Staying connected across the miles doesn’t have to mean just phone calls. In this episode, Meryl shares five practical ways grandchildren and grandparents can build real relationships digitally — with the bonus that several of these also sneak in genuine learning.

If you use any of these ideas, come join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

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In this episode, Meryl shares a practical mix of AI tips you can implement right away.

What’s covered:

1. Ask Maps (Google Maps) Google Maps has a new AI feature called Ask Maps, currently rolling out. Instead of browsing categories, you can ask specific questions — gluten-free fast food nearby, a park within five minutes of a highway exit, a restaurant halfway between you and a friend. It understands your direction of travel and filters results accordingly.

2. Prompting — Where to Start If you’re new to AI tools and don’t know where to begin, start with purpose-built tools like Brisk (Chrome extension) or Magic School AI rather than jumping straight into ChatGPT or Claude. Both are designed for teachers but useful for homeschoolers, and they’ll give you a feel for what’s possible. Once you’re comfortable, you’ll likely want to move to the LLMs directly for more precise control.

3. Prompting — Leveling Up Be specific: give the AI a role, describe your outcome, set constraints (time, materials, age range, format). Then try this: tell it everything you can think of, and ask it what additional questions it needs answered. Letting the AI interview you often produces far better results than any prompt you’d write alone.

→ Grab the free list of 20 homeschool-specific prompts

4. Use One LLM to Prompt Another Before going into Gamma, Canva’s AI tools, NotebookLM, or any other AI-powered tool, go into ChatGPT or Claude first and ask it to write you the ideal prompt. Give it context, let it ask follow-up questions, then drop the finished prompt into your target tool. This works for custom Gems, vibe coding, slides — almost anything.

5. Connect Your LLM to Other Apps Both Claude and ChatGPT let you connect third-party tools like Canva and Gamma. Look for Connectors in Claude’s settings or the equivalent in ChatGPT.

6. Customize Your LLM’s Tone and Behavior Stop letting your AI flatter you. In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Personalization to adjust tone (Meryl chose “efficient,” turned down warmth and enthusiasm) and add custom instructions. In Claude, go to Settings → General and add your preferences.

Resources mentioned:

If you use any of these resources, come join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

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The Artemis 2 mission has four astronauts circling the moon right now, and it’s a perfect time to bring space exploration into your homeschool. In this episode, learn about free (and nearly free) tools organized into four categories: learn and explore, games and interactives, simulations, and citizen science.

Track the Artemis Mission (timely links)

Learn & Explore

Games & Interactives

Simulations

Citizen Science

Sponsor: FundaFunda Academy Astronomy Bundle

If you use any of these resources, come join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Exploring Space: Interactive Tools for Your Homeschool appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Teaching teens about geopolitics and world affairs can feel intimidating—but it doesn’t have to be. In this episode of Homeschooling with Technology, Meryl van der Merwe shares practical tools and creative ideas for helping homeschool students understand current events, global conflict, geography, and media literacy in ways that feel engaging and age-appropriate. If you’ve ever wondered how to teach world affairs in your homeschool high school, this episode is a great place to start.

Understanding what’s happening in the world is a life skill — it shapes how your teens will vote, travel, and navigate adult conversations. And for college-bound students, being able to speak to current events in scholarship and admissions interviews is a real advantage. In this episode, I share several tech tools for making world affairs come alive in your homeschool, using the Iran conflict as a timely example.

Homeschooling with Technology is part of the Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network, where homeschool families find practical help, encouragement, and trusted resources for every stage of learning. From homeschool high school and parenting to technology, current events, and future-ready skills, UHPN brings together podcasts designed to support families in real life.

Ground News — (also available as an app and on Instagram) A solid starting point for current events. Free at the basic level. Headlines are summarized and labeled by political lean (left, center, right), making it a natural fit for media literacy alongside geopolitics.

Google Earth —  Better than Google Maps for geopolitics because it shows geographic features — mountains, waterways, terrain — that explain why certain locations matter strategically.

VesselFinder — Track real-time ship movement around the world. Right now you can watch the dramatic drop in traffic through the Strait of Hormuz (from over 100 ships per day to around five or six). Give each student a different ship to track and check back at mealtimes.

FlightRadar24 — flightradar24.com Watch how airlines are rerouting around Iranian airspace in real time. A great visual for understanding how conflict ripples into everyday life — and a reminder of how a volcanic eruption in Iceland once grounded flights across Europe.

AI (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) Instead of a broad internet search, have your teens prompt an AI with targeted questions — Iran’s economy, its allies, its neighbors, why oil prices in the US are affected by events in the Middle East. The real advantage: follow-up questions stay in the same conversation, so learning goes deeper without starting over.

