Homeschool Your Way

We all know life happens. Good or bad life seems to relish throwing out the best-laid plans. So what to do when life does get off track? Join Janna Koch, BookShark's Community Manager with her guest, Tanya Warpula, an advisor for BookShark, a military wife and mother of 5 who homeschools as they discuss getting back on track. TIMESTAMPS: Janna (02:29): I bet. Now, in the years that I've known you,...

What is it about Art that feels so intimidating to teach? People teach all types of subjects with less hesitation than the idea of teaching your student how to sketch, paint and more.  Join Janna with her guest Cody Wheelock, founder and creative arts coach of Fount Atelier as they discuss how to incorporate art into your homeschooling and the challenges that can come with teaching the subjec...

Feeling unmotivated to homeschool? Things are just harder, whether getting up with the alarm or getting through the assignments for each day? Join BookShark's Community Manager, Janna Koch and Aimee Eucce, owner of Play 'n Talk, in a lively discussion on how to banish the doldrums of winter. From metal detecting along a streambed to using army figures for math, store up the great ideas for you and...

It's all about BookShark this episode! How it started, the process behind it and more.  Join Janna Koch, BookShark's Community Manager and her guest Greg Thewes, Executive Vice President of Inquisicorp as they chat all things BookShark. Learn about how the brand began, why the name and all the behind-the-scenes in between.  TIMESTAMPS Janna (01:42): But if that was the case then BookShar...

In today's world of gadgets and mobile devices being present with our families and friends becomes more and more difficult.  It is so easy to become distracted from what is right in front of us with things that direct our attention to 'out there'. Join our host Janna and her guest Kelly O'Brien as they discuss how to stay in the moment, and set intentions with our homeschool and with our fami...

When we think of adventure we may think of big trips and foreign locations but adventure like families comes in many shapes and forms. Learn about the building blocks Ethan and his wife have employed to get to one of their priorities of teaching their kids to adventure. Join Janna and Ethan as they discuss adventure, priorities, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, and more! ABOUT OUR GUEST | Ethan Demme...

The kitchen is the part of the house where people gather. It's where we create the food that gives us feelings of nostalgia for grandma's cookies or Dad's Spicy Shrimp with noodles. Food is a universal need and one that allows us with a taste or smell to travel in time and location.  Rowena S. took the idea of creating memorable food with an educating twist to create eat2explore . Join Rowena...

We don't pay attention to the little things until we suddenly need some quick or not-so-quick life skill that we realize we were never taught, like how to tie a tie, change a tire, or cook eggs. The list can go on and is different for each individual but all is not lost there are people out there to help, like Rob Kenney, the creator, and host of 'Dad, How Do I?' From 'how to' videos to chin up ta...

Twice exceptional (2e) students have a foot on both ends of the bell curve. They are highly gifted in some areas and have huge challenges (are neurodivergent) in others. They are often described as "smart but lazy" or "bright but scattered." ADHD, dyslexia, and autism spectrum disorder fall under this neurodiversity umbrella. Join guest Sam Young, an expert on special needs education who is h...

In this continued conversation from ep. 114, special guest Andrea Thorpe and host Janna Koch pick up on part two of their discussion about homeschooling middle schoolers. These years don't have to be a season of gritting your teeth and white knuckling through. You can actually thrive when you shift your mindset from controlling your teens to preparing them for the next phase of life. Lea...

Join special guest Andrea Thorpe to learn how homeschooling the middle school years can be one of your best seasons yet! During middle school, your children transition from the cute years of elementary school to the independent learning years of high school. Because they are transforming, your parenting and teaching both need to flex as well.  ABOUT OUR GUEST | Andrea Thorpe is the autho...

Learn what makes guitar (or any musical instrument) the perfect homeschool hobby and extracurricular activity in this episode with John Futch. John has been playing guitar for 25 years and has taught music for over twenty years in his hometown of Lexington, KY. In 2017, he and a friend created First Frets, an online guitar and ukulele program that takes students from beginner to advanced, one step...

