Everyday Educator

As July unfolds and we continue to celebrate summer, our minds inevitably begin to turn to preparing for the fall season of homeschooling. This week, our new series "Celebrating Summer, Prepping for Fall" begins with a throw-back podcast from 2018. Enjoy "Blueprints for the Best Education" as you set your minds toward the coming academic year and join us for this new series that will look at each CC program and how to prepare for family success.

Are you building a family legacy? Do you want to start?! Listen to this week's Everyday Educator Podcast and hear how one family is making memories that will last as they attend "Cousins Camp". Guest Chelly Barnard (the "Fun Aunt") shares spot-on tips for enjoying low-tech high-fun good times with her youngest relatives at Cousin Camp. It will make you long for a summer camp experience at your house—and give you the practical details on how to pull it off!

Some people find history as dry as summer without rain…not this week's podcast guest! Join Lisa Bailey as she talks to Kelli Wilt about celebrating summer by "playing with history" on this week's Everyday Educator podcast. You'll be encouraged to explore the history of your hometown, to find history at a family reunion, and to fuel the imaginations of your kids as they act out what they're reading about with you. Gain some practical ideas that sound like so much fun you'll want to play too!

Grab some new ideas for nature explorations on this episode of the Everyday Educator Podcast; join Amy Jones and Lisa Bailey for a rousing conversation about the blessings and benefits of exploring the outdoors with your family. Practical suggestions are offered for outside AND inside science study that will bring rest, peace, camaraderie, and fun to your summer!

Think studying Latin doesn't sound much like a celebration of summer? Think again! Listen to these inviting suggestions for incorporating a little Latin learning into your summer celebrating and discover how to strengthen the skills that will make learning languages easier as your kids grow. Playing games, solving puzzles, dressing up, reading stories-even some Latin ideas to incorporate into vacation travel! Guest Denise Moore is a fountain of enthusiasm and good ideas!

You have what seem to be competing goals: extend and build on the math skills your kids acquired during the year AND have a restful, fun-filled summer break; is there a resolution? Of course! On this week's Everyday Educator podcast, Kelli Wilt and Lisa Bailey brainstorm some easy ways to incorporate math skills into the fun you have with your family: building projects, cooking experiments, small business opportunities, and other "as you go" suggestions for creating memories as you play with numbers together.

Did you know that ants have cows? Really! I learned all about it from listening to Stephanie Meter talk about our new Copper Lodge Library selection Exploring Insects with Uncle Paul! If you want to discover more about this read-aloud resource, listen to this week's Everyday Educator podcast; you'll be reminded about using read alouds to start your morning off well, and how easy it is to explore creation when you pique the curiosity of your kids. Stephanie introduces both Uncle Paul and the new Kings of Rome volume, and helps us see why stories of all kinds fuel our imaginations, build family relationships and encourage wonder. Find new material for your morning baskets and prepare for Cycle 1 at the same time!

Are you looking for fun, creative ways to bring more reading into your summer? Or maybe you're pondering ways to bring the words you read to life, to do something with what your family is reading? Listen in this week as guest Chelly Barnard offers up some awesome ideas for building activity into reading, and for building relationships as you read together this summer.

As you and your family ease into summer, keep in mind that these long days offer lots of opportunities to "play with intention" and enjoy family fun while preparing for lifelong learning. Listen in this week as Jennifer Courtney and Lisa Bailey reminisce about play that promotes important pre-reading skills, the fun and utility of phonics, and the possibility that summer is made for simple self-education for us parents.

Are you looking for a new way to "celebrate summer" as a family? Have you ever considered…camping? Listen in as Heatherly Sylvia shares her family's love of camping, and gives us all some ideas of how traveling around as a family builds bonds that last. Even if you can't get out and go this summer, Heatherly will bless you with some ideas that will generate excitement and draw your family together.

Summer gives us time to enjoy family traditions as well as embrace summer surprises! If you are looking for ways to make every day a celebration, tune in to this episode of the Everyday Educator and grab one some suggestions from Amy Jones. Amy shares practical ways to pray, play, read, explore, and serve with your family, building a family culture that will make this summer truly special.

Summer is almost here, and your family is likely ready to celebrate! On this edition of the Everyday Educator Podcast, Delise Germond and Chelly Barnard regale our host with ideas that draw families together, celebrate simple pleasures, and build lasting memories. Listen in for some new ideas that will make doing life together feel fresh and celebratory this summer.

Looking for a way to "celebrate summer" with your family this year? Become Explorers! On this episode of the Everyday Educator Podcast, Jeremiah Wentz and Delise Germond introduce us to CC's Explorers Camp, and help us see how exploring is really about learning to love the world around you as you find your place in it. You'll hear about what to expect, how to prepare, where to register, and when to get started. (hint: go to classicalconversations/explorers and enter code EE10 to get 10% off!) Join us this summer: there is so much "new" still to be discovered!

