The Homeschool Solutions Show

Cindy Rollins, mom of nine and "Mama of Morning Time" (so-named by me!), is back on the podcast this week to chat about Stratford Caldecott's Beauty in the Word -- specifically the portion on grammar, or what Caldecott calls "remembering." Join us as we chat about anamnesis, what it is and how it is alike and different what we already associate with memory. Listen for: The idea of anchoring or tethering our children to a cultural heritage. What are some Morning Time elements that help to convey this cultural heritage. How Cindy handles the aspects of our heritage that are not positive or admirable. The connection between language and memory and how language helps form relationships with ideas. How technology is both a blessing and a curse when it comes to our efforts to be people who practice Remembering.

Is your husband against homeschooling? I know what you're going through. Wanting to homeschool, but not being able to. I've been where you are and can help. Dear Mom, I see you. Wanting to homeschool, but your spouse is against it. I see you. Counting down the days until Christmas break. Yearning to have your kids home with you each day. Listen or read more at https://www.findingjoyinthejourney.net/spouse-is-against-homeschooling/

Today we have another installment in our veteran's series on the Homeschool Solutions show. Ann Karako, mom of five, joins us to talk about her experiences homeschooling high school with five kids, graduating four of them, and living to teach others that they can do it too. On today's show we chat: What Ann's kids have to say about their homeschool experience. The things Ann worried about when she first started homeschooling and what she would tell her younger self. Ann's biggest homeschooling mistake and how she would fix it. How Ann is transitioning to life after homeschool now that she is just about ready to graduate her youngest. Ann's best pro tips on homeschooling the high school years -- and she has a ton of them! This is an episode you won't want to miss.

Your little one knows many letter sounds and it's time for the magic of putting them together and reading their first words. Use these top 10 tips for teaching short vowel sounds to start your child's reading adventure! Listen or read more at https://pk1homeschoolfun.com/tips-for-teaching-the-short-vowel-sounds-to-beginning-readers/

On today's episode of the podcast we are joined by Jamie Erickson from The Unlikely Homeschool to talk about how she uses Morning Time as a forum to teach her kids manners. In the show we get a glimpse into Jamie's Morning Time including: What makes Morning Time a good setting for teaching manners. What kinds of topics have she covers in her Morning Time manners lessons. What are some of Jamie's favorite resources for teaching manners in Morning Time. What fruit she has seen from her efforts to intentionally work on manners with her kids. Join us as we explore this very practical way to use our Morning Time habit.

It's the question that haunts many homeschooling parents – how do I know that I'm doing it right? I'm responsible for the education of my children and there's no-one and nothing to tell me WHAT to do and WHEN to do it and HOW to do it and argh! It's enough to cause a meltdown. To extend the question, without strict curriculum, and standards, and lots of other children to compare to and rank with, how on earth do we homeschoolers know that we're doing a good job? How do we know this is all going to work out OK in the end? Listen or read more at https://fearlesshomeschool.com/homeschooling-doing-it-right/

Today I am joined by Homeschool Solutions Community Manager and fellow convention fan Dawn Garrett to talk all about the homeschool convention. Dawn and I are both long-time attendees of Great Homeschool Conventions and are looking forward to meeting many of you there this year. In this episode Dawn and I dish: Why go to a homeschool convention at all. Our favorite panel or talk from a convention and how to decide which speakers to see. How to avoid "overload" and work the vendor hall like a pro. The pros and cons of going with family or friends. How to stick to your budget and the one tool you should not forget to take to the convention. How going to conventions have helped us in our homeschooling and why we wouldn't miss going each year. If you haven't given a convention a thought this episode might get your inspired to check on out.

