Special Replay:  We received a message on the HomeschoolingIRL Facebook page that said, “Please, please, please do an episode on siblings fighting. Thanks!”

Sibling relationships. Sibling rivalries. Siblings fighting. We put out the question to our listeners and they responded with story after story of siblings who know how to tease, fight and use sarcasm like professionals.

On this episode, we dig into the topic of parenting through sibling relationships in your homeschool. Fletch and Kendra open up about their own family and share practical advice for handling those tricky, sticky moments when brothers and sisters want to be anything but best friends. We also announce our coffee contest winner and we each answer the question: “What Ben/Jerry’s ice cream flavor would you create and what would you call it?”

Music clips used on this show:

“George Street Shuffle” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Three Little Birds, Ziggy Marley (Click on link to purchase)

Pick A Little/Talk A Little, The Music Man (Click on link to purchase)

Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!

The post Special Replay: What To Do About Sibling Relationships? appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Episode Title:
No Bus, No Bullies, No Problem: What Military Homeschool Kids “Miss Out” On

Ever been asked, “Aren’t you worried about what your homeschooled kids are missing out on?” Oh, friend… grab your coffee and let’s talk about it—Military Homeschool style.

In this lighthearted episode of the Military Homeschool Moms Podcast, Crystal Niehoff takes a tongue-in-cheek look at all the “tragic” experiences our kids never have to endure. From early morning bus stops to cafeteria cliques, overpriced sneakers to bubble-test panic, homeschoolers are blissfully deprived of some of the most “character-building” moments traditional school has to offer.

And as military families, our homeschoolers have their own unique list of “missed” milestones—like being the new kid every other year, missing school for a PCS, or navigating deployment season while juggling homework. Spoiler alert: missing out might just be the best thing that ever happened to them.

We’ll laugh, nod in agreement, and maybe roll our eyes at what society thinks is “essential” for childhood. Next time someone asks if you’re worried about what your kids are missing, you’ll have the perfect answer… with maybe a little sass.

The “school experiences” our homeschooled military kids will never face

Why missing certain traditions is actually a blessing

How homeschooling gives military kids stability in a life full of change

A famous former homeschooler who is grateful he “missed out”

A funny, encouraging reminder that different is often better

What’s one thing your homeschooler is “missing out on” that secretly makes you cheer inside? Early bus stops? Cafeteria food fights? Middle school fashion police?

Share your answer on our Facebook page @MilitaryHomeschoolPodcast — let’s build a list together and celebrate the freedom to homeschool differently!

Let’s Connect!

Subscribe so you never miss an episode.

Have a topic you’d love Crystal to cover? Email: [email protected]

Join the conversation on Facebook: @militaryhomeschoolpodcast

The post No Bus, No Bullies, No Problem: What Military Homeschool Kids “Miss Out” On appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

In today’s episode, learn how to write better AI prompts for homeschooling—tips, examples, and hacks to save you time and spark creativity in your lessons.

Role – “Act like a veteran homeschool mom with 10 years of experience.”

Grade level – Tailor to 3rd vs. 9th grade.

Time – “Should take 20 minutes to complete.”

Vibe – “Make it fun and silly” vs. “Make it serious and academic.”

Theme – Legos, Star Wars, Taylor Swift, history tie-ins, etc.

Format – PDF, quiz, table, chart, or outline.

Question type – Multiple choice, open-ended, discussion prompts.

Answer key / rubric – Included separately

Length constraints – “Give me 10 problems” or “200 words.”

Scaffolding style – Step-by-step, increasing difficulty.

Differentiation – Ask for modifications for struggling, average, and advanced learners. – great for families with multiple ages

Integration – “Create a math problem that uses our history topic.”

Output organization – Request bullet points, tables, or charts.

Constraints – “No screen time,” “Only household supplies,” “15 minutes max.”

Iteration – Show moms how to refine: “Give me three variations.”

Critique mode – “Pretend you’re a homeschool evaluator—what’s missing?”

Reverse prompting – “What info do you need from me to make this lesson better?”

