It's that time again—time for your homeschool to hit a figurative wall. You might feel like your school days are dragging on. You might notice more complaining than usual. And you might be looking at your calendars longing for spring. It's the messy middle and it tends to show up every year about this time. Thankfully, there are some things you can do to show it the door. In this episode we'll look at some practical ways you can fight the messy middle and ensure a strong push to the finish line.  About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner (Pre-Sale) Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Have you ever begrudged your family for under-appreciating your homeschool efforts? If so, you then probably felt guilty for feeling neglected. For the love of homeschooling and our families, we do all we can to show it. Having these thoughts and emotions could be homeschool burnout. Or could you be overdoing it and wearing out your audience?  About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Want to learn one simple thing you can do to lower stress and guard the atmosphere of your home? In this episode, Janice talks about the one thing that was most helpful for her family as they tried to cultivate a comfortable, positive atmosphere for learning. Perhaps you'll find it helpful, too! About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Have you Heard? Noise Can Affect Learning from Education World Keep it Down (and Rediscover Silence) excerpted from Choosing Civility by P. M. Forni Path to Quiet from Hearing Health Quarterly Noise, Acoustics, Student Learning, and Teacher Health from The National Academies Press Daily Noise Pollution: Its Effects and What You Need to Know from Zen Soundproof Does Noise Affect Learning? from Frontiers in Psychology Noise Pollution Clearinghouse Education by Design, Not Default by Janet Newberry Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Have you ever done a media fast? I did one years ago and am planning another one this year. Here's a bit on why to do them and the good things that happened when I did.  About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Ad Fontes Media All Sides Media Bias Chart Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Like anything in life, homeschooling presents us with A LOT of questions. What math curriculum to use? Should I join a co-op? What should be in my morning time basket? and on and on and on. The only thing that exceeds the number of questions we have are the number of answers that get thrown our way (often without permission). The truth is, of all the voices vying for your attention, there's only one you actually need to listen to. It's the voice of the Holy Spirit, and though the Lord may speak to us in many different ways (through other people, through experiences, etc.), he never contradicts himself. We just have to quiet down and listen. He's more than willing to point us in the right direction. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode, Jessica chats with Amy Frank about how her family has adopted holiday traditions that are based in the liturgical year. In addition to some Advent and Epiphany traditions, they discuss some ways to celebrate throughout the rest of the year. About Amy Amy Frank lives in Grove City, Pennsylvania with her family. She is a longtime homeschooling mom who loves family traditions. About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Celebrating the Christian Year by Martha Zimmerman Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Which life lessons matter most? Join me to learn from my late father-in-law memories of things his parents taught him. You'll leave encouraged, knowing that the most important things you can give to your children are not things.  About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Reflections of an Honorable Man: Things My Parents Taught Me Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Looking for a fresh start for your year? In this episode, Jessica shares her family's homeschool daily schedule -- for each member of her family. She will explain what led her to schedule everyone's day to fifteen-minute increments and what it taught her. Jessica hopes this will be an encouragement as you see a very normal, real-life schedule for a homeschooling family! About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  TuttleTwins.com The Tuttle Twins: American History Tuttle Twins TV Have A Happier Homeschool Podcast episode  Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

One of the things that the homeschooling movement has sought to address is the inordinate degree of separation that modern society has inculcated between parents and their children. Bringing children home has helped to restore the privilege of acting as the primary influence in their lives back where it belongs–with the parents. However, as good as the desire is to hold tight to our children and shield them from harmful influences, we must be careful not to hold them too tight (particularly older teenagers) and thereby restrict their access to those who might influence them for good and who may be the only one who can finish the work of truth in certain areas of their lives.  About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you! Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham Hallelujah: Advent Traditions by Cindy Rollins Behold the Lamb by Andrew Peterson Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Grading papers is usually not a favorite chore, especially if the paper is what I call "perfectly parsed piffle," but did you know that writing evaluation can be a teaching tool? That is exactly what it can be! Almost every writing assignment can help a student grow as a writer, as long as it is evaluated in ways that are constructive and designed to teach. Here are some tips. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  How to Evaluate Writing article with example of rubric standards Handbook for Writers Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Of all the opposition that we meet as homeschoolers, some of the worst comes from within. "Can I really do this? I'm just a mom! I don't have a teaching degree. What on earth am I doing?!" This is understandable. One look at the public school system with its university educated teachers, modern facilities and plethora of programs can have this effect on us. But what if you're measuring yourself up against the wrong standard? What if all that your homeschool lacks in comparison to the public school is what makes it superior in nearly every way?   About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you! Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this short but jam-packed episode, Jessica shares her most valuable home and homeschool organizing tools and tips and how she uses them to simplify and ease stress! About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Things 3 Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity Episode 392 | Overcoming Life Overwhelm: Two Books and One App That Changed My Life Planning Sheet Google Keep Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

I think we all know that too much screen-time can be a problem. It has been linked to developmental delays in babies and mental health and relationship issues in older children and teens. If your family has struggled with how to limit screens in a constructive way, here are a few tips on how to change habits and shift to healthier activities. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Screen Sanity: Raising Happy, Healthy Kids In A Digital World A Thomas Jefferson Education by Oliver DeMille Parents and Children by Charlotte Mason (#2 in the Home Education series) Ambleside Online - Free lesson plans for creative activities, including artist study, music/composer study, nature study, and poetry study Tips to Reduce Screen Time Printable Screen-Time Chart Connect Andrew Pudewa of Institute for Excellence in Writing | Website | Podcast | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest | Vimeo | LinkedIn Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...and the most hectic. With all the hustle and the bustle, the rich opportunity for us to help our children consider the people and events that make Thanksgiving and Christmas truly memorable often escapes us. It doesn't have to be this way. In this episode we'll talk about practical ways that you can set up altars of remembrance in your home through simple, routine devotions. These devotions are truly the gift that keeps on giving and will remain with your children long after the festivities of the season are through. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you! Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

As fall comes speeding into view, homeschool fallout can occur from calendar conflicts, holidays & head colds. The need to do-it-all and enjoy the season may overwhelm, but remember, there’s no need. Relish your right to a homeschool slow down or hiatus! About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Homeschooling Today Magazine  Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Screens in homeschooling are as prevalent as they've ever been, and they don't look to become less prevalent any time soon. Whether it's your desktop computer, tablet or even your phone, your child can interact with educational programs in ways (and in locations) that would have been almost unimaginable to previous generations; but is it really all for the better? In this episode we'll explore the issue of the incursion of screens into our homeschools and we'll examine the potential pitfalls that come along with them. We'll also discuss some simple solutions to help mitigate their effects on our children.  About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you! Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Whether you're just getting started or have been schooling for a while, there are a few basic things to know that might make your life easier. When I started homeschooling, I was lucky enough to have done enough reading and non-traditional learning so I knew that the "school-at-home" model wasn't what we wanted. That helped. However, I started out expecting that I'd be able to make perfect plans and schedules and keep exactly on track every year. As you might guess, that was — well, let's just say that it was overly optimistic. Here are a few of the things I wish I'd known — I hope they help you! About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  7 Habits of Highly Successful People by Stephen Covey "One of the Family" by Frederick George Cotman Charlotte Mason Introduction Charlotte Mason Homeschooling Guides Music History Courses Lyrical Life Sciences Homeschooling articles Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

If you've ever said your kid is half a freshman or in 3rd-ish grade, you might be a homeschooler. But should we adhere to grade levels more strictly? Or ignore them entirely? How should we respond when asked about our kids' grade levels, graduation requirements, and future plans? In this episode we'll discuss the pros and cons of labeling our kids with grade levels and expectations. I'll share what my surveyed homeschool readers had to say, and some suggestions for polite but confident responses. About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Sometimes life changes abruptly in ways we can’t control, and it can leave us feeling tired, anxious, or sad. As I’ve read the daily newspaper over the last few months with its grim news of weather disasters, fires, political instability, and war, I thought it might be time to revisit some thoughts I shared at the beginning of the Covid-19 event that changed many of our lives for at least a year or two. I hope you find these thoughts helpful as you navigate whatever uncertainty has touched your life.  About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Historical Fiction for Young Readers Books Boys Like AmblesideOnline Sonlight 10 Books that Influenced C. S. Lewis How to Change a Tire life skills journal Khan Academy Charlotte Mason on Copywork What You Need to Teach The Green Ember Series by S. D. Smith Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Our lives consist of an innumerable series of "Yes's" and "No's". Our job is to make sure we're giving the right answers to the right questions and this certainly applies to our homeschools. Are we saying "Yes" to things that are proving a distraction to our homeschool and ultimately our family? Are we too often saying "No" to simple requests on the part of our children to spend time with them? Our homeschooling efforts are made up of such questions and our respective answers determine their ultimate success or failure.   About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Recently I found myself in a season of complete stress and mental overwhelm. In God's grace, I found two books that completely changed how I live my day-to-day life as a homeschool mom. I am sharing them in this episode in the hopes that they are helpful to you as well! About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Essentialism Getting Things Done Things 3 App Simply Convivial Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Do we need a laminator and some chickens? Asking random nervous questions is part of becoming a homeschool parent. No need to flail about in an ocean of possibilities. Ask away! We veterans won't laugh (out loud). Allow me to tackle a few that may have popped into your head. Though someday you may look back and laugh too, every obvious answer you need to hear now will placate your fears and insecurities, and show you... You got this! About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Home School Legal Defense Association Rainbow Resource Center Christianbook Cathy Duffy Reviews Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Another school year is before us. This year, as with so many year's past, you probably have high hopes for how the school year will unfold, and that's wonderful; but have you counted the cost? In other words, are you prepared to not only start but finish strong? Let this episode serve as a pep talk or, if you like, a rally cry for all the potential and all the possibility that lies in the year ahead. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Some days resistant learners spend more time complaining about what must be done than it would take them to just do the work in front of them. Sigh. Chug more coffee. In this episode I share my tips for enticing those seemingly uninterested kids and how to reach them by providing interest and purpose.  *Plus I've got a special Hifalutin August offer from HomeScienceTools.com!     About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Home Science Tools August Promo Code: HIFALUTINHST  Revolting Writing and Gross-Out Grammar Language Arts Program Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Is it imaginable that freedom of speech and freedom of religion could be suppressed where we live at some time in our future? History would indicate so. How do we prepare ourselves and our families for such a contingency? What curriculum might best prepare us for persecution, even martyrdom? How do we cultivate necessary virtues without sparking burdensome fears? Listen in as Janice Campbell and Andrew Pudewa explore this challenging subject. About Andrew Andrew Pudewa is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) and a father of seven. Traveling and speaking around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Japan and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development from the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, PA, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his wonderful, heroic wife, Robin, have homeschooled their seven children and are now proud grandparents of fourteen, making their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Raising them Right by Theophan the Recluse Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher Connect Andrew Pudewa of Institute for Excellence in Writing | Website | Podcast | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest | Vimeo | LinkedIn Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

A while back, I came across an interesting comparison of two middle school reading lists — one from 1908 and one from a bit more than 100 years later. The original article compared the lists based on time period, thematic elements, and reading level, and I'll share that comparison along with a few ideas for interesting middle-grade reading. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Layne Longfellow reading excerpt from Longfellow's Evangeline  Excellence in Literature  Free K-12 Charlotte Mason curriculum  Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Discipline (or the lack thereof) can make or break your homeschool. Helping your children build good habits cannot help but make your homeschool more enjoyable and successful. In this episode we emphasize the importance of helping your child experience a sense of ownership over their tasks and the transformative feeling of a job well done. If you start with some simple tasks and stick with it, your child will be well on their way to building character qualities that will serve them for a lifetime.  About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner Character Badges Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode Jessica interviews Lyndsey from Treehouse Schoolhouse about all sorts of things related to homeschool mom life. They chat about why Lyndsey and her husband decided to move from Florida and buy land to build their dream home as well as how to balance physical health goals, homeschooling, and running two businesses from home! About Lyndsey Lyndsey is a homeschool mom of four and the founder of Treehouse Schoolhouse. Before motherhood, Lyndsey had a career in children's ministry and special needs education. Her home education centers around living books and ideas, hands-on learning, nature exploration, and biblical discipleship. She shares experiences and home education inspiration through her Instagram and blog, as well as creates curriculum and resources for families around the world. Her most popular curriculum titles are An Expectant Easter, A Connected Christmas, and Treehouse Nature Study. About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Save 15% on your purchase in Lyndsey's shop at TreehouseSchoolhouse.com.  Use code HOMESCHOOLSOLUTIONSSHOW15 for 15% off your total order. One use per customer. Cannot be combined with other promos. Expires January 7, 2024. Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt  Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt Jessica's Homeschool Bootcamp Connect Lyndsey Mimnagh of Treehouse Schoolhouse | Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Pinterest Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

A homeschooling mom of nine years, Jessica has tried quite a few types and kinds of curricula. Here she shares her family's favorites, as well as a few they've tried and ended up ditching. About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Jessica’s Curriculum Reviews (Blog Post) Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

If you’re planning a family road trip, you might enjoy adding a literary element to it by visiting an author’s home or the site of a famous story. Here are suggestions for finding and enjoying literary sites without spending a lot of extra time or money on your vacation. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Laura Ingall's Wilder For the Love of Wanderlust Mark Twain House Green Gables Beatrix Potter's home Peter Rabbit Garden The Brontë Parsonage Museum New Zealand Add Literary Context to Travel Family Travel on a Budget Little House on the Prairie Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn Anne of Green Gables Beatrix Potter Animal Tales Bronte Sisters’ Books Chronicles of Narnia Where the Wild Things Are Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Something wonderful happens when your purpose for homeschooling reaches outside the four walls of your home. Sure, your main focus is, and should be, your children; but if you'll allow the Lord to give you a heart, not just for the welfare of your children, but for the welfare of all that your humble efforts at home might affect for good, that's when you realize that homeschooling is for everyone. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

"Dear Hifalutin… High School Approaches…Help!" In this episode I'll share the details of tackling high school with confidence and discernment. It's a Hifalutin how-to on choosing courses, assigning grades, keeping records, and keeping it purpose driven and individualized. We just graduated twins from high school and junior college in the same month, and though we didn't know how we would do it when we started, God provided. About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode I decided to bring on an expert. She’s a second generation homeschooler and is currently educating 7 children at home. She’s constantly researching curriculum as well as various schooling methods and she’s passionate about bringing her children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. She also happens to be my wife. In the interview I’m able to ask her about her homeschool experience growing up, what she might say to mothers who are struggling with homeschooling or who don’t think themselves equal to the task of educating their children, and much more. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  Beautiful Feet Books Notgrass History The Good and the Beautiful Apologia Homeschool Bravely by Jamie Erickson Teaching from Rest by Sarah Mackenzie Educating the Wholehearted Child by Clay and Sally Clarkson Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Have you ever thought how odd it is to have children move from grade to grade in lockstep with other children, even though they develop and learn at different rates in different subjects? Did you know that this idea of grade segregation is relatively new in the history of the world? Homeschoolers usually figure out how illogical the whole idea is, but I thought this excerpt from one of my favorite old books, Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, might give you a glimpse of how learning levels used to work.  About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher  Article - What Grade Are You In? AmblesideOnline Charlotte Mason's Education Books Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In part one of this series, I discussed how important it is to maintain a healthy balance between helping our children grow and mature and extracting all the joy that can be found in their present age. In this episode I will offer some practical suggestions on how you can actually put this into practice in your child's day to day life. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

This episode includes a discussion about building a summer daily routine, helping kids to work, creative ways to make memories as a family, goal-setting over the summer, and how to help parents truly rest without letting the household structure disintegrate! About Katie Katie Clark has worked in non-profits and prison ministries and now is a homeschooling mom of four children, passionate about encouraging and helping families thrive and grow together. She lives in Charlotte, NC with her husband and four kids and they love reading, studying the Bible, being outdoors, enjoying family meals and having people in their home. About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  The Vanishing American Adult by Ben Sasse Summer Goals Kit Sewing School by Andria Lisle and Amie Petronis Plumley Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Listen, laugh, and relate to this list of 101 homeschool lies. Lies we tell ourselves with the best intentions. Fibs and complete baloney caused by the pressure for perfection and desire for the outside world to pat us on the back. Dreams of educational success can lead to grand expectations and impossible goals we can’t begin to complete with when life gets in the way. Saying them out loud reveals the ridiculousness and frees your efforts to be awesome at this! About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Against My Will: Becoming a Homeschool Mom 101 Lies I Tell Myself About Homeschooling Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Although there are many practical reasons to read daily, the list of the benefits of reading begins with delight. There are few things more soul-nourishing than a great book. However, reading can reduce stress, improve communication skills, increase empathy, build vocabulary, and so much more.  It's no surprise that reading builds brains; what’s surprising is how little reading time is built into most people’s day. You don’t have to read for hours a day to benefit. According to at least one study, stress is reduced after only six minutes of reading. Just imagine what longer periods might accomplish! Here are seven tips to help you find more reading time. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Adult life is so hectic, particularly for the homeschooling parent, that we can easily gloss over the unique beauty that is to be found in each season of our child's life. So often we are found urging them into adulthood to make life easier for us, but it often has the opposite effect (and it only serves to discourage them). In this episode I'll discuss how important it is for us as parents to help our children extract all the joy they can from each age while simultaneously helping them reach forward to the beauty of the age to come.  About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

A fun and informative look at the common fallacies we fall for and the practical tips to avoid them when curriculum hunting for the bouquet of courses and material guaranteed to bring homeschool success and possible college scholarships. About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

What goes into your homeschool is as important as what surrounds it. Today’s episode focuses on how important it is to create an atmosphere of learning in your home. This atmosphere is made up of many things including organization, discipline, attitude and even decor. If you find that your homeschool just seems to be dragging along, let this episode serve as a call to stop and take a day (or a week!) to address the environmental factors that may be keeping you from creating the homeschool you’ve always wanted. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Character of the Holidays Bundle Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

With the ease of copy and paste in the online writing environment, plagiarism has become a real problem for students, teachers, and homeschooling families. Join me for some simple tips on how to avoid plagiarizing as you research and write great papers. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Handbook for Writers by Excellence in Literature Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL) Walden by Henry David Thoreau Turnitin Plagiarism Checker Grammarly Plagiarism Checker Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

We meet hundreds of parents every year at homeschool conventions across the country. We are often approached and asked what advice or counsel we might give regarding difficulties many of these parents may be facing with their children. Sometimes we feel like we have a very clear answer to give, but more often than not, the best advice we can offer them is also, perhaps, the most obvious. In this episode I'll discuss what this bit of advice is and, despite it being hidden in plain sight, why it is ultimately superior to any counsel I may be able to offer. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Are you evaluating education for your kids? Are considering (or re-evaluating) homeschooling? Looking at part-time or full-time school? Considering a co-op? Online classes? Activities? No matter what choices you face, this episode will give you new, effective tools to make these decisions for your family, making the choice that you will feel best about! About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Jessica’s Homeschool Bootcamp Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Seasons of anxiety and depression are difficult but can be even more challenging for the homeschool mother. In this episode Jessica shares her experiences with anxiety, highlighting tips for "emergency-level" anxiety as well as chronic, background anxiety. About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources 20 Things to Do When You're Anxious Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Dr. Daniel G. Amen Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow Dr. Oz’s Anxiety Diet Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this brief episode you'll learn why penmanship, including cursive, is important for learning, and you'll get practical tips for helping your children master this useful art. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Penmanship Matters, an article and video with links to many studies on the benefits of handwriting Why Writing by Hand Could Make You Smarter  Writing to Learn by William Zinsser How to Hold a Pen or Pencil CursiveLogic penmanship curriculum What’s Lost as Handwriting Fades Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Nobody ever said that homeschooling would be easy (and if they did they must be lying). How could it be? It's one of the most self-sacrificing endeavors that you could ever attempt. In this episode, we'll discuss how this often discouraging struggle against our selfish nature is the very thing our children need to see played out before them so that they too may be inspired to struggle against their lesser selves. And though this nature is constantly striving to press us into a rut, we'll discuss some simple but effective solutions to ensure that we don't stay there. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Interests can lead to learning, but kids don't always follow them past fun and convenience. Career dreams can only become reality through work and meeting requirements. Requirements only parents may fully understand and need to push behind the interests. But what if they have no interests? There's a spark for learning in all kids that we want to kindle but not put out. But how do we find the perfect balance?    ABOUT JENNIFER Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. CONNECT Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

There are many different reasons why people decide to homeschool, but not all reasons carry the same amount of conviction. Regardless of whether you’re just starting out or have been homeschooling for years, getting clear about the “why” behind your homeschool is critical to its longevity. Now is the perfect time to consider again why you’re schooling your children at home and whether that reason is convicting enough to see you through to the end. ABOUT SEAN Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. CONNECT Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Long before textbooks and workbooks were invented, students kept notebooks and commonplace books to help them think, understand, and remember what they learned. Learning journals are a tool your student can use to do the same — here's how to begin using them!  About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Writing to Learn by William Zinsser Formation of Character by Charlotte Mason Learning Journal Examples  The Sketchnote Handbook by Mike Rohde Drawing with Children by Mona Brooks Connect Janice Campbel | Website | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | LinkedIn Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Join Jessica Smartt for a conversation about building your community as a mom! About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt Let Them Be Little by Jessica Smartt Homeschool Bootcamp with Jessica Smartt Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Are you in need of a mid-year homeschool pick-me-up?  In this audioblog episode, we revisit a beloved episode with Janice Campbell at the exact time we all need to hear this encouragement! About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Read Janice’s blog post Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

ABOUT JANICE Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. RESOURCES MENTIONED Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin Daily Rituals by Mason Curry American Literature (Excellence in Literature English 3) Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Homeschool worries can keep parents up with insomnia or restless with nightmares of ruining their child. Listen and laugh as I recount a couple of restless nights of valid concerns and mostly ridiculous worries. Know you're not alone and that things look different in the morning.  About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Homeschooling a Hard Head: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls Jotham’s Journey by Arnold Ytreeide One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham Hallelujah: Advent Traditions by Cindy Rollins Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

