make joy normal: cozy homeschooling

send us a text via Fan Mail! This week we delve into how to keep homeschooling efficient!  Homeschooling is a magical environment for combining subjects and interdisciplinary studies.   We can learn how to make the most of the natural learning present in our family lives.  We also address head butting, or, more to the point, avoiding head butting.  This national pastime does not have to take up so...

send us a text via Fan Mail! This week we tackle some questions on pregnancy, post partum and the various times in our life when we’re on the low and trying to homeschool, too.   It’s a guarantee that we’re all going to have low periods in our life, whether through pregnancy, physical or mental illness, loss or sometimes for no apparent reason.  We look at ways we can cope in crisis times, and a b...

send us a text via Fan Mail! This week we talk about spouses who are opposing each other in the discussion about whether to homeschool or not.  How to foster discussion about this big life decision.  We also talk about our husband’s role in homeschooling our kids…expectations, involvement and how dads can have a huge impact on our homeschooling lives.   1:15 - When one wants to homeschool but does...

send us a text via Fan Mail! This week, we introduce you to Teresa Wiedrick "helping to turn homeschool mama’s challenges into their charms."  She's a homeschool mom, coach, lovely individual who wants to see moms succeed.  She talks about what she offers, and what coaching looks like.  5:47 - How does homeschooling look like for you? 8:20 - What is coaching and what is your main go...

send us a text via Fan Mail! If you would like to support this podcast, click HERE. In this episode, we talk about motivating reluctant kids.   Kids with learning challenges, or laid back kids who just don't like to be challenged; sometimes kids just going through a phase!  How can we avoid yanking them along, undermining the relationship and frustrating ourselves and the reluctant learner? ...

send us a text via Fan Mail! In this episode, we talk about our Faith lives, growing in faith and how we manage that with a young family.  We share the resources that have made our prayers lives more successful, our struggles and successes along the way.  8:35 - How do you incorporate prayer and/or daily Mass in your homeschool? 12:22 - Build a foundation and build gradually 14:47 - Our personal p...

send us a text via Fan Mail! In this episode we talk about how to deal with toddlers while you’re homeschooling.  It’s tricksy, right?  We chat about sibling relationships and some management and co-oping with other families.  And just a quick reminder…we love you guys, you know that, right? 5:48 - What do you do with the younger kids while teaching the older kids? 11:31 - Ideas for keeping toddle...

send us a text via Fan Mail! In this episode, we continue our discussion of curriculum options, focusing on Science, Art and Music.  Bonnie and Elizabeth talk about experiences with approaching these areas, and recommends resources.  We talk about World Book encyclopedia and capitalizing on learning using encyclopedia.  A boat load of science and art resources are in the show notes, as well as mus...

send us a text via Fan Mail! If you would like to support this podcast, click HERE.  In this episode, Elizabeth and Bonnie welcome Bonnie’s daughter Lucy as a guest.  We discuss a variety of random things, including, but not limited to:  spelling, comparing dictation with copy work, spelling, tips and tricks for teaching a child who knows everything, teaching differences according to gender and wo...

send us a text via Fan Mail! If you would like to support this podcast, click HERE.  In this episode, we interview our first guest, Phillip Campbell III, author and speaker.  He recently has written a history program geared at homeschoolers called The Story of Civilization.  A self professed history nerd, Phillip shares the nature of his program, and some of his other projects.  He talks about pre...

send us a text via Fan Mail! If you would like to support this podcast, click HERE.  In this episode, Elizabeth and Bonnie discuss math options for homeschool families, pros and cons and what kind of program might suit your child or family. Bonnie makes wine recommendations.  They discuss some options for studying history and social studies. We’ve linked the resources we’ve mentioned in the show a...

send us a text via Fan Mail! If you would like to support this podcast, click HERE.  In this episode, Elizabeth and Bonnie discuss submitting a “learning plan” if it’s required in your area, particularly if socratic discussion, literature based, organic learning is what you are after!  Paralleling that idea is the fact that most of us want a “plan” - to feel like we know where we’re headed for the...