Some examples:

Use Perplexity for sources, Notebook LM for summary / outlines

Fact-check with one model, add creativity with another.

Compare outputs from two LLMs to choose the best fit.

Quick scenarios moms can try today:

Create spelling lists or math word problems themed around a child’s favorite hobby.

Turn a video or book into discussion questions.

Adapt info into multiple-choice quizzes with answer keys.

Generate three versions of an activity: fun, serious, and quick-prep.

“Act as a homeschool mom who has been teaching for 10 years. Create a 20-minute writing activity for a 7th grader who loves Star Wars. Make it fun but still educational, and give me both the student instructions and a teacher’s answer guide.”

“Create a 10-question multiple-choice quiz on the American Revolution for 9th graders. Provide the questions and four answer choices each. At the end, list the correct answers in a separate section so I can print it as an answer key.”

“Design a math lesson on fractions for 5th graders. Provide three versions: one hands on, one story based, and one with clear instructions. Each version should take no more than 15 minutes and require only household supplies.”

“Make a table with 8 spelling words for a 3rd grader. In the first column list the word, in the second column give a kid-friendly definition, and in the third column write a silly sentence that also includes a science fact.”

“I want to create a fun history activity about Ancient Egypt for my children in grades 4, and 7. What details do you need from me to design the best possible activity?”

Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post Homeschool AI Hacks: How to Write Prompts That Work appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! Will you have a preschooler this year or next? Do you know someone who wonders how to homeschool a preschooler? If so, this episode is for you or your friend. I’ll be sharing how I started teaching preschool, how I changed my approach with experience, and what I would do if I were homeschooling my preschool grandchildren.

Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum?

CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short and concise to help your children break down concepts and appreciate math in a whole new way!

The lessons are taught the traditional way, not to a “test”.

Each one of the video tutorials is taught by an internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, who is renowned for teaching math concepts in a simple, easy-to-understand way (and in only a few minutes at a time). CTC Math uses a multi-sensory approach, having the combination of effective graphics and animation synchronized with the voice of a friendly teacher together with practical assessment. This three-pronged attack makes learning so much easier and more effective. Even students who struggled with math are getting fantastic results! And ones who were doing OK before are now doing brilliantly.

Visit ctcmath.com today to start your free trial.

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Homeschool preschool has a special place in my heart because that’s where I started. I thought it was a perfect testing ground for determining if homeschooling would work for me. The short answer to that question was a resounding no. It didn’t work for me! I thought I just wasn’t cut out for it, but the real problem was I had no routine. I went to bed at different times, got up at different times, and wasn’t getting any homeschooling done. That wasn’t because I had such a clean home or because I was working from home; I wasn’t. Instead, I had grand plans for teaching my preschooler that all fell flat.

Granted, I had a baby and a toddler in addition to my preschooler. But all I was able to do at that point in my life was keep them alive.

Let’s talk about my preschool plans at the beginning. I had a preschool curriculum book that focused on a letter at a time. So far, so good. I do think that teaching kids letters and numbers is a great foundation for later learning. I also bought a preschool craft book. Because of my all-or-nothing craving for complete preparation, I literally bought every craft supply needed to complete every craft in the book. You heard that right. I had enough craft supplies to supply a neighborhood of preschoolers with activities. That’s because you can’t buy a couple of tongue depressors—you have to get a box of 500.

I was so excited to do the activities with my son, and this is where it gets silly. I don’t even really like doing crafts with kids. Kids are very messy with glue and especially with the the brainchild of Satan—glitter. When my child would begin using the watercolor paints I bought him and mixing colors without cleaning out his brush, my anxiety would build to the point that I needed a nap even if he didn’t.

Because I had this all-or-nothing mentality, I felt like I had failed if I didn’t do our lesson from the book or make one of the crafts early in the day. So I would delay our studies “until the next day” when I could do them perfectly. With three boys three and under, the perfect day never arrived.

It is true that I read to my preschooler constantly. But because I had been reading to him from birth, I didn’t give myself credit for actually homeschooling him. If you’re familiar with my story, you know that I felt like a failure at homeschooling and mothering. Neither my husband nor I thought that I could handle home educating our kids long-term or adding another child to the family.