When your student finishes a literature class or curriculum with the firm determination to never read again, what happened? These three tips provide a bit of ironic insight into ways that a good book can be ruined. Perhaps they'll help you avoid some pitfalls as you guide your students in reading and the joyful study of literature.  ABOUT JANICE Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. RESOURCES MENTIONED The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry  An Experiment in Criticism by C.S. Lewis  Home Education by Charlotte Mason Toward a Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason CONNECT Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Does it feel like each member of your family is pulling in his or her own direction? Is there a sense of disconnectedness to your homeschool? Would you like your children to feel more involved in the pursuit of your family goals? If you answered "Yes" to any one of these questions, you should be having regular family meetings. In this episode we'll explore the many ways that routine family meetings can bless your homeschool day, express love and appreciation to your children, and get your entire family pulling in the same direction. We'll also offer some practical suggestions on how to make your family meetings as engaging, memorable, and productive as possible. ABOUT SEAN Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. CONNECT Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode, Jessica chats with Amy Frank about how her family has adopted holiday traditions that are based in the liturgical year. In addition to some Advent and Epiphany traditions, they discuss some ways to celebrate throughout the rest of the year. ABOUT AMY Amy Frank lives in Grove City, Pennsylvania with her family. She is a longtime homeschooling mom who loves family traditions. ABOUT JESSICA Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. RESOURCES  Celebrating the Christian Year by Martha Zimmerman Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt CONNECT Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Step away from the Yuletide unit studies! Put down the glitter and the glue guns. You can’t add “making merry” to a homeschool transcript. Why try? One of the best things about homeschooling for the holidays is… you don’t have to! But if you insist, listen in for Jennifer’s Christmas tips for seasonal sanity, and ways to get the kids involved without ending up as nutty as a fruitcake. About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Website | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Parler Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Memorization shouldn't be about rote learning — it is meant for cultivating wisdom, virtue, and a beautiful mind. Join me as I share a bit about my personal memory project — what I memorize, why, and how. I hope you'll be inspired to create a memory project that works for you! ABOUT JANICE Janice Campbell and her husband Donald homeschooled their four sons from preschool into early college using a lifestyle of learning approach influenced by Charlotte Mason and classical education. Janice is the author of the award-winning Excellence in Literature curriculum for grades 8-12, Transcripts Made Easy, and other resources, and she speakers at homeschool conferences and writes for homeschooling magazines. You can find her online at EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. RESOURCES MENTIONED Why memorize?  First letter method and Method of Loci Quintilian on Memory Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer Music and Moments with the Masters Lyrical Life Science CONNECT Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...and the most hectic. With all the hustle and the bustle, the rich opportunity for us to help our children consider the people and events that make Thanksgiving and Christmas truly memorable often escapes us. It doesn't have to be this way. In this episode we'll talk about practical ways that you can set up altars of remembrance in your home through simple, routine devotions. These devotions are truly the gift that keeps on giving and will remain with your children long after the festivities of the season are through.   ABOUT SEAN Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Character of Thanksgiving by The Well Ordered Homeschool The Character of Christmas: 12 Day Character Study & Devotional by The Well Ordered Homeschool Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Don't be afraid to homeschool high school. After putting in the sweat, worry-lines and coffee grounds to get this far, don't ditch now! Let's talk about why homeschooling high school is the most rewarding part and why the part that worries you most is the exact reason you should give it all you've got.   ABOUT JENNIFER Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. CONNECT Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this chaotic world, our first duty as mothers should be to make our home a sanctuary—a tranquil place where learning and creativity thrive. That's why it's vital that we guard our schedule. It's such a blessing that there are so many wonderful activities, opportunities, and curricula to choose from. But with so many choices, we are at risk of adding things that are not God's best for us. In this talk, Jeannie Fulbright will share the mistakes that taught her to guard her schedule, and how God shows us when we should say yes and when we should say no. ABOUT JEANNIE Jeannie Fulbright, a 24-year veteran homeschooler, is the author of the #1 best-selling, multi award-winning Apologia Young Explorer science series: Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Chemistry and Physics, Botany, Zoology, and Anatomy & Physiology. She is also the author of the action-packed historical time travel book series Rumble Tumbles Through Time, as well as preschool science books and activity kits, the Charlotte Mason Heirloom Planner, and many high-quality Charlotte Mason based products. Jeannie and her husband Jeff became empty nesters in 2019. All four of their children all went to the University of Georgia on scholarship (homeschooling works!). For more than 20 years Jeannie has traveled around the country speaking to homeschoolers at conventions, covering a plethora of topics from Charlotte Mason to marriage and prayer.  CONNECT Jeannie Fulbright | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | TikTok | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Join curriculum expert Cathy Duffy and me as we talk about the art of choosing homeschool curriculum. You'll learn about goals, learning styles, types of homeschooling, and more. I think you'll come away feeling much more comfortable about making choices that fit your family.   ABOUT CATHY Cathy Duffy has been reviewing homeschool curriculum and resources since the 1980s, and is the author of several books, including her most recent volume, 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum.  Cathy began educating her three sons at home in 1982 and continued all the way through high school. In addition to teaching her own sons, she has taught numerous group classes for home-educated students and church groups. Her extensive research and experience have made Cathy a popular speaker at home education conferences around the world. In addition, Cathy has taken a broader interest in educational issues, authoring the book Government Nannies: The Cradle-to-Grave Agenda of Goals 2000 and Outcome-Based Education to address problems with "educational reform." Concerns about government schooling prompted Cathy to get involved with the Children's Scholarship Fund in 1998, piloting a $15 million scholarship program in Los Angeles. That program helps children from low-income families attend private and homeschools. Articles authored by Cathy Duffy on a wide range of topics have appeared in The Teaching Home, Practical Homeschooling, Homeschooling Today, Christian Retailing, The Parent Educator, ParentLife, Family Resources, The Canadian Home Educator, The Christian Conscience, Homefires, Christian Home Education News, Ideas on Liberty, and many other publications. ABOUT JANICE Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. RESOURCES 103 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum by Cathy Duffy Weapons of Mass Instruction by John Taylor Gatto Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto What Grade Are You In? A Bit of Common Sense from Understood Betsy CONNECT Cathy Duffy | Website | Facebook | Twitter Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Everything, and I mean everything that is right and true is under assault today. For instance, we've moved far beyond questioning whether a woman's rightful place is in the home rearing her children. Today, the world and all her emissaries of confusion question whether such a thing as a woman even exists. For decades we've been told that women are just as capable as men, no matter the field, no matter the task. Predictably (and at the same time inconceivably) we are told today that men are just as capable as women to the point that they may also become pregnant and bear children. This upsidedownedness came as a direct result of our collective failure to not only recognize but appreciate the wisdom and beauty of God's respective callings in each of our lives. We each have unique, precisely crafted roles. It is true we may choose not to fill them; but we do so at our own peril. This episode is a call to embrace and, just as importantly, give thanks for how God made us and who he calls us to be. ABOUT SEAN Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. CONNECT Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

We all go through stages where we struggle with a particular child. Or perhaps you are wondering, could I homeschool with this particular child? This episode is packed with tips, encouragement, and resources for building a healthy atmosphere in your homeschool and home! ABOUT JESSICA Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. RESOURCES MENTIONED Homeschool Bootcamp by Jessica Smartt Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types by David Keirsey Navigating Personality Differences at Home by Focus on the Family Wheel of Fortunate Behavior Reward System by Jessica Smartt 12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos by Jordan Peterson Memory-Making Mom: Building Traditions That Breathe Life Into Your Home by Jessica Smartt Let Them Be Kids: Adventure, Boredom, Innocence, and Other Gifts Children Need by Jessica Smartt CONNECT Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions? We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

If you are new to homeschooling or are looking for a refresh, sit in on Janice Campbell’s talk about where to start.  As a graduated homeschool mom of four and curriculum developer, Janice shares her best tips for finding your homeschooling style, choosing curriculum, structuring your year, and more. Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Transcripts Made Easy by Janice Campbell Excellence in Literature HSLDA VARK Questionnaire How to Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci by Michael J. Gelb Memoria Press Circe Institute Ambleside Online Sonlight Beautiful Feet Books Tapestry of Grace Classical Academic Press Veritas Press Classical Conversations Calvert Education Abeka Bob Jones University Press Oak Meadow Cathy Duffy Reviews Khan Academy The Great Courses How to Listen To and Understand Great Music by The Great Courses How to Annotate for Active Reading by Excellence in Literature The Mind Map Book by Tony Buzan Screens and Teens: Connecting with our Kids in a Wireless World by Kathy Koch Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids — And How to Break the Trance by Nicholas Kardaras The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains by Nicholas Carr When Children Love to Learn: A Practical Application of Charlotte Mason's Philosophy for Today by Elaine Cooper (Editor) For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay Education by Design, Not Default: How Brave Love Creates Fearless Learning by Janet Newberry Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | EverydayEducation.com | DoingWhatMatters.com | Excellence-in-Literature.com Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Why do homeschooled students do so well in science? Dr. Jay Wile joins Janice Campbell for a wide-ranging conversation about homeschoolers, science, reading, art, and more. You might be surprised by what makes homeschoolers such good science students, and you'll definitely come away with tips for helping your students learn well. About Dr. Wile Dr. Jay Wile  has earned a Ph.D. from the University of Rochester in nuclear chemistry and a B.S. in chemistry from the same institution. He has won several awards for excellence in teaching and has presented many lectures on Nuclear Chemistry, Christian Apologetics, Homeschooling, and Creation vs. Evolution. He has also published lots of articles on these subjects in nationally recognized journals and has authored or co-authored 13 award-winning science textbooks designed to be used in a homeschool setting.  His teaching credentials include: The University of Rochester, Indiana University, Ball State University, The Indiana Academy for Science, Mathematics and Humanities (a high school for gifted and talented students). About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Dr. Jay's favorite books: Night by Elie Weisel Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Dr. Jay's curriculum: Berean Builders Products Connect Dr. Jay Wile | Website | Facebook Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode Jessica interviews Jodi Mockabee and they discuss the best hiking spots in the US, whether kids need to go to public school to experience "the real world," the first step to declutter your house, attachment issues, and so much more. About Jodi Jodi Mockabee is a photographer, writer, blogger, speaker, social media influencer, and homeschooling mother of five living in the Black Hills of South Dakota. With a passion for health, wellness, parenting, and more, Jodi blogs her family's journey and shares tips for a healthy and active lifestyle. She also writes curriculum for creative and artistic learning in a homeschool environment. Find her at JodiMockabee.com. About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  The Whole and Healthy Family by Jodi Mockabee Homeschool Bootcamp Memory-Making Mom by Jessica Smartt Connect Jodi Mockabee | Instagram Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Do we need a laminator and some chickens? Asking random nervous questions is part of becoming a homeschool parent. No need to flail about in an ocean of possibilities. Ask away! We veterans won't laugh (out loud). Allow me to tackle a few that may have popped into your head. Though someday you may look back and laugh too, every obvious answer you need to hear now will placate your fears and insecurities, and show you... You got this! About Jennifer Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Home School Legal Defense Association Rainbow Resource Center Christianbook Cathy Duffy Reviews Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Every year of your child's homeschool experience is unique and precious; of course their last year is no different. So much work has gone into getting them to this point, but you're not quite done! This year presents a unique opportunity to to create something truly memorable and to place a joyous explanation mark at the end of their homeschool journey that they'll be able to look back on with fondness. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes and transcript on the blog.

The success of your homeschool day largely depends on how you begin the day. If your mornings are a mad scramble and the rest of your day is anything but peaceful, let this episode serve as a call to gather your children together first thing in the morning to pay your devotions to your Father in heaven. You’d be amazed at how even five minutes in the morning — every morning — can influence your homeschool for the better. Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Character of the Holidays Devotional Series Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Teaching writing doesn't have to be hard, intimidating, intimidating, or expensive. Just start with the books, pencils, and paper you already have, and follow these simple steps. Some children progress quickly; others slowly, but they can all learn to read. Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Excellence in Literature Handbook for Writers by Johnson and Campbell Evaluate Writing the Easy by Janice Campbell On Writing Well by William Zinsser Strunk and White's Element of Style Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

How YOU thrive at homeschooling depends on YOUR personality. In this episode Jessica highlights a few common personalities, explaining what each type would be good at while homeschooling, and what weaknesses they may need to be aware of. While imperfect, the Enneagram can often be a helpful method of describing common strengths and weaknesses. Jessica highlights those as it pertains to homeschooling! This will be a helpful and informative episode in helping you homeschool well. About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Jessica's Homeschool Bootcamp The Road Back to You Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes and transcript on the blog.

A new homeschool year is upon us and there may be no better time to speak to all the homeschooling dads out there. As most of you recognize, your wife is doing critical work. In fact, few other occupations in the world can compare with it. Why, then, do we as husbands find it so difficult to be involved in it? This episode of the Homeschool Solutions Show is my humble attempt to address all the husbands of homeschooling households out there in the hopes that they will take a more active interest in the education of their children and provide the support that their wives so desperately need throughout the coming school year. (Note: In no way am I attempting to shame anyone here. These are things that I often need to be reminded of myself). Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes and transcript on the blog.

As homeschool parents, we are usually great at planning for the academic school year— setting goals and selecting curricula. But have you planned for family adventures in your school year? In this episode, Jessica encourages parents to remember the “why” of their choice to homeschool, and to build in opportunities to create traditions and adventure, including her favorite Annual Family Day. ABOUT JESSICA Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Homeschool Bootcamp Course The Holiday Your Family's Missing Out On Memory-Making Mom: Building Traditions That Breathe Life Into Your Home by Jessica Smartt Our Family's Bucket List for Our Elementary-Aged Kids Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Want to learn one simple thing you can do to lower stress and guard the atmosphere of your home? In this episode, Janice talks about the one thing that was most helpful for her family as they tried to cultivate a comfortable, positive atmosphere for learning. Perhaps you'll find it helpful, too! Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Have you Heard? Noise Can Affect Learning from Education World Keep it Down (and Rediscover Silence) excerpted from Choosing Civility by P. M. Forni Path to Quiet from Hearing Health Quarterly Noise, Acoustics, Student Learning, and Teacher Health from The National Academies Press Daily Noise Pollution: Its Effects and What You Need to Know from Zen Soundproof Does Noise Affect Learning? from Frontiers in Psychology Noise Pollution Clearinghouse Education by Design, Not Default by Janet Newberry Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

If you've ever said your kid is half a freshman or in 3rd-ish grade, you might be a homeschooler. But should we adhere to grade levels more strictly? Or ignore them entirely? How should we respond when asked about our kids' grade levels, graduation requirements, and future plans? In this episode we'll discuss the pros and cons of labeling our kids with grade levels and expectations. I'll share what my surveyed homeschool readers had to say, and some suggestions for polite but confident responses. Host biography Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

It is so wonderful to see so many families making the decision to homeschool for the first time! In my conversations with many of these new homeschool parents, it's almost as if the same question lingers on all of their faces: "Can I actually do this?" My answer to that? "Absolutely, yes! And I'll tell you exactly why..." And that's just one of the things I feel that every new homeschool parent should hear as they embark on this wonderful journey of home education.  Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Homeschool perfection is impossible and boring.  Be awesome instead!  Tips for being an imperfectly awesome homeschool teacher.  And for laughs... The 10 Commandments (suggestions for sanity) of a Homeschool Mom. Host biography Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Socialize Like a Homeschooler, a Humorous Homeschool Handbook by Jennifer Cabrera Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode, Jessica interviews Megan Ross, who amazingly juggles both homeschooling five children AND running an impressive homesteading operation. We talk about all the things - balancing schoolwork and farm chores, butchering animals (yes), growing fruit trees, and which homesteading ventures offers the biggest ROI. Guest biography Megan Ross is a first generation homeschooler and homesteader in North Carolina. She raises five children, along with goats, rabbits, chickens, and lots of crops on her two-acre well-maximized space.  Host biography Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Chore and Allowance Chart Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In light of the recent shootings carried out by 18 year olds, an excellent question for the parents of America to ask themselves is, "Do you know where your children are?" Of course we should always be aware of where they are in a physical sense (for then we can take stock of the influences they may be exposed to) but we should also know better than anyone where they are spiritually. Parents who are careful to observe the behavior of their children from day to day and who are quick to uproot any anomalies they might observe in their character will NEVER raise a child capable of perpetrating such crimes against their fellow men.   About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Homeschooling year-round makes total sense, but sometimes we just need a break from planning and pushing. Here's a look at the pros and cons of summer homeschooling and my hack for continued learning while enjoying the traditions of summer. Host biography Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Gross-Out Grammar Revolting Writing Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Learning while caregiving — is it even possible? Can learning can go on while you’re caregiving for someone who is elderly or disabled? I want to reassure you that it can, but it will be different from what you might expect. If you can align your expectations with reality, make adjustments that keep you sane, and focus on priorities and essentials, you’ll be able to homeschool while you’re a caregiver. You may not achieve the picture-perfect homeschool you envision, but your family will learn many valuable lessons, and can even thrive. Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Caregiving for Homeschool Families: Some Questions to Consider Can Learning Go On While Caregiving? Crisis Schooling for Homeschoolers Advice for Friends of Caregivers Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Jeannie Fulbright interviews a dad who homeschools, Sean Sherrod. Jeannie and Sean discuss the issues that are unique to fathers who are the primary educator, as well as how having a father involved in the child's education benefits children. This podcast also encourages fathers, even those that work, to get involved in their children's education, because dads really can homeschool, too. Guest biography Sean Sherrod lives with his wife Melissa near Richmond Virginia. He is the primary educator of his two young children. Host biography Jeannie Fulbright, a 24-year veteran homeschooler, is the author of the #1 best-selling, multi award-winning Apologia Young Explorer science series: Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Chemistry and Physics, Botany, Zoology, and Anatomy & Physiology. She is also the author of the action-packed historical time travel book series Rumble Tumbles Through Time, as well as preschool science books and activity kits, the Charlotte Mason Heirloom Planner, and many high-quality Charlotte Mason based products. Jeannie and her husband Jeff became empty nesters in 2019. All four of their children all went to the University of Georgia on scholarship (homeschooling works!). For more than 20 years Jeannie has traveled around the country speaking to homeschoolers at conventions, covering a plethora of topics from Charlotte Mason to marriage and prayer.  Connect Sean Sherrod | Instagram | Facebook Jeannie Fulbright | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Often when we get weary in our homeschools, we settle for what's easy and secure. Unfortunately, if we do this for too long we fall into a rut and we miss the opportunity to capitalize on one of homeschooling's greatest strengths – its flexibility. In this episode we'll talk about the great blessings that can come from simply asking, "What could be?" What would happen if you changed things up a bit? Did something spontaneous and unexpected? Spent more time outside, more time reading, more time exploring the limitless opportunities at your disposal as a homeschooling family. What if you homeschooled as you've never homeschooled before? Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Is it imaginable that freedom of speech and freedom of religion could be suppressed where we live at some time in our future? History would indicate so. How do we prepare ourselves and our families for such a contingency? What curriculum might best prepare us for persecution, even martyrdom? How do we cultivate necessary virtues without sparking burdensome fears? Listen in as Janice Campbell and Andrew Pudewa explore this challenging subject. Guest biography Andrew Pudewa is the director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) and a father of seven. Traveling and speaking around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. Although he is a graduate of the Talent Education Institute in Japan and holds a Certificate of Child Brain Development from the Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential in Philadelphia, PA, his best endorsement is from a young Alaskan boy who called him “the funny man with the wonderful words.” He and his wonderful, heroic wife, Robin, have homeschooled their seven children and are now proud grandparents of fourteen, making their home in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Raising them Right by Theophan the Recluse Live Not by Lies by Rod Dreher Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl B. Trueman The Coddling of the American Mind by Lukianoff and Haidt Eat Fast Feast by Jay W. Richards The Boy Crisis by Farrell and Gray Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Connect Andrew Pudewa of Institute for Excellence in Writing | Website | Podcast | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Pinterest | Vimeo | LinkedIn Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Join Jessica Smartt for a conversation with Connor Boyack, author of The Tuttle Twins books and president of Libertas Institute! Guest biography Connor Boyack is founder and president of Libertas Institute, a free market think tank in Utah. Named one of Utah’s most politically influential people by The Salt Lake Tribune, Connor’s leadership has led to dozens of legislative victories spanning a wide range of areas such as privacy, government transparency, property rights, entrepreneurship, education, personal freedom, and more. A public speaker and author of over thirty books, Connor is best known for The Tuttle Twins books, a children’s series introducing young readers to economic, political, and civic principles. Connor lives near Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife and two homeschooled children. Host biography Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  TuttleTwins.com The Tuttle Twins: American History Tuttle Twins TV Connect Connor Boyack of Libertas Institute | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

By following these five guidelines, you can homeschool multiple children with excellence and ease. Host biography Jeannie Fulbright, a 24-year veteran homeschooler, is the author of the #1 best-selling, multi award-winning Apologia Young Explorer science series: Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Chemistry and Physics, Botany, Zoology, and Anatomy & Physiology. She is also the author of the action-packed historical time travel book series Rumble Tumbles Through Time, as well as preschool science books and activity kits, the Charlotte Mason Heirloom Planner, and many high-quality Charlotte Mason based products. Jeannie and her husband Jeff became empty nesters in 2019. All four of their children all went to the University of Georgia on scholarship (homeschooling works!). For more than 20 years Jeannie has traveled around the country speaking to homeschoolers at conventions, covering a plethora of topics from Charlotte Mason to marriage and prayer.  Connect Jeannie Fulbright | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

It’s that time again! Homeschool convention season is just getting started, and there are so many reasons why you should consider attending one. From the huge curriculum fair to the encouraging and informative speakers, there’s no better place to recharge, gear up, and be uplifted ahead of the new school year. Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you! Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

