Homeschool Unrefined

This is the first episode in our "How We Homeschool" series. We'll be talking with different homeschool parents all season to hear about their philosophies, insights, and experiences.    Tanya from Project Happy Home is with us to share her story and insights as a doctor-lawyer turned secular homeschooling mom of 3 kids. We chat curriculum, routines, and her perspective on finding community in per...

We're back and kicking off our fall podcast season with some BIG personal updates. We hope you'll find some camaraderie in the stories we share and the changes our families are going through. Let's normalize all different kinds of learning experiences and choices families can make! And don't miss our 3 essential tips for a successful fall.   This episode is sponsored by NaliniKIDS. Help your kids...

You're getting another mini-episode! We couldn't resist answering a listener question about diverse and inclusive books.   Back to School Summit : LAST CHANCE! Looking for practical *and* inspirational support as we head into a new school year? Check out our Back to School Summit! This summit is for new and experienced homeschoolers to inspire and equip us to design a SUSTAINABLE school year. We'l...

You're getting a mini-episode! Back to school support, a listener question about family time, and our LTWs!   Back to School Summit Looking for practical *and* inspirational support as we head into a new school year? Check out our Back to School Summit! This summit is for new and experienced homeschoolers to inspire and equip us to design a SUSTAINABLE school year. We'll help keep your homeschool...

Are you ready for this? It's time to rethink everything you think you know about "screens" and how kids learn. We're making a case for why YouTube beats a science textbook, why PBS Kids is can be more than a pre-dinner pacifier, and why even Marvel movies (yes, Marvel movies) are worthy of being a central part of your homeschool. We hope you'll feel inspired (and feel the freedom!) to ditch your l...

We're sharing our 10 favorite books we've read this year--from picture books we read aloud to graphic novels our kids loved to the stories we couldn't put down. These are the books that stood out from all the rest in our homeschool year. Shop this booklist (and all the other books we've loved) at bookshop.org/shop/homeschoolunrefined .    Plus, you can join us on Patreon to hear our conversation a...

Spring brings an impulse to slow down and simplify. Rather than look at it like it's a slump, we're reframing things: it's ok to change our pace! We talk about the value of taking a break, evaluate what's serving us and giving us life, and set up some "tentpoles" for summer.   Plus, you can join us on Patreon to hear our conversation about learning styles.     Aha Moment " Let your kids high stand...

Mealtimes can serve as both an anchor to our days... and a total headache. The unending-ness of meal making can leave us bored, overwhelmed, and out of ideas by the time dinner rolls around every night. So what can we do to make meals easier? Listen as we share our tips and tricks, along with some creative solutions from our listeners, too.   Join Patreon to see more responses and join the convers...

When there's joy, there's learning! We're talking all about hobbies in our homeschool: the why, the how, and all the ways these seemingly trivial activities and interests can actually unlock deep learning, self-confidence, and lifelong joy for our kids.   As always, you'll also get an Aha Moment and our LTWs at the end. Plus you can join us on Patreon to hear us talk through this week's listener q...

We've been answering listener questions all season over on Patreon , and we wanted to share one of those exclusive episodes with you! Ashley asked the questions many of us are wrestling with right now: "I want to feel ok with doing less and just letting learning happen naturally, but I feel like public school stole the spark of love for learning from my 8-year old who went to K and 1st. How do I b...

This is a special pilot episode of a new project: Unrefined Education. The last year has given us an opportunity to change how we do school, so we want to take a look back at what we've learned from a year of pandemic schooling and imagine how we can use this last year as a catalyst for real change. We'll cover the state of school, how kids actually learn, and what we propose schools can and shoul...

We're just gonna say it: You don't have to do school this year. In this episode, we're talking about why it's ok to skip academics and prioritize mental health and life learning. This is specific to our current pandemic circumstances, but it also applies to any season of life when things just aren't "normal": sickness, job loss, moving, traveling, having a baby. Because whatever you're living thro...

