Any homesteaders who homeschool using classical education?

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If you homestead AND homeschool using classical education, will you contact me to share schedules and suggestions. We have 4 kids and have homeschooled for 15 years.

-- Janie Dye (jdye_24088@yahoo.com), April 06, 2000

Answers

I've homeschooled my girls for 11 yrs. now but have never heard of the term "classical" education. Can you explain that please?

-- Pat (pmikul@pcpros.net), April 06, 2000.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I read your post. I guess I shouldn't be that surprised as many homeschoolers use this approach. I'm an 11th grader and I and my brother and 2 sisters are schooled using the classical approach. Also, our family runs Tree of Life School and Book Service, which is a service to homeschoolers that provides books using the classical approach. The classical approach teaches the children in 3 stages. The grammar stage, the logic stage and the rhetoric stage. In the grammar stage is geared for children up to age 10 or so. Since most children this age have the ability to memorise and learn things very quickly, you focus on filling their minds with facts. In the logic stage, ages 10-12, the children tend to argue a lot. In this stage you teach them how to argue and how to do things. In the rhetoric stage, 12 and up, you dwell on the question why. Of course, your children may not hit those stages at those specific ages and may be logic stage a little early or stay in the grammar or logic stage longer. It all depends on the child. I hope that answered your question. I'd love to discuss this with you all!!

-- AbigailF. (treeoflife@sws.nb.ca), April 06, 2000.

Well, we're not exactly homesteaders, but I do love the magazine and am inching into a homesteading mentality slowly, but I can tell you something about the "classical" curriculum. Previous postings have already explained the traditional breakdown of the learning of a child into categories which have existed since before the middle ages-- the quadrivium and the trivium- that is the grouping of the seven subjects classically considered necessary to be fully educated. Laura berquist has written an excellent book called, I think, Designing a Classical Curriculum, based on the classic categories noted above. She also has produced a syllabus for each grade up to high school, starting from first grade. We have used several curriculae (sp?) and I find hers the easiest by far to work with. I strongly recommend it. We have six little darlings and are using it with all who are old enough to start it. Regards, Daniel Fagan

-- Daniel R. Fagan (fagandr@juno.com), April 10, 2000.

We used the classical approach up and through the eigth grade. We lived oversees mostly and used Calvert out of Mass.. I would have used Calvert all the way through if it had been offered. My oldest start College in August and says she still misses Calvert. From 9th through 12th we schooled by Video in the traditional way.

-- Debbie Wolcott (bwolcott@cwis.net), April 13, 2000.

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