The Homeschool Solutions Show

In this episode, you will learn about deschooling Yourself to help increase confidence and start your year off on the right foot. You'll be given questions to consider & answer to help you deschool. You will also receive encouragement for the year ahead.

Children's literature can be fanciful — some of it is even nonsense — but there are reasons that we need it. In this episode, reader, author, speaker, and homeschool dad, Martin Cothran, ably explains what children's literature is for and we need it now, more than ever. If you've been harboring a secret love for the books of childhood, you'll be delighted to find that they are truly good for us. Enjoy!

As homeschool parents, we are usually great at planning for the academic school year - setting goals and selecting curricula. But have you planned for family adventures in your school year? In this episode, Jessica encourages parents to remember the "why" of their choice to homeschool, and to build in opportunities to create traditions and adventure, including her favorite "Annual Family Day."

Homeschool perfection is impossible and boring. Be awesome instead! Tips for being an imperfectly awesome homeschool teacher. And for laughs... The 10 Commandments (suggestions for sanity) of a Homeschool Mom.

Cynthia and Sue discuss how they worked successfully with reluctant learners and the lessons they learned from those experiences.

An actual recording of the infamous "homeschool parent-teacher conference" (aka split personality overthink-a-thon) in my head. The teacher and voice in the back of our minds echoing public opinions and trying to checkboxes, and pigeon-hole potential will be played by me. And the voice of the bedraggled but hopeful homeschool mom is played by...also me. Listen, laugh, sniffle, and feel seen and inspired.

Are you working with a child who has difficulty with cooperation, focusing, hyperactivity, sensory processing dysfunction, or has meltdowns? Do you have a child who "whines" all the time? Could a hidden allergy be affecting your child's behavior? Find out why one mom said, "Our daughter is so different now." Histamine is a huge irritant to the nervous system. Many parents are finding that common foods can be contributing to the child's everyday behavior. This doesn't have to be hard!

Karla Williams is the unschooling mom of six, as well as the author of Homeschooling Gone Wild: Imagined Learning Through Living Karla Marie Williams is the president of BeBold Publishing. As an author, international speaker, and child advocate, Karla has impacted families all over the globe. Her message of hope and inspiration in the areas of homeschooling, foster care/adoption, parenting, and Christian living is sought after for retreats and conferences. She is a wife of 23 years and a mother to six sensational kids. Karla and her family reside in Grand Rapids, MI.

In this episode, Jessica shares her family's "family economy" system for chores and allowance. If you've been wanting to implement a better system for kids to pay for their own things, work around the house, and learn the value of a dollar, this system may work well for you, too.

I've long believed that homeschooling parents are some of the most interesting and creative people around. If something needs to be done, they can figure out how to do it. And if something needs to be added, they add it. Join us for this inspiring conversation with Anthony Coafield of Living Book Press.

Today Wendy Speake and Kelli Stuart are talking about how common it is to feel that we've lost ourselves in this season of homeschooling. We used to have interests, passions and plans, even careers. While Wendy and Kelli both had to learn to fit their writing careers into the cracks and crevices of family life, they want to encourage you to remember and reclaim some of your passions and pleasures.

In her 25 years of teaching special education and consulting, Dianne Craft has found that it takes only 5 steps, consistently applied in a daily reading lesson, to not only remove the symptoms of Dyslexia (reversals, scrambling sounds, and dysgraphia), but the effects of Dyslexia , (below level reading, spelling and writing). In this Podcast you will learn 2 simple steps: Physical Exercises that internalize directionality for a child and Visual Teaching Strategies that faithfully put "Zany Memory Hooks" on all aspects of reading…phonemes/phonics; sight words; spelling words. This can all be done in a daily reading session. It's a method that she used in both Elementary and Middle School settings with equal success. A minimum of 2 years growth in a year was made using these simple, but non-curriculum related strategies. (many times, more) No need for future college accommodations. No need for curriculum purchase. No special training needed. Just success at your fingertips.

Cynthia and Sue give tried and true tips on what works when you are just about to hit the wall as motivation is waning.This episode speaks to those who need to get over obstacles.

Have you ever thought about starting your own homeschooling co-op? In this episode, Jessica shares the step-by-step of how she built a small homeschool community from the ground up. The episode discusses what kind of people you should think about including, the ideal size of a beginning group, her co-op's daily schedule and curriculum, forming a community mission, and how they added extra events to enrich the community.

