Homeschool Made Easy

Here you find evidence that once-upon-a-time, I cleaned my house.

Beyond that, there's better info. This introvert talks to those introverts out there about how to get started, how to do it on a budget, how to get dad involved, and how to hide from people.

Seriously, here's the gist:

• how to get ready for a new school year
• how to get free help and material
• how to get your husband on board
• how to keep your husband involved
• how to avoid burnout
• how to homeschool if you're an introvert
• and more!

In this episode:

• Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling

Me on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

I love music. I studied piano and violin in college, started two school music programs, headed a church music ministry, taught piano and violin for many years, and played in a symphony orchestra.

But I never really taught my children music appreciation.

In one conversation, Mary Prather changed my mind about that. Mary is the mother of a homeschool high schooler and a college student. She is a former public school music teacher and has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Supervision. Mary is the author of SQUILT Music Appreciation curriculum which makes music appreciation easy and accessible.

Now I want to integrate music into my homeschool, too.

So while Mary and I talked about something we both love, she taught me a lot I didn't know. And maybe some stuff you don't know, too.

Mary explains a lot:

• what a school teacher finds different about homeschooling
• what music appreciation really looks like at home
• what your student should be getting out of it
• why students should be exposed to music
• how music helps homeschooling
• and more!

In this episode:

• Sample of SQUILT
• article "The Importance of Music Education"
• article "Getting Started with Music Education"

SQUILT Website | Facebook | Instagram

This episode is probably not what you expect. I'm not really even talking about homeschooling. Instead, I'm talking about life.

Three of you asked me recently the same question: How do I balance it all? And the answer is not so easy, but it's also not so hard.

I'm not giving you a step-by-step "how to make homeschooling work in 3 hours with 5 children" kind of answer. Instead, I'm delving into what makes our lives as wives, mothers, homeschoolers, entrepreneurs, employees, volunteers ... what makes it all work. 

So here is what I talk to you about:

• how many things are important
• what are "must-do's"
• how to define success
• how to get it all done
• why not to do a lot of it
• and more!

In this episode:

• Prayers for the Mother of the Groom

Me on Facebook | Instagram | YouTube

Not very many moms enjoy teaching writing. Even fewer students enjoy learning writing. Yet all of us enjoy a good story. And we can create stories ourselves. That's the message Daniel Schwabauer has for us.

Daniel Schwabauer, M.A. is an award-winning novelist, teacher, and the creator of The One Year Adventure Novel, Byline, and Cover Story writing programs. His professional work includes novels, stage plays, radio scripts, short stories, newspaper columns, comic books, and teleplays. He lives in Kansas City with his wife and a 9-week-old puppy.

I loved this conversation because we delved into much more than the mechanics of writing: good stories, good messages, good truths. 

In this episode, Daniel and I talk about:

• what makes students love writing
• how to teach writing if you don't understand it
• how to have fun with writing
• what is a good story
• what is truth in writing
• and more!

In this episode:

• Clearwater Press
• The One Year Adventure Novel
• Curiosity Saved the Cat
• Daniel's books
• Daniel's personal website

Daniel Schwabauer on Facebook | Instagram

For a long time, I was not a fan of online homeschooling. I wanted to be more hands-on with my students, believing that was how they learned best. 

But I was wrong.

When one of my sons moved to Peru for a year, he needed a way to study on his own. So I turned to online schooling. And you know what? He thrived. The compact lessons, the video lessons, and the online assessments met his learning style better than I had. He learned a lot. 

Lee Giles is the creator of Easy Peasy All-in-One Homeschool, a free homeschool curriculum for preschool through twelfth grade. She is the mother of six children ages 8 - 21. Her family served as missionaries for 14 years in Macedonia and Turkey.

Lee and I talk about the misconceptions about online homeschooling, how and why of to use it, and the ways it benefits you and your students. 

Some of the things we talk about:

• how I changed my mind about online homeschooling
• how online homeschooling has evolved
• how the free homeschool program started
• the difference between public school distance learning and online homeschooling
• the difference between making homeschool decisions out of fear or out of love
• how to stay involved in your child's education while online homeschooling
• how to teach a child who seems not to be academically talented
• and more!

Easy Peasy Homeschooling Website | Facebook

I love writing. And I love teaching writing. Sometimes. Some students love to learn writing, and some of them really don't. It's hard to teach the ones that don't. 

Andrew Pudewa understands and helps. Andrew is the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a father of seven. Traveling and speaking around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. His seminars for parents, students, and teachers have helped transform many a reluctant writer and have equipped educators with powerful tools to dramatically improve students’ skills.

