Helping You Homeschool
When we homeschool, we’re given creative license to design the education that best suits our children. And that’s where Imagination and Individuality come into play! Listen along as we talk about how we’ve turned expectations upside down and found learning in unexpected places…which perfectly fit our unique kids!
It’s May, and the homeschool year is drawing to a close. In this episode Gina and Christyn talk about how to work with human nature, not against it. And…if all else fails, how to use humor to (hopefully!) save your homeschool day.
It’s springtime and the Easter season — which means it’s the perfect time to talk about Growth and Grace. In this episode Gina and Christyn talk about the different types of growth — delayed growth, unexpected growth, and slow and steady growth — affect homeschooling. And, when all else fails, they encourage you to give yourself (and your kids) a little grace on your homeschooling adventure.
Sometimes waiting for spring can be frustrating, especially after a long and cold winter. But spring always comes, doesn’t it? It’s the same way with homeschooling — we feel frustrated over things we don’t have the ability to change, but if we just hold on, those changes eventually happen exactly when they’re supposed to.
If this is you, settle in and listen to Gina and Christyn discuss how they handle the frustrations that pop up in their lives, and how faith in the process of homeschooling helps them overcome those feelings.
“Don’t Worry” by Mary Oliver
In this episode, Gina and Christyn talk about what empowers and encourages them as homeschooling parents and how they, in turn, empower and encourage their kids to feel capable and own their education.
Gina and Christyn tackle two common themes for anyone who’s homeschooled more than thirty minutes: disappointment and doubt.
Every homeschooling family has experienced moments, seasons, or even full school years of doubt or disappointment — or sometimes both at once!
Most often the culprit is unmet expectations — so listen along to see how they address these issues in their homeschools and strengthen their emotional weightlifting capabilities at the same time.
We think you may be able to hear the charms on Gina’s necklace or earrings jingling at a few points in the podcast. Sorry! We’ll be sure to go jewelry free next time. 🙂
Gina and Christyn take on the themes of Common Sense and Connection in this episode! Laugh along with their anecdotes of developing common sense in their homeschools and hear how making connections — with learning, with life, with people — is at the heart of homeschooling.
3:58 Discussion of the importance of common sense and connection in homeschooling
4:41 Gina’s anecdotes about common sense vs being educated
7:26 Christyn calls it “street smarts” vs. “book smarts” but it’s the same thing
9:02 The perfect combination is both! Common sense is knowing when to use your book smarts and when to use your street smarts
9:33 Common sense is not an innate ability, but it’s a quality that can be developed
11:07 Sometimes natural consequences are the best lesson to learn common sense since they stick with us!
11:51 You can develop common sense by engaging in a real way with the real world in real time
14:15 Gina says reverse-engineering projects and situations can help develop common sense
15:30 Common sense in homeschool means taking a break for a couple of weeks if a project is overwhelming. Don’t overcomplicate things. There’s nothing wrong with simple; there’s nothing inherently better about something just because it’s complicated
15:58 Common sense in homeschool also means taking into account your homeschool style. You do the homeschool that works for you
17:03 Common sense says if there’s a problem, then there’s an answer
18:20 The common sense approach to homeschooling is seeing how interconnected all the learning is
18:48 Seemingly random activities can create avenues into learning that we aren’t always expecting
20:08 Learning outside the traditional school environment allows us to integrate and connect things for our kids
22:24 Make those connections because when a kid is interested, a kid is learning!
22:40 A good reason to focus on connections in homeschool is that it can help with subjects that might not be a student’s favorite
23:03 By exploring connections, we can really help our kids see the value in what they’re learning
23:37 It’s common sense to look for connections in education and help your child take ownership of that new knowledge in a meaningful way
23:50 Connections between people are also vitally important
24:40 Homeschooling is a radical lifestyle and it can be lonely. Find a community in which you can commiserate, kvetch, and celebrate
24:56 Maya Angelou, “Alone”