OnlySchoolers

Helping You Homeschool

Season 1

A Few of Our Favorite Things: Christmas With the OnlySchoolers

A Few of Our Favorite Things: Christmas With the OnlySchoolers

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The holidays are in full swing and that means it’s time to pull out favorite movies, bake up delicious treats, dance in the kitchen to Christmas music, and just generally have a whole month of celebration — made even more special when it includes those special touches that make it meaningful to our families. Join Gina and Christyn as they talk all things holiday at their homes and share recipes and traditions that make this the happiest time of the year for them!

1:31 — Gina and Christyn talk favorite Christmas recipes, songs, movies, books, gift-giving ideas, and traditions

2:12 — Christyn’s holiday baking includes cream wafers, chocolate-covered pretzels, peanut brittle, and peppermint popcorn

Gina creates maraschino cherry Christmas mice, orangesicles, and peppermint marshmallows and bakes spitzbuben

7:45 — Gina has a long Christmas playlist which includes Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, and the Andrews Sisters, as well as Amy Grant and Mannheim Steamroller Jackie Gleason ‘Tis the Season album

Christyn’s list is eclectic, as well. Favorite Christmas album is Andreas Bocelli’s “My Christmas,” but also loves Elvis, the Chipmunks, and the Polar Express and Home Alone movie soundtracks Celtic Woman, “Christmas Pipes”

12:00 — Christyn’s favorite movie is “A Christmas Story” while her daughter loves “Home Alone” and “Home Alone 2”

Gina likes old movies at Christmas, including “White Christmas” and “The Bishop’s Wife.” Top favorite is “Remember the Night”

15:57 — Christyn’s favorite book is A Christmas Carol, and all the traditional picture books. Gina likes short stories, including “The Little Match Girl” and “The Gift of the Magi”

19:12 — For Christmas traditions, Christyn always does a Christmas lights scavenger hunt and switches out regular dishes for a Christmas pattern for the month of December. She also has a lot of fun Elf on the Shelf ideas from years past

Gina decorates multiple trees,  loves making new ornaments, and includes stargazing in her holiday activities Mary Maxim beaded ornaments

26:12 — Gina made a conscious decision to keep Christmas small for her son, and follows the 4 Gift rule. They didn’t do Santa because her son figured it out early

Christyn also does the four gifts, looking for non-traditional ones that are fun and memorable. She did Santa, but he never left “the big gift,” just a doll or game

31:02 — True confessions: Neither Gina nor Christyn like “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Gina also says no to fruitcake and “A Christmas Carol” while Christyn enjoys fruitcake but says no to the Christmas ham

Both say no to the running and rushing. Plan for quiet afternoons with no obligations. You don’t want to get to the end of the season and realize you didn’t take time to refresh and reflect.

Merry Christmas!

Homeschooling Through the Holidays… Without Losing Your Mind

Homeschooling Through the Holidays… Without Losing Your Mind

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‘Twas the month before Christmas and all through the land, parents are trying to homeschool through the holidays without losing their minds! Okay, that doesn’t rhyme, but it’s the reality for many homeschooling families this time of year.

Join Gina and Christyn as they share their holiday homeschooling plans and outline three easy steps to truly enjoy this most wonderful time of the year.

5:04 — If you’re overextended and exhausted through the holidays, it’s that much harder to gear up and get back to school in January

5:18 — Three basic steps to holiday homeschooling:
1)  Manage expectations
2)  Make a plan
3)  Sit back and enjoy!

5:50 — Don’t try to do some fun and magical and memorable every single day leading up to Christmas. While Christmas is the perfect time to slow down and do some fun extras, be sure to manage your expectations of what that will look like

8:15 — Real-world life is messay. You’ll get tired, kids will get cranky, and there are extra committments and obligations this time of year

9:30 — Christyn talks about her experience trying to sprinkle Christmas fairy dust on all subjects, rather than sticking with a schooling plan that was working. After two years, she gave that up in favor of planning just one fun thing per week, not per day

10:48 — Gina emphasizes that real-life holidays don’t look like a magazine photo shoot. Rather than striving for that, embrace real life just the way it is

12:32 — If Christmas is truly about the kids, then we need to keep their best interests in mind

13:17 — Make a plan as to what you can realistically handle school-wise during the holidays, then get it on the calendar

13:40 — In discussing Christmas Plans Past, Gina follows one crucial rule: Don’t let what you did last year dictate what you’ll do this year

15:25 — Christyn adds fun in some subjects as natural ending points are reached during December

17:23 — Plan for spontaneous fun, or in other words, leave space for Christmas magic to happen: just make sure you’ve got a few tricks up your sleeve!

