It can be difficult to know how to navigate the CC challenge years as a parent. This tool will help parents feel confident to stay the teacher throughout.

Our top tips for thriving in Classical Conversations Challenge A. Learn from our experience and make your year a bit easier!

We have kept super busy this year with 2 Challenge programs, a college student coming and going a job, or two, Directing Challenge A and a few other things- too much painting of offices, for sure. But, now that we winding up Challenge, I wanted to record some of the games, resources and schedule we used before I forget them all and so that I have a handy reference for training this summer. Here Goes: We started each Community Day with a short devotional and scripture reading. We sing the Doxology, say it in Latin or pray. Then we write 5 and 5 (5 Common Topics/ 5 Cannons of Rhetoric) Then we'd dive in to the 6 Seminars. Latin- the kids loved Latin Scrabble. I had two sets of tiles divided between 5 groups of two each. They could add in 2 vowels and 3 consonants as needed. They could use the Latin dictionary or other Latin words as long as they were used correctly and declined/ conjugated correctly. Often, the teams competed against each other, seeing how many sentences they could create in a limited time- they had to have their sentences checked by an adult. To change it up: They would have to create a question using Ubi, Ibi, Cur, Quis or Quid. They would get a point for every questions created. If we had time they would then have the group next to them form an answer to their question in Latin with their tiles - this created some hilarious results! Latin stations- several times I would put info we've studied on file cards- for instance: Latin declensions, conjugations, Grammar rules, translation from English to Latin or vice-versa - and tape them around the room. I relied heavily on the homework that we'd completed as well as Memoria Press Guides to Henle. I would intersperse the information with difficult and simple problems. The kids would go around the room in whatever order they wanted and try to solve/answer as many cards as possible in a given time. We also played Latin bingo with Personal Pronouns. We copied charts in class. Every Community Day we spent 10 minutes chanting Latin charts, which I purchased from Memoria Press. I highly recommend having them professionally laminated. We would race to see who could translate and diagram Latin sentences the fastest. Mold, Act, Draw. I just found this game but will be playing it this coming week- the kids LOVE clay! Make a simple spinner and put Mold on it twice, Act on it twice and Draw on it twice. Student picks a vocab word from a deck and spins the spinner. They have to either mold with clay, act it out like charades or draw it out like pictionary. Set timer for 60 seconds. Math We did student directed Math Discussion for every seminar and then I would introduce the Saxon lessons. I created a Math Discussion sheet based on the 5 Common Topics; starting with "Definitions." The kids had to thoroughly exhaust each section before they could. Board Slam was our best diversion - the kids continue to love it. One of our moms donated a huge bag of dice for the year and it included many different sided dice. To change it up, I'd allow the kids to pick different sided dice. We'd also set the timer for a minute and at the end of the timer the kids would have to trade their board with someone else and pick up where they'd left off. LTW I copied off the terms we'd learned in Lost Tools of Writing and cut them in to slips. Divide the kids into groups and they have to take the slips of paper, put them in order for a Persuasive Essay. Then, I would give the kids a topic- like the Burning Bush, or The Three Little Pigs and they would have 15 minutes to write a collaborative essay on the topic (usually only with 2 proofs for the sake of time). Dictionary Game- the kids loved this. I would take vocab words from the reading and say/spell the words to teams- between 10-25 words, depending on how much time we had. The teams would look up and define the terms. The team with the most correctly defined terms withing a specific time limit won. Extra points for making Latin connections. Rhetoric The biggest hit this year was Socratic Circles. At the beginning of the year, I would choose the topic but as the kids got more familiar with it, they would choose the topic. Great discussion! I would also assign the kids roles to play-act: God, Moses, Charles Darwin, etc and the "audience" would ask them questions. GREAT interaction about issues related to It Couldn't Just Happen. To review Fallacies the kids would randomly pick 3-5 fallacies/catechisms and have 10 minutes to come up with a skit that included them all. The rest of the class would try to guess what they had portrayed. This made for much hilarity. Have the kids search for fallacies in real life- they are everywhere! Whoever brings in the most, wins points! And, of course, we played Jeopardy. Science For Science, I printed off a list of things to include in their presentations as well as how to create a good presentation. The kids earned points for things like making eye-contact, introducing themselves and their topic, etc. For body systems- once we had a few under our belt, I printed off sheets for the systems and numbered them, but not in the same order. The kids had to draw and label them in the ordered number and had to complete the lesser numbers in order to earn the higher number points. They could strategize and have multiple people drawing at the same time, but I usually gave them between 10-15 minutes to draw up to all 9 systems. Debate We played "Around the World" often-the kids enjoyed this. We also played "Family Feud." I person from 2 teams would be at the front. I would give clues about a country, capital or feature and the first person to guess within 1 minute would get a point. We often played pictionary for geography terms. The kids loved it! My goal to end each Community Day was to go through "Collect, Connect, Compose" but I wasn't very consistent on it. Collect what they've learned that day, connect it to something they've already known and compose a poem, song, ditty, drawing, etc. about it. Great integration. Points- I had a simple point system based on Fabas (Latin for "bean.") Kids got points for completing all homework in each strand, for winning games, for integration of subject material, etc. We had a quart sized jar that the beans went into. Once the jar was full, I had an ice-cream party for the kids at lunch. The faba jar was super important to the kids until they earned an ice cream party and then it was important, but not something they thought about all of the time. In my mind, I think it was because they were internalizing how to manage the material, making connections automatically and understanding how to work the program. That's it. We didn't have a huge array of games to choose from, but the ones we had we used often and had a great time with. Perhaps this will spark some good games for you to do with your class or kids. If so, I'd love to hear about it! @Golden Grasses 2008-2013. All photographs, artwork and text are the property of the owner unless otherwise stated. Don't miss a thing! Subscribe to Golden Grasses and get our articles right to your inbox!

