Navigating the News with Your Kids {Episode 68 with World Watch}

If there’s ever been a time that is tricky to have kids tuning into the news…it is 2020.  😯  I want my boys to be up-to-date on current events, but the news can be confusing and overwhelming (not to mention, biased.)  Dave and I try to use news stories to open up good conversations with our kids, but that isn’t always possible.  

With this in mind, I was beyond happy to find out about World Watch — a 10- minute, daily current events program geared towards tweens and teens, and produced by Christian journalists.  World Watch just launched this month and I love what they’re doing. I enjoy tuning into World Watch with my kids, but I am also happy to have my boys watch the daily videos as part of their homeschool routine! These 10-minutes shows are packed with interesting and thought-provoking segments on everything from politics, to science, technology, arts, culture, and the economy.  Kids learn so much from these packed news segments. (And I do, too! 😉)  

In today’s podcast episode, I get to share an interview with two of the men behind World Watch — as we talk about navigating the news with our kids and how World Watch can help us do this!

I have both Brian Basham, the Producer and Host of World Watch, and Nick Eicher, the CCO, on to talk about the importance of news literacy, and how we might guide our kids in watching the news.  They share the story behind World Watch, and what you can expect if you want to include these 10-minute videos into your family’s daily routine.  (Schools can also tune into World Watch for a daily school news program!)  Find out more below:

SHOW NOTES:

World Watch:  www.worldwatch.news
NOTE: *SALE!* Through August 31, new subscribers will receive access to the program for a discounted price of $69.99 per year! 

World Watch is the newest addition to the WORLD news family…
WORLD News Group a news organization producing daily coverage of global, national, and cultural current events, with news stories and commentary grounded in fact and biblical truth. 
 God’s World News which is an online news site for kids of all ages.  (<check it out!)  A World Watch Subscription will be available in conjunction with a suite of educational products WORLD already offers through the God’s World News student division! 

Check out some of the “World Watch in 3” on Youtube  (short videos from the months leading up to World Watch’s launch.)

World Watch’s: Five Tips for Talking to Your Kids about the News:

1.  Don’t assume knowledge.  Start by talking to your kids about the main topic and explore more if any of you need better understanding.

2.  Ask kids what they think rather than tell them what to think.  By taking this approach, you are helping your child develop critical thinking skills and discernment so they are able to form opinions of their own that are grounded in God’s Word.

3.  Incorporate a teaching element into the discussion.  You really can turn a news story into a teachable moment, (and if you are tuned into World Watch, that’s super easy to do!) Whatever news station you watch, look for ways to explore further and teach your child something new through the story!

4.  Consider what the Bible has to say about the headlines of the day and discuss. Don’t beat around the bush on key issues that the Bible makes explicitly clear but rather talk through them with your child and help them understand current events through a Biblical lens.

5.  Remind them that “no matter the news, the purpose of the Lord will stand.” (This is key, especially when the world seems to be spinning a little out of control. 😉) This is also the phrase that Brian Basham ends every World Watch video with, which I love.  

Thank you toWorld Watch for sponsoring this episode and sharing this awesome news resource with us!

I’d love to hear how you’ve navigated the news with your kids!  Be sure to respond in comments to the question at the bottom of this post to be entered into our final Summer Suncscreen Bundle Giveaway by Surface Sunscreen!  

You can find the Boy Mom Podcast on all of the podcast platforms…here are just a few of them:

Spotify

Or you can listen right here! 🙂

More about Nick and Brian:

Nick Eicher is chief content officer of WORLD and has worked with the current-events organization in various roles for 30 years. In that capacity, he serves as executive producer of WORLD Radio and co-host of its daily news podcast The World and Everything in It. He’s been married for 33 years to his wife, Arla, and they have five children as well as two granddaughters. They live in St. Louis.

Brian Basham is the host and program director of WORLD Watch. He got his start broadcasting 15 years ago at the NBC affiliate in El Paso, TX, and has made stops along the way as a meteorologist and news anchor in Tucson, AZ and Memphis, TN. Brian comes to WORLD Watch most recently from Charlotte, NC where he anchored the morning show on WCCB-TV. He has been married to his wife Megan for 18 years and has two daughters, Brighton and Shelby.