Classical Conversations

Well, I did say in my homeschool post about 3 posts back, that we are starting something new this year.  People have asked for me to go into detail.....so here you go!
After 15 years of homeschooling, I needed a change.  Actually, after I had Patrick I was sweetly convicted by the Holy Spirit as I sat nursing him one evening.  I felt like the Lord impressed on me that he had given me a treasure that is actually an empty vessel.  As parents we are responsible for their education and we are responsible for what we "fill them up" with.  We have the awesome responsibility to fill them with the understanding, knowledge and wisdom of the Lord.  Not the world's wisdom.  And while I knew all of this as a homeschooling mom, I felt that many times I was just trying to "get by" with our schooling or do what was expected by the public school and just slide through.  
My older children have graduated from a Classical Christian school that they went to after middle school.  At Ben's graduation from this school, I was so impressed with what they had learned and how the younger ones had learned it.  I started to ask around and do some research.  So after a few months of this I came across a friend doing Classical Conversations and I was truly impressed.  I felt like the Lord was gently leading me and even though it was a pretty major change for us, I had such a peace.  It really has gone smoothly and I love what we are doing!  My kids needed to be challenged more and I needed more structure.  Below are some of the things we are doing and we are meeting once a week with the Classical Conversations community for classes. It is an all day thing for us, but it is so good.  Check-out their website and read some of their books (the library around here has many of them).  So this is what we are doing now, I'll keep you posted on how it goes this year : )

 This is Foundations and is what I use for everyone, but it's primarily for K-6th grade.  This above book last for 3 years, or cycles as they call them, and then you repeat.  I can't believe all my kids have learned in just 4 weeks of school.  

 This is a writing and grammar class for 4th-6th graders that I am doing with my 5th grader.  It's intense...it's even challenging me!

The 7th-12th grade programs are called Challenge and there is one for every year.  It covers 6 subjects (this year for 8th grade Christian is doing Logic, Latin, Debate, Algebra 1, Literature, and Science History/Theory.)