The Homeschool Solutions Show

Everyone has challenges! But we all have a choice to make regarding how we respond to our challenges and the challenges of those we love (and teach.) Do we let them challenge us to the point that we can't deal with the issues lovingly? Or do we deal with the challenges in a Christlike way? This has to do with our challenges and our children's challenges. Today we're talking about turning our kids' challenges into "challenges" that help them pinpoint and then grow in those areas. Getting angry and allowing their struggles to become a matter of contention in our homes isn't helping anyone. So let's get creative and find some practical solutions together!

Judy Sarden encourages moms not to feel like their homeschooled kids are "missing out" if they are not attending public school. She gives reasons as to why moms should feel confident and be encouraged that your child is receiving an education that schools could never begin to give your child. Connect with Judy: www.judysarden.com/homeschool Books: Sarden's Practical Guide: How to Start Homeschooling Judy is a 2020 GHC Featured Speaker @ OH and CA Homeschool Conventions. Judy's Podcast: The How to Homeschool Podcast.

Sometimes the stress in our marriage affects our parenting, which can directly affect our homeschooling days. Unresolved conflict with our spouse can create more conflict with our kids. In this episode of The Homeschool Solutions Podcast, Amber Lia joins us for a conversation about some of the Marriage Triggers that tend to create Homeschool Triggers! After co-authoring the parenting book Triggers in 2016, Amber Lia and Wendy Speake received hundreds of emails asking for a follow-up book applying these same Biblical principles to marriage. In response, Amber and her husband Guy Lia wrote Marriage Triggers. The book leads husbands and wives through 31 of the most common, everyday stumbling blocks in most marriages.

Sonlight Curriculum - Complete homeschool curriculum, you're guaranteed to love. Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses - Purchase Wendy's book HERE. Medi-Share - An affordable and Biblical healthcare alternative. For more information, CLICK HERE. 40 Day Sugar Fast - For information and an opportunity to sign up, click this link. 40 Day Sugar Fast Companion Book by Wendy Speake, CLICK HERE.

All good things must come to an end and this is one of those cases. I have decided to turn my focus to Morning Baskets in 2020 and beyond and therefore am stepping down as host of the Homeschool Solutions show. But never fear, I am leaving you in great hands. Enter Wendy Speake, homeschool mom and blogger extraordinaire. She is taking the helm of the show and carrying it into the next decade. Join us today to get to know Wendy and hear her vision for the show. P.S. If you want more podcasts from me in the future, you can find me on Your Morning Basket. The show notes for this episode are at pambarnhill.com/hs192

A Little behind My sweet mother-in-love used to have this little ceramic doll that sat on a shelf in her living room. I remember seeing it long before I ever made the decision to homeschool. If memory serves, it was a gift given to her back in her homeschooling days...back when The Hubs sat at her dining room table poring over books about World War II and sloughing through algebra worksheets. The doll stood bent over with its fanny pointed to the sky and on its bloomer bottoms were etched the words, "A little behind in school." Listen or read more at https://www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/2015/03/why-im-no-longer-behind-in-homeschool.html

It's no secret that comparison is a thief of joy. That's true in all of areas of life, including homeschooling. We all know that nothing good comes from comparing our homeschools, yet too often we spend our days drowning in homeschool comparison and looking for that next surefire thing that will magically bring us up to some self-imposed standard. I'm not a "fun" homeschool mom. You'd come to that realization pretty quickly after scrolling through my Instagram feed. Sure, you'll see lots of books, art, and scenes from our time outside, but you won't find a lot of jazzy activities and "magical" experiences in our day-to-day homeschool life. I'm not that mom and that's not our homeschool. Listen or read more at https://tablelifeblog.com/homeschool-comparison/

Tell me I'm not the only one… You spend hours crafting the Ultimate Book List… You incorporate hands-on-projects… You basically make learning awesome and fun… And a few years (or maybe even months or – worse – weeks) later, your children don't seem to remember any of it. It's tempting to get a little grumpy about the perceived waste of time and effort. Listen or read more at https://humilityanddoxology.com/why-bother/

Each day as we wrap up school I take a moment to return our table from desk back to gathering place. I stack books, collect papers and brush up the eraser dust from the day's lessons. Eraser dust. Everywhere. From the small eraser at the end of the pencils that fail to be enough, to the eraser caps we buy by the dozens, to the 'big guys' that can handle the jobs the others can't, erasers are always made available… but are often forgotten. Listen or read more at https://rinellafamilyoutdoors.com/2019/02/01/the-eraser/

I never like to admit when I'm barely treading water, but it happens almost every year as Thanksgiving approaches. The moment the leftover turkey is put in the fridge, it seems that December and its giant to-do list overwhelm me. Besides the regular crazy that we call our day-to-day around here, December kicks it up more than a notch or two. Listen or read more at https://ourjourneywestward.com/take-the-stress-out-of-december/

Today on the podcast I am joined by my good friends Sarah Mackenzie and Colleen Kessler to chat about our new adventure next year -- the Real Mom Tour with Great Homeschool Conventions. We are so excited to share this new event with homeschool moms all over the country. Join the conversation as we talk about our favorite things about going to the convention, our insider convention stories, and how to get the most from your convention trip. We can't wait to see you there.