A fun and informative look at the common fallacies we fall for and the practical tips to avoid them when curriculum hunting for the bouquet of courses and material guaranteed to bring homeschool success and possible college scholarships. Host biography Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Join us for a book-centered conversation with guest Jan Bloom. You'll catch a glimpse of homeschool life in the early years, hear how BooksBloom, their traveling bookstore (a favorite stop at many of the Great Homeschool Conventions) came to be, and even hear a bit about what it's like to homeschool as a grandparent. You'll hear about several favorite books, and come away inspired, with a renewed sense of the joy of homeschooling and the fun of reading good books. Guest biography After hearing about homeschooling at a L’Abri seminar in 1982, Jan and Gary Bloom embarked on a new adventure with their three children. It evolved into a life inextricably intertwined with homeschooling, books, and travel.   Although they didn’t necessarily plan for such a mobile lifestyle, Gary and Jan have been on the road for over 20 years with their traveling bookstore, BooksBloom. Though they've slowed down a bit in the last couple of years and are homeschooling their 8 year old grandson, they still travel thousands of miles a year to set up their cozy used bookstore at homeschool conferences and BooksBloom seminars. Families who come to their booth can find both good books and great recommendations for parents and kids who are looking for just the right book on whatever they are interested in, enjoy, or need to study.  Jan writes, “Our lives are full of adventure - traveling, talking, rescuing books, sending great books to new homes,  laughing, and experiencing God's kindness and mercies daily. We are grateful to the Lord that He allows us to live such a crazy life.” Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Who Should We Then Read? Jan Bloom // Influential and Frequently Recommended For the Children’s Sake by Susan Schaeffer Mcaualay  L’Abri by Edith Schaeffer  Honey for a Child’s Heart by Gladys Hunt  Better Late than Early by Dr. Raymond Moore  // Favorites and Frequently Recommended Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis    Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L’Engle  Safely Home and others by Randy Alcorn   The Enchanted Forest Chronicles by Patricia Wrede // Starting a Homeschool Library: https://groups.io/g/homeschoollibrary Reshelving Alexandria (online book group): https://www.facebook.com/reshelvingalexandria/ Connect Jan Bloom | Website | Facebook Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

As a homeschooling mom of nine years, Jessica has tried quite a few types and kinds of curricula. Here she shares her family's favorites, as well as a few they've tried and ended up ditching. Host biography Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Jessica’s Curriculum Reviews (Blog Post) Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

At the same time that it builds a foundation in scientific thinking, nature journaling benefits your children in numerous other ways. In this talk, Jeannie will share all you need to know for making nature journaling both easy and enjoyable for the whole family. She'll share tips on choosing a journal, how to get started, and ways to encourage reluctant children. Host biography Jeannie Fulbright, a 24-year veteran homeschooler, is the author of the #1 best-selling, multi award-winning Apologia Young Explorer science series: Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Chemistry and Physics, Botany, Zoology, and Anatomy & Physiology. She is also the author of the action-packed historical time travel book series Rumble Tumbles Through Time, as well as preschool science books and activity kits, the Charlotte Mason Heirloom Planner, and many high-quality Charlotte Mason based products. Jeannie and her husband Jeff became empty nesters in 2019. All four of their children all went to the University of Georgia on scholarship (homeschooling works!). For more than 20 years Jeannie has traveled around the country speaking to homeschoolers at conventions, covering a plethora of topics from Charlotte Mason to marriage and prayer.  Connect Jeannie Fulbright | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode I decided to bring on an expert. She’s a second generation homeschooler and is currently educating 7 children at home. She’s constantly researching curriculum as well as various schooling methods and she’s passionate about bringing her children up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. She also happens to be my wife. In the interview I’m able to ask her about her homeschool experience growing up, what she might say to mothers who are struggling with homeschooling or who don’t think themselves equal to the task of educating their children, and much more. Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Homeschoolers have a lot of things to cover — does it make sense to spend time reading children’s classics? Join us in a conversation with author and homeschool mom Cheri Blomquist to learn how children’s literature fits into a whole-hearted curriculum, and how you can encourage thoughtful reading without ruining a great story. Guest biography Cheri Blomquist is a freelance author and teacher with a degree in both English education and Bible.  As both a parent and tutorial teacher, she has been part of the homeschool community since 2005. Two of her four daughters are grown up, one is a college sophomore, and one is a high school senior. Her 7th-grade son is currently homeschooled. She currently lives near Chattanooga, Tennessee with her family. Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Before Austen Comes Aesop by Cheri Blomquist Chronicles of Narnia Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milne Ramona the Pest by Beverly Cleary The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame What’s in It? The Concerned Parent’s Guide to Young Adult Literature Connect Cheri Blomquist | Website Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Seasons of anxiety and depression are difficult but can be even more challenging for the homeschool mother. In this episode Jessica shares her experiences with anxiety, highlighting tips for "emergency-level" anxiety as well as chronic, background anxiety. Host biography Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  20 Things to Do When You're Anxious Change Your Brain, Change Your Life by Dr. Daniel G. Amen Calm My Anxious Heart by Linda Dillow Dr. Oz’s Anxiety Diet Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary In this chaotic world, our first duty as mothers should be to make our home a sanctuary—a tranquil place where learning and creativity thrive. That's why it's vital that we guard our schedule. It's such a blessing that there are so many wonderful activities, opportunities, and curricula to choose from. But with so many choices, we are at risk of adding things that are not God's best for us. In this talk, Jeannie Fulbright will share the mistakes that taught her to guard her schedule, and how God shows us when we should say yes and when we should say no. Host biography Jeannie Fulbright, a 24-year veteran homeschooler, is the author of the #1 best-selling, multi award-winning Apologia Young Explorer science series: Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Chemistry and Physics, Botany, Zoology, and Anatomy & Physiology. She is also the author of the action-packed historical time travel book series Rumble Tumbles Through Time, as well as preschool science books and activity kits, the Charlotte Mason Heirloom Planner, and many high-quality Charlotte Mason based products. Jeannie and her husband Jeff became empty nesters in 2019. All four of their children all went to the University of Georgia on scholarship (homeschooling works!). For more than 20 years Jeannie has traveled around the country speaking to homeschoolers at conventions, covering a plethora of topics from Charlotte Mason to marriage and prayer.  Connect Jeannie Fulbright | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary How do we muster the will to rise and get dressed and get back a life of learning in the cold and winter months? Much less entice our teens to do the same? With new resolve and new fleece pajamas, homeschooling in winter is a privilege filled with opportunities for getting ahead academically, productive family time, and remembering why we homeschool in the first place.   Host biography Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary Effective homeschooling reaches the heart of our children but also reaches far beyond them - to their children and also every person they will encounter. It is the means through which a lowly mother, minding her business at home, can exert more positive influence on the world than practically any one else. It is also the means that may ensure that the privilege to school our children at home may be perpetuated into the future. Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary This episode will totally inspire and encourage you on your homeschooling journey. Tandy, a homeschooling mom of four, shares her story of homeschooling her son who was diagnosed with dyslexia. Tandy shares their journey and how she gave him space to grow up into the man God wanted him to be, and now he is an extremely successful entrepreneur, raising a beautiful family, with a close relationship to God, impacting the world to be a better place. This story will surely inspire any parent in the trenches who is feeling discouraged or worried for a child who may not be hitting the milestones the traditional school system has created.  Guest biography Tandy is the wife to her high school sweetheart, mom to four, and Grammie to two. She has been homeschooling for over 20 years. Encouraging and equipping homeschool moms is one of her greatest passions. Having graduated her three oldest from homeschool, she is aware that, although the mission of homeschooling your kids is incredibly hard, it is also one of the most rewarding things you will ever do. And with God at the helm, it can be an amazing adventure. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook, where she is launching a brand new ministry connecting young homeschool moms with women who are slightly ahead in the journey to gain wisdom, encouragement, and friendship.  Host biography Serena Ryan is the founder of The Confident Homeschooler.  After a turbulent start homeschooling her own children, she became passionate about helping other parents with an interest in homeschooling get started with success and confidence.  Serena lives in Franklin, Tennessee with her husband, sons, and dogs. Serena was a Registered Nurse who left her career to homeschool her two sons, as well as help her husband run their online marketing business.  She loves spreading awareness about the beauty of homeschooling and empowering parents. Serena created her e-course, Homeschool With Confidence, to equip parents with everything they need to get started. Connect Tandy Hogate | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group Serena Ryan | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary Sitting down to plan priorities for the new year can be simple and fun. I hope you'll be able to find a quiet afternoon when you can look back at the previous year and forward to the next. Join us today for a few simple questions and ideas that can help you create a more peaceful, priority-focused year.  Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  CLICK HERE for articles and ideas for planning DOWNLOAD your Doing What Matters Printable Planner here Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary January is the perfect time for a mom's personal retreat. In this episode Jessica will share tips and tricks of hosting your own personal homeschool mom retreat. With a little bit of creativity, you can benefit from taking the time to rest, pray, plan, and goal-set for the second half of the school year. Host biography Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary Listen, laugh, and relate to this list of 101 homeschool lies. Lies we tell ourselves with the best intentions. Fibs and complete baloney caused by the pressure for perfection and desire for the outside world to pat us on the back. Dreams of educational success can lead to grand expectations and impossible goals we can’t begin to complete with when life gets in the way. Saying them out loud reveals the ridiculousness and frees your efforts to be awesome at this! Host biography Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler, is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and inspiration.  Jennifer lives in Salado, Texas with her husband and three brilliant boys.  She is a licensed Physician Assistant/MPH, but set aside that career for her ultimate life's work.  She is also the author of Socialize Like a Homeschooler: A Humorous Homeschool Handbook and Revolting Writing, a hilarious writing, vocabulary, and illustration journal for reluctant writers.  She is a featured speaker with Great Homeschool Conventions and her memes and witty insights are widely shared on social media. Resources  Against My Will: Becoming a Homeschool Mom 101 Lies I Tell Myself About Homeschooling Connect Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary The success of your homeschool day largely depends on how you begin the day. If your mornings are a mad scramble and the rest of your day is anything but peaceful, let this episode serve as a call to gather your children together first thing in the morning to pay your devotions to your Father in heaven. You’d be amazed at how even five minutes in the morning — every morning — can influence your homeschool for the better.    Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home.   Resources mentioned The Character of the Holidays Devotional Series   Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website   Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show.   View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary On this episode, you will learn about the importance of finding community as a homeschooler and how to find your people within the homeschooling world. You will learn tips on how to find local community as well as what the difference is between a co-op, an umbrella school, and a tutorial. You will also learn about finding community using social media. Your homeschooling besties can be just one message away. You will also hear some tips on starting your own homeschooling community if there isn’t already one in your area. Host biography Serena Ryan is the founder of The Confident Homeschooler. After a turbulent start homeschooling her own children, she became passionate about helping other parents with an interest in homeschooling get started with success and confidence. Serena lives in Franklin, Tennessee with her husband, sons, and dogs. Serena was a Registered Nurse who left her career to homeschool her two sons, as well as help her husband run their online marketing business. She loves spreading awareness about the beauty of homeschooling and empowering parents. Serena created her e-course, Homeschool With Confidence, to equip parents with everything they need to get started. Connect Serena Ryan | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions? We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Episode summary In this episode, Jessica interviews two seventh-grade boys on the topic of their best book recommendations. The boys offer suggestions for fantasy, non-fiction, as well as books for beginning readers. Host biography Jessica Smartt is a former English teacher and homeschooling mom of three who lives in beautiful North Carolina. She is the blogger behind Smartter Each Day and author of two books, Let Them Be Kids and Memory-Making Mom. Resources Book List: Boys' Favorites Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions? We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. Visit the blog for full show notes.

Behind the scenes banter with real homeschool parents. Get some homeschool dad insight from an interview with Mr. Hifalutin. Then listen and laugh along with a comical rendition of a homeschool marriage court deposition over some common everyday struggles and trials.  Mr. Hifalutin-- Damian Cabrera is the husband of Jennifer Cabera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler. He is not only a good humored participant in this episode, but a once reluctant, and now staunch advocate for homeschooling. His day job as a cardiothoracic surgical PA keeps the family fed, but his life position of husband, father, educator, and leader is his life’s greatest work. 

What goes into your homeschool is as important as what surrounds it. Today’s episode focuses on how important it is to create an atmosphere of learning in your home. This atmosphere is made up of many things including organization, discipline, attitude and even decor. If you find that your homeschool just seems to be dragging along, let this episode serve as a call to stop and take a day (or a week!) to address the environmental factors that may be keeping you from creating the homeschool you’ve always wanted.

How do you teach your child what it means to be a responsible person? Like most parents, you probably model the traits you hope they will acquire, and that's the best possible way. However, don't forget the power of literature. Fables, parables, stories, and humorous essays (such as this one) can spark discussions, provide vivid examples, and remind us of truths in ways that are more memorable and meaningful than straight admonition. Join me today for a reading of the classic essay, "A Message to Garcia” by Elbert Hubbard. It's the type of essay that can help you make an important point in an entertaining way. Enjoy! Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) was an American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher. He is best known as the founder of the Roycroft artisan community and as an influential advocate of the Arts and Crafts movement. He and his wife, Alice, died aboard the RMS Lusitania when it was sunk by a German submarine in 1915. Janice Campbell is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons, and is the author of the Excellence in Literature curriculum and other books for homeschool families. RESOURCES Excellence in Literature CONNECT Follow Janice on Pinterest  Like Excellence in Literature on Facebook Connect with Janice on Facebook Follow Janice on Instagram

What does it look like for dads to support homeschooling? If mom is the primary “teacher,” what role do dads play? Graham Clark weighs in on the creative ways dads can pitch in to support their wives. Graham is a father of four and wife to Katie who lives in North Carolina. Graham works as a safety consultant by day, but also runs the Strategic Families podcast. “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church.” Ephesians 5:25 RESOURCES Strategic Families Podcast by Graham Clark Window on the World The Vanishing American Adult How We Started Our Co-op, HSS episode #283 CONNECT Click here to connect with Jessica on Instagram Click here to visit Jessica's website Connect with Graham on Facebook Click here to visit Graham's website PRODUCTS Let Them Be Kids Memory-Making Mom

There are many different reasons why people decide to homeschool, but not all reasons carry the same amount of “conviction."  Regardless of whether you’re just starting out or have been homeschooling for years, getting clear about the “why” behind your homeschool is critical to its longevity.  Now is the perfect time to consider again why you’re schooling your children at home and whether that reason is convicting enough to see you through to the end. Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline, and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. You can find his products at thewellorderedhomeschool.com. FB: https://www.facebook.com/thewellorderedhomeschool IG: https://www.instagram.com/thewellorderedhomeschool Hebrews 12:1 - Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.

In this episode, you will learn about deschooling Yourself to help increase confidence and start your year off on the right foot. You’ll be given questions to consider & answer to help you deschool. You will also receive encouragement for the year ahead.

Children’s literature can be fanciful — some of it is even nonsense — but there are reasons that we need it. In this episode, reader, author, speaker, and homeschool dad, Martin Cothran, ably explains what children’s literature is for and we need it now, more than ever. If you’ve been harboring a secret love for the books of childhood, you’ll be delighted to find that they are truly good for us. Enjoy!

As homeschool parents, we are usually great at planning for the academic school year - setting goals and selecting curricula. But have you planned for family adventures in your school year? In this episode, Jessica encourages parents to remember the “why” of their choice to homeschool, and to build in opportunities to create traditions and adventure, including her favorite “Annual Family Day.”

Homeschool perfection is impossible and boring. Be awesome instead! Tips for being an imperfectly awesome homeschool teacher. And for laughs... The 10 Commandments (suggestions for sanity) of a Homeschool Mom.

Cynthia and Sue discuss how they worked successfully with reluctant learners and the lessons they learned from those experiences.

An actual recording of the infamous “homeschool parent-teacher conference” (aka split personality overthink-a-thon) in my head. The teacher and voice in the back of our minds echoing public opinions and trying to checkboxes, and pigeon-hole potential will be played by me. And the voice of the bedraggled but hopeful homeschool mom is played by...also me. Listen, laugh, sniffle, and feel seen and inspired.

Are you working with a child who has difficulty with cooperation, focusing, hyperactivity, sensory processing dysfunction, or has meltdowns? Do you have a child who “whines” all the time? Could a hidden allergy be affecting your child’s behavior? Find out why one mom said, “Our daughter is so different now.” Histamine is a huge irritant to the nervous system. Many parents are finding that common foods can be contributing to the child’s everyday behavior. This doesn’t have to be hard!

Karla Williams is the unschooling mom of six, as well as the author of Homeschooling Gone Wild: Imagined Learning Through Living Karla Marie Williams is the president of BeBold Publishing. As an author, international speaker, and child advocate, Karla has impacted families all over the globe. Her message of hope and inspiration in the areas of homeschooling, foster care/adoption, parenting, and Christian living is sought after for retreats and conferences. She is a wife of 23 years and a mother to six sensational kids. Karla and her family reside in Grand Rapids, MI.

In this episode, Jessica shares her family’s “family economy” system for chores and allowance. If you’ve been wanting to implement a better system for kids to pay for their own things, work around the house, and learn the value of a dollar, this system may work well for you, too.

I’ve long believed that homeschooling parents are some of the most interesting and creative people around. If something needs to be done, they can figure out how to do it. And if something needs to be added, they add it. Join us for this inspiring conversation with Anthony Coafield of Living Book Press.

Today Wendy Speake and Kelli Stuart are talking about how common it is to feel that we’ve lost ourselves in this season of homeschooling. We used to have interests, passions and plans, even careers. While Wendy and Kelli both had to learn to fit their writing careers into the cracks and crevices of family life, they want to encourage you to remember and reclaim some of your passions and pleasures.

In her 25 years of teaching special education  and consulting, Dianne Craft has found that it takes only 5 steps, consistently applied in a daily reading lesson, to not only remove the symptoms of Dyslexia (reversals, scrambling sounds, and dysgraphia), but the effects of Dyslexia , (below level reading, spelling and writing).  In this Podcast you will learn 2 simple steps: Physical Exercises that internalize directionality for  a child and Visual Teaching  Strategies that faithfully put “Zany Memory Hooks” on all aspects of reading…phonemes/phonics; sight words; spelling words. This can all be done in a daily reading session.  It’s a method that she used in both Elementary and Middle School settings with equal  success. A minimum of 2 years growth in a year was made using these simple, but non-curriculum related strategies. (many times, more)   No need for future college accommodations.  No need for curriculum purchase.  No special training needed. Just success at your fingertips.

Cynthia and Sue give tried and true tips on what works when you are just about to hit the wall as motivation is waning.This episode speaks to those who need to get over obstacles.

Have you ever thought about starting your own homeschooling co-op? In this episode, Jessica shares the step-by-step of how she built a small homeschool community from the ground up. The episode discusses what kind of people you should think about including, the ideal size of a beginning group, her co-op’s daily schedule and curriculum, forming a community mission, and how they added extra events to enrich the community.

Stories are more than words on paper. A good story can serve as a window through which we can see truth. Just as a picture is said to be worth a thousand words, a short story can convey an idea more effectively than an entire self-help book. Join me today, and I'll talk briefly about reading, and then we'll have a grown-up storytime with a short story by Leo Tolstoy. I hope you'll enjoy this episode!

Today we’re talking about suffering and hardship. How we can keep putting one-foot-in-front-of-the-other as we homeschool our kids when we’re going through a frightening diagnosis, financial struggles, relationship battles…? How do we keep the family together when our world is falling apart?

Many parents find that the very best educational setting for children with Asperger’s like symptoms is at home.  Since these children are often gifted learners, at home they are free to explore the topics of interest to them, without needing to do the mundane chores that are needed in the more formal school setting. Let’s explore the various interventions and resources available to help these wonderful kids and teens thrive at home.

Many parents find that the very best educational setting for children with Asperger’s like symptoms is at home.  Since these children are often gifted learners, at home they are free to explore the topics of interest to them, without needing to do the mundane chores that are needed in the more formal school setting. Let’s explore the various interventions and resources available to help these wonderful kids and teens thrive at home.

More practical tips for loving and teaching your strong-willed child--without driving either one of you crazy!

Are you losing your creativity? Got the winter doldrums? Feeling depressed? This episode offers 10 very practical ideas for what to do with your family inside and also encourages parents who may feel down in the dumps.

After a year away from homeschool conventions, many speakers are excited about coming back in person. In this special episode, three of those speakers — Dr. Jay Wile, Nicholeen Peck, and Dr. Melanie Wilson — join Homeschool 101 speaker Janice Campbell to talk about what they’ve been creating in the off season, and what they have planned for this year’s GHC conferences. You won’t want to miss this episode — or the GHC conference near you!

Real friends don’t let friends complain alone. Best good homeschool friends are for keeping it real, a safe space to complain. They can be the best defense against the homeschool blues and burnout. Let’s talk about why you need one, how to find one, and some truths and laughs about the perks of having your very own best good homeschool friend.

What does it take to be a writer? How can parents cultivate creativity and foster a love of reading in their kids? Today’s episode features a conversation with author S.D. “Sam” Smith, about reading, creativity, and the craft of writing. If you love stories, words, and adventure, you won’t want to miss this one!

The 2020 pandemic forced everyone to “home educate” in some form or another. Surprisingly, numerous studies are showing that around 40% of families will continue even after the lockdowns are over. Yes, health may be a big concern but that’s not the main reason. Discover what these new homeschoolers are finding out that most veterans already knew.

Today our host is Wendy Speake. With the help of 1 Corinthians 13 we’re considering how to communicate love better during the most challenging parts of our mothering life. As always, Wendy leads us into God’s Word in an effort to find it not only living and active, but applicable to our homeschooling days.

Students can seem “lazy, sloppy, unmotivated” while having an undiagnosed Dysgraphia or blocked writing gate. Many times it isn’t identified until a child is a teenager and not turning in written work! The most common gate that is blocked with gifted kids. He knows so much but just can’t get his thoughts down in writing because this “head to hand” process takes too much energy….a blocked learning gate.   This student has not internalized directionality and does not have a well-defined sense of space. A powerful simple daily exercise develops this important skill and takes the stress out of the writing system, by sending this process to the Automatic Brain Hemisphere. Affects sports too …coaches report improved performance on the court or field.

Do you have a strong-willed child?  You’ll love these quick, practical ways to bring out the best in a strong-willed child of ANY age!

