Instead of allowing your kids to earn educational experience plainly based on textbooks, advancing them to commit to a Classical Homeschool Curriculum might change their motivation for learning. If you want hands-on and active utilization of knowledge and skills, traditional homeschooling is probably the missing context you need to consider.
In this review, we will take a look at the insides of the best Classical Homeschool Curriculums, what they’re offering, what makes them unique, and which of them fits perfectly well for your family’s benefit.
What is the Classical Homeschool Curriculum?
The Classical Homeschool Curriculum provides an educational approach that is suited to every child’s natural learning style. Along with that is a series of phases in three divisions called the Trivium. These stages must be followed to achieve both academic and personal goals.
First Phase: Grammar Stage
Ages 4 to 9
The stage of building a foundation for learning core academic subjects and introduction to basic concepts. There are going to be numerous sessions of memorization and understanding of facts.
Second Phase: Dialectic Stage
Ages 9 to 12
The second phase will be a more challenging stage for both parents and students. Your kids are going to form countless questions, give evaluations, and process analysis of learned facts. You or your co-op teachers/instructors will be involved with dialogues and conversations with the students. The students will slowly get exposure in speaking in front of people to practice self-presentation, foster self-confidence, and exercise active communication skills.
Third Phase: Rhetoric Stage
Ages 12 to 17
The kids will be encouraged to perform the application of learned values, wisdom, and knowledge of the core subjects. This phase entails honing of skills in preparation for life after the primary and secondary levels of homeschooling education and to face real-life situations in College, and the years after that.
Top 5 Best Classical Homeschooling Curriculum
Classical Conversations
The home-centered education of Classical Conversations supports homeschooling families by providing traditional tools for learning to bring significant impact to the world. They empower parents to become equipped in teaching their kids with academic knowledge while growing up with a Christian worldview.
Classical Conversations administers a curriculum that entices their communities to engage with the current culture with compelling, influential Christian leaders using a classical education movement. Their quality products and services are made available for families who want to build an enabling learning foundation. They encourage children to explore all their capabilities by incorporating activities shared within the Classical Conversations co-op community. As a result, a high percentage of the CC academic program graduates rated this as a better homeschooling program than others.
The Three Main Programs of Classical Conversations
Classical Conversations strictly follow the three phases of the classical homeschooling curriculum:
- Foundations Program
The Foundations Program is their grammar-stage version wherein the students will focus on the introduction of core subjects such as English Vocabulary, Science, Math, History, Geography, Art, and Latin. This phase is swarming with memorization, experiments, activities, and even fun and exciting games. - Essentials Program
The Essentials phase teaches the students how to properly use words to complete sentence constructions, learn all the parts and figures of speech, and speed and accuracy in basic math. The goal is to slowly progress into every level until they can master Writing, Language Arts, and Mental Arithmetic Skills. - Challenge Program
The Challenge Program encourages the students to communicate their knowledge and understanding through open dialogues or group discussions during their weekly seminars. The program also promotes the formation of meaningful relationships between students, parents, and facilitators. This phase is intentional for the kids to learn how to value not only the importance of education but as well as their ability to develop vital interpersonal skills.
Top Extracurricular Activities
- Sports
- Music
- Health and Wellness
- Ministry
- Bible Study
- Prayer Group
- Community Volunteering
Resources
Check out the latest edition of Classical Conversations Foundations Curriculum. The book contains helpful information for families who are about to begin their homeschooling journey. Included is a complete outline of subjects and guidelines that comprise the whole curriculum.
Memoria Press
The comprehensive classical Christian curriculum of Memoria Press prepares the students for a life lived with wisdom and virtue. These two essential elements of education are what makes this curriculum unique from other online academies. The curriculum promotes these values to prepare the future generation not only to excel in all areas of their lives but to become role models in the Christian West culture.
Complete Package
The Christian curriculum covers all levels from Grade K to 12. There is a manual containing the customizable lesson plans according to your homeschooling style.
Methods
Around 650 schools across the US are currently using the Memoria Press curriculum resources. Many success stories of homeschooled students who took advantage of the methods in this online academy demonstrate the effectiveness of the classical education approach.
Content
Memoria Press provides resources of Classical Content to study Latin forms, classical history, and literature thoroughly. Studying Western civilization also entails the introduction to the greatest thinkers of the Western tradition. And since this is a Christian-based curriculum, all resources are developed from the Christian worldview perspective that emphasizes Bible literacy.
