Reading, ‘Riting, “Rithmetic…we all know we want our kids to know the basics.  But surely that’s not all, and certainly those aren’t the most important “basics”!  Listen to some thoughts from veteran homeschool moms Brittany Lewis and Kelli Wilt as they talk to Lisa about planting the seeds of some more important fruits of knowledge. 

Mark your calendar for the 2025 National Commencement, May 16-17, 2025, in sunny Southern Pines, North Carolina! This is a time for Classical Conversations families from around the nation to celebrate the hard work with fellow families on the homeschooling journey.
Register at https://classicalconversationsfoundation.org/

For parents with multiple kids, homeschooling can feel like a juggling act!  How can we make the ideal of the one-room schoolhouse come alive at our houses??  This week’s guest, Denise McLain, offers encouragement and practical tips for larger families who want to learn together.  Bonus: hear how The Math Map has revitalized her family’s math education!

Curious about homeschooling? Want to see Classical Conversations in action? Visit an Open House, where you’ll interact with parents, students, Tutors, and Directors in a local setting and discover the joy of our community-based approach.

Don’t miss this opportunity to experience homeschooling in action! Find an Open House near you at https://classicalconversations.com/events/.

It’s the ultimate crossover episode . . . Delise and Ginny are joined by CC legend and host of the Everyday Educator podcast Lisa Bailey! Lisa recently became a grandmother, so in this conversation, she chats about parenting versus grandparenting. As a parent, she was often so focused on doing everything right that she missed out on opportunities to enjoy the small, simple moments of her children just growing up. But now, as she is blessed with the chance to relive those moments with her grandson, she can be more present and treasure every minute. Of course, with the much-anticipated release of Scribblers at Home: Recipes from Lifelong Learning, Lisa also talks about her involvement in creating this new Classical Conversations® resource and what it really means to play intentionally with our children. Finally, she shares some practical tips for setting boundaries as a parent and emphasizes the importance of asking our children questions instead of rushing in to give them the answers. As you listen, we hope Lisa’s wisdom and joy shines through this conversation and leaves you inspired and uplifted!

Show notes: blessingsandmotherhood.com/savoring-moments-with-lisa-bailey

Why is having a conversation so hard?  Maybe it’s just certain conversations… or certain people…!  What IS a good conversation, anyway?  Listen in this week as guest Daniel Shirley helps Lisa define a good conversation, a good conversationalist, and some really good ways to encourage good conversations at home and in community.  It’ll be good, we promise.

Take control of your homeschooling journey by attending an Information Meeting. Find an Info Meeting near you at https://classicalconversations.com/events/. 

What IS morning time?  How do I “do it”?  What do I need?  Can I do it with ALL my kids?  If these are your questions as you begin the new homeschool year, this week’s Everyday Educator guest will bless you.  Amy Jones joins Lisa to talk about a way to connect your family as you begin your homeschool day, setting the tone for a lifetime of learning.  With practical ideas for little ones, older ones, and multiple ages, this episode will inspire you and reassure you!

Celebrating together! Has your student or community done something noteworthy? We are collecting these stories, accomplishments, and events to celebrate and share the excitement of homeschooling. Please provide as much information as possible to completely tell the story. Share your story at http://www.classicalconversations.com/celebrate-together

As Foundations communities gear up, families gather supplies, expectations, and sometimes worries!  If you’re wondering how to get the most out of your Foundations experience, this week’s guest will give you the answers.  Courtney Bradshaw, Foundations Academic Advisor, shares the tips and truths that have brought her family through 11 years of Foundations.

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at https://copperlodgelibrary.com/

As the new academic year begins, we offer families some encouragement from a couple of moms who may be farther along the journey than you are now.  Join Lisa and guest Kelli Wilt as they share the lessons that a look in the rearview mirror has revealed to them—lessons about their children, about their schedules, their assumptions, and the hardest job you’ll ever love.

The Secret Garden is a beloved classic novel. The footnotes include word definitions, pronunciations, and historical context to support life-long learning, enabling students to deepen their reading and thinking skills. Wide margins encourage note taking and having “conversations” with the book and its author. 

