10 Minutes to a Better Homeschool

One question we get often from moms: Is homeschooling a child with special needs possible? Can it work for my family or should I just stick with the system? In this episode of the podcast I am joined by Shawna Wingert from Different by Design Learning. She has two special needs kiddos (one current college sophomore) and has encouragement and tips for making it happen. 

Just 8 spots left!! We are heading to the beach this January for our first ever We Gather Together Morning Time Retreat. Join me, Gather author Heather Tully, Dawn Garrett and the team as we do Morning Time together, relax on the beach, and share a ton of encouragement and ideas for your homeschool Morning Time. In this special episode of the podcast we discuss all the retreat details. Register an...

What if you always intended for your kids to go into a public or private school and somehow God called you to do something different in your home? That is exactly what happened to Ashlee Williams and her husband. Hear about how this is called to homeschool mama made the decision to bring her kids home and has never looked back. She has some awesome advice for all homeschool moms in this episode. 

It can be one of the most exciting times of your homeschool career, and the most intimidating -- starting kindergarten! How do you know what to teach? How do you not mess this up? Take a deep breath and listen on -- we've got all the info you need right here. 

What if there were a way to make a homeschooling schedule that you could actually follow? Well there is! We start by scheduling time and not content. Then we move on to a scheduling hack that can change the course of your homeschool forever. Don't miss listening to this one! 

Homeschool burnout happens to all of us. I'm joined today by mom of 10 Heather Tully to chat about why burnout happens, how to recognize the signs, and some tips for preventing it in our homeschools. 

You have lots of kids and not a lot of time. How can you create a more efficient homeschool so that you can get more things done and still have a little sanity in your day? In today's podcast I have three different tools that you need to do exactly that. 

Teaching my kids to read was something I worried about before we started homeschool. I had been a high school English teacher but the idea of taking someone who can't read and helping them to make sense of what is on a page seemed mysterious and complicated. Okay, maybe it sill is mysterious, bit it totally isn't complicated. With the right set of expectations and an incremental reading program th...

How do you work from home and homeschool if you have a set schedule that you need to follow and actually have to be on at specific times? Is it even possible to get things done for work and be available to your kids at the same time? Jen McKinnon is back on the podcast today with five very practical strategies that work at home, moms can use them to help them accomplish what they need to do for th...

Let's get real. We all worry about our kids and if we are adequately preparing them for the real world. But you know what? Parents who send their kids to school also wonder if there kids are going to be adequately prepared for the real world. This isn't just a homeschool worry, but a universal parent worry. The good news is, there are some ways that homeschoolers are uniquely prepared for the real...

This is the information I wish I had when I started homeschooling preschool over 11 years ago. It's a helpful bit of what you need, but more importantly paying attention to what you don't need to have a fulfilling preschool experience for your kids. 

This is a special snippet from our Put Your Homeschool Year on Autopilot co-working session is a peek at how making realistic goals can shape your priorities in your homeschool. Join Pam, veteran mentor Laney Holman, and the planning moms for a sneak peek at how group planning sessions run and find out more about the importance of goals. 

Our time as humans is finite. Sorry to be the one to break that to you. That means there are so many hours in a week to get the homemaking, the homeschooling, and all the other things (including a job if you have one!) done. In this episode of the podcast Pam talks about the myth of balance and the single mindset shift you can make that might just save your sanity as you do all the things. 

I have a bone to pick with "planning from behind" and this show is where I'm going to do it. Find out why planning from behind isn't actually planning at all, what it REALLY is, why it's valuable (sure it is), and what real, helpful planning actually looks like for your homeschool don't miss this episode. 

I have known Dawn Garret for about seven years now. She has worked with me for so long helping moms create homeschool plans that I had long forgotten that once upon a time she considered herself "not a planning person. It wasn't until she realized that here frustrations were coming from not having a path to follow that she started taking steps to create a plan that would bring sanity to her homesc...

I hear it all the time -- there is no need for me to plan, I won't be able to follow the plan anyway. If you can do that and not be frustrated by the resulting school year, then great. I say don't mess with what's working. But if you don't feel like you can plan but you DO feel like you need some structure to keep from dissolving into chaos, then this episode is for you. Even if you feel like home...

Summertime. Where the living is easier (and summer homeschooling is easier too). These are my top tips for making this summer in your homeschool the best yet! 

When people begin homeschooling, the very first question they often ask is, "How do I choose a curriculum?" These three tips will help you get started!  Find the show notes for this episode at https://pambarnhill.com/tmbh27

I have been reading homeschool books for over 10 years now. Some have been forgettable, but so many have helped to shape the way I school my kids. Today I am sharing a number of my favorites and telling you why I think they are important reads. Check these out! 

Sometimes simple is better. Kids need to make observations about the world around them. Further science ability depends on being able to look closely, to see the details, and record them. I love that nature study (free and readily available in your backyard) is the perfect way to hone those skills. Find out more in this episode of the podcast. 

Homeschoolers worry, "What happens if I don't finish our curriculum before the end of the year?' The answer isn't as cut and dried and you might think. Some curriculum resources are never meant to be finished 100 percent (really!) and those can be closed and left until the following year. Watch or listen for ideas on what to do when the curriculum doesn't get done and how to prioritize what's impo...

Do you suspect that your child has ADHD? Have you wondered what that means for your homeschool journey? Should you have him or here tested? Can you even do homeschooling properly with an ADHD child? I am joined on this episode of the podcast by Colleen Kessler, a former teacher and expert on gifted and twice-exceptional kids (plus a homeschool mom to more than one with ADHD) to answer those questi...

Is it even possible to homeschool cheaply without buying tons of expensive curriculum? What about homeschooling almost totally for free without buying curriculum at all? Whit a few handy tools and some extra time in your budget there are some things you can do to substantially reduce the amount of money you spend on homeschooling your kids. Find out all the details here. 

Teaching to your kid's learning styles is a huge buzzword in homeschool circles, but on today's episode of the podcast we are talking about why it doesn't matter nearly as much as you might think and even how it can be detrimental to your kid's education. Have a listen and let me know what you think !

When you have a child that is struggling you can sometimes feel a little helpless. What are they really capable of? How can I help them to succeed? What if they never learn what they need to? Our guest today is Marianne Sunderland from Homeschooling with Dyslexia. She is here to help us recognize when our kids might be having an issue and what first steps we can take to begin to solve the problem....