Raising Lifelong Learners
253 episodes - English - Latest episode: 25 days ago - ★★★★★ - 187 ratingsThe Raising Lifelong Learners podcast helps parents -- especially homeschooling parents -- encourage their differently-wired kids to learn, explore passions, cultivate creativity, and become fascinated by the world around them. Join host Colleen Kessler -- educational consultant, gifted specialist, author, and speaker -- for interviews, audioblogs, tips, and encouragement to help your differently-wired kiddos become lifelong learners -- children who know that they can find the answers to anything they want to know if they can just view their world with play, passion, and fascination.
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Episodes
RLL #98: Enjoying Literature with Kendra Fletcher
December 09, 2020 08:00 - 51 minutes - 47.1 MBIn this podcast, Colleen speaks with Kendra Fletcher, long-time homeschooler and teacher of all things literature, on how enjoying the study of literature helps our kiddos to see it's importance for themselves and for humanity.
RLL #97: Empowering Kids Through Homeschool Buy-In
December 02, 2020 08:00 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBIn today's episode, Colleen shares an audioblog of a Facebook Live where she outlined how we can engage and empower our kiddos in their own learning.
RLL #97: (Facebook Live) Empowering Kids Through Homeschool Buy-In
December 02, 2020 08:00 - 48 minutes - 44.2 MBIn today's episode, Colleen shares an audioblog of a Facebook Live where she outlined how we can engage and empower our kiddos in their own learning.
RLL #96: Finding Learning Opportunities with Dennis DeNoia
November 25, 2020 08:00 - 43 minutes - 39.5 MBToday, Colleen speaks with Dennis DeNoia how giving his kids the freedom to pursue their interests has helped them be better learners.
RLL #95: [Audioblog] When the World Overwhelms Your Anxious Child | How You Can Help
November 18, 2020 08:00 - 21 minutes - 19.5 MBToday, Colleen shares an audioblog - an article by Jen Vail from the website - with ideas on helping when the world overwhelms your child.
RLL #94: The Importance of Music with Jessica Peresta
November 11, 2020 08:00 - 46 minutes - 42.3 MBIn today's episode, Colleen speaks with Jessica Peresta about the importance of music in our families and in educating our quirky kids.
RLL #93: 7 Tips and Strategies for Boosting Emotional Resilience in Your Kids
November 04, 2020 08:00 - 46 minutes - 42.2 MBListen today as Colleen offers 7 tips and strategies for boosting emotional resilience in kids, and learn how to help them adapt to overcome challenges.
RLL #92: Building Self and Setting Goals with Suki Wessling
October 28, 2020 07:00 - 41 minutes - 38.4 MBIn this episode, Colleen speaks with Suki Wessling, homeschooling parent, writer, musician and online instructor at Athena Academy about helping our kids to learn to set goals and flourish as authentic individuals in lives of their own design.
RLL #91: [Audioblog] How to Help Your Kids Thrive When They Are Stuck Inside
October 21, 2020 07:00 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBEvery family can use some help finding activities, especially those that help our kids to flouish! Listen today as Colleen shares an audioblog — an article by Jennifer Vail that first appeared on the site — stock full of ideas to help your kids thrive when they are stuck inside.
RLL #90: Cultivating Creative Writers with Celeste Davidson
October 14, 2020 07:00 - 38 minutes - 35.6 MBIn this episode, Colleen speaks with Celeste Davidson, author and professional writer-educator of Bardsy, a unique virtual community where supportive members gather to enjoy, create and share stories while also gaining access to interactive courses and tools to build their writing skills.
RLL #89: Helping Our Gifted Kids With Social and Emotional Struggles
October 07, 2020 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.7 MBToday, Colleen discusses some of the specific social and emotional needs our gifted kiddos may have and how we can help and nurture them through these struggles.
RLL #88: Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Kids with Jim Delisle
September 30, 2020 07:00 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBIn today's episode, Colleen speaks with her mentor, Dr. Jim Delisle, about the social and emotional needs of gifted children.
RLL #87: 100 Hints That Your Child Might Be Gifted
September 23, 2020 07:00 - 16 minutes - 15.5 MBAn audioblog of a post originally published on the website by community manager Jen Vail on 100 hints that your child might be gifted.
RLL #86: All About Anxiety with Dr. Dan Peters
September 16, 2020 07:00 - 46 minutes - 43 MBIn this episode, Colleen speaks about anxiety with Dr. Dan Peters, psychologist, author, and a leading expert on gifted families.
