Question for Classical home schooling moms with more than one kid...

[jodieanneanton]

I plan on homeschooling my children and find the Classical approach EXTREMELY appealing.  I am almost finished with The Well-Trained mind and finally have that 'This is it!' feeling.  My question involves homeschooling multiple children with the Classical Approach described in The Well-Trained Mind.

According to the books recommendation, if one is homeschooling more than one child she should be doing one period of history at a time and each child will work at his/her own level in the trivium.  Ok, I thought, that is doable.  But since the study of history/lit/science is all connected to that history timeline, would the statement of teaching the same subject to all kids apply in those areas as well? I really like the idea of History linking with literature and science, but am feeling some concerns since we have more than one child and plan on having quite a few more.

What happens when a high school child is learning about the "modern era" earlier than is 'typical' because you are teaching the same topic to all kids simultaneously?  How is a high school sophomore, for example, learn physics if s/he has not taken upper level math?  How do you classical homeschooling moms deal with two different grade levels? Do you teach one 'era' of history/year to all children?  Or, do you just do your best teaching different 'eras' to each child?  

Any other tips/advice with regard to hs-ing multiple kids in the Classical approach would be greatly appreciated!!!

TIA!

-Jodie

[phathui5]

We have four children, aged 10, 7, 5 and 3 and are also "Well-Trained Mind" homeschoolers.

I do run our history and science studies in the four year cycle that she recomends, keeping all four children in the same "class" for history and science.

This year, for example, we're doing ancient history and biology with all four children.

[ocelotmom]

Honestly? I think the science rotation laid out in TWTM is pretty much arbitrary, and the historical justification for it is kind of weak. I don't have a problem with the idea of having a science rotation, but do question whether there is any real benefit to doing it in the order she lays out vs. any other order.

Personally, I can't see doing a rigorous high school biology course without doing chemistry first. I say that as a former chemo-phobe - I avoided Chemistry in high school, and in college until it was absolutely unavoidable. Then I discovered that the Krebs cycle and various other parts of cellular biology made much more sense with a better background in chemistry.

So I'd say do whatever order seems right for your family.

Same applies to whether or not you keep the kids at the same point in the cycle - I think that really depends on the individual family. But the fact that she recommends keeping everyone at the same place shows that the chronological rotation isn't sacred. Personally, DD will be in 1st when DS is in 4th. Rather than waiting an extra year to start history, I'm having DS skip formal study of Modern history the first time through, and doing that more informally/independently through literature over the course of 3rd-5th grade. That seems to me to make more sense than either delaying history for DD or starting her off on the more intense modern times (especially since she and DD2 are a 4 year separation, so any change I make for DD1 will apply to DD2 as well).