That’s when someone recommended FlyLady to me. I began building routines that allowed me to get up at the same time roughly and do the same tasks in the same order. The best part of that was waking up to a clean kitchen. I had run the dishwasher the night before and washed the larger dishes, so I didn’t feel like a failure at the beginning of the day. I added other habits like laying my clothes out the night before, and preparing things for the day ahead.

Running my dishwasher the night before allowed me to have my preschooler unload the kid-friendly dishes. This became a chore routine that made my home and life feel manageable. It also taught my son an important life skill.

If you’d like to build an organizing routine, check out my guide The Organized Homeschool Life.

With the chore habit established, I was able to add preschool lessons to our routine. I was finally teaching! I also got the kids into preschool activities for homeschoolers and for the community. The boys went to playdates at the park, gymnastics, and swim lessons. And that leads me to how I taught preschool later on.

I continued to do chores at the beginning of the school day as we added more kids to the family. I would keep my youngest kids with me and help them do their chores while the older kids worked independently—or at least claimed to be working independently.

Once I had elementary students, I had to decide when to work with my preschoolers. I took the advice to spend time with my preschoolers first, then allow them to play in an adjacent room. This was effective; however, I had a long day to fill. This is when I started using the Managers of Their Homes scheduling approach. The idea that was most valuable to me from this approach was to pair a younger child with an older one for a short session. Usually this involved reading to them or playing with them.

I began to feel that I was shortchanging my preschoolers, however. I was focused on teaching more advanced skills to my older kids. That’s when I heard about creating preschool activity packs. The concept was that you would create multiple packs of a couple of different educational activities for preschoolers and would then exchange them with other moms who had made different activity packs. I thought this was brilliant!

However—and you knew that “however” was coming, didn’t you?—I barely used the activity packs. I wondered why on earth I had invested the time and money into creating them when there are so many inexpensive preschool activities that I already owned or could purchase. Things like letter puzzles and games that I already had.

I also heard Steve Demme’s excellent advice based on his notion that curriculum book time at back-to-school is a preschooler’s version of Christmas without me. I decided to purchase books for my preschoolers to spend time in while the older kids did their independent work. Most of them were activity books like Kumon books that help them learn to write.

The best curriculum I found for homeschoolers around this time was from a company called Dakota Publishing. As a South Dakota native, I loved that the company was headquartered there, but I loved the approach of Little Hands to Heaven even more. The preschool curriculum was broken up into little—what I call—missions. Short teachable moments that could be completed before the other kids were fighting or the dog escaped the yard. Even though I never finished a complete lesson, I felt successful because I had completed parts of it.

As my younger kids became preschoolers, though, I simply allowed them to participate in our reading and activities as their interest and ability allowed. To keep them engaged when I was working with the older kids, I tried rotating toys and books that were for school time only. But because the kids seemed to enjoy throwing small toys around the playroom more than using them as intended, I had limited success with this.

That leads me to how I would homeschool preschool with my grandkids.

I survived homeschooling preschool for all six of my kids. Not one of them is in a mental institution because I failed to teach them their letters, numbers, or shoe-tying at the optimal time.

Given my experience and my 20/20 hindsight vision, here is how I would homeschool preschool now:

First, I would continue reading to them. I would read picture books with them and take them to the library as I did with my kids, treating it like the gift and adventure that it is. I would also have them raid Grandpa’s bookshelves. My husband is a sales rep for school library books, so we have a literature-rich home. We would read picture books to address social and emotional skills as well as academic topics. I would relish telling them about their parents’ bad behavior when they were little. Just kidding. Kind of.

Second, I would use a more by-the-way, unit study approach to teaching. For example, if there were a class or field trip that appealed to preschoolers, we would go and would then do reading and activities related to it. I would make ample use of the internet to find videos, recipes, experiments, and easy art projects that don’t involve glitter. The most important aspect for me would be not having an overly planned schedule that could make me feel behind.