RLL #85: Homeschooling Plans for 2020/2021
September 09, 2020 07:00 - 45 minutes - 41.3 MBToday, Colleen shares her plans and favorite resources for the 2020/2021 homeschooling year to motivate her four, mostly interest-led, kids.
RLL #84: Exploring Education and Executive Function with Seth Perler
September 02, 2020 07:00 - 47 minutes - 43.6 MBToday, Colleen speaks with Seth Perler, executive function coach, educator, and vlogger who genuinely cares about seeing outside-the-box kids succeed.
RLL #83: [Audioblog] Socialization and Your Gifted or Intense Child
August 26, 2020 07:00 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBToday, listen as Colleen shares an audioblog — an article that first appeared on the site — detailing how we can help our kiddos with socialization.
RLL #82: Celebrating Books with Mary Wilson
August 19, 2020 07:00 - 48 minutes - 44 MBToday, Colleen chats with Mary Wilson about “found” poetry, book/movie matchups and the adventures possible with book clubs that will bring whimsy and delight to readers of all ages and ability!
RLL #81: [Audioblog] Managing Perfectionism: 10 Tips for Helping Your Child
August 12, 2020 07:00 - 18 minutes - 16.8 MBIn this episode, Colleen gives a picture of what perfectionism looks like with gifted kids, what the effect can be on them and offers ten practical tips to help your child manage perfectionism, even in the areas they naturally excel in.
RLL #80: Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School? with Blake Boles
August 05, 2020 07:00 - 42 minutes - 38.9 MBIn today's episode, Colleen speaks with Blake Boles, author of "Why Are You Still Sending Your Kids to School?' about self-driven learning for our kids.
RLL #79: [Audioblog] Mislabeled Behavior And Undiagnosed Giftedness
July 29, 2020 07:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MBToday, Colleen shares an audioblog written by Jennifer Vail, who details her family's struggle to understand the cause of their son's baffling behavior.
RLL #78: College For All with Trent Thompson
July 22, 2020 07:00 - 1 hour - 56.7 MBColleen speaks with Trent Thompson on how College For All can help students earn college credit towards bachelor's degrees while still in high school.
RLL #77: Asynchronous Development in Gifted Children
July 15, 2020 07:00 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBToday, Colleen shares an audioblog — an article that first appeared on the site — written by Cait Curley on parenting the asynchronous gifted child.
RLL #76: Creating the Adventurous Family with Rachel Rainbolt
July 08, 2020 07:00 - 43 minutes - 40.1 MBColleen explores gentle parenting, natural homeschooling, simple living, "adventuring" and more with Rachel Rainbolt of Sage Parenting.
RLL #75: [Audioblog] Dear Tired Mama of Gifted Kids
July 01, 2020 07:00 - 10 minutes - 9.73 MBToday, Colleen shares an audioblog - an article that first appeared on the site - to encourage you that you are NOT alone, tired mama of gifted kids.
RLL #74: Solving the Transcript Problem with Maya & Nina Serna
June 24, 2020 07:00 - 42 minutes - 39.1 MBIn this episode, Colleen meets Maya & Nina Serna who have developed the mobile app, Homieschooler, to make record keeping simpler and transcripts easier to generate. Listen in to hear about these highly motivated teens and the tool they created that makes self-directed learning easier to track.
RLL #73: [Audioblog] Falling Unexpectedly In Love with Homeschooling My Gifted Child
June 17, 2020 07:00 - 15 minutes - 21.4 MBIn today’s episode, Colleen shares an audioblog — an article that first appeared on the site — written by contributor and community manager, Jennifer Vail. She details how she came into homeschooling under duress but as a result, found a true, loving adventure with her quirky son.
RLL #72: Profoundly Gifted Kids and Radical Acceleration with Michelle and Elliott Tanner
June 10, 2020 07:00 - 55 minutes - 76.1 MBToday, Colleen speaks with Michelle Tanner and her profoundly gifted son, Elliott, about the wonderful journey they’ve taken to radically accelerate Elliott to college at the tender age of 11.
RLL #71: Resiliency and Why Our Kids Need It
June 03, 2020 07:00 - 28 minutes - 39.5 MBListen as Colleen explains what resiliency is, how it can be nurtured in our kids and how we should work towards more of it for healthier families.
RLL #70: More Than Enough with Kara Anderson
May 27, 2020 07:00 - 50 minutes - 68.7 MBIn today's podcast, Colleen speaks with Kara Anderson, author of More Than Enough: Grow Your Confidence, Banish Burnout and Love Your Homeschool Life. You'll find that these two friends have a lot to say about how you aren’t alone and there are plenty of ways to feel stronger and more encouraged.
