

Hey, homeschoolers!

It's a new year and time for a renewed focus on our priorities as homeschooling moms. God has taught me a lot about managing my time this year. One thing I've learned is that I don't have to look for the productivity holy grail. It's normal for me to search for a new tool, a new schedule, and even a new book to read to inspire me. Newness almost always inspires action!

 

Now on to the productivity tips you can use this year. My guest today is Amy Michaels. Amy is a teacher turned homeschooler and coach, who has been on the podcast before. I really like her planning and prioritizing strategies and I know you will too.

We discussed:

 	* how to determine your priorities as a busy homeschool mom
 	* how can we maintain margin in our lives?
 	* how can business moms in particular keep family life in focus?


Productivity Tips Resources
A Year of Living Productively

Listen to my previous podcast with Amy here

 

 Have a happy homeschool week!


Special Replay: Productivity Tips For A New Year

Kids & Family

Parenting

Education for Kids


Hey, homeschoolers! If you have a teen daughter, I think this episode is a must-listen. I interview Shannon Popkin and Lee Niehuis, authors of Comparison Girl for Teens, and I haven’t been able to stop talking about it. There is so much wisdom here about our girls and how to help them manage comparison and friendship in a God-honoring way.



Shannon Popkin invites you to drink deeply of God’s story, and live like it’s true. Shannon’s books include Control Girl, Comparison Girl, Comparison Girl for Teens (2024), and Shaped by God’s Promises(2024). Shannon also hosts the Live Like It’s True Bible podcast and has been featured on Revive Our Hearts, FamilyLife Today, The Gospel Coalition, and Proverbs 31. She’s happy to be sharing life with Ken, who makes her laugh every day. Together, they have the joy of watching their three young-adult kids become the amazing people God created them to be.



Lee Nienhuis is an author, speaker, and Bible teacher. She cohosts the Martha & Mary Show and the You Can Tell the Children podcast with Bible2School. Lee’s books, Brave Moms, Brave Kids and Countercultural Parenting are a clarion call for parents looking to raise wholehearted Christ followers. Lee and her husband, Mike, have four kids and live in West Michigan.



Here's my chat with Shannon & Lee.



Watch on YouTube




Summary



In this conversation, Shannon Popkin and Lee Nienhuis discuss the topic of comparison and its impact on teenage girls. They share personal experiences and insights on how comparison relates to anxiety and depression. They also discuss the role of family and church background in shaping a girl's self-perception. The conversation highlights the importance of parents in helping their daughters avoid the pitfalls of comparison and offers practical advice on how to do so. The speakers also introduce their book, 'Comparison Girl,' and provide additional resources for further exploration.



Have a happy homeschool week!





Helping Daughters Deal With Comparison


 Hey, homeschoolers! Have you considered learning robotics in your homeschool? I don’t have an engineering brain so I enrolled my kids in in-person and online classes. My youngest is now majoring in computer science in college. His classes had a major impact on his career direction.



Today on the podcast, you’ll hear about the advantages of including robotics and programming in your homeschool from my guest, Francie Black.  I met Francie at the Great Homeschool Convention last year. She is the founder of HomeHackerCamp.com and is passionate about teaching. She and I are traveling to the IDEA conferences in Alaska this month. If you’ll be there, be sure to come by and say hello. Now here’s my chat with Francie.



Watch on YouTube




Summary



Francie Black, a former tech professional and homeschooling parent, shares her journey into robotics and programming and the importance of STEM education for kids. She explains the scope of robotics and the skills it develops, such as critical thinking and problem-solving. Francie offers online classes for homeschoolers, teaching software, hardware, and electronics. She also discusses the upcoming speaker at her program, her son who works as a Starship engineer at SpaceX. Francie and Melanie Wilson discuss their upcoming conference in Alaska and where parents can find more information about Francie's classes.



Have a happy homeschool week!





Robotics in Your Homeschool


 Hey, homeschoolers, we know we aren't weird and unsocialized as a popular blog implies, but you might wonder if we are weirder than kids in public school. I was relieved when my oldest son, after having been in a public high school for a few weeks, told me that he thought that the public school kids were just as weird as homeschoolers.



We know that our kids can benefit from having good social skills. Here's why we should teach social skills directly in our homeschool and here are some practical tips for doing just that.



Watch on YouTube




Summary



In this conversation, Melanie Wilson discusses the importance of teaching social skills to homeschoolers. She addresses the misconception that homeschoolers are weirder than public school kids and emphasizes the benefits of good social skills, such as reduced anxiety and future success. Melanie provides reasons why social skills should be included in the homeschool curriculum. She also suggests creating a plan, teaching in a family or group setting, and using multiple modalities. Melanie introduces her Training Aliens curriculum as a story-based approach to teaching social and emotional skills.







Alternatives to Video Games



Great Homeschool Conventions



Have a happy homeschool week!





Teaching Social Skills In Your Homeschool



Hey, homeschoolers! How to help an anxious, frustrated, or bored child is the most common question I get. In this episode, I'll share a three-step approach you can use to help your child manage any negative emotion.



Watch on YouTube




Summary



In this episode, Melanie Wilson addresses the common concern of homeschooling parents regarding their child's ability to manage emotions. She emphasizes that emotional struggles should be seen as skill deficits rather than character flaws. Melanie highlights the lack of emotional management education in schools and the need for explicit teaching in this area. She introduces a three-step framework for teaching emotional skills: prevention, recognition, and substitution. The chapters cover topics such as the importance of sleep, diet, and environment in preventing negative emotions, teaching children to recognize signs of frustration, and finding constructive responses to boredom. Melanie encourages parents to provide practice and grace as children learn to manage their emotions and emphasizes the role of prayer and faith in this process.



Previous Episodes on Emotions



Helping the Anxious Child



Helping the Frustrated Child



How to Deal with a Troublemaking Child



Homeschooling a Child with ADHD





How To Help Your Child Manage Emotions



Hey, homeschoolers! If you've ever considered attending a homeschool conference, this is the year to do it. If you've attended in the past, I have three reasons you should attend again.

In short, you should attend for the curriculum, the speakers, and the fellowship with other homeschoolers.
Some resources I mention in today's episode are:
Great Homeschool Conventions

Grammar Galaxy Books

Carole Barnier's episodes on ADD and reading

Dr. S. M. Davis

Institute for Excellence in Writing

I hope to see you at a conference this year!

Have a happy homechool week.


Special Replay: Productivity Tips For A New Year

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