The 2020 pandemic forced everyone to “home educate” in some form or another. Surprisingly, numerous studies are showing that around 40% of families will continue even after the lockdowns are over. Yes, health may be a big concern but that’s not the main reason. Discover what these new homeschoolers are finding out that most veterans already knew.

What does homeschooling look like when your family is busy with ministry projects, work, or just life? In this episode, Jessica interviews Alyssa Bethke about what homeschooling in Hawaii has looked like for their family as they lead several ministries and also write books. Alyssa offers encouragement for overwhelmed moms and reminds us of the many benefits of homeschooling, even when family life is full!

While we may not have had 20/20 vision going into this year, I’ve found that hindsight really is 20/20. In today’s show, I am sharing three lessons I learned and Bible stories to flesh those lessons out! Let’s take the lessons we learned in 2020 with us into 2021!

Sometimes learning seems harder than it should be. Both parent and student can feel frustrated, not knowing what to do. Join Kathy Kuhl and me as we talk about reading, writing, and learning, and ways you can help students who struggle.

Today we are talking with the author of Screen Kids, Arlene Pellicane, about the boundaries we can set around our children’s devices (and our own).

Step away from the Yuletide unit studies! Put down the glitter and the glue guns. You can’t add “making merry” to a homeschool transcript. Why try? One of the best things about homeschooling for the holidays is...you don’t have to! But if you insist, listen in for my Christmas tips for seasonal sanity, and ways to to get the kids involved without ending up as nutty as a fruitcake.

One of the most puzzling situations a mother finds herself in is when she has a child who can read the words in a book but cannot answer the questions or tell her what has just been read.   These moms frequently hear the phrase, “I don’t remember,” when queried about the reading material.   When working with bright, hardworking 4th through 8th graders in my reading class,  I realized that these students were not proficient at converting the words they were reading into a “movie” in their head, as the rest of us do when we read.  They were merely doing “word calling” much of the time.  I found that “movie making” was a skill that could be developed in them, using an easy fifteen-minute a day exercise.  This exercise did not involve paper or pencil, but only the use of their brain.  “Word calling” is a left-brain auditory task, while creating a picture or movie of those words is the responsibility of the right brain hemisphere.  I merely showed them how to create a seamless flow of words to pictures as they were reading.  You can do this at home, very easily.

In this episode, Jessica chats with her sister, Julie, about making memories over the holidays. They cover food traditions, entertaining, Advent traditions, and centering your holiday around Jesus.

Middle Schoolers reveal their thoughts, feelings, and fears--and it may not be what you expect!

In this relaxed episode, Brian Wasko and Janice Campbell discuss reading, the art of teaching writing, and what English majors really do. Hint: It isn’t about being a pickier grammar snob! You’ll hear about some of their favorite books, whether education is a means or an end, and get good advice on how to evaluate your student’s writing.   

Wendy Speake often talks with us about our various Homeschool Triggers, but today she’s asking us this hard question: What do you turn to to help you deal with those Triggers on your hardest homeschool days? Tune in for a convincing conversation that ends with an exciting invitation!

The 2020 election infection... Is it over yet? We might want to be oblivious to the political turmoil outside our blanket forts but homeschooling and elections have connections and consequences. Just like no candidate in any election is perfect, no educational choice is perfect. Yet whichever we say yes to, we should still be saying yes to God's plan, not popular opinion. Choosing what is right is not always easy or with the "in crowd", but then again neither is homeschooling. Join me for some hifalutin and earnest thoughts on civic responsibility and how it relates to homeschooling.

Are working with a bright, hard-working learner who feels “dumb”? Change the evidence by changing the way he learns. Here are some strategies that I used in my resource room and consultation practice to prove to students how smart they really are. The students that use these “zany” memory strategies find they have great success in school and take these skills with them to college.

How to recognize and celebrate the transition from childhood to adolescence--and still keep your sanity!

Elizabeth Kidd offers her humor and practical tips on what supplies are absolutely essential, best curriculum for kindergarten, and how a child with Down’s Syndrome has been a gift to their family.

Although we are surrounded by messages that imply that college is the best choice for everyone, that isn’t always true. Some kids and families have the kinds of gifts and talents that make a skilled trade or entrepreneurship a much better option. Join us today to hear about Cindy LaJoy’s experience in homeschooling a blue-collar family.

Today we are going to be talking about teaching our children to know God’s voice. Mark and his daughter Summer recently released a children’s book entitled God Speaks in Whispers.     This may have been my favorite interview yet! Even if you don’t have young children to read this picture book to… this is a not-to-be-missed conversation!

Humor and introspection into the different species of homeschoolers, homeschool uniforms, and the lingo and vocabulary unique to the homeschool culture.

Do you have a child who is anxious, and gets upset easily…who is “overreactive” to his environment?  Childhood should be “carefree”, but for some kids and teens, it is anxiety-filled.  Their nervous system is sending them erratic messages that make them feel uneasy, panicked, or upset.  We call them kids whose nervous system is in disequilibrium.  Is it “Character or Chemistry?”.  In this Podcast, we will explore the physical symptoms  that a child often has that leads to behavior that is inappropriate.  We will explore ways that we can help these kids feel so much better.  Looking to the body’s manufacturing place for the calming neurotransmistters (the “gut”), we will explore an easy  nutritional supplement plan (using your local health food store), that many parents use to help their child’s body make more calming neurotransmitters, so they can feel peacefull, fall asleep easily, handle loud noises, and in general be able to react to their everyday environment with more ease.

 Tried and true ways to get your kids to actually remember what you say!

Jessica talks with Rachel Jankovic about the success of her first book, Loving the Little Years, about her passion for women reading Scripture, and about why women need to understand their identity.

Reading in community can take you more deeply into a book, and more deeply into the heart of friendship, too. If you’ve ever wanted to start a book group or wondered how to lead a class discussion on a classic work of literature, Jennifer Dow’s wise counsel can help you do both. You don’t have to know everything about a book in order to do this. Jennifer suggests that “If the goal is community and the hospitality that leads to healing, we must provide free space with clear, helpful boundaries. We must meet people where they are, at the same time offer or invite others to a vision of what can be, together, shoulder to shoulder. This expresses itself in the environment we curate, the content we behold, and the way we teach or read.” Join us to learn more about how to cultivate a reading atmosphere that leads to learning, growth, and relationship.

We’re talking about another HOMESCHOOL TRIGGER. Today’s episode is for the working moms in our community — those of you who are not only doing the work of homeschool, but also working a job! Whether 9-5 or part time work, getting paid or volunteering, it’s hard to balance the heavy load. That’s why we are talking about carefully and intentionally scheduling our homeschool days. We don’t want to be so stretched out that we are stressed out and freaking out at our kids.

2020 inspiration from the front lines of homeschooling for worn out moms wondering why they should carry on and a nudge for those that know deep down they could homeschool, maybe they should, they kind of want to, but...  what about me time?

Getting your teens to engage with the news can be a challenge but we believe it's crucial for young students to understand what's happening in the world in order to develop critical thinking skills and discernment.

Today we are going to discuss the most useful resource you can give to your bright, hard working learners. Many people think that some are just born with a “photographic memory”.  But we now know that this amazing ability can be easily taught. The ability to use the photographic memory is one of the best gifts you can give your child. Your child can store his spelling words in his photographic memory for quick retrieval. Poor test takers will learn how to store facts using their photographic memory. Everyone looks smart when these strategies are used.

Today’s two-part podcast features an animated conversation between Stephanie, Judy, and Sarita about literature-based homeschooling. Filled with anecdotes and practical advice for those considering homeschooling, and those already on the journey. In addition, listen to Sarita share what makes great literature and delightful narratives so effective for teaching. Find out what kinds of books to avoid and how to get your kids begging for just one more chapter - even if they aren’t in love with reading yet.

Help your children discover what motivates them to concentrate--and how to prove it works.

Today we are talking about raising children to be ready to take on the many demands of life! This is so much more than reading, writing and arithmetic. If you’ve ever wanted a “manual” or a “guide” — or wanted to pass a manual / guide onto your children as they hit middle school and high school… this is the conversation for you!

This episode includes a discussion about building a summer daily routine, helping kids to work, creative ways to make memories as a family, goal-setting over the summer, and how to help parents truly rest without letting the household structure disintegrate!

Homeschooling expert, Janice Campbell shares her vast knowledge of all things homeschooling. This workshop is a wealth of information geared toward helping those new-to-homeschooling families begin their journey. Janice discusses how to get started, what you need to know in order to choose a homeschooling method, and the curriculum that fits. She also spends a few minutes talking about how to plan your time and find that all-important support.   Even if you have been homeschooling for a while, you can also find helpful information in this workshop.  

Children are born with a love for music and stories, but sometimes it can seem as if those things are just for fun and must be set aside when “real school” begins. That’s really not true! Join us in this episode as we talk about how stories show up in books, history, science, and music, and why stories and the arts aren’t extras in your homeschool — they’re essential all the way through as you teach your whole child — head, heart, and hand.

Today we are announcing something thrilling. Here on the Homeschool Solutions Show, we are growing in exciting ways — and we hope that you will grow with us. Not only will you be encouraged, during this episode, to reach out and live out Acts 2:42 in your own community of friends, but Wendy will be sharing how our podcast will be inviting new friends to join us each week as well!

You can't quit mom. You're simply too important. To others your work doesn't look like much and I know it often doesn't feel like much but if you left off sweeping your kitchen and nursing bruises and staging impromptu tea parties and the thousand other things you do to enrich the lives of your children, the world would fall apart.

Susan Seay’s main message to moms is that we have the privilege and the responsibility of being present and purposeful with our children, every day with every topic we race. Today we’re talking about what intentionality looks like in the conversation about race relations and local social justice for our brothers and sisters of color.

Lauren Stengele is a non-native Spanish speaker, language teacher, and bilingual homeschooling mom. She creates homeschooling resources for bilingual families at www.bilingualtogether.com. Today, Lauren addresses one difficulty all homeschooling families face: where do we find the time to do the things that are most important to us as a family? Listen in as she talks about Morning Time, and how it allowed her to focus on one very important aspect of her family’s homeschool: raising bilingual children.

Summer is upon us! Thank you, Jesus! And now is the time to begin exploring and creating timeless memories with your family. In today's episode, Brandy Gleason and her husband Matt will share from their experiences as a homeschooling family of 10. You'll find many hints and tips to make a day trip or lengthy travel doable and how to create a paper trail for homeschool record-keeping.

Making the choice to homeschool your child or children is always the best choice. Not only does it give you the freedom to tailor their specific academic program to their strengths and style of learning, but it gives you so much freedom as well.

Maybe our time of “family worship” is less about a devotional and more about our first love devotion to God overflowing in devoted love to the people in our home. Today’s podcast takes us out of a traditional box of “family devotions” and inspires us to live lives of devotion to God!

Modern culture tells us to pursue pleasure and avoid pain at all costs. But what does the Bible have to say about struggle, suffering and even pain? Are we hindering our kids’ spiritual growth and character development by overprotecting them? This post will help you to help your kids see struggle and suffering from God’s point of view, as well as offer practical tips on how to allow your kids to struggle in healthy ways.

Today is part 2 of our 2-part conversation with Rhonda Stoppe. We’re covering the remaining 4 points from her list of 8 very specific things we can do to make sure we don’t look back on these homeschooling years with regrets. If you missed part-1, please listen to that one first! It’s a gem… and so is Rhonda!

When I tell people that I homeschool my 10 children, they nearly always say, "You must be very organized!" I smile and pinch my husband so he doesn't reveal the truth that I'm not a terribly organized person. Even though I have never used a fancy planner to plot out my life out on paper, I have discovered three key secrets to managing my large family homeschool. Maybe they will help you, too!

Today is part 1 of our 2-part conversation with Rhonda Stoppe. We’re covering eight very specific things we can do to make sure we don’t look back on these homeschooling years with regrets. Today we’re talking about our calling, our motivation, and so much more! 

Homeschooling on Any Budget Level Many families are hesitant to take up homeschooling simply because they view the option as very expensive. It’s true that some people spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on homeschooling, but that doesn’t need to be the case for everyone. Just because you are unable to purchase the latest and greatest packaged curriculum along with all the supplements and add-ons doesn’t mean you can’t homeschool.

We’ve heard it said, “These are unprecedented times”, but stress is nothing new. How are you doing with your stress these days? How is it affecting your home and your homeschool? Today’s short episode challenges listeners to take inventory. Are you taking your stress to social media as the form of escapism? Is your pantry where you hide? Do you turn for comfort in comfort food these days, rather than turning to the great comforter? Or maybe you are self-medicating with a nightly glass of wine.  Today’s we’re turning to God’s Word for our help in times of trouble.

While schools are trying to establish distance learning and redesign their curriculum, many families are beginning to look outside the public school system and turn toward homeschooling.

This conversation may be my favorite one to date! We are diving in and talking about unit studies — but not as something more to add to our already too-full plates. We’re talking about slowing down and taking our time to learn more about the things that we already enjoy as a family. I hope you’ll be as blessed by this conversation as I was!

It’s my hope that you’ll find some tips here that help you to understand deschooling and all that it can do for you and your child. Yes, I included “you” here, because sometimes, parents need to deschool as much as their children do.

Life is an incredible journey with ups and downs. We soar, struggle, scale and stumble, and often stand at the edge of cliffs, afraid to step into the unknown, unsure of where we will land. But instead of running away, we are called by God to stand firm, muster up what faith we can, and take a step. Because we were made to move mountains. In today’s podcast interview, Kristen Welch calls us to step out in faith and climb the mountain right in front of us — not because we are good enough or adequate or able, but because God makes a way where there is no way. Of course this applies to our homeschooling dreams, to our families, marriage and raising children. But what else can God called you (and your family) to be part of out in the world today?    This episode is about all that, and so much more. It’s a joy to have author Kristen Welch with us on the Homeschool Solutions Show. 

Steve Demme and his wife Sandra have been married since 1979. They have been blessed with four sons, three lovely daughters-in-law, and two special grandchildren. Their fourth son has Down Syndrome and lives with them in Lititz, PA. He is the creator of Math-U-See and the founder of Building Faith Families.

We’re talking today about making memories as a homeschool family. Jessica Smartt is sharing plenty of “easy-button” memory making ideas your family may love. We’re talking about how (and why) to make memories when you feel totally overwhelmed and exhausted as a mom.

Homeschooling Advantages and Disadvantages As families embark on a new homeschooling journey, it’s important to know that there are both advantages and disadvantages. Of course, for many families, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages, given the result of the process. But we’ll go into a little more detail as we proceed through this article.

We’re talking today about the beautiful yet (oh so) hard topic of surrender. Homeschooling, parenting, following Christ all requires great-gobs of surrender, and there’s no one I’d rather talk it through with than Kris Camealy.

  If we’re being entirely honest, a bad homeschool day is still better than a good public-school day. And yet, just knowing that really does nothing to help us through the bad day while it’s going on

Let’s talk about experiencing rest as a Homeschool Mama! We want to exchange our striving for settledness, our sense of panic to a sweet sense of peace. But how do we parent our children from a place of rest? We’re talking about it all today with Katie M. Reid.

There is much to be said for simply getting organized in your homeschooling routine, yet it can be a challenge for even the most detail-oriented mom. If you have multiple children, it can be quite a juggling act, making sure to find the perfect balance between curriculum, outdoor time, appointments, and field trips. And that’s not to mention groceries, household chores, cooking dinner, and making sure everyone has something clean to wear.

Today we are talking about how parents can create a rich relationship with their children throughout their parenting/homeschool journey. Children are a masterpiece and parents hold the brushes. God is the architect who knows the plans he has for each of his children. Too often parents give up or give in… not realizing that we are the primary influence in our children's lives.

We’ve all learned a new word in the past few weeks, social distancing. Social distancing is where you stay at least 6 feet away from someone else whom you have not had contact with. This has left us with a new way of day to day life and how we interact and live. I wanted to share some fun things we do outdoors that would allow you to practice social distancing and still get outside. Here are my outdoor activities you can do while practicing social distancing.

Hi, My name is Shawna Wingert and I support homeschooling families online at Different By Design Learning. As a former special education teacher and homeschooling mom of two boys with special needs, I find that most of us are just looking for real-life, practical ways to make our homeschool days a little smoother and our relationships a little stronger.

Today’s unique episode is for the moms and dads who didn’t choose to homeschool, but don’t have a choice right now. Given current events, kids are home from school with various levels of support from their local school districts.  Here is some advice!

  Angie Mosteller is passionate about many things, but teaching and hospitality are always near the top of the list. She specifically loves the holidays because she gets to put both of her passions to work – the teacher in her is intrigued by the amazing history of our celebrations (which she passes down to her kids through meaningful traditions); and the hospitality enthusiast in her fills their home with creative holiday food, decor, and music. Over the years, Angie has built a website — Celebratingholidays.com — as a resource for other families who want to learn about the rich Christian history of their favorite holidays.    Today, Angie shares with us the story of St. Patrick, so that we can invite our children to know the man who wasn’t even Irish! Find out why Patrick is a wonderful character for us to study with our kids.

September McCarthy has been homeschooling for 24 years! She is the mom of 10, grandma to 7, and her youngest is only 8. Which means that she’s still in the trenches with us, but has great-gobs of wisdom to share. September is the author of [Why] Motherhood Matters and is talking with us today about [Why] Homeschooling Matters. Her top reasons for choosing to homeschool her children are to help them:   Know their identity Grow in character Develop strong relationships Discover their mission for life In today’s conversation we talk a lot about all four of these things, but my main takeaway had to do with teaching my children about good and Godly character traits. I don’t want to simply discipline my children for the times they lack character. I want to train my children to grow in character. September’s “Character Matters” cards and posters are valuable resources to help us do just that!

  Today we’re talking about seeing our children’s education as discipleship. Not merely giving them the head knowledge they need, but laying the foundation they need (with them, as a family) for a life of knowing and loving Christ and His Word.  In their book Foundations, Ruth and Troy Simons encourage parents to take the time to invest in a relationship with God as the starting point for leading their families to become long-lasting, fruitful followers of Christ. The couple outlines the importance of heeding God’s instructions and being transformed in their own lives as the magnetic force that draws their children’s interest to cultivate their own relationship with the Lord.

DESCRIPTION:  Lead your children through Lent with creative activities and Bible readings! Today’s episode is the most gracious conversation about inviting our children to spend time with us in  the word during the lenten season. Asheritah Ciuciu, author of Uncovering the Love of Jesus: a lent devotional, tells us both the history and the purpose of Lent, and gives us resources to make this more than just another “unit study.”

On today’s show, we talk with Kate Batistelli about raising our children to do amazing things for the glory of God. During the conversation, however, we turn our attention back to the moms…  and challenge ourselves to live life with a “Here I am, send me” availability to whatever God calls us to as well.

Everyone has challenges! But we all have a choice to make  regarding how we respond to our challenges and the challenges of those we love (and teach.) Do we let them challenge us to the point that we can’t deal with the issues lovingly? Or do we deal with the challenges in a Christlike way? This has to do with our challenges and our children’s challenges. Today we’re talking about turning our kids’ challenges into “challenges” that help them pinpoint and then grow in those areas. Getting angry and allowing their struggles to become a matter of contention in our homes isn’t helping anyone. So let’s get creative and find some practical solutions together!

Judy Sarden encourages moms not to feel like their homeschooled kids are "missing out" if they are not attending public school. She gives reasons as to why moms should feel confident and be encouraged that your child is receiving an education that schools could never begin to give your child. Connect with Judy:  www.judysarden.com/homeschool Books: Sarden's Practical Guide: How to Start Homeschooling Judy is a 2020 GHC Featured Speaker @ OH and CA Homeschool Conventions. Judy's Podcast: The How to Homeschool Podcast. 

Sometimes the stress in our marriage affects our parenting, which can directly affect our homeschooling days. Unresolved conflict with our spouse can create more conflict with our kids. In this episode of The Homeschool Solutions Podcast, Amber Lia joins us for a conversation about some of the Marriage Triggers that tend to create Homeschool Triggers! After co-authoring the parenting book Triggers in 2016, Amber Lia and Wendy Speake received hundreds of emails asking for a follow-up book applying these same Biblical principles to marriage. In response, Amber and her husband Guy Lia wrote Marriage Triggers. The book leads husbands and wives through 31 of the most common, everyday stumbling blocks in most marriages.  

Sonlight Curriculum - Complete homeschool curriculum, you’re guaranteed to love. Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses - Purchase Wendy's book HERE. Medi-Share - An affordable and Biblical healthcare alternative. For more information, CLICK HERE. 40 Day Sugar Fast - For information and an opportunity to sign up, click this link. 40 Day Sugar Fast Companion Book by Wendy Speake, CLICK HERE.