This episode is fun not only because we both get to talk about a subject we love, but also because we get to talk about helping students and parents love writing, too. I hope you are inspired by the conversation.

Andrew and I talk about:

• another thing we both love and the surprising ways it helps writing
• how to keep from ruining your child's enthusiasm
• when you should teach writing (not what you think!)
• how to know if your student's writing is good
• how to help your student write better
• and more!

In this episode:

• video writing classes
• Structure and Style for students
• FREE writing lessons

IEW on Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | YouTube | Pinterest | LinkedIn

I just learned that my son has ADHD. And in looking at his unique difficulties with his doctor and therapist, I realized that he has been struggling more than necessary in several areas. He's bright, he loves to learn, but he has these bad "glitches" that are slowing him down.

So I was really, really excited to talk with Dianne Craft. Dianne has a master’s degree in special education. She has over 25 years’ experience teaching bright children who have to work too hard to learn. She has developed the successful “Three-Pronged Approach” to reducing and eliminating learning disabilities: Brain Integration Therapy, Right Brain Teaching Strategies, and Targeted Nutritional Interventions.

In this episode, she talks with me about surprising (to me) strategies that make a huge difference in not only fixing learning issues (yes, she says they can be fixed!) but also in the student's confidence. And these strategies work at any age. 

Dianne tells us

• what is really causing dysgraphia, dyslexia, and other learning difficulties
• what is the one skill the student is actually missing 
• what to do when the curriculum isn't working (it's not a new curriculum!)
• what kind of progress we can expect with a new approach to teaching
• that we can teach our uniquely challenged student successfully!
• and more!

In this episode:

• how to use her strategies in the Brain Integration Therapy Manual
• downloadable skills assessments
• sample lesson plans you can use now
• Dianne's learning products
• Dianne's Brain Integration Therapy Facebook group

Dianne Craft on Facebook | Instagram

When I started off this podcast, one of the first questions listeners asked me (and several did!) was "How do I organize all the homeschool stuff?" I need help with that, too (don't look at my homeschool bookshelves and supply cart).

Kristi Clover is a home organization and #momlife expert. She’s also the author of M.O.M: Master Organizer of Mayhem and Homeschool Basics as well as a popular conference speaker. Her passion is to encourage families to find simple ways to bring more joy into their home and life. She loves to share about her adventures in motherhood and home life through a variety of media that you can find at KristiClover.com. Kristi lives in San Diego with her husband, Steve, and their five children.

Kristi helps me out so much in this episode, and I think you'll get some ideas, too.

In this episode, Jamie gives us steps to prepare:

• what to do first when you are planning the next year
• why to rip up your schoolbooks
• how to finish a schoolyear when you feel "totally over it"
• what one topic I would rather plan my subjects around
• how to get the day started
• what in the world to do with all those books
• and more!

In this episode:

• Mom: Master Organizer of Mayhem
• Homeschool Organization Course
• Free Sanity Savers for Mom book

Kristi Clover Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube | Twitter

There are two homeschool questions I get all.the.time. 1. How do I get started? 2. What about high school? I've been spending a little more time lately on that second question. And in this episode, Jamie Gaddy helps us out.

Jamie is Editor-in-Chief of Homeschool.com and homeschool mom of six. Jamie has been homeschooling for 14 years and has graduated several children on to college. She loves helping new homeschool moms find their path to homeschooling and loving it.

I loved this conversation with Jamie because it was so meaty and practical! And fun, too!

In this episode, Jamie gives us steps to prepare:

• check your state requirements
• ask your teen questions
• choose the right electives
• find the right tools
• prepare for exams and scholarships
• use summers wisely
• and more!

In this episode:

• homeschool.com
• FREE career explorations course
• FREE high school 4-year planning tool
• FREE teen planner

Homeschool.com Website |  Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

It doesn't matter if you are a new homeschooler or old hat at this, we all can get overwhelmed or even in a boring rut. It doesn't matter if it's the beginning of the year, the end of the year, or that dreaded month of February. We sometimes just need an attitude check.

This week, then, I'm answering several of your questions about just that: what we should be thinking about homeschooling and how that affects our actions. I get to talk about some things I really love discussing with homeschoolers, and I think you'll enjoy these questions and answers, too.

As always, you can find more questions and answers including in-depth information on these topics in my reference work Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling.

In this episode, I answer questions about...

• recovering from homeschooling in a stressful Christian environment
• avoiding homeschool "rules"
• finding your own homeschool way
• some of my own tips and tricks
• why I hate the term "manager of her home"
• what is actually "redeeming the time"
• how to get over public school mentality
• and more!

In this episode:

• Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling

Join me on Facebook | Instagram