Today on the show we interviewed Kristina Garner, creator of the fantastic secular curriculum Blossom & Root. We discussed what drove her to develop this curriculum, why nature based learning is so critical, and how we should approach using the resources she provides. She also has lots of great advice for new homeschooling families as they embark on this rewarding journey. Website: https://blossomandroot.com/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blossomandroot/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.c...
Jun 21, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 107
Today we’re reviewing another great preschool/kindergarten game, Snug as a Bug in a Rug by Peaceable Kingdom! This game shines in its ability to work on differing skill areas (colors, shapes, numbers, sizing) depending on your child’s needs. It also has alternate rule sets to grow with your child. It’s a solid choice for early learners! Ages: 3-6 Players: 1-4 Playtime: 10 min Educational Value: cooperation, colors, shapes, numbers, big/little sizing FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North Am...
Jun 17, 2021•9 min•Ep. 106
How do you create a board game that will be interesting, well-balanced, and most of all, fun? Today on the show we talk with Kim Vandenbroucke, an inventor and reviewer of family tabletop games. We delve into the fascinating world of developing games and discuss how parents should approach playing games with their kids. Kim’s unique perspective inside the industry gave us a new appreciation for the time and talent involved in bringing a game to your table. https://www.kimvandenbroucke.com/ https...
Jun 14, 2021•58 min•Ep. 105
In this Short Bite we take a moment to talk about Gameschool Summer taking place through The Gameschool Co-Op. It will be a summer full of games, games, and more games. The Co-Op has tons of free resources to make your summer gaming great! So dust off those board and card games, find a few new ones, and have a blast with the kiddos. www.gameschoolcoop.com/summer FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resources List to enhance your global studies with your learners! https://rebrand....
Jun 10, 2021•13 min•Ep. 104
Summer is here! On today’s show we discuss what summer means to us as year round homeschoolers and discuss some great ideas to keep learning fun and interesting during this time of year! Year round homeschooling Keep the core drop the rest (just math and reading) Embrace unit studies Gameschooling (thursday’s episode) Homeschool R&D Destination Learning If you’re returning to public school, private school, or a full-time co-op, you can always homeschool during the summer. It’s always availab...
Jun 07, 2021•42 min•Ep. 103
Are you ready for a challenge? Laser Maze by Thinkfun is a terrific one player logic game. The perfect combination of laser, mirrors, splitters, and targets is necessary to achieve victory in 60 levels of play. Ages: 6+ Players: 1 Playtime: 15 min Skills: logic, trial and error FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resources List to enhance your global studies with your learners! https://rebrand.ly/fstke Show Notes Laser Maze - https://amzn.to/2SSBR3s Connect with us Website: http...
Jun 03, 2021•12 min•Ep. 102
On today’s Family Movie Night episode we’re discussing the new Netflix movie The Mitchells vs. the Machines. Produced by Lord and Miller this movie has the snappy dialogue and excellent jokes we’ve come to associate with them. It also has emotional weight and a good message about the importance of family. Check out our full review of this new family friendly flick! Rating: PG Runtime: 1 hr 54 min Availability: Netflix The Mitchells vs. the Machines Trailer: https://youtu.be/_ak5dFt8Ar0 The Book ...
May 31, 2021•26 min•Ep. 101
Three numbers is a big moment. We say Thank You :) Connect with us Website: http://www.homeschool-together.com/ Store: https://gumroad.com/homeschooltogether Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/homeschooltogether Facebook: www.facebook.com/groups/homeschooltogetherpodcast/ Instagram: www.instagram.com/homeschooltogetherpodcast Twitter: https://twitter.com/hs_together The Gameschool Co-Op: https://www.facebook.com/groups/gameschoolcoop/ Email: homeschooltogetherpodcast@gmail.com
May 29, 2021•4 min
Many games contain some sort of hidden math, which is a terrific way to teach math concepts, but what about those times when your student needs to write and solve equations? Sum Swamp from Learning Resources is a great way for kids to visualize basic addition and subtraction equations with two numbered dice, an operator die, and cute characters moving through the colorful board. Ages: 5+ Players: 2-4 Playtime: 15 min Skills: addition and subtraction up to 6 FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE ...
May 27, 2021•10 min•Ep. 100
After more than a year of isolation schooling during the pandemic, our area is now opening up with classes, meetups, and activities. On today’s show, we take a look back at the previous year and talk about what we lost, what we gained, and what we’ll take forward from this time. Losses Gains Preparing to Go Forward FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resources List to enhance your global studies with your learners! https://rebrand.ly/fstke What We're Into Go out and thank the cr...