All good things must come to an end and this is one of those cases. I have decided to turn my focus to Morning Baskets in 2020 and beyond and therefore am stepping down as host of the Homeschool Solutions show. But never fear, I am leaving you in great hands. Enter Wendy Speake, homeschool mom and blogger extraordinaire. She is taking the helm of the show and carrying it into the next decade. Join us today to get to know Wendy and hear her vision for the show. P.S. If you want more podcasts from me in the future, you can find me on Your Morning Basket. The show notes for this episode are at pambarnhill.com/hs192

A Little behind My sweet mother-in-love used to have this little ceramic doll that sat on a shelf in her living room. I remember seeing it long before I ever made the decision to homeschool. If memory serves, it was a gift given to her back in her homeschooling days...back when The Hubs sat at her dining room table poring over books about World War II and sloughing through algebra worksheets. The doll stood bent over with its fanny pointed to the sky and on its bloomer bottoms were etched the words, "A little behind in school." Listen or read more at https://www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/2015/03/why-im-no-longer-behind-in-homeschool.html

It’s no secret that comparison is a thief of joy. That’s true in all of areas of life, including homeschooling. We all know that nothing good comes from comparing our homeschools, yet too often we spend our days drowning in homeschool comparison and looking for that next surefire thing that will magically bring us up to some self-imposed standard. I’m not a “fun” homeschool mom. You’d come to that realization pretty quickly after scrolling through my Instagram feed. Sure, you’ll see lots of books, art, and scenes from our time outside, but you won’t find a lot of jazzy activities and “magical” experiences in our day-to-day homeschool life. I’m not that mom and that’s not our homeschool. Listen or read more at https://tablelifeblog.com/homeschool-comparison/

Tell me I’m not the only one… You spend hours crafting the Ultimate Book List… You incorporate hands-on-projects… You basically make learning awesome and fun… And a few years (or maybe even months or – worse – weeks) later, your children don’t seem to remember any of it. It’s tempting to get a little grumpy about the perceived waste of time and effort. Listen or read more at https://humilityanddoxology.com/why-bother/

Each day as we wrap up school I take a moment to return our table from desk back to gathering place. I stack books, collect papers and brush up the eraser dust from the day’s lessons. Eraser dust. Everywhere. From the small eraser at the end of the pencils that fail to be enough, to the eraser caps we buy by the dozens, to the ‘big guys’ that can handle the jobs the others can’t, erasers are always made available… but are often forgotten. Listen or read more at https://rinellafamilyoutdoors.com/2019/02/01/the-eraser/

I never like to admit when I’m barely treading water, but it happens almost every year as Thanksgiving approaches. The moment the leftover turkey is put in the fridge, it seems that December and its giant to-do list overwhelm me. Besides the regular crazy that we call our day-to-day around here, December kicks it up more than a notch or two. Listen or read more at https://ourjourneywestward.com/take-the-stress-out-of-december/

Today on the podcast I am joined by my good friends Sarah Mackenzie and Colleen Kessler to chat about our new adventure next year -- the Real Mom Tour with Great Homeschool Conventions. We are so excited to share this new event with homeschool moms all over the country.   Join the conversation as we talk about our favorite things about going to the convention, our insider convention stories, and how to get the most from your convention trip. We can't wait to see you there.

Why do we homeschool? Our story to coming to terms with what is really best for our family – and getting over-explaining it to everyone on the street. “You’re homeschooling? How lovely. WHY would you want to do that?” Going against the mainstream opens the door to big questions about big life choices to random strangers at the post office. Listen or read more at https://thehomeschoolresourceroom.com/2017/12/14/pros-and-cons-of-homeschool/

I don't know about your kids, but mine love to bake. There is something about getting in the kitchen and making a mess while making something yummy that appeals. This summer I had the pleasure of meeting Tiffany Dahle who has a brand new baking book out for kids. My favorite thing about it (other than the gorgeous photos)? It makes things easy. It is written in clear, kid-friendly language. I could totally hand this over to my kids and they will actually learn to bake all the things. On this episode of the podcast Tiffany and I chat about the book, but also many of the benefits of baking with kids. You also get to hear Tiffany's story of how she came unexpectedly to homeschooling and what it is meaning to her family. For links and more info: https://pambarnhill.com/cooking-with-kids/

How many times have you heard the phrase that kids just can’t stick to an instrument long enough? Or that kids like to explore music but don’t like to commit to anyone instrument? As a music teacher, I hear this complaint all the time. I hear it from parents and I hear it from other music teachers. They just say things like “Oh well, the child quit again! They have a short attention span, that’s just how it is”. But I’m here to tell you “No – that’s not how it is”! It shouldn’t be that way. It’s a fallacy that kids can’t persevere with music or that they can’t stick to an instrument long enough. Absolutely not true. Listen or read more at https://www.gentleguitar.com/parent-role-in-music-education/

Andrew Stanley was homeschooled through eighth grade and gets it. He knows homeschooling makes the fodder for some funny jokes. Join me and Andrew on this episode of the podcast as we chat about how a finance major ended up as a standup comedian, if his years as a homeschooler somehow uniquely prepared him for his current profession, and other things he might not want his mother to know (as if she doesn't already).

So you’ve been doing Morning Time in your home and that now your kids are getting a little bit older, you’re wondering should I still be doing Morning Time? Can I still be do Morning Time and how is that going to work? Maybe you’ve been doing Morning Time for quite a while and now some of your kids are starting to get a little bit older. They might even become a little reluctant to keep participating in Morning Time.  Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/morning-basket-with-older-kids/

Morning baskets are something that have been taking the homeschool world by storm. Everywhere you look there they are. So you might be wondering what is this morning basket thing and do I want to do one? Morning basket is just another name for a practice that has been going on in homeschool circles for over 30 years now. Simply, it’s a time in the day when everyone in the family can come together and learn together about specific subjects and morning basket is just one of the names for it. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/homeschool-morning-basket/

Today on the podcast I am joined by Amy Sloan from humilityanddoxology.com and mom of five kids ages 4 to 14. For about the past five years Amy has made memory work a central part of her homeschool day. In this episode Amy and I discuss how to be consistent with memory work, how you find great pieces to memorize, and practical ways you can make this happen in your home. We also chat about the debate between memorizing facts versus spending your time memorizing other worthy passages, how to make it work for multiple ages, and even how to deal with attitudes if they arise. It's a fun episode! Check out the show notes at pambarnhill.com/hs179

Congratulations on making the decision to homeschool! Homeschooling has many benefits, and it is a decision that you will not regret. When it comes to how to homeschool, one thing you may be nervous about is how to tell others you’re homeschooling.  Telling friends and family may leave you concerned about possible negative feedback. Sharing the news with others also cements your decision; it makes it more real, and the thought of that may be scary. Listen or read more at https://www.findingjoyinthejourney.net/tell-others-youre-homeschooling/

Steve Demme has believed in homeschooling since before he had kids of his own. This former math teacher and pastor joined the fight of the homeschooling movement early, helping to lobby and shape legislation that gives us the homeschool freedoms we have today. Along the way, he and his wife homeschooled their own kids, he write a math curriculum, and became the funny, favorite math teacher of a generation of homeschool kids. He is on the podcast today to tell the story of the early days of the homeschooling movement, the fight to become legal, and the journey so far.

Deciding to homeschool was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make as a parent. I remember being so torn with emotions, worrying we were doing the right thing. I know now it was the best choice for my son. It's what worked for our family then and we just kept going. It's hard to believe, but we just graduated our oldest and he's off to college! My youngest is heading into 7th grade this year, and we're busy putting off the start of school as long as we can. All summer I've been cleaning out old notebooks, curriculum, and all sorts of homeschool clutter that reminds me of our first years on this journey. Listen or read more at https://www.adriennebolton.com/blog/2017/08/survive-first-year-homeschooling.html

The final interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods is with a super-special friend of mine, Brandy Vencel. I am not (currently) a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, but sitting at the feet of Brandy keeps inching me more and more in that direction I think. I just love chatting with her about Charlotte Mason. Brandy, who has used Ambleside Online since her oldest was in first grade, is on the Ambleside Online Auxiliary Board. She also provides excellent Charlotte Mason support on her blog Afterthoughts. Find the show notes for this episode at: https://pambarnhill.com/charlottemason

The fourth interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods I got to chat with one of my very favorite people, Jennifer Dow from Expanding Wisdom. Jennifer is a joy, because she makes me think about life, education, and being a more virtuous person every single time we talk. In this episode we talk about the day-in-the-life of a classical homeschool and about a version of classical homeschooling that is outside the norm of what most people assume about classical homeschooling. Different than neo-classicism and tons of memory work, the classical homeschool Jennifer describes focuses on virture. The shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://pambarnhill.com/are-you-a-classical-homeschooler-the-ultimate-guide-to-homeschooling-methods

The third interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods series was a delight to record. I loved chatting with a friend, Margaret in Minnesota. blogs about her beautiful life with seven kids at her blog -- Minnesota Mom where she focuses on family, faith, and lots of love. Margaret uses a school-at-home method of homeschooling. In this interview, we talk about what a typical day looks like in her home, why she chose a box of books for her homeschool, and how she adapts that to meet the needs of her family.  Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/school-at-home/

As part of our interview series on the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods, I recently had the opportunity to speak to Heather Woodie of Blog She Wrote. Heather homeschooled her children using the unit study method for ten years. Sometimes she usel purchased unit studies, while at other times she (or her children!) wrote their own studies. She mentors other homeschool moms with her participation in the Five in a Row forums and through her blog, where she is a helpful voice with resources and techniques for homeschooling high school. I think you are going to enjoy Heather’s interview, so relax and have a listen.   For the show notes visit https://pambarnhill.com/hs172

This episode from the archives is from our Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods and it was a delight to record three years ago. I loved chatting with my old friend, Sue Elvis who blogs at https://www.storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com/ and has a new book out called Curious Unschoolers. Sue unschools her large family where they focus on doing their own projects, relationships, and trusting the child. For more information and the show notes visit https://pambarnhill.com/unschooling.

There is nothing more fun than a road trip full of adventure and learning. And no group knows how to make the most of a learning adventure better than homeschoolers.   Today I am joined by Trish Corlew of Homeschool Road Trips and Hip Homeschool Moms to chat about Trish's best tips for learning on the go as well as more information about the Homeschool Road Trips opportunities. We chat about how travel can be an important part of your curriculum, the biggest benefits of traveling with family, and some of Trish's favorite tales from the trips her family has taken.   Enjoy!

Homeschooling through high school can feel intimidating. I am a teacher by trade, and I am constantly second guessing myself and checking to be sure that I have not left my children with a gaping hole in their education. We tell our kids that they can do anything they want, but am I stealing part of that future from them if I don’t aptly prepare them to meet it? Listen or read more at https://thesparrowshome.com/homeschooling-high-school-2-things-you-might-be-missing/

What happens to your morning time as your kids get older? Does it change or do we stop requiring them to attend? Can your teen outgrow Morning Time? These are the questions that Cindy West from Our Journey Westward joins me to answer today. In this episode of the podcast we talk about how the tone of Morning Time changes as your kids get older, how to get their buy in with what you are doing, and what a Morning Time with older kids can look like. Enjoy! Find out more at pambarnhill.com/hs168

The giddiness of families making educational choices for next year has begun! It is exciting to head to the NC Thrive! Conference and see all the bright shiny new choices. It’s like Christmas to flip through a catalog or browse an online market full of books and perfect curriculum choices. But with so many good options out there, how do we know what is best for our family? Do you ever get stymied by indecision? Do you come in like Franck in Father of the Bride and say, “Let’s change everything”? Do you blow your budget buying all the things that only sit collecting dust on your shelf the following year? Here are four questions I suggest you ask yourself before you begin buying all the books at the conference center! Listen or read more at https://humilityanddoxology.com/2018/03/08/4-questions-before-planning-shopping-for-curriculum/ 

There is nothing that can more joyfully throw a homeschool year off balance than pregnancy and a new baby. Moms have so much to do already and now throw morning sickness, extreme fatigue, and a new born into the mix and homeschooling gets even harder. Joining me today is mom of many Amy Roberts who knows a thing or two about homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn. Amy gives us her best tips for planning a year that you know will be challenged by all these big changes. She is pulling out her best big family tips. Enjoy!

Let’s start with a misconception about year-round homeschooling. It is typically NOT homeschooling all the time. Just because we are year-round homeschoolers that doesn’t mean we are doing more school than your average students. Traditional American school schedules begin in late August, take a couple of weeks off in December, and continue through the end of May with about twelve weeks off in the summer. Homeschoolers who school year round simply shorten that summer break; often cutting it in half or making it shorter so we can take more frequent breaks during the school year. This is all about flexibility y’all. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/year-round-homeschooling/

Planning for one or two homeschool kids is challenging enough, but planning for school with six or more? Now that is a Herculean feat. But never fear, we have some mamas on the show today who have been doing that for a number of years. Lynna Sutherland (mom of 8) and Heather Tully (mom of 10) join me today to discuss the ins and outs of big family homeschool planning -- what's different than regular planning, where to combine, and how to meet the needs of all.the.kids. Enjoy!

It's happened so many times you can replay the scenario in your head. One of your children runs in from another room screaming. He's got a complaint against a sibling and he wants justice. How do you respond? What do you say when faced with the accusations of one sibling against another? Eventually, you'll need to get them both involved in the conversation, but here are three things you can do before you add another person to the conversation. Listen or read more at https://hswotrainingwheels.com/face-sibling-complaints/

Have you ever wondered how your personality type might impact your approach to homeschool planning? On today's episode of the podcast we have a fascinating glimpse at how your Meyers-Briggs functions can have an affect on how you plan, what you plan, and how you work a plan. Homeschool personality guru, homeschool grad, and homeschool mom Mystie Winckler joins me for this very revealing conversation.

"And what grade are you in, honey?" the little old lady asked my daughter in an impromptu conversation by the produce section. She found my then eight-year-old girl sorting through apples looking for just the right one and thought it odd that a child her age would be at the grocery store in the middle of a Thursday. It was, I suppose. Listen or read more at https://www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/2017/03/without-grade-levels.html

It is no secret that I am an introvert and introverts have a special place in my heart. There is nothing wrong with extroverts, but getting the world to understand the need for a little quiet and time alone and not take it personally is hard. It doesn’t mean one is shy (I’m totally not.) or awkward (debatable). But it does fly in the face of our very social world at times — especially when you are a mother and even more so when you are a homeschooling mother. We have chosen to be with our kids all day because we thing that is what is best for them, but we do that knowing the toll it will take on us and knowing we will need to compensate for all that together time. It can totally lead to guilt. That is why I was so excited when I found out about Jamie Martin’s new book The Introverted Mom. Now there is someone who understands and can offer help. And on today’s podcast, Jamie does just that. There is something for every mom on this show — introverts and extroverts both. I hope you enjoy.

We live in a society where being busy is considered normal. If you aren’t running to piano practice, baseball games, school awards ceremonies and every other possible extra-curricular activity every week, you aren’t doing enough for your kids. Every mom feels the invisible pressure to preform and possible out-preform their neighbor. Listen or read more at https://thezooicallhome.com/extra-curricular-activities/

We are so excited to announce the release of the brand new Plan Your Year with this special conversation about homeschool planning. Dawn Garrett joins me today as we chat what's new about the book, what homeschool planning looks like for different people, common misconceptions about planning and being "boxed in" by a plan, and so much more. This conversation digs deep into how freeing (yes! I said that) planning can be. Don't miss it!

If you're reading this, you are probably in the midst of teaching one of your little ones to read OR you have that endeavor looming ahead of you in the near future... amiright? The singular biggest fear of every single homeschool mom I've ever spoken to is failing to teach her child to read well... and especially failing to teach them "on time". Listen or read more at https://www.lifeabundantlyblog.com/lifeabundantlyblog/2018/6/20/when-you-child-cant-read-by-age-6

Sonya Shafer is the encouraging voice and curriculum writer behind Simply Charlotte Mason. Along with her friend Karen and their families, Sonya has been teaching about Charlotte's methods for years, helping families to bring them into the 21st century.   A popular speaker on CM topics, I was excited to get to sit down in this episode and talk to Sonya more about homeschooling in general -- how her family started this journey, Sonya's journey into homeschooling her special needs daughter, and even how they began a ministry and a business that would grow to help thousands of homeschoolers everywhere. I know you will love this one.

Can I tell you something that's hard to admit? I've spent a lot of time in the past year being a miserable homeschool mom. Countless hours of training have gone into perfecting my craft. I'm excellent at complaining about parenting struggles, whining through hard days, and generally being difficult to be around. After our most challenging homeschooling year yet, I have it down. Here's how you can be a miserable homeschool mom too! Listen or read more at https://www.adriennebolton.com/blog/2017/01/miserable-homeschool-mom.html

Cindy Rollins, mom of nine and "Mama of Morning Time" (so-named by me!), is back on the podcast this week to chat about Stratford Caldecott's Beauty in the Word -- specifically the portion on grammar, or what Caldecott calls "remembering." Join us as we chat about anamnesis, what it is and how it is alike and different what we already associate with memory. Listen for: The idea of anchoring or tethering our children to a cultural heritage. What are some Morning Time elements that help to convey this cultural heritage. How Cindy handles the aspects of our heritage that are not positive or admirable. The connection between language and memory and how language helps form relationships with ideas. How technology is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to our efforts to be people who practice Remembering.

Is your husband against homeschooling? I know what you’re going through. Wanting to homeschool, but not being able to. I’ve been where you are and can help. Dear Mom, I see you. Wanting to homeschool, but your spouse is against it. I see you. Counting down the days until Christmas break. Yearning to have your kids home with you each day. Listen or read more at https://www.findingjoyinthejourney.net/spouse-is-against-homeschooling/

Today we have another installment in our veteran's series on the Homeschool Solutions show. Ann Karako, mom of five, joins us to talk about her experiences homeschooling high school with five kids, graduating four of them, and living to teach others that they can do it too. On today's show we chat: What Ann's kids have to say about their homeschool experience. The things Ann worried about when she first started homeschooling and what she would tell her younger self. Ann's biggest homeschooling mistake and how she would fix it. How Ann is transitioning to life after homeschool now that she is just about ready to graduate her youngest. Ann's best pro tips on homeschooling the high school years -- and she has a ton of them! This is an episode you won't want to miss.

Your little one knows many letter sounds and it’s time for the magic of putting them together and reading their first words. Use these top 10 tips for teaching short vowel sounds to start your child’s reading adventure! Listen or read more at https://pk1homeschoolfun.com/tips-for-teaching-the-short-vowel-sounds-to-beginning-readers/

On today's episode of the podcast we are joined by Jamie Erickson from The Unlikely Homeschool to talk about how she uses Morning Time as a forum to teach her kids manners. In the show we get a glimpse into Jamie's Morning Time including: What makes Morning Time a good setting for teaching manners. What kinds of topics have she covers in her Morning Time manners lessons. What are some of Jamie's favorite resources for teaching manners in Morning Time. What fruit she has seen from her efforts to intentionally work on manners with her kids.   Join us as we explore this very practical way to use our Morning Time habit.

It’s the question that haunts many homeschooling parents – how do I know that I’m doing it right? I’m responsible for the education of my children and there’s no-one and nothing to tell me WHAT to do and WHEN to do it and HOW to do it and argh! It’s enough to cause a meltdown. To extend the question, without strict curriculum, and standards, and lots of other children to compare to and rank with, how on earth do we homeschoolers know that we’re doing a good job? How do we know this is all going to work out OK in the end? Listen or read more at https://fearlesshomeschool.com/homeschooling-doing-it-right/

Today I am joined by Homeschool Solutions Community Manager and fellow convention fan Dawn Garrett to talk all about the homeschool convention. Dawn and I are both long-time attendees of Great Homeschool Conventions and are looking forward to meeting many of you there this year.   In this episode Dawn and I dish: Why go to a homeschool convention at all. Our favorite panel or talk from a convention and how to decide which speakers to see. How to avoid “overload” and work the vendor hall like a pro. The pros and cons of going with family or friends. How to stick to your budget and the one tool you should not forget to take to the convention. How going to conventions have helped us in our homeschooling and why we wouldn't miss going each year.   If you haven't given a convention a thought this episode might get your inspired to check on out.

Have you seen the video where someone is trying to line up a litter of cute, cuddly kittens? If you haven’t, let me spoil it for you: it doesn’t work very well! As you can imagine, it’s a full thirty seconds of constant redirection, repositioning, and mayhem. To everyone watching, it’s hilarious, but to the poor person trying to herd those kittens, it was exhausting. This image hits close to home for homeschool moms of multiples. Some days, homeschooling multiple children is very much like herding cats. As soon as you get one seated, another pops up and wanders off, and the day is similar to the old whack-a-mole game. Can you relate? Listen or read more at https://www.sonlight.com/blog/multiple-children-homeschool.html

Today on the show I am joined by homeschool veteran and writing guru Julie Bogart. Part of our veteran's series, Julie has graduated five kids and now helps homeschool families the world over not only with writing skills through her Bravewriter program but also with how to homeschool bravely through her Homeschool Alliance and her new book The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life. In this conversation we chat about Julie's fond memories of homeschooling, what she did well, her biggest homeschool regrets, and she shares tons of wisdom on how to be true to yourself in your homeschool.

I’ve noticed that my attitudes get passed along to my children with pretty much zero effort on my part. When I am happy, things mostly flow along happily. When I worry, their worry amps up. When I am frantic, so are they. When I am calm … well, there’s always an exception to prove the rule. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/how-to-homeschool-with-confidence/

Today we welcome Christopher and Christine Perrin to the podcast to chat about prayer in your homeschool, Morning Time, and personal time. It is a fascinating conversation. Join us as we discuss: How prayer can be both a personal discipline and a corporate practice What are the best ways to teach and model practice of prayer. Tips for modeling something when we are just learning it ourselves.D Different types of prayer and the value of each. Tips for praying the Scriptures. And recommendations of prayers and more to read for moms.   This was a helpful and fascinating conversation I think you will enjoy!

We've all been there. You're tired. The kids are bickering. Again. If only they would just stop fighting. If only they could just quit all the arguing. If you had a magic word, you'd say it, right? (Hey, magic words might be better than the other kids of words you're tempted to say when the children are fighting!) Listen or read more at https://hswotrainingwheels.com/children-stop-fighting/

Today we are joined on the podcast by Heather Woodie of Blog She Wrote, mom of four young adults. Heather has been practicing Morning Time in her family for a number of years, and has seen a shift in the practice as she has graduated two kids and is now left home with two more teens to go.   In this episode of the podcast we chat about: how Heather's Morning Time changed has changed over the years. why is Morning Time still a valuable practice in the teen years. what kind of adjustments and challenges a teen-only Morning Time brings. how Heather's role at Morning Time changed as the kids have gotten older. and how Heather has been able to use topics from Morning Time as coursework and credits for the purposes of high school transcripts plus so much more.   Sit back and enjoy as we dive into Morning Time with the teen set. Find the show notes at https://pambarnhill.com/hs142

Welcome to the NEW Homeschool Solutions Show. In this episode of the podcast I chat about the changes to the show. Instead of just being an audio blog, the show will now alternate between audio blog and interview formats. I am super-excited about the changes and hope you are too. You can find the webpage for the podcast at pambarnhill.com/solutions.

