State Managers are working over-time with me this month and next to plan and prepare for Classical Conversations' signature events: the free 3-day Parent Practicums which will be held all over the country this spring and summer.

This is really the heart and soul of Classical Conversations: to reach moms and dads and encourage them to educate their children from home and do it well using the model of classical education, and to inspire them to raise up children who will be great leaders for our country.

This summer's practicums will focus on going Beyond a Book in educating our children and seeing them as souls to be nurtured for the glory of God instead of pragmatic products to be measured by man.

In educating our children, it is important to understand that knowledge, understanding, and wisdom are not apprehended by a sacred, yet ever-altering, set of curriculum books that the state sets forth. In true education, an education that gives a student wings to fly and serve their life purpose, we have to learn to think beyond a book.

CiRCE Institute founder, Andrew Kern, will visit in select cities via a multi-media presentation to share his heart for education that reclaims the whole student, challenging educators everywhere to adjust their thinking.

Join us and other classical, home-educating parents in  a free  3-day practicum near you...and let's go beyond a book together!

                  Church  7:00 p.m.

 

 

Noon EST, Wednesday, March 10 

Ray Moore is back for more blogtalk!  E. Ray Moore, Jr., is a South Carolina native, graduate of The Citadel with a B.A. in political science. He received his M.Div. in 1974 and his Th.M. in 1979 from Grace Theological Seminary. He served 12 years as a campus pastor and 19 years as an Army Reserve Chaplain (Lt.Col. USAR Ret).  He currently serves as president of Frontline Ministries and the Exodus Mandate Project, which focuses on prayer, revival and K-12 Christian education and homeschooling.

 
So, how can parents help their students become memory masters? We asked a few veterans and this is their advice:

1) "They need to recite every fact every day, but it doesn't have to be all at once. Break it up by doing the Bible passage right after breakfast, the math right after math lessons, Latin at lunch, and history before reading time."

2) "Allow your student to stand, lie down, wiggle, do jumping jacks or even 'swim' across the kitchen floor while they recite. Sometimes sitting still takes more concentration than being free to wiggle."

3) "Post tricky facts around the house. Make a poster or print out the fact and put it in a page protector and tape it to the wall or the back door or the refrigerator so that it gets seen throughout the day. I will make my house look beautiful after the kids leave for college. Right now, I don't worry about it a bit!"

4) "Cover the words on the front of the time line cards with Post-it Notes so your students can see only the picture. Let them look at the pictures as often as they need to. Eventually they'll be able to say them without even peeking."

5) "The memory flashcards we ordered from CC make it so easy to drill the kids. I keep them in my purse so if we have a wait in the dentist's office or somewhere, I can go through a subject and not waste any time! They also make it easy for my husband to quiz the kids at night and give me a little break."

6) "Geography needs it's own time everyday. You have to make time to get out the map and a dry erase marker. I call out each item and watch while she traces or dots each item. Once a week, she draws it all on her own."

7) "Tape up the sections of the Bible passage in a route through your house. Have them go to each location to recite that passage. Use furniture as landmarks. Then, when reciting they can mentally "walk" through the house using "landmarks" as cues to what comes next."

8) "We invite some CC friends over and make it a game. Ask kids a memory question one at a time. If they answer correctly, they get a point. Keep going until all the work is covered."

9) "I sent my list of memory work to my mom because my daughter talks to her almost everyday (they live 600 miles away). Reviewing memory work is part of their routine. She wants to impress Grandma, so she works harder than she might for me."

10) "Read (or re-read) the book How to Develop a Brilliant Memory by Dominic O'Brien. This is a book Leigh recommended to me, and it has really given me some good ideas and a good understanding of what we're doing."

  Click here for more info on the book, How to Develop a Brilliant Memory

Roald Dahl,
Author of James and the Giant Peach and
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory