I periodically get questions about testing. Many moms want to know if I tested my kids and if I think it’s important or not.
Last week I talked about how math is a tool.
Testing is also a tool and when used at the right time can be very helpful. However, the opposite is also true. If a child is not a good test taker and/or becomes stressed in the process, you are not going to get an accurate assessment. 
Listen in as I talk about my personal experience homeschooling our 8 kids. I'm not a "teacher" or an "expert".  I am a mom just like you simply sharing from my years of experience and my perspective now, 26 years later. (And just a side note: all of my kids are doing very well adulting and did from an early age!)
If you are enjoying my podcast, please share it with your friends!
Last week's podcast on Math: https://www.durendawilson.com/podcast/episode/b6a9580f/lets-talk-about-math-podcast-278
(Please check out my latest book, The Four Hour School Day: How You and Your Kids Can Thrive in the Homeschool Life on Amazon, durendawilson.com, or your favorite bookseller!)

Let’s Talk About Testing (Podcast 280)

Durenda Wilson is the owner/host of her podcast and is a wife to one for 34 years, mom to eight, and nana to 10. She has homeschooled all of her kids from the beginning. She loves to share simple, effective approaches to motherhood, homeschooling, and life in general. These tools are a result of many years of walking with the Lord and finding freedom in letting His voice quiet all the others.

Kids & Family

Parenting

Education for Kids

One of the topics that moms often ask me about is how to handle anxiety, children with anxiety, or both. I’ve seen anxiety on the rise in our culture and although I would hope that homeschooling would lessen the risks of that in our children, there are still many variables in the equation of our complicated lives that could contribute to feeling anxious. It’s important to get to the root of the anxiety, but if our bodies have experienced anxiety frequently enough, it can become chronic. Today I am sharing some tools that can help train our bodies to calm down so we can then work toward getting to the root of the problem.

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Link to podcast episode search bar
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audio Book
Raising Boys to Men Book
If you purchase Raising Boys to Men you will receive a gift! Use this link to redeem: durendawilson.com/redeem (a list of movies to watch with your boys that portray boys and men as heroes!)
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
Places I am speaking in 2024 (Nova Scotia: https://homeschooljourneyns.ca/)
Emma at Therapy in a Nutshell (YouTube)
Scripture Songs: 
Scripture Lullabies on Spotify, etc.
Scripture Memory Kids or Christian Kids Worship on Spotify, etc.
Hymns that play inside a stuffed animal
The Importance of Early Morning Sunlight
Don’t forget to check out Raising Boys to Men: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Raising and Homeschooling Boys

Practical Tips for Helping Moms and Kids with Anxiety (Podcast 512)

As Christian values come under attack increasingly in our modern world, many parents wonder how to build the strong spiritual foundation their children will need to understand what is truly important in life.
Today LeeAnn Mancini is joining me to talk about Raising Kids to Follow Christ!

Resources mentioned in this episode:
Link to podcast episode search bar
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audio Book
Raising Boys to Men Book
If you purchase Raising Boys to Men you will receive a gift! Use this link to redeem: durendawilson.com/redeem (a list of movies to watch with your boys that portray boys and men as heroes!)
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
Places I am speaking in 2024
Don’t forget to check out Raising Boys to Men: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Raising and Homeschooling Boys
Ways to connect with LeeAnn: 
Raising Christian Kids
To receive a bonus chapter for purchasing the book you can email Lee Ann at Inqiure@RCKids.org
Facebook Group: Raising Christian Kid Community Facebook Group

Raising Kids to Follow Christ (Podcast 511)

I don’t think I know anyone who has been a believer for any length of time who hasn’t experienced a wound in their church life and experience. Some of these wounds are what I would call merely flesh wounds, but some are incredibly deep and can cause lasting damage.
 
I’ve heard from countless moms who have experienced this, including friends, and my own family. 
It's easy to become bitter and cynical when it seems like we are the only army that wounds its own soldiers. However, I don’t think that is the whole story because that is not the God we serve and I can’t imagine that He would want us to stop at the point of our pain. But how do we heal? How do we trust again? 
 
