The Coop Homeschool: Recent Episodes
The Coop Homeschool
Homeschooling podcast with helpful tips and resources, fun anecdotes, ideas, and advice from the experts on home education. Jessica and Mandi have a wealth of knowledge and a passion for talking about homeschooling and parenting.
We have some favorite episodes to share with you - from our own podcast! There's a few nuggets we summarize about each one for some quick inspiration.
We have shared our favorites, and now it's our kids' turn! In this Coop Faves each of our kids share their favorite book. The interviews are short and sweet and may inspire you to try out a new read-aloud for your family. Each book is linked on our website!
A music program that is all about play? Yes please! From experience, this music program is worth the commitment to provide the best music education for your little one. Check out our review here!
Ecologies is a nature inspired card game designed by a biology teacher - building ecological knowledge, a colorful vocabulary, and a beautiful art aesthetic. Check out our review here!
It's a time capsule in a book! This question of the day journal is worth your time, and here's why.
Cursive is a dying art, but it's so good for the brain! This fave is a short and simple curriculum that teaches cursive penmanship for a child’s first exposure to handwriting. It's easy and fun to teach!
Why use a curriculum when you can just read books with dangerously misplaced commas and apostrophes?!? My kids love these books and learn a ton about punctuation from them.
The deliciousness of a country all in a box! This monthly subscription box brings so much enriched learning and joy to our family, and may be a must for anyone wanting to teach cultural appreciation. Check it out here.
Operation Ouch is a YouTube Channel with fun lessons, experiments, diagnoses, and more all about the human body - with kids! We all love it.
You are enough. You are exactly who your children need right now. Trust yourself a little more and create a custom homeschool environment that fits you and your children. In this episode, we reassure you with the research, talk custom education, and share some affirmations. In our Coop Q & A we answer the question, "What subject do we feel that we are not enough to teach?"
When is it okay to let your kid quit an activity, and when should we push him through? In this episode, we discuss the research, the reasons for quitting, assessing the pros and cons quitting, five ways to handle the situation, and ideas for approaching a new activity or potential interest. In our Coop Q&A we answer the question, “My kid hates going to their piano lesson, but we really value it, what do I do?”
Friendship is a huge component of helping our children live a joyful life! This is an area of parenting that we spend a lot of time on to help our kids. In this episode we will talk about, how to find friends for your kids, developing friendships, continuing friendships, navigating conflict, and letting go of friends. We also share a few resources for teaching your child about friendship. In our Coop Q & A, we answer a question about how to handle the neighborhood kids who do not have good boundaries when it comes to playing with your child.
Sometimes, all you need is a game! In homeschooling, games can provide a major portion of content for a child's learning, no matter the age. Some homeschoolers use games as their "schooling" entirely on its own! In this episode, we sit down with a games expert for some wisdom on how games can impact a child's learning as well as a family's lifestyle. We also introduce a new segment called, "Things I Never Knew (Before Homeschooling)." This is a fun one!
Living in the digital age, it seems many people no longer consume live theater or performances. What are they missing out on? We discuss the benefits of going to live performances, when to begin taking kids to performances, where to find performances, the best season for performances, and fun local examples. In our Coop Q & A we answer the question, "How do I help my 5-year-old become more serious about ballet classes?" Show Notes
What should I do when my kid is bored? It's not what you think! We dive into recent research, boredom vulnerability factors, and fun ideas like a boredom basket. We also answer the question, "When should I let my child quit a sport/lesson/class and when should I make her push through it?"
Whether it’s on the couch cuddling with you or with a flashlight in their bed at night, reading with your kindergartener is magic. With all the benefits it brings, choosing beautiful, magical, and meaningful books creates the ideal moment for learning and bonding with your little one. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, “When should my child transition from picture books to chapter books?”
It's the small things we do throughout our homeschool days that make our lifestyle a bit easier. We offer 10 shortcuts to creating the homeschool life you want. You can pick and choose to customize your family's experience to make homeschooling easier! We also answer the question, "What should I say when my child tells me that he is bored?"
