I know it's that time of year because all the FB groups are discussing plans for the next school year and wanting ideas on new math programs..... I share my ideas on changing up programs and the ever important advice of "If it's not broke, don't fix it." I share lots of tips on how to search for new resources and how to be sure it will work for your student AND you, the teacher. Find me on Facebook where I post articles, live videos, and relevant resources My website is www.learningo...
Apr 16, 2019•28 min•Season 2Ep. 40
Have you ever been to a comic con (conference)? Ever wondered what goes on there and if they are educational? In this episode I talk about my own experiences with fandom cons, specifically, WonderCon, from last weekend. I share the many ways that cons can be educational and how comics can really engage students around important subjects such as diversity, politics, and socioeconomic issues. Find me on Facebook where I post articles, live videos, and relevant resources My website is w...
Apr 02, 2019•21 min•Season 2Ep. 39
In this episode I briefly discuss the Spring Equinox and what that means for our family. We will be spending a lot more time outdoors and exploring and I will be releasing new episodes every 2 weeks instead of every week. For almost a year I've been trying to post episodes weekly, but spending more time with my kids, homeschooling, and outside means less time on line, thus the change to every other week. The Spring Equinox is also this month's full moon, sometimes referred to as the Worm Moon or...
Mar 19, 2019•16 min•Season 2Ep. 38
Homeschoolers are busy! We have classes, lessons, field trips, play dates, etc. Sometimes our schedules are crazy! Sometimes it seems we are constantly gone and aren’t getting any “school work” done. And honestly, sometimes I think this is technically true. We will get to Friday and I’ll realize they completed all of 2 math lessons, 1-2 pages of their grammar book and did no writing except the grocery list and “don’t eat this” on their box off cereal they picked at the store. We start to q...
Mar 04, 2019•14 min•Season 2Ep. 37
Homeschooling can be challenging this time of year with cold, snow, and rain. Cabin fever can set in and we get bored with our current curriculum or model. Today I want to talk about interest led learning because it might be a great option to get out of this "rut" we get in or it might just be something that you're curious about. Interest led learning is basically following your child's interest for a topic and deep diving in all aspects of the topic. Kids are curious but their attention span mi...
Feb 25, 2019•22 min•Season 2Ep. 36
The idea of homeschooling can be confusing and overwhelming for anyone just starting out. There's so much information out there, it's hard to know where to start. Even experienced homeschoolers still struggle with many of the same issues. In this episode I share 5 "don'ts" (and a bonus) to save the new homeschooler some time and money. Even an experienced homeschooler can benefit from most of these tips as well. Find me on Facebook where I post articles, live videos, and relevant res...
Feb 18, 2019•16 min•Season 2Ep. 35
In this episode I share my great experience at Gameschoolcon and how you can use gameschooling in your homeschool. So what is gameschooling? I don’t think there is any hard and fast definition other than learning thru games. and this is learning thru a variety of games from board games to video games to sports and active games. Some people use games a lot in their educational model and others use it as a supplement or reinforcement. Whatever works for you and your children is great. The wonderfu...
Feb 11, 2019•23 min•Season 2Ep. 34
In this episode I share 5 things to do in your homeschool (or even if you aren't homeschooling) this week. I also shared that Julie Bogart of Bravewriter has a new book coming on the first week of February. Here's a link to pre order Julie Bogart's new book, The Brave Learner Please feel free to send me comments, suggestions for episodes, or questions to [email protected] Find me on FB where I post articles, encouragement, and relevant resources https://www.facebook.com/learningou...
Jan 21, 2019•16 min•Season 2Ep. 33
This episode talks about the idea of homeschool spaces and that a dedicated homeschool space isn't needed for our children to learn. Many of us think we need a special space or arrangement for homeschooling but most of us really don't need anything special for our kids to learn. Kids can learn in many different places and special accommodations are usually not needed. I also share my own passion project for the year #2019authenticspaces is a my plea for all of us to make our home space a comfort...
Jan 14, 2019•21 min•Season 2Ep. 32
Happy New Year 2019! In this episode I share some solid resources that I've found very useful and supportive over time and wanted to share them with you during a time of year that sometimes needs a bit of support or motivation. https://www.facebook.com/groups/seahomeschoolers/ is a large active secular group https://www.facebook.com/groups/BraveScopes/ is a large active group discussing Julie Bogart's Bravewriter program https://www.facebook.com/groups/wildschooling/ is a wonderful resource for ...
