In January 2023, we heard a variety of conversations across our four Classical Conversations® podcasts, from hearing about the greatest challenges Christian moms face today from Heidi St. John on Refining Rhetoric with Robert Bortins to welcoming our very own Lisa Bailey, host of the Everyday Educator podcast, to talk about the upcoming Scribblers at Home resource on this month’s episode of Global Homeschool Minute.
January Podcast Recap: Highlights and Takeaways
In case you missed them, we’ll recap some of the key takeaways and highlights from last month’s episodes in this post.
Heidi St. John on the Challenges Christian Moms Face Today
On the second episode on the now weekly Refining Rhetoric, Robert Bortins was joined by speaker and author Heidi St. John. Among many great takeaways of the conversation, Heidi discussed why the greatest challenge Christian moms face today is defending objective truth.
Why? Because if parents don’t defend and teach their children that objective truth exists, then our basis for morality falls apart. If children are not taught to believe in objective truth, then imagine what their future would look like!
If everything is up for debate, if nothing is true, than nothing is worth fighting for, nothing is worth dying for.” – Heidi St. John
In addition, Heidi discusses other important topics in the episode, including the definition of ‘Christian nationalism’ and how the Republican Party has changed over time. Be sure to check out the conversation below!
Listen: Episode 28: Defining Christian Nationalism with Heidi St. John | Refining Rhetoric
Leigh Bortins on Intentionally Connecting with Your Children
Kicking off the new year right, hosts Ginny and Delise welcomed the one and only Leigh Bortins, founder of Classical Conversations, to 2023’s first episode of Blessings and Motherhood. Among other points of discussion, Leigh talked about how to be intentional in staying connected with your children, especially as they grow older.
Leigh talks about finding the balance between letting your child know you care while also allowing him or her space. In some situations, you don’t want to get too close as to push your child away, but at the same time it’s important to let him or her know you are there and that you care.
Listen: Learning Together with Leigh Bortins | Blessings and Motherhood
Olivia Walsh and Kelli Wilt on the Importance of Children Memorizing
On the third episode of Everyday Educator in January, Lisa Bailey was joined by Classical Conversations employees Olivia Walsh and Kelli Wilt to discuss the upcoming 2023 National Memory Master. Apart from chatting about what a Memory Master is, the three talk about how children are typically able to memorize information more easily than adults.
That’s because, on the one hand, the world is so new to children that they are naturally curious to learn more. And on the other hand, young children’s brains are more “plastic,” or adaptable, then those of adults. This means children are able to absorb and memorize facts, passages, vocabulary, dates, locations, and all sort of other bits of information a bit more easily as their brains develop.
This is exactly why the Classical Conversations Foundations program focuses so heavily on practicing the skill of grammar (i.e., memorizing the fundamentals). The heavy repetition of memory work is designed to set students up with a strong foundation of knowledge from which to draw upon as they grow older and dive into more complex learning.
Listen: What is a NATIONAL Memory Master? | Everyday Educator | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
Lisa Bailey on Scribblers at Home
Host of Everyday Educator, Lisa Bailey came on to this month’s episode of Global Homeschool Minute to tell listeners all about Scribblers at Home: Recipes from Lifelong Learners. If you haven’t heard, Scribblers is an all-new resource from Classical Conversations designed to guide families of children ages 4–8 through simple activities that encourage fun and engaging learning together.
In this conversation, Lisa describes her own involvement in helping to create Scribblers, gives examples of its included activities, offers the benefits of Scribblers’ flexible and relaxed approach, and explains how families with students of all ages can use this resource. If you want to learn more about Scribblers, this episode is a great place to start!
Listen: Enriching Your Homeschooling | Global Homeschool Minute
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