It seems that when it comes to kids, so much conversation centers around their schooling, including achievements, success, challenges, and interventions. We all seem so concerned about measuring our kids, that I have to ask: IS OUR FOCUS ON SCHOOL HEALTHY? In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: How do I know if I covered a topic thoroughly?
Why teach history, and what major principles do we need to know when homeschooling history? How do we educate our children for knowing history in preparation for college? We sit down with a historian to learn some helpful fundamentals about a history education. You don't know what you don't know, until you do! We also review a few games that help teach various aspects of North America in our Game-Schooling segment.
Working Moms - They can and do homeschool too. It may not always be easy, but it can be done! If you are wondering how, we share some tried and true advice on how to do it.
Does your child desire a pet? Whether it’s a hermit crab or kitten, a tarantula or a hamster, pets can provide a wealth of learning experiences that will equip your child with important life skills - like researching, budgeting, planning ahead, and growing responsibility. Most importantly, the process will empower your child and help her mature organically. We also discuss what we think is a great first pet in our Coop Q & A.
A homeschool mother and grown adult daughter (and fellow homeschool mom) share their highlights, regrets, and advice about homeschooling in this thoughtful and honest interview. Keeley shares what it was like to homeschool in the 90’s and early 2000’s, while Kim dives in to what it was like to be a homeschooled child. Hindsight is always 20/20, and we get to be blessed with their wisdom. Also, in our Gameschooling segment, we share The Oregon Trail games that are all the rage in our homes these days.
Just like any creative adventure, in homeschooling, you need a toolbox to make building your dream homeschool life the way you want it! We discuss ten tools with links to make it easy for you to get to work with ease and awe. We also answer the question, “What do you do first thing in the morning during the school year?”
Julie Bogart, author of The Brave Learner and creator of The Brave Writer, came out with a new book this year, Raising Critical Thinkers. We read it and want to share our thoughts on it with you. We also answer the question: What resources or tools can you use to teach logic and critical thinking?
When an experienced homeschool mom with 25 years of experience shares wisdom, perspective, ideas, and homeschool hacks - we listen! In this episode, we interview a long-time friend Kathy about her favorite resources, positive experiences, regrets, and everything in between. Calling all Game-Schoolers! We recommend a few geographical and history themed games that will spice up your history lessons.
Sometimes, to find a deeper joy in homeschooling, you just need to add a little magic! From unique learning adventures like a "Donut Road Trip" to allowing space for a large portion of free time, we provide a fun and creative list of 10 ways to add magic to your homeschool life.
How do you know if your child is ready to start kindergarten? With helpful tips, ideas, and out-of-the-box analysis, we dive into the various ways to determine if your child is ready for this next milestone. We also answer the question, "How do I sign my child up for kindergarten?"
"Where, when, and how do I begin?" Music education can be a daunting endeavor if you don't know where to start or what to do. We ask accomplished musician and owner of US Music Lessons studio the questions that every homeschool family needs to know. Music education makes a huge impact in your child's development and should be a top priority. We also introduce a new segment called "Gameschooling" where we share a few educational music games that will organically grow your child's music language.
We share six things we are most excited about adding to our homeschool year this next year 2022-2023. With new ideas and resources for history, Bible, art, field trips, kindergarten, and morning time, this episode is jam packed with fresh ideas and inspiration. We also answer the question, "How far should I plan in advance?"
One of our favorite ways to learn history is to live it! A Living History experience may be exactly the adventure your child needs to spark curiosity about important time periods and events.
We give this math curriculum rave reviews! Listen in on why we love it, and check it out here.
It's a museum in a book! These beautiful books are big enough to envelope you and your child on a museum tour within itself. Check it out here.
This fave puts the "game" in "game schooling"! We love this game and here is why. Buy this great educational experience here.
Unit studies by Gather Round Homeschool are some of our favorite curriculum in our homeschool life. They are worth trying one unit study at a time!
My kids are enraptured by this thin book packed with extraordinary information about ordinary things. You can buy this book here.