In this episode, Daniel Shirley, homeschool graduate and Challenge IV tutor, talks with long-time homeschooling moms and CC leaders: Amanda Butler, Academic Director, and Heather Shirley, Academic Officer, about new training opportunities for licensed directors and tutors. If you liked what you heard about how CC trains homeschooling parents, consider becoming a CC tutor. Visit classicalconversations.com and click on "contact a local leader" to learn more about starting a CC homeschool community in your area.

Everybody loves a good story, and we have a new collection to tell you about. Join the Everyday Educator podcast this week as Jennifer Courtney tells us why these "ancient stories" are so timely for your family! You'll also discover some ways to use these wonderful read alouds to start great conversations, and maybe encourage a budding storyteller in your midst.

As you approach graduation with your student—or imagine what it will be like in the "sweet by and by"—are you filled with gratitude, excitement, or trepidation? This Everyday Educator podcast will remind you of the causes for celebration in this milestone, and perhaps reframe your thinking as you look toward a new beginning with your child! Join Brittany Lewis and Lisa Bailey as they celebrate the "end" of this journey: rich conversations, solid learning habits, preparation for God's next steps, and confidence that the best is yet to be!

Why should we pay attention to art education with our children, or be intentional about reclaiming our own educations in the arts? What does art have to do with Truth? Does art make us more human? If these questions intrigue you, or if you just want to know what the Five Canons of Rhetoric have to do with fine arts, this latest Everyday Educator podcast is for you! Join Chelly Barnard and Lisa Bailey as they think out loud about the language of art, and how we can all become fluent.

Looking for good reasons to study Latin alongside your student? Join Latin students and tutors Denise Moore and Stephanie Bailey as they show us some unexpected benefits from studying Latin and other foreign languages. Find out how the arts of grammar, dialectic, and rhetoric are sharpened, and how the Five Canons of Rhetoric can equip us to study with intention and success.

Parents, do you yearn to have lively and enlightening conversations with your high-schoolers about history—and everything else? Join Lisa Bailey, Kelli Wilt, and Marc Hays as they talk about the real reasons we should study history. Listen as they explore some great ways to start conversations about history, and reveal the real lesson that history should teach us all.

Are you a "discuss-er"? Do you wish you were, or that your family had the habit of wrestling with big ideas together? This week, Leslie Hubbard, Stephanie Meter, and Lisa Bailey talk about what entices family members to pursue truth together through conversations. Listen and learn to ask good questions, find the value in timely examples, and see the usefulness of the Five Canons of Rhetoric in family discussions.

What's the easiest way to bring math into the conversations you're having with your family? Get outside your math book and feast on the beauty and wonder in creation! Guests Jennifer Courtney and Marc Hays help host Lisa Bailey discover the relationship between numbers, patterns, creation, and math conversations. Listen in as these long-time lead learners discuss how the Five Canons of Rhetoric and a playful spirit will improve the math sense of your whole family.

If you are missing the delight your children took in science explorations as little kids, take a listen to how we can keep the wonder and delight in this study, even as our students head into high school. Join Leslie Hubbard and Amy Jones as they help host Lisa Bailey see that the best tools for studying science are wonder, imagination, our senses, and the ability and expectation to know God! They'll show us all how to use the Five Canons of Rhetoric to connect science to the everyday pursuits of family life.

Do you or your student dread writing or do you embrace it excitedly? Join Jennifer Courtney and Stephanie Meter as they discuss writing across the curriculum—in literature, history, and science. Together, they explore how the five canons of rhetoric can help you write about any topic in an organized, interesting, and persuasive way to capture the minds and hearts of your audience.

Hoping to guide your student to towards gracious communication, sound judgment, and contemplation of virtue? Teach them speech and debate skills, really! Listen as Melisa Weaver, Leslie Hubbard, and Lisa Bailey talk about how the Five Canons of Rhetoric and the practice of political speech, forensic speech, and ceremonial speech lead our students toward the art of compassionate conversation.

Do we really need to work on reading with our high schoolers? Isn't it enough that they can read and know what to read and do read? Listen in as Jennifer Courtney, Stephanie Meter, and Lisa Bailey discuss the spiritual aspect of "why read?" as well as offer some insights for weaving the Five Canons of Rhetoric into reading, into experiencing books, and into family conversations.

For parents looking toward the high school years, the Everyday Educator Podcast offers "Defining Rhetoric" The Conversation Ch 2, a look at how moving into the arts of Rhetoric can bind your hearts together at home and make those high school years exhilarating and satisfying and full of conversation. Join Marc Hays, Karin Carpenter, and Lisa Bailey as they talk about the canons of Rhetoric and why we all need to be rhetoricians.

