Coffee With Carrie: Homeschool Podcast

Is your New Year's Resolution to read aloud more as a family?  If so, then make sure you listen to this week's episode.  Carrie talks with The Good Book Mom , Korrie Johnson.  At The Good Book Mom website and membership, Korrie offers book reviews from A biblical Christian perspective. In this little coffee break, Carrie and Korrie share their favorite read aloud classics (and new classi...

Happy New Year!  It is time to reevaluate, reprioritize, and reorganize!  In this week's episode, Carrie shares simple ways to organize (or re-organize) your learning space.  Whether you have a designated school room, or you do school all over the place, you will find the tips and suggestions in this week's episode helpful, useful, and encouraging. Put your feet up, pour yourself a cup o...

In 2025, don't overcomplicate your homeschooling!  In this week's episode, Carrie shares how to remove the chaos until the calm returns.  These five tips will not only help you simplify your homeschooling in 2025 but will help you save money and make homeschooling more enjoyable.  Pour yourself a cup of coffee, put your feet up, get a notebook, and join Carrie for little coffee break.  S...

"O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shinning.  It is the night of our dear Savior's birth...A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices.  For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn." Are you weary this holiday season?  Like Elizabeth, are you playing the waiting game?  We have many reasons to rejoice and to be hopeful, even while waiting. Take a break from your Christmas preparations...

Is there room for Jesus in your inn?  "Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn" (Luke 2:7).   If this verse describes your heart and home this holiday season, take a little coffee break with Carrie.  If your December is so jam-packed with homeschool lessons and "must dos" th...

It's that time of the year again!  Tis the season for celebrations, baking, and traditions.  While December brings much Christmas cheer, it can also bring much stress and good old fashion guilt trips.  Homeschooling moms usually feel overwhelmed this time of the year as less and less school work gets accomplished.  If this describes you, or you are looking for a less stressful way to do schoo...

"A grandparent is a little bit parent, a little bit teacher, and little bit best friend." ~ Unknown. Homeschooling should be done in community.   This includes not only fellow homeschooling moms but family, friends, mentors, teachers, and coaches.  Don't forget to include the grandparents too!  They are truly a gift to your homeschooling.  In this week's Coffee With Carrie epis...

This episode is just in time for Thanksgiving!  It's a smorgasbord of tips.  Carrie shares hacks that will help busy homeschool moms save time (and money) this holiday season and throughout the school year.  In this week's episode, Carrie talks about her new Thanksgiving Mini Unit, explains how to use your prep work and traditions AS your lessons, shares ways to save and organize your ti...

Millie Florence, a homeschool graduate, is coming out with another book:  Beyond Mulberry Glen.   Her latest book will be released January 2025 by Sarah Mackenzie's Publishing House, Waxwing Books.  In Carrie's first conversation with Millie, “Another Approach To Writing,” they talked about Millie's love of writing and how she published several books before she graduated high school...

What is Sabbath Schooling? In this episode, Carrie shares how incorporating the principle of Sabbath saved her sanity (and probably her health too!). This week's podcast will  encourage you and give you  practical ways to rest in the Lord and how to focus on what is truly important by applying the Sabbath Principle to your schedule, monthly calendar, and yearly planning.  Carrie shares how to...

"Don't rain on my parade!"  "Arise and seize the day!"  "Put on a happy face!"  "One more day!"  If you broke out in song while reading these quotes, then you are probably a musical theatre geek like Carrie.  In this week's episode, Carrie talks about one of her favorite "hobbies:"  Musical Theatre!  Not only did Carrie's children pa...

Before Andrew Pudewa was the "IEW Guy," his most important job was being a homeschool dad.  In this week's episode, Carrie talks with Andrew Pudewa of Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) about being a homeschool dad.  He shares  the three best things he did as a homeschool dad and answers the most FAQ dads ask about home education.  Pour yourself a cup of coffee, get your husb...

