Homeschoolers have a lot of things to cover — does it make sense to spend time reading children’s classics? Join us in a conversation with author and homeschool mom Cheri Blomquist to learn how children’s literature fits into a whole-hearted curriculum, and how you can encourage thoughtful reading without ruining a great story. Guest biography Cheri Blomquist is a freelance author and teacher with a degree in both English education and Bible. As both a parent and tutorial teacher, she has been p...
Feb 22, 2022•59 min•Ep 315•Transcript available on Metacast Seasons of anxiety and depression are difficult but can be even more challenging for the homeschool mother. In this episode Jessica shares her experiences with anxiety, highlighting tips for "emergency-level" anxiety as well as chronic, background anxiety. Host biography Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources 20 Things to Do When You're Anxious Change Your Br...
Feb 01, 2022•25 min•Ep 314•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary In this chaotic world, our first duty as mothers should be to make our home a sanctuary—a tranquil place where learning and creativity thrive. That's why it's vital that we guard our schedule. It's such a blessing that there are so many wonderful activities, opportunities, and curricula to choose from. But with so many choices, we are at risk of adding things that are not God's best for us. In this talk, Jeannie Fulbright will share the mistakes that taught her to guard her sched...
Jan 25, 2022•33 min•Ep 313•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary How do we muster the will to rise and get dressed and get back a life of learning in the cold and winter months? Much less entice our teens to do the same? With new resolve and new fleece pajamas, homeschooling in winter is a privilege filled with opportunities for getting ahead academically, productive family time, and remembering why we homeschool in the first place. Host biography Jennifer Cabrera, the Hifalutin Homeschooler , is the writer of homeschool truth, humor, and insp...
Jan 18, 2022•23 min•Ep 312•Transcript available on Metacast 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 ...
Jan 11, 2022•36 min•Ep 311•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary This episode will totally inspire and encourage you on your homeschooling journey. Tandy, a homeschooling mom of four, shares her story of homeschooling her son who was diagnosed with dyslexia. Tandy shares their journey and how she gave him space to grow up into the man God wanted him to be, and now he is an extremely successful entrepreneur, raising a beautiful family, with a close relationship to God, impacting the world to be a better place. This story will surely inspire any...
Jan 10, 2022•35 min•Ep 310•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary Sitting down to plan priorities for the new year can be simple and fun. I hope you'll be able to find a quiet afternoon when you can look back at the previous year and forward to the next. Join us today for a few simple questions and ideas that can help you create a more peaceful, priority-focused year. Host biography Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin Colle...
Dec 30, 2021•18 min•Ep 309•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary January is the perfect time for a mom's personal retreat. In this episode Jessica will share tips and tricks of hosting your own personal homeschool mom retreat. With a little bit of creativity, you can benefit from taking the time to rest, pray, plan, and goal-set for the second half of the school year. Host biography Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of ...
Dec 22, 2021•29 min•Ep 308•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary Listen, laugh, and relate to this list of 101 homeschool lies. Lies we tell ourselves with the best intentions. Fibs and complete baloney caused by the pressure for perfection and desire for the outside world to pat us on the back. Dreams of educational success can lead to grand expectations and impossible goals we can’t begin to complete with when life gets in the way. Saying them out loud reveals the ridiculousness and frees your efforts to be awesome at this! Host biography Je...
Dec 14, 2021•30 min•Ep 307•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary The success of your homeschool day largely depends on how you begin the day. If your mornings are a mad scramble and the rest of your day is anything but peaceful, let this episode serve as a call to gather your children together first thing in the morning to pay your devotions to your Father in heaven. You’d be amazed at how even five minutes in the morning — every morning — can influence your homeschool for the better. Host biography Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordere...
Dec 08, 2021•36 min•Ep 306•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary On this episode, you will learn about the importance of finding community as a homeschooler and how to find your people within the homeschooling world. You will learn tips on how to find local community as well as what the difference is between a co-op, an umbrella school, and a tutorial. You will also learn about finding community using social media. Your homeschooling besties can be just one message away. You will also hear some tips on starting your own homeschooling community...
Dec 01, 2021•20 min•Ep 305•Transcript available on Metacast Episode summary In this episode, Jessica interviews two seventh-grade boys on the topic of their best book recommendations. The boys offer suggestions for fantasy, non-fiction, as well as books for beginning readers. Host biography Jessica Smartt is a former English teacher and homeschooling mom of three who lives in beautiful North Carolina. She is the blogger behind Smartter Each Day and author of two books, Let Them Be Kids and Memory-Making Mom . Resources Book List: Boys' Favorites Connect ...
Nov 16, 2021•26 min•Ep 304•Transcript available on Metacast 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 a...