It seems like we parents always want to know how everyone else is handling chores, yet chores are also (surprisingly) personal! We all have different standards, different capacity, and different families. We share how we think about chores in general, our why behind doing (and NOT doing) chores with our kids, what chores look like for us now with tweens and teens, and what chores looked like when...

We're back with brand new episodes! This week, we're sharing updates on how homeschool is going and what it looks like for each of us in this season of life. Maren shares her "Aha Moment" about including our kids in solving household problems and sharing responsibilities. Plus, you're getting a preview of what's coming up this podcast season. As always, you'll get our LTWs at the end, and we've ad...

In our previous episode ( 149: What We Don't Do ), we talked about the different ways we set boundaries and take stuff off our plates. Well, we're gonna take our own advice! We had planned to do one more episode for this fall season, but… we need to take some things off our plates so we're starting our break a little sooner than planned. We're wrapping up with a quick check in and (SHARED!) LTW.  ...

Homeschool parents do A LOT, but none of us do it all. We want to normalize not doing it all—and embrace the idea that homeschool and parenting will be more enjoyable and sustainable when we take things off our plates. So this episode is a celebration of what we don't do! In addition to the things on our don't-do list, we share listener answers, too.    Takeaways -We try to remember the phrase: Sa...

We see these comments pop up in every homeschool Facebook group: "How do I get my kid to do their work?" "My kid is fighting with me about doing math." "Homeschool is hurting my relationships with my kids." Homeschool doesn't have to be contentious, and burnout isn't the inevitable outcome of homeschooling. So how can we begin to homeschool in harmony? Join us as we explore the ways we're creating...

Two words: SCREEN TIME. We're all sick of thinking about it, but we also can't stop thinking about it. We don't have the device dilemma figured out either, but we're here to process with you all the pros and cons and big question marks. Grab a cup of whatever it takes and let's chat!   This episode is first in a new series: You've Got This! We'll be tackling some of the most common questions and d...

Niurka Maldonado is a certified Conscious Parenting coach and the founder of Connected Kindred . Niurka shares about her experience as a homeschool family of color. While the homeschooling community is becoming increasingly more diverse, the majority of homeschoolers are white. Niurka sheds light on the subtle ways racism shows up in homeschool spaces and offers advice for how white homeschoolers...

Ok, but how are you doing REALLY? You're getting the unedited behind-the-scenes look at our homeschool lives—the academics and routines we're doing (or not doing), the stuff that's going well (and what's NOT working), and the self-care solutions that are saving us (when we hold ourselves and each other accountable to making self-care happen!). This is the conversation we're having every. single. m...

Raising confident kids can be inconvenient, uncomfortable, and challenging--but it's so worth it! And we can't talk about raising confident kids without talking about raising ourselves, too. This important work is woven into what we do every day through listening to and trusting our kids, modeling how we show up in the world, and advocating for ourselves and setting boundaries. Watch your homescho...

One of the secrets to a sustainable homeschool is YOU. Your strengths energize you, and what energizes you will energize your homeschool. Doing what you are good at and what you enjoy will make your homeschool more enjoyable, efficient, and empowered. So we're focusing on YOUR strengths in this episode. Listeners share their unique strengths and how they're rocking their strengths to rock their ho...

Yolonda Coles Jones ( @yolonda_j ) joins us for an important conversation about prioritizing mental health and wellbeing for ourselves and our families as we homeschool. H ow can we best support the mental health of our children in this difficult and uncertain time of pandemic?  How do we take care of ourselves while we take care of our kids? Yolonda also shares her advice for non-white families o...

We love the flexibility of loose planning. We can be more responsive to the many different needs in our families, the changing seasons, and our own needs for both structure and spontaneity. Listen in as we talk about what loose planning looks like for each of us in our routines, on our bookshelves, and with the curriculum we're using. Our differing personalities shine through: Angela's loose plans...

[Cue Ross Geller: PIVOT!] We're looking back on the Summer of 2020—the pandemic challenges, the cultural complexities, the big changes in our own lives and in our communities—and breaking down what it all means for the Fall of 2020 for us personally and professionally. We talk about what learning looks like in a pandemic and how we are emphasizing a deeper cultural and self awareness in this uniqu...