I was homeschooled primarily following the CM philosophy until age 12 when my mom passed. Then went into more classical and then more traditional. I loved the CM and it is how I am teaching my own littles as they grow into school age. My oldest is 5. However, my husband is really wanting to bring in some Classical components which I agree with and want to try to incorporate. He really wants to instill in our kids the top principles of a classical education, namely logic, rhetoric, and apologetics. Has anyone done this, and how did you do it?
I imagine there are others on the forum more qualified to respond than me, but I will give it a shot. I have very little knowledge of the classical method as it is used today. But I would consider CM a classical education. While the classical model may have curriculum and subjects theu call logic, rhetoric, and apologetics, CM methods teach them without naming them per se, or using a separate curriculum. Assuming you mean informal logic (I would use an actual curriculum for formal logic) reading great books, discussing ideas, and pointing out errors or fallacies is part of a CM education. We used the Fallacy Detective for a fun way to learn about fallacies. If by rhetoric you mean articulating and defending a point, written and oral narrations do the trick. When the student is ready they learn how to write in the various forms. Apologetics is accomplished through Bible study and living books by great theologians. Starting in 7th grade I begin assigning one apologetic and one worldview book per year. In addition we rotate apologetic and worldview during family time. My teens have read Tozer, Lewis, Schaeffer, and more. I typically start them with It Couldnt Just Happen, Know What You Believe, and Know Why You Believe because they are easy to read. I hope that helps a little. Looking forward to hearing what others do.
Not all children do well with written narration and need more structured writing instruction. Cottage Press is a writing program that combines Charlotte Mason and the classical progymnasmata. Another option would be Writing & Rhetoric. You could easily squeeze either of those in, Cottage Press primers starting at around 6/7, or W&R starting around 3rd grade. 🙂
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