17:56 — Enjoying the holidays can be simple and easy

18:57 — Gina encourages saying “No” to some things so the holiday traditions that are important to your family can happen

19:50 — Enjoying Christmas at Christyn’s house usually means a Christmas Poetry Teatime, Grinch Night, and Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt. Head over to the OnlySchoolers Patreon account for these FREE to ALL listeners downloadable PDFs. 

The Gratitude Attitude: Being at Home with a Grateful Heart

The Gratitude Attitude: Being at Home with a Grateful Heart

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With Thanksgiving just around the corner, Gina and Christyn tackle the topic of cultivating an attitude of gratitude in their homes. From their personal habits to fun ideas for for family “thankfulness” activities, this episode will have you agreeing that “Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.” (Karl Barth)

1:29 — Celebrate Guy Fawkes Day with a fun — and free! — poetry teatime download

2:35 — Gina and Christyn both have a low-key approach to their Thanksgiving traditions

5:27 — These three main topics will help you keep that thankful feeling going strong in the home
1) Tips and Tricks for cultivating the attitude of gratitude in ourselves as parents
2) How to avoid entitled kids and instill a sense of gratitude in our children
3) Some fun ideas for family activities that stress thankfulness

6:07 — 1) Cultivating daily habits of gratitude is important because our kids model all our behaviors

6:37 — Christyn talks about finding joy in the middle of grief

7:45 — Gina discusses #ThisDaysJoy: how it started and how it continues over eight years later through Facebook posts and two books

10:20 — Christyn talks about the idea of finding joy in grief and the blog she started after her husband’s death: Curving Toward Joy

11:50 — 2) Instilling a sense of gratitude in our children

12:00 — Gina shares a story of entitled young adults

14:04 — It can be harder to find opportunities for encouraging gratitude in an only child; you have to be more intentional. Christyn shares some of her methods

15:00 — Teach your child that the act of sharing, the act of being grateful to have something to share, the relationship that comes from sharing is the most important part

15:55  — Gina’s tips for instilling gratitude in an only child include keeping it real by encouraging friendships with senior adults and hearing their stories

17:30 — 3) Some fun activities to cultivate a sense of gratitude in the days leading up to Thanksgiving

18:13 — Crafts are a great way to reinforce thankfulness, especially in younger children. Be sure to also download the Gratitude Scavenger Hunt for some family fun, and consider a shareable Gratitude Journal and curating a collection of stories, poems, and songs that stress grateful hearts and thanks

19:20 — Gina reminisces about Wyatt’s “thankful tree” made of construction paper handprint leaves

20:20 — Christyn remembers her daughter’s “thankful turkey” with construction paper feathers of thankful thoughts

20:55 — It’s wonderful to see gratefulness through a kid’s eyes. There’s so much adults miss because it doesn’t seem “big enough” to be grateful for
https://readaloudrevival.com/picture-books-for-november/

21:35 — Crafty ideas might not work for teens, so consider slow conversations over hot cocoa or tea; create the Thanksgiving menu together; create a playlist of favorite songs that inspire thankfulness

22:01 —Writing thank-you notes is a great way to express gratitude

23:57 — Gratitude and joy and thankfulness are all about making connections with the people we love

You’ve Got Questions… We’ve Got Answers: An OnlySchoolers Q&A

You’ve Got Questions… We’ve Got Answers: An OnlySchoolers Q&A

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Join Gina and Christyn for the first-ever OnlySchoolers Podcast Q & A! With questions ranging from ways to fill the long days to the role of dads and other adults in your homeschool, Gina and Christyn offer helpful hints and answers — and funny stories about honeybees and ants!

2:01 — Question: How do you fill all the hours with an activity-driven child?

3:49 — Christyn’s suggestions include read-alouds, board games, some scheduled activities like walks to the park or library. Have a loose routine and be sure to get out of the house sometimes

6:20 — Gina schedules at least one thing outside the house per day and encourages having a basic weekly schedule

9:10 — There are days that are hard and we’re exhausted but those days don’t last forever

10:00 — Final answer: Try to plan “outside the house” time, create a loose routine so your kid knows when you’re available, and have solo options available to engage the child

10:41 — Question: What kind of curriculum is recommended?

