Episodes

Hey, homeschoolers! I love systems. When I started my series for A Year of Living Productively, I thought I would come up with the perfect productivity system for me and my readers. I have also looked for homeschooling systems, parenting systems, and cooking systems to make my life easier. I know I’m not the only one who loves systems. They sell. If you search for system and its synonyms like approach and program, you will find thousands and thousands of options that promise to deliver a blissf...

It’s not too early to plan for homeschool retirement! Here are my best tips for preparing for this season now. Watch on YouTube Sponsor Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum? CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short and concise to help your children break down concepts and appreciate math in a whole new way! The lesso...

Hey, homeschoolers! Are you incorporating online learning into your homeschool this year? Should you? That wasn’t even an option when I started homeschooling in 1999. But now it is, and I’m so excited to share an interview I did with online learning platform founder Amir Nathoo. Sponsor Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum? CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks and The Old ...

Hey, homeschoolers! I’ve always been fascinated by life change, thus my pursuit of a career in psychology. But psychology alone didn’t produce the changes I desired in my life. And what’s funny to me is that I can only share steps for how to change your homeschool life in hindsight. I didn’t have a plan. So if you’d like some things to change in your homeschool life, stay tuned for what I learned along the way. Sponsor Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum? CTCMath specializes in providin...

Hey, homeschoolers! I grew up in a rural area where no one I knew took dance classes. Dance was confined to occasional, awkward PE classes. Our nieces were into competitive dance and acro, however, so when I had a preschool-aged daughter of my own, I was excited to enroll her in dance. She enjoyed it, but it was an expensive, time-consuming activity for what amounted to a photo op that I could have set up for free. She ended up more interested in gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming, and voll...

Hey, homeschoolers! Whether you are interested in motivating yourself or your children, understanding the three motivational states described in Mark Forster’s book How to Make Your Dreams Come True will help you achieve your goal. Sponsor Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum? CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short a...

Hey, homeschoolers! In this episode, I’m sharing my top tips for getting more done. Sponsor Are you looking for a new Math Curriculum? CTCMath specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Favorably reviewed in Cathy Duffy’s 102 Top Picks and The Old Schoolhouse Crew Review, the lessons are short and concise to help your children break down concepts and appreciate math in a whole new way! The lessons are taught the traditional way, not to a “...

Hey, homeschoolers! A homeschool mom posted on Facebook, “I bake homemade bread … but not enough.” I saw in her what I so often see in myself and other homeschool moms: the tyranny of not enough. Whatever we accomplish is immediately invalidated, whether we say it out loud or not. We might think it’s no big deal. Maybe our “not enough” is just being humble and recognizing that we’re works in progress. But there are three negative side effects of “not enough” thinking that I want to share with ...

Hey, homeschoolers! I am excited about today’s episode, not only because of the topic that I think addresses a real need we have as parents, but also about my guest. I experienced the pain of feeling different as a child and so did my kids. There’s different good and different bad, right? But kids don’t often like any kind of difference that makes them feel alone. How can we help our kids through that? That’s the topic of the conversation I had with Ali Gilkeson. Ali is a member of the popular...

Hey, homeschoolers! This is one of the topics I have been asked to talk about over the years but I’ve frankly avoided. Not only can it cause problems with website and social media platforms that flag the posts but there are strong opinions about the issue. I don’t like wading into controversial waters if I can help it. But then I met Kristen Miele at the Great Homeschool Conventions who was speaking about this very issue. I was so impressed with her background and her message that is grounded i...

If you feel like your homeschool year is fizzling out, you’ll appreciate these tips for ending well. LISTEN ON ITUNES LINKS GrammarGalaxyBooks.com/treasure. Instagram at Psychowith6 Rochelle Barlow’s Learn American Sign Language in 31 Days The Organized Vacation Challenge my recent podcast on being disappointed in your homeschool year The post Special Replay: How to End Your Homeschool Year on a High appeared first on Ultimate Homeschool Podcast Network.

Hey, homeschoolers! If you have a teen daughter, I think this episode is a must-listen. I interview Shannon Popkin and Lee Niehuis, authors of Comparison Girl for Teens, and I haven’t been able to stop talking about it. There is so much wisdom here about our girls and how to help them manage comparison and friendship in a God-honoring way. Shannon Popkin invites you to drink deeply of God’s story, and live like it’s true. Shannon’s books include Control Girl, Comparison Girl, Comparison Girl fo...

Hey, homeschoolers! Have you considered learning robotics in your homeschool? I don’t have an engineering brain so I enrolled my kids in in-person and online classes. My youngest is now majoring in computer science in college. His classes had a major impact on his career direction. Today on the podcast, you’ll hear about the advantages of including robotics and programming in your homeschool from my guest, Francie Black. I met Francie at the Great Homeschool Convention last year. She is the fou...