I wrote last week about how your quiet time could be sabotaging your homeschool morning. This is so true for moms in particular seasons of life — especially when you are still waking multiple times each night or you have small children still. But what about the mom whose kids are pretty much school age. Why might moms of older kids still be struggling with getting mornings off to a good start? I have a few theories that might explain what is standing in your way. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/enemy-of-best-morning/

It was dark and rainy outside. I slowly peeled back the covers and eased away from the warm little body bedside me and into the cold. If I woke him, all bets were off. I fumbled around in the dark for my glasses and slippers as I eased quietly from the room to make a cup of coffee. I was lucky. I had groggily slapped the alarm right as it began to beep and my early-morning visitor snoozed on unaware today. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/how-your-morning-quiet-time-is-sabotaging-your-day/

I saw a photo the other day of a worn out, exhausted mother collapsed onto a chair, hand to forehead. The caption under the picture read “I put my symptoms into Web MD and it turns out I just have kids.” I couldn’t help but giggle. I knew exactly how she felt. Listen or read the rest here: https://rinellafamilyoutdoors.com/2017/07/17/symptoms-of-a-homeschool-mom/

Everyone wants a perfect holiday. The candlelit dinner with the gorgeous turkey and delicious pumpkin pie dessert; the immaculately wrapped presents with bows that were made by a bowdabra;  the family memories of adorably dressed children with matching holiday outfits; they are all part of the Norman Rockwell painting version of Christmas you aspire to create each year. Christmas is the holiday of holidays. Between the presents, the food, the crazy relatives – it can be super stressful to try to make Christmas perfect. How do you manage your visiting family and enjoy the most stressful holiday of the year? Listen or read more at https://www.hidethechocolate.com/perfect-christmas-with-visiting-family/  

I am often asked a lot of things when out and about with my family. Are all those kids yours? Do you know what causes that? You Homeschool, Aren’t you tired all the time? Not only are they all mine and yes we are very aware of how it happens, we like having a big family and I love being at home and educating them. Choosing to homeschool for my husband and I, was one of the easiest decisions we have made for our children. Both of our parents started out with similar foundations and choose homeschooling in a time where it was not as common or idealistic as it is today. Listen or read more at http://ourhalfdozenadventures.com/2018/05/12/my-reflections-as-a-homeschooled-daughter/

Have you looked into the tired eyes of a public school teacher lately? Have you crossed paths with an overwhelmed mom scrambling to cook dinner, do laundry, and help the kids with homework an hour before bedtime? This homeschool life is a gift to so many of us, yet we often take for granted the privilege of homeschooling. If you haven’t recently spent time outside your homeschool walls, it’s possible that you’ve been missing one of the greatest gifts of the homeschool lifestyle. Sure, we’re all thankful for the gifts of homeschool, but have we somehow lost our appreciation for the privilege of homeschooling? Maybe so. Listen or read more at https://tablelifeblog.com/privilege-of-homeschooling/

I’m not going to lie. Having multiple people in the room all at once is often the hardest part of homeschooling. Harder than choosing curriculum. Harder than keeping up with the laundry. Harder than teaching math. (I know, right?) Not only are you dealing with personalities and relationships but also with multiple levels and multiple subjects. And it never fails that everyone seems to need you all the time and all at once. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/juggling-multiple-kids/

I asked a question in my It’s Not that Hard to Homeschool K-8 Facebook group recently: “Do you feel like a success as a homeschool mom? Why or why not?” As you can imagine, there was a wide range of answers — but more “no’s” than I expected. But as I think about it, it makes sense to me that we don’t feel confident that we’re doing a good job. I think we’ve got an idea stuck in our heads about what makes a “successful” homeschool — and it’s the WRONG idea. Listen or read more at https://www.annieandeverything.com/homeschool-mom-failure/

John and I have a combined 30 years of homeschooling experience, and more like 40+ years if you count each of our children’s education separately! Some of that is our own experience as homeschooled students, and some comes from our perspective as homeschooling parents. We are a team, but we definitely have our own perspectives on homeschooling, both the big picture and the day to day reality. What if you could ask us a series of questions about homeschooling to see the similarities and differences between Dad’s and Mom’s perspective? We’ve taken on that challenge in this post! Listen or read more at https://humilityanddoxology.wordpress.com/2018/07/09/dad-mom-perspectives-homeschooling/

If you’ve got struggling or reluctant readers, this one is for you. I hope this post inspires you take a break from your everyday reading instruction and read the world around you. Don’t worry! Learning will move forward. You just have to think outside the book. Teaching a child to read is an amazing experience. I’ve been lucky enough to work with over 100 children learning to read in my career teaching first and second grade. Each child was different, and each one prepared me to teach my own son. Listen or read more at https://thehomeschoolresourceroom.com/2017/06/18/think-outside-the-book-10-other-ways-to-get-your-child-reading/

This is part four in my series on memory work. Find the other parts here: Help Your Kids Memorize Anything Recite, Recite, Recite Sing Me A Song Up to this point we have largely focused on the auditory elements of memory work. This is mainly because learning memory work is largely an auditory skill. This is not to say, though, that there are not some helps to offer kids who have a visual learning preference. There are a few things you can do to add visuals to the memory work to help those kids along. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/visual-learners/

“Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you.” “I might as well be talking to a brick wall!” “In one ear and out the other.” Clearly, kids who don’t listen is a thing. We have tons of cultural idioms about not listening, and they’re often used to describe children. Some of this probably comes from a combination of immaturity and the fact that they are still developing habits like attention. But in my own family, I notice it’s something I do that actually teaches my children not to listen. Listen or read more at https://mylittlerobins.com/2018/01/if-you-want-your-kids-to-listen-stop-repeating-yourself/

I do not think it necessary to expound on why we want to avoid overwhelm in our homeschools. Overwhelm equals stress, chaos, and uncertainty, none of which complement a healthy lifestyle. Overwhelm can be a rather quiet beast, creeping in gradually until one day you just CAN’T. I find keeping overwhelm at bay starts with intention. We first need to believe it is important and recognize that it will take life-long effort. In our homeschools, our children are constantly growing and changing, and so we must adapt. Avoiding overwhelm on a practical level may look completely different from one year to the next. The important thing is that you have go-to tools to help you avoid it, and if it hits, pull life back into balance. Listen or read more at https://www.jumpintogenius.com/avoiding-overwhelm-from-the-inside-out/

For some kids all it takes is to hear something set to song just a few times, and it becomes embedded in their memory. Olivia is a kid like that. I think she can learn just about anything if we set it to a tune. So using songs for memory work is something we do all the time. Many times there are already songs written for a topic we want to memorize. We use songs from Classical Conversations even though we are not in a community. The skip counting songs, timeline song, and Latin chants are all available on their CDs and are superb. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/songs-for-memory-work/

Is sibling conflict a problem in your home? Maybe you think that question is just a joke. Maybe you think it's a nice way to begin a post by making everyone feel normal and right at home because DUH! of course sibling conflict is a problem. In everyone's home. Always. But it may not be for the reason you're thinking. Listen or read more at https://hswotrainingwheels.com/sibling-conflict-problem/

It must be kind of hard to be J.K. Rowling. I had that thought the other night as I tucked into the first in her crime series, which she wrote under a pseudonym. I think if I were her I would do everything under a pseudonym.* I’d grocery shop under a pen name. Because she has already kind of done The Most Amazing Thing … Can you imagine that pressure? It must be crushing sometimes. Listen or read more at http://www.karasanderson.com/youre-not-homeschooling-for-likes/

Be proactive, not reactive. You know you are going to have good days and bad days. We’ve been talking the past couple of weeks about how we might be the ones sabotaging our homeschools. We also discussed the importance of having our attitudes ordered rightly because someone might be watching. But what does this look like in the day to day of our home? We have meals to cook, errands, appointments, and a house to clean. And then there are the unexpected problems that come up in our week. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/proactive-homeschooling/

You’ve met her. Maybe you’ve been her. Maybe you are her. Some homeschool moms might scare you. Some homeschool moms scare their children. But I think we’ve all experienced another kind of scary homeschool mom: the one who scares herself. Are you scary? Who do you scare? Is it always wrong to be scary? If our fears are pointing us toward our weaknesses, and we then reinforce those areas, we can become scary in all the right ways: Scary not to our children or to ourselves, but to the world, the flesh, and the devil. Listen or read more at https://www.simplyconvivial.com/2016/scary/

This is the second post in the series: Help Your Kids Memorize Anything. You can see part one here. No doubt, the heart of any memory method is recitation. By saying the words over and over again, the language patterns, information and the very essence of words become ingrained into our being. Often when we read, especially as better readers, we skip over words or read by phrase instead of word for word. It is this reason that simply reading something to memorize it is not enough. The better way is to say it out loud — or recite it. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/recite-recite-recite-help-kids-memorize-anything/

Guilt is a universal feeling though it rears its ugly head in different ways, using different strategies for each person. We must all learn to tackle this beast in our own way and find the strategies that work for us. I have been working hard to be reasonable, rational, and really honest with myself as I attack the ridiculous guilt that creeps up on me. Yes. Ridiculous. Some guilt is just plain ridiculous. Listen or read more at http://www.notbefore7.com/2017/06/21/mom-guilt-over-it/

It’s no good looking all calm and serene in the face of criticism if you then go home and collapse into a snivelling heap, all confidence destroyed, convinced you’re setting your children up for a lifetime of failure. Here’s how to build your homeschooling confidence so criticism enters one ear and sails straight out the other, never thought of again. Except for a giggle with your homeschooling friends about the ridiculous things people say to you, of course. Listen or read more at https://fearlesshomeschool.com/confident-homeschooling-criticism/

Memory work is a big part of what we do around here. And while for some people, memory work would suggest feelings of drudgery and drill and kill, the reality couldn’t be farther from that. We love our memory work and have fun with it. The kids get great satisfaction in learning a new poem or a series of math facts. These “hooks” become saved in their brain to be excitedly called forth during the liturgy at church, at a science museum or demonstration, or during story time at the library. We memorize because of those feelings of satisfaction and to create those hooks of information. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/help-kids-memorize-anything/

I’ve found myself listening to opinions about home education, advocating it, and answering homeschool questions in some of the most unexpected places and times since we began homeschooling in 2009. From family and friends to acquaintances to complete strangers, people have plenty of concerns and questions about homeschooling.  Some of those questions come so frequently that it feels like deja vu and some come so frequently that I’ve developed canned answers.  Shameful, I know!   Here are my 5 most-asked homeschool questions and how I answer them. Listen or read more at https://tablelifeblog.com/homeschool-questions/

Struggling to squeeze all of your children’s math lessons into your homeschool day? Here’s 6 ways to streamline your math teaching so that you can fit multiple grade levels into your schedule! I recently received an email from Tiffany, who was debating whether to continue using Singapore Math. Along with some other issues, she wrote: “I’m finding it difficult to fit 3 separate Singapore math lessons in each day.” Whether you use Singapore Math or not, and whether you have two, three, or five kids (or more!), I bet you’re nodding your head in agreement. Math eats up a lot of time in homeschool schedules. Listen or read more at http://kateshomeschoolmath.com/how-to-teach-multiple-grade-levels-in-math/

Laura wanted to do this homeschool thing just right. She had struggled in the past, but this year was going to be different. Her homeschool planning was going to be perfect. So she started by buying a fresh, new homeschool planner. You know the kind. It had months of lesson plan grids that started in August and went all the way through the following summer. Laura began the year feeling compelled to write things in every box. Successful homeschoolers have a plan, and she wanted to be a successful homeschooler. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/homeschool-planning-not-guessing/

The oldest just graduated from high school. For the last year, while preparing for him to leave the nest and live on his own, my husband and I began to realize we may have failed him when it came to essential life skills he needed to survive. We spent 17 years educating him, providing for him, making sure he was well-rounded and knew how to play most sports. But, we failed him on some of the simplest of tasks that we took for granted.  Don’t fail your kids like we almost failed our son! Here are 10 life skills for teens who will soon have to navigate the world without their parents. Listen or read more at https://www.hidethechocolate.com/life-skills-for-teens/

History has been one of my favorite subjects since childhood.  Some of my best memories involve family read-alouds, historic road trips, and abundant field trips.  One summer our vacation involved traveling for 2 weeks to various Civil War battlefields, stopping at every single historic marker along the way.  When we got to one museum it had already closed for the night, so my mom knocked on the door until the caretaker came.  Mom being Mom, she got us in for an after-hours tour. Listen or read more at https://humilityanddoxology.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/textbook-free-history/

When Matt and I were first married, one of our ongoing fights was about counter space.  Matt took a practical approach.  Anything you use on a regular basis should stay on the counter top. In the bathroom, the toothpaste, deodorant, and shaving cream should be stored on the counter.  In the kitchen, the cutting board and toaster stay up top all the time.  In my view, spaces should be clear and free of clutter, save the cute color-coordinated themed containers we registered for and received as wedding gifts!  It may have seemed that we were fighting about counter space.  But we later came to realize, as many wiser people before us have put it, that "the issue is not the issue". Listen or read more at https://www.hswotrainingwheels.com/issues-not-issue/

I got an email this morning that almost made me break out into hives. It was from a popular homeschool planning company that was touting their ready-made homeschool plans. Now having done this homeschool mentor thing for a number of years I know that people really want plans that are already made — after all we sell ready-made Morning Time plans for just those folks (and I use them myself!!). Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/lists-for-homeschool/

Most days I feel like my brain is a sieve. Can anyone else relate? It is full, absolutely full to the brim, and I am hustling like crazy to plug all the little holes and keep everything from running out of it. Remember to pay the bills. Remember to make the dental appointment (I have a referral for my son to get a tooth pulled. It is dated 2-5-18 and that appointment is still not made.) Remember to give the dogs their heartworm medication. Switch the laundry before it sours. Stir the chili before it burns. Read to the kids before they grow up and leave forever. *sniff* So when I say that I take the time to sit and plan my out my homeschool year (yes, the entire year) in the summer, I am not saying that to brag or show my superior organizing skills. Yes, I admit to being a checklist mom, but honestly, I do this because it is the only thing that saves my sanity during the school year. Without a plan, school would simply not get done. And that’s not a good thing when homeschooling is how you educate your children. Read more or find links: https://pambarnhill.com/how-a-homeschool-mom-can-worry-less-and-do-more/

My kids piled out of the mini-van and chatted happily, heading in the door of the donut shop. It was hot — almost 100 degrees on this mid-July day. But it was the first day of school and that means donuts. This was not some spontaneous decision made in the moment, but instead, a planned (and beloved) tradition that makes the first day of school something we anticipate instead of dread. We always start school on a Wednesday. We always start with just a handful of subjects. We always start with a tidy school room. And we always get donuts. Why? Because we like it that way and also because mom is a checklist mom. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/checklist-homeschool-moms/

Last week I told you all about Laura and how her homeschool plan actually created more stress in her life than it did peace. It happens. A lot. This week I am back, as promised, to give you four important keys you can use to create a plan that doesn’t feel like a guess, but instead, a tool to help you homeschool strong for the entire year. This is how to get it done. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/four-keys-homeschool-plan/

Ah summer. Swimming pools, ice cream, and hours free to get bored do what you want. I loved summer because our days are more relaxed. I love a break from the structured school time and the feeling of needing to get a litany of school work accomplished each day. But if I am not careful our summers turn into a marathon of cartoons, video games, and YouTube (Does anyone else’s kids like to look up their current passion on YouTube and watch all the videos?) Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/summer_organization/

Not all Fridays are great. Sometimes they bring out Friday Mom. You know the kind of Fridays I mean. They should be fun. But they turn into stress. For example, on a recent Friday morning, we had one hour before we had to leave home for a field trip. Of course, you know what happened—chaos. Listen or read more at https://www.sonlight.com/blog/four-day-homeschool-week.html

Laundry sits in piles upstairs. There are two loads waiting to be folded and two are sitting in the washer and dryer. Campfire scented top sheets are tossed haphazardly on the floor so I don’t forget to wash them next. None of these piles include my own laundry which is overflowing in a basket down the hall. I have only tackled the towels and the boys’ clothing so far and I can’t seem to even finish that task. Listen or read more at http://www.notbefore7.com/2017/09/24/things-wont-work/

Isn’t it interesting that a homeschool parent’s qualifications or lack thereof can cause objections to homeschooling? For whatever reason, there’s this notion that only those with a background in education are truly capable of teaching and training children and teenagers. Here’s the thing, I am that homeschool mom without an education degree. I am that parent in question and I want to shout it loud that it can be done and done well. Listen or read more at https://tablelifeblog.com/homeschool-without-degree/

I always feel pulled in two different directions in February. One on hand, the Fun Mom in me wants to live large. She wants to shake up the daily routine, toss out the boring old schoolbooks, and spend February setting the kids’ enthusiasm afire with fascinating hands-on projects from Pinterest. But on the other hand, the Responsible Mom in me would really like to get the math book done by the end of May. (And she’s not so sure she can pull off that watermelon clipper ship.) Fortunately, you can be the Fun Mom and still make progress in the math book with these eight ways to shake up your math routine. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/8-ways-make-math-fun/

Ask any veteran homeschool mom whose kids have already graduated from high school, and she will reassure you: She had the same fears you have now. She realizes now how pointless most of those fears were. What a difference 10-15 years of hindsight makes! But you don't have to wait that long. Let's look right now at ten of the biggest and most common homeschool fears so you can face—and more importantly, conquer—them. Listen or read more at https://www.bookshark.com/blog/homeschool-fears/

I hear it all the time. We’re having self-editing issues. For some reason, my children believe they are perfect writers! They can never find any spelling or grammar mistakes. Surprise, surprise! Most children simply don’t get the whole editing thing. They like what they wrote and can’t understand why you want them to—gasp!—look for ways to improve it. Listen or read more at https://writeshop.com/why-self-editing-is-hard-make-it-easier/

Do you ever have bad attitudes in your homeschool? I love homeschooling and my children usually do, too. But, sometimes the homeschooling attitudes in our house just stink. Have you ever wanted to wring the necks of grumpy kids who whine about every single task set before them. Or dole out about a hundred chores every time you run up against obstinate behavior?  Me, too. Listen or read more at https://ourjourneywestward.com/bad-attitudes-in-your-homeschool/

In my earliest days of homeschooling, I had ideas about what our homeschool would actually look like. You know what I mean… right? And then we actually started homeschooling. And it just never looked quite like that initial vision. Listen or read more at https://readaloudrevival.com/jbwc/

About five years ago the days in our homeschool were simply learning math facts, phonics, and letter formation. Yawn. Sure we read a picture book or two, but I had a two-year-old who sapped all the energy I used to have for putting together elaborate unit studies. In addition my kids had informed me in no uncertain terms that they wanted nothing to do with making another lapbook thank.you.very.much. Listen or read more at https://ihomeschoolnetwork.com/homeschool-morning-time-2/

I am not a morning person. My kids are not morning people. Unfortunately, my husband IS a morning person. This became very apparent when we all went on a week-long homeschool field trip. My husband would wake early, run to the gym, and return to the hotel very chipper — and talkative (ugg!). Listen or read more at https://www.hidethechocolate.com/homeschool-morning-meeting/

Long before I was asked to speak at the Great Homeschool Conventions I was an attendee. In fact, convention time each year made me rather giddy. I almost always went with friends. We would make a road trip and a weekend of it. I would plot my speaker schedule like a general manages an attack, walk every single aisle of the vendor hall just to make sure I didn’t miss anything, and I still have my rolling cart which held everything from water bottles to emergency snacks. And I just learned so much and felt renewed and refreshed every single year. This year I imagine my experience at the convention will be much more, um, nerve-wracking to say the least, but I cannot wait to meet all of you there. In order to make the most of your convention experience I have made a little Plan Your Year Convention Planning Pack that you can get here for FREE. It contains the forms you need to plan your best convention experience. Read more and find the free handouts at https://pambarnhill.com/homeschool-convention-planning/

When my daughter was two years old she had the cutest habit of picking up her toy cell phone, holding it to her ear, and making a noise somewhere between a growl and disgusted sigh. “Look,” we would laugh. “Where did she learn that?” Until one day I was driving down a stretch of rural highway we often traveled and my phone dropped a call yet again. The noise of disgust was barely out of my mouth when I realized exactly where Olivia picked up that little habit. Whoops. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/homeschool-mistake/

“Everyone was up late and needs just a quiet day.” “We’ve been working so hard, a day off is just what we need. “ “We missed lessons yesterday, I’m not motivated today." Do any of these sound familiar to you? They used to be all-too-familiar to me. Not only that, some of them are still tempting from time to time. But now I know a truth: schooling consistency breeds consistency. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/benefits-homeschool-consistency/

The morning light was thin, blue, and cold. It was cozy under my blanket though as I sipped my coffee. I had an edifying book in my lap — who am I kidding — I was scrolling Facebook on my phone. One kid was asleep, two were upstairs watching “educational” cartoons, and frankly, I was in no hurry to start my school day. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/sabotage-your-homeschool/

I have been a somewhat lonely homeschooler for the past several years. It began when we chose to homeschool high school — and most of our homeschooling friends did not. True story: out of the 20-30 families we knew who homeschooled back when our children were in the early elementary grades, I can think of only a handful of them that continued homeschooling through the high school years. I confess that this bothers me.  

