was at my wits end and I guess I was desperate. My son still isn't in love with Saxon but oh well. I can at least say that I feel that he is learning at a pace that pushes him to think harder and not just dawdle and float. Here's the D.I.V.E site if you are interested: https://diveintomath.com/saxon-math/ . Hope this helps!

English Grammar definitely needs to be reviewed. What did you use for this?

Thank you for sharing - seriously. Please pray for me.

This is part of my struggle as well. Every week I want to withdraw but then I Wonder if that would be the best solution.

I have him in SYS book E and he seems to be bored with the repetition. He’s doing excellent on the dictations. I’m wondering if we should go to a Word Roots program instead - something like The Critical Thinking Company’s “Word Roots 1”. To be honest, it’s a LOT of extra writing and as much as context helps, it’s just extra work for him. We are in CC Challenge A this year and it’s intense. Even though it’s intense, it’s a very good program but I need to scale so I can add in study for his weak spots. I also have Spelling Plus but haven’t quite figured out how the program is supposed to work. It seems complicated.

He makes mistakes in the spellings of sounds. So yes, mistakes like “Braik” for break/brake.

My 12 yo son needs a good spelling program. I have chosen Spelling You See but I’m not sure if it’s the best choice for him. We are in Classical Conversations Challenge A so a program that is not simple and short will not work for us. He’s not a terrible speller. He has learned a lot of spelling simply by copying however I’m seeing that he needs better spelling instruction. I appreciate your thoughts!

We have been participating in Classical Conversations Foundations and Essentials for the past couple years. I initially decided to enroll my 12 yo son in Challenge A for next year but I'm having second thoughts. I'm not new to homeschooling and so having someone tell me the topics to cover are kind of irritating. As I look in to their choices of curriculum for CH A, I'm somewhat ok with what he'd be using but I almost want to wait one more year and use IEW before we start Lost Tools of Writing. I'm also wondering why they start using Henle Latin so early when it's a high school course. My biggest issue is with the lack of history study at this age. I know many CC Challenge moms that say they get plenty of history but it's through historical fiction and their Cartography book. There is no formal study using non-fictional sources. I want to add that in to the program but I'm told that with their workload thee is no time. My second largest concern is the price of joining. I've already paid my registration fee but I'd rather stop there and save the $600+ per semester. I just can't see why anyone would pay so much money just to be part of a community 🤷‍♀️ From what I understand, the parent works with the Challenge student at home and then drops the student off just to go over the previous week's work and do some review. I also can't understand why it's 30 weeks instead of 36 weeks. The program just seems so stinking' rushed and I don't understand the reason why it has to be this way. So, with all that said, I am wondering if there are any like minded parents here that have struggled with this very thing and have chosen to go a different route? What curriculum did you find that followed up well with the Essentials program? Did you just use the CH A materials at home? How did the transition make homeschooling more relaxed at home? TIA!

I have access to both Notgrass From Adam to Us and Homeschool in the Woods Project Passport: Ancient Egypt. My son is in 6th grade and I’d like to know opinions on both curricula. I’m so torn that I need help choosing. For those that have used either, please let me know your pros and cons. I realize that there is a lot of printing and cutting with PP but I’d like more info beyond that if possible. How is the history? Interesting or dry? How much time does it honestly take you to complete? Does it seem rushed? Is it easy or hard to teach? Etc. We start school next week! ?‍♀️