Classical Liberal Arts Academy
TRIVIUM + QUADRIVIUM + PHILOSOPHY + THEOLOGY + HUMANITIES
If you are a Catholic parent looking for a Catholic homeschool curriculum, you’re going to realize that there are a thousand options for you to choose from. Reading reviews on the internet is about as helpful as “judging a book by its cover”. You have no idea who’s writing the reviews or whether they’re coming from reliable users.
Fortunately, expert help is available to provide you with objective explanations of the philosophy and methods behind each Catholic homeschool curriculum, which can help you make intelligent decisions.
The simplest way to classify a Catholic homeschool curriculum is to look at whether it is
If the curriculum seems to sell lots of books and supplies, which are arranged by modern school grade levels, then you’re looking at a modern K-12 grade-level program.
If the curriculum is arranged according to the subjects, without reference to modern grade levels, and specially teaches the seven classical liberal arts, then you’re looking at a classical Catholic curriculum.
If you don’t really know what you’re doing as a homeschooling parent and desire to simply check the boxes of modern school requirements, you should stick to a modern K-12 grade level program. If you’d like to give your children an education like that which the saints enjoyed in history, then you should consider a classical Catholic homeschool curriculum.
Note: Modern homeschool programs will often attempt to attract parents by claiming that they are “accredited”, but accreditation is not necessary for homeschooling.
After you’ve decided whether you are interested in a modern or classical Catholic homeschool curriculum, you will need to decide whether you’re interested in buying printed books for home study or using online study materials.
The greatest benefit of printed books is that they may be studied offline and they can help prevent trouble if you cannot supervise your children online. Printed books, however, are expensive for families and the costs usually limit what students can do.
The greatest benefit of online studies is that there is almost unlimited access to history’s best study materials, which can be safely enjoyed with parental supervision. Students have access to resources, in their own homes, which Catholic students in history could only dream of. Plus, because these resources are available in digital formats, they can be enjoyed at no cost.
Another important consideration is that a Catholic homeschool curriculum that uses printed books and lesson plans normally requires parents to do the grading. An online program will likely include online quizzes and services to provide expert assessment for your children.
If you are not able to supervise your children online, or simply do not like to use computers, then you should consider a curriculum that uses printed books. If you can provide your children with supervision and allow them to make use of study materials, you should consider a program with online study materials.
Almost every homeschool curriculum is a strict pay-to-play program. The costs of a homeschool curriculum can vary greatly and seriously affect the quality of what you can make available to your children. There are many costs, not only book costs, but also registration fees, service fees–on and on. Figuring out what a program actually costs to use can be very confusing.
On the other hand, a free Catholic homeschool curriculum allows students to get started and enjoy free access to all study materials and online assessments at no cost. Optional services like written assignment grading and tutoring, can usually be added if parents desire.
The three distinctions above will help you evaluate most available Catholic homeschool curriculum options. It’s worth knowing that the Classical Liberal Arts Academy is a classical Catholic Catholic curriculum that uses online study materials and offers free enrollment to students of all ages.
To learn more about Catholic homeschool curriculum, see the articles below. If you have any questions, we’re happy to help you get the answers you need. Please send your questions along, any time.
God bless your studies,
William C. Michael, Headmaster
Classical Liberal Arts Academy
wcm@classicalliberalarts.com
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