Hey, homeschoolers!

Soon, we'll be in a new year. It's that time when many of us think of goals like getting organized. You know you're unlikely to organize everything in a year, so what are the most important areas for homeschoolers to focus on? My answer may surprise you.


Organize Your Homeschool Life All Year
Before we jump in, I want to offer you the digital version of my book, the Organized Homeschool Life for just $7! This year, you can organize more than just the most important areas of your homeschooling life. You'll be given 15-minute missions that will help you in curriculum planning, preparing for seasons and holidays, and special areas like organizing a business or hobby.
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The Most Important Areas to Organize This Year - Resources
Read the blog post

Change Your Life Bible

Routines with FLYLady

Organized Homeschool LIVE

Have a happy homeschool week and a very happy new year! Hope to see you inside the boot camp.




Special Replay: The Most Important Areas To Organize This Year

Kids & Family

Parenting

Education for Kids


 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.



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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.



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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: 3 Reasons To Attend A Homeschool Conference In Person This Year


 Hey, homeschoolers! I had the opportunity to talk with my good friend, Dr. Carl Werner, for this episode. He is an expert in evolution who has devoted decades of his life to examining the evidence for evolution. His most recent book is about human evolution. The evidence he has amassed is stunning. Now more than ever I believe we have to share his work with our kids. Here's my chat with Carl.



Watch on YouTube








There is a tale over 4,000 years old, preserved in ancient writings from every major culture around the world. Many thought it was only a myth, but evidence supports what the Bible has said all along. Sevenfold Films and Genesis Apologetics present: The Ark and the Darkness. In theaters March 20-21! Visit http://noahsflood.com







Episode Summary



In this episode, Melanie Wilson interviews Dr. Carl Werner about the topic of human evolution. They discuss the assumption of human evolution and the evidence presented in museums and educational institutions. Dr. Werner shares his personal journey from believing in evolution to skepticism and the research he conducted to uncover the truth about ape men fossils. He exposes the fraud and errors associated with famous fossils like Neanderthal Man and Lucy. Dr. Werner emphasizes the importance of educating children about the flaws in the theory of human evolution and provides resources for further exploration.



How to Give Your Kids Confidence in Creation



The Grand Experiment: Dr. Werner's website



Have a happy homeschool week! Be sure to come by and say hello if you're attending the Great Homeschool Convention in Greenville, South Carolina.





Special Replay: The Most Important Areas To Organize This Year

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