This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with my very own mother-in-law, Elizabeth Dehghani from Edmonton, Alberta. Elizabeth is a mother of 4 and homeschooling grandmother of 17. If she could go back, Gramma Elizabeth would definitely choose the homeschool route. She explains how homeschooling would have fit their families schedule, or lack thereof, her husband's work schedule, and their general lifestyle. This episode is unique because Gramma and I explore the variety of ways that grandparents and other family members or close relationships can contribute to the education of children in meaningful ways. For example, Gramma Elizabeth is currently teaching many of her grandchildren how to speak and write Farsi, and she has a weekly class about investing with her older grandchildren. She counsels grandparents to take genuine interest in what their grandchildren are learning and then learn alongside them. One of the best insights from this episode highlights how homeschooling allows children to encounter the world with their parents and loved ones instead of someone else claiming that privilege.

Books
The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness
The Intelligent Investor

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Emily Jones from Utah. Emily is a mother of five and cofounder with her husband of Family Tech University. When their oldest son was about 11 years old, he started asking about getting a phone and Emily wanted to approach technology as effectively and responsibly as she could. She describes how miserable it was to research this topic online because most of what she read was driven by fear and distrust. So Emily and her husband decided to create their own plan and course for introducing technology to their children. They wanted to help their kids cultivate what Emily referred to as an "internal filter", so they could embrace the good and shed the bad through their own decision-making. This shift in thinking requires parents to move away from pressure to a child's own sense of drive and agency. After Emily and her husband created the course, family and friends also wanted the resource, and the Jones' decided to make their course and materials available to everyone. I personally like Emily's comparison of gradually granting technology to children to driver's ed. The idea is that children have to demonstrate their responsibility and skill, just like with driving, before they start using smartphones and technology. Emily provides several resources and excellent advice about how to navigate this ubiquitous topic of technology.

Connect with Emily
https://familytechuniversity.com/
https://seek.deseretbook.com/p/parenting-in-a-digital-world-with-confidence-and-peace

Books
The Self-Driven Child
Glow Kids
Digital for Good

Resources and Sites
Yoto Player
Free Download https://familytechuniversity.com/: “How to Grant Your Child a Phone (without regrets)”
Gryphon Router
Bark Technologies at https://www.bark.us/
https://gabb.com/
https://families.google/familylink/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Angelina Robillard from Southern Alberta. Angelina is a recent homeschool mother of four and founder of Academy in the Wild forest school. Like many parents, Angelina discovered how much she enjoyed being with her kids and watching them learn during the Covid days, so she decided to keep them home and has loved it. Although many new homeschool parents become overwhelmed and anxious about all the work and the changes that homeschooling introduces, Angelina has learned how to enjoy the journey without taking things too seriously. She really believes that the onus is on the children to learn and seek their own education, and her job as parent is to facilitate experiences and allow them as much freedom as possible to explore their curiosities and discover through free play. Her business, Academy in the Wild, provides an ideal setting and opportunity for Angelina to employ these principles of free, risky play and exploration with her students. Listeners will appreciate Angelina's natural, relaxed way and insightful responses in this engaging episode.

Connect with Angelina
https://academyinthewild.com/

 Curriculum
Story of the World

Sites
https://www.tunnelsofmoosejaw.com/
https://www.bombercommandmuseum.ca/
https://pambarnhill.com/homeschool-morning-basket/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Kimberly Farley from Tennessee. Kimberly began her career as an occupational therapist but left the field of pediatric OT to invest in full time home education. Although the Farley's were blessed to have their children in a mostly idyllic public school and district where they lived in Ohio, enough concerns emerged that led them to choose homeschooling instead. She graduated her three children from homeschool, and they have all attended their first-choice private colleges with significant scholarships. In our conversation, Kimberly establishes many clear fundamentals and principles about how to homeschool effectively in a structured environment, striving to empower her children with as much freedom as they can responsibly handle. Kimberly was first a mom using the Classic Learning Test, CLT, in her homeschool before she joined the company. She is now the Director of Homeschool Partnerships at CLT where she works with both homeschool organizations and partner colleges. Kimberly enjoys helping homeschool families navigate the high school years and the college process to find where their students will thrive. Kimberly remains actively involved with homeschool students by volunteering as director and coach of a speech and debate club and serving the national organization.

 Connect with Kimberly
[email protected]
https://www.cltexam.com/

This Golden Hour

This short episode provides listeners with an explanation of why "This Golden Hour" was chosen as the title for the podcast. Just as photographers have a brief window of time, a golden or magic hour, to capture stunning pictures at sunrise and sunset, we, as parents, have a small window to maximize our time and experiences with our children before they leave us to be on their own. Also, our children only get to live these first 18 years once and so they need to take advantage of the freedom to explore their interests and curiosities to the fullest as they prepare for their future lives.

Connect with your host, Timmy Eaton
[email protected]

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Patty Marler from Alberta. Patty was a homeschool mom of four, and all her children experienced their entire education without the public system. Initially, Patty wanted to homeschool to teach her children to read, but over time homeschooling became the way her family wanted to live life. Patty strongly believes that parents are best equipped to help their children learn, teach them how to think, and grow the mind. She shares much wisdom and many tips about how to view curriculum, creating an environment of learning, and preparing our children for their futures. After all her children graduated, Patty decided to work for HSLDA, the Homeschool Legal Defense Association in Canada, to which she already had had a membership for years previous. She brought to HSLDA her extensive experience as president of AHEA, Alberta Home Education Association, talking with government officials, like ministers of education. Patty and those who work with HSLDA continue to advocate for homeschooling families and for parents to maintain their rights as the parents of their children. Perhaps most homeschool families in the United States and Canada do not realize how many freedoms they presently enjoy to educate their children how they choose due to the work and advocacy of HSLDA. For their ongoing efforts to secure these liberties I express my personal gratitude.

