The Homeschool Solutions Show (Great Homeschool Conventions)

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.

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/

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/

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/

“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/

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.

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

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.

1. Why go to a homeschool convention at all.
2. Our favorite panel or talk from a convention and how to decide which speakers to see.
3. How to avoid “overload” and work the vendor hall like a pro.
4. The pros and cons of going with family or friends.
5. How to stick to your budget and the one tool you should not forget to take to the convention.
6. How going to conventions have helped us in our homeschooling and why we wouldn't miss going each year.

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.

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 

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.

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.

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/

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.

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/.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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/

Life can be so busy that it's hard to focus on the things that really matter. Although Cal Newport's book, Deep Work, isn't written specifically for homeschooling families, his ideas are surprisingly compatible with Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education, and can help you discover ways to create focused, peaceful, and productive habits in every area of 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 

Deep Work by Cal Newport

Cal Newport's blog

Blog post with visual notes

A simple schedule from Benjamin Franklin (who didn’t have nearly as many distractions as most moderns, but shared some of Newport's ideas on time)

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.

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/

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.

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

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/

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. 

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.

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.

Connect

Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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.

In this episode Jessica sits down with the very wise Jennifer Pepito to chat about her new book, Habits for a Sacred Home: 9 Practices from History to Anchor and Restore Modern Families (Helping Moms Experience Peace & Return to Simple Daily Rhythms from Historic Christians like St. Benedict)

About Jennifer

Jenifer Pepito is the host of Restoration Home podcast, author of Mothering by the Book, and founder of The Peaceful Press. Jennifer is on a mission to help moms overcome fear and live with wonder and purpose. Her homeschool curriculum empowers this mission through heroic stories, heartwarming poetry, and engaging life skill development. Her resources create joyful memories among families, which lead to deeper connections and lasting relationships. She has made guest appearances on popular podcasts such as 1000 Hours Outside, At Home with Sally, and Read Aloud Revival. Jennifer lives in the mountains with her beloved family, where she enjoys reading aloud, working in her garden, and watching the sunset.

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 

Habits for a Sacred Home by Jennifer Pepito

TuttleTwins.com

The Tuttle Twins: American History

Tuttle Twins TV

Connect

Jennifer Pepito | Instagram | Facebook | Website

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.

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/

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.

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.”

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.

The perfect homeschool recipe is different for each child. Others can suggest ingredients, tools, and timing, but ultimately we must create our own homemade homeschool. Here are 7 tips to remember as you write your own unique homeschool recipe.

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.

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/

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.

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/

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.

Homeschooling science is often frustrating and impossible, easily replaced with videos, or neglected altogether. Don’t let it be! I’ve got help and great offers! Science can be hands-on, exciting, edible, and dangerous! And can create lasting family memories. Like when you almost burn the house down for the science fair. True, hilarious story here….

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 

Science Unlocked curriculum/lab kits from Home Science Tools

Kristin Moon Science- High School Video Chemistry Lab Course

Connect

Jennifer Cabrera | Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest | Website

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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.

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/

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. 

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

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.

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.

As parents, it can be tough to stay focused through a day of homeschooling or working from home. Here are a few tips to help you manage some of the most common distractions that can keep you from getting done the things you really want to do. 

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 

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.

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.

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 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

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/

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.

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.

Writing can seem as natural as speaking to a child who grows up around adults who write lists, notes, and letters. Join me as I share a few thoughts about special childhood notes and letters I've written and received, and why those little notes can count as first steps in writing.

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

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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!

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

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/

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.

Anyone else experiencing the winter doldrums? As the saying goes, the days are long but the years are short. Well, winter homeschooling days get reeeeally long. But the end is coming - both the end of your year and the end of this initial leg of your parenting journey (that is, when you send your children off into the world). Will you feel as if you deserve to cross the finish line when it arrives? Or will you cross slowly, laden with regrets? It's all a matter of whether or not you've discovered the secret of seeing the end from the beginning.

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

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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.

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.

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.

You pretty much know where you are and where you'd like to be in your homeschool, but the space between those two places can be terribly frustrating. You've probably tried many times to build a habit or acquire a discipline that you believe would benefit your homeschool and have failed just as many times to the point that you may have given up altogether. Well, this episode is here to encourage you to keep trying. Keep trying, not only for yourself, but that your children can see the increasingly rare qualities of persistence and resilience on display.

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

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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.

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/

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

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.

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...

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.

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/

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/

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.

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.

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/

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.

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/

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

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/

The second part of a 3 part series, in this episode we focus on when it's appropriate and necessary to say "no" to your child. The truth is, no one is more appropriately positioned to say this word to our children, but it is also true that no one can more inappropriately wield the power it possesses in their lives. We have to make sure that we're not issuing a "no" when the response should be "yes", or nothing at all.

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

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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 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/

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).

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

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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 a new year and God has gifted you 525,600 minutes! How will you invest them to ensure you have the most fruitful, life giving homeschool year ever? By beginning with the ENDS in mind! What were your gains last year? What do you want to gain by the end of this year? Join Shiela as she shares a simple framework to help you reflect on the gains you had last year in order to plan for the ones you desire this year. Be inspired to create a vision and concrete plan that will bring clarity, confidence and direction to your family life and homeschool this year. Gather the family and create an exciting vision that ensures an adventurous year of growth and precious memories! Be sure to visit Shiela's website to request the free PDF she created to help you "begin with the ends in mind."

About Shiela

Shiela Catanzarite is an author, speaker, editor, and communication coach. She's a 20-year Charlotte Mason veteran homeschooler and has worked as Jeannie Fulbright’s editor and designer for 20 years helping develop Jeannie’s award-winning Apologia science curriculum and most recently her Charlotte Mason products published through Jeannie Fulbright Press. Shiela is the author of the newly published Living Verse Language Arts in Poetry and is finishing up her second book in the series Living Verse Language Arts in Scripture, to be released spring 2024.

Earning a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a master’s degree in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary, Shiela has been teaching language arts in some capacity for 40+ years. Her passion remains helping students understand the elements of language and how to use these elements artfully to communicate effectively. Shiela is currently a language communication coach, working one-on-one with students who have language learning and communication challenges. She also writes curriculum for her private middle and high school English language communication classes that focus on writing and speaking.

Both of Shiela's and her husband Bruce’s daughters attended private universities on scholarship and went on to pursue graduate studies in medicine and global business. She attributes their love for learning and academic achievement to homeschooling with Charlotte Mason’s philosophy and methodology.

Connect

Shiela Catanzarite | Website | Instagram | Instagram | Email

Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website 

Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube

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 Homeschool Solutions Show.

View full show notes on the blog.

“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/

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.

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.

* 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/

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.

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.

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!

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/

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/

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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/

When Jessica Smartt realized that what her seventh-grade son needed more than anything was to love reading, she created a little challenge for him. It has transformed him into a reader. She shares how to run a Book Challenge for YOUR family - summer reading, or in the school year!

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 

50 Book Challenge Download

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 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

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.

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.