We at Classical Conversations® are grateful that the Foundations program, designed for families with students ages 4 and up, continues to be a blessing not just to students, but to parents as well.
I continue to thank God for [Classical Conversations] and all that it’s taught me. I have redeemed my own lack of education through this curriculum, I’ve modeled for my children what it’s like to do hard things, I’ve had the joy of walking through life with new and mature Christians, and we have all sought to discover more of God’s goodness through our classical, Christian community. Life with them is better.”
– Heather, CC Parent
Reasons to Love the Foundations Program
When parents tell us at Classical Conversations why they love Foundations, three themes consistently pop up: the program helps them redeem their own education, allows them to show their children that doing difficult things is possible, and provides a space to make lasting friendships with other like-minded, Christian homeschool parents.
Redeem Your Own Education
If you’re already familiar with our programs and the classical model, you’ll know that the Foundations program emphasizes learning the skill of grammar. In non-classical terms, Foundations helps students grasp the basic vocabulary and ideas of subjects they will study in more detail down the road in their academic journey.
Naturally, students practice the skill of grammar through heavy memorization and repetition. And, as parents go over the Foundations material again and again with their children, they often relearn terms and concepts they have since forgotten from their own education. For example, it’s not uncommon for parents to understand more fully how God played an active role throughout history as they sing the Timeline Song over and over with their children.
Of course, parents may also learn something completely new in Foundations. For example, many did not study Latin during their school years, so learning Latin for the first time in Foundations can help parents better understand the meaning of unfamiliar English words if they know the Latin root, for instance.
Model For Your Children
Also, parents enjoy teaching their children through the Foundations program because it gives them a system to model doing something difficult for their students.
Homeschooling isn’t easy, and we’ll never try to tell you otherwise here at Classical Conversations. Instead, we strive to at least make homeschooling doable by providing parents with a structured curriculum and community support.
With that said, your role as the parent-teacher is not always going to be smooth sailing in Foundations, like when your child throws a temper tantrum if they can’t get the memory work to just “stick.”
However, parents can demonstrate to their children that it is possible to memorize the history timeline, Latin conjugations, and the classifications of all living things by doing it themselves. Modeling for them in this way, parents inspire their children to keep pushing through even the worst temper tantrums. Plus (and this leads us into our final reason why parents love the Foundations program), parents will always have their Tutor and others in community to lean on when they need advice or a helping hand.
Walk Alongside Other Christians
Finally, it’s often in the Foundations program where parents (and students, of course) begin to make lifelong friendships.
Local Classical Conversations communities bring together people who share common core values. And as parents walk through the Foundations program alongside other Christians, both new and experienced, they will receive and give encouragement. As they do, parents lead one another toward God’s truth, goodness, and beauty.
What Do You Love About the Foundations Program?
What about you and your family? What do you love about Foundations? While there are many more joys that come along with this program, we’d love to hear your story. So, please share with us over on Facebook or Instagram!
Not yet a Classical Conversations member and interested in our community-based approach to homeschooling? We’d love to hear from you! To learn more about us, click here.