Connect with Patty
https://hslda.ca/

Websites
https://hslda.org/
https://homeschool.today/
https://www.aheaonline.com/
https://cche.ca/introducing-dr-joseph-woodard/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Mary Prather from Atlanta, Georgia. Mary is a homeschool mother of two who have both graduated and are currently working on their respective degrees in university. When her children were young, Mary was a public school music teacher and advocated for parents sending their kids to school. But things changed when her daughter was in second grade. Mary’s homeschool friend helped her get started and the Prather’s have never looked back. At first, Mary’s parents were quite concerned, but after only a year they saw the benefits of homeschooling and the progress of their grandchildren. Throughout our conversation, Mary shares countless tips and resources for homeschool families. Among these resources are Mary’s own materials from her business called Squilt, which stands for “super quiet uninterrupted listening time.” Squilt evolved from Mary’s husband encouraging Mary to start a blog which led to many people requesting her lessons on music appreciation for their families. Mary continues to nurture her blog, Homegrown Learners, and enjoys working with her husband in Squilt.

Connect with Mary
https://www.squiltmusic.com/
https://www.homegrownlearners.com/

Books and Curriculum
For the Children's Sake
The Well-Trained Mind
Saxon Math
Foundations in Personal Finance

Websites
www.sonlight.com
https://classicalconversations.com/
https://ihomeschoolnetwork.com/
https://pambarnhill.com/
https://ourjourneywestward.com/ and https://ourjourneywestward.com/product-category/no-sweat-nature-study/
https://chalkpastel.com/

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Candace Scott from Alberta, Canada. Candace is a homeschool mother of three, an author, and a blogger. She experienced a small period of homeschooling as a child with her siblings but confesses that she did not love it then. Candace had a pivotal encounter with an impressive homeschooled young lady of 13 at a church activity that piqued her interest and led to her homeschooling her own kids. The first year of homeschooling was a time of relearning home life and the lifestyle they wanted as a family. After watching lots of YouTube and trying different curricula, Candace learned that it was not the best practice to replicate what was done in the school, and that it was okay to discard curricula that they didn’t like. Listeners will benefit from Candace’s honesty and vulnerability as she shares some of the struggles and challenges with homeschooling. Candace advises new homeschool families to search YouTube and good homeschooling blogs for ideas and to simply jump in and find a good homeschool community.

 Connect with Candace
https://tinyhousewife.com/

Author - Ted Dekker
https://teddekker.com

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Daniel Allers from central Alberta, Canada. Daniel is a homeschool graduate, director of his church choir, assistant director of the Central Alberta Homeschool Choir, he works with four different theaters, and he's the founder and creator of History Plus, previously known as History Alive. Daniel is the oldest of four siblings and they have all been homeschooled for their entire education. Daniel's mom encouraged him to chase his passions which has led Daniel to his career path with History Plus for more than a decade. With his wife, brother, and other family members, Daniel runs his business and travels throughout Alberta doing live workshops with many homeschool groups. He and his wife have also traveled all over the world to enhance their understanding and love for history, science, and learning. I was so impressed with Daniel's extensive knowledge and insightful counsel about homeschooling. For example, Daniel provides one the best synopses on the common socialization question that I've heard. His clear, concise, articulate delivery is engaging and enjoyable. Homeschool parents and others who are looking for an excellent resource for history and other core subjects should take a good look at History Plus!

Connect with Daniel and History Plus
https://www.historyplusonline.com/

 Websites
https://www.practicalhomeschooling.com/
https://www.sonlight.com/
https://mathusee.com/
https://www.aheaonline.com/

Books
Story of the World Series
Hold On To Your Kids

This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Vanessa Wright from Raleigh, North Carolina. Although she never imagined homeschooling her children, after Vanessa attended a holistic meeting for moms where she hoped to learn about kombucha and sourdough bread, she found herself ready to take the plunge into homeschooling. Vanessa's friends wondered why she would choose homeschooling because they lived close to excellent schools near Washington D.C, but Vanessa just wanted her kids to be free and play. As she progressed on the homeschooling journey, Vanessa realized that what she really wanted for her children was for them to be able to process information, think critically, and have opinions of their own. Her networking and research eventually led Vanessa to connect with Big Life Journal, a fantastic company and resource that helps children focus on growth mindset, resilience, emotional intelligence, grit, and perseverance, through journaling. Vanessa has been working for Big Life Journal for several years and assumes many roles, including homeschool specialist. Because so many moms risk diminishing their individual identity while being so consumed with homeschooling their children, Vanessa writes and speaks often about the importance of self-care and not waiting to pursue personal interests as homeschool moms. 

Connect with Vanessa
https://www.vanessanwright.com/

Websites
Big Life Journal
https://fiveinarow.com/

 Books
Farmer Boy
The Art of Self-Directed Learning

This Golden Hour