Do you yearn to develop or strengthen your confidence as a homeschooler? Are you determined to redeem the Art of Rhetoric, and become an accomplished conversationalist who leads discussion on meaningful ideas? Whether you're looking for a little encouragement as you continue the homeschool journey into high school or you're just testing the waters to see if you want to jump in, this first podcast in a new series is for you! Join Brittany Lewis and Lisa Bailey as they discuss Chapter 1 of The Conversation, and share thoughts on three aspects parents really contribute to their children's educations.

In this final Advent episode, join Lisa Bailey in re-examining the journey of the Wise Men; consider the gift of Celebration, and how and why we are called to celebrate this season. Find encouragement to slow down and allow God's wonder to move you! Please participate in an Everyday Educators short survey by clicking on this link: survey

What makes you wonder? What leaves you speechless? Has wonder ever moved you to change? Join Lisa Bailey on this Advent podcast considering the Gift of Wonder; learn from the shepherds' response how to make room for wonder in your Christmas celebration this year! (Perfect for a personal reflection or a family devotional!) Please participate in an Everyday Educators short survey by clicking on this link: survey Thank you!

Listen in on this second episode of our Advent series as Lisa Bailey and her husband David explore the gift of listening. How did the gift of listening position Joseph for blessing? How can listening deepen your celebration of Christmas this year? Whether you listen devotionally, or as a family activity, we hope this podcast blesses your family this season.

Merry Christmas! All December the Everyday Educator podcasts will center on Advent, with devotional thoughts suitable for the whole family, and some ideas you can use for deeper reflections. This month we'll focus on the gifts of attending, listening, wondering, and celebrating as embodied in the Christmas story; this week, we'll look at how Mary's gift of attending allowed her to hear God's heart, and adjust her expectations for a blessing. Join us as we think about unexpected gifts and how our responses to them help or hinder our celebrations!

I know that we all are determined to be "the best teachers" for our kids, and we eagerly (at least usually!) join them in learning/re-learning literature, math, science, history…all the "main subjects" we've come to think of as vital. But, what about the subjects many DON"T see as "vital"? How are we to find the time or the talent for teaching the fine arts?! Is it possible that anything we've already learned can help us with the arts?! Join guests Jennifer Courtney and Marc Hays on this Everyday Educator Podcast and hear how the Five Common Topics make discussing, appreciating, and participating in art fun for the whole family.

Do you feel adequate for the task to teaching science to your kids?! If you are trying to prepare your child for a STEM career, you might already feel overwhelmed…but…is that what you should be doing?! Our podcast guests Leslie Hubbard and Marc Hays offer some perspective and encouragement for parents in this episode; listen as they tell us how to get started and how to use the Five Common Topics to lead our students to ask "troubling questions" in pursuit of science!

Are you worried about "studying history" with your students as they get older—especially if youdon't know all the history details that they know?! The good news is, studying history doesn't have to be complicated! Join Marc Hays, Karin Carpenter, and Lisa Bailey as they reveal how to use some simple questions to "connect the dots" of your history study, building a context for your knowledge that truly leads to deeper understanding. Our experienced parents will offer specifics on using the Five Common Topics to frame some great conversation-starters, and suggest some bigger reasons to study history as a family.

Have you noticed how argumentative your middle schooler can be? Wondering how to harness and channel this proclivity for good? We suggest logic studies! Join Lisa Bailey and Stephanie Meter as they advocate for studying logic with your middle schooler; as Stephanie says, teaching logic to your teens may just help them argue their way out of their own crazy ideas! You'll also see how logic finds its way into all other studies, from Latin to math to Mock Trial. Listen in and discover how asking the right questions positions us all to find the right answers, logically speaking.

What IS the value of a "mental map of the world"? Does "where" really matter to our students? Whether you're searching for the reason to study geography or looking for new ways to learn cartography, you'll find fresh ideas on this Everyday Educator podcast. Marc Hays, Stephanie Meter and Lisa Bailey look at how to layer the learning from Foundations through Challenge as they talk about geography and current events, pointing out ways to use the Five Common Topics to jump start the learning.

What if teaching math could bring your family closer? Would you like to know how to "play with numbers" instead of only "solving problems"? Listen in as Lisa Bailey, Marc Hays, and Leslie Hubbard talk about math explorations at home and in community. Discover ways to ask good questions that model good thinking for your students, and begin the journey toward loving math—really!

The art of writing well focuses on three questions; do you know what they are? If you feel somewhat unequal to the task of teaching writing to your children, or if you just want some fresh ideas, tune into this week's Everyday Educator Podcast "More Than Pen and Paper." Lisa Bailey and Stephanie Meter give pointers on how to harness the Five Common Topics to ask key questions that will lead you and your students toward better writing, more open dialogue, and a truly hospitable exchange of ideas!

