On Hymn Study: Homeschooling by Subject
Homeschooling Outside the Box
Over the next few months I’m going to break down each subject and look at how we study it and what our favorite resources are. Our family adheres to To truly understand how to teach each subject, check out Hymn study is one of those easy to neglect subjects. We write it off as unnecessary because we feel it’s either archaic or something that belongs in church (that is if your church still sing hymns. I hope you’re blessed to be at a church that does). But I encourage you to do hymn study with your kids. Singing has been a part of humanity for all of time and it’s only recently that...
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On Planning Your School Year: The (Almost) Back to School Episode
Homeschooling Outside the Box
I’m big on when it comes to but at some point we need to stop thinking and discussing and actually do the thing. This is the nuts and bolts of it all. How do we actually homeschool? What is the super practical application of the beautiful Charlotte Mason Philosophy? If your child is under 6, get all thoughts of curriculum shopping out of your head and commit to these three things instead: Read great books, Go outside, Work on habits. (). That said, sometimes we are so excited about homeschooling, we just want to take it out on someone (i.e. your oldest child). If that’s you, ;) If...
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Replay: The Importance of Humor with Betsy Jenkins from Homeschooling with the Classics
Homeschooling Outside the Box
I am not doing interviews right now, but I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Enjoy! Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. It requires endurance and initiative. It requires sacrifice and diligence. But it also requires something you might not realize…a sense of humor. We homeschool moms can be so serious; the stakes are high! We’re going against the grain! What if we mess up…this is our kids we’re talking about, after all?! But, but, but…we were never meant to completely reinvent the wheel, and one of the best things we can do for ourselves, our...
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On the High School Years: The Beginning of the End
Homeschooling Outside the Box
If you’re just at the beginning of the high school years, it may feel like the end is still far off but I warn you, the ball sure does start rolling quickly once it starts. The end is nigh, my friend. You’ve been working yourself out of a job and when you make it to the high school years, and you should begin to feel that change. It sounds somber to call it “the end,” but remember it’s just the end of a chapter and not the whole book. You’re still your teen’s parent, after all ;). As I said in , the high school years are a different animal in many ways, the lens often focused on...
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Replay: The Value of Teaching Through Stories with Jim Weiss
Homeschooling Outside the Box
I am not doing interviews right now, but I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Enjoy! Stories have been a part of human history from the very beginning and have been used as a powerful teaching tool throughout the centuries. Teaching through stories is a wonderful way to approach lessons in your homeschool, as well. Jim Weiss is a household name among many homeschoolers. He made his mark by doing this very thing – teaching through stories. His seamless delivery and enchanting ability to tell a great tale allows him to weave important character development and historical...
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Replay: Seeing Autism in a New Light with Bryn Hogan, Executive Director of the Autism Treatment Center of America®
Homeschooling Outside the Box
While I am not able to do interviews right now, I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Join me for the replay of a fantastic interview with Bryn Hogan. Are you ready to see autism in a new light? So often the conversation about autism is surrounded by a list of limitations. And let's face it, living the daily grind as a parent of a child on the spectrum sometimes really highlights those limitations. Join us today as Bryn Hogan, Executive Director of the Autism Treatment Center of America® talks about how the program came to be and what makes it is so radically different (in...
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Replay: Homeschooling High School with Melissa McMahan
Homeschooling Outside the Box
While I am not able to do interviews right now, I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Join me for the replay of a fantastic interview with Melissa McMahan. Homeschooling High School…what is it about this phrase that makes even the most confident homeschool mama shake in her boots a little? The expectations seem to go through the roof. The pressure from the elusive yet always present critics “out there” seems to double. And the group of moms who’ve gone ahead of you who have the credibility to cheer you on seems to thin out drastically the longer you homeschool....
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On the School Years: The K-8 Episode
Homeschooling Outside the Box
This is the crux of it all. When you are homeschooling kids in the K-8 range, you are in the sweet spot, my friend. are largely spent cleaning up messes and putting out fires (hopefully only theoretically ones, but you never know), and trying to get a handle on how to run a home with littles running underfoot. You’re building (whether you realize it or not) and coming up with routines to create a (mostly) well run home. While I would argue that Kindergarten is really part of the early years and doesn’t need to be lumped with the school years, I understand that’s a pretty counter...
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Replay: Why Effective Communication Matters with Andrew Pudewa, Director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing
Homeschooling Outside the Box
While I am not able to do interviews right now, I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Join me for the replay of a fantastic interview with Andrew Pudewa. Are you raising effective communicators? Andrew Pudewa is a well-known name in the homeschool world and for good reason. His ideas on effective communication and the arts of language - listening, speaking, reading, and writing - have helped to shape our homeschool over the years. I'm excited to share with you today some practical and thought-provoking ideas on how to help your child - no matter what his...
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On Rhythms & Routines: The "How to Run Your Day" Episode
Homeschooling Outside the Box
Isn’t this the best month of the year to talk about this? It seems like January is the time we all want to finally get our lives together and give a valiant effort to do so. Despite our best efforts, though, somehow the new of the year wears off over the months and by the time the weather warms, life is in its lovely, unavoidable spiral once more. So why bother? Follow me on Follow me on
info_outlineBring on the sweaters and boots and pumpkin spice lattes! Autumn is in full swing by now with falling leaves, crisp mornings, and night creeping in earlier and earlier.
I like to take time to reflect as fall begins in earnest; what changes do we need to make in routines and atmosphere to get ready for a new season? Which traditions are we looking forward to the most and are there any we want to let go of? And how can I bottle everything that makes fall the loveliest time of the year?
The fragrance of spices, the glow of a candle, goldenrod swaying in a breeze that is still warm but warning of a coming chill.
It’s the poem, “Something Told the Wild Geese” and the actual geese flying overhead in the morning.
It’s the copper and crimson and buttery yellow leaves as the trees beginning to change, the sound of folksy coffee shop music as the sun sets earlier and earlier.
It’s stacks of familiar books mingling with new reads brought by the school year.
It’s being ready to say good-bye to one season and welcome another with a full heart.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:
- What autumn looks like for us
- Rhythms we keep
- Books we’re reading
SHOW NOTES