Playing With Numbers: The Secret to Loving Math in Your Homeschool
Everyday Educator
Ever wish your kids got as excited about math as they do about game night? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Lisa Bailey talks with Jennifer Hester and Chris Blackburn — two of the original minds behind National Number Knockout (N2K) — about how this simple dice-and-numbers game turns math facts, exponents, and order of operations into something kids actually beg to play. Jennifer and Chris break down exactly how to play (all you need is a 1–36 grid and three dice), share where to find sample boards, and explain how the game secretly builds skills in addition,...
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Operation Christmas Child: How One Shoebox Changed a Life
Everyday Educator
Can a simple gift really change how a child sees God? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Delise Germond sits down with Katie Shearin and Izabella McMillon — two women whose lives intersect through Operation Christmas Child, the shoebox ministry of Samaritan's Purse. Izabella shares her powerful testimony of growing up in communist Romania, where faith had to be practiced in secret, and how a single shoebox gift — and the snow globe tucked inside it — became the moment God's faithfulness became undeniably real to her as a 13-year-old girl. Katie, a Classical...
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Classical Conversations' Guide to Homeschool Social Media
Everyday Educator
Ever wonder if social media is doing your homeschool family more harm than good — or if it might actually be a gift? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Delise Germond sits down with Classical Conversations' own social media team, Tunrade Schumann and Treva Barnes, to talk honestly about what it looks like for homeschool families to use social media well. Tunrade and Treva share the practical guardrails they use in their own homes — from time limits and phone-free schoolwork to defining your "why" before you scroll — plus how to talk with teens about social media...
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Neurodivergent Kids in Your Homeschool: Finding Their Keys
Everyday Educator
Is your homeschool student neurodivergent, dyslexic, or dealing with an undiagnosed learning struggle — and you're not sure where to even start looking? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Amy Jones sits down with Margaret Walsh, founder of Secret Garden Educational Pathways, and Alaina Gray, Classical Conversations academic advisor for Challenge A/B1 (and homeschool mom of four), to talk through how to recognize, support, and disciple a child with learning differences. Margaret and Alaina unpack the real difference between a learning disability and an intellectual...
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Our Favorite Homeschool Moments: Parent Practicum Round-Up
Everyday Educator
Ever wonder what actually happens at a Classical Conversations Parent Practicum — and whether it's worth your summer day? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Kelli Wilt sits down with fellow homeschool moms Lisa Bailey and Rachel Thompson to relive the 2026 Parent Practicum theme, "In the Beginning Was the Word." Together they reflect on how this year's focus on Latin and language pointed back to God's own intentionality — and why every subject, in the end, points back to Him. From favorite table talks (the catechesis wheel and the Trivium skills chart both made the...
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How to Build a Home Library Your Kids Will Actually Love
Everyday Educator
Ever look at your bookshelves and wonder if you're doing this whole "home library" thing right? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Lisa Bailey sits down with fellow book-lovers Jennifer Courtney and Delise to talk about how to build a home library your kids will actually love — one thrifted treasure, hand-me-down classic, and cherished read-aloud at a time. From Jennifer's collection of vintage Landmark history books (including one that sparked a beautiful conversation with her dad) to Delise's hunt for out-of-print gems at the thrift store, this episode is full of...
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Reclaiming a Love of Learning as a Homeschool Mom
Everyday Educator
Ever notice how your own love of learning shows up after you start homeschooling? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Amy Jones talks with Classical Conversations mentor Aimee Smith about the 15-year journey that took her from a nervous first-year Foundations tutor — who once got caught not knowing where to find things on the map — to a Classical Learning Cohort mentor helping other homeschool moms teach with confidence. Somewhere along the way, she picked up something she never expected: a real, honest love of learning. Aimee opens up about the Classical Learning...
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Close Reading 101: A New Tool for Every Homeschool Family
Everyday Educator
Ever catch your kids — or yourself — speed-reading through a book just to check it off the list? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Lisa Bailey talks with Tim Knotts, Director of Challenge Development for Classical Conversations, about the lost art of close reading: slowing down enough to actually understand a text, whether it's Scripture, a history document, or a confusing Russian novel. Tim introduces Classical Conversations' newest resource, Reasoning Together Words in the Word, built around the same 15 skills and three arts your family has been practicing since...