Have you seen the video where someone is trying to line up a litter of cute, cuddly kittens? If you haven't, let me spoil it for you: it doesn't work very well! As you can imagine, it's a full thirty seconds of constant redirection, repositioning, and mayhem. To everyone watching, it's hilarious, but to the poor person trying to herd those kittens, it was exhausting. This image hits close to home for homeschool moms of multiples. Some days, homeschooling multiple children is very much like herding cats. As soon as you get one seated, another pops up and wanders off, and the day is similar to the old whack-a-mole game. Can you relate? Listen or read more at https://www.sonlight.com/blog/multiple-children-homeschool.html

Today on the show I am joined by homeschool veteran and writing guru Julie Bogart. Part of our veteran's series, Julie has graduated five kids and now helps homeschool families the world over not only with writing skills through her Bravewriter program but also with how to homeschool bravely through her Homeschool Alliance and her new book The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life. In this conversation we chat about Julie's fond memories of homeschooling, what she did well, her biggest homeschool regrets, and she shares tons of wisdom on how to be true to yourself in your homeschool.

I've noticed that my attitudes get passed along to my children with pretty much zero effort on my part. When I am happy, things mostly flow along happily. When I worry, their worry amps up. When I am frantic, so are they. When I am calm … well, there's always an exception to prove the rule. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/how-to-homeschool-with-confidence/

Today we welcome Christopher and Christine Perrin to the podcast to chat about prayer in your homeschool, Morning Time, and personal time. It is a fascinating conversation. Join us as we discuss: How prayer can be both a personal discipline and a corporate practice What are the best ways to teach and model practice of prayer. Tips for modeling something when we are just learning it ourselves.D Different types of prayer and the value of each. Tips for praying the Scriptures. And recommendations of prayers and more to read for moms. This was a helpful and fascinating conversation I think you will enjoy!

We've all been there. You're tired. The kids are bickering. Again. If only they would just stop fighting. If only they could just quit all the arguing. If you had a magic word, you'd say it, right? (Hey, magic words might be better than the other kids of words you're tempted to say when the children are fighting!) Listen or read more at https://hswotrainingwheels.com/children-stop-fighting/

Today we are joined on the podcast by Heather Woodie of Blog She Wrote, mom of four young adults. Heather has been practicing Morning Time in her family for a number of years, and has seen a shift in the practice as she has graduated two kids and is now left home with two more teens to go. In this episode of the podcast we chat about: how Heather's Morning Time changed has changed over the years. why is Morning Time still a valuable practice in the teen years. what kind of adjustments and challenges a teen-only Morning Time brings. how Heather's role at Morning Time changed as the kids have gotten older. and how Heather has been able to use topics from Morning Time as coursework and credits for the purposes of high school transcripts plus so much more. Sit back and enjoy as we dive into Morning Time with the teen set. Find the show notes at https://pambarnhill.com/hs142

Welcome to the NEW Homeschool Solutions Show. In this episode of the podcast I chat about the changes to the show. Instead of just being an audio blog, the show will now alternate between audio blog and interview formats. I am super-excited about the changes and hope you are too. You can find the webpage for the podcast at pambarnhill.com/solutions.

I wrote last week about how your quiet time could be sabotaging your homeschool morning. This is so true for moms in particular seasons of life — especially when you are still waking multiple times each night or you have small children still. But what about the mom whose kids are pretty much school age. Why might moms of older kids still be struggling with getting mornings off to a good start? I have a few theories that might explain what is standing in your way. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/enemy-of-best-morning/

It was dark and rainy outside. I slowly peeled back the covers and eased away from the warm little body bedside me and into the cold. If I woke him, all bets were off. I fumbled around in the dark for my glasses and slippers as I eased quietly from the room to make a cup of coffee. I was lucky. I had groggily slapped the alarm right as it began to beep and my early-morning visitor snoozed on unaware today. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/how-your-morning-quiet-time-is-sabotaging-your-day/

I saw a photo the other day of a worn out, exhausted mother collapsed onto a chair, hand to forehead. The caption under the picture read "I put my symptoms into Web MD and it turns out I just have kids." I couldn't help but giggle. I knew exactly how she felt. Listen or read the rest here: https://rinellafamilyoutdoors.com/2017/07/17/symptoms-of-a-homeschool-mom/

