Religion and American Politics

Maria Rioux provides this list of online resources for the Catholic homeschool student studying American government. This is an excellent additional reading list for any Homeschool Connections student who is taking one of our government or law courses.

Click on the title to read:

The Secularization of the West by Richard John Neuhaus

Living Within the Truth by Archbishop Chaput

The Vocation of Christians in American Public Life by Archbishop Chaput

John F. Kennedy's Houston Address to Protestant Ministers

It is interesting to juxtapose Barack Obama's second inaugural with JFK's Houston address.

Barack Obama's Innaugural Address 2013

Free Webinar: Chesterton and Play Time with Children

ADDENDUM: We regret to announce that tonight's webinar has been cancelled. Our presenter is under the weather. With her very busy schedule, we were very lucky to secure this night for the webinar. Therefore, we do not anticipate rescheduling this webinar in the near future. To watch this year's past webinars or register for future ones please visit our conference page: Refresh! Midwinter Homeschool Conference.

Tonight!!!

Refresh! Midwinter Homeschool Conference

Your Own Toy Theater: G.K. Chesterton's Legacy with Children

(click on title to register)

http://www.secondspring.co.uk/spring/gkcphotolibrary.htm

Date: Thursday, February 7, 2013
Starting time: 8:00 pm, Eastern
Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A
Presenter: Nancy Brown

Description: Everyone already knows the importance of play. One of the reasons we homeschool is so our children have enough time to play. We know their imaginations are fired when children's schedules are free enough to have free time. And when adults play with children, adults find pleasure and activate their own imaginations. How can a busy parent take time to play with their children? Try a toy theater, like G.K. Chesterton had in his home. Find out more about the joys of a tiny theater in Nancy Brown's upcoming webinar, "Your Own Toy Theater: G.K. Chesterton's Legacy with Children."

Presenter's biography: Nancy is our resident expert on Frances Chesterton, wife of the British Author G.K. Chesterton. Nancy has compiled a collection of Frances’s plays and poetry which was published last year, and is just finishing up her biography, which will be out either late this year or next. Frances was instrumental in Gilbert’s conversion, and there are many who say that when the cause for Gilbert’s canonization is opened, it should be opened together, for Gilbert and Frances, as a married couple. Nancy also has 2 Chestertonian study guides to help high school parents introduce their teens to Chesterton, a study guide for Chesterton’s biography of St. Francis of Assisi and a study guide to the first Father Brown mystery, The Blue Cross. For younger children, Nancy has adapted the Father Brown stories for ages 8 to 12 with the Father Brown Reader One and Two. Nancy works at the American Chesterton Society as their Social Media Manager. She has spoken at their conferences, and writes for Gilbert Magazine.

Sponsor: Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors, we are able to bring the Refresh! Conference to you completely Free. The sponsor for tonight's webinar is The American Chesterton Society. Please visit their website and see all they have to offer (including the great magazine Gilbert!). Thank you!

Free Webinar: Helping Your Middle School Student Be a Great Writer

Tonight!!!

Refresh! Midwinter Homeschool Conference 

Simplified Writing: What Every Middle School Student Needs to Know to Succeed

(click on webinar title to register) 

Date: Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Starting time: 8:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time
Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A
Presenter: E. B. Conroy (Erin)
Description: Every student needs to know how to write! Whether your student is going to college or simply wants to succeed in life—there are critical how-to skills for writing that get the good grade and business promotion. Come to this one-hour free webinar (plus Q&A) to learn the 7 most important skills of writing—and how to easily teach them to your teen. Get inspired—and learn how to inspire your teen to love writing!

Speaker biography:
Erin is an instructor for Homeschool Connections and also a professor for Patrick Henry College. She is an author of several non-fiction books, including the recently published Simplified Writing 101: Top Secrets for College Writing Success. Professor Brown Conroy has designed four college writing courses, including an AP English Language and Composition course for PHC Preparatory Academy online. Professor Brown Conroy also speaks at conferences on the teaching of writing. A member of the Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators, she is also a fiction writing coach for high school and college students and has judged writing contests. She is also a freelance professional writer and ghostwriter. Professor Brown Conroy also authored True North Reading: The Complete Mastery Reading and Spelling Program, a five-level multisensory learn-to-read program for children ages 3 to 15. Professor Brown Conroy has been homeschooling for 27 years. She enjoys her two Australian Labradoodles, playing the Irish wooden flute, and homeschooling five of her 13 children who still live at home.

