The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we’re bringing you an episode from the archives where we discuss how parenting and homeschooling aren’t two separate things—they’re one and the same. When you approach homeschooling with this mindset, it can make a powerful difference in your day-to-day homeschool life!  We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making The Smiling Homeschooler...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we’re talking about how to incorporate activities often considered extracurricular—like music, construction, cooking, computers, art, and more—into your regular homeschool routine. We also interview former Disney animator Chad Stewart, who shares about his animation course designed specifically for homeschoolers interested in art and animatio...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we are excited to be joined by Todd's daughter,  Maggie! She’s getting married in just a few weeks, so we talk all about her upcoming wedding, her journey to becoming a nail technician, and what life has been like after school. It’s a fun episode, and we hope you enjoy listening! We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making The Smiling Homes...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! We have a fun, different episode this week! We talk 4H, the county fair, the 4th of July, and some other ways to connect as a family this summer! We had a great time recording this episode, and we hope you enjoy it!  Before we begin, we want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making The Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their match curriculum helps thousands...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we’re talking about how important it is to de-stress and recharge, and we’ll discuss what summer break can look like for older kids. We hope you enjoy it! We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making The Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their math curriculum helps thousands of homeschoolers smile each and every day, and we encourage you to ch...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we were joined be Debbie Wilson. Over this past weekend, one of the Wilson kids graduated, so we talked to Debbie about her approach to graduations and transitioning into her final years of homeschooling. She also shares what some of the highlights were for this past school year, what curriculum she enjoyed, and what she wants to do differentl...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we are playing an episode from way back in the archives. We were joined by Homeschooling Mom,  Author, and speaker, Durenda Wilson. We are big believers in her approach to homeschooling, and think you will find this interview encouraging! Durenda has been battling cancer, and we would ask you to join our family in praying for her recovery. To...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! With the school year wrapping up, we’re taking some time to talk about the signs that it might be time to make a few changes in your homeschooling for next year!  As always, we hope this episode is encouraging and helps you smile! Before we begin, we want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their math curriculum hel...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! Today we’re talking about wrapping up the school year, creating a fun summer bucket list, and how we can help our children feel valued for who they are. We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their match curriculum helps thousands of homeschoolers smile each and every day, and we would encourage you to check it...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we're sharing an email from a homeschooling mom who recently pulled her kids out of school. She's been wrestling with the reasons behind her decision to homeschool, and her experience is both honest and encouraging.  We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their match curriculum helps thousands of hom...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we’re sharing an episode from the archives all about spelling! We were joined by Debbie Wilson—a homeschooling mom of eight—who shares her tips, tricks, and philosophy on teaching spelling. It was a great episode, and we hope you find it encouraging! Before we begin, we want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the smiling homeschooler possi...

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we have a fun and relaxed episode for you! We talk about some advice that changed one homeschooling mom's life, and encourage you to be confident that your children are going to turn out okay. We hope you enjoy!  Before we begin, we want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their match curriculum helps thou...

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! My name is Ben Wilson, and today we’re joined by longtime homeschooling mom Becky Clark. She shares her journey and offers wisdom for moms who may be wondering if they’re doing things “right.” Becky has a heart for encouraging moms to resist comparison and pressure, and instead, focus on homeschooling in a way that’s best for their child. We want to tha...

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we are bringing you an episode from the archvies where we were joined by my brother, Ike. Our topic was how to encourage your child in their interests, and in pursuing their dreams. He has some great advice to share, and we hope you enjoy!  We want to thank Teaching Textbooks for making the Smiling Homeschooler possible. Their match curriculum...

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week is our third and final part of the Lies Our Homeschooled Kids Believe.  We’ll be tackling common misconceptions like: • “I won’t be able to play sports if I’m homeschooled.” • “I don’t have any friends because I’m homeschooled.” ...and many more It’s going to be another great episode—We hope you enjoy!  We want to give a big thank you to Teach...

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we're diving into Part 2 of our mini-series on the lies homeschooled kids believe. Here are just a couple of the lies we unpack in this episode: “I’m homeschooled, so I won’t be able to get into college.” “Going to a real school wouldn’t influence me.” We tackle these myths head-on and share the truth behind them—along with a whole lot of enc...

Welcome to the Smiling Homeschooler podcast. Today, we’re diving into a conversation that hits close to home for so many of us homeschooling families—especially when it comes to the things our kids are believing. Maybe you've heard it from your own child—or maybe just caught it in their tone: "Other kids are getting a better education than me..." "I’m missing out on all the fun..." "Going to real...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! We have a great episode for you this week! we’re tackling some of the biggest questions and challenges homeschool parents face—how do we balance it all while still slowing down to enjoy the moments? What about the pressure of keeping up with standards or fighting that nagging feeling of being “behind”? Join us as we dive into real struggles (and wins!)...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! Believe it or not, we are in the final stretch of the school year! Which is what our topic is all about! How to enjoy this spring season, whether or not to push through to the end, or when it might be a good idea to stop or change things up! We hope you are encouraged by our conversation!  We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for suppor...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week we're talking about smiling. Sometimes homeschooling, parenting, and life in general can feel so tough and exhausting that smiling feels nearly impossible. If that's you, you're not alone—it's completely normal and part of life! Our goal today is to encourage you on those hard days and share a few ideas to help you find a reason to smile, even...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week, we're bringing back an episode from our archives with Debbie Wilson, where she shares practical ways to beat the dreaded winter doldrums. She also talks about the curriculum she used that semester and how she tackled getting back into the swing of things for the second half of the school year. Whether you’re hearing this for the first time or...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This weeks episode is a great one! Our topic for discussion revolves around the fact that the hard things in life usually are the good things! We delve into this and talk about all the distractions and things we need to do that keep us from relationships. We hope you enjoy! We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! Tonight, we have a special guest who’s no stranger to the homeschool community—Suzanne Nunn from the podcast Not by the Book! She’s deep in the world of homeschooling, and is gearing up for convention season, and has even created her own curriculum called Musings. We’re going to dive into why homeschool conventions are such a game-changer, the story beh...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week Ben is joined by his mom, Debbie Wilson. The topic this week is a silent struggle that many homeschooling moms experience, which is loneliness. This is something Debbie has dealt with many times over the years, and she has some great practical advice and encouragement to share.  We want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for support...

Welcome to The Smiling Homeschooler Podcast! This week's episode is a rerun, but is a really important episode to listen to! We discuss the fact that every child is smart, just not in the same way. It's critical that our children know that we believe they are smart, and encourage them in that.  Before we jump in, we want to give a big thank you to Teaching Textbooks for supporting The Smiling Home...