Homeschool Made Easy

This Year's Curriculum: Elementary

Every homeschool mom loves to talk curriculum. In this episode, I talk about my own curriculum and why I chose it for my 10-year-old twins.  Here's what we get into: why I changed curriculum mid-year pros and cons of curriculum I have used descriptions of my curriculum how to know you need to change tools and more! In this episode: All About Spelling, level 2 Math-U-See Delta Math-U-See manipulatives Abeka grammar Tapestry of Grace Building Thinking Skills, level 2 Find me on W...

Homeschool Q&A: Homeschool Refresh

Today's episode is all about an issue I'm facing right now: how to renew and refresh my homeschool-gone-frustrating. I've been thinking about this a lot and taking specific steps to change course and change my spirit. I hope some of these help you, too. Here's what we get into: what are the symptoms we need a restart what are specific steps we can take to start over how do we know our refresh is successful what change we should see in our spirit and home what is homeschooling for maste...

Teaching the Struggling Learner with Peggy Ployhar

Over two decades and three homeschool books behind me, and I'm learning a whole new way of homeschooling: Homeschooling struggling learners. Just a couple months after Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling was released, my adopted twins both received diagnosis of a relatively rare behavioral/emotional issue as well as ADHD.  Fun times. It totally explained the frustrations that had been gradually mounting over the past couple of years. But it also pointed to a new hurdle: I nee...

Teaching Math in Nature with Rachel Tidd

I am such a suburban girl. An indoor suburban girl. I can't catch a ball, I don't know the names of any trees (pretty sure Christmas trees are called evergreens, but that's as much as I've got.). So definitely, I'm not teaching anything outside. But now I will! Rachel came on the show and changed my mind for good. Literally, for good. Rachel Tidd is the author of the Wild Math curriculum and the Wild Reading curriculum. She is passionate about integrating the outdoors and natural material...

Homeschool Memory Work with Amy Sloan

"What is your interview about today, Mom?" "I'm talking with my friend Amy Sloan about memory work in our homeschooling." "Memory work?! Mom! You called me the wrong name three times just this morning!" "This is why I need help." My son may not believe it, but memory work is possible -- even for me! That's because Amy has a whole different perspective on it than do most people -- especially my son. Amy Sloan and her husband John are 2nd-generation homeschoolers to 5 children from 6 to 1...

Homeschool Mindset with Leslie Nunnery

How's your homeschool going? No, really. Probably not all perfect, right? Struggles, arguments, messes, stress, fatigue, confusion ... it can get pretty hairy. We tend to think that the answer is a new curriculum, a new method, a new learning theory, a new gadget. But that's not really the case. My friend Leslie Nunnery has been there. She knows the tough side of homeschooling -- and she knows success. She is passionate (yes, I used that word, but it really fits this case) about helping ...

Homeschool Bullying with Candace Duggar

My daughter is being bullied. I never imagined that this would be an issue in my family -- we are homeschoolers, for crying out loud! But sure enough, just playing with her neighbor friends exposed her to pain and rejection.  And I didn't recognize it. I thought they were arguing. I thought the other girl "just isn't nice." I thought my daughter could just kill her with kindness. It took me months to realize we were dealing with something much bigger. Much more dangerous. Bullying is ever...

Homeschool Q&A with Lea Ann: Are We Behind and More

In today's episode, I get to answer some of my favorite homeschool questions. Why are they my favorite? Because they get to the heart of what we are doing: teaching our children while taking care of our needs as well as theirs. Here's what we get into: why I hate the question "Is my child behind?" what to consider instead of academic achievement do we ever get time to ourselves what children learn from time alone what to think about children and screen time and more! In this episode:...

Reaching the Heart of Your Child with Ginger Hubbard

There is nothing quite like living with your child 24/7. Am I right? In fact, one of the main reasons people give for not homeschooling is "I don't want to be in the same house with my child all day" or "I can't handle my child, but the teacher can."  I have often said that homeschooling is just parenting on steroids. And part of that "steroid" part is seeing the actions and attitudes of our child that just, quite frankly, drive us insane. They just don't do their work and chores immediatel...

Teaching Your Kids the Bible with Danika Cooley

One of the main reasons we homeschool is to pass on our faith to our children. But then why is teaching Bible so hard? It is, though. It's hard to fit into the schedule, to find the right program, to answer the right questions our children have. Sometimes, we just want to give up. Danika Cooley understands. A homeschool mom of four, she has faced down teaching her children the Bible and found a way to make it real. And she believes that we can, indeed, teach our children the Scriptures -- e...

