The benefits of homeschooling are well known, whether it’s the freedom to choose your curricula, or teaching to proficiency rather than teaching for an exam. But there are a whole host of unexpected benefits too! They may not be why you chose to start homeschooling, but they’ve improved your lives immeasurably. Holly, Melody, and new co-host Jennifer discuss all the wonderful unexpected benefits they’ve encountered through their years of homeschooling!

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The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach, Melody Gillum, and Jennifer Jones produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

We’ve covered a lot of ground here at the Happy Homeschooler Podcast in 2021, and to celebrate the end of the year, we’re looking at all of our 2021 episodes. We’ll discuss each one, review them, and point out a few of our favorites. Maybe you’ll find a new favorite too! And be sure to listen to the end, when we give a sneak peek and some of our plans for 2022!

If you have any homeschooling questions or comments, please email us at [email protected]

SHOW NOTES:

Be sure to enter our Holiday giveaway on Facebook and Instagram!

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The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Music is all around us, on TV, in movies, everywhere we go. It’s so omnipresent, that we can sometimes forget to actively make space for it in our lives, and the lives of our children. In today’s episode, Holly and Melody discuss making music a part of your life, why it’s important, what benefits you can expect for your children, how to access music in different forms, and more! Listen to discover how to make time for music, how to appreciate it even if you’re not a musician yourself, and how music education can fit into your day like any other subject! And if you’re still thinking about homeschooling, but you haven’t made the leap yet, make sure to stay to the end as Holly and Melody give advice for people just like you!

If you have any homeschooling questions or comments, please email us at: [email protected]

SHOW NOTES:

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Education Through Music Online

Classics For Kids

Benefits of Music | Healthline

Beethoven Lives Upstairs, By Barbara Nichol

Episode #32 of The Mason Jar Podcast

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

What is Unschooling? People tend to have some funny ideas when they hear the name “unschooling,” but the truth is far from a lack of education. Our favorite guest, Jennifer Jones, returns once again to share her experiences with unschooling, and discuss how surprising and rewarding this child-focused education philosophy can be. And stay until the end, when the Happy Homeschooler Podcast celebrates thanksgiving by sharing what we are thankful for this year.

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at: [email protected]

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John Holt’s Website

Free To Learn, By Peter Gray

Radical Unschooling, By Danya Martin

Project-Based Homeschooling, By Lori Pickert

Homeschooling For Excellence, By David Colfax

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Wondering how to teach high school science? It can be intimidating! With stricter standards and a lot more complexity, it easy for a home educator to feel a little lost. Today on the Happy Homeschooler Podcast, Holly and Melody share their experience and offer advice. From co-ops and enrichment academies, to going it on your own, in less than an hour you’ll know how to teach high school science!

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at [email protected]

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A Complete Guide on High School Science Classes – Red Comet

Ellen McHenry’s Basement Workshop

Khan Academy

Cathy Duffy Reviews

(If you’re really a DIYer – Senior High: A Home-Designed Form+U+la)

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Science education is important, but can often seem dry. Homeschooling parents often wonder how to teach K-8 science. Just how do you make learning scientific concepts, theories, and laws fun and engaging? Don’t fret and don’t stress. Today, Holly and Melody discuss how to introduce science to your children, how their science education grows with them, how you can prepare your 7th and 8th graders for high school science, and more!

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at [email protected]

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National Parks Junior Ranger Program

Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum

Backyard Scientist Series by Jane Hoffman

Where’s That Spider? (Hide & Seek Science)

Ruth Heller’s How to Hide a Butterfly & Other Insects

TOPS Learning System

Everything You Need To Know About Science Homework: A Desk Reference for Students and Parents

Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock

A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick

The Story of Inventions from Christian Liberty Press

Prepare for the SAT and ACT on collegeboard.org and act.org

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

One of the most important parts of teaching reading and writing is the act of writing itself. Penmanship, cursive and typing put your student on the path of effective communication and prepare them for their future. But how do you start teaching kids handwriting and when? And is cursive important or passé? And just how  important is it to be able to touch type? All these questions and more are answered in today’s Happy Homeschooler Podcast, when Melody and Holly sit down and discuss everything you need to know about penmanship, cursive, and typing! From methods and curricula for teaching and sharing stories from their long homeschooling pasts, to all the surprising benefits of cursive, today’s episode will make every homeschooler a happy homeschooler!

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at [email protected]

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Why Bother with Cursive? – International Dyslexia Association (dyslexiaida.org)

Free Online Teaching and Writing Resources | Learning Without Tears (lwtears.com)

D’Nealian Handwriting by Scott Foresman (classroomresourcecenter.com)

Italic Handwriting Series – Getty-Dubay Italic (handwritingsuccess.com)

A Reason For Handwriting

30 Days of Spencerian Script Style Worksheets – Dawn Nicole (bydawnnicole.com)

Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing

Learn to Type | Free Typing Tutor – Typing.com

OverDrive: ebooks, audiobooks, and more for libraries and schools

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Homeschooling doesn’t always have to stay in the home. The freedom homeschooling provides allows for a more mobile lifestyle, and travelling while homeschooling couldn’t be easier! Holly is joined today by our favorite guest Jennifer Jones, to discuss her adventures travelling while homeschooling her family. And be sure to stay to the end when Holly and Jennifer will discuss a few homeschooling news stories from around the world.

If you have any questions or comments, please email us at [email protected]

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Jennifer’s Previous Appearances – 045: Teaching Kids With Learning Challenges, 055: What Is Gameschooling?

KOA Campgrounds

Bureau of Land Management Camping

HSLDA

New French Homeschooling Law

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Pandemic Homeschooling in 2021 is very similar to last year, and very different too! Maybe you’re considering homeschooling your child this year, or maybe you know someone who is. In today’s pocket-sized episode, Holly shares her thoughts and advice on how to properly pull kids out of public school, and some special considerations we think parents of high schoolers should make. And be sure to stay to the end when Holly discusses the big topic dominating her homeschooling Facebook groups.

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Our Pandemic Homeschooling from last year: Pandemic Homeschooling

Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)

Khan Academy

CrashCourse on YouTube

Cathy Duffy Reviews

Episode 027: Can I Work and Homeschool?

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

As the final pillar of the Reading, Writing, ‘Rithmetic pyramid, it’s important to know how to teach writing. But when should you start? Why is it so important? And what are the best curricula for teaching the mechanics of writing? We here at the Happy Homeschooler Podcast have answers to all these questions, as well as in depth discussions about how to teach each element of writing, whether spelling, grammar, or composition. And be sure to stay to the end to hear our hosts discuss the Big Question dominating their homeschooling groups. School is back and The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is there for you every step of the way!

If you have any homeschooling questions or comments, please email us at [email protected]

SHOW NOTES:

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Research any curriculum you can think of! – Cathy Duffy Homeschool Curriculum Reviews

Writing Resources:

Any Child Can Write, By Harvey S. Weiner

Easy Grammar Plus

Spelling: Tricks of the Trade, by Gayle Graham

Creative Composition

Natural Speller

The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr.

MLA Formatting

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!