- First Form Latin Set (Teacher Manuals, Student Text, Workbook, CD)
This package contains a complete package for your kids’ Latin lessons. Teacher and student instructional manuals and a workbook are inclusive for an in-depth knowledge development on the said subject.
Veritas Press
The Veritas Press was given the Reader Award as a practical homeschooling curriculum because of its interactive and self-paced courses. What makes them unique is their conviction in raising the standards in teaching to prepare the students for their future challenges, wherever their fate may lead them. As a Christian-based curriculum, Verita Press is upholding methods in line with God’s design so that the students may develop their life skills naturally.
This program also follows the Trivium, or the three phases in classical homeschooling: knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
Three Ways To Learn
- Live Online
This online academy has a Veritas Virtual Classroom where expert teachers teach classes. The Live Online Classes are designed to help parents who are seeking assistance in homeschooling their kids. The goal of this learning method is to unlock all the students’ ultimate potential. - Self-Paced
Pick your stress-free option in combining engaging videos, interactive exercises, fun games, quizzes, and exams about History, Bible, and Omnibus courses. Take a breath. Everything is up to you. - You Teach Kits
The Veritas Curriculum advocates for a parent-taught program providing scripted lesson plans. These materials are designed to help parents plan, teach, and organize all homeschooling subjects.
Resources
Here are two examples of the Verita Press materials about the History subject for both students and parent-teachers. More resources are available for you to explore on their website.
My Father’s World
The curriculum approach of My Father’s World highlights God-centered educational learning. There is a consistent interaction with God’s word and His teachings while integrating hands-on unit studies on core academic subjects.
Following the classical education concepts, My Father’s World divided their curriculum into three stages, namely Discover, Investigate, and Declare.
- Discover
The grammar stage focuses mostly on the teachings about God and His world. Reading and writing introductions incorporate the history of Creation until the present. The curriculum considers this stage to be the time to establish the building blocks of their education. - Investigate
Students investigate through analyzing and understanding the facts, fitting them together, and keep them in their learned memory. This process helps them understand their subjects and the world around them in a clearer perspective. - Declare
During this stage, students will learn to logically declare their understanding of the core educational concepts and their personal and Biblical worldview. They are required to practice declaration both in speaking and in writing.
Resources
- The Dorling Kindersley History of the World (My Father’s World Edition)
This material features the Ancient Egyptians to the Asian Tsunami— an ultimate guide to the History of the World - My Father’s World Homeschool Curriculum: Adventures In US History
Parents can use this material to introduce God’s word to first-grade students by exploring US History. Included are a detailed timeline, fascinating stories, and activities for a complete adventure for you and your kids.
Well-Trained Mind Academy
Homeschoolers, after schoolers, and any parent who is looking to create a custom education for their kids are welcome to check out the Well-Trained Mind Academy. They provide online education to middle and high school students based on the classical homeschooling approach in an online classroom setting.
The Well-Trained Mind Academy provides live, online instruction integrated with the classical teaching methods according to the Trivium pattern. They have professional instructors who serve as the kids’ educators in academic subjects, who also guide them in understanding and expressing their ideas in various ways.
“At the heart of our curriculum is our mandate to teach students how to learn, so that they may leave WTMA with the motivation to pursue knowledge their whole lives.” ~Well-Trained Mind Academy
Services Based On Classical Curriculum
- Live Online Classes
Real-time class discussion and sharing of ideas using class materials based on the lesson plan provided for your kids. - Delayed Lecture Program
This program caters to the needs of kids who are on tight schedules or those who study in different time zones. Students will access recorded class sessions to stay on the course. - Tutoring
Some kids might prefer one-on-one classes, which is why WTMA included a tutoring program in their services. - Workshops
Students, parents, and guardians are invited to join workshops for skills enhancement and furthering of education.
*All services offered by WTMA are live and/or online, which requires access to a computer and an internet connection.
In A Nutshell
The Classical Homeschooling Curriculum presents notable benefits for parents and students who are after quality education at the comfort of their homes. Your family might be looking for a different approach to your kids’ academic progress and self-enhancement, and there are a lot of resources available for you to grab. In this review, we are hoping that you were able to weigh your decision in homeschooling your kids, whether full-time or part-time. Nevertheless, you are most welcome to explore all the possibilities in this educational approach for the future of the next generation.
