Spring Semester

This semester our family joined a new Community of homeschoolers in something called Classical Conversations. Classical Conversations (CC) is an academic program that seeks to come alongside parents and assist with Christian Classical homeschooling. CC is growing like a weed all over the country as parents discover how helpful it can be to homeschooling - 6000 students were involved nationally last year - that number is up to 30,000 this year!

It truly is an answer to prayer for us and is helping us so much in our schooling. We have never learned so much and had so much fun doing it.

Every Tuesday the day begins at 9:00. Everyone gathers together for a family presentation, review of our timeline cards, review of the Bible Memory work and announcements.

Then the kids break into their own classes. Each class is taught by a trained mom/tutor. There is no more than 8 kids to a "tutor". Adison is with all 4&5 year olds. Kenyon is with all 6&7 year old boys, Avery is with 7 year old girls and so on. While in class we learn a new History sentence (for example - "Watt's steam engine, Cartwrights powerloom and Whitney's cotton gin spurred the Industrial Revolution), a new science fact (ex-Newton's 1st law of motion), Latin Grammar (1st conjugation Present Tense), Grammar (ex - Adverbs), Math Fact (ex- The Area of a square = side squared) and a new part of the World Map (ex- Baltic European contries). We also learn 8 new timeline cards so that by the end of the year we can say a timeline spanning from creation to modern America, do an art project and a science lab and the kids give a short oral presentation on an assigned topic. It's a long morning but so rich in content!

Here is Kenyon presenting on his family.

Here is one week's art project. Avery's art always looks so advanced compared with her peers. Her's is the bottom right. They were instructed to use water color to paint a landscape like the famous Artist they had just studied (I don't remember who it was).


Here is Avery's class participating in a science lab.

Then in the afternoon all of my kids are in a playroom while the 3rd - 6th graders and their moms, take an intense 2 1/2 hour grammar & writing course. It's pretty intense! The teacher was an English major and says it's every bit as difficult as some of her college material.


Then we go home and for the rest of the week we practice all of our facts and get them memorized well. As well as do our regular math, phonics, and other subjects. The truth is I am shocked how much the kids are retaining and although I already was leaning to the classical education model - I am fully convinced now and look forward to being completely converted.

Here is what my whiteboard looks like each week.

And of course, we are still in our Friday (For His Children) Co-op. That is, all of us besides Adia, who is now too old to join in on the fun. She has too much going on between regular school, CC, volleyball and her Bright Lights group. On Friday mornings she joins dad at the office and gets her school done there.

Kenyon's new classes are - PE & Oddball History

Kaden's new classes are _ Preschool Playhouse & Bible Stories & Nursery Rhymes

Adison is taking Espanol 101 & Fruit of the Spirit FUN! (taught by mom)

Avery's classes for this semester are Sewing & Around the World Geography

We are super busy but we are Learning tons!!!