In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, speaks with Kelly Siegel-Stechler of Harvard University’s Safra Center for Ethics about civic formation: how children develop a sense of agency, belonging, and responsibility to others, and the important role parents play in that process. They explore how everyday family experiences, from making decisions together to navigating disagreement and disappointment, help children recognize that their voices matter and that they have something meaningful to contribute to their communities.

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In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, and Civic Parenting co-host Lindsey Cormack, discuss how families can make civic learning part of everyday life, learning together with curiosity and humility, while helping children build civic know-how, ask questions, engage with different perspectives, and participate in their communities. They discuss Cormack’s book, How to Raise a Citizen (And why it’s up to you to do it), and the role parents and caregivers can play in raising the next generation of informed and engaged citizens. 

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In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, and Lindsey Cormack sit down with Aralee Dorough, Nina Lynn, and Lisa Maxwell, three women with deep personal ties to Schoolhouse Rock! who are working to preserve, celebrate, and extend the legacy of this beloved educational series. Together, they explore what made Schoolhouse Rock! groundbreaking, from its singular ability to make learning joyful and memorable to the lasting power of songs that generations of children still know by heart. They reflect on why the series continues to resonate more than 50 years later, why its magic has proven so difficult to recreate, and what today’s parents and educators can learn from a cultural phenomenon that did more than teach children about civics. It inspired generations to see learning as something engaging, memorable, and worth carrying with them throughout their lives.

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In this episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer at the National Constitution Center, sits down with Adam, Kelsey, and 7-year-old Dominic Varahachaikol to explore how one family has woven civic learning into everyday life, demonstrating what it means to be civic parents. From discovering the National Constitution Center through Civic Quest, the Center's interactive, play-based learning experience, to becoming one of the families selected for the America at 250 Family Time Capsule Challenge, the Varahachaikols share how constitutional learning became a meaningful part of their family's story. On July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the family sealed a collection of meaningful objects into a time capsule that will remain on display in Signers' Hall at the National Constitution Center until September 2037, when they will return to reopen it during the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. What did they choose to preserve, and why? In this conversation, the Varahachaikols reveal the personal stories behind the objects in their time capsule, reflect on what it means to raise civically curious children, discuss what it means to be American at this historic moment, and share the "civic sparks" that have shaped their family's commitment to learning, service, and the enduring promise of the Constitution. Their story offers an inspiring example of how families can embrace the civic decade, using the years between America's 250th anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the Constitution to spark curiosity, strengthen civic habits, and deepen engagement in our nation's civic life.

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Time Capsule Instructions

Here is how your family can make its own time capsule—a treasure box of memories and items showing what this moment in American history means to you.

Step 1: Pick Your Treasures

Choose 3–5 special items that show what it’s like to be an American today. Consider photos, newspaper headlines, favorite books, recipes, and more!

Step 2: Write a “Letter to the Future”

Each family member can write their own letter, or you can create one together. Consider:

Step 3: Pack and Seal Your Capsule

Place your items in a box and label it with:

Decorate and hide it somewhere safe or bury it with help from an adult—just don’t forget to remember where you put it!

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In this episode, we explore the many ways civic learning happens, how to make it fun, social, surprising, and even funny. We explore how a game night, a family road trip, and even dinner table conversations all become opportunities to engage in big ideas together, and how we can create spaces and moments for children to discover a civic life of their own. Ben Sheehan, author of OMG WTF Does the Constitution Actually Say?: A Non-Boring Guide to How Our Democracy is Supposed to Work and What Does the Constitution Say: A Kids’ Guide to How Our Democracy Works, joins Julie Silverbrook and Lindsey Cormack to discuss how civics can be accessible, entertaining, and genuinely enjoyable for people of all ages.