Jan 07, 2019•22 min•Season 2Ep. 31
Just a quick message during the holiday season to take time for yourself and give your kids what they really need...time. I also shared 3 videos on my FB page with holiday and Christmas books that I encourage you to check out. Please feel free to send me comments, suggestions for episodes, or questions to [email protected] Find me on FB where I post articles, encouragement, and relevant resources https://www.facebook.com/learningoutsidethelinespodcast/ or www.learningoutsidethelin...
Dec 24, 2018•8 min•Season 2Ep. 30
In this episode I encourage parents to dive into their child's interests and hobbies to see the appeal, what kids are learning, how to make connections with other learning opportunities, and potentially find a new interest for themselves! I share many examples of things my kids were interested in and after engaging with them, I found many new interests for myself. I never would have tried most of these interests on my own, but have learned a lot and enjoyed them a lot. Examples include American ...
Dec 17, 2018•25 min•Season 2Ep. 29
The holidays and end of the year can be challenging to get school work done. In this episode I share some ideas that might help you get some work done when the kids might be distracted and not all that motivated to do school work. I discuss poetry tea time, pajama day, forts, choosing one thing to learn days, and choosing a different location for school work. I also discuss lightening up and doing less work to focus on family traditions and community service as way to look at getting learning do...
Dec 03, 2018•19 min•Season 2Ep. 28
Unstructured play is so important for kids but seems like a long lost idea. In this episode I share some experiences we’ve had and why play and nature is so important for kids. Please feel free to send me comments, suggestions for episodes, or questions to [email protected] Find me on FB where I post articles, encouragement, and relevant resources https://www.facebook.com/learningoutsidethelinespodcast/ or www.learningoutsidethelines.com or Instagram @ Lattebooks2read where I post...
Nov 26, 2018•16 min•Season 2Ep. 27
In this episode I discuss handling negativity and naysayers during the holidays regarding relatives that don't support homeschooling. Keep it positive! You don't have to change anyone's mind regarding homeschooling. I encourage you to not engage in arguments or debates. Instead, say thank you, smile, and walk away. Period. It's not worth it to debate. Be strong, tell them that you are the parent and it's your decision, and that it's not up for debate. Some tough love might be necessary for them ...
Nov 19, 2018•11 min•Season 2Ep. 26
In this episode I want to encourage you to take stock of your homeschool and life in general. It's a good time time midway thru the semester to review the academic, extracurricular, and general homeschool schedule to see what's working and what needs changed or extra attention. I also share my book purge and life changes coming up that will definitely impact our homeschool life. Finally, I remind parents to take some time for yourself to renew and relax! Please feel free to send me comments, sug...
Nov 12, 2018•18 min•Season 2Ep. 25
In today's episode I want to give thanks and remembrance to John Taylor Gatto. He passed away on October 25 and will be missed by many around the world. For those unfamiliar with Mr Gatto, he was a true pioneer in the education field and harsh critic of compulsory education. As a long time teacher, he saw the inner workings of schools and the effects the system had on children. He was teacher of the year in New York twice and used that platform to expose the faults and dangers of the system he w...
Oct 29, 2018•10 min•Season 2Ep. 24
This week I want to encourage everyone to take advantage of the upcoming NaNoWriMo project (National Novel Writing Month) that takes place every November. This is a great FREE resource to encourage writing. It's often a gateway to writing for many people and can really lead to success in the writing world. I've known a few people that have had great success using NaNoWriMo to write their first novel. Moira Ward was interviewed last month on writing and she started out with NaNoWriMo too. Don't f...
Oct 23, 2018•16 min•Season 2Ep. 23
In this episode I discuss homeschooling high school and how it's worked for us. We have used the Bravewriter philosophy for writing over the years and we have not done a structured/formal language arts program consistently. We only did maybe 3 years of formal grammar which was Growing with Grammar and we used Word Roots for a few years for vocabulary. We focussed on getting the ideas on paper and worked on basic skills instead of a lot of structure. We also used a practical workbook for exposito...
Oct 15, 2018•16 min•Season 2Ep. 22
In this episode I share an experience I witnessed with 2 young girls playing with simple tools like squirt bottles, water, brushes, tongs, chalk, etc and how their free play was a great learning episode. They had no direction or instruction but they had a great time using these different resources and experimenting and learning. I share how these simple learning tools are so useful and expensive toys or devices are really not necessary. They were also moving naturally with no chairs or desks. Th...