Third, for curriculum, I would use a children’s Bible, Little Hands to Heaven, Color Me Mozart and other easy, engaging resources to teach specific topics. We would start off with these resources before reading and pursuing other activities.

Finally, I would use lots of board and active games to teach academics and social skills. I used the Phonics Game, Jr. to teach my kids to read and I would use it again. I would leave the computer games for the parents to use when they need down time. I would rely on lists of games that are easy to play and set up when I wanted to cover a particular subject like math or vocabulary or just to let the kids burn off steam.

In conclusion, I know I didn’t do a perfect job teaching preschool. But the good news is I didn’t have to. My kids enjoyed their early homeschool years and benefited from them. Yours will too. I hope my experience will help you create a realistic and enjoyable plan for educating your little learners.

Have a happy homeschool week!

The post Homeschooling Preschool While Keeping Your Sanity appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

This week on Homeschool Highschool Podcast: 5 Ways to Earn Credits in Homeschool High School.

One of Vicki’s favorite topics is earning credits in homeschooling high school. Having graduated her five homeschoolers and advised many others through the local homeschool umbrella school, she has had lots of practice helping homeschooling parents and their teens find the best-fit ways to earn credits for the transcript.

We know that many parents feel stressed when they think about how their high schoolers will earn all the required credits! However, once you get used to it, earning credits is a fun game. Remember, there’s not ONE right way to homeschool high school, so you can do what is best for you and your teens!

We know that in homeschool high school, as in all high school programs, our teens are earning credits to prove that they are ready to graduate and be successful in the next part of life. Whether that’s going into a:

Earning credits builds a transcript that shows that teens have the knowledge needed to graduate.

They did this by establishing the idea of earning credits. They suggested that there should be about 120 hours of study in one subject. So, for each credit that was earned, there should be 120 hours of instruction, of study, of some kind of educational activity. That idea caught on, and schools have been using that then ever since.

These days, the idea of 120 hours per credit varies from state to state (some states require 180 hours per credit). Also if you are in a supervising organization such as a homeschool umbrella school, your teens may be required to show more hours per credit.

You can check your state’s Department of Education or Homeschool Legal Defense Association for requirements for graduation in your area.

Remember, there’s not ONE right way to earn credits. Choose what is best for your teen’s needs and goals.

Much of the high school curriculum that is available is designed to meet requirements for a credit. The text will explain whether it is a full-credit or half-credit textbook. Remember: for your record keeping, you want proof of education. Thus, you hold onto tests, papers, assignments, and projects that are related to that textbook and credit earned.

Note that most high school textbooks are written at a college-prep level. If you have a teen that is an average learner, you can look for some that are for more average students or curricula that are aimed towards students with learning challenges. Note: 7SistersHomeschool’s Introduction to Psychology and Human Development textbooks are written at Level 2 (average) with enrichment for leveling up to Honors.

The second way earn high school credit is to log the hours of educational experiences. The Carnegie Foundation had set up the idea that around 120 hours of education per credit (or whatever your state or supervising organization is looking for).

Some teens learn best by experiences, by hands-on, such as:

If your teen is learning credits in this way remember your record keeping. Keep logs with hours completed and what work was time each hour! If you didn’t write it down, it didn’t happen.

Another way our teens have earned their high school credits is by reading real books on a topic of special interest. With special interest electives, they have read:

For record keeping teens should

These activities demonstrate that they have interacted with the readings.

We have found that if they read around sixteen real books and complete the study guides or some written summaries or essays, they will have earned at least 120 hours (thus, a credit).

These days, dual enrollment is a popular choice these days. Dual enrollments are available at many:

These courses are sometimes in person and sometimes online courses. These courses should only be chosen teens who are ready for  college-level work.

For record keeping and the transcript: a one-semester dual enrollment course equals a one high school credit on the transcript.

Online courses are enormously popular these days. (Teens are always asking 7SistersHomeschool for more digital courses!)

These courses can be:

Teens can also take local classes in their co-ops and umbrella schools. These can be a good way to earn credits for their homeschool transcripts.