Our top tips for thriving in Classical Conversations Challenge A. Learn from our experience and make your year a bit easier!

I'm in my fourth year of directing a Challenge program for Classical Conversations. I started off in Challenge A with my oldest, then moved up to Challenge B, and Challenge I with him. This year, I went back down to Challenge A again to tutor my daughter's class. My husband directed Challenge A last year,…

Overview: Homeschool Latin instruction moves fast during the Challenge years. Some supplemental practice can sure help! Note: This post was sponsored by Rosetta Stone. I received the product for free and was compensated for my time to write this review. All opinions are my own; I will always be honest with y'all. 'Dignity, dignity, always dignity.' So says Don Lockwood in one of my all-time faves, Singing in the Rain. Have you ever noticed that 12- and 13-year-olds also greatly value their dignity? They're not really into making themselves look silly anymore; in fact, they may become rather offended if

Revised & Re-posted…. The first Geography adventure for Challenge A is to learn the geography of Canada. You would think …

Crispin: The Cross of Lead by Avi is one of my favorite CC Challenge A literature selections of the year. I made many marks in my book as ...

It can be difficult to know how to navigate the CC challenge years as a parent. This tool will help parents feel confident to stay the teacher throughout.

If you've been doing Classical Conversations for a while and have your own system that is working for you, don't waste your time readi...

Our top tips for thriving in Classical Conversations Challenge A. Learn from our experience and make your year a bit easier!

The Challenge I program in Classical Conversations generally matches up with a student's freshman year of highschool, but it is so much more!

Our top tips for thriving in Classical Conversations Challenge A. Learn from our experience and make your year a bit easier!