What is Notebooking?  Notebooking is a great way to create a record of learning in a creative and meaningful way.  Like narration, it is a natural form of assessment for all ages.  In this week's episode, Carrie shares simple and inexpensive ways to create seven different kinds of notebooks:  Learning Journals, History & Timeline Notebooks, Creative Writing Journals & Reading Response...

Join Carrie for this week's episode as she shares six simple ways to learn about US government with the entire family or with your teen for high school civics credit. This episode is full of resources, recommendations, and fun activities to do as a mini unit leading up to the election, as a way to dig deep into the Constitution for a semester, or as a year-long civics course.  Pour yourself a...

If you have a toddler, preschooler, or a 5 year old, you don't want to miss this Coffee With Carrie Homeschool episode.  If your children are past this stage, make sure you share this episode with friends who are thinking of homeschooling their little ones.  In this week's episode, Carrie explains the seven essentials of preschool and kindergarten and how to create a nurturing, learning...

“ The world is the true classroom. The most rewarding and important type of learning is through experience, seeing something with our own eyes.” ~ Jack Hanna.  In this week's coffee break, Carrie talks with Christina Franco of Rooted HomeLife about incorporating travel and field trips into our home education.  In this week's episode, Carrie and Christina talk about the advantages of usin...

What is your favorite flavor of homeschooling?  In this week's episode, Carrie simply explains the five major homeschooling styles and helps you discern which method you gravitate towards the most: Traditional, Classical, Charlotte Mason, Unschooling, & Eclectic.  If you feel Carrie is missing a few such as the Unit Study approach, online learning, and/or Montessori, make sure you listen...

This week's coffee date with Carrie is 100% pure encouragement from God's Word!  Got challenges?  Homeschooling not going as planned?  Is life getting messier each day?  Are the excuses and feelings of guilt piling up?  Feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or under qualified?  If so, then it sounds like you need God to butt in to your life!  Give yourself a break. Extend grace to yourself.  Pu...

It's almost September!  Let's kick off Season 8 of Coffee With Carrie and a new school year with a Day of Dedication!  Before you buy one box of curriculum, before you sign up for any classes, and before you crack open one book, should spend time on your knees dedicating your hearts, your homes, and your homeschooling to the Lord.  Spend the day in prayer dedicating your new school year...

Do you want to replace the word home "school" with home "education"?  Do you want your home education to be more "interest-based" and "child-centered"?  Are you a Type A planner who wants to walk more in freedom? Then you need to listen to this week's conversation with Rachael Alsbury!  In this week's episode, Rachael explains exactly what "un...

In a culture that prizes productivity, efficiency, and success, it’s easy to feel as though you're constantly falling short.  Moms can easily lose sight of joy.   If this sounds like you, then take a little coffee break.  In this week's episode, Carrie talks with Leslie Martino, author of the new book, The Joy of Slow, about practical ways to slow down in order to recapture the delight o...

Sometimes moms get caught up in the idea of how they think things are suppose to look like when homeschooling, instead of accepting the way things are actually going in their homeschooling.   Home education can be both perfect and perfectly imperfect all at the same time!  Perfectly imperfect is a great way to describe Carrie's walk with the Lord, her family, and even her homeschooling style....

Creation Science Co-Op: A Year Long Science Study Are you looking for a different way to learn science this year or a way to learn science with friends?  If science studies have you stuck in a rut, then make sure you listen to this week’s episode.  This week, Carrie shares how you can explore the days of creation as a family or with a group of friends and how to use Genesis 1 as your entire scienc...

Don't miss this conversation with Christina Carpenter, founder of Bloom and Blossom Home Education Conference on reading aloud and telling stories for creating connections, building relationships, and sharing the gospel. Listening to Christina will inspire you to read aloud and connect with your family through conversations and story time.  Did you know stories are scientifically proven to he...

What are homeschooling essentials?  You might be surprised at the list!  Join Carrie  as she shares one of her favorite essentials:  Family Read Aloud Time.  Carrie shares encouragement and practical tips on how to consistently incorporate read aloud time into your day and how to use read aloud time to learn as a family.  Feed your child’s soul one page at a time and travel the world one book at a...