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at CopperLodgeLibrary.com.

As you and your student approach the Challenge years, you may be considering all the changes ahead.  Maybe you are wondering how to navigate all the new responsibilities, and assignments, and even a new schedule.  But you may not have recognized the bigger challenge of Challenge!  Join Tim Knotts  as he sheds some light on how parents and students can continue the journey together and meet the challenge!

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at copperlodgelibrary.com.

What’s the best thing to do as you begin to homeschool?  Start your own library!  How to begin, what to include, when to share your books, where to keep all those books??  Listen as self-professed “Keeper of the Books” Jennifer Courtney shares about her own library and her journey to promote a culture of reading in all her communities.  Great inspiration AND practical suggestions abound.

CC parents, tutors, and Directors – are you looking to level up your skills in guiding and assessing your student’s learning at home or in community? Join this Spring semester’s Classical Learning Cohort! https://classicalconversations.com/cohort/

You likely know all the academic reasons to study Latin alongside your kids; but, do you know the best one?  Listen this week as homeschool mom, Support Representative and Latin student Heatherly Sylvia offers some thought-provoking (and potentially convicting) reasons to study Latin alongside our children. 

Celebrating together! Has your student or community done something noteworthy? We are collecting these stories, accomplishments, and events to celebrate and share the excitement of homeschooling. Please provide as much information as possible to completely tell the story. Share your story at http://www.classicalconversations.com/celebrate-together

Calling all families with questions about “dual enrollment” and the Challenge program!  You need to listen to this week’s episode, as Daniel Shirley shares with Lisa the details of CC Plus and all its benefits for families.  Daniel offers counsel for assessing a student’s readiness for concurrent enrollment, as well as ideas on how to get started with registration.  Whether you’re thinking about starting this fall or fall of 2030, we’ll give you good things to consider!

At Classical Conversations®, we believe that education is the responsibility of the family, with support from fellow believers. The Classical Learning Cohorts meet regularly online to practice the tools of learning with discussion, presentations, and assessment.

Join the conversation at classicalconversations.com/cohort.

Take your family on a “road trip” this summer, between the pages of a book—or two!  Reading opens doors to strange new lands and wonderfully amazing experiences.  Reading together opens up worlds of possibilities for great conversations with those we love the most.  Our last Summer Book Club of the year shares stories from Africa.

Copper Lodge Library offers a collection of stories presented in a beautiful series of books for the whole family to enjoy. Build a family culture by reading these stories together and have meaningful conversations about wisdom and virtue.

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at https://copperlodgelibrary.com/

Reading can magically transport us to faraway places, introduce us to new people, and teach us new skills.  Reading is also a gateway to great conversations and exciting explorations.  In this week’s episode, Lisa shares three stories from Exploring Insects with Uncle Paul and provides some great conversation starters and ideas for further family explorations.  Don’t miss it!  (It’s also a great read aloud moment for your kids!)

New to the Copper Lodge Library this year is English Epic Poetry, a collection with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and selections from Canterbury Tales and Paradise Lost.

Build a family culture by reading these stories together and have meaningful conversations about wisdom and virtue. Even in the less overtly religious poems of Sir Gawain and Canterbury Tales, readers find Christian themes like courage, forgiveness, and right use of power.

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at https://copperlodgelibrary.com/

Do you need some suggestions for helping busy kids slow down long enough to enjoy read aloud time?  Here’s an idea:  stay active!  There are lots of ways to enjoy a good story while you move.  Listen in this week as Lisa shows you how as she reads 3 more stories from Kings of Rome.

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at copperlodgelibrary.com.

Settle back and spend some time chasing your imagination this summer-pick up a book!  Reading as a family draws us together and gives us something to savor.  Listen in this week as Lisa shares some stories from the Cycle 1 resource Ancient World Echoes.  She’ll also offer some great tips on how to make the stories stay alive after the reading ends.

How do you feel about…spiders??  In Week 2 of our Summer Book Club, Lisa shares more tips on reading as a family, and offers more ideas for generating conversation and activity after you read.  Exploring Insects with Uncle Paul is our focus, and you’ll love this introduction to the Copper Lodge Library selection that has a distinct Cycle 1 connection.