RLL #69: [Audioblog] Seven Tools for Peaceful Parenting that You Can Use Today
May 20, 2020 07:00 - 12 minutes - 17.7 MBParenting is tough. No matter how rock-solid your discipline strategies are, you probably lose your temper and yell from time to time. Even the most well-meaning of parents may find themselves yelling at their kiddos in a moment of angry frustration. In today’s episode, Colleen shares an audioblog — an article that first appeared on the site — offering some of her favorite tools and tips for peaceful parenting.
RLL 68: Self-Directed Education with Peter Gray, PhD
May 13, 2020 07:00 - 1 hour - 71.1 MBToday, Colleen speaks with Peter Gray, PhD and author of “Free to Learn: Why Unleashing the Instinct to Play Will Make Our Children Happier, More Self-Reliant, and Better Students for Life.” Peter and Colleen discuss his journey to understanding how self-directed learning is a most successful model of education, empowering kids to take ownership of their learning from young ages.
RLL 67: Ideas for Nurturing Our Kids' Strengths
May 06, 2020 07:00 - 47 minutes - 43.3 MBResearch shows that when we encourage our learners to pursue their interests and utilize their strengths in their learning, we can also see gains in areas that they aren't as strong in. Colleen dives a little deeper into understanding what strength based learning is and how there are simple, practical steps we can take to nurture our kids’ strengths.
RLL #66: Strength Based Learning With Differently-Wired Kids
April 29, 2020 07:00 - 1 hour - 60.6 MBIn today’s podcast, Colleen talks with Shawna Wingert of Different By Design Learning about taking a strength-based approach and using it in our homeschooling in a way that encourages and empowers our differently-wired kiddos in their learning.
RLL #65: Navigating Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Kids
April 22, 2020 07:00 - 9 minutes - 8.43 MBGifted children have characteristics that can often cause them to struggle socially and emotionally. In today’s episode, Colleen shares an audioblog — an article that first appeared on the site — outlining some common challenges facing gifted kids and offering real guidance to help you help your child manage his or her emotions.
RLL #64 What To Do When School Doesn't Work
April 15, 2020 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26 MBSchool choice is extremely personal. It really comes down to what are you most comfortable with, what can you afford and what kinds of sacrifices are you willing to make with regards to this decision for educating your differently-wired kiddos. In today’s solocast, Colleen discusses the different options to best meet your children’s needs when school just doesn’t work.
RLL #63: Creating a Business with Kids with Sara Tullos
April 08, 2020 07:00 - 41 minutes - 28.4 MBToday, we talk with Sara Tullos about the genesis of her "My Zoo Box" subscription box and how she meets the needs of her inquisitive and quirky five year old by homeschooling.
RLL#62: Why Should You Homeschool Your Gifted Child?
April 01, 2020 07:00 - 12 minutes - 11 MBThe longer I homeschool my gifted children, and the more I see and talk to other parents of gifted and twice-exceptional kids, the more I believe that homeschooling is the best educational option for our nation’s above-average children. In today's episode, Colleen shares an audioblog -- an article that first appeared on the site. She makes a strong case for how best to meet our gifted children's needs while spelling out the very real benefits of homeschooling.
RLL #61: Let's Talk About Anxiety
March 25, 2020 07:00 - 28 minutes - 26.2 MBWhile this podcast episode was recorded before all the COVID-19 stuff hit, and things were relatively normal, I felt it important to share it with you. In this episode I talk about five simple things you can do with your anxious kiddos to help them right now. Right now, anxieties are high. Kids are worrying. Adults are worrying. We're all kind of in this big ole anxiety boat together. We could really use some solidarity and support right now.
RLL#60: Raising Differently-Wired Kids with Debbie Reber
March 11, 2020 07:00 - 39 minutes - 27.7 MBDifferently-wired kiddos require a major shift in parenting philosophies and practices, and today's guest is no stranger to shaking things up. Debbie Reber, founder of the Tilt Parenting podcast and author of Differently-Wired: Rasing an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World, has a lot to say about bringing up neurodiverse kiddos. Join Colleen and Debbie as they talk school choices, parenting shifts, and the news of the brand-new paperback version of Differently-Wired in bookstores every...
RLL #59: [Audioblog] Gifted Kids Are Gonna Gift
February 26, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.62 MBI laugh, I shrug, I shake my head. My kids are gifted, and sometimes they're just gonna gift. It's time that we stop apologizing for it... In today's episode, Colleen shares an audioblog -- an article that first appeared on the site. Written by contributor Jen Vail, this audioblog uses humor to help parents appreciate their quirky kids for exactly who they are.