Oct 08, 2018•20 min•Season 2Ep. 21
In this episode I discuss the benefits of working a paid job or volunteer service and how they can help with future jobs, college applications, scholarships, and life. Both a job or volunteer service can teach responsibility, accountability, communication skills, problem solving, time management, and follow through with a commitment. Even if your student doesn't have the time for a paid job, there are many volunteer or other opportunities that require fewer hours but can still offer many of the ...
Sep 24, 2018•23 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In this episode I talk about a term I heard last week called "lawnmower parenting" and what that means and how we can change some of things we might be doing. Many of us are guilty of this "mowing down of obstacles" for our kids and I realize we are coming from a place of love and caring. However, helping our children by doing so much work FOR them, is hurting them in the long run. Children NEED to learn to work through the entire process and whether they succeed or fail, it's all part of learni...
Sep 17, 2018•19 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Today's interview with self directed high school student, Moira Ward, gives a wonderful view of self directed education and what can be done with passion and the freedom to pursue an interest and talent. Moira has been storytelling and writing for years and talks about both. She got her start with a program called NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month which is each November. It's a great start for anyone interested in writing. She shares her favorite and least favorite parts of writing, as w...
Sep 10, 2018•16 min•Season 2Ep. 18
I want to thank everyone for all their support and feedback over the last few months of this new podcast. I've learned a lot and will be making a few changes going forward to clean things up and improve content. In this new season each month will focus on a topic or theme where we can dive deep into the issues. In this episode we'll be talking about high school and how a self directed education can lead to success. The parent isn't really a teacher anymore, but rather, a facilitator and support ...
Sep 03, 2018•21 min•Season 2Ep. 17
In this episode I talk a bit about planning but not in a structured way. I discuss planning for peace of mind and our own reality based on our needs and our kids' needs. I understand everyone wanting a "perfect" homeschool routine but what that looks like is often an unrealistic vision. We have to examine our reality and determine what is realistic for us as a teacher and our kids. I share my own recent experience with planning and how I had an epiphany regarding classes I had signed up my kids ...
Aug 27, 2018•19 min•Season 1Ep. 16
In this episode I share my excitement and take aways from my state homeschool conference, the HSC Conference in San Jose, CA. -Homeschool conferences are great for affirming why parents take charge of their child's education. The homeschool community is growing, vibrant, strong, and very insightful. It's wonderful to be able to talk with others sharing the same ideas, values, and experiences. It's also a safe place to share and ask questions for parents that may not have a community to do that. ...
Aug 20, 2018•16 min•Season 1Ep. 15
In this episode I share some of my thoughts on learning to read. I'm a proponent of letting go of arbitrary ages to teach reading and waiting until a child is ready and motivated whether that might be age 4 or 7 or 10. Don't push it. Wait until the are interested, ready, and motivated. One thing you can do at any and all ages is to read a loud. Read to your infants, your toddlers, and all ages of kids. Read daily in some format, it doesn't have to be hours. Even reading just at bedtime is import...
Aug 06, 2018•24 min•Season 1Ep. 14
In this episode I want to encourage people to let go of "grade levels" and meet your child's needs where they are. Parents think their child is "behind" or "gifted" if they are behind or ahead of arbitrary grade level standards, when in reality, the child is at their own level and we need stop comparing. We need to stop looking at a specific grade level book and look instead at the content of the program or book and see if those are the skills that your child needs. Look at the table of contents...
Jul 30, 2018•16 min•Season 1Ep. 13
In this episode I share an alternative view regarding the popular view that all children should try team sports. Send me comments, suggestions for episodes, or questions to [email protected] Find me on FB where I post articles, encouragement, and relevant resources https://www.facebook.com/learningoutsidethelinespodcast/ or www.learningoutsidethelines.com Thanks for listening! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Jul 23, 2018•9 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Summer is a time for MANY questions regarding curriculum or programs people are looking to use in the fall. This episode gives tips to get more useful information when asking for input on FB and web forums. Instead of asking general questions such as "what's the best preschool curriculum?" or "what's the best 1st grade science curriculum?" Ask more specific questions with more information. Don't just give grade but give the child's age because some programs focus more on age than grades. Grades ...
Jul 16, 2018•15 min•Season 1Ep. 11
