Homeschool Your Way

When December rolls around, you probably feel like you're ready for a break, but how can you relax when the holidays add a dozen complex projects on your to-do list: shopping, decorating, menu planning, etc.? What's the secret to managing the holidays while homeschooling? DeeDee and Ximena share the tactics that help them truly enjoy family time so these weeks truly can be the "most wonderful time...

Don't let fear keep you from choosing to homeschool. And don't let lack of confidence keep you from trusting your instincts as a parent.  Here's how to be a more confident homeschooler, one who isn't afraid to take risks. Remember that no choice is a forever choice. You can always fix it! So don't be afraid to mess things up. You know what's best for your child.  ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE...

We all want our kids to whine less and say thank you more often! The benefits of gratitude are scientifically proven: increased happiness, improved sleep, and boosted self-esteem.  DeeDee and Ximena discuss all the clever ways they nudge their children, tweens, and teens towards a greater realization of all they have to be thankful for.  ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code...

Yes, field trips require time, money, and a dose of planning and patience. But the world is filled with interesting places and people to explore! Field trips model to our kids that learning takes place in the real world and not only from the pages of books.   ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a...

When you study a poem, you are learning how to extract information from a different kind of text. Analyzing poetry has so many benefits: not only verbal skills, but also memory, writing, imagination, and vocabulary.  All it takes is pleasant exposure to poetry to gain these benefits. Just read, enjoy, recite, and memorize poems to learn language arts the natural way. Get inspired by DeeDee an...

Imagine you have a baby or toddler, an elementary aged child, and a teen. That's a family with a large age gap among kids! Our guest Crystal has a family like that. She shares her tips for managing homeschooling a broad mix of ages with a baby in tow. Take a peek into her day with this episode. ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. Thanks t...

A homeschool co-op can provide support and friendships for you and your children. Plus the mix of parents means that you can offset some of your own weaknesses as a teacher with the strengths of others. Ximena and DeeDee met in a homeschool co-op, so of course, they've had a great experience and want you to glean the benefits from them, too.  ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code...

Let's look at the pros and cons of educating through a charter school and a few tips for making the most of the experience should you go that route. ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com . QUOTABLES DeeDee: "...even though we are e...

Danielle Perrecone-Alomoto is a neurological reorganization consultant from In the Cortex who, in this episode, talks about communicating so that kids will listen and follow directions.  ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com . QUOT...

Distance learning is not easy. There are a ton of headaches to navigate. This podcast is about how to make the most of virtual learning and why you may want to consider a full shift to homeschooling instead. ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at book...

Homeschooling affects everyone in the family! DeeDee and Ximena share how to make those impacts positive instead of negative. They also encourage you to nurture your relationships beyond your role as a homeschool mom/dad. Don't forget you are a child to your own parents, a friend, and (maybe) a spouse. Those bonds deserve attention, too.  ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to u...

Due to the pandemic, many families have experienced schooling at home, distance learning, or online school. Of course, this has been tough and has given some parents the idea that they aren't cut out for homeschooling because they hate it. But schooling at home isn't the same thing as homeschooling. Although both provide more flexibility and require parental involvement, homeschooling is so much b...

A big part of homeschooling is figuring out a good schedule for your family. Schedules help you accomplish your long-term goals and provide an anchor that lets you enjoy flexibility. Without a schedule, you can take a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants approach. But when life gets in the way, you may find chaos dictating your journey versus your dictating where you're going.  PRO TIP: Using CRAM C...

Enjoying books with your children is much more that just reading aloud to them, although it includes that, too!  QUOTABLES Ximena: "Audio books are not cheating." ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at bookshark.com. Thanks to show sponsor BookShark. Request a homeschool curriculum catalog or download samples at bookshark.com . TIMESTAMPS 02:22 What does i...

Is the homeschool parent a special breed, someone with a unique gene that gives them super-human patience and a knack for teaching? Not at all. DeeDee and Ximena don't feel they are especially patient; neither is a professional teacher. Yet they successfully guide their children through the curriculum. Your objections to homeschooling can be overcome. If you want to homeschool (or need to homescho...

Introverted parents don't choose to homeschool just so they can avoid people altogether . But they do typically find benefits in terms of managing how their energy is spent day-to-day. DJ and her special guest Bethany Ishee of bethanyishee.com discuss the pros and cons of homeschooling as an introvert plus provide tips for getting that elusive downtime that introverts crave. Hear them dish on co-o...

Year-round homeschooling doesn't mean that you do lessons all the time without any breaks. It simply means you spread out your breaks more evenly through the year instead of taking a massive summer break. It also means you can start and stop your school year anytime you like versus mimicking the public school's pattern of starting a new curriculum each August or Sept. Year-round homeschooling is a...

This episode is all about a trendy new phrase in homeschooling which is really just a rework of circle time. Learn how your homeschool might benefit from the routine of a morning basket — especially if you are teaching more than one child. Find out exactly what it is and how to set one up. Spoiler: It doesn't even have to be in a basket !  ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon cod...

Although every homeschool is unique, there are some common frustrations that all families will likely face at one time or another: kids being discouraged about their progress, kids having bad moods, moms getting angry and feeling behind, etc. In this episode you'll find your frustrations aren't unique only to you, and hopefully you'll find some solutions that will make a difference for you. PRO TI...

Digging into her experience teaching five children, DJ shares how it's not as hard as you might expect to homeschool a large family. Keys to her sanity and providing a good education for her kids are staying flexible, teaching her kids together instead of separately, and training kids to do some work independently.  ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchase at b...

When you take your child out of public school to educate at home, the adjustment can be really hard both for the child and the homeschool parent. In fact, expect the first two years to be the hardest. But it gets so much easier after that because you've established your own way of doing things and figured out what works.  ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon code to use on any purchas...

If you want to homeschool but fear you can't because you have anxiety, this podcast is for you. Or if you're already homeschooling and dealing with anxiety, DJ's experience will probably resonate with you and hopefully provide you some peace.  Mr. Rogers said anything that's human is mentionable and anything mentionable can be more manageable . When we talk about our feelings, they become les...

Using literature to teach kids is powerful! Kids can relate to the characters in a biography or a book of historical fiction in a way that never happens by reading a textbook. This connection has so many benefits! First kids retain the information and gain a deep understanding. And kids also gain a sense of compassion for others through great books. ★★★ LISTENER COUPON CODE Request your coupon cod...

In this back-and-forth conversation, DJ, DeeDee, and Ximena tell the stories of how they made the choice to homeschool and how they homeschool their own unique way.  QUOTABLES DeeDee: And you just can't let homeschool take over your whole life. Ximena: You can't? ------ Ximena: "I think it's funny that we all started off almost exactly the same in our journeys with homeschooling and then just...