What could be better than a cooking club for kids? This monthly subscription provides a lifetime of tools, skills, and bonding moments - all in a box. Check it out here.
These beautiful illustrated storybooks with accompanying music clips help anyone teach musical concepts in an enriching way. You can check it out here.
It’s time to talk about a theme day that we all love in our house: Star Wars Day! We like to experience numerous themed learning days in our home, but this one is different. This one is an annual tradition in our home that always happens in May. “May the fourth be with you.” To check out our favorite resources for this theme go to our Theme Day blog post or to our new post review!
Our kids love Mrs. Wordsmith, specifically her Storyteller's Word A Day flip book. As moms, we love it too for three reasons and share it in our new podcast shorts - Coop Faves. Check out one of our most favorite language arts products here.
How do you know if you are succeeding at homeschooling? We dive into a couple ways to measure your success, share some of our successes, and provide helpful takeaways. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, "What is one thing my child should learn before adulthood?" Check out our website for show notes!
Chapter 5 is such a fun conclusion to our book club! We discuss Gatto's take on church history, economics, and, of course, the public school. We share some of our favorites quotes as well as our take aways from the book. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: Should my child take state testing?
“I want to homeschool, but I don’t have the budget!” Homeschooling does not need to break the bank. We share many resources and ideas for where to look for free or low cost supplies and curriculum, how to plan inexpensive experiences, and how your homeschool lifestyle can make a big difference on your bank account. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: What is your favorite thing to buy for homeschooling?
Have you found yourself in a sudden situation needing to homeschool? Whether it's Covid requirements or an intolerable public school situation, the basic essentials are all you may need to homeschool your child on short notice. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: What curriculum would work well for multiple grade levels, with a focus on read alouds, and a "school" time limit of about two hours per day?
Should I Homeschool? Many people find themselves debating whether or not to homeschool their child. We’re going to explore some scenarios and give you the answer. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, "Do I need to enroll in public school to get services for my child with special needs?"
Deciding your child's schooling trajectory is a top priority for every parent of young children, and some ask, "Could I homeschool?" There are a few simple questions for you to answer, and then you will know whether or not you could homeschool. In the Coop Q & A, we answer the question "Where can I find free printouts for my three-year-old child?
Should I sign up with a homeschool charter school? We discuss what a charter school is, what a homeschool charter school provides, and the pros and cons to consider before you decide. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, "How can I spend my charter school funds?"
Bedtime can be a wonderful time of day for your children to learn and grow their curiosities and passions. We discuss research, offer activities and ideas, and give a few simple steps for a peaceful and enriching bedtime. In our Coop Q & A we answer the question, “I have one child - I would homeschool, but don't you think he'd be better off at our church school?”
Kindergarten can be a joyful but also a scary start to your homeschooling adventure. We’ve got you covered by providing you with some foundational ideas for Kindergarten that will allow you to teach from a place of peace. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, “What does a Kindergarten homeschool day look like?”
We need less school, not more...a chapter titled perfectly by John Taylor Gatto. School is a synthetic community; it's merely a network that drains vitality from families and real communities. In this episode, we talk honestly about what the institutionalized school really is...according to an experienced and highly regarded school teacher. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: "How can I get my child more interested in history?"
It takes more than our homeschooling values to develop deep relationships with other moms. We discuss the Relationship Bank Account, how to invest in friendships, and fun ways to bond through conversations. In our Coop Q & A, we answer a struggling mom's cry for help with her child who fights learning.
Let’s be honest - we all have done things in our parenting and homeschooling that we said we would NEVER do. Discussing our “nevers” is a fun and reflective way to humble ourselves into being people more willing to change and grow. We also discuss the pros and cons of downloadable vs. printed curriculum in our Coop Q & A.
Deschooling is the first homeschooling step you need to take after pulling your child out of traditional school. We share what that process is and give some tips to make the homeschooling transition easier for you. Also, we share the benefits of an online platform called Outschool during our Coop Q & A. Check out our show notes at thecoophomeschool.com.