Nation States — nationstates.net A free browser-based simulation where students build and run their own country. No email required. Daily events force real governing decisions — and there’s an alliance system that mirrors actual geopolitical dynamics. Forums are present, so preview for your family first.

Politics and War — politicsandwar.com A more in-depth nation-building simulation. Similar concept, more complexity. Also free, also has community forums — same caution applies.

FundaFunda Academy Fantasy Geography Contest Think fantasy sports drafting — but with countries. Runs April 1–30. Students draft a team of countries and track how world events affect their scores. Prizes: $10, $25, and $50 Amazon gift cards. Entry is $10 (covers the Fanschool platform). Includes a free South America unit study (adaptable for older students). Find the link at fundafundaacademy.com under Contests.

Understanding world affairs helps teens build more than just knowledge. It helps them develop:

For homeschool high school students, current events can become a meaningful part of:

If you use any of these resources, come join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

A great way to teach geopolitics to teens is through current events, maps, simulations, and visual tools that help students understand how geography, politics, economics, and global conflict connect.

Studying world affairs helps homeschool students build critical thinking, media literacy, and a better understanding of the world they’re growing up in.

Yes — geopolitics can be a valuable part of homeschool high school, especially in social studies, government, geography, writing, and current events discussions.

The post Teaching Geopolitics and World Affairs to Teens appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

If you love practical homeschool tech ideas, start here:

In this episode, Meryl explores Padlet Arcade — a game-based learning branch of the popular Padlet platform. She walks through the types of games available, how to find existing games by subject and grade level, and how to quickly create your own AI-generated review games using a topic, a webpage link, a YouTube video, or your own uploaded materials.

No account is required to play existing games. You can filter the library by:

A free account is required to create games. To get started, click Create and provide one of the following inputs:

Padlet Arcade uses AI to generate game options relevant to your topic. For example, using the Wikipedia page for the Rosenbergs (Cold War unit) produced five suggested game types tailored to that content. Game generation takes about a minute. You can edit questions, change the game type, or request adjustments (make it harder, translate to Spanish, etc.) before publishing.

Cold War Case Files – select the most accurate fact – multiple choice game

The Rosenberg Case: A Timeline – sequencing game

If you use any of these resources, join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

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NotebookLM has graduated from Google Labs beta into a fully featured, standalone tool — and it has grown dramatically. In this episode, Meryl walks through all nine features currently available in the Studio panel, explaining how homeschool parents can use them to save time and how students can use them to study more effectively.

What Is NotebookLM?

NotebookLM is a free AI tool from Google that works differently from chatbots like ChatGPT or Claude:

New Feature: Fast Research

If you realize mid-project that you need more sources, you can now use Fast Research to ask NotebookLM to find sources on a specific topic. It returns a list of suggested sources you can preview and selectively add — keeping you in control of what goes into your notebook.

The Studio Panel: 9 Features Explained

The right-hand Studio panel gives quick access to all of NotebookLM’s output formats. You can also make any of these requests directly in the chat.

1. Audio Overview (Podcast)

2. Mind Map

3. Flashcards

4. Infographic

5. Slide Deck

6. Data Table

7. Video Overview

8. Reports

9. Quiz

Bonus Tips

Links & Resources

If you use any of these resources, join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

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Google’s Gemini platform now includes a powerful feature called Gems. In this episode, we explore how Gems allow you to create customized AI assistants that can help with homeschooling tasks again and again without rewriting prompts each time.

Meryl explains what Gems are, how they compare to custom GPTs in ChatGPT, and how homeschool parents can use them to create interactive lessons, quizzes, games, and study guides.

She also shares an example she created — an interactive Oregon Trail adventure built using primary sources. In this activity, students pack their wagon, make decisions along the trail, and encounter historically accurate situations while learning key vocabulary and concepts.

Another helpful feature of Gems is the ability to upload documents and resources. This means you can add textbook pages, standards, or other materials and have the AI generate review questions, activities, or learning games based directly on those resources.

The episode also introduces Gem Labs, an experimental feature from Google Labs that allows you to create multi-step workflows.

AI tools are changing rapidly, and Gems provide another way for homeschool parents to turn AI into a creative co-teacher that enhances learning rather than replacing it.

What Gemini Gems are and why they’re useful

How Gems compare to custom GPTs in ChatGPT

Examples of built-in Gems provided by Google

How to create your own Gem

Using uploaded documents to guide AI responses

An example Oregon Trail interactive history game  (you need to be logged in to Google/Gemini to try it)

A brief introduction to Gem Labs experimental workflows

If you use any of these resources, join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

The post Gems: Your Custom Homeschool Co-Teacher appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

In this episode, Meryl is joined by Melissa Muir from Think Curio to discuss an important topic for homeschool families: avoiding tech burnout.