There’s a common adage that says if you lose your why, you lose your way. In other words, if you forget why you’re doing what you’re doing, you’re not going to get very far. You’ll be easily sidetracked by distractions, discouragement, and disappointments. If you don’t have a firm grasp on your reason for following your chosen path, you can get derailed. This is part of why I believe in purposeful living, which includes purposeful homeschooling.   Listen or read more at https://embracingdestinyblog.com/2017/05/our-purposeful-homeschool.html

Being a mom is tough work. Being a homeschool mom is crazy tough work! Whether you are a newbie or a seasoned homeschool mom, these 25 practical tips and words of encouragement will keep you trekking along in your homeschooling journey with your chin up! Listen or read more at http://rulethisroost.com/25-ways-to-rule-your-homeschool/

Did you recently meet a homeschooler for the first time? Did a friend or family member just shock you by announcing they will be homeschooling their children? Are you concerned but don’t know just what to say? Look, I get it. When we decided to homeschool I knew exactly one homeschool family. It’s different. It’s weird. You don’t quite understand it. I mean, why would anyone want to do this? It seems so… hard. But what do you say? Listen or read more at https://thehomeschoolresourceroom.com/2017/08/13/what-to-say-and-what-not-to-say-when-you-meet-a-homeschool-mom/

I think my family has entered the golden age of Morning Time. My three kids range in age from 6 to 10. We have no toddlers to disrupt us (though don’t be fooled in thinking things are too quiet) and we have no teens who need to rush away to complete a list of requirements to earn credits. It is just us, together, learning to love beauty. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/morning-time-all-ages/

Somehow over the years I have become the pie cook for our family holiday gatherings.   I would like to think it is because I make the best pies. More likely it is because my mom thinks there are always other deserts around if I happen to ruin the pies. If I ruined the cornbread dressing? Well that's another story, isn't it?   My secret to perfect pie crust? I buy it from the little doughboy in the freezer section -- two frozen 9" deep dish at a time.   What I have come to learn from years of making pies is that scratch is not always better. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/when-making-it-from-scratch-isnt-good-enough

Repetitio mater memoriae. This Latin motto, which apparently is used within the Latin classroom primarily and not embraced as a defining motto like the others so far, means Repetition is the mother of memory. This is supposed to spur you on to chant those declensions, but I think the truth contained therein should spur us on in much more than language acquisition. Listen or read more at https://www.simplyconvivial.com/2014/education-is-for-life-repetitio-mater-memoriae-or-repetition/

Out of control. Disorganized. Fly by the seat of my pants. Does the start of the school year always feel this way? I don’t think it does. I am pretty sure that our past school years have followed the plan a bit more closely. But I can’t be sure. What I am sure of is that the kick-off for this 2016 school year was far from a touchdown. It feels more like life intercepted the ball and ran the other way with it and I am watching the ball leave my side of the field without a plan to get it back. Read or listen to the rest at http://www.notbefore7.com/2016/10/19/love-year-youre-with/

As the holidays descend upon us, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the tasks that fill your to-do lists each day. You might question whether it’s all worth it in the end, but rest assured that the extra work surrounding this time of year really does pay off, since these traditions have an extremely positive impact on a preschooler’s life. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/blessings-holiday-traditions-preschoolers/

Recently we had a great time by having friends over for our very first picture book Christmas cookie exchange. We had a few good friends over on a balmy December afternoon to share some of our favorite picture books and picture-book inspired cookies. This party was so easy to plan and hold. All we did was invite a few friends over and ask them to bring their favorite Christmas picture book, plus a treat inspired by that book. That was it. We didn’t need any other food, drink, and with it being Christmas the decorations took care of themselves. Read or listen to the rest here: https://pambarnhill.com/christmas-picture-book-cookie-exchange/

If you’ve been around the Homeschooling With Dyslexia web site or Facebook page for long, you know how I love to learn about learning. Since I learn completely differently than 7 of the 8 kids that I homeschool, you could say it is a bit of a necessity. Good thing I have learned to enjoy it! Listen or read more at https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/motivate-kids-growth-mindset/

With each new school year that rolls around, I always seem find a renewed energy and vision for homeschooling. Rather than wait until Thanksgiving or when the blahs of winter kick in (when it seems to make sense to write a post about why I’m thankful for homeschooling), I thought I’d harness this joyful beginning-of-the-school-year energy to list all those reasons now. Listen or read more at https://ourjourneywestward.com/10-reasons-im-thankful-for-homeschooling/

Homeschooling preschool doesn't have to be complicated. It took me at least one child to figure that out, but once I did we enjoyed our preschool days so much more. Have a listen!

I will freely admit that our children have missed out on some things because we homeschool high school. There is no doubt that there are experiences that the public school provides that we just cannot replicate in our home. Some people even quit homeschooling at this level, because they don’t want their children to miss out on anything. Listen or read more at https://www.annieandeverything.com/homeschool-high-school-missed-opportunities/

Let’s say you are convinced that reading aloud to your children is the best thing you can do for them. You line up your reading selections, you plan your morning time, you are prepared to overcome the obstacles of wiggly bodies and wandering minds. You say that this is exactly the boost your homeschool needs. The first day comes, and you eagerly dive in. But then you find yourself stumbling over the words. You run into words you can’t even pronounce, let alone understand. After a short time, your voice becomes strained and tired. Hmm… this isn’t as much fun as you thought it would be. Maybe it just won’t work for you. Read the rest or listen at https://pambarnhill.com/how-moms-benefit-from-read-alouds/

When my family started doing Morning Time my kids were little and it wasn’t quite the homeschool buzz word it is now. There was very little Morning Time pressure in those days — we just liked learning together. Now, it seems that everywhere you turn people are talking about all the riches they are doing in Morning Time. Which is great — except when it starts to stress people out. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/successful-morning-time/

I’m about to tell you my dirty secret. I’ve kept swallowing this one back down for the past year. Sometimes (more often than not?) I don’t enjoy homeschooling. There. It’s out. Listen or read more at http://smarttereachday.com/find-homeschooling-joy/

As a teacher, I’ve noticed one factor that consistently holds students back in the classroom: fear of failure. When my students are afraid to fail, they typically respond to challenges in one of two ways. Listen or read more at https://biglifejournal.com/blogs/blog/help-your-child-overcome-fear-of-failure

It almost seems incongruous. Morning Time, the bastion of great literature, beautiful music, truth, goodness, beauty… and high-tech gadgets? But, oh mama, it is true. There are ways moving into the 21st century can enhance the Morning Time habit you are building in your family. Here are three ways some easy Amazon purchases can make your Morning Time better. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/technology-morning-time/

As homeschoolers, we all know the value of teaching our kids how to become independent learners. We work hard to pass the mantle of teacher from ourselves to our students. And we thrill as we see them picking up this mantle and running with it. They are checking items off their lists, reading books, doing research, and filling their minds with lots of amazing information about science, history, geography, and more. Or are they? What if your independent learners aren’t learning at all? What if they’re breezing through their work in order to get to free time? What if they’re skimming through the books? What if they’re killing time and not really learning what they say they are? Listen or read the rest at https://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/independent-learners-accountable/

Does the word schedule make you break out in hives? Do you picture yourself harried and deflated at the end of a day on a schedule? Maybe for you, like me, that’s a vivid memory, not a theoretical picture. There’s a lot of visceral reaction against schedules in the homeschool world, and I totally get why. I mean, can I schedule diaper blowouts and my doorbell ringing and the toddler pulling an open bag of powdered sugar onto herself? Where does that go in the schedule? Listen or read more at https://www.simplyconvivial.com/2017/sc034

When she was six, my daughter told me she didn’t want to learn to read because then I might stop reading to her. Nothing could be further from the truth, but then six-year-olds aren’t known for their logic, are they? Lucky for her it wasn’t too long after that I stumbled upon Andrew Pudewa’s talk, Nurturing Competent Communicators. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/read-aloud-mistake/

Homeschooling parents love literature lists. love. love. love. Quality literature is an important part of our homeschools. Historical fiction. Classics. Biographies. Non-fiction. The list goes on. and on. and on. Till we finally narrow down the titles we will attack for the school year. Listen or read more at http://www.notbefore7.com/2016/08/23/innovative-homeschooling-lets-talk-literature/

Homeschooling a middle school kid? We are and, I'll be honest, it's been a bit of a roller coaster. This letter I'm writing is really to myself - reminding me that these years are just as precious and probably even more important than our early homeschooling years. Listen or read more at https://happyhomeschoolnest.com/blog/mom-with-the-middle-schooler

Dear Self, I am here today with some tough love. Because I do love you, and I know this homeschooling your kids thing is important to you. And yet, you struggle with homeschooling consistently. Often. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/homeschool-consistency/

There’s this false dichotomy that pops up in the homeschool world. “You shouldn’t have a schedule, you should have a routine.” It sounds all well and good, a wonderful idea for folks who have an established routine or are not easily distracted. Not so for many of us. Not so for me. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/why-i-need-a-scheduled-routine/

* Contains Christian content “My child will never have a job where he needs to know algebra. We’re just teaching consumer math and being done with it.” “I know God isn’t preparing my child for college, so I don’t plan to worry too much about high school requirements.” “As long as my kids know the Lord, the rest of it doesn’t really matter.” “Neither my high school children or I are interested in history. I think we’re just going to do a quick lapbook (*written for elementary students) and count it as a credit.” “My kids give me so much grief about science that I’ve decided to stop teaching it for now. It’s just too hard to fight them.” “I know I need to get more serious about school, but ball practice two mornings a week, ball games at least one or two nights a week and co-op classes on Monday afternoons are really messing up my schedule. We’re trying to fit school in, but we’re so behind.” “God will fill in the gaps.” Above are actual comments I have heard within the last four months. They concern me. Read the rest here: https://ourjourneywestward.com/homeschooling-seriously/

I know there are some moms out there whose character voices during read-aloud time rival the work of Oscar-winning actors. I am not one of those moms. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/better-read-aloud/

It seems like everyone you meet is obsessed with STEM or STEAM-focused activities nowadays. Should you worry about this with your preschooler? There is certainly no need to jump right into formal schooling with a little one, but it never hurts to start incorporating mathematical learning into your everyday fun. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/everyday-preschool-math/

If you are like I was when we had our first struggling reader some 17 years ago, and know nothing about the phenomenon called dyslexia, you may be wondering, as I did, how to know if someone you know is dyslexic or not. It is no great mystery. There are quite a few signs of dyslexia that are easy to observe. Listen or read more at https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/dyslexia-signs-dyslexia/

I have never been very flexible — physically or otherwise. I have always envied those people able to do splits (never done one) or be laissez faire about missing deadlines (never missed one in my yearbook adviser days). Then I became a homeschool mom. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/flexible-homeschool-plan/

Homeschooling is hard work. Juggling the daily homeschool schedule with managing the kids, the daily chores, the meal planning, and a few minutes for yourself (most likely hiding in the bathroom with a piece of chocolate) doesn’t leave much time for other pursuits. Part of the problem? Your homeschool schedule. Listen or read more at https://happyhomeschoolnest.com/blog/homeschool-schedule-mistakes

I recently heard from a mom who was concerned that if she homeschooled her son, she would be judged by other parents for it and that her son would likely be labeled as quirky. I hated to break it to her… but she was right. Even though homeschooling is on the rise across the country, it is still not the cultural norm. If we homeschool our sons they WILL be different than if we send them to school. Listen or read more at https://www.homeschool-your-boys.com/different-if-we-homeschool/

Chaos is not my thing. Not that anyone really likes it, but some most folks roll with the punches better than I do. The kids are yelling. The dog is tracking mud through the kitchen while he yips incessantly at said children. A pot is boiling over on the stove. And in the midst of this I am supposed to be teaching reading, or math, or the kings and queens of England. I struggle. Oh, I really do. You too? Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/homeschool-procedures/

“I don’t know how you do it. I know I never could.” The common response when people ask where my kids go to school and I respond with “home.” To which I mutter something back about how it’s not as hard as you might think and we’ve never really known anything different…it’s just what we do. But I get what they mean. When you’re peeking into somebody else’s life that is so very different than your own, our common response is, I have no idea how they do it. Listen or read more at http://www.aliciahutchinson.com/2016/03/balance-homeschooling-how-we-try-to-do/

Often the question comes up. Do you school year round or do you take a summer break? It’s a legitimate question that has different answers and reasons depending on who you ask. We school year round, but we don’t keep a regular schedule during the summer. We have a more relaxed Year Round Homeschool Summer Schedule. Listen or read more at http://hidethechocolate.com/year-round-homeschool-summer-schedule/

The other day, a friend asked me for help with a problem she’d been having in getting her toddler to sit still whenever she read to him. She knows my daughter loves books as much as my husband and I do, and since I taught first and second graders to read during my years as an elementary school teacher, she figured I’d have a few helpful tips to pass along. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/reading-with-toddlers-and-preschoolers/

When I found out about homeschooling, I was shocked. Then I watched and thought and was intrigued. Then I decided that it was what I wanted to do. Then I fell in love with and married a man who was all for homeschooling our future family. Then we had a baby (and two more). I started to study. I read all kinds of books on homeschooling and educational philosophy. I spent hours and hours reading and participating on the Well-Trained Mind Forums. I read lots of blogs - well that wasn't new. Listen or read more at http://ladydusk.blogspot.com/2016/05/so-you-think-you-want-to-homeschool.html

Let’s talk about independence. Some homeschoolers want more of it like it’s the Holy Grail of home education. Others counter with the criticism that homeschooling is not meant to be a solitary activity. So, which is it? Let’s explore some ideas in The Myth of Independence. Listen or read more at http://blogshewrote.org/2015/10/08/the-myth-of-independence/

The perfect homeschool plan is not elusive. In fact it is easy to create the perfect plan for your family if you begin by considering the needs of your family, considering your limitations as a homeschool teacher, and avoiding common pitfalls. Planning means following a series of prescribed steps that will ensure that you have a plan that is going to work. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/ten-steps-perfect-homeschool-plan/

When someone asks about my favorite homeschooling resources, I give the usual list - white board, dry erase markers, lots of notebooks, and a library card. I could share that list of resources today but I think I'd rather take a look at a few different things that you'll need for homeschooling that you can't buy at WalMart or Amazon. These are my homeschooling essentials.   Listen or read more at https://happyhomeschoolnest.com/blog/homeschooling-essentials

Do you have a perfectionist child? One that is unsatisfied with pretty much anything they accomplish? Sometimes even when they’ve done a good job? It’s sad to watch our kids missing out on the joy of creating art or music, playing sports or other competitive activities that could bring them such a sense of accomplishment. Listen or read more at https://homeschoolingwithdyslexia.com/helping-the-perfectionist-child/

Sometimes I tend to over-complicate things. Why do one math curriculum when you can do two? The best curriculum is the one with the most pieces, right? Since I’m a homeschool teacher I need a fancy lesson plan book, don’t I? Not so fast there homeschool supermom. Before you get mired down in the idea of a complicated homeschool lesson planner, consider the purpose of teacher lesson plans. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/homeschool-lesson-planner/

When you were in school, did you ever play around all semester before attempting to cram all the information into your head the night before a test? I did! To be honest, it never worked. Listen or read more http://classicallyhomeschooling.com/diligence/

One topic I receive a lot of questions about is starting a book club for kids. And while a lot of information about my book clubs can be found on this blog and my YouTube channel, I thought I’d answer some of your most common questions. Listen or read more at http://www.notbefore7.com/2016/08/11/creating-a-book-club-for-kids/

We went through a long, dry spell where we did not go to the library at all. I had a two-year-old, four-year-old, and six-year-old and frankly it was just not enjoyable to do. I couldn't look for books, the kids were distracted by everything shiny the library had to offer (everything that was NOT a book), they wanted to run down the stacks and NOT be quiet. It was a long, dry spell, and I suffered no small amount of guilt for it. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/library-trips-with-kids/

There was a stack of books sitting next to me on the driveway. We had just finished reading Aesop’s Fables and I told the girls to go play for ten minutes. I set the timer and got up to stretch as well. This was the routine for most of our school days for the first three years of our homeschooling. We completed two lessons (a reading and an activity), then took a 10-minute break for them to run and play. Even when my oldest was in third grade, we reverted back to this schedule on days she found it difficult to focus or if we took our lessons to the park. Listen or read more at https://www.triumphantlearning.com/movement-improve-focus/

Did you know March is National Reading Month? Because living books are so very good, every month is all about reading in our house! But in honor of this annual celebration of reading, I thought I’d take some time to share some of my best tips for raising readers. Listen or read more at https://ourjourneywestward.com/11-tips-for-raising-readers/

Three years ago my husband was deployed with the Alabama National Guard. Since we are a Guard family, we know that it can always happen, but this one took us a little by surprise. He was tagged to go with a unit that was not his own and therefore two years earlier than what we had expected. It’s tough when you think you have two extra years to get your stuff together… and then suddenly you don’t. Can I get a hooah? Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/planning-pitfalls/

One of my kids’ favorite subjects over the years has been – hands down – geography. Although they are all avid readers, there’s something about the hands-on and multi-sensory approaches and applications to “real life” of this subject. There are a myriad of ways to teach it, and an equal amount of fun, interesting and practical ways to apply it. I realize, however, that not all kids feel the same way. So if you have kiddos who may be asking “Why do we have to study geography?” or “How on earth (no pun intended!) will I be using geography when I grow up?”, here are some practical ways to teach the subject. Actually, with some of these approaches, unless you tell them, they won’t even realize they are learning geography! Read or listen to the rest at http://patandcandy.com/bring-geography-to-life/

Do you do what I do? Lament about your imperfect homeschool, while comparing yourself to others you know? Their homeschool looks perfect. Listen or read more at http://www.raisinglifelonglearners.com/the-imperfect-homeschool/

Ahem. I know I can’t be the only mom who has ever said, “If you can’t learn this from mama, then you are just going to have to go to school to learn it.” Please tell me I am not. It’s possible I have even said it more than once. Homeschooling is tough. It’s not for wimps or sissies, but requires strong doses of prayer, faith, and Diet Coke. And February is the toughest month of all. Listen or read more at https://edsnapshots.com/beat-yellow-bus-blues-combat/

Do you have a child who began reading well at three or four years old? A child who reads far above grade level? A child who soaks in more books in a year than you’ve read in your entire life? Do you wonder what to do with all that advanced ability? Just how do you proceed with gifted early readers?? Here’s what I did. Listen or read more at https://ourjourneywestward.com/6-tips-teaching-early-readers/

I watched the other moms from the basketball team laugh about a joke I didn’t get. Something about the school counselor or someone who forgot to bring treats for the class party–again. It stings a little, being the outsider. We’re beings created to feel like we belong to a group of people. I love homeschooling, I’m not saying I want to give that up just to get the joke, but it’s worth noting that there are things people don’t tell you when you start homeschooling–the hard stuff no one wants to mention. Listen or read more at http://www.aliciahutchinson.com/2016/03/the-hardest-parts-of-homeschooling-that/

I had one of those stellar mommy moments a few weeks ago. You know the ones, right? Where you are just not at your best and your frustrations (with yourself and them) only escalates your behavior into something you would rather soon forget. Please tell me I am not the only one. Listen or read the rest at https://edsnapshots.com/dealing-with-the-homeschool-meltdown/

I am just so glad he didn’t sit on the line … All those years ago — the pre-school teacher would hold me after class: “Mrs. Anderson,” she’d say in a patient tone … (I was 29. I felt like I was the one in trouble.) “He just doesn’t want to sit on the line during story time.” During the drive home, my inner rebel would emerge. What 3 year old does, really? felt the questions bubble up. Followed by the ideas. And now I’m just so glad. Listen or read more at http://www.karasanderson.com/im-just-so-glad-he-didnt-sit-on-the-line/

Innovator is my word for this homeschool year. in·no·va·tor ˈinəˌvādər/ noun 1. a person who introduces new methods, ideas, or products. I am an educational innovator. I am on the cutting edge of bringing education into the 21st century. I am in the practice of creating new methods, ideas, and maybe even products. And I am not the only one. The power of educational innovation rests in the hands of every homeschool parent on this planet. Listen or read more at http://www.notbefore7.com/2016/08/05/unique-power-homeschool-mom-innovation/

It's the new year and if you are like most homeschool moms, then you are hashing out which New Year's resolutions you want to make. And while we are deciding to lose another ten pounds and keep our bathroom cabinets organized, another area we might consider resolving about is our homeschools. Unfortunately, so many resolutions are often forgotten by mid-January, lost in an overwhelming sea of good intentions and high-expectations. I know it has happened to me many times. I begin the year ready to start strong, with no fewer than fourteen new habits on Day 1, and then by January's end, I am exhausted and back where I started December 31. In an effort to avoid resolution burn-out, here are some tips I am going to try this year to make those resolutions work for me.   Listen or read the rest at https://edsnapshots.com/how-to-make-homeschool-resolutions-you-can-keep/

It’s that time of year. Time to get ready for Christmas. Homeschool moms are making angel costumes, dusting off the Baby Jesus and setting up the nativity. We are hanging our stockings, stirring up some egg nog, and singing “Joy to the World.” And like everyone else, we are making our Christmas list too. I, myself, have been both a bit naughty and a bit nice this year — after Homeschool moms are making angel costumes, dusting off the Baby Jesus and setting up the nativity. We are hanging our stockings, stirring up some egg nog, and singing “Joy to the World.” And like everyone else, we are making our Christmas list too. I, myself, have been both a bit naughty and a bit nice this year — after We are hanging our stockings, stirring up some egg nog, and singing “Joy to the World.” And like everyone else, we are making our Christmas list too. I, myself, have been both a bit naughty and a bit nice this year — after And like everyone else, we are making our Christmas list too. I, myself, have been both a bit naughty and a bit nice this year — after all I am a homeschool mom in need of grace. But I am making my list anyway with But I am making my list anyway with hope that St. Nicholas will soon be here. Here are a few things that are on it. I’m thinking they might be on yours as well. Listen or read the rest at: http://www.freehomeschooldeals.com/what-homeschool-moms-really-want-for-christmas/

Have you ever started off your day by watching a movie, turning on the television, mindlessly clicking around Facebook, or skimming your online news feed? It happens. Does it affect your mood? We’re fooling ourselves if we say it doesn’t. I know I am tempted – and often give in to the temptation – of checking my email and “catching up” online first thing in the morning. Even if I get up before the kids and take a walk and read my Bible, if I then open up the laptop and lose myself online while the kids are getting up and having their breakfast, it does not help my mindset. It does not help me get the day rolling. How we begin our days sets the tone for the whole day. What we put first communicates most to our kids and to ourselves, even unconsciously. Listen or read the rest at http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2016/homeschooling-consistently

