10 Minutes to a Better Homeschool

Camille Kirksey is joining us today in response to a couple of listener requests for a guest who spoke specifically about what it is like to homeschool as an African-American. How is homeschooling viewed in that community and what are some of the challenges? Camille is a wonderful and vivacious guest. Comfortable on air (don't miss her YouTube channel), she has insights on the title topic and a to...

It's been a long-time coming but we finally have an interview with a dad who is the primary homeschool parent! Chris Tilley did not go back to work after a layoff a few years ago, but his wife did. That left him home to be the house husband and homeschool dad. It's a fun interview with a look at what it's like to homeschool from the dad's side.

It's an age-old question that keeps homeschool moms up at night -- how do you homeschool and get the housework done too? For the most part, you can't do it all. If you do a great job with homeschooling and housework then you really won't have time for anything else -- like a life. As homeschool moms we have to learn the hard lesson of letting our standards down a bit. Having said that, there are s...

Welcome back to a new season of the Homeschool Snapshots Podcast! We are kicking off with an interview with Cindy West from Our Journey Westward and Shining Dawn Books.  While Cindy is known for homeschool nature study, she is also passionately interested in using a process called Brain Training in her homeschool with some of her wiggly boys. She heard about the techniques years ago and has s...

Our last episode of the season features Kristen Hochhalter, a secular homeschooler. Kristen never thought she would homeschool, but as soon as some common misconceptions were blown out of the water, the doors of homeschooling possibilities began to open. Kristen talks about all she has learned from homeschooling, secular homeschooling, and finding community. We get real for a bit as we admit failu...

At your request, today we are talking to Sue Umezaki about what it is like to homeschool in another culture. An interest in an exotic language led Sue to Japan as a teacher. There she met her husband and the rest is history. She has lived in Japan for 22 years and has homeschooled her four children from the beginning. With one daughter graduated, and three more at home, Sue has her feet on both si...

Ever feel like what you do doesn't matter? Do you ever wonder if the sacrifice you made to stay home and teach your children is in vain? Join us for this episode of Homeschool Snapshots Podcast as Diane Lockman encourages us with what really matters. Diane reminds us to let go of subjects and give our children the skills now to learn the content they need for their callings later. She reminds us t...

In this episode of the Homeschool Snapshots podcast we chat with Charlotte Gleason, a homeschool mom of three, who loves food, literature, and teaching college-level classes. Charlotte began homeschooling because she wanted her children to be able to run and play as well as have time to read. She encourages us to make literature and grammar an integral part of our homeschool as a way to prepare ou...

On this episode of Homeschool Snapshots, we enjoy a delightful conversation with Claire Stewart. Claire thoroughly enjoys spending time with her children as they learn through the huge feast she sets before them. She even admits to being the biggest kid of all! Come and listen how Claire tailors each child's education to fit their needs without making herself crazy. She also shares a little bit ab...

Kortney Garrison has had many adventures. Besides being married for 17 years, which is an adventure in itself sometimes, she has lived in South America, studied in London, and spent a summer in Guadalajara. These adventures have fostered in her a desire for simplicity and contemplation in her homeschool. Kortney offers a down to earth look at homeschooling. Relax, go for the long haul, keep the en...

Ainsley Arment is the founder of Wild and Free, a community to help homeschool parents connect with others who share the mindset that childhood is an important stage, not just something to grow out of. Noticing the light of wonder going out of her sons eyes, she became a homeschooling mom six years ago and hasn't looked back. Come and be encouraged to trust yourself and your children in your homes...

Missy Andrews is a homeschool mother of six and co-author of Teaching the Classics . She regularly shares her love of literature on the CenterforLit podcast, BiblioFiles, along with her husband Adam, son Ian, and daughter-in-law Emily. Join us as Missy talks about the real goal of homeschooling, the proper place for academics, and most importantly, how to get to the nitty-gritty of a book through...

