Everyday Educator

Whether you’re considering the possibility of homeschooling or wondering how to add some zest to what you’re already doing, this episode of the Everyday Educator is for you.  Join Lisa and guest KatieBeth Pierson as they discuss lessons learned along their way and give some very practical ideas on resources and ideas that will transform your family learning.

Whether your family reads together already, or you’re looking for good ideas on how to develop that habit, this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast is for you.  Listen as guest Brittany Lewis gives us some great insights on why to read together, what material to try, and how to get started.  Best of all, there is hope for turning reluctant readers into family readers.  You’ll be blessed by the listening!

What happens when homeschooling is over?  How does your relationship with your kids change?  How are YOU changed by homeschooling?  Listen in as David Bailey, a dad to two “grown-up girls” who were homeschooled all the way through, shares his thoughts on homeschooling…and beyond!

If you’ve been considering writing out your family’s mission statement—or wondering if you need one—this week’s Everyday Educator episode is for you.  Host Lisa and guest Kelli Wilt come clean about their lack of such a statement in the early years but share some excellent reasons to have one now!  Full of wise counsel, practical tips, and honest reflections these ladies will bless your day!

Homeschooling...it’s not just for your kids!  Have you ever thought about homeschooling as the beginning of educating yourself?  If you have questions about “educating yourself”, this episode of EE is for you.  Guest Heatherly Sylvia, a passionate lifelong learner, will inspire you to stay curious, to keep learning, and to see the life of a learner as one that pleases the Lord.  Come for practical tips, stay for the encouragement!

God is wooing us to Himself with the wonder and beauty in His world. When we chase the wonder in creation, we draw near to the creator and find what He is waiting for us to discover.  Listen this week as guest Amy Jones describes how a classical, Christian community can help your family promote more wonder in your homeschool.  And, hear how one of the activities from Scribblers At Home:  Recipes from Lifelong Learners can open your family’s eyes to wonder in your own backyard.

Classical Conversations believes that classical education prepares us to accept the responsibilities of Christian freedom.  What ARE those responsibilities, and how do we as parents prepare our children to accept them?  Listen in this week as homeschool mom Charity Brown shares with Lisa some heady thoughts AND some practical tips on raising Godly kids who are ready to be ambassadors for Christ in the world.

Searching for the right schedule to regulate your homeschool days this year?  You probably suspect that finding the perfect schedule might be impossible…but finding the right rhythm is exactly what Lisa’s guest Jennifer Courtney is ready to discuss!  On this week’s podcast you’ll hear some great suggestions for crafting your family’s learning plan, hear a few “non-negotiables” mentioned, and even learn the “Leigh Bortins way” of schooling with multiple kids of different ages and abilities.

It’s time to start Foundations; are you ready?  Listen in as Courtney Bradshaw, CC Academic Advisor, gives us some tips for getting ready for a fantastic year with our Foundations students.  From seeing the big picture to getting your home ready, Courtney has the news that will help you and your children start the Foundations year off right.  (She also gives you the insider info on where to go for great downloadable helps and a place to get your questions answered.)

To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, wonder is when Divinity makes its presence known.  How can we learn to be better “wonder-ers”?  Join host Lisa Bailey as her guest Amy Jones leads us to think about the connection between time, space, questions, and wonder.  Here’s the good news:  Wonder is a skill you can build! Listen, and commit to finding wonder as you go this fall.

What do you want to teach your children while you homeschool—besides reading, writing, and arithmetic?  What “life skills” are you determined to pass on—and how compatible is teaching those skills with your classical, Christian education plan?  On this episode of the Everyday Educator, guest Stephanie Meter talks to her mom Lisa about what skills she took from homeschooling into adulting.   It’s an entertaining and eye-opening episode!

What’s the best way to ready yourself and your student for the upper Challenge program?  How can you position your family to make the most of this amazing learning opportunity?  Listen as guest Brittany Lewis shares insights and encouragements that make Challenges II-IV super appetizing; you’ll appreciate Brittany’s thoughtful tips on how best to prepare and on the skills  you and your child will gain.

It’s almost time to begin the Challenge year!  Want some help to get ready?  Listen in as Lanelle Lowe, experienced mom, tutor, and curriculum developer, gives us some preparation tips for Ch A, B, and I.  Find out what the uniques are for each level, and what your family has to look forward to as you learn together this year.  You’ll get the scoop on all the “learning curves” for both students and parents and learn how to meet the challenges.

Didn’t always love math?  Then you have lots in common with Leigh Bortins, creator of The Math Map, CC’s developing math curriculum for families!  On this episode, listen as guests Leigh Bortins and Kirsty Gilpin share how studying math in a new way might be the key to seeing God’s riches in creation, in art, in music, in building, in literature…You’ll be encouraged by the thoughts of studying math together as a family, with purpose that goes beyond practicality

Looking for something fun to read (or listen to) and something fun to do after reading?  Listen as Lisa shares some reasons to read stories of all kinds with your kids; this week’s read alouds include a poem, a fable, and 2 nature stories. Lisa also offers ideas on how to continue the conversation after the story is over, as well as some inspired ideas that will bring life to your storytime.

How do you savor a story? In today’s podcast, Lisa shares some ways to appreciate and enjoy stories with your family, extending the fun and making the read-aloud experience even more memorable. Listen as she shares a poem (celebrating the vigor dads bring to story time) as well as two American Tall Tales that might inspire your family to spin a yarn or two of your own!

Read Aloud time is not just for fiction; try some biographies, some poetry, a travel log, a bird watching guide…Reading starts conversations, and conversations lead to explorations and explorations create family memories!  This week we say, “Happy Birthday, America!”  Join Lisa for this All-American Read Aloud, and enjoy bringing stories to life with your family this holiday. 

Ready for another story? Listen in as Lisa shares tips on making stories come alive and why you should read and listen with your children this summer. This week, listen to some tall tales of Paul Bunyan, and get some insights on his inventions and some encouragements to make some inventions of your own this summer!

What’s so special about reading aloud? Whether you’re looking for reasons to read aloud this summer, or just someone else to read aloud for you, this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast will deliver! Join Lisa as she shares tips on making read alouds come to life, and enjoy a read aloud of “The Frogs and the Crane” and “Over in the Meadow”—plus some great ideas to take this selections  to the next level.

What makes Scribblers At Home:  Recipes From Lifelong Learners such a “must-have” resource?  Who might want it?  Who might benefit the most?  Why are we so excited??  Listen in as Lisa and Shelly Stockton reminisce about their early days of homeschooling and how Scribblers provides so much of what they wish they had known then.  How can this one book meet so many families where they live?