Everyone wants a perfect holiday. The candlelit dinner with the gorgeous turkey and delicious pumpkin pie dessert; the immaculately wrapped presents with bows that were made by a bowdabra; the family memories of adorably dressed children with matching holiday outfits; they are all part of the Norman Rockwell painting version of Christmas you aspire to create each year. Christmas is the holiday of holidays. Between the presents, the food, the crazy relatives – it can be super stressful to try to make Christmas perfect. How do you manage your visiting family and enjoy the most stressful holiday of the year? Listen or read more at https://www.hidethechocolate.com/perfect-christmas-with-visiting-family/

I am often asked a lot of things when out and about with my family. Are all those kids yours? Do you know what causes that? You Homeschool, Aren't you tired all the time? Not only are they all mine and yes we are very aware of how it happens, we like having a big family and I love being at home and educating them. Choosing to homeschool for my husband and I, was one of the easiest decisions we have made for our children. Both of our parents started out with similar foundations and choose homeschooling in a time where it was not as common or idealistic as it is today. Listen or read more at http://ourhalfdozenadventures.com/2018/05/12/my-reflections-as-a-homeschooled-daughter/

Have you looked into the tired eyes of a public school teacher lately? Have you crossed paths with an overwhelmed mom scrambling to cook dinner, do laundry, and help the kids with homework an hour before bedtime? This homeschool life is a gift to so many of us, yet we often take for granted the privilege of homeschooling. If you haven't recently spent time outside your homeschool walls, it's possible that you've been missing one of the greatest gifts of the homeschool lifestyle. Sure, we're all thankful for the gifts of homeschool, but have we somehow lost our appreciation for the privilege of homeschooling? Maybe so. Listen or read more at https://tablelifeblog.com/privilege-of-homeschooling/

I'm not going to lie. Having multiple people in the room all at once is often the hardest part of homeschooling. Harder than choosing curriculum. Harder than keeping up with the laundry. Harder than teaching math. (I know, right?) Not only are you dealing with personalities and relationships but also with multiple levels and multiple subjects. And it never fails that everyone seems to need you all the time and all at once. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/juggling-multiple-kids/

I asked a question in my It's Not that Hard to Homeschool K-8 Facebook group recently: "Do you feel like a success as a homeschool mom? Why or why not?" As you can imagine, there was a wide range of answers — but more "no's" than I expected. But as I think about it, it makes sense to me that we don't feel confident that we're doing a good job. I think we've got an idea stuck in our heads about what makes a "successful" homeschool — and it's the WRONG idea. Listen or read more at https://www.annieandeverything.com/homeschool-mom-failure/

John and I have a combined 30 years of homeschooling experience, and more like 40+ years if you count each of our children's education separately! Some of that is our own experience as homeschooled students, and some comes from our perspective as homeschooling parents. We are a team, but we definitely have our own perspectives on homeschooling, both the big picture and the day to day reality. What if you could ask us a series of questions about homeschooling to see the similarities and differences between Dad's and Mom's perspective? We've taken on that challenge in this post! Listen or read more at https://humilityanddoxology.wordpress.com/2018/07/09/dad-mom-perspectives-homeschooling/

If you've got struggling or reluctant readers, this one is for you. I hope this post inspires you take a break from your everyday reading instruction and read the world around you. Don't worry! Learning will move forward. You just have to think outside the book. Teaching a child to read is an amazing experience. I've been lucky enough to work with over 100 children learning to read in my career teaching first and second grade. Each child was different, and each one prepared me to teach my own son. Listen or read more at https://thehomeschoolresourceroom.com/2017/06/18/think-outside-the-book-10-other-ways-to-get-your-child-reading/

This is part four in my series on memory work. Find the other parts here: Help Your Kids Memorize Anything Recite, Recite, Recite Sing Me A Song Up to this point we have largely focused on the auditory elements of memory work. This is mainly because learning memory work is largely an auditory skill. This is not to say, though, that there are not some helps to offer kids who have a visual learning preference. There are a few things you can do to add visuals to the memory work to help those kids along. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/visual-learners/