send us a text via Fan Mail! 2:05 - How to find order when you have kids 6:42 - Family purpose statement 12:05 - Being clear about when we do things 13:29 - Walk with our children / Tidy the house with them 15:20 - How do you keep track of your homeschool stuff? 22:23 - A good day starts the night before 25:57 - How do you budget your time well? 30:58 - The tyranny of the urgent (see PDF) 33:18 -...

send us a text via Fan Mail! 1:16 - How do we turn discussion based study into productivity  16:16 - How does that relate to marks/a report card? 23:14 - Perfecting the paragraph to help produce essays  25:58 - How do you take what they've read and move to putting  on paper? 27:51 - How to branch out from the literature to experiences If you would like to support this podcast, click HERE.  Ho...

send us a text via Fan Mail! 1:24 - What is Chocolate Chip Math? 4:42 - Tips for implementing Chocolate Chip Math 6:31 - How long do you spend on Math every day? 9:02 - What a lesson would look like 23:23 -When kids hate Math 29:10 - "Key to" Math books 31:49 - Workbooks or choc. chip math 35:04 - When a child is not grasping a concept 37:11 - How do you get started with choc. chip math?...

send us a text via Fan Mail! In question one, we talk a lot about managing chores and developing a system for busy family life.  Question two is about managing behaviour without using rewards and consequences, aka "carrot and stick" methods.  What works when you don't want to use coercive disciplinary options.  Third question, we chat at length about helping kids develop healthy fri...

send us a text via Fan Mail! In this episode, we talk about what summer break looks like in our house, and what options are available for homeschoolers.   What about highschoolers?  How do we know how to choose curriculum, there is so much to choose from, what’s right for our family? How do we moderate what comes into our house and ensure it gets used?  4:16 - What does summer vacation look like?...

send us a text via Fan Mail! In this episode, Elizabeth and I discuss the importance of reading and some of our favourite story books - here are the links to the books we talked about:   Go Dog Go Clown of God Something from Nothing My Very First Mother Goose D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths The Tale of the Three Trees books by: Tomie de Paola Journey Aaron Becker (wordless) Elephant and...

send us a text via Fan Mail! This week, Elizabeth and I discuss several questions on dictation.  What is dictation, how does it work?  When do you start dictation, and how long do you do dictation?  What can you learn in dictation?  What about high school?  How does it look at times of crises, or during pregnancy or post partum?  0:58 - What is dictation?  2:26 - What is the importance of dictatio...

send us a text via Fan Mail! In this episode we talk about the importance of building the relationship and reducing the drama.  It affects our whole day, not gonna lie. 3:30 - How can I transition away from coercive parenting? 20:33 - Disinterested service (CCC 2223)   23:57 - When kids are fighting with each other  30:55 - When a child refuses to join a family read-aloud 36:25 - Advice for teachi...

send us a text via Fan Mail! Do your kids get input on what you study and how you spend your day? How do you decide what to cover each year? How do you know what to do next? Is it important to have mentors? How does technology play into home education? Are there good apps for kids that you’ve come across? Reading aloud…how much do you prepare?  Creating an environment where kids learn to love lear...

send us a text via Fan Mail! The first half of this episode discusses a question about prayer life in the family, finding time, developing habits.  As I have a lot of secular followers, I wanted to qualify that I don’t think it will be a waste of time for you!  Finding time for self reflection, gratitude, sorting out our ideals and expectations are built on the same ideas...building routines, deve...

send us a text via Fan Mail! This week, Elizabeth brings some basic questions about what Bonnie believes about joy.  As the episode unfolds, they discuss what the ideal day might look like, the proper place of curriculum in our homeschool life, all those unused curriculum sitting in storage... Some thoughts on structure and planning our day, and balancing self care with the sacrifice we make as pa...