While both Meryl and Melissa love educational technology and use it extensively in their teaching, they recognize the need for balance. With recent studies showing that adults, teens, and even younger children are spending significant hours each day on screens, it is crucial to be intentional about how technology fits into homeschool life.

1. Modeling Healthy Tech Habits

Taking intentional breaks from screens (such as a weekly tech Sabbath)

Using app timers and boundaries

Recognizing signs of burnout in ourselves as parents

2. Scheduling with Intention

Designing a homeschool week that includes both online and offline learning

Avoiding back-to-back screen-based classes

Building in screen-free days or partial screen-free times

Being cautious about fully online homeschool models

3. Creating Non-Tech Extensions

Keeping accessible hands-on materials (Legos, puzzles, art supplies)

Using board games to build strategic and social skills

Encouraging real-world interviews and community connections

Taking advantage of local library programs and resources

4. The Power of Storytelling (Off-Screen Learning)

Using storytelling cards and story dice

Incorporating persuasive speaking games like Snake Oil

Leveraging graphic novels for deeper engagement

Connecting storytelling to other subjects (science, history, financial literacy)

Creative language-learning strategies like storyboarding from screenshots

Melissa shares practical examples from her own homeschool routine and emphasizes that the goal is not to eliminate technology, but to use it thoughtfully and avoid burnout.

If you use any of these resources, join the conversation in the Homeschooling with Technology Community on Facebook and let us know which ones your family enjoyed most!

Subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any episodes!

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In this episode, we look at how homeschoolers can use Gemini and why it’s worth adding to your tech toolkit — even if you already use ChatGPT.

“My Stuff” dashboard to quickly access everything you’ve created

Model options (Fast, Thinking, Pro) depending on the depth of response you need

Export directly to Google Docs, Sheets, or Gmail to save time and avoid formatting issues

Double-check response tool to verify factual information

Listen feature to have content read aloud

Split-screen setup with chat on one side and a live, editable document on the other

Format, revise, delete, or add directly inside Gemini

Ideal for building lesson plans, worksheets, and activities

Create custom visuals for lessons or social media

Refine prompts to improve perspective and clarity

SAT-style practice questions developed in collaboration with College Board

Integrated Google Map view to visualize locations when doing a search on something within a specific radius from a place

All features discussed are available in the free version.

Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Homeschooling with Gemini appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

In this episode of Homeschooling with Technology, Meryl interviews Melissa Brander from Pocket Homeschool about the many free technology resources available through your local library.

Most homeschool families think of the library as a place for books. But today’s libraries offer far more — including digital tools, streaming platforms, language programs, research databases, maker spaces, and even technology devices you can borrow.

Melissa shares practical ideas and specific tools to help homeschool families take full advantage of what libraries are already offering — often completely free.

Public computers

Low-cost or free printing (including color printing)

Wi-Fi access

If you occasionally need color printing or device access, your library may be an easy solution.

Many libraries now offer a “Library of Things,” which allows you to check out non-book items such as:

Laptops

Wi-Fi hotspots

Video games

Media converters (such as VHS-to-digital tools)

Devices and other tech equipment

Not every library has this, but it is becoming increasingly common.

Beyond traditional books on CD, libraries now offer:

Playaways (self-contained MP3 audiobook players)

Vox Books and Wonderbooks (print books with built-in audio)

Tonie figures or Yoto cards (at some libraries)

These can be especially helpful for emerging or struggling readers.

Check whether your library offers:

A dedicated library catalog app

Libby (eBooks, audiobooks, magazines)

Hoopla (instant borrows, movies, documentaries, audiobooks)

Kanopy (streaming documentaries and films, often with a kids section)

Kanopy, in particular, can be a powerful tool for homeschool families who use documentaries as part of their curriculum.

Many libraries provide free access to programs such as:

Mango Languages

Transparent Language

These platforms offer structured lessons and can serve as a full curriculum or a supplement to your existing language studies.

Some libraries offer online tutoring platforms (such as Brainfuse), where students can:

Ask questions

Get homework support

Receive help explaining difficult concepts

This can be invaluable when a concept simply is not clicking at home.

Libraries often provide access to academic databases, including:

Elementary and middle school research databases

Historical newspaper archives

Scholarly research tools for high school students

These are especially important for:

Teaching research skills

Finding credible sources

Preparing students for college-level writing

In a world of quick AI-generated answers, learning how to use databases is a critical skill.

Some libraries now include maker spaces equipped with:

3D printers

Laser cutters

Coding tools

Specialized tech equipment

These spaces allow students to experiment with technology that may be too expensive to purchase individually.

Libraries frequently offer workshops and events that may include:

Coding sessions

Digital media workshops

Technology restoration projects

Creative tech activities

Always check your library’s event calendar. And if you do not see something you need, ask — librarians often welcome suggestions from their community.

Website: www.pockethomeschool.com

Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Free Tech Tools Through Your Library appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.