Today Wes joins me again, this time to talk about healing from church hurt.
 
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Link to podcast episode search bar
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audio Book
Raising Boys to Men Book
If you purchase Raising Boys to Men you will receive a gift! Use this link to redeem: durendawilson.com/redeem (a list of movies to watch with your boys that portray boys and men as heroes!)
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
 
Places I am speaking in 2024
The Toxic War on Masculinity by Nancy Pearcey
Interview With Nancy Pearcey on The Spillover Podcast with Alex Clark
Scriptures mentioned in this episode:
Psalm 87:2
Acts 2:41
Matthew 16:18
Hebrews 10:24-27
Other episodes with Wes:
Applying Romans 13 to the Here and Now
The Importance of a Biblical Education
The Biblical Importance of Family
Recognizing False Teachers
The Dangers of a Self-Help Culture
How to Find a Biblical Church
Let's Talk About Biblical Discipline
Biblical Submission: The Hot Potato
Are We Living in the Last Days?
Living With Hope When the Church Says Things Are Only Going to Get Worse
Jesus' Return: Revelation, the Mark of the Beast and the Anti-Christ
Why We Can't Understand Beauty Without Morality
How Should Believers Handle Suffering
Listen to Wes' sermons here
 
Don’t forget to check out Raising Boys to Men: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Raising and Homeschooling Boys!

How to Heal From Church Hurt (Podcast 510)

God uniquely designs each of our children and it’s so helpful to have a better understanding of those basic uniqueness to nurture best and grow them into who God created them to be. Resources mentioned in this episode:
Link to podcast episode search bar
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audio Book
Raising Boys to Men Book
If you purchase Raising Boys to Men you will receive a gift! Use this link to redeem: durendawilson.com/redeem (a list of movies to watch with your boys that portray boys and men as heroes!)
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
Places I am speaking in 2024
Animals Personality Test
Determining Your Child's Personality Type
Discover Your Personality Profile
Tips on Working Through Conflict With Other Believers
Drive Thru Talking: An Effective Communication Tool
Cautions on the Enneagram
Hebrew 10:24
Col. 3:13
Don't forget to check out Raising Boys to Men on Amazon!

Ways to Recognize and Honor Your Child's Personality (Podcast 509)

Maybe you aren’t even thinking about your baby, toddler, or preschooler’s education, but chances are it has crossed your mind. If you are considering homeschooling, you may be wondering or even anxious about how you prepare yourself and your child for this. How early should you start and what should you do? DO NOT STRESS. It’s simpler than you think
Resources mentioned in this episode:
Link to podcast episode search bar
The Unhurried Homeschooler Audio Book
Raising Boys to Men Book
If you purchase Raising Boys to Men you will receive a gift! Use this link to redeem: durendawilson.com/redeem (a list of movies to watch with your boys that portray boys and men as heroes!)
CTC Math
Heritage Defense (my.heritagedefense.org/access-the-vault)
Our CPS Story
The Excel Camp 
College Alternative: Excel College Podcast Episode
The Unhurried Homeschooler
Unhurried Grace for a Mom’s Heart
The Four-Hour School Day
Subscribe to my monthly email and receive access to Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart: 31 Days in God's Word
Places I am speaking in 2024
Essential in Early Education (Podcast episode)
Learning All the Time by John Holt
How Children Learn by John Holt
Homeschooling With Littles: Why It Is Possible
Homeschooling With Littles: Ways It Can Work
Tips for Life with Littles 
Tips for Disciplining Littles
Help for the Overwhelmed Mom of Littles
Nurturing Seedlings
 
Your One-Year-Old (First in the series of child development books)
Matthew 11:28-30 MSG

Don't forget to check out Raising Boys to Men on Amazon!

Let’s Talk About Testing (Podcast 280)

Download our free app to listen on your phone