Over two years ago, I wrote about my experiences as a first time Foundations/Essentials director to help others know what to expect and how to plan accordingly. I thought it was only fitting to follow up with another post about my first year directing Challenge: what I did to prepare before the school year and how I managed throughout the year. This year I tutored Challenge A, but I think most of these things will apply to any level. Summer Planning Meet with potential families, enroll families, send invoices, and collect payments Attend Practicum training Continue training by watching webinars on Learning Pathways Read the Director's Licensing Guide carefully to understand the business end of directing. Contact your SR with any questions. Complete the required Lost Tools of Writing assignment (this was for Challenge A; I'm not sure if there are assignments for the other levels). Work with other community directors to finalize community handbook, calendar, etc. If you like these kinds of things, join your Challenge level directors' Facebook group and start looking through posts and files. Brand new directors will want to open a CC-dedicated checking account to keep business and personal finances separated. I found a completely free account through a local credit union. Create a separate CC-only email address. It's really helpful to keep "work" and personal email separate. Mine is generic to Challenge as a whole so I can retain it as I move to different levels. Shop for student supplies Before tutoring Challenge A, I studied Latin. I had Foundations memory work-level knowledge of Latin plus a little bit of dabbling in a Latin curriculum with my own kids. However, I found it vital for me personally to go through the Henle assignments on my own to really comprehend what I was teaching. I'm so glad I did this! I also spent time reading the literature selections. Going into Challenge B, my summer plan is to begin Introductory Logic for myself and also read the literature. Decide how you will haul your stuff into the church building each week, keeping in mind if you have stairs to navigate or not. I don't have stairs to deal with, so I settled on using a milk crate and a canvas utility wagon (my Challenge kiddo also had a milkcrate). Between our two crates and anything extra I personally bring (because my kids all carry their own backpacks and lunch bags), I make just one trip from vehicle to building. It's glorious. Find out if you will be able to store things at the church or not. Decide if you want to host any equpping sessions (I hosted Latin and LTW for Challenge A parents) and a general parent orientation before week 1. Plan for those. Weekly Responsibilities I am regularly asked how long I spend prepping each week and it's so hard to give a concise answer. I prefer to avoid the "night before CC monster prep session" because it would leave me feeling frazzled and unprepared, not to mention be a burden on my family. I took the day after community off altogether, and the next day began my lesson plans, spending 15 minutes here, 30 minutes there, etc. Before I knew it, I was done. Altogether, maybe 2-3 hours?? It really was not much once I found my groove after the first couple of weeks. The directors Facebook group for my particular level was invaluable for so many reasons, but most noteably, for the sharing of lesson plans among directors. I built my plans based on two other directors' work. With some strands all I had to do is copy/paste. Other times I had to tweak, and sometimes had to do things from scratch. Occasionally I had to run out and buy supplies or order something from Amazon, but it was pretty infrequent. I used a master packing list in a page protector for both my kids' stuff and my director stuff. I packed the evening before class and loaded everything I could into my van. In the morning, all we had to grab was my purse and our lunches. I sent a detailed recap email to my class parents each week. Most of them were involved in Foundations and Essentials as tutors and didn't have the opportunity to be in class. They really, really appreciated being in the loop even though they couldn't be in class themselves. Called or chatted in person with parents if there were any issues with students. Challenge Director's Occasional Responsibilities Keep CC checkbook balanced and finances in order. During tax season, consult a tax professional if you need help. They are the best source for advice since they know your state's laws. Pay corporate fees by the designated dates at the start of each semester. Keep up with communication from Corporate and utlize recorded and live webinars as they come up. There are endless opportunities for continued training and they are always well done; take advantage of them. Write and distribute progress reports on weeks 7 and 14 of each semester. Write and administer Blue Book assessments at the end of each semester. Host information meetings and welcome visitors into your class. Consider doing a class "family presentation" for Foundations familes to cast the Challenge vision. Help other directors plan year-end festivities. My Top 3 Pieces of Advice The trick in Challenge, especially your first year, is to make sure you are only the tutor and you don't slip into the role of teacher. One of my favorite parts about Classical Conversations is that it gives the framework and accountability homeschoolers want, yet parents retain the role of primary teacher. It is their job to tailor the coursework for their student. It is their job to make sure assignments are getting done. It is their job to grade/assess. Be very mindful of these boundaries and constantly empower parents to be primary teachers. Do not do for them the jobs they should be doing for themselves. Remember that you are "just" the lead learner of the class and you are not expected to become an expert in any of the strands (what does this mean? Go here!). Stick to the simplicity of the Challenge Guide. You will be tempted to add to it, alter the assignments, or go buy stuff for each week. Don't do this. The concept of "stick in the sand" is just as much for Challenge as it is for Foundations and Essentials. Beyond managing these kinds of things on your own, directors have the amazing support of our aptly-titled Support Representatives. Having that local support has been so helpful in my first year! And I've also appreciated the information and help that is available on the Learning Pathways discussion forums. I've only posted on there a couple times, but each time I was given a very prompt response. It's good to know that our colleagues from CC Corporate have my back when I need it. Best wishes as you direct and tutor Challenge!

Here are some printable resources for Week 15: Latin First Declension Packet, Highest Mountains on Each Continent and Metric Equivalents. You can download the 3 .pdf files here: Highest Moun…

Latin! So i've been working on some ways to help with remembering the pronunciations for conjugating Latin verbs and I'm sharing, in case it helps anyone out there with their kiddos or class! I am also posting the link again to my file folder match game for the Latin as well! Update: I have changed the first hand out to remain consistent with the following weeks pronunciation on mus. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FREE Click here to download

My kids and I have been struggling to find a way to successfully plan our week of Challenge work and accomplish all of our plans. We've tried basic planners, online planners, and everything in between. I finally decided that they needed not only to figure out how to plan their schedule, but also develop a…

As a Challenge Mom and Essentials Tutor, I am asked alot how to prepare for Challenge A Latin. Get stick in the sand advice for Challenge A Latin.

