Ep 26 - What do I do if I find classical education mid-cycle?

So, you have just stumbled upon this wonderful method for homeschooling called classical education. And you want to get going, but your student falls in the middle of a stage, where do you begin? In this episode of the Tips for Homeschool Science Show, I'll be answering that question and more! **Share the Tips** If you found these homeschool science tips to be helpful, would you please take a moment to rate it on iTunes or Google Play? This would help me tremendously in getting the word out so that more ear buds are filled with science-teaching encouragement. ~The Highlights~ **Your Dilemma** Do you dive in mid-cycle for your student’s stage? Do you start at the beginning of a cycle even though you are mid-stage? Before I share the options, we should cover the basic lingo so you know what I mean when I say “cycle” and “stage”. Classical education divides the traditional school years into three stages – grammar, logic (or dialectic), and rhetoric stages. Within each stage, you use a cycle of learning. For science this means that in year 1 you cover biology, year 2 you cover earth science and astronomy, year 3 you cover chemistry, and year 4 you cover physics. **Option #1 - Start at the beginning** To begin at the beginning always seems like the most logical choice. Here are the pros and cons of this option: Pros >You will begin at the beginning. >Your students will have covered an entire cycle before starting another one. Cons >You begin a cycle mid-stage, which can complicate finding materials. **Option #2 - Dive in mid-cycle** The most common way to get going with classical education is to just begin mid-cycle where your student would typically place. Here are the pros and cons of this option: Pros >You will be where the experts suggest that you should be. >It will be easier to find age appropriate curriculum options. Cons >Your students won’t have the benefit of the knowledge from the previous years in the cycle. **The Bottom line** Either option you choose will work just fine! **Additional Resources** To learn more about classical education, head over the this show's post: https://elementalscience.com/blogs/podcast/26