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at copperlodgelibrary.com.

Looking for some refreshment this summer?  Spend a little time reading aloud together as a family!  Listen in this week as Lisa shares three big benefits of reading as a family. Bonus?  Lisa reads aloud three stories from the Copper Lodge Library’s Kings of Rome series (a perfect lead in to Cycle 1!!), AND offers some conversation tips for diving deeper into the story.

Want to raise readers?  Surround your family with books!  This week’s guest, Jennifer Courtney, offers simple ideas on how to whet your family’s appetite for reading.  Listen for suggestions on how to build a family library as well as ideas on Cycle 1 “resources” to collect for next year.

CC parents, tutors, and Directors – are you looking to level up your skills in guiding and assessing your student’s learning at home or in community? Join this Spring semester’s Classical Learning Cohort! https://classicalconversations.com/cohort/

Everybody enjoys knowing the “inside story” of familiar things; listen in this week and discover the behind-the-scenes workings of CC’s Copper Lodge Library.  You’ll meet the editor, find out how those footnotes were created, and get a glimpse into what’s available for your family.  Listen in as Lisa and Stephanie Meter discuss libraries (public and personal) and why reading as a family brings us together.

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at copperlodgelibrary.com.

Are you amazed by what your Foundations students memorize every year?  Do you wonder if you could “do it too??”  On this episode of Everyday Educator Kelli Wilt and Elise DeYoung offer tips and tricks for memorizing, gleaned from rubbing shoulders with National Memory Masters.  Not ready for a “competition”?  Listen for tips on making memory work a joy from mommas with years of learning-as-a-family experience!

More information about Great Wolf Lodge and Exclusive CC Discount Code found in the CC Connected Learning Center > Member Benefits and Additional Resources Document.

https://www.greatwolf.com/

Join guest host Kelli Wilt as she welcomes and celebrates CC’s 2024 National Memory Master, Ewan Fisher.  Ewan and his mom, Kim, join Kelli and share their family’s story of life in CC, the pursuit of the Memory Master title, and how the family has been blessed by Ewan’s goal.  You’ll get plenty of inspiration to learn as a family as you listen.

If you’ve ever wondered about the “Plus” of CC Plus, this week’s episode of the Everyday Educator will answer your questions.  Listen in as Daniel Shirley, Undergraduate Program Manager for CC Plus, shares from experience the beauty and benefit of this fine program.  And, you might be as surprised as Lisa was to find that CC Plus isn’t just for Challenge students anymore!

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at copperlodgelibrary.com.

Guess what?  Scribblers At Home won the Illuminations Gold Award!  Maybe you haven’t heard much about Scribblers, or maybe you thought it wasn’t really for your family.  Listen in as Amy Jones helps us see that Scribblers isn’t just an “on ramp” for young homeschoolers, it’s an “ongoing ramp” for all of us!  You’ll be interested to hear how families of all ages are using this resource, and how your family might find it’s just what you’re looking for also.

You’re invited to our 2024 National Events Weekend in sunny Southern Pines, North Carolina! Register at https://classicalconversationsfoundation.org/.

Foundations parents, are you interested in knowing more about Memory Masters and National Memory Masters?  Listen in as Kelli Wilt and Elise DeYoung give Lisa all the information. You’ll find out more than how to, though…You will hear how these “competitions” are actually about celebrating students and families.  I think you’ll be inspired to see memorizing in a new way…

Make April 26 a Family Day at theater! #UnsungHeroMovie opens everywhere beginning April 26. From the creators of Jesus Revolution comes Unsung Hero. Tickets on sale now. Visit https://tickets.unsunghero.movie/. 

If you want all the information on Practicum 2024, listen to Part 2 of the conversation between Jill Philbrick and Lisa Bailey.  You’ll discover  how to discover God in math, how to model the skills of learning math for your kids, how to become part of the “greater conversation”, and how to redeem your own education in ways you might not imagine.  Exploring The Math Map in community will be an investment that pays dividends!

Learn more about the Copper Lodge Library at copperlodgelibrary.com.