May 24, 2021•56 min•Ep. 99
Uncle Sam’s states are unsettled. They’re bored with their current locations and need a change of pace. What ensues is a madcap adventure where every state finds that there’s really no place like home. Based on the popular Scrambled States of America book, Gamewright has created a fantastic card game that teaches US Geography in an exciting and accessible way for kids and adults! Ages: 6+ Players: 2-4 Playtime: 15 min Skills: geography knowledge FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North Americ...
May 20, 2021•10 min•Ep. 98
In today's podcast, we had the pleasure to speak with Valerie Castle of My Homeschool Castle. Valerie is a busy mom of a blended family and a special needs daughter. It was a fantastic conversation that showcased the various challenges and joys of homeschooling. Valerie's experience helps us understand that homeschooling can adapt and fit the needs of many diverse families. And as Valerie says, "We as parents understand our children's needs best." Valerie's Website - http://www.ourhomeschoolcast...
May 17, 2021•34 min•Ep. 97
On today's Short Bite we continue with our series on first games! These are games that can be played as young as 2 and help to develop fine motor skills, color recognition, memory, cooperation, counting, and logic. Today we'll be discussing a matching and dexterity game, Wig Out by Gamewright! Our Kindergartner loves this game and it could easily be played with a very young learner (with the speed aspect removed) to practice recognizing patterns and matching. Ages: 2-7 Players: 2-6 Playtime: 10 ...
May 13, 2021•5 min•Ep. 96
We are halfway through the Right Start Math Level 0 curriculum. We wanted to share our opinion on how the curriculum is going, the wins, the losses, and tweaks we made along the way. Catch up on our updated review from episode 19. Curriculum Series Part 7: RightStart Math https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/19 FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resources List to enhance your global studies with your learners! https://rebrand.ly/fstke Show Notes RightStart Math - https://stor...
May 10, 2021•43 min•Ep. 95
Art education can play a critical role in a child's development, but teaching art as parents (especially if you don't feel you have artistic talent yourself) can often be daunting. Today we review the Outside the Box Creation art subscription box Interview with Beth Herrild from Outside the Box Creation about how we should approach art with our kids and the importance of art in our homeschool. https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/91 FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resource...
May 06, 2021•18 min•Ep. 94
We are halfway through the All About Reading Level 0 curriculum. We wanted to share our opinion on how the curriculum is going, the wins, the losses, and tweaks we made along the way. Catch up on our updated review from episode 17. Curriculum Series Part 6: All About Reading https://homeschooltogether.fireside.fm/17 FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resources List to enhance your global studies with your learners! https://rebrand.ly/fstke Show Notes All About Reading: https://...
May 03, 2021•38 min•Ep. 93
Today on the podcast we're discussing the terrific one player logic game Gravity Maze by ThinkFun. The game is a great workout for your child's 3D visualization skills. You can check out this episode as an audio only podcast or see us discuss and display the game on YouTube! Watch the radiant Jennifer Aniston and grizzled goldminer of Gameschooling on Youtube: https://youtu.be/Vi4VFJkP_LY FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resources List to enhance your global studies with your...
Apr 29, 2021•11 min•Ep. 92
Art education can play a critical role in a child's development, but teaching art as parents (especially if you don't feel you have artistic talent yourself) can often be daunting. Today we talk with Beth Herrild, the creator of Outside the Box Creation art subscription boxes, about why art education is so important, how we should approach art with our children, how open-ended art provides an opportunity for creative problem solving that doesn't exit with prescribed projects or crafts, how to en...
Apr 26, 2021•58 min•Ep. 91
Today we're talking about our country study of Canada using Build Your Library and Torchlight curriculums. We discuss what we loved, what we adapted, and our favorite books and activities from this country study. Build Your Library - https://buildyourlibrary.com/ Torchlight - https://torchlightcurriculum.com/torchlight/ The books we discuss The Very Very Far North - https://amzn.to/3ab0mi2 Our detailed review of The Very Very Far North - https://youtu.be/-hi-C27DyYo Bear Goes Sugaring - https://...
Apr 22, 2021•18 min•Ep. 90
Homeschooling has it’s daily ups and downs, but every so often we just don’t get back up again as we normally would. We seem to lose momentum and focus. We’re in a collective funk. The kids are arguing, lessons are no longer exciting, and you wonder if your homeschool is broken for good. But, with a bit of introspection and some creative ideas, this too shall pass! Today we’ll be sharing some suggestions to re-invigorate your homeschool and avoid burnout in the future! Why does burnout occur? 15...
