Kindergarten: Classical Conversations Memory Work

The Cold War In Kindergarten?  Wait, What?!

Yes.  Micah is learning about the Cold War in Kindergarten.  And the French Revolution and Latin verb tenses and the laws of thermodynamics and how to skip count by 15's.

This may seem a little out of reach for a kindergartner, and it surely doesn't mirror what is happening in kindergarten classrooms all across the country.  It struck me as odd at the beginning, too, but the more I learn about Classical education, the more I appreciate this grammar stage of learning.  Right now Micah is learning grammar (or vocabulary) in 6 different subject areas (History/Timeline, Latin, Science, Geography, English and Math).  In three years, he will study the same content on a much deeper level having already learned relevant terms for each subject.



Classical Conversations is not our only curriculum, but it does make up a big part of what we're doing.  More to come on the other things that we're doing (literacy, listening for frog calls, play-based learning).

CC, Practically Speaking

Community Days: We meet one day a week for 24 weeks with the rest of our community.  We go over new grammar (vocabulary) for the week in each subject that forms the content for our memory work that week.  In addition to this, the kids do a science experiment, learn about fine arts, and give a presentation.

Side note: I think that students speaking publicly each week is one of the best parts of CC.  Micah has learned that he has the ability to speak in front of people and also the ability to answer questions from his audience.  

Memory Work: I had no idea what this work at home was supposed to look like before we started.  I was told that memory work was going through the weekly grammar in each subject 7 times a day, and it should only take about 20 minutes.  We've gotten in to a pretty good rhythm now, and I have a way better handle on it than I did at the beginning.

Memory Work at Our House

A major part of memory work at our house is music.  At the suggestion of veteran CC moms, I purchased the Cycle 2 CDs at last summer's Parent Practicum.  My husband put them on our Google Play account, and I can play them directly from my phone.  I can easily go back to specific places on the track to repeat the song 7 times.  Micah and I do the singing and motions together each time except for the 6th which he does on his own.  Music from the CDs is especially helpful for History, Timeline and Latin.

We also use videos posted online that help us with Science, Geography, English Grammar and Math.  There are many to choose from!  As we do our memory work for the first time of the week, I google "Classical Conversations Cycle 2 Week __ Science" (or whichever subject we need) and see what comes up.  Micah loves to help pick the video we will use the rest of the week.

Here are the videos we are using this week (Week 21):

• Science
• Geography 
• English Grammar 
• Math

Today's Memory Work

Today's memory work was exhausting.  Awesome, but exhausting.  It took over an hour because Micah kept asking questions.  Questions like:  What's the Cold War?  What is the Katyn Massacre?  Who is Ghandi?  What does "India's independence" mean?  What is the Berlin Wall?  Was God there [when the Berlin Wall was up]?  What does it mean that the Jewish state was established?  What's the Communist victory in China?


Because I could not answer a couple of these questions, we spent a good part of our school day looking up some age-appropriate answers (one of the benefits of homeschooling).  Some things (like the omnipresence of God) are beyond the comprehension of my limited human mind, so explaining them to a 6-year-old is a bit of a challenge.  I agree with this book that being a mom is one of the most unique jobs in the world; I am forced to examine my core beliefs because of my desire to pass on truth to my children.  



How do you do memory work in your family?  I'd love to hear your tips in the comments below!