Whether you are a reader yourself or a parent eager to raise readers, you'll love listening in as three lifelong readers discuss why children should read, what children should read, and how children should read. Join Jennifer Courtney, Stephanie Meter, and Lisa Bailey as they explore how parents can raise readers by using good questions to initiate conversations about what we are reading at home. You'll go away equipped to ask good questions about a book even if you haven't read it yourself! As a bonus, listen in to discover the hidden benefit of reading.

Let's be honest: even after we make the decision to homeschool we have questions! "How do I know what to teach?" "How important are grades and assessments?" "What else should I be teaching?" In this episode based on chapter 3 of The Question, host Lisa Bailey and guests Marc Hays and Leslie Hubbard share insights on these and other frequently asked questions. Listen in as they ruminate on the point of education, the place of technology, and how classical education teaches self-control.

What do "rest" and "wrestling" have in common? How can one actually lead to the other? Find out on the latest Everyday Educator Podcast as Lisa Bailey, Marc Hays, and Leslie Hubbard talk about integration, reconciliation, harmony, and enjoying the journey with your middle school children. You'll find encouragement and some good insight on asking the right questions as you learn alongside your kids.

Have you ever considered the purpose of education? Are you still formulating your goals for educating your children at home? Join Jennifer Courtney, Marc Hays, and Lisa Bailey as they think through the arts of the trivium and prepare to spend several weeks delving into the Art of Dialectic. This new series, based on the book The Question, will help you think through the philosophical and practical purposes for classically educating your children at home; you'll gain valuable insight on how the Five Common Topics of Dialectic make wrestling with big ideas easier.

A tool that could produce better readers would be worth its weight in gold to many of us! Happily, just such a tool is waiting for us all: Active Reader Questions! Whether you want to become a more discerning reader, raise a more intentional thinker, or enjoy deep conversations about what you read with your family, this tool is a wonder. Join Lisa Bailey, Marc Hays and Stephanie Meter as they explore how asking questions (of ourselves and others) leads to richer reading.

Are you still on the fence about writing in your books, even after Practicum? Join Lisa Bailey, Marc Hays, and Stephanie Meter as they reveal how "marking the text" made reading Animal Farm a different experience this time around. You'll gain some practical tips on methods of marking, and discover how marking your books leads to conversation: with the book, with the author, with yourself, and with others! (This is the second episode in a series using Animal Farm to illustrate the tools good readers use.)

How do you start a conversation about a book or story? Wouldn't it be great if there was a tool that could ensure you remember all the important details, identify the key plot points, connect the aspects of the story, AND help you have a better conversation about what you've read? Good news: a story sequence chart can do just that! Listen in as Marc Hays and Stephanie Meter help host Lisa Bailey discover the vital aspects of George Orwell's Animal Farm by following a story sequence chart. These readers and thinkers introduce the story in this first of three episodes demonstrating how to use the three tools learned during Practicum 2020 to talk about literature.

Edging closer to the start of the a new academic year are you filled with excitement, anticipation, or…nerves?! Join veteran homeschoolers Lisa Bailey and Jennifer Courtney for a conversation about what they wished they had known at the outset of their journeys. They'll discuss the value of habits, relationships, and "pressing on", and offer a suggestion for where to seek security and rest when the journey is challenging.

Are you still wrestling with your decision about homeschooling for this fall? Sometimes it can seem like you don't know what you don't know! Join veteran homeschoolers Jennifer Courtney and Lisa Bailey as they share the questions they wish they had known to ask, and the answers they found along the way. Homeschooling, it turns out, is about much more than academics!!

Families looking for a buffet of resources to enliven their homeschool journey are loving two new e-zines from Classical Conversations! The Sandbox and Onward have recently debuted to rave reviews, and a sneak peek inside these two resources reveals blessings for busy families practicing the arts of learning at home. Listen in as Kelli Wilt gives us the scoop on what we'll find inside, how we'll use them at home, and where we'll go to get more issues.

How does a classical, Christian education lead to virtue? Can you even TEACH virtue?! As you ponder the home-centered education you are designing for your family, consider the place that Truth holds. Join Lisa Bailey, Melisa Weaver, and Stephanie Meter for a thoughtful conversation about "soul cultivation", the "little t's and Big T", and how to embark on a homeschool journey that is not wandering!

What are the benefits to children when parents keep learning? How can we hope to give our children a better education at home than the one we received? Glean some keen insights and some reproducible ideas from Leigh Bortins, Jennifer Courtney, and Amy Jones as they think on these things in this episode of the "We Believe" series.