Why do we homeschool? Our story to coming to terms with what is really best for our family – and getting over-explaining it to everyone on the street. "You're homeschooling? How lovely. WHY would you want to do that?" Going against the mainstream opens the door to big questions about big life choices to random strangers at the post office. Listen or read more at https://thehomeschoolresourceroom.com/2017/12/14/pros-and-cons-of-homeschool/

I don't know about your kids, but mine love to bake. There is something about getting in the kitchen and making a mess while making something yummy that appeals. This summer I had the pleasure of meeting Tiffany Dahle who has a brand new baking book out for kids. My favorite thing about it (other than the gorgeous photos)? It makes things easy. It is written in clear, kid-friendly language. I could totally hand this over to my kids and they will actually learn to bake all the things. On this episode of the podcast Tiffany and I chat about the book, but also many of the benefits of baking with kids. You also get to hear Tiffany's story of how she came unexpectedly to homeschooling and what it is meaning to her family. For links and more info: https://pambarnhill.com/cooking-with-kids/

How many times have you heard the phrase that kids just can't stick to an instrument long enough? Or that kids like to explore music but don't like to commit to anyone instrument? As a music teacher, I hear this complaint all the time. I hear it from parents and I hear it from other music teachers. They just say things like "Oh well, the child quit again! They have a short attention span, that's just how it is". But I'm here to tell you "No – that's not how it is"! It shouldn't be that way. It's a fallacy that kids can't persevere with music or that they can't stick to an instrument long enough. Absolutely not true. Listen or read more at https://www.gentleguitar.com/parent-role-in-music-education/

Andrew Stanley was homeschooled through eighth grade and gets it. He knows homeschooling makes the fodder for some funny jokes. Join me and Andrew on this episode of the podcast as we chat about how a finance major ended up as a standup comedian, if his years as a homeschooler somehow uniquely prepared him for his current profession, and other things he might not want his mother to know (as if she doesn't already).

So you've been doing Morning Time in your home and that now your kids are getting a little bit older, you're wondering should I still be doing Morning Time? Can I still be do Morning Time and how is that going to work? Maybe you've been doing Morning Time for quite a while and now some of your kids are starting to get a little bit older. They might even become a little reluctant to keep participating in Morning Time. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/morning-basket-with-older-kids/

Morning baskets are something that have been taking the homeschool world by storm. Everywhere you look there they are. So you might be wondering what is this morning basket thing and do I want to do one? Morning basket is just another name for a practice that has been going on in homeschool circles for over 30 years now. Simply, it's a time in the day when everyone in the family can come together and learn together about specific subjects and morning basket is just one of the names for it. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/homeschool-morning-basket/

Today on the podcast I am joined by Amy Sloan from humilityanddoxology.com and mom of five kids ages 4 to 14. For about the past five years Amy has made memory work a central part of her homeschool day. In this episode Amy and I discuss how to be consistent with memory work, how you find great pieces to memorize, and practical ways you can make this happen in your home. We also chat about the debate between memorizing facts versus spending your time memorizing other worthy passages, how to make it work for multiple ages, and even how to deal with attitudes if they arise. It's a fun episode! Check out the show notes at pambarnhill.com/hs179

Congratulations on making the decision to homeschool! Homeschooling has many benefits, and it is a decision that you will not regret. When it comes to how to homeschool, one thing you may be nervous about is how to tell others you're homeschooling. Telling friends and family may leave you concerned about possible negative feedback. Sharing the news with others also cements your decision; it makes it more real, and the thought of that may be scary. Listen or read more at https://www.findingjoyinthejourney.net/tell-others-youre-homeschooling/

Steve Demme has believed in homeschooling since before he had kids of his own. This former math teacher and pastor joined the fight of the homeschooling movement early, helping to lobby and shape legislation that gives us the homeschool freedoms we have today. Along the way, he and his wife homeschooled their own kids, he write a math curriculum, and became the funny, favorite math teacher of a generation of homeschool kids. He is on the podcast today to tell the story of the early days of the homeschooling movement, the fight to become legal, and the journey so far.

