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Greetings from Leigh Bortins
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 I'd like to extend a warm welcome to all the families who will be joining Classical Conversations for the first time this fall! We have many new communities which will be forming and meeting for the first time this month. I pray that you and your community will encourage one another and build each other up. Homeschooling has its benefits, to be sure, but it's not easy, so having a group of like-minded parents who can keep each other on track will help you make it all the way through the high school years. I hope that you will enjoy learning along with your children--not just the facts, but also the philosophy behind what we are doing in classical education. Classical education is so different and so much better than the way most of us were taught! Over my twenty-plus years as an active learner, I've realized that I just don't know that much, and I want to know a lot more. I could have been self-satisfied and impressed with my aerospace engineering degree and made a decent income. The world said I was educated. Huh! It lied! I couldn't comprehend the French in Henry V, the Latin in National Review Magazine, or The Federalist Papers in English. Yet, any fourteen-year-old could have done so 240 years ago in the American colonies. I couldn't tell you a single constellation, the name of an African country or an Australian province. I couldn't tell you what century Charles Martel, Pepin the Short and Charlemagne lived in or that they were related to one another. I was highly literate and very uneducated. If I am going to ensure my children receive a better education than I did, I need to look at models that are proven to work instead of repeating the methods I was taught. The only time in the recorded history of this planet that we have had universal literacy was in the U.S. from 1605 to the 1950's. What did they do during that time? They understood and used the classical model of education, and they maintained a Christian world view in all parts of their lives. They had their children memorize a body of knowledge when they were young. They progressed through the logic stage which is understanding the facts, then to the third stage: rhetoric.  Can we do it too? Yes, we can. It isn't easy or quick. That is why I believe so strongly in forming communities of like-minded families who can help each other understand what we're doing, mentor each other, mentor each others' children, and classically educate together. I hope you will take the time to understand the classical method if you're just beginning. And if you're returning to CC, I hope you'll be mentoring moms and students and encouraging them on this amazing, wonderful journey of classical, Christian education. Leigh |
| CC Connected Community Online | 
Classical Conversations families are already online sharing ideas for this school year!
Parents of Foundations and Essentials students use the online community for discussion forums, file sharing, and extending lessons at home.
Students use the online community for  listening to and seeing images of the Foundations memory work. Students enjoy discovering more about the memory work topics online and experiencing a little independence in a safe online environment.
Who can subscribe?
CC Community members who have students enrolled in Foundations and Essentials. (Huge discounts apply to community members.)
The everyday educator who is looking for tools and ideas to empower them within their teaching environment.
Click here for more information on the CC Connected Community
Not a member? Visit the FREE "CC Connected Guest" portion. You can post questions, read articles, and more! Simply select Guest from the CC Connected pull-down menu.
See you online!
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Classical Education: Picnicking
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Classical education isn't a picnic, although with CC, it often involves one! While picnicking recently, I began to see the classical model in the way our children eat. The youngest children like food that is served in separate bite-sized pieces that are easily identifiable. They want to be able to name them and taste them separately: cheese cubes in one container, carrot sticks in another, and goldfish crackers right from the bag. This is the grammar stage of picnicking.  As our children grow, their palates expand and they will try foods in new and different combinations. They'll eat a sandwich with several layers together: turkey, cheese, mayo, and mustard. They may even eat a pasta salad with several veggies and a dressing included in the mix. You will know they are in the dialectic stage when they experiment with new combinations of food. They begin to learn to cook by experimenting in the kitchen with how and why certain foods go together--or not. They might even learn to use the grill or get out a cookbook and prepare dinner for the whole family to enjoy eating together on the deck. Academically, these "culinary connoisseurs" will begin to put ideas together like they put together foods. They will be able to make connections and draw logical inferences between ideas and information. A wider world of understanding is being unlocked and unpacked; they will begin to embrace deeper discussion and defining debates.  As they meet more people, experience more things, and pay more attention to world events, they'll begin to see differences in other cultures, family structures, and faiths. We can teach them to put together ideas with biblical truths by asking, "Does this situation remind you of a Bible story or character?" or "What does this leaf pattern or ecosystem reveal about God's character?" Learning how to search out answers to life's tough questions will shape lifelong thinking and the character of the adult-to-be. All the understanding children get in the dialectic stage will lead them to wisdom in the next stage. The Bible puts it this way: get knowledge (grammar stage), get understanding (dialectic stage), get wisdom (rhetoric stage). So while you're picnicking this summer, engage your dialectic-stage children in some delicious dialogue. |
CC Scrapbook - New!
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Are you in a CC Community?
Classical Conversations has created a new CC Scrapbook section of the website to show off CC's greatest assets: the CC children and families!
We want to encourage CC families to submit videos via You Tube of their talented children reciting memory work from CC Foundations Communities. E-mail the You Tube links to memorymasters@classicalconversations.com. Please title the video "CC Memory Master Video" and add the subject that your student is reciting. The videos should be around 30 seconds in length; please ask your students to speak slowly and clearly, and they must WANT to participate. It would probably be best to recite according to subject instead of according to week. Challenge students are encouraged to participate too! We want CC Challenge students to submit CC Challenge papers that they have written. Please submit to challengesubmissions@classicalconversations.com. The papers can be from any Challenge level, but need to be edited and ready to post. Please submit as a Word document, or PDF. Papers need to be labeled with student name, Challenge level, and Community Director's name. Each week we will be selecting a different CC student video and paper to display. Coming soon - CC Family Highlights. More details to come.