Homeschool Q&A with Lea Ann: Getting Started, Dads, and Introverts

Here you find evidence that once-upon-a-time, I cleaned my house. Beyond that, there's better info. This introvert talks to those introverts out there about how to get started, how to do it on a budget, how to get dad involved, and how to hide from people. Seriously, here's the gist: how to get ready for a new school year how to get free help and material how to get your husband on board how to keep your husband involved how to avoid burnout how to homeschool if you're an introvert ...

Music Appreciation with Mary Prather

I love music. I studied piano and violin in college, started two school music programs, headed a church music ministry, taught piano and violin for many years, and played in a symphony orchestra. But I never really taught my children music appreciation. In one conversation, Mary Prather changed my mind about that. Mary is the mother of a homeschool high schooler and a college student. She is a former public school music teacher and has a master’s degree in Educational Leadership and Superv...

Homeschool Q&A: A Balanced Life

This episode is probably not what you expect. I'm not really even talking about homeschooling. Instead, I'm talking about life. Three of you asked me recently the same question: How do I balance it all? And the answer is not so easy, but it's also not so hard. I'm not giving you a step-by-step "how to make homeschooling work in 3 hours with 5 children" kind of answer. Instead, I'm delving into what makes our lives as wives, mothers, homeschoolers, entrepreneurs, employees, volunteers ... w...

Fun in Writing with Daniel Schwabauer

Not very many moms enjoy teaching writing. Even fewer students enjoy learning writing. Yet all of us enjoy a good story. And we can create stories ourselves. That's the message Daniel Schwabauer has for us. Daniel Schwabauer, M.A. is an award-winning novelist, teacher, and the creator of The One Year Adventure Novel, Byline, and Cover Story writing programs. His professional work includes novels, stage plays, radio scripts, short stories, newspaper columns, comic books, and teleplays. He li...

Ep. 25 Online Homeschooling with Lee Giles

For a long time, I was not a fan of online homeschooling. I wanted to be more hands-on with my students, believing that was how they learned best.  But I was wrong. When one of my sons moved to Peru for a year, he needed a way to study on his own. So I turned to online schooling. And you know what? He thrived. The compact lessons, the video lessons, and the online assessments met his learning style better than I had. He learned a lot.  Lee Giles is the creator of Easy Peasy All-in-One Hom...

Teaching Writing with Andrew Pudewa

I love writing. And I love teaching writing. Sometimes. Some students love to learn writing, and some of them really don't. It's hard to teach the ones that don't.  Andrew Pudewa understands and helps. Andrew is the founder and director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing and a father of seven. Traveling and speaking around the world, he addresses issues related to teaching, writing, thinking, spelling, and music with clarity, insight, practical experience, and humor. His seminars fo...

Learning Difficulties with Diane Craft

I just learned that my son has ADHD. And in looking at his unique difficulties with his doctor and therapist, I realized that he has been struggling more than necessary in several areas. He's bright, he loves to learn, but he has these bad "glitches" that are slowing him down. So I was really, really excited to talk with Dianne Craft. Dianne has a master’s degree in special education. She has over 25 years’ experience teaching bright children who have to work too hard to learn. She has deve...

Homeschool Organization with Kristi Clover

When I started off this podcast, one of the first questions listeners asked me (and several did!) was "How do I organize all the homeschool stuff?" I need help with that, too (don't look at my homeschool bookshelves and supply cart). Kristi Clover is a home organization and #momlife expert. She’s also the author of M.O.M: Master Organizer of Mayhem and Homeschool Basics as well as a popular conference speaker. Her passion is to encourage families to find simple ways to bring more joy into t...

A Four-Year High School Plan with Jamie Gaddy

There are two homeschool questions I get all.the.time. 1. How do I get started? 2. What about high school? I've been spending a little more time lately on that second question. And in this episode, Jamie Gaddy helps us out. Jamie is Editor-in-Chief of Homeschool.com and homeschool mom of six. Jamie has been homeschooling for 14 years and has graduated several children on to college. She loves helping new homeschool moms find their path to homeschooling and loving it. I loved this conversat...

