What’s on my Bookshelf: Resources for Foundations Cycle 1

One of my favorite things to do is go to Half Price Books and scour the clearance section for good resources to complement our studies.  Over the years, I've curated quite a library in my home, which means we have resources at our fingertips when we get curious about our Classical Conversations memory work.

In the beginning, I definitely started off scheduling reading from several of these throughout the year, but now I just have them on my shelf ready for curious readers.  Many of the books on my list here have turned out to be great resources for the Challenge years as well.

I'm going to go subject by subject and provide links for each book so you know exactly what I'm talking about.  I own all of these books, but I most likely didn't pay full price for them all!

cycle-1-resources

HISTORY:  Cycle 1 Focus - Historical Empires, Peoples, and Countries (ancient through modern)

Readers:

I love reading the Challenge books before the kids get to Challenge.  Some think that might ruin the experience of the book, but I find that their thoughts are richer and deeper when they've had some history with a book.

GEOGRAPHY:  

ENGLISH:  Verbs and Prepositions

LATIN:  Noun Endings (Declensions)

SCIENCE: Biology & Earth Science (not all of these books are written with a Biblical Worldview)

MATH

SCRIPTURE:  Exodus 20:1-17 (KJV)

GREAT ARTISTS: (These aren't on my bookshelf yet, but I wish they were!)

ORCHESTRA AND COMPOSERS:

The beauty of the Classical Conversations program is that you can do it without any of the above mentioned books.  Don't feel like this is a must have list, but rather a glimpse into resources I love and books I've collected over the years.

My Ultimate List of Classical Conversations Resources for Cycle 1

What are some of you favorite resources for Cycle 1?

3 Comments

  1. Cookie on July 14, 2015 at 10:10 pm

    Wow, this is such a tremendous blessing!! Thank you so much for putting this together 🙂 My husband and I were JUST talking about whether or not we should look into upper level literature and stories rewritten for lower grades. I imagine having an acquaintance with the characters, plot and overall theme would offer a framework to explore deeper concepts or notice and admire subtle details more easily.

    • Betsy on July 14, 2015 at 10:38 pm

      You’re welcome!! I think our culture has lost the art of getting to know a story well. We value the experience of the first read over the richness of the 10th read through a book. By the time your kids are truly ready to appreciate the richness of an enduring classic, they’ll be familiar with the story, but the beauty of the story won’t be spoiled at all .

  2. Becky on August 18, 2015 at 2:37 pm

    I have a question/favor. I have the Kingfisher History Encyclopedia as well. I got it for Cycle 3 when i saw a reading list that gave “match ups” on what to read each week. Do you happen to have a match up to go along with Cycle 1? I have been searching and haven’t found one for Cycle 1. If you do, would you mind sharing? I would *really* appreciate it!!! TIA!!!

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