10:55 — Gina suggests that when a child is young, the best curriculum is no curriculum at all. Help your child fall in love with learning, read fun books, show them how to develop ownership of education

13:20 — Answer: The goal isn’t to find a perfect curriculum; it’s to create an environment that shows the kids that the world is a fascinating place and encourage their curiosity in exploring it

14:18    If you’re pulling your kid from public/private school, be sure to consider deschooling
https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/how-to-start-homeschooling-tips-for-deschooling-children/
https://www.thehomeschoolmom.com/school-homeschool-what-is-deschooling/

15:08 — OnlySchoolers doesn’t recommend any curriculum, but we’re always happy to share what works/doesn’t work for our kids

15:48 — Consider the child’s learning style, your teaching style, and their future plans. All that will guide you in your choices

16:56 — Don’t feel guilty for getting rid of curriculum that doesn’t work

18:06 — Question: What is the role of dads in homeschool? How does homeschooling as a single parent work?

18:22 — Christyn addresses single parent homeschooling: Give lots of grace to you and your child and know that it’s okay to ask for help. Outsource some classes or activities. Include other adults in your child’s education. Create space for each of you to be yourself.

19:46 — Gina discusses her husband’s role in their son’s education

20:27 — It takes a village sometimes, so fill your homeschool village with people who support your child and your goals for lifelong learnin

20:43 — Question: Do you have book recommendations for kids?

21:53 — Christyn’s philosophy of reading is that there are no requirements for reading outside of class; focus on covering a variety of genres

22:54 — Gina says life is too short to read bad books. Read what you love — whatever that happens to be. In reading for school, she tends to focus on classics

24:22 — Christyn talks Survey of British Lit and some ideas she’s tossing around for future literature classes included Marginalized Voices in American Lit, Novels of the Great Depression, and Mystery Writers

25:50 — Question: How do you teach poetry?

26:00 — Christyn utilizes a Brave Writer idea of Poetry Teatime, which is eating treats and reading poetry out loud

27:40 — Gina comes at it from an English teacher background and looks at interpretation, word choices, rhyme, etc.

Confronting Your Fears: Common Homeschool Worries… And How to Scare Them Away

Confronting Your Fears: Common Homeschool Worries… And How to Scare Them Away

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It’s October, but Gina and Christyn have a treat — no tricks! — for you: their best ideas on how to quash the worries that all homeschoolers — even veteran homeschoolers! — have about themselves, their kids, and their way of educating.

They tackle all the fears, from wondering if “Am I enough?” to “Will my kid be weird?” with personal anecdotes and lots of humour!

3:25 — Common homeschool fears. We’ve all been there

4:16 — The worries come in three main categories:
1) Worries about me
2) Worries about my kids
3) Worries about their education

6:25 — In the first category, our biggest question is “Am I doing it wrong?”

7:00 — Gina started out homeschooling thinking there must be a “right” way but quickly ended up unschool-y, knowing there’s not just one way to homeschool

7:28 — Christyn’s eclectic style was born from that fear, when she finally asked herself “Why do I think I’m the wrong piece here?”

9:07 — When it comes to the right personality to homeschool or the right organizational methods, there’s no one way. As parents, you are exactly who your kids need

10:25 — Worries of parents with only children: “But this is the only pancake I’ve got!”

11:40 — In the second category, the biggest question is “Will my kid be weird?”

12:20 — Gina and Christyn discuss the Late Middle English definition of “weird” which is “having the power to control destiny”

13:12 — Christyn talks Avengers in the the context of weirdness

14:37 — Flip around that idea of weird and remember that the ability to make choices that suit your personality at any time is a gift that homeschool facilitates

14:55 — Gina talks Henry David Thoreau and The Odyssey: let your kids listen for their own drummer and be the hero of their own life

16:41 — Be sure to also consider the modern definition of weird and determine your child’s comfort level with that definition

18:15 — We want our kids to be comfortable being themselves and listening for that drumbeat inside and following it

18:36 — The other looming worry in the second category: “Will the kids be socialized?” Gina answers “Poppycock” to that fear

19:35 — In the third category, worries about their education: “Did I teach them everything?”

19:43 — Gina answers, “Of course not,” and discusses how she wallows in the fact that responsibility is gradually shifting to her son to be weird and control his own destiny

21:42 — Christyn discusses finding gaps, filling them in, and knowing everything won’t be covered

22:30 — Our job is to teach our kids the value of learning. With that, they do the rest on their own

23:30 — Another question in the third category: “Is my kid going to be ready for the real world?” It’s up to you to help them grow and flourish and practice real-world skills

24:49 — The end goal is creating an environment in which your child becomes a competent adult

25:09 — Homeschool gives us the chance to create a supportive environment where kids grow at their own pace and in their own style

Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid: Movies and Television as Curriculum

Here’s Lookin’ at You, Kid: Movies and Television as Curriculum

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Lights — Camera — Action! Join Gina and Christyn as they talk about all the ways that visual media — television shows, movies, documentaries — are taking front and center stage in their homeschools.