Homeschool Q&A with Lea Ann: Changing Your Mindset

It doesn't matter if you are a new homeschooler or old hat at this, we all can get overwhelmed or even in a boring rut. It doesn't matter if it's the beginning of the year, the end of the year, or that dreaded month of February. We sometimes just need an attitude check. This week, then, I'm answering several of your questions about just that: what we should be thinking about homeschooling and how that affects our actions. I get to talk about some things I really love discussing with homesch...

Ask the Homeschool Grad with Christina Somerville

You may know that I am a homeschool graduate. I love talking with other homeschool grads about our shared experiences and our different opinions. Homeschool grads are such a diverse group now, and it's fun to get together. So for this episode, I talk with homeschool graduate Christina Somerville. Christina Somerville was homeschooled from Grades 1-12 and has a B.A. in Literature from Patrick Henry College. She spent ten years in high school and college theater, ten years in curriculum devel...

Homeschool Q&A with Lea Ann: Simplifying Homeschooling

You have questions. I have researched the answers. On today's episode, I answer more of your questions to help you homeschool confidently. All of this episode's questions are dealing with making homeschooling easier and simplifying the process. I spent years researching and interviewing experts for the reference manual Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling. This book -- nearly 600 pages -- answers all your questions and gives you all the info to get started, keep going, and know i...

Charlotte Mason Math with Angela O'Dell

When we think about Charlotte Mason homeschooling, we usually think about reading and nature studies and character development. But we don't usually think about Math. Curriculum author Angela O'Dell changes that. Angela is a veteran homeschool mom, who loves to invest in the lives of homeschooling families. She is the author of the Math Lessons for a Living Education curriculum series, America’s Story 1-3, and The World’s Story 1-3, all of which are published through Master Books. She is al...

High School Q&A with Lea Ann

You have questions. I have researched the answers. On today's episode, we tackle some of your problems and find happy ways (I hope!) to keep on homeschooling. I spent years researching and interviewing experts for the reference manual Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling. This book -- nearly 600 pages -- answers all your questions and gives you all the info to get started, keep going, and know if you're "doing it right."  So in this episode, I answer questions you recently sent ...

Homeschool Q&A with Lea Ann

Homeschooling can be hard. It can be confusing. It can be overwhelming. But it doesn't need to be. We can find the information and encouragement we need to keep teaching our student the way we teach best for the way he learns best. I spent years researching and interviewing experts for the reference manual Everything You Need to Know About Homeschooling. This book -- nearly 600 pages -- answers all your questions and gives you all the info to get started, keep going, and know if you're "doi...

Writing Essays with Kim Kautzer

Once students start writing essays, they are writing them everywhere -- nearly every subject for years of their education. But how do we get them started right? How do we teach good essay form? How do we grade it? Kim Kautzer, founder and creative director at WriteShop, is a veteran homeschooler, author, and conference speaker who loves to help parents feel more confident about teaching their struggling writers. The Kautzers make their home in Southern California where they homeschooled for...

Ep. 13 Perspectives on Learning Styles with Tyler Hogan

Learning styles. Some people swear by them, others don’t believe in them. Is there anything useful in learning style models? What does the research really tell us? Tyler Hogan is the President of Bright Ideas Press. He and his wife, Helen, are both homeschool graduates and now homeschool their five adorable children. Tyler is the author of North Star Geography and Demystifying Learning Styles, head cartographer of WonderMaps, and game designer of Civitas. He is an elder at Grace Church, whe...

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Ep. 12 Teaching Math from Biblical Perspective with Katherine Loop Hannon

Should Christians teach math differently? What does it mean to teach math from a biblical perspective? This is a subject we don't often think about! Katherine Loop Hannon is a homeschool graduate and the author of various resources, including Principles of Mathematics, a biblical worldview junior high math program (with Algebra 2 coming in 2020!) published by Master Books. Understanding the biblical worldview in math made a tremendous difference in her life, and she’s been researching, writ...

Ep. 11 Stages of Writing with Julie Bogart

So many parents are confused about teaching writing. Is my child doing a good job? Is he just copying what he's seen me or other authors write? Is he getting any better? Today we find out. Julie Bogart is the author of the book The Brave Learner and the founder and creator of the popular Brave Writer program. She homeschooled her five children who are now adults. She coaches home educators and parents in the Brave Learner Home community. Julie talks about how our child learns writing natur...