Free Webinar: Joseph Pearce on the Catholic Revival in Literature

Addendum: Last night's webinar went fantastic! Even though you missed the live webinar, you can still watch it for FREE because it was recorded. You can either stream it live or download to your computer here:
Stream: Catholic Revival
or
Download:Catholic Revival

Refresh! Midwinter Homeschool Conference 

The Catholic Revival from Newman to Tolkien with Joseph Pearce

(click on webinar title to register)

Date: Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Starting time: 8:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time
Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A
Presenter: Joseph Pearce
Description: Many of the greatest works of literature over the past two centuries have been written by Catholics, many of whom were converts to the Faith. Discover these great works of literature in this introduction to the Catholic Cultural Revival and learn how to teach these priceless jewels of culture to your children.
Presenter biography: Professor Pearce is an internationally acclaimed author of many books, which include G. K. Chesterton: Wisdom and Innocence, Literary Converts, Tolkien: Man and Myth, Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile, The Quest for Shakespeare, and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc. Professor Pearce converted to the Catholic faith in 1989. As a younger man, Pearce was “extremely anti-Catholic” and even had opposed Pope John Paul II’s visits to England. His viewpoint gradually shifted as he learned more about the writings and beliefs of the literary converts he would later profile, particularly G. K. Chesterton. As Writer in Residence and professor of literature at St. Thomas More College in New Hampshire, Pearce also serves as Editor of the Saint Austin Review and is editor-in-chief of Sapientia Books. Professor Pearce shares his expertise and enthusiasm with Catholic high school students as an instructor for Homeschool Connections, teaching Shakespearean literature.
Sponsors: We are able to provide this talk FREE to the public thanks to the generosity of our sponsors. Tonight's sponsors are Emmanuel Books and Arx Publishing. Please visit their websites by clicking on their names. We very much appreciate them and their support of Catholic homeschooling families!

Renew! Rejuvenate! Recharge! 

Free Webinar: High School Writing

Addendum: Last night's webinar went fantastic! Even though you missed the live webinar, you can still watch it for FREE because it was recorded. You can either stream it live or download to your computer here:
Live Streaming: Simplified Writing for High School
Download: Simplified Writing for Middle School

Refresh! Midwinter Homeschool Conference 

Simplified Writing: What Every High School Student Needs to Know to Succeed

(click on webinar title to register) 

Date: Monday, February 4, 2013
Starting time: 8:00 pm, Eastern Standard Time
Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A
Presenter: E. B. Conroy (Erin)
Description: Every student needs to know how to write! Whether your student is going to college or simply wants to succeed in life—there are critical how-to skills for writing that get the good grade and business promotion. Come to this FREE one-hour free webinar (plus Q&A) to learn the 7 most important skills of writing—and how to easily teach them to your teen. Get inspired—and learn how to inspire your teen to love writing!

Speaker biography:
Erin is an instructor for Homeschool Connections and also a professor for Patrick Henry College. She is an author of several non-fiction books, including the recently published Simplified Writing 101: Top Secrets for College Writing Success. Professor Brown Conroy has designed four college writing courses, including an AP English Language and Composition course for PHC Preparatory Academy online. Professor Brown Conroy also speaks at conferences on the teaching of writing. A member of the Society of Children’s Book Authors and Illustrators, she is also a fiction writing coach for high school and college students and has judged writing contests. She is also a freelance professional writer and ghostwriter. Professor Brown Conroy also authored True North Reading: The Complete Mastery Reading and Spelling Program, a five-level multisensory learn-to-read program for children ages 3 to 15. Professor Brown Conroy has been homeschooling for 27 years. She enjoys her two Australian Labradoodles, playing the Irish wooden flute, and homeschooling five of her 13 children who still live at home.
Sponsor: We are very grateful to the companies who sponsor the Refresh! Conference. They partner with us to cover the expenses that accompany a conference of this magnitude. We are grateful for Celtic College Consultants sponsorship for this talk. (Thank you!) Please visit their website (by clicking on their name) to learn how you can get the best scholarships for your children.