Tag Archives: classical education

Update on the Logic Boxes

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The Logic Boxes seem to be more of a hit with the ballerina than the twins. If she is playing though, the twins will join in. The Lego box has won over the twins, which also fits in the logic category of the trivium, so I am not too worried about it. However, they have only reached the surface of what is really in each box, so I am hoping that with more exposure they will dig deeper and really “play” with some of those cool “toys.”

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My one rule is that they may not ask me how to use or play with anything in the box, but I do encourage them to tell me how they are playing as a way to practice some skills within the rhetoric category. This is difficult for me. The teacher in me is always wanting to instruct and correct. It was especially difficult when I saw them flinging the counting bears across the room with the balance scale. GASP! When I saw this, I had to direct them in figuring out a way to make sure that we didn’t loose any bears. My ballerina suggested that they try to fling the bears into the cups, which were also in the box. Well that was not really what I intended with counting bears, sorting cups and a balance scale, but it did prove that their problem solving skills are right on par. They did create a fun game.

This week I may limit the lego box a bit. I am interested to see if they will discover more treasures in the logic boxes without the distraction of the legos.

Trivium Mastery

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Trivium Mastery, by Diane B. Lockman, is the book that rocked my classical mind! In her book, Lockman explains that the Greeks did not teach the 3 skills of the trivium: language, logic, and rhetoric, at different ages as Dorothy Sayers would have us believe. But these skills, or roads, are taught at the same time from birth and usually mastered within the tween years. These 3 skills are the foundation to higher learning. Once mastered, the student will be able to learn anything. How logical is that!

By God’s grace I will guide my children in the mastery of language, thought and speaking in order to give them a solid base from which to rise; to be able to learn anything and to do anything God calls them to do, for His glory.

Brains and Binders

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This year my drummer boy and ballerina are getting binders. I tend to rebel against anything that looks too much like “school” but the binders are coming back with stickers and all. As I was organizing the binders, it occurred to me that our brains also store information in this way. When information is correctly categorized in the mind’s filing cabinet, recall of the information is easier. Knowledge builds on itself through semantic webs. If this information is not categorized efficiently, memory recall will be hindered. The brain’s ability to organize information comes naturally to most children, but children with learning disabilities must be explicitly taught how to organize information into their long and short term memory banks for more efficient recall. The disciplined practice of keeping school work organized in a binder, will aid in developing this fundamental skill.

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I debated whether to organize the binders with just the 3 categories of the trivium: language, logic, and rhetoric, or to simply organize according to the subject and activity. I chose to organize my own binder with the trivium categories, and organize the kids binders with the subjects. I believe this will make more sense to them, since this is our first year in the trivium. As the kids get older, and they start to take a larger role in deciding their own activities within each trivium, the natural division of the trivium roads will likely be used in their binders as well. But for now the categories are:

  • Spelling
  • Grammar
  • Literature
  • Dictation
  • Music
  • Rhetoric

Ha! At this point they don’t even know what rhetoric means, but I’ll make sure to build that semantic web and filing will become a synch. 🙂