There are so many ways to earn credits for homeschool high school. Choose what is best for each teen and each credit/course.

Thank you to Seth Tillman for editing and Stacey Clendaniel for all the VA support.

The post 5 Ways to Earn Credits in Homeschool High School appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

In episode 238, “Write a Mystery 101: Choose Your Genre,” Meredith Curtis starts you on your storytelling journey. So, you’ve decided to write your own mystery. Congrats! What a fun project. Let’s start with what kind of mystery you want to write. Are their different kinds of mysteries? Yes! Discover which one appeals to you, and start on your way to creating your own Who-Dun-It.

Bringing Homeschool Joy to Families Everywhere!

Mom, Aunt Shirley, Nancy Drew, Meg, Trixie Belden, Agatha Christie.

What I love about mysteries.

Why I started writing them/high school English with Rose

Crime committed, usually a murder. Clues & red herrings followed by detective & reader who try their hardest to guess the perpetrator. At end, crime is punished.

We live in a fallen world, but God is Just. Justice.

God is a mystery writer, leaving clues about Jesus throughout the OT.

Usually a team, or partners, work together to solve a case. Include forensics, interviews, etc.

CSI, Blue Bloods, NCIS,

(Vintage) Dragnet, Adam 12, Hawaii 5-0

Focus on 1 lead Detective, with helpers, who solves the case. May have power struggle with other officers.

(Vintage) Columbo, Inspector Morse, Dick Tracy, Detective Chief-Inspector Roderick Alleyn, Walker Texas Ranger,

Not a police officer but can be a retired officer. Relationship with official police can be good or bad. Solves the case with traditional and unique methods.

(Vintage) Hercule Poirot, Sherlock Holmes, Magnum PI, Monk, Psych, Remington Steel, Tommy & Tuppence Beresford, Canon,

Can be FBI, CIA, MI6, Naval Intelligence, etc.

Jack Ryan, Agents of Shield, Numb3rs

(Vintage) Scarecrow & Mrs. King, MacGyver, It Takes a Thief, The Wild, Wild West, Mission Impossible,

Client is accused of murder or other crime. Lawyer has to figure out who the actual perpetrator is.

(Vintage) Perry Mason, Matlock

Usually stumbles into a case and follows clues to solve case when officials cannot. Good or bad relationship with police. Has a day job.

Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, Murder She Wrote, Miss Marple, Father Brown, Sister Boniface, Rosemary & Thyme, Lord Peter Wimsey

Amateur sleuth, focus on following clues, see detective’s personal life, no profanity, usually romance but no romantically private scenes, conversation-focused rather than action focused.

Watch some of these shows. Read books in different genres. Vintage is better because…

What kind of mystery do you like best?

For step-by-step help in creating your own murder mystery, grab your copy of Who Dun It Murder Mystery Literature & Writing Volume II by Meredith Curtis

Who Dun It Murder Mystery Literature & Writing Volume II by Meredith Curtis is a one-credit high school English course.

In Print: https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Mystery-Literature-Writing-Homeschooling/dp/B0CMZNY8ZK/

Digital Copy: https://www.powerlineprod.com/shop/who-dun-it-murder-mystery-literature-writing-second-edition/

Next time, we’ll talk about creating your detective & sidekick. In later weeks, we’ll talk about clues & red herrings, creating suspects, classic who-dun-it plot, and more.

Maggie & Matt King move to Hopeville, Virginia so Matt can go to seminary, studying to be a pastor. Maggie is a SAHM to Bethany (and more children to come) but finds time to stumble across dead bodies and unmask the murderer. Eventually, Maggie will homeschool her children and enjoy her role as a pastor’s wife. But, she doesn’t stop solving mysteries. Enjoy her adventures. Wholesome Christian Cozy Mysteries.

Sign up for our updates and get your copy of 100 Homeschool Hacks FREE. Sign up here.

Thank You to our Network Sponsor – CTC Math!