I'm in my fourth year of directing a Challenge program for Classical Conversations. I started off in Challenge A with my oldest, then moved up to Challenge B, and Challenge I with him. This year, I went back down to Challenge A again to tutor my daughter's class. My husband directed Challenge A last year,…

War never changes! In honor of Fallout's 25th anniversary, we're sharing 25 links to the best pieces of Fallout CC you can find for the Sims 4!

Y’all, please welcome my great friend (and pastor’s wife!) Julie back to the blog. Today she’s sharing what she would’ve done differently as a first time Challenge mom…

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8 generations for the 8 phases of the moon. (🎵) I made this challenge last year in order to utilize more of the packs I bought but never use. I wanted to consolidate the rules into these easier to…

This post was written on November 5, 2011. Our first year of Essentials has proven T-O-U-G-H. It would have been a challenge even if we hadn’t been battling all the noise from the ongoing construction. In the process of learning how to implement Essentials in our own home, I have discovered some ways to make […]

Latin! So i've been working on some ways to help with remembering the pronunciations for conjugating Latin verbs and I'm sharing, in case it helps anyone out there with their kiddos or class! I am also posting the link again to my file folder match game for the Latin as well! Update: I have changed the first hand out to remain consistent with the following weeks pronunciation on mus. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FREE Click here to download

A large part of the Classical model is its method or the manner of teaching the content. The classical model employed at Bradford Academy recognizes that the ancient TRIVIUM aligns […]

I jumped into the “Challenge Years” head-on with my oldest as the Challenge A Tutor. I have an amazing class of eleven students – all of whom are fairly extrovert. We have been growing in our discussion quality, and learning how to respect each other by not “stepping on” one another’s words. We have been…

Looking for Sims 4 challenge ideas? Here's a sims 4 challenges list with over 75 fun challenges so you'll never be bored with the sims again!

Making Plans One thing I LOVE about using Classical Conversations with my kids is how easy it is to plan! …

If you've been doing Classical Conversations for a while and have your own system that is working for you, don't waste your time readi...

Latin! So i've been working on some ways to help with remembering the pronunciations for conjugating Latin verbs and I'm sharing, in case it helps anyone out there with their kiddos or class! I am also posting the link again to my file folder match game for the Latin as well! Update: I have changed the first hand out to remain consistent with the following weeks pronunciation on mus. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FREE Click here to download

Whimp1337 Y2K Style Set I remember these were converted half year ago XD Original: y2k style Polycount: 4k/10k For YA-A Females 5 presets/4 presets 2k textures, all recolorable All morphs ☺Al…

I’ve been working through a cartography class with my son in his 7th-grade year and recording what has worked well and what didn’t. Here are my best tips and tricks for succeeding with cartography. Below I also include some extra resources you might find helpful! You can find all our cartography-based products in our shop...

Today was orientation for CC - our first day is next Tuesday! I'm incredibly relieved that today is over. I think it went pretty well - if the worst that happened is that I announced grades with classes (big whoops! I talk too much to fill space when I'm nervous) & that I wore a shirt that shows sweat (now I can add another reason why I don't usually wear antiperspirant deodorant: it doesn't work even when I do wear it!) I suppose it wasn't as bad as it could be. I've spent hours & hours prepping & planning for today & these first six weeks. I already can't wait for next year just so I'll be able to prepare better. My living room has been a complete & utter disaster. And, because my "spare" time has been going into this the rest of the house is a disaster, too. Keepin' it real, folks. I'm very excited about the new Classical Acts & Facts History cards! They're wonderful! I was also very excited when all of my page protectors and binders for storing the cards arrived. I have one more thing I'm excited about: my pinterest inspired boards for our weekly memory work. We have six main subjects in which we memorize a piece of information each week as well as our timeline cards (Classical Acts & Facts History Cards). I used 6 small white boards and then sticky velcro to attach the page protectors to the wall to hold our timeline cards for the week. I love this!

My daughter and I have worked together on and off during her Challenge A year on LTW. Like many parents (and students), I have found LTW to ...

Keeping up with the Classical Conversations Challenge program can be difficult without an assignment tracker. Here's a solution to communicating.

I already wrote a post detailing how we prepared our son, our Dialectic Dyslexic, for entering Challenge A and I wanted to take a few minutes to recap the year. The best thing I did as a parent to …