Classical Education

Is this for me?

If you like the way things are taught in public schools and the books they use, then stop reading. The classical method is very different! If you think that history makes a lot more sense taught chronologically, then keep reading! If you like the idea of your kids learning from "real books" and the "Great Books" of all time, instead of "text books", then keep reading!

Classical education is based upon the belief that education should follow the developmental growth of children, which is divided into 3 stages (known as the trivium):

Grammar stage--usually grades 1-4--time is spent absorbing information, laying the foundation for later more advanced learning

Logic stage--usually grades 5-8--the capacity for abstract thought has developed and learning becomes more analytical

Rhetoric stage--usually grades 9-12--the high school student learns to apply the logic learned in the Logic stage to the information learned in the Grammar stage in order to express himself both verbally and in writing in a clear powerful manner

Where do I find Classical Education books?

If your interest in the Classical style of education is piqued, then you need to read some books specifically on the subject. My favorite, and by far the most popular is The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. Her web site is absolutely loaded with free information on Classical education.

Another book on the subject that you might want to look at is Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style by Harvey and Laurie Bluedorn

Some books you might want to use in your Classical Education program

If you've got The Well Trained Mind (see above) you'll find a complete list of book recommendations for every single level of Classical education from K through 12. So, I'm only going to mention here some great books I've found that are not mentioned in Susan Wise Bauer's book.

In Classical education history is taught in 4 year cycles:

Year 1: Ancient history

Year 2: Middle Ages and Early Renaissance

Year 3: Late Renaissance and Early Modern

Year 4: Modern history

There's a series called History Odyssey that guides you through a study of the history, geography and literature for each time period and at each level of the trivium.

Science is also taught in 4 year cycles:

Year 1: Life Science/ Biology

Year 2: Earth Science & Astronomy

Year 3: Chemistry

Year 4: Physical Science/ Physics

In addition to all of the great Science books recommended by Susan Wise Bauer, I've come across a wonderful new series of Science books written by a homeschool (scientist) mom: RealScience-4-Kids . So far she has completed the Grammar stage books and Chemistry for the Logic stage. Please note that these books are secular, so you might want to pre-read lessons before presenting them (but the series is so good, I think it's worth the trouble)