Have you ever felt totally stressed out by the holidays? Or oddly disappointed when they were over? Janna Koch and her guest Kelly Scimeca chat all things holiday blues: the symptoms, the causes, and how to keep them from ruining your cheery vibe.  LISTENER COUPON CODE ★ Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. TIMESTAMPS 01:52 Introduction to Kelly 02:52 Chore charts...

Why add Black, Asian, and Native American voices to your homeschool? Our podcast guest for this episode is a specialist in this area. Belinda Bullard has successfully graduated three children through homeschooling with a literature-based approach. Her business, Blessed Heritage Educational Resources , provides multicultural history curriculum featuring the African-American presence and contributio...

Music is a mental superfood—truly enjoyable and beneficial for both brain and soul! Music awakens imagination and even boosts math skills. Join host Janna and her guest Dana Dominiak as they talk about Piano Prodigy —a video game that teaches kids both music theory and how to play the piano. About our guest: Both a video game entrepreneur and a professor of Computer Science at Lewis University, Da...

Anyone can be imaginative. Our job as homeschool parents is to give our children a toolbox with enough variety of options to foster their creativity. Both reading and writing are key vehicles for imagination!  About our guest: Nancy Jo Wilson is a homeschool mother and science fiction writer. Visit her author website here . She's homeschooled for 20+ years in four different states. If she has...

Special guest Kathleen Cotter Clayton from RightStart Math believes that homeschool math can be so much fun that you fall off your chair from laughter. In this episode, she helps parents find the beauty, the fun, the giggles—even the joy— of math. Math is not math for math's sake. Math is a tool to solve actual problems. And when kids learn to concentrate steadily on math, they will feel empowered...

If you are scared to homeschool high school, fear no more! Special guest Ann Karako of It's Not That Hard to Homeschool has successfully homeschooled five teens through high school graduation. In this episode she shares her insights about dual enrollment, homeschool styles, the family dynamic, gap years, and more. • — • — • — • — • LISTENER COUPON CODE ★ Request your coupon code to use on any purc...

At its core, etiquette is a set of skills that we use to help others feel valued. Our polite (or rude) behaviors send unspoken messages about what we cherish. If your kids could use help with being more refined or kinder to those around them, this episode with special guest Monica Irvine is for you! Visit Monica's site at The Etiquette Factory and learn about her curriculum that teaches manners. S...

Nicole the Math Lady has a unique approach to math mistakes: When errors happen, instead of feeling like a failure, accept mistakes as part of the learning process. Teach your kids not to be perfect math problem solvers but perfect math fixers . Nicole explains how she uses her own bloopers to encourage kids to embrace imperfection and keep trying. • — • — • — • — • — • — • LISTENER COUPON CODE ★...

Past math trauma or thinking you're not good at math will impact how you approach math in your homeschool. If math is a weak spot for you, tune into this episode with special guest Nicole Thomas of Nicole the Math Lady . She actually became a homeschooler after she started teaching math online. Nicole encourages us to stop thinking about math solely in terms of numbers, formulas, and processes but...

What's your goal for second language learning in your homeschool? Do you want your kids to learn about a language or actually be able to communicate with that language? Adelaide Olguin of TalkBox. Mom takes the later approach. Her second language learning kits teach the entire family just a few useful phrases at a time in an immersive, whole-language approach. Instead of getting bogged down in gra...

Guest Gretchen Roe from Demme Learning says that math is like death and taxes: you don't get away from either one. She urges parents not to shortchange kids in their math instruction by claim they're just not a math-family.   Learn how a mastery-based curriculum is student-centric, allowing a child to work at the pace they need to fully comprehend the skills (instead of the curriculum determi...

In this second chat with Occupational Therapist Assistant Trish Cauthon, she and Janna delve into the many facets of executive functioning and how to support your child with those skills. Find out what trouble signs to look for in areas such as visual processing, bilateral skills, and fine motor skills. Trish shares simple strategies that can help as you guide your child without frustration throug...

We invited occupational therapist assistant Trish Cauthon to the show to help you equip your young children for their two primary occupations— playing and learning . The field of occupational therapy encompasses multiple key areas such as: motor skills, sensory processing, emotional social skills, self-regulation, and executive functioning. Learn how long you can expect a child to pay attention to...