Welcome back to a new season of the Homeschool Snapshots Podcast! We are kicking off with an interview with Lesli Richards, a self proclaimed accidental homeschooler and the author of The Homegrown Preschooler . Lesli shares with us things she wish she had known at the beginning of her homeschooling journey. With one daughter in college and a special needs son, she talks about the important things...

We are wrapping up this season of the podcast with an interview from a real homeschool legend: Jane Lambert. Jane is a veteran homeschool mom who is now cheering on her daughters as they in turn homeschool her grandchildren. Jane shares how she used excellent books and simple materials to open up the world to her children. She also tells the story of the birth of her much-loved literature-based cu...

Amy Roberts is a homeschooling mom with a houseful of kids ranging from teens to tots. She joins us on this episode of the podcast to give a sneak peek into the life of a large homeschooling family. Amy shares some great toddler-wrangling tips, strategies for staying organized, and some wisdom for homeschooling through grief and other difficult times. Her warmth and humor make this an interview no...

Dawn Garrett is a homeschooling mother of three and a long-time blogger at Ladydusk , where she is celebrating her 15th anniversary of blogging. Over the years at her blog, she has chronicled precious family memories, significant learning milestones, her own reflections, hopes, and plans, and much more.

Heidi Scovel is a classical homeschooler and book lover who blogs at Mt. Hope Chronicles . She joins us on this episode of the podcast to give us a peek into what school likes like at her house with four extroverted, book-loving kids and a relaxed classical approach to learning. Heidi tells how she spreads a feast for her children by keeping copious numbers of rich books around the house, and...

Durenda Wilson is a seasoned homeschooler with eight children who currently range from young adults down to an 11 year old. She is the author of a new book, The Unhurried Homeschooler ,  a short little gem all about slowing down and letting go of the burdensome expectations and pressures we often saddle ourselves with as parents. Her message is a much-needed tonic for the burnout and harried...

Marianne Sunderland is a long-time homeschooler who has graduated 3 (soon to be 4) of her 8 children. She joins us on this episode of the podcast to discuss just the tip of the iceberg of what she has learned in over 20 years of homeschooling, about dyslexia, helping kids set goals and pursue big dreams, and more. Her family's journey is an exciting one and listening to Marianne share her wis...

MacKenzie Monroe is a homeschooling mother of four and the host of the Cultivating the Lovely podcast and morning show on Periscope. She tries to savor the beauty in the day-to-day routines of mom life and is on a mission to help other women do the same. On this episode of the podcast, MacKenzie explains how she endeavors to foster beauty in her homeschool through practices like Morning Time,...

Kara Anderson is a mom, freelance writer, and photography aficionado who writes about homeschooling, mothering, and more at her blog . She is also a contributor to Simple Homeschool . Kara joins us on this episode of the podcast to share about her homeschooling journey with her two children. Her personal story of unexpectedly jumping into homeschooling with an active little boy who was more intere...

Melissa Wiley is an author and a homeschool mom of 6 who blogs at Here in the Bonny Glen . Her novel, The Prairie Thief , is a big hit at my house, and I have a little Laura Ingalls fan who is just itching to check out her two series of books about Laura's ancestors, The Martha Years and The Charlotte Years .

Susan Wise Bauer is a mother of four, a writer, an academic, and a prominent figure in the world of home education. On this episode of the podcast, she shares her own experiences as a second-generation homeschooler and her observations about changes within the homeschooling community in recent decades. Susan has some great insight about homeschooling within the overall context...

Dawn Hanigan is a mom to four boys ranging from a college student all the way down to a toddler. In this episode, she speaks with warmth and wisdom about her homeschool journey, her love of nature and seasonal living, and her incredible file crate system, and she shares the perspective she has gained from experiencing every stage of homeschooling, from teaching very little ones to graduating a sen...

We are joined on this episode of the podcast by Lauren Hill, the "mama" behind Mama's Learning Corner , a fantastic online resource for printables and worksheets on a whole assortment of topics. Lauren shares with us about how she got started with homeschooling and what school looks like at her house with her crew of four children. She has some really good insight about handling a school day gone...