The post Write a Mystery 101: Choose Your Genre appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

When you’ve got more than one child, you are going to have challenges. How can you teach them to play together and enjoy games without the older ones overrunning the younger? We had six boys over a twelve-year span, so we had to figure this out! This episode, we’re talking about some practical ways to make family competition helpful, not harmful.

Games, sports, and competition are Biblical. Remember the Bible often describes our Christian lives as a race (Acts 20:24, 2 Timothy 4:7, Hebrews 12:1). The apostle Paul points out that you only win when you play by the rules and discipline yourself by training (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). We wrote a whole chapter about this in our book Raising Real Men, but we agree with the old theologians – games can be a great way to learn skills and exercise our minds and bodies, if they’re done in the right attitude.

Recognize that older siblings and younger siblings may not appreciate how different they are. Depending on the child and the range of ages and development, you will have to coach your older, bigger, stronger kids to take it easy on the little siblings. Teenagers can’t react to their five-year-old brother like he was another teen. We made it a matter of honor for our boys to restrain their impulse to hit back when a little one hurt them. On the other hand, younger ones need to be reminded that bigger kids are bigger, and it’s not wise to treat them like they were elementary-age peers, either. The idea that “We’re all equals in the eyes of God and our parents,” is good, but you have to remember that equality of status and equality of value do not mean equal capability or strength!

“Compete against the clock and your own best time.” We found our boys of all ages like to race the clock on math worksheets. The fact that one is doing third-grade work for the first time, and older brother is doing the same practice sheets he did five years ago, doesn’t matter when each one is racing himself.

Give younger kids a handicap. Let the older kids start further back, or give the younger ones a head start. Or let the younger ones choose or answer first, so the older ones don’t jump ahead every turn. Even up the playing field a bit.

Create teams across the ages. This is really effective with board games. The oldest child is paired with the youngest, and the next oldest with the next youngest – for example, the 15-year-old with the 5-year-old, playing against the 12-year-old and 9-year-old. You can also make the rule that the older team member can’t touch the board; he has to talk with his younger teammate and persuade him to move the pieces or play the cards strategically. Often, the youngest children just want to move the pieces, anyway – it’s the older kids who get the grand design of the game!

The post Raising Siblings Without Rivalry – Part 2 – MBFLP 253-2 (Replay) appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Must-Know Life Skills – Episode 343

Sponsored by CTCMath.com Get a free trial!

In today’s world of instant information and smartphone convenience, many young people are growing up without the practical and personal life skills they truly need. In this episode of Vintage Homeschool Moms, we roll up our sleeves and talk about the must-know life skills every child should learn before adulthood.

Life skills aren’t just about survival in the wilderness—they’re the everyday habits, disciplines, and practical abilities that build confidence, independence, and character. From faith and convictions to cooking a meal or managing money, these lessons will serve your kids for a lifetime.

Here’s a look at what we cover:

Personal Life Skills

Faith: Knowing what you believe, why you believe it, and how to articulate and defend it.

Communication: Speaking clearly, listening respectfully, and even cell phone etiquette.

Critical Thinking: Making decisions, solving problems, and discerning truth from opinion.

Self-Control & Convictions: Standing firm in beliefs, managing emotions, and respecting differences.

Coping with Stress: Identifying healthy vs. unhealthy coping strategies and reducing stress.

Practical Life Skills

Cooking, cleaning, and personal hygiene.

Meal planning, grocery shopping, and basic home maintenance.

Money management: saving, spending, tithing, and understanding credit vs. debit.

Writing and communication: emails, letters, and professional etiquette.

Navigation and transportation: maps, GPS, public transit, and car maintenance.

Health and safety: understanding medications, driving safety, and household dangers.

Whether you’re a homeschool parent looking to weave these lessons into your family life or a young adult trying to catch up, this episode will inspire you to equip the next generation with the tools they need to thrive.

Listen now and then add your own must-know life skills to the list!

The post Life Skills For Kids (Replay) appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Are your children complaining that writing isn’t fun? Transform writing time into creative fun with these 10 tech tools—each designed to spark imagination and ease the writing struggle.