"Don't worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you." "I might as well be talking to a brick wall!" "In one ear and out the other." Clearly, kids who don't listen is a thing. We have tons of cultural idioms about not listening, and they're often used to describe children. Some of this probably comes from a combination of immaturity and the fact that they are still developing habits like attention. But in my own family, I notice it's something I do that actually teaches my children not to listen. Listen or read more at https://mylittlerobins.com/2018/01/if-you-want-your-kids-to-listen-stop-repeating-yourself/

I do not think it necessary to expound on why we want to avoid overwhelm in our homeschools. Overwhelm equals stress, chaos, and uncertainty, none of which complement a healthy lifestyle. Overwhelm can be a rather quiet beast, creeping in gradually until one day you just CAN'T. I find keeping overwhelm at bay starts with intention. We first need to believe it is important and recognize that it will take life-long effort. In our homeschools, our children are constantly growing and changing, and so we must adapt. Avoiding overwhelm on a practical level may look completely different from one year to the next. The important thing is that you have go-to tools to help you avoid it, and if it hits, pull life back into balance. Listen or read more at https://www.jumpintogenius.com/avoiding-overwhelm-from-the-inside-out/

For some kids all it takes is to hear something set to song just a few times, and it becomes embedded in their memory. Olivia is a kid like that. I think she can learn just about anything if we set it to a tune. So using songs for memory work is something we do all the time. Many times there are already songs written for a topic we want to memorize. We use songs from Classical Conversations even though we are not in a community. The skip counting songs, timeline song, and Latin chants are all available on their CDs and are superb. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/songs-for-memory-work/

Is sibling conflict a problem in your home? Maybe you think that question is just a joke. Maybe you think it's a nice way to begin a post by making everyone feel normal and right at home because DUH! of course sibling conflict is a problem. In everyone's home. Always. But it may not be for the reason you're thinking. Listen or read more at https://hswotrainingwheels.com/sibling-conflict-problem/

It must be kind of hard to be J.K. Rowling. I had that thought the other night as I tucked into the first in her crime series, which she wrote under a pseudonym. I think if I were her I would do everything under a pseudonym.* I'd grocery shop under a pen name. Because she has already kind of done The Most Amazing Thing … Can you imagine that pressure? It must be crushing sometimes. Listen or read more at http://www.karasanderson.com/youre-not-homeschooling-for-likes/

Be proactive, not reactive. You know you are going to have good days and bad days. We've been talking the past couple of weeks about how we might be the ones sabotaging our homeschools. We also discussed the importance of having our attitudes ordered rightly because someone might be watching. But what does this look like in the day to day of our home? We have meals to cook, errands, appointments, and a house to clean. And then there are the unexpected problems that come up in our week. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/proactive-homeschooling/

You've met her. Maybe you've been her. Maybe you are her. Some homeschool moms might scare you. Some homeschool moms scare their children. But I think we've all experienced another kind of scary homeschool mom: the one who scares herself. Are you scary? Who do you scare? Is it always wrong to be scary? If our fears are pointing us toward our weaknesses, and we then reinforce those areas, we can become scary in all the right ways: Scary not to our children or to ourselves, but to the world, the flesh, and the devil. Listen or read more at https://www.simplyconvivial.com/2016/scary/

This is the second post in the series: Help Your Kids Memorize Anything. You can see part one here. No doubt, the heart of any memory method is recitation. By saying the words over and over again, the language patterns, information and the very essence of words become ingrained into our being. Often when we read, especially as better readers, we skip over words or read by phrase instead of word for word. It is this reason that simply reading something to memorize it is not enough. The better way is to say it out loud — or recite it. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/recite-recite-recite-help-kids-memorize-anything/

