The Homeschool Solutions Show

Today on the podcast I am joined by Amy Sloan from humilityanddoxology.com and mom of five kids ages 4 to 14. For about the past five years Amy has made memory work a central part of her homeschool day. In this episode Amy and I discuss how to be consistent with memory work, how you find great pieces to memorize, and practical ways you can make this happen in your home. We also chat about the deba...

Congratulations on making the decision to homeschool! Homeschooling has many benefits, and it is a decision that you will not regret. When it comes to  how to homeschool,  one thing you may be nervous about is  how to tell others you're homeschooling.   Telling friends and family may leave you concerned about possible negative feedback. Sharing the news with others also cements your decision; it m...

Steve Demme has believed in homeschooling since before he had kids of his own. This former math teacher and pastor joined the fight of the homeschooling movement early, helping to lobby and shape legislation that gives us the homeschool freedoms we have today. Along the way, he and his wife homeschooled their own kids, he write a math curriculum, and became the funny, favorite math teacher of a ge...

Deciding to homeschool was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make as a parent. I remember being so torn with emotions, worrying we were doing the right thing. I know now it was the best choice for my son. It's what worked for our family then and we just kept going. It's hard to believe, but we just graduated our oldest and he's off to college! My youngest is heading into 7th grade this ye...

The final interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods  is with a super-special friend of mine, Brandy Vencel. I am not (currently) a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, but sitting at the feet of Brandy keeps inching me more and more in that direction I think. I just love chatting with her about Charlotte Mason. Brandy, who has used  Ambleside Online  since her oldest was in first grade, is on...

The fourth interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods I got to chat with one of my very favorite people, Jennifer Dow from Expanding Wisdom . Jennifer is a joy, because she makes me think about life, education, and being a more virtuous person every single time we talk. In this episode we talk about the day-in-the-life of a classical homeschool and about a version of classical homeschoo...

The third interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods series was a delight to record. I loved chatting with a friend, Margaret in Minnesota. blogs about her beautiful life with seven kids at her blog -- Minnesota Mom  where she focuses on family, faith, and lots of love. Margaret uses a school-at-home method of homeschooling. In this interview, we talk about what a typical day looks like...

As part of our interview series on the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods , I recently had the opportunity to speak to Heather Woodie of Blog She Wrote . Heather homeschooled her children using the unit study method for ten years. Sometimes she usel purchased unit studies, while at other times she (or her children!) wrote their own studies. She mentors other homeschool moms with her participatio...

This episode from the archives is from our  Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods  and it was a delight to record three years ago. I loved chatting with my old friend, Sue Elvis who blogs at  https://www.storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com/  and has a new book out called Curious Unschoolers . Sue unschools her large family where they focus on doing their own projects, relationships, and trusting the c...

There is nothing more fun than a road trip full of adventure and learning. And no group knows how to make the most of a learning adventure better than homeschoolers.   Today I am joined by Trish Corlew of Homeschool Road Trips and Hip Homeschool Moms to chat about Trish's best tips for learning on the go as well as more information about the Homeschool Road Trips opportunities. We chat about how t...

Homeschooling through high school can feel intimidating. I am a teacher by trade, and I am constantly second guessing myself and checking to be sure that I have not left my children with a gaping hole in their education. We tell our kids that they can do anything they want, but am I stealing part of that future from them if I don't aptly prepare them to meet it? Listen or read more at  https://the...

What happens to your morning time as your kids get older? Does it change or do we stop requiring them to attend? Can your teen outgrow Morning Time? These are the questions that Cindy West from Our Journey Westward joins me to answer today. In this episode of the podcast we talk about how the tone of Morning Time changes as your kids get older, how to get their buy in with what you are doing, and...

The giddiness of families making educational choices for next year has begun! It is exciting to head to the NC Thrive! Conference and see all the bright shiny new choices. It's like Christmas to flip through a catalog or browse an online market full of books and  perfect  curriculum choices. But with so many good options out there, how do we know what is best for our family? Do you ever get stymie...

There is nothing that can more joyfully throw a homeschool year off balance than pregnancy and a new baby. Moms have so much to do already and now throw morning sickness, extreme fatigue, and a new born into the mix and homeschooling gets even harder. Joining me today is mom of many Amy Roberts who knows a thing or two about homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn. Amy gives us her best ti...

Let's start with a misconception about year-round homeschooling. It is typically NOT homeschooling all the time. Just because we are year-round homeschoolers that doesn't mean we are doing more school than your average students. Traditional American school schedules begin in late August, take a couple of weeks off in December, and continue through the end of May with about twelve weeks off in the...

Planning for one or two homeschool kids is challenging enough, but planning for school with six or more? Now that is a Herculean feat. But never fear, we have some mamas on the show today who have been doing that for a number of years. Lynna Sutherland (mom of 8) and Heather Tully (mom of 10) join me today to discuss the ins and outs of big family homeschool planning -- what's different than regul...

It's happened so many times you can replay the scenario in your head. One of your children runs in from another room screaming. He's got a complaint against a sibling and he wants justice. How do you respond? What do you say when faced with the accusations of one sibling against another? Eventually, you'll need to get them both involved in the conversation, but here are three things you can do bef...

Have you ever wondered how your personality type might impact your approach to homeschool planning? On today's episode of the podcast we have a fascinating glimpse at how your Meyers-Briggs functions can have an affect on how you plan, what you plan, and how you work a plan. Homeschool personality guru, homeschool grad, and homeschool mom Mystie Winckler joins me for this very revealing conversati...

"And what grade are you in, honey?" the little old lady asked my daughter in an impromptu conversation by the produce section. She found my then eight-year-old girl sorting through apples looking for just the right one and thought it odd that a child her age would be at the grocery store in the middle of a Thursday. It was, I suppose. Listen or read more at https://www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/20...

It is no secret that I am an introvert and introverts have a special place in my heart. There is nothing wrong with extroverts, but getting the world to understand the need for a little quiet and time alone and not take it personally is hard. It doesn't mean one is shy (I'm totally not.) or awkward (debatable). But it does fly in the face of our very social world at times — especially when you are...

We live in a society where being busy is considered normal. If you aren't running to piano practice, baseball games, school awards ceremonies and every other possible extra-curricular activity every week, you aren't doing enough for your kids. Every mom feels the invisible pressure to preform and possible out-preform their neighbor. Listen or read more at https://thezooicallhome.com/extra-curricul...

We are so excited to announce the release of the brand new Plan Your Year with this special conversation about homeschool planning. Dawn Garrett joins me today as we chat what's new about the book, what homeschool planning looks like for different people, common misconceptions about planning and being "boxed in" by a plan, and so much more. This conversation digs deep into how freeing (yes! I said...

If you're reading this, you are probably in the midst of teaching one of your little ones to read OR you have that endeavor looming ahead of you in the near future... amiright? The singular biggest fear of every single homeschool mom I've ever spoken to is failing to teach her child to read well... and especially failing to teach them "on time". Listen or read more at https://www.lifeabundantlyblo...

Sonya Shafer is the encouraging voice and curriculum writer behind Simply Charlotte Mason. Along with her friend Karen and their families, Sonya has been teaching about Charlotte's methods for years, helping families to bring them into the 21st century.   A popular speaker on CM topics, I was excited to get to sit down in this episode and talk to Sonya more about homeschooling in general -- how he...

Can I tell you something that's hard to admit? I've spent a lot of time in the past year being a miserable homeschool mom. Countless hours of training have gone into perfecting my craft. I'm excellent at complaining about parenting struggles, whining through hard days, and generally being difficult to be around. After our most challenging homeschooling year yet, I have it down. Here's how you can...