Tool: Story Dice

Description: Roll virtual icons and weave them into a story—great for melting the blank-page dread.

Tool: Canva Comic Strip Templates and similar tools

Description: Comic panels turn writing into bite-size fun, one box at a time.

Related episode: Episode 115 – Online Comic Strip Creators

Tool: ClassTools.net (Fakebook & SMS generator)

Description: Write as historical or literary characters—short-form and highly engaging.

Related episode: Episode 173 – Social Media Templates for Fun Assignments

Tool: Voice memos (mobile) or any audio-recording app

Description: Record stories aloud, then transcribe—friendly for reluctant writers or those with dyslexia.

Tool: Google Docs

Description: Pass the story along in real-time with siblings or friends—editing is a breeze.

Tools: StoryJumper or Book Creator

Description: Create illustrated stories for younger siblings—a short text plus pictures brings stories to life.

Tools: TextAdventures.co.uk or Google Slides (hyperlinked branching slides)

Description: Let kids build branching stories—reader picks the path!

Related episode: Episode 50 – How to Create Online Choose Your Own Adventure Games

Tools: Canva AI Text to image, AI image generators, Unsplash

Description: Generate quirky visuals (e.g., “rhino on a bicycle”) and write the backstory—great for creativity.

Tool: MySimpleShow.com

Description: Turn written ideas into narrated visuals—perfect for research projects in middle/high school.

Tool: Poetry4Kids

Description: Choose a poem type (like haiku or limerick) and get step-by-step support through the writing.

Related episode: Episode 127 – Online Poetry Resources

Tool: Padlet

Description: A visual “pin-board” for students to display and share writing—with family, friends, or co-op groups.

Related resource:

Writing Fun class at FundaFunda Academy — Students explore these tools in a guided, supportive environment. First three sign-ups get 30% off using code 30OFF!

Take a look at show sponsor, FundaFunda Academy to see what they offer for online classes and web-based unit studies.

Join our Facebook Group, especially for the listeners of this podcast! You can ask questions and get advice as you try integrating technology in your homeschool.

If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe to the show and give a rating and maybe even a review! Subscribing will help you make sure you never miss an episode

The post 10 Tech Tools to Make Writing Fun appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

sponsored by CTCMath.com

In this episode, Matt and Charla McKinley welcome their son Jack McKinley back to the studio. They discuss Jack’s summer experiences, his work, friendships, and financial management. The focus then shifts to the concept of a back-to-school contract, a tool that has helped their family establish clear expectations and consequences related to academic performance and personal responsibility.

Key Discussion Points:

Jack’s Summer Recap:

– Matt and Charla discuss Jack’s productive summer, where he balanced work, spending time with friends, and managing his finances.

– They highlight the importance of Jack having more cash left over than spent, a sign of his growing financial responsibility.

Back-to-School Contract:

– Charla introduces the back-to-school contract, explaining its origins and purpose. She recalls how it was inspired by Jack’s high school years.

– Matt shares his initial skepticism about the contract but acknowledges its positive impact on their family dynamic.

– Charla elaborates on how the contract set clear academic expectations and consequences, which helped manage Jack’s time and responsibilities effectively.

Implementation and Impact:

– Matt emphasizes the importance of drafting the contract collaboratively with the child to ensure they have a sense of ownership and understanding.

– Jack reflects on how the contract provided structure and clarity during his high school years, which was essential for his academic success.

– Charla discusses the challenges of enforcing the contract, noting that consistency is key to its effectiveness. She shares anecdotes of tough decisions, such as Jack missing social events due to not meeting academic standards.

Parenting Insights:

– Charla discusses the long-term benefits of teaching children about boundaries and consequences, preparing them for adult responsibilities.

– Matt talks about the importance of tough love and holding children accountable, stressing that it helps them develop resilience and independence.

– Jack expresses gratitude for the contract, acknowledging that it helped him develop the discipline needed for college and future endeavors.

Connect With Us:

You can find the bank to school contract and read more about this (or past topics) on Charla’s blog:  https://beyondpersonalfinance.com/our-blog

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