Deciding to homeschool was one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make as a parent. I remember being so torn with emotions, worrying we were doing the right thing. I know now it was the best choice for my son. It's what worked for our family then and we just kept going. It's hard to believe, but we just graduated our oldest and he's off to college! My youngest is heading into 7th grade this year, and we're busy putting off the start of school as long as we can. All summer I've been cleaning out old notebooks, curriculum, and all sorts of homeschool clutter that reminds me of our first years on this journey. Listen or read more at https://www.adriennebolton.com/blog/2017/08/survive-first-year-homeschooling.html

The final interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods is with a super-special friend of mine, Brandy Vencel. I am not (currently) a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, but sitting at the feet of Brandy keeps inching me more and more in that direction I think. I just love chatting with her about Charlotte Mason. Brandy, who has used Ambleside Online since her oldest was in first grade, is on the Ambleside Online Auxiliary Board. She also provides excellent Charlotte Mason support on her blog Afterthoughts. Find the show notes for this episode at: https://pambarnhill.com/charlottemason

The fourth interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods I got to chat with one of my very favorite people, Jennifer Dow from Expanding Wisdom. Jennifer is a joy, because she makes me think about life, education, and being a more virtuous person every single time we talk. In this episode we talk about the day-in-the-life of a classical homeschool and about a version of classical homeschooling that is outside the norm of what most people assume about classical homeschooling. Different than neo-classicism and tons of memory work, the classical homeschool Jennifer describes focuses on virture. The shownotes for this episode can be found here: https://pambarnhill.com/are-you-a-classical-homeschooler-the-ultimate-guide-to-homeschooling-methods

The third interview in the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods series was a delight to record. I loved chatting with a friend, Margaret in Minnesota. blogs about her beautiful life with seven kids at her blog -- Minnesota Mom where she focuses on family, faith, and lots of love. Margaret uses a school-at-home method of homeschooling. In this interview, we talk about what a typical day looks like in her home, why she chose a box of books for her homeschool, and how she adapts that to meet the needs of her family. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/school-at-home/

As part of our interview series on the Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods, I recently had the opportunity to speak to Heather Woodie of Blog She Wrote. Heather homeschooled her children using the unit study method for ten years. Sometimes she usel purchased unit studies, while at other times she (or her children!) wrote their own studies. She mentors other homeschool moms with her participation in the Five in a Row forums and through her blog, where she is a helpful voice with resources and techniques for homeschooling high school. I think you are going to enjoy Heather's interview, so relax and have a listen. For the show notes visit https://pambarnhill.com/hs172

This episode from the archives is from our Ultimate Guide to Homeschool Methods and it was a delight to record three years ago. I loved chatting with my old friend, Sue Elvis who blogs at https://www.storiesofanunschoolingfamily.com/ and has a new book out called Curious Unschoolers. Sue unschools her large family where they focus on doing their own projects, relationships, and trusting the child. For more information and the show notes visit https://pambarnhill.com/unschooling.

There is nothing more fun than a road trip full of adventure and learning. And no group knows how to make the most of a learning adventure better than homeschoolers. Today I am joined by Trish Corlew of Homeschool Road Trips and Hip Homeschool Moms to chat about Trish's best tips for learning on the go as well as more information about the Homeschool Road Trips opportunities. We chat about how travel can be an important part of your curriculum, the biggest benefits of traveling with family, and some of Trish's favorite tales from the trips her family has taken. Enjoy!

Homeschooling through high school can feel intimidating. I am a teacher by trade, and I am constantly second guessing myself and checking to be sure that I have not left my children with a gaping hole in their education. We tell our kids that they can do anything they want, but am I stealing part of that future from them if I don't aptly prepare them to meet it? Listen or read more at https://thesparrowshome.com/homeschooling-high-school-2-things-you-might-be-missing/

What happens to your morning time as your kids get older? Does it change or do we stop requiring them to attend? Can your teen outgrow Morning Time? These are the questions that Cindy West from Our Journey Westward joins me to answer today. In this episode of the podcast we talk about how the tone of Morning Time changes as your kids get older, how to get their buy in with what you are doing, and what a Morning Time with older kids can look like. Enjoy! Find out more at pambarnhill.com/hs168

The giddiness of families making educational choices for next year has begun! It is exciting to head to the NC Thrive! Conference and see all the bright shiny new choices. It's like Christmas to flip through a catalog or browse an online market full of books and perfect curriculum choices. But with so many good options out there, how do we know what is best for our family? Do you ever get stymied by indecision? Do you come in like Franck in Father of the Bride and say, "Let's change everything"? Do you blow your budget buying all the things that only sit collecting dust on your shelf the following year? Here are four questions I suggest you ask yourself before you begin buying all the books at the conference center! Listen or read more at https://humilityanddoxology.com/2018/03/08/4-questions-before-planning-shopping-for-curriculum/

There is nothing that can more joyfully throw a homeschool year off balance than pregnancy and a new baby. Moms have so much to do already and now throw morning sickness, extreme fatigue, and a new born into the mix and homeschooling gets even harder. Joining me today is mom of many Amy Roberts who knows a thing or two about homeschooling while pregnant and with a newborn. Amy gives us her best tips for planning a year that you know will be challenged by all these big changes. She is pulling out her best big family tips. Enjoy!