Nov 09, 2021•24 min•Ep 303•Transcript available on Metacast What goes into your homeschool is as important as what surrounds it. Today’s episode focuses on how important it is to create an atmosphere of learning in your home. This atmosphere is made up of many things including organization, discipline, attitude and even decor. If you find that your homeschool just seems to be dragging along, let this episode serve as a call to stop and take a day (or a week!) to address the environmental factors that may be keeping you from creating the homeschool you’ve...
Nov 02, 2021•41 min•Ep 302•Transcript available on Metacast How do you teach your child what it means to be a responsible person? Like most parents, you probably model the traits you hope they will acquire, and that's the best possible way. However, don't forget the power of literature. Fables, parables, stories, and humorous essays (such as this one) can spark discussions, provide vivid examples, and remind us of truths in ways that are more memorable and meaningful than straight admonition. Join me today for a reading of the classic essay, "A Message t...
Oct 26, 2021•15 min•Ep 301•Transcript available on Metacast What does it look like for dads to support homeschooling? If mom is the primary “teacher,” what role do dads play? Graham Clark weighs in on the creative ways dads can pitch in to support their wives. Graham is a father of four and wife to Katie who lives in North Carolina. Graham works as a safety consultant by day, but also runs the Strategic Families podcast. “Husbands, love your wives as Christ loved the church.” Ephesians 5:25 RESOURCES Strategic Families Podcast by Graham Clark Window on t...
Oct 22, 2021•27 min•Ep 300•Transcript available on Metacast There are many different reasons why people decide to homeschool, but not all reasons carry the same amount of “conviction." Regardless of whether you’re just starting out or have been homeschooling for years, getting clear about the “why” behind your homeschool is critical to its longevity. Now is the perfect time to consider again why you’re schooling your children at home and whether that reason is convicting enough to see you through to the end. Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered ...
Oct 19, 2021•40 min•Ep 299•Transcript available on Metacast 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….
Sep 28, 2021•22 min•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Sep 07, 2021•29 min•Ep 297•Transcript available on Metacast Children’s literature can be fanciful — some of it is even nonsense — but there are reasons that we need it. In this episode, reader, author, speaker, and homeschool dad, Martin Cothran, ably explains what children’s literature is for and we need it now, more than ever. If you’ve been harboring a secret love for the books of childhood, you’ll be delighted to find that they are truly good for us. Enjoy!
Aug 31, 2021•54 min•Ep 296•Transcript available on Metacast 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.”
Aug 24, 2021•16 min•Ep 295•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
Aug 17, 2021•27 min•Ep 294•Transcript available on Metacast Cynthia and Sue discuss how they worked successfully with reluctant learners and the lessons they learned from those experiences.
Jun 08, 2021•47 min•Ep 293•Transcript available on Metacast An actual recording of the infamous “homeschool parent-teacher conference” (aka split personality overthink-a-thon) in my head. The teacher and voice in the back of our minds echoing public opinions and trying to checkboxes, and pigeon-hole potential will be played by me. And the voice of the bedraggled but hopeful homeschool mom is played by...also me. Listen, laugh, sniffle, and feel seen and inspired.
Jun 01, 2021•23 min•Ep 292•Transcript available on Metacast Are you working with a child who has difficulty with cooperation, focusing, hyperactivity, sensory processing dysfunction, or has meltdowns? Do you have a child who “whines” all the time? Could a hidden allergy be affecting your child’s behavior? Find out why one mom said, “Our daughter is so different now.” Histamine is a huge irritant to the nervous system. Many parents are finding that common foods can be contributing to the child’s everyday behavior. This doesn’t have to be hard!
May 25, 2021•30 min•Ep 291•Transcript available on Metacast Karla Williams is the unschooling mom of six, as well as the author of Homeschooling Gone Wild: Imagined Learning Through Living Karla Marie Williams is the president of BeBold Publishing. As an author, international speaker, and child advocate, Karla has impacted families all over the globe. Her message of hope and inspiration in the areas of homeschooling, foster care/adoption, parenting, and Christian living is sought after for retreats and conferences. She is a wife of 23 years and a mother ...
May 18, 2021•47 min•Ep 290•Transcript available on Metacast 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.
May 11, 2021•24 min•Ep 289•Transcript available on Metacast I’ve long believed that homeschooling parents are some of the most interesting and creative people around. If something needs to be done, they can figure out how to do it. And if something needs to be added, they add it. Join us for this inspiring conversation with Anthony Coafield of Living Book Press.
May 04, 2021•42 min•Ep 288•Transcript available on Metacast Today Wendy Speake and Kelli Stuart are talking about how common it is to feel that we’ve lost ourselves in this season of homeschooling. We used to have interests, passions and plans, even careers. While Wendy and Kelli both had to learn to fit their writing careers into the cracks and crevices of family life, they want to encourage you to remember and reclaim some of your passions and pleasures.
Apr 27, 2021•32 min•Ep 287•Transcript available on Metacast Apr 20, 2021•30 min•Ep 286•Transcript available on Metacast 