Guilt is a universal feeling though it rears its ugly head in different ways, using different strategies for each person. We must all learn to tackle this beast in our own way and find the strategies that work for us. I have been working hard to be reasonable, rational, and really honest with myself as I attack the ridiculous guilt that creeps up on me. Yes. Ridiculous. Some guilt is just plain ridiculous. Listen or read more at http://www.notbefore7.com/2017/06/21/mom-guilt-over-it/

It's no good looking all calm and serene in the face of criticism if you then go home and collapse into a snivelling heap, all confidence destroyed, convinced you're setting your children up for a lifetime of failure. Here's how to build your homeschooling confidence so criticism enters one ear and sails straight out the other, never thought of again. Except for a giggle with your homeschooling friends about the ridiculous things people say to you, of course. Listen or read more at https://fearlesshomeschool.com/confident-homeschooling-criticism/

Memory work is a big part of what we do around here. And while for some people, memory work would suggest feelings of drudgery and drill and kill, the reality couldn't be farther from that. We love our memory work and have fun with it. The kids get great satisfaction in learning a new poem or a series of math facts. These "hooks" become saved in their brain to be excitedly called forth during the liturgy at church, at a science museum or demonstration, or during story time at the library. We memorize because of those feelings of satisfaction and to create those hooks of information. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/help-kids-memorize-anything/

I've found myself listening to opinions about home education, advocating it, and answering homeschool questions in some of the most unexpected places and times since we began homeschooling in 2009. From family and friends to acquaintances to complete strangers, people have plenty of concerns and questions about homeschooling. Some of those questions come so frequently that it feels like deja vu and some come so frequently that I've developed canned answers. Shameful, I know! Here are my 5 most-asked homeschool questions and how I answer them. Listen or read more at https://tablelifeblog.com/homeschool-questions/

Struggling to squeeze all of your children's math lessons into your homeschool day? Here's 6 ways to streamline your math teaching so that you can fit multiple grade levels into your schedule! I recently received an email from Tiffany, who was debating whether to continue using Singapore Math. Along with some other issues, she wrote: "I'm finding it difficult to fit 3 separate Singapore math lessons in each day." Whether you use Singapore Math or not, and whether you have two, three, or five kids (or more!), I bet you're nodding your head in agreement. Math eats up a lot of time in homeschool schedules. Listen or read more at http://kateshomeschoolmath.com/how-to-teach-multiple-grade-levels-in-math/

Laura wanted to do this homeschool thing just right. She had struggled in the past, but this year was going to be different. Her homeschool planning was going to be perfect. So she started by buying a fresh, new homeschool planner. You know the kind. It had months of lesson plan grids that started in August and went all the way through the following summer. Laura began the year feeling compelled to write things in every box. Successful homeschoolers have a plan, and she wanted to be a successful homeschooler. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/homeschool-planning-not-guessing/

The oldest just graduated from high school. For the last year, while preparing for him to leave the nest and live on his own, my husband and I began to realize we may have failed him when it came to essential life skills he needed to survive. We spent 17 years educating him, providing for him, making sure he was well-rounded and knew how to play most sports. But, we failed him on some of the simplest of tasks that we took for granted. Don't fail your kids like we almost failed our son! Here are 10 life skills for teens who will soon have to navigate the world without their parents. Listen or read more at https://www.hidethechocolate.com/life-skills-for-teens/

History has been one of my favorite subjects since childhood. Some of my best memories involve family read-alouds, historic road trips, and abundant field trips. One summer our vacation involved traveling for 2 weeks to various Civil War battlefields, stopping at every single historic marker along the way. When we got to one museum it had already closed for the night, so my mom knocked on the door until the caretaker came. Mom being Mom, she got us in for an after-hours tour. Listen or read more at https://humilityanddoxology.wordpress.com/2018/01/29/textbook-free-history/