Let's start with a misconception about year-round homeschooling. It is typically NOT homeschooling all the time. Just because we are year-round homeschoolers that doesn't mean we are doing more school than your average students. Traditional American school schedules begin in late August, take a couple of weeks off in December, and continue through the end of May with about twelve weeks off in the summer. Homeschoolers who school year round simply shorten that summer break; often cutting it in half or making it shorter so we can take more frequent breaks during the school year. This is all about flexibility y'all. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/year-round-homeschooling/

Planning for one or two homeschool kids is challenging enough, but planning for school with six or more? Now that is a Herculean feat. But never fear, we have some mamas on the show today who have been doing that for a number of years. Lynna Sutherland (mom of 8) and Heather Tully (mom of 10) join me today to discuss the ins and outs of big family homeschool planning -- what's different than regular planning, where to combine, and how to meet the needs of all.the.kids. Enjoy!

It's happened so many times you can replay the scenario in your head. One of your children runs in from another room screaming. He's got a complaint against a sibling and he wants justice. How do you respond? What do you say when faced with the accusations of one sibling against another? Eventually, you'll need to get them both involved in the conversation, but here are three things you can do before you add another person to the conversation. Listen or read more at https://hswotrainingwheels.com/face-sibling-complaints/

Have you ever wondered how your personality type might impact your approach to homeschool planning? On today's episode of the podcast we have a fascinating glimpse at how your Meyers-Briggs functions can have an affect on how you plan, what you plan, and how you work a plan. Homeschool personality guru, homeschool grad, and homeschool mom Mystie Winckler joins me for this very revealing conversation.

"And what grade are you in, honey?" the little old lady asked my daughter in an impromptu conversation by the produce section. She found my then eight-year-old girl sorting through apples looking for just the right one and thought it odd that a child her age would be at the grocery store in the middle of a Thursday. It was, I suppose. Listen or read more at https://www.theunlikelyhomeschool.com/2017/03/without-grade-levels.html

It is no secret that I am an introvert and introverts have a special place in my heart. There is nothing wrong with extroverts, but getting the world to understand the need for a little quiet and time alone and not take it personally is hard. It doesn't mean one is shy (I'm totally not.) or awkward (debatable). But it does fly in the face of our very social world at times — especially when you are a mother and even more so when you are a homeschooling mother. We have chosen to be with our kids all day because we thing that is what is best for them, but we do that knowing the toll it will take on us and knowing we will need to compensate for all that together time. It can totally lead to guilt. That is why I was so excited when I found out about Jamie Martin's new book The Introverted Mom. Now there is someone who understands and can offer help. And on today's podcast, Jamie does just that. There is something for every mom on this show — introverts and extroverts both. I hope you enjoy.

We live in a society where being busy is considered normal. If you aren't running to piano practice, baseball games, school awards ceremonies and every other possible extra-curricular activity every week, you aren't doing enough for your kids. Every mom feels the invisible pressure to preform and possible out-preform their neighbor. Listen or read more at https://thezooicallhome.com/extra-curricular-activities/

We are so excited to announce the release of the brand new Plan Your Year with this special conversation about homeschool planning. Dawn Garrett joins me today as we chat what's new about the book, what homeschool planning looks like for different people, common misconceptions about planning and being "boxed in" by a plan, and so much more. This conversation digs deep into how freeing (yes! I said that) planning can be. Don't miss it!

If you're reading this, you are probably in the midst of teaching one of your little ones to read OR you have that endeavor looming ahead of you in the near future... amiright? The singular biggest fear of every single homeschool mom I've ever spoken to is failing to teach her child to read well... and especially failing to teach them "on time". Listen or read more at https://www.lifeabundantlyblog.com/lifeabundantlyblog/2018/6/20/when-you-child-cant-read-by-age-6

Sonya Shafer is the encouraging voice and curriculum writer behind Simply Charlotte Mason. Along with her friend Karen and their families, Sonya has been teaching about Charlotte's methods for years, helping families to bring them into the 21st century. A popular speaker on CM topics, I was excited to get to sit down in this episode and talk to Sonya more about homeschooling in general -- how her family started this journey, Sonya's journey into homeschooling her special needs daughter, and even how they began a ministry and a business that would grow to help thousands of homeschoolers everywhere. I know you will love this one.

Can I tell you something that's hard to admit? I've spent a lot of time in the past year being a miserable homeschool mom. Countless hours of training have gone into perfecting my craft. I'm excellent at complaining about parenting struggles, whining through hard days, and generally being difficult to be around. After our most challenging homeschooling year yet, I have it down. Here's how you can be a miserable homeschool mom too! Listen or read more at https://www.adriennebolton.com/blog/2017/01/miserable-homeschool-mom.html