Back to School, Back to the Ancients! - SLO Classical Academy
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San Luis Obispo Classical Academy San Luis Obispo Classical Academy

Welcome to Down Home, San Luis Obispo Classical Academy’s blog! We are a classical school offering several options to make our education work for families with infants through high schoolers. Our signature hybrid program, which is part-time classroom and part-time home instruction, provides an engaging education for preschool through middle school (with full time options available). We also have a university model high school. This blog is meant to support and encourage on the home front because, in so many ways, the heart of what happens at SLO Classical Academy happens down home.

Semper discentes—always learning together.
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Back to School, Back to the Ancients!

{photo by Matthew Sleeper}

“The big question is whether you are going to be able to say a hearty yes to your adventure.”

~ Joseph Campbell

Welcome back to school, SLOCA families! Whether you are new to our school or returning, we are thrilled to see each of your bright and shining faces on campus today and tomorrow. This hands-on, parent-involved approach to classical education is certainly a daring adventure for the whole family, so let's all say a hearty “Yes!” as we start our 4-year history cycle over again and travel back to the Ancients. Time to begin!

For those who are new to SLOCA, we like to start off by sharing a few things about our school blog:

First, it’s called Down Home because we know that the heart of learning and connection lies in the home, and that you are right there in the middle of it, guiding, mentoring, teaching, coaching, encouraging, and learning side by side with your kids on home days. We want to provide a helpful resource to support and strengthen you along the way.

We also want to build community, encourage each other, and share great ideas here on the blog, so we urge you to get involved and comment on the posts you see, share your own tips and resources, or email your questions and submissions to us at [email protected]. We are in this together!  

If you aren’t the primary home educator, but another parent, grandparent, relative or friend of a SLOCA student, or someone who simply takes an interest in SLOCA or wants to know more about us, we hope you’ll enjoy staying connected with what’s happening at school through our blog, and we also invite you to comment and be involved in our blog community.

Here's a little about me: my name is Jenny Bischoff and this will be my sixth year as the Down Home Blog Curator. My husband Paul, our three kids and I are beginning our 12th year at SLOCA. We are on Track A with a son in Lower Middle School, a daughter in Upper Middle School, and another daughter who is a senior (gasp!) here at SLO Classical Academy High School (SLOCAHS). She's been here since 1st grade, so this will be a special year for our family, as we watch our first-born complete the final year of her classical education at SLOCA. Educating this way has been an incredible journey and one of the best choices we’ve ever made for our family. I hope you will love learning SLOCA-style as much as we have.


Down Home posts new content each weekday during the school year, on a variety of topics. On Mondays you will usually find what we call Monday Mix-ins: a series of optional videos, links, and resources you can use on home days to enrich our history and literature studies (and occasionally science). We’ve included a few below to give you an idea and get the week rolling…

We know that sometimes Less is More, so feel no pressure to use these weekly links. Some families love them, some never touch them, and many use them here and there for enrichment, a reward for working hard, or as screen time options. We do try to choose resources that are family friendly and age appropriate, and will indicate ratings when available, or when something is recommended for older kids only, but as with any video or website, use your own parental discretion when choosing material for your children. Enjoy!

VIDEOS:

All About Archaeology – From National Geographic Kids, there are several short videos in this series: 

 

Solving Mysteries with Archaeologists – A 4-1/2 minute video all about archaeologists:

 

The Excavation Process: How We Excavate – Learn about the tools used by archaeologists and process of excavation:

 

WEBSITES:

Archaeology: Clues from the Past – A website for kids all about archaeology, with games, stories, and hands-on activities.

Dig Deeper – An online quiz game about archaeology. See what you know now, then play again at the end of the year!

Dirt Detective – Another online game for younger kids.

Arctic Artifacts – An online activity from the National Park Service about figuring out what ancient artifacts were used for.

Hunt the Ancestor – From BBC, a game that lets you experience some of the realities of being an archaeologist.

 

Come back each day this week to learn what else you’ll typically find here at Down Home. And stop by SLOCA's Facebook page to connect with our community there, too! 

 

SLO Classical Academy is not affiliated with any of the above mentioned websites, businesses, organizations, or individuals.

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