Stories are more than words on paper. A good story can serve as a window through which we can see truth. Just as a picture is said to be worth a thousand words, a short story can convey an idea more effectively than an entire self-help book. Join me today, and I'll talk briefly about reading, and then we'll have a grown-up storytime with a short story by Leo Tolstoy. I hope you'll enjoy this episode!

Today we're talking about suffering and hardship. How we can keep putting one-foot-in-front-of-the-other as we homeschool our kids when we're going through a frightening diagnosis, financial struggles, relationship battles…? How do we keep the family together when our world is falling apart?

Many parents find that the very best educational setting for children with Asperger's like symptoms is at home. Since these children are often gifted learners, at home they are free to explore the topics of interest to them, without needing to do the mundane chores that are needed in the more formal school setting. Let's explore the various interventions and resources available to help these wonderful kids and teens thrive at home.

More practical tips for loving and teaching your strong-willed child--without driving either one of you crazy!

Are you losing your creativity? Got the winter doldrums? Feeling depressed? This episode offers 10 very practical ideas for what to do with your family inside and also encourages parents who may feel down in the dumps.

After a year away from homeschool conventions, many speakers are excited about coming back in person. In this special episode, three of those speakers — Dr. Jay Wile, Nicholeen Peck, and Dr. Melanie Wilson — join Homeschool 101 speaker Janice Campbell to talk about what they've been creating in the off season, and what they have planned for this year's GHC conferences. You won't want to miss this episode — or the GHC conference near you!

Real friends don't let friends complain alone. Best good homeschool friends are for keeping it real, a safe space to complain. They can be the best defense against the homeschool blues and burnout. Let's talk about why you need one, how to find one, and some truths and laughs about the perks of having your very own best good homeschool friend.

What does it take to be a writer? How can parents cultivate creativity and foster a love of reading in their kids? Today's episode features a conversation with author S.D. "Sam" Smith, about reading, creativity, and the craft of writing. If you love stories, words, and adventure, you won't want to miss this one!

The 2020 pandemic forced everyone to "home educate" in some form or another. Surprisingly, numerous studies are showing that around 40% of families will continue even after the lockdowns are over. Yes, health may be a big concern but that's not the main reason. Discover what these new homeschoolers are finding out that most veterans already knew.

Today our host is Wendy Speake. With the help of 1 Corinthians 13 we're considering how to communicate love better during the most challenging parts of our mothering life. As always, Wendy leads us into God's Word in an effort to find it not only living and active, but applicable to our homeschooling days.

Students can seem "lazy, sloppy, unmotivated" while having an undiagnosed Dysgraphia or blocked writing gate. Many times it isn't identified until a child is a teenager and not turning in written work! The most common gate that is blocked with gifted kids. He knows so much but just can't get his thoughts down in writing because this "head to hand" process takes too much energy….a blocked learning gate. This student has not internalized directionality and does not have a well-defined sense of space. A powerful simple daily exercise develops this important skill and takes the stress out of the writing system, by sending this process to the Automatic Brain Hemisphere. Affects sports too …coaches report improved performance on the court or field.

Do you have a strong-willed child? You'll love these quick, practical ways to bring out the best in a strong-willed child of ANY age!

The 2020 pandemic forced everyone to "home educate" in some form or another. Surprisingly, numerous studies are showing that around 40% of families will continue even after the lockdowns are over. Yes, health may be a big concern but that's not the main reason. Discover what these new homeschoolers are finding out that most veterans already knew.

What does homeschooling look like when your family is busy with ministry projects, work, or just life? In this episode, Jessica interviews Alyssa Bethke about what homeschooling in Hawaii has looked like for their family as they lead several ministries and also write books. Alyssa offers encouragement for overwhelmed moms and reminds us of the many benefits of homeschooling, even when family life is full!

While we may not have had 20/20 vision going into this year, I've found that hindsight really is 20/20. In today's show, I am sharing three lessons I learned and Bible stories to flesh those lessons out! Let's take the lessons we learned in 2020 with us into 2021!

Sometimes learning seems harder than it should be. Both parent and student can feel frustrated, not knowing what to do. Join Kathy Kuhl and me as we talk about reading, writing, and learning, and ways you can help students who struggle.

Today we are talking with the author of Screen Kids, Arlene Pellicane, about the boundaries we can set around our children's devices (and our own).

Step away from the Yuletide unit studies! Put down the glitter and the glue guns. You can't add "making merry" to a homeschool transcript. Why try? One of the best things about homeschooling for the holidays is...you don't have to! But if you insist, listen in for my Christmas tips for seasonal sanity, and ways to to get the kids involved without ending up as nutty as a fruitcake.