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Cate-Whaaat? A Heartfelt Breakdown
Everyday Educator
Cate-whaaat? If you've ever heard the word "catechesis" and wondered what it means for your homeschool, this one's for you. In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Delise welcomes back Rachel Thompson and Amy Jones to unpack the Classical Conversations catechesis wheel — the diagram that puts God at the center and shows how every strand of learning connects back to His character — and to talk about what it really looks like to keep Christ at the center of home education, not as one more subject, but as the source everything else flows from. Rachel and Amy open by sharing...
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Keeping God at the Center
Everyday Educator
How do you plan a whole homeschool year without letting the plan crowd out the reason you started? In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Delise Germond sits down with Kelli Wilt to talk about preparing for the new homeschool year while keeping God at the center — the mindset shifts, routines, and practical organization tips that make the difference before the first day of school ever arrives. Whether you're heading into your very first Foundations year or you're a veteran mom sending a student into the Challenge program, this conversation is full of ideas you can put to work...
info_outlineDoes homeschooling have you ready to quit? You're not alone — and you're not failing. In this episode of the Everyday Educator podcast, host Lisa Bailey and 7-year Classical Conversations mom DeDe Adetutu get real about the winter doldrums, talk about why finishing strong actually matters, and share the practical strategies — and a little Yoruba wisdom — that have helped their families push through to the finish line. This one is equal parts encouragement and action plan. Lisa Bailey opens by naming what so many homeschool moms feel but rarely say out loud: February is hard. The holidays are over, the calendar looks long, and even families who genuinely love what they do can hit a wall. Her friend's confession — "I just want to quit" — wasn't a crisis. It was completely normal.
DeDe Adetutu jumps in with a key insight: the winter doldrums aren't random. They're the predictable aftermath of over-investing in holiday intentionality and under-investing in what comes next. We create the problem by making Christmas extraordinary and leaving January with nothing to look forward to. But she also offers a counter-perspective — maybe that emptiness isn't a problem to fix. Maybe it's rest. Winter isn't dead; it's dormant. And the ram, as DeDe's husband says, takes two steps back before charging forward.
The conversation gets practical fast. DeDe shares what her family has developed over seven years of CC: annual photo reviews with the family after Christmas that double as goal-setting sessions, cross-country training that teaches kids what finishing strong feels like in their bodies, inside jokes that double as one-word pep talks, and short interval study sprints that make the final weeks manageable. Lisa adds her own toolkit — 30-minute focused work blocks, purposeful rest days that involve serving others, and the occasional backwards day to break the monotony for younger kids.
What You'll Learn
• Why the winter doldrums are actually something we create for ourselves — and what to do about it
• Why finishing strong matters so much more than just getting to the end
• How a senior cross-country runner's wisdom about the hardest part of the race applies to your homeschool right now
• The Yoruba proverb DeDe's Nigerian husband shares with their family that reframes what rest is actually for
• Practical strategies for beating mid-year burnout: interval study sessions, backwards day, British accent memory work, and more
• Why it's okay to grieve unrealistic goals — and how to adjust them without quitting
• What a German exchange student's dance move taught DeDe's family about finishing strong
• Why seniors struggle to finish and what parents can do to help them stay present
• How a plate of Belgian chocolate and a foundations geography lesson became one of the year's best memories
• How Candyland might have been designed to teach kids how to handle disappointment
This episode of Everyday Educator is sponsored by:
Summit Ministries
Do you want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endure,
and friends and faith for life? Summit’s Student Conferences equip young Christians with
the hope, clarity, and confidence they need to follow Jesus boldly in today’s world. It’s not
just about getting apologetics answers. Students learn how to live winsomely and bravely in today’s world.
Visit summit.org/cc before March 31, 2026, and lock in the early bird rate. Save an additional $250 when you use the code CC26. Want your child to have conversations that challenge, encouragement that endures, and friends and faith for life? Grab their spot now at summit.org/cc
Classical Conversations’ new 2026 Product Line
This April, Classical Conversations is launching an exciting portfolio of new products
designed to strengthen math fluency, develop critical reasoning skills, and equip families
with practical tools for classical, Christian homeschooling. From flashcard resources and
reasoning curriculum to hands-on manipulatives and a foundational parent resource, these
releases deepen the classical learning journey for families at every level.
Visit ClassicalConversations.com/WhatsNew/ to explore the entire April 2026 product
collection and start strengthening your family's classical, Christian education today. Don't
miss the special CC Bookstore sale from April 7 - 28!