Apr 19, 2021•54 min•Ep. 89
As gameschoolers we use games to have fun and teach along the way. Math in particular is well served by games. Addition or subtraction are easily found, but multiplication? Not so much. Some games feature small multipliers, but multiplication up to 12x12 is much more rare. On today’s Short Bite we’re diving into Mathery, a quick and fun Sequence-like game that’s perfect for kids struggling with multiplication. With variable difficulty and multiple modes of play, this game has lots to offer. Ages...
Apr 15, 2021•13 min•Ep. 88
Today, we’re continuing our series of interviews with first year homeschooling parents to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and what surprised them about this new journey in their family’s life. We sit down with Angie Burns, a full-time working mother to 2nd and 5th grade daughters. After finishing the last school year on Zoom, they decided to take the plunge and homeschool this year during the pandemic. We talk about juggling work and school, finding your groove, and being creative in arrivi...
Apr 12, 2021•54 min•Ep. 87
Continuing our Gameschooling After Dark series, this week we're talking about Sagrada, a gorgeous dice drafting game from Floodgate Games. With each turn you add dice to create your unique stained glass masterpiece! Ages: 10+ Players: 1-4 (5-6 player expansion available) Playtime: 30 to 45 min Skills: probabilities, logical and critical decision making FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resources List to enhance your global studies with your learners! https://rebrand.ly/fstke S...
Apr 08, 2021•12 min•Ep. 86
To continue our series on subscription boxes, today we’ll sit down to discuss Little Passports Early Explorers box. Our daughter is just began an around the world study with Torchlight and Build Your Library so we thought this would be the perfect addition. Join us to hear all the ins and outs of this subscription box! Show Notes Early Explorers Subscription - https://www.littlepassports.com/subscription/early-explorers/ Felt Kit from Melissa and Doug - https://amzn.to/3spjBfa What are we into t...
Apr 05, 2021•22 min•Ep. 85
On today's Short Bite we continue with our series on first games! These are games that can be played as young as 2 and help to develop fine motor skills, color recognition, memory, cooperation, counting, and logic. Today we'll be discussing roll and play game, Feed the Kitty by Gamewright! Our daughter loved this game at 2 and now at 5 she plays with her younger sister who's 22 months. Ages: 2-7 Players: 2-5 Playtime: 15 min Skills: rolling dice, symbol recognition, counting FREE Resource Guide ...
Apr 01, 2021•12 min•Ep. 84
Today, we’re continuing our series of interviews with first year homeschooling parents to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and what surprised them about this new journey in their family’s life. We sit down with Rebecca Riyana Sang, an herbalist and mother of a four year old daughter. We discuss their first year, learning in nature, and falling in and out of love with curriculums. This is a terrific down to earth interview about following your instincts about your children and finding the rig...
Mar 29, 2021•47 min•Ep. 83
Continuing our Gameschooling After Dark series, today we’re talking about Space Base, a dice rolling and card drafting game set in a distant galaxy. As you gather the ships in your fleet you’ll gain resources and the ability to expand. It’s the game we most often get to the table. It’s fun, fresh, and has a good amount of hidden probabilities to reinforce those concepts with your learner. Ages: 12+ Players: 2-5 Playtime: 45 min Skills: probabilities, strategy FREE Resource Guide Download our FRE...
Mar 25, 2021•16 min•Ep. 82
We've just recently finished the Blossom and Root Early Years Vol. 2 Curriculum with our 5 yo and provide our complete and full review. We talk about what we enjoyed, what we changed, and where we recommend new homeschooling families to start. At the end of the podcast, we cover all of the new and recent changes made to the Blossom and Root Early Years Vol. 2 curriculum. Please go to our Facebook Group and help Matthew out with Poetry selections for early learners :) Facebook: www.facebook.com/g...
Mar 22, 2021•52 min•Ep. 81
While we love to play games with our young learners, there are a plethora of terrific gameschooling games for older students and adults. Today we’re starting our series of Gameschooling After Dark with Harry Potter Hogwarts Battle. It’s a terrific cooperative deck builder that follows the movies and the journey of these beloved characters! Ages: 10+ Players: 2-4 Playtime: 1-1.5 hr Skills: Cooperation, reading, strategy FREE Resource Guide Download our FREE North American Resources List to enhanc...
Mar 18, 2021•13 min•Ep. 80
Today, we’re continuing our series of interviews with first year homeschooling parents to discuss what went well, what didn’t, and what surprised them about this new journey in their family’s life. We sit down with Tresa Kaur, a nursing education professor and mother to a 6 year old daughter and 3 year old son. With COVID, they decided to start homeschooling and have fallen in love with this way of life. We talk about choosing curriculum, eclectic homeschooling, and finding joy in being flexible...
Mar 15, 2021•51 min•Ep. 79