From basic use to total immersion in visual media, they show you how you can incorporate movies and television to create a richer learning experience.

3:07 — When we use movies and TV as curriculum, which is an under-utilized educational method, we go way beyond the old-school “movie day” concept

3:30 — You don’t have to ADD visual media to the curricululm — visual media can BE the curriculum. It’s an eye-opening concept: using visual media as curricululm with minimal or no text added

5:00 — Three main steps
1) Classic use, i.e. “Read a book, watch the movie”
2) Hybrid — focus on print curriculum, but start sprinkling in visual media
3) Total immersion — visual media IS the curriculum, with readings sprinkled in

6:34 — The first step, the classic use, is heavily used in literature and history classes because it works well to start forming those compare and contrast concepts

7:20 — Gina talks about using the classic method for Shakespeare

8:40 — Christyn talks about using it even younger, with preschoolers and their favorite cartoons with book crossovers

10:14 — The classic use leads naturally to discussion of compare and contrast and begins to emphasize that idea of finding textual evidence (from the book AND the movie/show) to support your ideas and opinions

11:04 — The second step: Hybrid option. Have a spine for the class, but start sprinkling in more visual media to supplement and support the text

12:15 — Christyn talks about how she used it for a US History class she created, particularly with using Ken Burns’ “The Dust Bowl” during the section on the Great Depression

15:07 — Gina discusses her family’s use of Mythbusters to ramp up science class

16:57 — Once you’re comfortable with the hybrid option, you can kick it up to Next-Level Hybrid where the visual media is essential to the curriculum and is equal to or greater than the print portion. 

17:30 — Christyn discusses using “The Waltons” for history class and “The Middle” to learn how to write a personal essay

20:30 — Ask yourself “What am I trying to teach?” and “What movie or TV show can help me illustrate that concept?” Or you could even say, “I love this show — how can I use for homeschool?” 

21:08 — Remember: it’s okay for learning to be fun.  Our goal is to have our kids WANT to know more about a subject!

21:30 — Step 3: Total Immersion. Gina talks about how visual media jumps to center stage

22:40 — Gina discusses creating a class titled “Documenting History: The American Story” using nine or ten of Ken Burns’ documentaries and adding a project 

25:42 — Watching a story unfold on the screen is just as meaningful and just as valid and just as educational as reading a book

Happy Labor Day! The Role of Life Skills in a Homeschool Curriculum

Happy Labor Day! The Role of Life Skills in a Homeschool Curriculum

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It’s Labor Day weekend, so Gina and Christyn have work-related stuff on tap, specifically as it relates to teaching life skills in their homeschools. There are so many opportunities in a homeschool environment to practice the life skills that will be necessary long after formal education ends.

1:37 — There are so many ways to naturally incorporate life skills, also known as practical arts, into homeschool

2:06 — Life skills include many things you don’t necessarily learn in school, but that are so necessary to navigating life

2:30 — Three types of life skills discussed
1) Life skills at home: chores, home repair, cleaning, etc.
2) Life skills outside the home: ordering in restaurants, navigating with maps, shopping
3) Life skills as they relate to gainful employment

4:00 — Gina and Christyn don’t use chore charts — kind of irrelevant for their only children! — but the kids still help around the house because life skills are necessary

6:00 — Homeschool parents often get caught up in the academic side and forget that life skills are hugely important, as well

6:31 — Gina talks life skills for Wyatt

8:13 — Christyn discusses incorporating them in September’s day

10:24 — As the kids get older, the life skills get more complex

10:49 — In many ways, life skills are just the practical application of a lot of academic skills

12:05 — Discussion of how to count life skills in the homeschool: until mastered, or every time?

14:12 — Life skills outside the home might relate to a primary academic subject such as communication, math, geography, social studies

16:44 — Real life examples of life skills required outside the home

19:32 — Life skills relating to employment and adulting — Gina and Christyn assure you that all the bits and pieces of a long expanse of homeschooling time start to pay off, which is gratifying to see

25:34 — Incorporate some low-key, low stakes situations to help your child develop the necessary skills. Lay the groundwork so the kids are ready when the stakes get higher

26:40 — Homeschooling has such successful outcomes because school takes place not only in a classroom, but in the real world