_______________________________________________________ Don't miss it!Visit the CC website and click on the CC Scrapbook to see the latest Foundations memory work success story and Challenge essay. |
Events
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 Join Classical Conversations Families at the Great Wolf Lodge this Fall!
Call the Great Wolf Lodge in either Williamsburg or Ohio, and tell them you are with Classical Conversations to receive a huge discount on your room/water park admission. Plus you'll meet fun, like-minded families! A great opportunity for your family!
Williamsburg, Virginia: September 19 - 24
From September 19-24, Classical Conversations will hold its fifth annual get-together at the Great Wolf Lodge and Colonial Williamsburg in Virginia. Enjoy unbelievably discounted rates and great CC fellowship as we discover our colonial roots in Williamsburg and spend time riding the chutes at GWL's indoor waterpark! To book a hotel room, call 1-757-229-9700 and mention Classical Conversations. For general information about the lodge and Colonial Williamsburg, visit Great Wolf Lodge/Williamsburg link and www.colonialwilliamsburg.com.
Mason, Ohio: October 3 - 8
Classical Conversations, Cincinnati is presenting their first annual Great Wolf Lodge Getaway from October 3 - 8 in Mason, Ohio. To make reservations for this event, please call Great Wolf Lodge at 866-954-9653 and use group code 1010CLAS. In addition to the fun and fellowship at Great Wolf Lodge, discounted rates will be available for the Cincinnati Zoo, Newport Aquarium, and Creation Museum. For more information, e-mail Tammy James, OH/KY Administrative Assistant.
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| New Science Resource | |
SCIENCE LIKE YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE!
 CC has captured the beauty of science in this wonderful new resource. Use our Classical Acts and Facts Science Cards for learning a little more about the science you're studying, prepare a presentation, write a key word outline, practice drawing from the illustration...the possibilities are endless!
The new science cards cover science topics from Foundations (all three cycles), Challenge A and B, plus extra facts that you'll find helpful, including biographies of famous scientists.
 The most beautiful card is Psalm 19:1, The Heavens Declare the Glory of God; The skies proclaim the works of His hands. (Card 112, Origins) You will certainly feel that all of science declares the glory of God when you see this resource!
Cards are packaged in four separate sets:
Biology and Geology
Corresponds to Foundations Cycle 1, Challenge A, I, and II
Ecology, Astronomy, and Physics
Corresponds to Foundations Cycle 2, Challenge I, III, IV
Anatomy, Chemistry, and Origins
Corresponds to Foundations Cycle 3, Challenge A, B, II, III
Famous Scientists
Corresponds to Challenge B and all Foundations cycles and all Challenge classes
Cards are 5 x 8 inches, printed on high-quality cardstock, and are laminated. Each set sells for $18.99 each.
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| CC Online Book Club |
For summer reading, we recommend  Leigh Bortins' new book, The Core.
This book explains what happened to modern American schools and what we can do about it.
It gives practical advice on everything from how to teach a child to read, to how to teach science, geography, history--everything--in the classical model! It's a very practical guide.
Leigh even has tips for how parents can enhance their child's education if they choose to send them to a traditional school.
Do you what "blobbing" is? Find out in Chapter 7.
If you've read it, or even part of it...send your thoughts and comments to:
Tellus@ClassicalConversations.com. We'd love to hear from you!
Available from Classical Conversations Online Bookstore, Amazon, Borders, or your local bookstore.
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CC Bookstore News |
Upcoming Tax-Free Weekend Specials
Please check the front page of the CC Bookstore for details about upcoming tax-free weekend sales.
Thank you for your support. Follow us on Twitter!
Keep up to date with the latest bookstore specials on Twitter! @cc_bookstore.
CC community families can tweet us @cc_bookstore.
Follow the online bookstore for special savings!
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Postcards from CC Communities
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I just finished reading Leigh's new book, The Core, and I am so excited to share it with new families inquiring about Classical Conversations. Leigh puts things simply, yet classically, and explains exactly her practical way of applying classical education. This should be a must-read for any family considering Classical Conversations.
Nora
Melbourne, Florida
I would like to thank everyone that was a part of the preparations for our San Diego Practicum with Leigh as the speaker! It was very helpful as an encouragement toward biblical parenting and Christian, classical education. The tutor training was excellent as well! I am thankful for such godly co-laborers in Christ in our area!
Heather
San Diego, California
My seven-year-old son was thoughtfully watching raindrop streams on the car windshield. He then said, "Mom, look...the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers!" Knowing I was not in the Middle East, I said, "What are you talking about? Where?" He replied, "There...these two raindrop streams." Having studied Cycle 1 geography, the images of those two rivers were imprinted in his mind. Yea, Classical Conversations!
I have three daughters and my oldest is beginning her second year with CC. We were standing in line to buy a notebook, and my four-year-old, not enrolled, recites that that front of her notebook is reflecting and refracting the light. At this point, my six-year-old spouts off, "You are missing one!" The four-year-old looks up and smiles and says, "Spectrum!" They burst into giggles and made voices like the gentleman on the PowerPoint and recited the question and answer from Cycle 2. With CC as my safety net, I feel more confident to homeschool all my girls. Thank you CC team!
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Parting Words
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Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4
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Classical Conversations exists to know God and to make Him known by equipping parents through our programs and communities.
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