Memoria Press Student Guides: Workbooks or Something Deeper?
I once heard someone compare classical education to the Christian practice of Lectio Divina. She also pointed out: this isn’t a new comparison. Medieval monks and educators said the same thing. Just like Lectio Divina, education is a process that takes us from surface knowledge to contemplation.
We’ve seen this first-hand through our use of Memoria Press student guides. In fact, my kids ASK me to get student guides for them!
The Great Homeschool Writing vs Narration Debate
Narration, questions with written answers, and questions with oral answers all build different skills; so it’s important to use all three approaches, rather than using one to the exclusion of the others.
Still, we need to understand what each approach really means so we can use each one well.
How To Make Memoria Press Work For You: Homeschool Grade Levels
Boxed curriculums are a mixed blessing. Those pre-assembled packages and lesson plans make it so easy to choose each year’s materials. But they also bring out the grade level monster. If a book is in the 4th grade package, and we use it in 6th grade, we assume our child is behind.
Here’s how we make Memoria Press for work us when it comes to homeschool grade levels!
Building Memory: Study Tips for 3rd-6th Graders {with PRINTABLE!}
In all my years of schooling I never figured out the meaning of two little words: review and study. I ignored assignments with those words because I had no idea what they meant. What was I supposed to do? I didn’t figure it out until my own kids were floundering and a friend/mentor reached out with an article on how memory works. Ever since, I’ve been gathering engaging study tips to help build memory.
Here’s what to do when it’s time to study!
Combining Children in a Classical Homeschool
While combining children can be a homeschool necessity, I’ve learned that combining skill subjects rarely works out. Children really need to work at their own, unique levels for those subjects in order to prevent gaps and have a strong foundation in each skill.
But combining kids in content subjects can be a great fit!
Hands-On Science Activities for Your Memoria Press Homeschool
While I love the philosophical reasons for Memoria’s approach, I’ve also found it to be highly practical. It means our ability to learn isn’t dependent on whether I remembered to buy experiment supplies. We can add hands-on science activities when we want to, but they’re a support to our learning rather than the means of learning.
It’s the best of both worlds.
But how do you add hands-on science activities without losing your mind? Here are some of the things we’ve done over the years — and a few from my “maybe someday” list!