Hey, homeschoolers, we know we aren’t weird and unsocialized as a popular blog implies, but you might wonder if we are weirder than kids in public school. I was relieved when my oldest son, after having been in a public high school for a few weeks, told me that he thought that the public school kids were just as weird as homeschoolers. We know that our kids can benefit from having good social skills. Here’s why we should teach social skills directly in our homeschool and here are some practical...

Hey, homeschoolers! If you’ve ever considered attending a homeschool conference, this is the year to do it. If you’ve attended in the past, I have three reasons you should attend again. In short, you should attend for the curriculum, the speakers, and the fellowship with other homeschoolers. Some resources I mention in today’s episode are: Great Homeschool Conventions Grammar Galaxy Books Carole Barnier’s episodes on ADD and reading Dr. S. M. Davis Institute for Excellence in Writing I hope t...

Hey, homeschoolers! I had the opportunity to talk with my good friend, Dr. Carl Werner, for this episode. He is an expert in evolution who has devoted decades of his life to examining the evidence for evolution. His most recent book is about human evolution. The evidence he has amassed is stunning. Now more than ever I believe we have to share his work with our kids. Here’s my chat with Carl. Watch on YouTube There is a tale over 4,000 years old, preserved in ancient writings from every major ...

Hey, homeschoolers! I never thought I would have five boys, but I am so glad I do. I love them to the moon and back and judging by the response my episode on homeschooling boys got, so do you. That’s why I was excited to read Durenda Wilson’s new book on the topic and to hear her thoughts on why it’s so important to think about how we are raising our boys. In Raising Boys to Men: A Simple, Mercifully Short Book on Raising and Homeschooling Boys, Durenda shares her almost three decades of experi...

Hey, homeschoolers! You’ve been there. You’ve blown it with your kids. Maybe you lost your temper or disciplined in a way that you’re not proud of. In this episode, my guest and I will discuss how to redeem those parenting failures. Before I introduce Andee Martineau, I want to be clear about my perspective on discipline. It is first of all grounded in God’s Word. But whether families share my faith or not, I believe they have to determine which discipline approach is right for them. I do think...

Watch on YouTube In this conversation, Melanie Wilson addresses the question of whether chaos is normal in homeschooling. She defines chaos as unexpected and unplanned interruptions and explains that it is common for homeschooling moms to experience chaos, especially when starting their homeschooling journey. She emphasizes that chaos can be frustrating but often leads to unexpected and better outcomes. However, she also acknowledges that there is a type of chaos that is not just a phase and re...

Hey, homeschoolers! I was a stay-at-home mom when I started homeschooling. I did freelance writing and speaking and premarital counseling at my church. But I wasn’t spending even twenty hours a week on work until my last two kids were teens. Because of that, I assumed that it simply wasn’t possible to work and homeschool too. My guest Dr. Celia Zamora changed my mind. Dr. Zamora has a Ph.D. in Applied Linguistics and was a teacher for 15 years before homeschooling her son. She is now a full-tim...

Teach Truth ~ with Dr. Melanie Wilson and Elizabeth Urbanowicz Are you ready to teach truth? Join as as we explore the topic. Thanks to our sponsor, A Fanthom Presents Film – The Ark and The Darkness – Movie Trailer here: NoahsFlood Hey, homeschoolers! Any time a teacher uses a story to teach children, I am all for it. Stories are not only the most enjoyable way to learn something but the most powerful. When former guest Elizabeth Urbanowicz told me she had created a picture book to help chil...

Hey homeschoolers! Recently, a woman on my Psychowith6 Facebook page, made a comment on the self-care movement. I wasn’t aware that self-care was a movement, but she got me thinking. Previously on this podcast in an episode called How to Be Happy and Homeschool, Too, I discussed the importance of what could be called self-care. In fact, I frequently talk about the importance of it during my sessions at Great Homeschool Conventions. I suddenly found myself wondering if I had been teaching wrong ...

Hey, homeschoolers! As parents we often feel ill-equipped to talk to others who are grieving. I’ve discussed this in a previous episode that I will link to the in show notes. When our teens are grieving, we can feel particularly helpless in knowing what to say or do. I’m thankful that my guest, Sarah Arthur, has practical advice for us. Sarah Arthur is a fun-loving speaker and the author of a dozen books for teens and adults, including Once a Queen and the bestselling Walking with Frodo: A Devo...

In this episode, Melanie Wilson discusses the underused resource of people in homeschooling. She shares personal stories and examples of how family members, church members, homeschool community members, neighbors, and friends can enhance a child’s education. Melanie encourages listeners to take advantage of the knowledge, skills, and experiences of the people they know, not only for educational purposes but also to bless and witness to others. She concludes by reflecting on missed opportunities ...