Classical Homeschooling – Is it the Right Choice?

If you’ve started to look in to the options for homeschooling your children, you’ve probably already realized that there are many different educational approaches that you can take to homeschooling. One of those choices is to use the “Classical Homeschooling” model. Of all of the homeschooling methods that are available to you, this is the one that relies most heavily on the major works, which are eventually studied in public schools (and even later on in college!) In order to make a decision about whether or not classical homeschooling is right for your family, you need to know a little bit more about it.

Here is what you should know about classical homeschooling:

Classical homeschooling is the name for an educational style that is based on the underlying assumption that the “classics” once taught in all schools should be the foundation of a child’s education. It believes that these teach logic and communication, which are critical tools for learning to think and express yourself.
There are two segments in classical homeschooling – trivium and quadrivium. The latter is for the university level and does not apply to what you’re seeking today except that you should know that you are preparing your child for this when using a classical homeschool curriculum.

There are three basic areas of education, which make up the trivium stage of Classical Homeschooling. The first is grammar, which is made up of learning basic facts in all areas of education. The second is dialectic which is the teaching of logic and reasoning. And the third is rhetoric, which applies the basic facts and reasoning skills of the other two stages to communication and expression.
Things that your child might study using a classical homeschooling education include classic works of literature (such as Shakespeare, poetry and classic fiction), languages (Latin, English and possibly a third classic language), history and philosophy, classic art and music (including Renaissance art history and composers such as Beethoven) and basic math and science.
Classical homeschooling is considered one of the most difficult kinds of homeschooling in terms of the material that children learn and the strictness with which they study. Children that are likely to enter a competitive school in the future often benefit from the classical homeschooling style.
In general, classical homeschooling comes from a foundation in Christian thinking and education.

In summary, classically homeschooling clearly relies on a well-rounded exploration of the major topics ultimately covered in public schools and universities across the nation. It tends to address these topics more thoroughly than many public schools do today and is often considered difficult as far as homeschooling curriculums go. Parents who are interested in educating their children in the classics and who are comfortable providing a homeschool setting, which is more structured than loose, will probably find that this is an appealing method of approaching homeschooling.

If classical homeschooling interests you, you can learn more about it by checking out some of the popular resources about it on the web today. One of these is The Classical Christian Homeschooling Site, which provides you with some great basic information about this style of education for the K-12 level. Another is Classical Home-Schooling Consultants, which should answer some of your questions about curriculum design. And finally, check out the Classical Christian Education’s Links for Homeschoolers.

Technorati Tags:homeschooling, preschool, parenting, kids, children, christian