Classical Education in Action: Homeschooling Tips for Primary Grades

Classical Et Cetera returns for its first episode of 2025! This week, we're answering a listener question: What is the objective of Memoria Press curriculum in the primary grades? And what are some practical tips for making everything work well?

From phonics and recitation, to the advantages that homeschooling provides with learning and pacing, our panel discusses everything you need to know about using Memoria Press with young learners.

[mama_knitter]

This year after skipping crafts for years, I decided to enlist the help of my mother in law who loves to do stories and crafts, to come over once a week, to do the first grade read aloud and craft with my Kindergartener, 1st grader and 4th grader. They love it! So happy to add to my faculty 😉

[kathyschmudlach]

The enrichment provides such wonderful background knowledge, which assists students with their own reading comprehension.

[TheEmileeAnne]

Love that Memoria Press has videos for phonics. We love having Miss Michelle join our homeschool!

[AnnaEmberson]

This was so helpful. My little one is almost preschool age and i am a bit scared of starting because I don’t remember phonics so it’s nice to know others are there too

[courtneytautges]

I loved practice and drills as a kid in sports, maybe that’s why I love teaching memoria kindergarten so much. I love knowing that I’m laying the foundation of good habits that will hopefully help them for the rest of their time as students! Love love love memoria for the primary years, prepares them so well, and you realize how capable children are when they’re given a high bar and then shown how to meet it!

[capsela]

I remember Martin had a talk he gave at a Circe Conference years ago about the order of learning is not the same as the order of knowledge. I have listened to it dozens of times! My copy got lost on an old laptop. I wish it would get republished!

Also, my English teacher my freshman and junior years of high school always read aloud to us. We also only read classic literature and used Warriner's Composition and Grammar. She was from Arkansas and it was always a pleasure to hear her read aloud!

[SaraT-oyop]

Excellent conversation and great timing for the post holiday blues.
How about this same “what does it come down to?” Conversation for each stage (assuming this was all there was to cover for primary)?

[EqualityforAllHumansNow]

Thank you so much for this wonderful interview.

[TheCarrie]

My first grader did MP for kindergarten. At the beginning of the year she was flying through the day. Her penmanship is beautiful, she wants to read everything and reads well. She was also doing well with the math. Right before Christmas break she just lost it. She’s not writing well, she doesn’t want to do the math and is taking forever to get it done because she doesn’t want to write or do it. Is this typical and do you have any advice? The frustrating part for me is that she can do it all and was.

[AppSubGrap]

"Wake up, babe. New Classical etc. just dropped."