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In this episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and author Beverly Gage joins Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer, to discuss her recently published book, This Land Is Your Land: A Road Trip Through U.S. History, and the enduring tradition of the great American road trip. Together, they explore how family travel can bring 250 years of American history to life, connecting children and adults alike to the people, places, stories, and ideals that have shaped the nation. From George Washington's travels across the young nation to today's family road trips, Americans have long understood that one of the best ways to get to know the country is to experience it firsthand. Beverly and Julie discuss how museums, historic sites, national parks, local landmarks, and even unexpected roadside stops can spark curiosity, encourage meaningful conversations, and help families better understand America's past and present. The conversation concludes with Beverly, Julie, Lindsey Cormack, and Sarah Vacchiano sharing where they're road tripping with their own families this summer and reflecting on how travel can create lasting memories while inspiring a deeper appreciation for the ongoing American story. 

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In this special episode of Civic Parenting, U.S. Supreme Court Justice Neil M. Gorsuch, honorary co-chair of the National Constitution Center, and his co-author and former law clerk Janie Nitze join Julie Silverbrook to discuss their new children’s book, Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence. The book introduces readers to both familiar figures such as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Paul Revere, as well as lesser-known participants in the American story, including Caesar Rodney, and Mary Katharine Goddard. Together, their stories highlight the risks, choices, and debates that shaped the nation’s founding.  

Justice Gorsuch and Nitze also discuss how stories can help children connect with the founding era, why it matters to introduce young learners to both famous and lesser-known figures from our nation's past, and how families can use America's 250th anniversary as an opportunity to deepen civic curiosity, strengthen historical understanding, and help prepare the next generation for the responsibilities of citizenship and self-government. 

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In this episode, we explore how families can cultivate civic hope, optimism, and resilience at a moment when many parents and children are navigating narratives of distrust, division, and social isolation. Ashley Berner, director of the Johns Hopkins University's Institute for Education Policy and an associate professor of education, joins Julie Silverbrook, Lindsey Cormack, and Sarah Vacchiano to discuss how resilience, hope, and optimism begin in the everyday moments of family life — learning frustration tolerance through a difficult puzzle, negotiating responsibilities at home, caring for shared spaces, and practicing how to disagree respectfully while remaining connected to one another. 

Throughout the conversation, we examine how these small relational experiences help children build the psychological and civic muscles necessary for life in a constitutional democracy. We talk about the importance of teaching children that democracy is not built on unanimity, but on learning how to live, work, and solve problems together despite our differences. Together, we reflect on how families, schools, libraries, museums, and local civic institutions can work together to nurture the next generation of engaged citizens and strengthen the habits of self-government that sustain constitutional democracy. 

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 In this inaugural episode, Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer of the National Constitution Center, Lindsey Cormack, author of How to Raise a Citizen, and Sarah Vacchiano of CivicEQ introduce civic parenting as a longstanding tradition rooted in the nation’s founding and explore what it looks like in practice today. Through personal stories and lived examples, they reflect on how civic identity takes shape over time, often in ways that are informal, unplanned, and deeply embedded in family life. They discuss how the habits of self-government are formed not only in the classroom, but at home—around dinner tables, before bedtime, on national holidays, and in everyday moments. These are the spaces where children begin to learn how to listen, reason, ask questions, and see themselves as part of a larger civic community. Civic parenting does not require expertise in history or government—it starts with curiosity, conversation, and a willingness to learn alongside children. By modeling thoughtful engagement, civil dialogue, and a sense of shared responsibility, parents and caregivers can create the “civic sparks” that invite young people into the American story and help to prepare them for a lifetime of participation in our constitutional democracy. 

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What does it mean to raise citizens in a constitutional democracy?

Civic Parenting is a special 10-episode series hosted by Julie Silverbrook, chief content and learning officer of the National Constitution Center, joined by Lindsey Cormack, author of How to Raise a Citizen, and Sarah Vacchiano of CivicEQ.

Each episode explores how those habits take shape in real life. From reading and storytelling to navigating disagreement, from family routines to community experiences, the series offers practical ways to connect everyday moments to the enduring principles of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. This is a series for parents, caregivers, educators, and anyone who believes that the work of citizenship begins at home.

FollowCivic Parenting in your favorite podcast app and join a national conversation about how we raise the next generation of citizens.