These are the phases of learning that we grow through and gain throughout our lives.

CORE

The first of the Foundational Phases, and serves as the foundation for all the rest of a child’s life. This is when parents nurture their children in the safe, cozy atmosphere of home and family life. Core lessons include: what is right and wrong, good and bad, how to make choices, how to work and be responsible. Core phase is about building family relationships, family work, love and nurturing and learning through play! Those beginning core phase are exposed to inspiring music, good books, and an atmosphere of learning through the family culture. Academics are not yet a part of a Core Phase child’s life.This phase never ends and needs to be strengthened and nurtured throughout life. Having a strong core is crucial to experiencing healthy love of learning and scholar phases.

LOVE OF LEARNING

The Love of Learning Phase is the second of the two Foundational Phases, and it sets the stage for the child’s later scholarly pursuits. This is when a child begins to play in new ways, and this sometimes begins to look like study, but it’s not; it’s still play. If a child at this stage (or earlier) is forced into academics, what results is usually a “Hate of Learning.” This is one of the earmarks of a conveyor belt education, and why most of us schooled that way can’t fathom the idea that young adults will eventually choose to study 8-10 hours a day. If this phase is successfully nurtured, scholar phase will come naturally as a child develops. Love of learning begins when children begin to explore new ideas and become interested in everything around them. This is the asking WHY? stage. Students are excited to learn anything and everything and jump quickly from one subject to the next. If they choose it, they will be excited about it, and play will include things that sometimes do and sometimes don’t look like work: reading, writing, discussing, drawing, sculpting, building, cooking, and cleaning. The parent’s job during this phase is to keep the home stocked with “educational products,” and model to the child that learning is one of the funnest things she can possibly do.

SCHOLAR

As the student nears the end of a successful Love of Learning phase, he naturally begins to transition towards more scholarly pursuits, until he enters the Scholar Phase, the first of the more serious and grown up Educational Phases. Within Scholar Phase, there are a number of different levels built one upon another. During the scholar phase years, the student develops and changes quickly, what works for a child in the beginning of Practice Scholar will not necessarily work for the serious Self-Directed Scholar. This begins as students mature and become ready to focus longer and go deeper into their studies and development of “Scholar Skills.” They also need the support and guidance of outside mentors (not mom) and positive peer influence.

DEPTH / MISSION

This phase is more self directed. A person takes all that they have learned, seeks out their unique personal “mission” and works towards goals that will help them find their way of blessing and serving the world.