When Matt and I were first married, one of our ongoing fights was about counter space. Matt took a practical approach. Anything you use on a regular basis should stay on the counter top. In the bathroom, the toothpaste, deodorant, and shaving cream should be stored on the counter. In the kitchen, the cutting board and toaster stay up top all the time. In my view, spaces should be clear and free of clutter, save the cute color-coordinated themed containers we registered for and received as wedding gifts! It may have seemed that we were fighting about counter space. But we later came to realize, as many wiser people before us have put it, that "the issue is not the issue". Listen or read more at https://www.hswotrainingwheels.com/issues-not-issue/

I got an email this morning that almost made me break out into hives. It was from a popular homeschool planning company that was touting their ready-made homeschool plans. Now having done this homeschool mentor thing for a number of years I know that people really want plans that are already made — after all we sell ready-made Morning Time plans for just those folks (and I use them myself!!). Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/lists-for-homeschool/

Most days I feel like my brain is a sieve. Can anyone else relate? It is full, absolutely full to the brim, and I am hustling like crazy to plug all the little holes and keep everything from running out of it. Remember to pay the bills. Remember to make the dental appointment (I have a referral for my son to get a tooth pulled. It is dated 2-5-18 and that appointment is still not made.) Remember to give the dogs their heartworm medication. Switch the laundry before it sours. Stir the chili before it burns. Read to the kids before they grow up and leave forever. *sniff* So when I say that I take the time to sit and plan my out my homeschool year (yes, the entire year) in the summer, I am not saying that to brag or show my superior organizing skills. Yes, I admit to being a checklist mom, but honestly, I do this because it is the only thing that saves my sanity during the school year. Without a plan, school would simply not get done. And that's not a good thing when homeschooling is how you educate your children. Read more or find links: https://pambarnhill.com/how-a-homeschool-mom-can-worry-less-and-do-more/

My kids piled out of the mini-van and chatted happily, heading in the door of the donut shop. It was hot — almost 100 degrees on this mid-July day. But it was the first day of school and that means donuts. This was not some spontaneous decision made in the moment, but instead, a planned (and beloved) tradition that makes the first day of school something we anticipate instead of dread. We always start school on a Wednesday. We always start with just a handful of subjects. We always start with a tidy school room. And we always get donuts. Why? Because we like it that way and also because mom is a checklist mom. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/checklist-homeschool-moms/

Last week I told you all about Laura and how her homeschool plan actually created more stress in her life than it did peace. It happens. A lot. This week I am back, as promised, to give you four important keys you can use to create a plan that doesn't feel like a guess, but instead, a tool to help you homeschool strong for the entire year. This is how to get it done. Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/four-keys-homeschool-plan/

Ah summer. Swimming pools, ice cream, and hours free to get bored do what you want. I loved summer because our days are more relaxed. I love a break from the structured school time and the feeling of needing to get a litany of school work accomplished each day. But if I am not careful our summers turn into a marathon of cartoons, video games, and YouTube (Does anyone else's kids like to look up their current passion on YouTube and watch all the videos?) Listen or read more at https://pambarnhill.com/summer_organization/

Not all Fridays are great. Sometimes they bring out Friday Mom. You know the kind of Fridays I mean. They should be fun. But they turn into stress. For example, on a recent Friday morning, we had one hour before we had to leave home for a field trip. Of course, you know what happened—chaos. Listen or read more at https://www.sonlight.com/blog/four-day-homeschool-week.html

Laundry sits in piles upstairs. There are two loads waiting to be folded and two are sitting in the washer and dryer. Campfire scented top sheets are tossed haphazardly on the floor so I don't forget to wash them next. None of these piles include my own laundry which is overflowing in a basket down the hall. I have only tackled the towels and the boys' clothing so far and I can't seem to even finish that task. Listen or read more at http://www.notbefore7.com/2017/09/24/things-wont-work/

Isn't it interesting that a homeschool parent's qualifications or lack thereof can cause objections to homeschooling? For whatever reason, there's this notion that only those with a background in education are truly capable of teaching and training children and teenagers. Here's the thing, I am that homeschool mom without an education degree. I am that parent in question and I want to shout it loud that it can be done and done well. Listen or read more at https://tablelifeblog.com/homeschool-without-degree/