Ep. 10 Teaching Phonics and Reading with Carrie Lindquist

Reading is one of the hardest (maybe the single hardest?) subjects to teach. We think. There's so much pressure to get it right and early and raise a child that loves reading all the time.  But that's not the truth. Phonics and reading can be actually relaxed ... and fun. That's where Carrie Lindquist comes in. She's the author of the Foundations Phonics curriculum and an advocate for a beautifully relational way of learning. It is a real pleasure to talk with her about how to teach reading...

Ep. 9 Charlotte Mason Language Arts with Kristen Pratt

Kristen Pratt is the author of the Language Lessons for a Living Education series. She is also the brand and curriculum manager for Master Books. Prior to working for Master Books, Kristen owned and operated her own curriculum supply company where she helped homeschool moms pick the right curriculum for their families. This experience has proven invaluable as she helps thousands of families navigate curriculum choices offered by Master Books.  What was really interesting was our discussion ...

Ep. 8 Hands-on Geography with Maggie Hogan

I don't know about you, but I think geography is kinda' hard to teach. Maybe it's because I don't naturally think of pictures; I cannot remember a map no matter how hard I study it. I think in words, so I could memorize some facts about a place but have no idea where that stuff is. So I invited Maggie Hogan to the show to see if she could help. And she did. Maggie Hogan is an author, homeschooling veteran, world traveler, and founder of Bright Ideas Press. For decades, she has encouraged fa...

Ep. 7 Working While Homeschooling with Tricia Goyer

Today I'm talking to literally the busiest mom I know. She's my example of juggling it all with balance and joy. Homeschool mom of ten and a USA Today bestselling author, Tricia Goyer has published eighty books to date, written more than five hundred articles, and is on the blogging team at TheBetterMom.com and other homeschooling and Christian sites. She is a two-time Carol Award winner and a Christy and ECPA Award Finalist and regularly receives starred reviews in the Romantic Times and Pu...

Ep. 6 Nurturing Mental Health with Michelle Nietert

Michelle Nietert has served as a professional counselor supervisor and director of Community Counseling Associates for over a decade. A previous school crisis counselor, she has been providing therapeutic interventions to children and their families in counseling offices for over 20 years. Along with the CCA staff, she offers parent consults across the country and in Texas Telehealth counseling. Michelle can be found often speaking in school, church and clinical settings. Links to products...

Ep. 5 Enjoying Science with Kristin Moon

Dr. Kristin Moon is owner and instructor at Kristin Moon Science. After earning a Bachelor’s degree in Microbiology followed by a PhD in Molecular Genetics, Dr. Moon worked briefly in research designing a viral  delivery system for therapies directing drug delivery for patients losing their sight due to macular degeneration.  It was during that time in the lab that she discovered her affinity for teaching. A full-time educator of over twenty years, Dr. Moon teaches and provides resources thr...

Ep. 4: Creation Astronomy with Dr. Jason Lisle

A popular speaker and author, Dr. Lisle presents a rational defense of a literal Genesis, showing how science confirms the history recorded in the Bible. Dr. Lisle  obtained a Master’s degree and Ph.D. in astrophysics at the University of Colorado in Boulder. There, he used the SOHO spacecraft to analyze the surface of the sun, and made a number of interesting discoveries, including the detection of giant cell boundaries. Since then, Lisle has worked in full-time apologetics ministry. He wro...

Ep. 3: Special Needs with Shawna Wingert

Former special education teacher Shawna Wingert is now a homeschool special needs expert, author, and consultant. As the mother of two boys with various special needs, she knows from both professional and parental experience how to meet the unique needs of these students. In this episode, Shawna answers important questions on special needs including attention disorders, autism spectrum disorders, learning differences, and other diagnosis needing accommodations. Show notes on the blog here.

Ep. 2: Homeschooling with Humor with Jennifer Cabrera

Hifalutin Homeschooler herself shares about ... why it’s important not to take homeschooling too seriously what humor teaches our students how to regain a lost sense of humor why we need to know potty words what is the roll of humor in our society and our homes why homeschool stereotypes are actually good how we might accidentally squash our child’s interests why we need lots of reasons to homeschool Show notes on the blog here.

Ep. 1: Being a Homeschool Teen with Adana Garfias

Homeschool graduate and author of You Don't Really Hate Homeschooling, Adana shares what it is really like to be a homeschooled teen. With humor and insight, she talks about why teens struggle with making friends, getting a job, and even liking homeschooling in the first place. She also talks about getting ready for college and how parents can help their teens successfully launch into adulthood. Show notes -- including a free book -- on the blog here.