One of the most puzzling situations a mother finds herself in is when she has a child who can read the words in a book but cannot answer the questions or tell her what has just been read. These moms frequently hear the phrase, "I don't remember," when queried about the reading material. When working with bright, hardworking 4th through 8th graders in my reading class, I realized that these students were not proficient at converting the words they were reading into a "movie" in their head, as the rest of us do when we read. They were merely doing "word calling" much of the time. I found that "movie making" was a skill that could be developed in them, using an easy fifteen-minute a day exercise. This exercise did not involve paper or pencil, but only the use of their brain. "Word calling" is a left-brain auditory task, while creating a picture or movie of those words is the responsibility of the right brain hemisphere. I merely showed them how to create a seamless flow of words to pictures as they were reading. You can do this at home, very easily.

In this episode, Jessica chats with her sister, Julie, about making memories over the holidays. They cover food traditions, entertaining, Advent traditions, and centering your holiday around Jesus.

Middle Schoolers reveal their thoughts, feelings, and fears--and it may not be what you expect!

In this relaxed episode, Brian Wasko and Janice Campbell discuss reading, the art of teaching writing, and what English majors really do. Hint: It isn't about being a pickier grammar snob! You'll hear about some of their favorite books, whether education is a means or an end, and get good advice on how to evaluate your student's writing.

Wendy Speake often talks with us about our various Homeschool Triggers, but today she's asking us this hard question: What do you turn to to help you deal with those Triggers on your hardest homeschool days? Tune in for a convincing conversation that ends with an exciting invitation!

The 2020 election infection... Is it over yet? We might want to be oblivious to the political turmoil outside our blanket forts but homeschooling and elections have connections and consequences. Just like no candidate in any election is perfect, no educational choice is perfect. Yet whichever we say yes to, we should still be saying yes to God's plan, not popular opinion. Choosing what is right is not always easy or with the "in crowd", but then again neither is homeschooling. Join me for some hifalutin and earnest thoughts on civic responsibility and how it relates to homeschooling.

Are working with a bright, hard-working learner who feels "dumb"? Change the evidence by changing the way he learns. Here are some strategies that I used in my resource room and consultation practice to prove to students how smart they really are. The students that use these "zany" memory strategies find they have great success in school and take these skills with them to college.

How to recognize and celebrate the transition from childhood to adolescence--and still keep your sanity!

Elizabeth Kidd offers her humor and practical tips on what supplies are absolutely essential, best curriculum for kindergarten, and how a child with Down's Syndrome has been a gift to their family.

Although we are surrounded by messages that imply that college is the best choice for everyone, that isn't always true. Some kids and families have the kinds of gifts and talents that make a skilled trade or entrepreneurship a much better option. Join us today to hear about Cindy LaJoy's experience in homeschooling a blue-collar family.

Is your homeschool relaxed and inviting? At one time, our homeschool was miserable. We were following all the "rules of school" and enjoying absolutely none of it. School had become stale and boring, and we desperately needed to add a little bit of Enchantment to our relaxed Charlotte Mason homeschool.

Today we are going to be talking about teaching our children to know God's voice. Mark and his daughter Summer recently released a children's book entitled God Speaks in Whispers. This may have been my favorite interview yet! Even if you don't have young children to read this picture book to… this is a not-to-be-missed conversation!

Humor and introspection into the different species of homeschoolers, homeschool uniforms, and the lingo and vocabulary unique to the homeschool culture.

Do you have a child who is anxious, and gets upset easily…who is "overreactive" to his environment? Childhood should be "carefree", but for some kids and teens, it is anxiety-filled. Their nervous system is sending them erratic messages that make them feel uneasy, panicked, or upset. We call them kids whose nervous system is in disequilibrium. Is it "Character or Chemistry?". In this Podcast, we will explore the physical symptoms that a child often has that leads to behavior that is inappropriate. We will explore ways that we can help these kids feel so much better. Looking to the body's manufacturing place for the calming neurotransmistters (the "gut"), we will explore an easy nutritional supplement plan (using your local health food store), that many parents use to help their child's body make more calming neurotransmitters, so they can feel peacefull, fall asleep easily, handle loud noises, and in general be able to react to their everyday environment with more ease.

Tried and true ways to get your kids to actually remember what you say!

Jessica talks with Rachel Jankovic about the success of her first book, Loving the Little Years, about her passion for women reading Scripture, and about why women need to understand their identity.