We are still committed to educating our children in the classical tradition and will be forming a new local group using memory work published by Claritas Classical Academy and digitized by Cross Seven.
Review from Naturally Wholistic & Review of Claritas Classical Academy
This cool site not only provides homeschoolers with lots of great resources on all the primary subjects, it has a whole library of videos with memory work set to music, including science, history, geography, math, English, Latin and more.
We had grandparents day today and all the kids sang! …we did the timeline and the grandparents were so impressed – they had never seen anything like that before.
… Cross Seven has files for history, scripture, Latin, English grammar, math, science, geography, timeline, and hymns. U.S. Presidents are also taught at the bottom of the timeline web page for each cycle.
You can subscribe by the month to the cycle that you need and access files through smart phones, computers, tablets, etc. While it might be sufficient to listen to only the audio for some files, the video will have the memory content on the screen along with illustrations, animations, or other visual content that will aid student understanding and memory. …
…Then in 2015, I discovered something even more glorious for our family… Cross Seven videos! These digital video clips (now also available in physical formats) cover the entire curriculum compiled by the Claritas Classical Academy in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The grammar for all four Cycles (of 28 weeks each) is set almost entirely to rhythm and music! Though we do still play other learning songs from our collection, these videos provide the backbone of our “formal study.”
Each morning after our prayer and scripture study, we systematically watch and sing along with these clips. [Right now we are using a 3-day pattern of learning and review to cover all four cycles as quickly as possible, but later — when we cycle back through the material from the beginning — we will slow our pace and drink more deeply of each week’s materials… supplementing liberally with extra reading, documentaries, projects, experiments, etc.] Copies of the charts we use to track our progress through each cycle will be available under our “Printables” tab as soon as I learn how to upload and place them there. ? For now, here’s a picture of one page of our 3-Day Chart (the original has been misplaced, hence the mid-page start)….from
… Laura from Cross Seven was a joy to speak to about the program! Cross Seven began as a way for her to support her child, an auditory learner, in their family’s desire to embed the Claritas Memory Work into her brain. Cross Seven is designed using music and slides to help students acquire the memory work and it does a very effective job of accomplishing its mission!
When you come into the site, you can select your cycle, then go through the weekly memory work. Each link takes you to a slide show of the memory work (including hymns and Scripture) that you and your students can explore. Additionally there are skits performed by children to bring more light onto a subject. My kids particularly enjoyed the skit about Martin Luther (especially the part where the actor threw his papers into the air after discovering that the Bible doesn’t actually require works in order to receive grace for salvation!) …
Two of my daughters (ages 5 and 10) and really enjoyed using the Claritas video materials this year. I’m so pleased with what they’re learning and am so excited to have found a classical method that incorporates visual along with audio learning on a tablet!
Val with Practically Speaking Mom
We have 7 adopted children, 3-13, all of whom have some developmental delays. We knew we needed to Homeschool when we realized that the older ones were missing out on the basics in the public school system. Our kids needed something that would cater to their individual needs. The way the memory work is set to music, every one of them grasps something new every day, whether it’s one new word or a whole new concept. They love picking out familiar tunes and quickly start singing along. As their teacher, the weekly video’s give me a great foundation for our daily studies. We don’t get through all the material each week, but for them to just get an introduction to new ideas has made it easier when we do get to the material. They light up when I teach them something that they have heard previously on the videos. A great tool for any Homeschool!
Let me know your experience by sending me an email. I would love to hear from you, and your testimony can help others! Email: Laura