RLL #58: Why You Should Check Out a Homeschooling Convention This Year
February 12, 2020 08:00 - 15 minutes - 11 MBAre you planning to come out to a homeschool convention this season? Colleen will be speaking at all seven of the Great Homeschool Conventions and several others as well -- you can find her entire calendar on her speaking page. In this episode, though, she chats about why you should consider attending as a homeschool parent of a differently-wired kiddo. There are opportunities to check out curriculum, talk to experts in all subject areas, be inspired by different tyes of speakers, and enj...
RLL #57: Protecting Our Kids From Porn with Kristen Jenson
February 05, 2020 08:00 - 48 minutes - 35.9 MBToday, Colleen talks to Kristen Jenson, author of Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn-Proofing Today's Young Kids and founder of Protect Young Minds. This conversation dives deeply into what porn does to the brain, how it contributes to addiction, and how we can protect our differently-wired kiddos who often need more than just a "don't do it" to convince them that our advice might be worth following. This is an episode you don't want to miss.
RLL #56: [Audioblog] Discipline and Your Intense Child
January 29, 2020 08:00 - 13 minutes - 9.61 MBDo you feel like all you ever do is yell at and correct your intense child? That for every time you praise him, you’ve already berated him 15 times? And, are you completely exhausted before you’ve finished your first cup of coffee? Yeah… me too. This audioblog shares tips for helping you work with your intense child to have them get on board with family rules and structures so you can all have the peace you crave.
RLL #55: Managing Your Childs Perfectionism
January 22, 2020 08:00 - 34 minutes - 24.6 MBSo many gifted and twice-exceptional kiddos struggle with perfectionism, and untreated perfectionism can lead to other problems like low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and even eating disorders. Finding ways to talk to your kiddos is important, and keeping the conversation going can help them feel comfortable opening up when they're having a problem. In today's episode, Colleen gives you tips for talking your kiddo through perfectionism and helping them move past it. There are plenty of a...
Real Talk -- Homeschooling Through Tough Times
November 27, 2019 08:00 - 42 minutes - 31.1 MBLet's face it -- homeschooling differently-wired kiddos is challenging. Parenting them is challenging. But, when life hits you from all sides, and you have highly emotional, anxiety-filled, and otherwise differently-wired kids to parent through it, you're going to be lucky to get dinner on the table some days, let alone get any homeschooling done. And, will they really learn anything anyway when their lives are uncertain, family is sick, there's a death or a move to deal with? Probably no...
RLL #54: Real Talk -- Homeschooling Through Tough Times
November 27, 2019 08:00 - 42 minutes - 31.1 MBLet's face it -- homeschooling differently-wired kiddos is challenging. Parenting them is challenging. But, when life hits you from all sides, and you have highly emotional, anxiety-filled, and otherwise differently-wired kids to parent through it, you're going to be lucky to get dinner on the table some days, let alone get any homeschooling done. And, will they really learn anything anyway when their lives are uncertain, family is sick, there's a death or a move to deal with? Probably no...
A Magical Homeschool with Jessica Waldock
November 14, 2019 08:00 - 54 minutes - 34.2 MBParenting and homeschooling a differently-wired kiddo is tough. When you're homeschooling a gifted only child, it can be exhausting. You need to stay a few steps ahead of your kiddo as you're the only one they've got to play with, learn from, and do things with. Jessica Waldock chats with Colleen today about the ways she brings delight and interest-led learning into the homeschooling she does with her super-adorable gifted only child. Emily even pops in to tell us what she loves to learn ...
RLL #53: A Magical Homeschool with Jessica Waldock
November 14, 2019 08:00 - 54 minutes - 34.2 MBParenting and homeschooling a differently-wired kiddo is tough. When you're homeschooling a gifted only child, it can be exhausting. You need to stay a few steps ahead of your kiddo as you're the only one they've got to play with, learn from, and do things with. Jessica Waldock chats with Colleen today about the ways she brings delight and interest-led learning into the homeschooling she does with her super-adorable gifted only child. Emily even pops in to tell us what she loves to learn ...
RLL #52: Overcoming Perfectionism and Finding Joy in Homeschooling
October 02, 2019 07:00 - 20 minutes - 14.9 MBHow do YOU fight back against perfectionism and recapture the joy of the homeschool you dreamed about? In this episode, Colleen tackles a listener question related to this topic and offers some practical tips for keeping the joy and fun alive.