Homeschooling. With a toddler. Need I say more? As homeschool families everywhere start back to school, there seems to be an echo across the Internet. “We had a great first day back, but the toddler …” The echoes are reverberating in my soul, and I haven’t even started back to school yet. Over the summer, we’ve kept a very loose routine because, as I am sure you know, when you’re a mom, there is no such thing as a day “off”. If you don’t provide some form of structure, you end up spending mom energy on household and relationship disasters instead. So we’ve kept our Bible time and some independent math and Latin practice. And even this amount of schedule has just about stretched my big kids + preschoolers + toddler mama-ringmaster capacity. If you search the Internet, you can find tons of fantastic posts about strategies for keeping toddlers busy while you homeschool. I really liked this one. And if your toddler is the kind who would just eat the busy bag, try this one. I’m not going to spend time on strategies for the toddlers. I want to talk about strategies for you. Listen or read more at http://www.hswotrainingwheels.com/psychology-homeschooling-toddler/

We have been doing poetry tea parties since the kids were really little. I stumbled on the concept from Charlotte Mason home educators like Julie Bogart and Elizabeth Foss well before my own kids were school-aged and fell in love with the ideas of pulling out the nice linens, finding a book of poems to read, and sharing time together over a treat in the afternoon. I know from your emails that tea parties are something people find intimidating, but really they don’t have to be. Here are a few of the tips we use to make them doable and easy. Listen or read the rest at http://edsnapshots.com/how-to-do-poetry-tea-party/

This week has been rough. Last week was off-kilter, too. We are in a season of change. Our homeschool is changing, our therapy schedules changed, and the boys are changing. And there’s been a coup. At least it feels that way. “Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream. Throw your teacher overboard . . . .” Yep. That’ a pretty good summation of what our house/homeschool has felt like. Anyone else had that kind of day/week/season? Here are a few tips for homeschooling when your kids try to throw you overboard. Read the rest or listen at http://www.laramolettiere.com/homeschool-kids-try-throw-overboard/

I have totally given up on the idea that learning must be made fun for the student. It was an idea that ruled the first two years of our homeschooling and quite frankly, I'm a little bitter about it now. I feel like in many ways I have short-changed my children and their abilities, because I did not throw the idea over long ago. Fortunately, childhood is forgiving and our recovery is going well. The reality is, much of learning, especially in skills subjects like reading, writing, and math is just plain hard work. I am a firm believer in making sure the work we do is developmentally appropriate even if it is not on the same timeline as the schools around us. I am also a proponent of giving a child the time they need to master something. Listen or read the rest at https://edsnapshots.com/fun-vs-joy/

Have you ever had one of these days… There are just some days you want to join the fussy crowd. You wake up and are feeling confident about the day. Then you walk past your child’s room and say, “Good morning!” The response you receive is less than enthusiastic and you think, maybe she will cheer up before breakfast. She just needs to wake up. Then you sit down to eat. She’s not in a bad mood. She’s not even upset or angry. She’s just rather blah. The other daughter wakes up in a good mood, snuggles with you for awhile, and is pleasant and cheerful through breakfast. But later in the morning when she is supposed to be practicing her piano lesson she begins by BANGING on the keys in frustration. Your first response is to feel despondent—“Great! Another one of THOSE days.”—and join the grumpy crowd. Listen or read the rest at http://www.triumphantlearning.com/reacting-or-controlling-the-atmosphere-of-your-home/

Homeschooling is such a blessing for our family – I really believe it has created a family bond that we would not have had if we’d chosen another educational route for our daughter. But, that doesn’t mean it isn’t difficult! One of the biggest issues I’ve found is learning just how hard it is to keep up with all the housekeeping chores while we’re homeschooling. Over the years, we’ve discovered a few tips and tricks that help us keep up with those daily housekeeping chores. Read more or listen to the rest at http://thesunnypatch.ca/tips-balancing-homeschooling-housekeeping/

Is this your first week of homeschooling for the year? It is for me. I always start our new homeschool year the week of my youngest child’s birthday because I really enjoy adding that kind of stress to the first week of school. Whether the stress in your homeschool week is normal life stuff, like birthdays or long to-do lists, or abnormal life stuff, like surprises and emergencies, the fact remains that homeschooling isn’t always easy. It just isn’t. This is because homeschooling is just like anything else: it’s work, and you have to actually Do It. Read or listen to the rest at http://afterthoughtsblog.net/2015/08/homeschooling_do_the_work.html

There's a common misconception by many non-homeschoolers that what homeschoolers do all day is stay tucked inside their houses reading classical literature and practicing for the National Spelling Bee. This misconception feeds into the whole socialization myth that continues to plague every homeschool mom who ever lived. Typically the reality is much, much different than the perception for most homeschoolers I know. So we were in good company about late September when I realized that I had filled our schedule for the year with far more activities than I was comfortable squeezing into our week. And yet, I also found myself unable to give up some things due to commitment and totally unwilling to give up all the rest. Faced with a year of busyness and stress, I started to consciously consider how I might fool myself into thinking I am less busy than I actually am. Or in other words, what is the zen of busy and how can I squeeze it into my life. ;-) Listen or read the rest at https://edsnapshots.com/how-to-feel-less-busy-even-when-you

We recently had a pool party with a group of Emma’s homeschool co-op friends, and I’ve been told again that I’m a cool mom. I’m not a cool person. I’m kind of nerdy, actually. So how do I get this label? It’s not merely that I do these things (although they help): make a monster pan of homemade mac-n-cheese and two giant chocolate chip cookies for a pool party let the kids make a crazy fort in the sunroom with every available blanket, bean bag, and pillow take Emma and a friend to an Ed Sheeran concert and crowd in with the rest of the fans Being a cool mom is a much deeper issue than the money you spend, the time you sacrifice, and the quantities of chocolate and cheese that you buy. It’s a matter of the heart. Read the rest or listen here: http://jimmiescollage.com/2015/05/cool-mom/

Don’t show up to a culture war without a culture. — Professor Carol Reynolds The world is after the hearts of your children. No, I am not saying that to leave you shaking in fear. Don’t be afraid, mama, because you’ve got chocolate and Jesus and a plan. There is no need to fear. Instead I just want you to ponder that statement a while. Make no mistake that there is a culture war going on. The world has a myriad of distractions to pull our kids’ attention from the ideas that have shaped our culture. If we are not giving our children an education in that culture, then they will be ill-equipped to fight the war. We live in a world that delights in the crass over the beautiful, that encourages the easy choice over the good one, and rewards relativism over truth. But fighting a culture war is hard. Read more or listen at https://edsnapshots.com/win-the-culture-war/

Quitting homeschool, that is. And I thought I should tell you that. So often, we homeschoolers make this journey sound like its all roses, all the time. We have a tendency to talk up the benefits of homeschooling constantly. After all, there are many: improved academic opportunity, better socialization, increased family time, the ability to weave our values all throughout the curriculum…the list goes on (and on). We talk up homeschooling because we like to talk about it, but we also do it because we are constantly defending our choice to educate at home. At least I know I am. Read the rest or listen at http://amongstlovelythings.com/sometimes-i-feel-like-quitting/

What does homeschooling REALLY require? The current trend seems to be hybrid schools, box programs, online schools, or homeschool communities that claim to be the "answer" to a successful homeschool experience. Granted, all of these things can be great HELPS in homeschooling. I have, however, seen some claim to be all you would need to homeschool your children. I disagree. A successful homeschool lies within the homeschooling family. Never forget the HOME in homeschool. In this four part blog series we will delve into COMMITMENT, LOVE, CONSISTENCY, and COURAGE it takes to homeschool our children and homeschool them WELL. First and foremost, a successful homeschool requires COMMITMENT. Read more or listen at: http://www.homegrownlearners.com/home/homeschool-requires-commitment

“Love is the beginning and end of education, because love is the way we become more human.” — Stratford Caldecott, Beauty in the Word I’ve heard the advice, and I’m sure you have too. You should always start your day with math. Kids need to tackle difficult subjects while their brain is fresh. Kids need to get the hardest thing out of the way first. Kids need to eat that frog so they don’t procrastinate. Poppycosh. I am all about personal productivity and doing hard things first to get them out of the way, but let me let you in on a little secret: homeschooling has very little to do with personal productivity. Homeschooling is about relationships. Listen or read the rest at: https://edsnapshots.com/shouldnt-start-homeschool-day-math/

Have I mentioned lately how blessed we are to be a homeschool family? Sure, homeschooling takes work and there are sacrifices to be made. Let’s not forget that our home constantly looks lived in, but the gifts we receive in return are priceless. Today, we celebrate the gift of homeschool! Here are just a few reasons homeschooling is a gift to our family.   Listen or read more at http://tablelifeblog.com/2015/08/the-gift-of-homeschool.html

I used to dread kindergarten pick-up. My little guy would board the bus at 7:50 am.  He looked adorable climbing up those big steps with his oversized backpack and book in hand. The book was as oversized as his backpack. In kindergarten, he read big books: Percy Jackson, Harry Potter, The Hobbit. He didn’t notice that people noticed. I noticed that they noticed, but I was just so thankful he was content at send-off. Unfortunately, pick-up was another story. I’d get to the pick-up line at around 11:00. I’d spend the next fifteen minutes wondering how pick up would go. Would the teacher hand me a white slip today? Would she make a negative comment about his day? Above all, would there be tears in those big brown eyes? Listen or read the rest at: http://my-little-poppies.com/homeschool-regret/

Do you ever have one of those mornings? The kind where nobody wants to get moving (including you). Nobody has a good attitude. Nobody can bear the thought of one more day of long division. It happens more than I care to admit around here. Which is why I have a secret weapon for starting school days. No, it’s not coffee (ok, it is just a little bit). Instead it is Morning Time. Morning Time is a time when everyone in the family can come together for a period of family learning. Most families include some form of the “3Rs” in Morning Time — reading, ritual, and recitation — but no matter what they choose to do, the most important “R” is relationship. I’ve got ten reasons for you why Morning Time is the perfect addition to your homeschool. Listen or read the rest here: http://ihomeschoolnetwork.com/homeschool-morning-time/

Homeschooling has broken me, I think. I didn’t realize it until last week. That it has broken my brain. That it’s broken the way I think about everything. But I’ve never been more sure that I’m a homeschooler raising homeschoolers, and I’ve never felt stronger in my convictions. Like with so many things, I have Dave Grohl to thank. But let me take a step back … When my son was 6, he expressed an interest in learning piano. And like all parents, we immediately tried to figure out how to move a 1,000-lb piece of history into our living room as cheaply as possible. I put a thing on Facebook. My friend Jes responded. It took 4-grown men and a moving truck. Read the rest or listen here: http://bit.ly/2b8Otw0

It’s been quite the school year, there’s no question about that. We moved across the country, we hung out for five months with family, did school in their basement, house shopped on the weekend, then moved again to another state. There were many times this year that I questioned everything, but now, looking back, I realize that it’s all ok. Even in the craziest of school years, there’s been lessons learned. Kids will learn, no matter what. It’s like a train you can’t stop. We can’t stop–and we won’t stop. That’s right, they learn no matter what. When we moved to Minnesota at the beginning of April, school took an immediate halt. We didn’t do our regular school for a good three weeks. I started to worry about this, as I had only planned on taking a week off and I was feeling like we were slipping farther and farther behind. But some things happened that I didn’t see coming. They didn’t learn new math concepts or finish memorizing the prepositions, but they did learn other things. Read more at http://www.aliciahutchinson.com/2015/05/what-ive-learned-this-school-year/.

You know that awkward moment when your best friend asks you what you thought of her book? And you liked it, you really liked it, but the English teacher in you wants to ask, “Are you sure somebody didn’t help you with this?” Because it’s just that good. You talk to someone every single day — so much so that your husbands have their eye-rolling synchronized at your antics — and you just never really know what they are capable of do you? That was me last summer when Sarah released the first edition of Teaching from Rest. My feelings were a combination of proud and awestruck, and I wasn’t the least bit surprised when Classical Academic Press contacted her to publish the print version (though I may have squealed like I was). That print version is on the shelves, and I am supposed to be writing a review. But now I’ve totally blown my objectivity and can’t gush without you rolling your eyes, so instead I’m going to tell you a little-known secret about this book. Lean closer. Read the rest at https://edsnapshots.com/bringyourbasket/

When I was a kid my two favorite things to make where, drawings of the Rice Krispie characters and to create paper balls. When I say paper balls, I don’t mean that I just crumbled a piece of paper into a ball, that would be kind of lame, and not worth writing about. I mean that I soaked strips of paper in water, and carefully laid each piece over the last, forming a 3D paper ball. While I continued to enjoy art and creating, my confidence in my ability waned, as it does for most students starting at around 3rd grade. I began to believe that I couldn’t draw, and thus, I couldn’t draw. It’s funny how when we tell ourselves enough times that we can’t do something, eventually it becomes true. While in college, during my sophomore review, the nerve wracking time when you stand in front of a group of professors with your artwork, and they tell you if you’re good enough to continue with your major. One of the professors commented that my drawings were a bit “grungy and messy.” But she didn’t stop there, she continued, why don’t you pay attention to your style, and your voice as an artist, work to bring more of that into your work. That advice always stayed with me. Because in that moment I knew two things, one, I’d passed and didn’t have to change my major, and two I realized that I could have a voice as an artist, and I remembered that young girl that “invented” paper balls, and I went in search for her. Read more at http://theunstandardizedstandard.com/2016/06/15/art-and-art-history-curriculum-done-for-you/

The role of recitation and memorization has taken on a deeply personal role for me as a homeschool mom over the last several years. I first began to consider recitation while studying various homeschool methods as a new homeschool mom. I could see the value of memorization in education, but it didn’t feel like a good fit for my son. His memory was terrible. My daughter on the other hand remembered everything she heard or saw. I figured that memory was something you were either good at or you were not. I decided not to waste my son’s time with recitation since he wasn’t good at it. Fast forward a few years down the road, and it wasn’t just memorization that seemed to trip up my son. When he couldn’t quite get a handle on reading we gave him time as many suggested. As time went on reading still wasn’t happening. We discovered that he is dyslexic. Listen or read more at https://taravos.wordpress.com/2016/04/19/memorizations-role-in-our-home/

Anytime you write a book there are bound to be misconceptions. Write a book on homeschool planning and there are SURE to be misconceptions. After all, the Internet is filled will homeschooling moms, each one an expert on their own home and their own children — as well they should be! These moms have their own ideas of what works and what doesn’t, and they are all exactly right for their families. Which is why I wrote Plan Your Year: Homeschool Planning for Purpose and Peace with multiple disclaimers that my way is not the only way and there are thousands of way to plan. That is why I put in the samples folder, included the audio and all those links to blog articles, for the reader to see that others do it differently than I do and that is awesome. Having said that, though, I am about to make a bold assertion and that is this: you need a prepared curriculum. Listen to the rest or read it at http://edsnapshots.com/homeschool-planning-prepared-curriculum/

I love the Myers-Briggs personality typing. Myers-Briggs – the personality system that gives you four letters – offers a vocabulary for talking about the different ways that people relate to each other and the world around them. It’s been so helpful to me in learning how to understand and value other people’s responses to ideas and situations – including my children’s. I’ve written before about how personality typing helps me understand my kids, and I’ve written a brief explanation of how the Myers-Briggs system works. Today I want to take this a step further and use the MBTI (Myers-Briggs Temperament Index) categories to help us understand our strengths and weaknesses as homeschool moms. I can’t help myself. I’m an INTJ and so I love systems like this. When we realize that we’re trying to imitate a type totally opposite our own, we can realize why we feel defeated and beat up. Not only that, we can take a step back, value that other type’s abilities, yet shift our own energies toward what will work for us. When we know our own type and what that means for us, we can automatically filter out curriculums and opportunities that won’t work for us. We don’t have to try it and crash and burn first. We can see that it’s not going to mesh. We also don’t have to feel bad about what doesn’t work for us, and we can better understand why something works for our friend when it doesn’t work for us. When we know our personality type we can also see where we need to outsource, where we need to get help, where we’re going to have to budget recovery time and just what kind of recovery time we need. Recovery and refreshment plans for each personality type will be a post all it’s own. :) Today, let’s look at how our personality types inform us of our homeschool style, strengths, and difficulties. Listen or read the rest at http://www.simplyconvivial.com/2016/homeschool-personality

I’m not feeling quite as fly-by-the-seat as I often do because I’ve got a new system for keeping track of school assignments, and it’s rocking my world. I love finding ways to simplify homeschooling, and this method really takes the cake. I’ll tell you all about it, and then you have every right to say, “Of course, Sarah. Why haven’t you done this all along?” like I said to myself when my friend first showed me how it’s done. :) Here’s what happened. Listen or read the rest at http://amongstlovelythings.com/spiral-notebooks/

In this world there are two kinds of people. People who buy any old planner and just use it, and people who buy multiple planning products and never really use any of them. There’s quite possibly a need for a twelve-step program for that last group. The people in the last group aren’t wishy-washy. Instead they are optimists. They are always sure that a better way has to be out there. So they keep searching. I can fall into a similar trap in my homeschool planning. (Hello! Raise you hand if you’ve ever clicked “Buy” on a totally new math program on a cold, dark, tear-stained afternoon in mid-November. I can’t be the only one.) I keep searching and searching for the better way, the path of least resistance, the greener patch of grass, the silver bullet — any number of cliched phrases that will allow me to rest my weary homeschool mom body and my frazzled brain. Read the rest at http://edsnapshots.com/homeschool-plan-for-you/

One of many options is the running of our Academic Year. Traditionally in the US, school runs fall to spring with summers off. This is a wonderful option, one which many homeschoolers follow for their Academic Year. I would like to present another option, which is to align your Academic Year with the calendar. http://ladydusk.blogspot.com/2015/11/aligning-your-academic-year-with.html

Do you know what a curriculum slave is? I’m sure you’ve met one before — perhaps you’ve been one before. (Or perhaps you’re one now, in which case we’ll try to help set you free in the course of this post.) A curriculum slave thinks the curriculum is her master, and she has to follow whatever the curriculum says — to the letter. The curriculum slave doesn’t allow herself to think about what is best for her students — or even for herself as a teacher. Instead, she exists at the curriculum’s beck and call, and when she doesn’t fulfill its requirements, she beats herself up. Listen to the rest... http://www.teachingwithbob.com/2015/12/homeschool-curriculum-slave.html

The search results taunt me. “Creative homeschool: A lot of ideas” “Great homeschool/education ideas” “Using Pinterest as a free homeschool curriculum” ( I give up. I just can’t live up to all the homeschool hype. The mummified chicken. The salt dough maps. The notebooking page for a third grader that has more lines than my kid could fill in a month. He burst into tears over that stupid notebooking page (no, I wasn’t requiring him to write on every line) and honestly I felt like crying with him. Because homeschooling shouldn’t be this difficult. Because I am supposed to enjoy staying home with my kids each day. Because it’s all my own fault. Listen to hear the rest...

I wish I could tell you that I have the formula for the perfect homeschool day, but sadly I do not. All I know for sure is that there are no two homeschool days that are exactly alike and whatever you plan, it will often not go exactly as planned. Yes, having a plan in place is important. If we don’t, the overwhelming nature of the task before us will paralyze us. So here are my best tips for creating a daily schedule that inspires you to get things done.

Can I answer this question with a question? (No, not that question -- another one.) What do you want to accomplish with your homeschool schedule? Which scheduling method you use depends on what you are trying to accomplish in your homeschool, because both types of schedules lend themselves well to accomplishing very different goals. Block scheduling is used to organize your homeschool subjects in such a way that you are doing fewer of them at any given time. This allows you to focus deeper on fewer things throughout the day, have less anxiety because you are tracking less at any given time, and go more deeply by spending more time on a subject. Loop scheduling on the other hand is a way for you to reduce the stress in your homeschool that comes from skipping or missing subjects because they are assigned to specific days. Loop scheduling doesn't really allow you to do more or less in your day -- just not be upset by which thing you should do next. Let's take a look at a few examples of both to see how this plays out. Listen to hear the rest...

Recently I took part in an online conversation with homeschool moms about the value of cursive writing and whether it should be taught in a homeschool. It was a polite, but lively conversation and a number of people weighed in on the topic. The most surprising things about it, was that instead of relying on their own family goals or the latest research on the subject, so many families were basing their decision to teach cursive or not on the whims of the public school. "They don't learn it any more in the schools in our town" and "My friend who is a teacher says..." were common refrains That got me to pondering. If pressed, many homeschooling families can succinctly spell out why they homeschool. Homeschooling is tough; it is likely someone won't be homeschooling long past the first few months of eight-year-old math angst, without that knowledge of purpose and conviction. In addition, most homeschoolers can explain quite well why they follow a specific homeschooling philosophy. Whether they are Charlotte Mason because they believe in a broad, liberal arts education for even the youngest child, or are Unschoolers because they believe you can't learn anything by coercion, they have thought enough about the philosophy before taking it on to know why they wear the label. Where I see a lack of forethought on the part of homeschoolers is in thinking about the whys of their day-to-day subjects and schedule. Much thought and deliberation goes into the purchase of curriculum, yet how much thought goes into the idea of why even buy curriculum to do a subject in the first place? Listen for the rest...

I see it time and time again. Desperate pleas for help from new homeschool moms come across the feed of our local homeschool group. "I am pulling my son out of second grade tomorrow, and I don't know where to start." "We are thinking about homeschooling our kids in the fall, and I need to know what curriculum to buy for a fifth grader?" "I've got to get my junior out of school -- she is miserable. How can I make sure she gets her Algebra credits?" You are out there -- moms who have made a decision to homeschool -- and you are not alone. Some of you agonize over it for weeks and months, a few have to make a rush decision because of a bad situation at school. You may be scared and unsure and wondering if you are going to ruin your kids by doing this. Yeah, let me tell you right now, you are not. But I know that is a hard thing to take at face value. So let me give you five things to keep in mind to help you on your journey...

In episode 000 I introduce myself and give you the down-low on what the Homeschool Solutions Show is all about. Each super-short episode is an audio blog of a piece of great homeschooling content previously published online. You can find an index of episodes as we add them each Friday on edsnapshots.com/solutions.