Anyone in "Classical Conversations" community?

[lasatterwhite]

I am a new hmschlr this year and checked out our local "Classical Conversations", a co-op or "community" following Classical Christian methods. Has anyone been a part of this who can shed some light on it?? I am considering joining this or another general Christian co-op just for socialization purposes.

[Blessedfamily]

I'm sure there are a few Classical Conversations users. One of the other ladies in VA(I can't remember which) is using it so I'm bumping you up. :001_smile:

[GVA]

This is our third year, and I teach both Foundations and Essentials.

It's made a huge difference for us, but no offense, I personally wouldn't choose it just for socialization. It's an academic program, and if you aren't "on board" with it's approach and willing to continue with the material some level at home, it might not be something you'll want to stick with long-term. I've taught in other co-ops that were less academic and with less of a committment required, and that may be better for you in the long run if it's not something you would want to do for 24 weeks.

We homeschool classically according to their model, which is similar to the WTM method, but more doable for me. Some in our community follow a more WTM model and some use a more textbook-based program (A Beka, BJUP), so it's really not a must that you do things their way. Essentials has also been wonderful for us. Next year I'll have one in Challenge A and one in Foundations/Essentials.

You can PM me, or post here if you have other questions.

[SBP]

This is our fourth year with CC, and it's been a great fit for our family. I'm happy to try to "shed some light", but if you have a CC group in your area, I'd really recommend visiting and sitting in on a class one day and also going to one of the free parent practicums CC hosts every year. These are really the best way to get a feel for CC and its overall mission and purpose.

You didn't mention the ages of your dc, but I'll tell you a little about the Foundations program, which is for elementary school-aged children. If you have older students (middle/high school), you'll need to find out about the Challenge program, with which I have no personal experience.

Anyway, Foundations meets one day per week, 24 weeks per year. The children are divided into classes roughly by age/grade and have a tutor whose job it is to introduce that week's memory work, hopefully in a fun and interesting way. Each week, the children are expected to memorize information pertaining to history (one sentence per week), science (one question per week), timeline (8 Veritas Press cards per week), Latin, geography, math, Bible, and English grammar, with a goal of mastery by the end of the year. In addition to presenting the memory work, the tutors do a science project with the children each week and do either an art project or a brief music lesson. The children also are expected to do a presentation in front of the class each week.

Once the tutors have introduced the memory work, it's the parents' job to reinforce it at home in whatever way works for their children. For my children, this means about 15-20 minutes per school day devoted to memorization. We also supplement the memorization heavily with related studies in history and science. CC provides the framework, and at home we work to put meat on those bones.

If you join CC, you will have to purchase some specific curricula, especially the first year. However, your overall curriculum choices remain your own. In the lower grades, at least, CC does not dictate which math, language arts, or even science and history programs you use. Some people just supplement CC's science and history with library books and field trips, especially in the lower grades.

In your post, you said that you were considering CC "just for socialization purposes." We have made many great friends in CC, and I do think it provides a great opportunity for socialization. That said, I wouldn't recommend joining CC unless the academics offered appeal to you. Frankly, it requires too much time, money, and consistent effort to be "just" a social group.

I hope you've found something here helpful, and again, I encourage you to visit a CC group in your area. Not only will you get a feel for how CC works, but you can evaluate the culture of that specific group and decide if it's a good fit for you and your dc.

Best,

SBP

[Linda]

We have made many great friends in CC, and I do think it provides a great opportunity for socialization. That said, I wouldn't recommend joining CC unless the academics offered appeal to you. Frankly, it requires too much time, money, and consistent effort to be "just" a social group.



Nodding in full agreement to this statement.

This is our first year of CC and we're all loving it! The kids really look forward to being with other kids and doing something akin to "real school" (as they say). But CC is designed to be much more than a social outlet.

I was concerned that the academic bent would be too much or too different from what we were doing already, but I've found that it's an excellent complement to our WTM-style homeschool.

HTH