Brave Writer

By Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley

The Brave Writer podcast is a big juicy conversation about how to bring learning to life for your kids! Julie Bogart and guests talk about how parents and children are partners in the learning adventu... more

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The podcast currently has 385 episodes available.

Best of Brave Writer

The most played episodes among Podcast App listeners.

Number 1: 352. Handwriting: Why, When, and How to Teach It
What if one of the simplest tools for improving reading, memory, attention, and creative thinking is already sitting in your pencil cup? We’re revisiting handwriting and the surprising neuroscience behind why it still matters in a digital age. We explore how forming letters supports early reading, why handwritten notes encourage deeper thinking, and how copywork can build skill without limiting a child’s original ideas. We also share playful ways to practice, from cornmeal and sidewalk chalk to gel pens and tablets. Download the free companion handout at bravewriter.com/handwriting, then join us as we make handwriting a satisfying part of the homeschool day. Resources:Visit bravewriter.com/handwriting for our free handwriting and copywork printable!Registration is open now for Movie Discussion Club: Captivating Stories (Christopher Nolan) and many other Brave Writer classes! Check out the special offer at Talkbox.MOM/brave and start speaking a new language with your kids from day one!Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attentionIf you’ve ever thought of trying out online music lessons, now is the time! Claim your freeMaestro Music lessons at MaestromusicFree Music Lessons for Brave Writer Families | Maestro Music .Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book ShopVisit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!) Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates WritingFind community at the Brave Learner Home Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programsSubscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of EnthusiasmsSign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to [email protected] Connect with Julie:Instagram: @juliebravewriterThreads: @juliebravewriterBluesky: @bravewriter.comFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter Connect with Melissa:Website: melissawiley.comSubstack: melissawiley.substack.comInstagram: @melissawileybooksBluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social Produced by NOVA
August 12, 20261h
Number 2: 351. Hot Pink and the Art Museum
What changes when we stop rushing children toward the lesson we planned and start noticing the learning already unfolding? A visit with Julie’s six-year-old granddaughter becomes a fresh look at poetry, reading, art museums, and the remarkable power of one-on-one attention. We explore how treasure hunts turn worksheets into quests, why a child’s “wrong” answer contains useful logic, and how patient observation helps us see familiar subjects differently. Homeschooling does not always provide daily proof of progress. Often, we collect a few luminous moments surrounded by plenty of ordinary space. Join us as we learn to trust that the pearls are enough. Resources:Registration is open now for Movie Discussion Club: Captivating Stories (Christopher Nolan) and many other Brave Writer classes!You can find “Every Face I Look at Seems Beautiful to Me” on Melissa’s blog, Here in the Bonny GlenCheck out the special offer at Talkbox.MOM/brave and start speaking a new language with your kids from day one!Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.If you’ve ever thought of trying out online music lessons, now is the time! Claim your free Maestro Music lessons at Free Music Lessons for Brave Writer Families | Maestro Music .Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book ShopVisit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!) Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates WritingFind community at the Brave Learner Home Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programsSubscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of EnthusiasmsSign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to [email protected] Connect with Julie:Instagram: @juliebravewriterThreads: @juliebravewriterBluesky: @bravewriter.comFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter Connect with Melissa:Website: melissawiley.comSubstack: melissawiley.substack.comInstagram: @melissawileybooksBluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social Produced by NOVA
August 05, 202655min
Number 3: 356. Parenting Strategies or Teaching Tactics
What if the missing ingredient in your homeschool isn’t a better curriculum, but a bigger toolkit for teaching? When kids resist a lesson, it’s easy to reach for familiar parenting strategies: consequences, bargaining, reminders, and demands for cooperation. But learning asks something different of us. We need teaching tactics that spark curiosity, invite collaboration, leave room for contemplation, and celebrate real growth. We explore playful, practical ways to make math, history, writing, and other subjects more meaningful, while helping our kids develop genuine ownership of what they learn. Tune in and discover how to trade “Come on, you guys!” for richer learning experiences. Resources:Registration is open now for Middle School Writing: Nonfiction Projects and many other Brave Writer classes!Interested in helping the Library of Congress transcribe old documents? Sign up here!Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attentionFind Jim Weiss’s Greek Myths CD along with our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book ShopVisit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!) Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates WritingMelissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World. Find community at the Brave Learner Home Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programsSubscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of EnthusiasmsSign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to [email protected] Connect with Julie:Instagram: @juliebravewriterThreads: @juliebravewriterBluesky: @bravewriter.comFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter Connect with Melissa:Website: melissawiley.comSubstack: melissawiley.substack.comInstagram: @melissawileybooksBluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social Produced by NOVA
September 09, 20261h 4min
Number 4: 354. Working Parents and Homeschooling
Can you really homeschool well while also holding down a job? Yes, but the answer may require us to rethink when, where, and how learning happens. With Brave Writer president Dawn Smith joining us, we explore flexible schedules, morning meetings, night schooling, body doubling, buddy reading, planning from behind, and the art of “triangling in” support. We also look at why homeschool doesn't need to imitate a nine-to-three school day and how ordinary moments, from breakfast to dishwashing, can become rich opportunities for connection and learning. Come discover how work and homeschool can fit into the same family tapestry. Resources:Registration is open now Registration is open now for Playing with Poetry: Discovery and many other Brave Writer classes!Check out the special offer at Talkbox.MOM/brave and start speaking a new language with your kids from day one!Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attentionIf you’ve ever thought of trying out online music lessons, now is the time! Claim your free Maestro Music lessons at Maestromusic Free Music Lessons for Brave Writer Families | Maestro Music .Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book ShopVisit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!) Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates WritingMelissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World. Find community at the Brave Learner Home Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programsSubscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of EnthusiasmsSign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to [email protected] Connect with Julie:Instagram: @juliebravewriterThreads: @juliebravewriterBluesky: @bravewriter.comFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter Connect with Melissa:Website: melissawiley.comSubstack: melissawiley.substack.comInstagram: @melissawileybooksBluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social Produced by NOVA
August 26, 202655min
Number 5: 353. Only Connect: The Power of Partnership in Homeschooling
What changes when we stop treating homeschooling as something we do to our children and begin learning alongside them? Connection is at the heart of meaningful education: connection to ourselves, to the subjects we study, and to one another. We explore how curiosity leads to purpose, why collaboration matters more than perfect independence, and how low-stakes practice can help children build confidence without turning every lesson into an evaluation. From fractions and cookies to grammar, handwriting, games, and writing revision, we look at practical ways to turn abstract academics into learning that feels useful and alive. Join us and discover what can happen when we trade coercion for connection. Resources:Registration is open now for Playing with Poetry: Discovery and many other Brave Writer classes! Visit bravewriter.com/handwriting for our free handwriting and copywork printable!Check out the special offer at Talkbox.MOM/brave and start speaking a new language with your kids from day one!Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attentionIf you’ve ever thought of trying out online music lessons, now is the time! Claim your free Maestro Music lessons at Maestromusic Free Music Lessons for Brave Writer Families | Maestro Music .Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book ShopVisit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!) Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates WritingFind community at the Brave Learner Home Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programsSubscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of EnthusiasmsSign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to [email protected] Connect with Julie:Instagram: @juliebravewriterThreads: @juliebravewriterBluesky: @bravewriter.comFacebook: facebook.com/bravewriter Connect with Melissa:Website: melissawiley.comSubstack: melissawiley.substack.comInstagram: @melissawileybooksBluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social Produced by NOVA
August 19, 202644min