What is Classical Conversations

The classical homeschool movement has rallied in the last couple of years, and a new homeschool group concept has been born. Classical Conversations is a community based homeschool program in the form of support groups that get together weekly to follow the prescribed curriculum. Group leaders help to equip parents to homeschool through a series of academic services, tutors, and meetings. Basically homeschoolers gather once a week to meet and talk about not only curriculum, but also about God and to minister to each other. If you are a follower of Classical homeschooling, you may appreciate what Classical Conversations has … Continue reading

Introduction from a new homeschool blogger

I’d like to introduce myself to the Families.com family. I’m a mom, a freelance writer, and a new homeschooling blogger here. I’m delighted to have this opportunity to write about a lifestyle and method of education that I love. We’re a family of five from the Midwest. When people ask how long we’ve been homeschooling, I often say that we’ve done it since birth, since parents are the first and most important educators of their children. But, for an actual chronology of my kids’ education, I can also say that we started formally homeschooling our oldest when she entered first … Continue reading

Visual Latin: Makes Latin Easy!

The thought of teaching Latin made me want to hide under a table. I did not think there would be any way for me to teach Latin. I never took Latin in school. I have no experience in this subject and quite frankly it is an intimidating subject if you are unfamiliar. Knowing that I decided to homeschool to provide a better education I knew I would have to find away to teach my children Latin. Latin will help build a strong foundation for English. A person who knows Latin will have a firmer grasp on vocabulary and spelling. I … Continue reading

You Can Teach Latin

A hallmark of a classical education is Latin. Latin maybe a dead language but it remains with us in spirit through our vocabulary. You will find many law and medical terms have been derived from Latin. Having a background in our dearly departed language will help one understand new vocabulary, spell, and encourage a deeper understanding of language. If you teach from a classical approach you surely expected to add Latin into your coursework. However, teaching Latin is beneficial to all students regardless of which method of homeschooling they are under. Don’t be intimidated if you have never taken Latin … Continue reading

Fourth Grade Social Studies Curriculum

As I have mentioned before, you have many options when teaching social studies to homeschoolers. You may prefer a chronological approach that is popular among classical homeschoolers (I like it too), or you can teach according to what is taught in schools nationwide. This list of lesson topics comes from world book encyclopedia, but suggestions are added by me. Types of community life: To learn about community life, spend time in the community. Participate in volunteer opportunities. Go to local political meetings and rallies. Spend time in local recreation areas talking to people. History and development of the local state: … Continue reading

Have the Christmas Spirit All Year Long

The holidays are a great time to bring the spirit into your home. You may be able to carry some of the suggestions into next year, so that you can have a home in which you can easily feel the spirit. This will help to cut back on fighting and discontentment. Here are a few ideas on having the spirit in our homes throughout the year. 1) At Christmas, many people have Christmas music on in the background. You can easily change this to hymns or Primary songs. Handel’s music can also set a peaceful tone. Classical music in general … Continue reading

Music Instruction and the Homeschooler

Earlier today, I talked about Art requirements for Homeschoolers. I mentioned that art should be an integral part of your homeschooling. I feel the same way about music. It is a known fact that music stimulates the brain, and wires it to understand mathematics and science. Recent research also shows that singing improves spatial. For these reasons, I had began supplementing my children’s education with music instruction long before we started homeschooling. Then once we began homeschooling, I insisted that music practice was done first each day, right after breakfast. With so many things to learn in a homeschool environment, … Continue reading