Audio books are a door to organic parenting moments, allow your children to be enriched independently, and can give you a much needed break. Experienced homeschoolers love audio books. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, “I’ve decided to homeschool…now what?”
This is our fourth book club episode of the provocative and inspiring book by J.T. Gatto, Dumbing Us Down. We discuss the author’s life experiences and how they influenced him, as well as his early teaching experiences. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, “What are your favorite charities?”
It’s December! Let’s talk about our traditions during this season. Plan to be intentional about winter learning and form or continue traditions that can make a lifelong impact for all of you. We share some ideas and give our tips on how to ensure your favorite parts of the season actually happen. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, “When should winter break start?”
This last episode of our Road Trip series is our favorite! We take you on a few of our memorable road trips - across country, to San Francisco, and even a couple local Donut Road Trips! Also, we discuss the question, can I work and homeschool?
Sometimes our kiddos need help with focus and attention…so add novelty! We talk about what “novelty” is and about the latest research on how adding a bit of novelty to your homeschool day can make a big impact on your child’s learning. We also give you some useful, simple activities that you can incorporate into your homeschool day. In our Coop Q & A, we discuss when is a good time to introduce chores and contributions to the household.
Reviewing Gatto’s book, Dumbing Us Down, always adds a bit of spice to our discussions. This episode’s chapter is another speech of his, about segregation of ages, detachment from community, growing up absurd, television mentors, and more. We also answer your question about how to help your community together as a family. Check out our other book club episodes in this series on episodes 55 and 57.
We love to share our homeschool fails. We all have ways to grow and experiences to learn from. In this episode we share a few fails of missed opportunities in teaching our children. In our Coop Q & A we share our biggest fears as homeschooling moms.
Let's talk about the do's and don'ts of road tripping. Grab your pen and paper to take notes on this helpful how-to episode.
Curious about what homeschooled adults think about homeschooling and their opinions of their personal experience? Check out this episode where we discuss the survey results of homeschooled adults! Also, in our Coop Q & A we answer your question: should you join a co-op?
Faith can be a sensitive topic to explore with friends no matter what age you are. In this episode, we dive into ideas of how to teach your child how to navigate conversations with friends about faith.
Our second installment of Gatto's book, Dumbing Us Down, where we discuss Gatto's option of what he actually teaches in the traditional school from Chapter 1. We discuss a number of controversial topics on this episode!
There are so many opportunities to learn on a road trip. We discuss the various fun, playful, and enriching ways to teach your children using educational tools before and during a road trip. During Coop Q & A, we discuss the question, "Why do elementary schools mostly focus on math and reading? What about science?"
It’s time for our monthly Coop Book Club! This book by John Taylor Gatto, Dumbing Us Down: The Hidden Curriculum of Compulsory Schooling, is packed with so many provocative discussion points, that we had to dedicate an entire episode to just the preface!
This scary holiday can be a big moment of craftsmanship, theme days, and special time with your co-op. Don't miss the opportunity learn how to dine in the dark or choreograph a glow dance together. We also discuss ways to store your child's school work.
Road trips are a big enriching way to educate your child. It's immersive learning at its best! Planning your road trip plays a huge role in creating the educational experience you want - so we dive into the logistics that you may want to consider in your initial planning stages. We also discuss a California unit study and various ways to practice multiplication in addition to your curriculum.
Birthday parties are a great way to teach event planning to your child, and we layout numerous ways to go about it. Need quick tips to get started in homeschooling? We discuss a very useful quick start resource during our Coop Q&A segment!
On a whim we decided to interview our kids and share their thoughts on homeschooling with you! They share what they love, what they don’t care for, and what they hope for in the future. Out of the mouths of babes…
We're back from our summer break! As a homeschool parent, it can become easy to find our identity in our homeschool lifestyle. We discuss identity in depth to remind ourselves that we are more than our school choice...and so are our children! In our Coop Q&A, we answer the question: "Can I homeschool without a college degree/education degree?"
Let’s plan our co-op year! To run a successful co-op, whether casual or formal, it takes some thought and planning. We share how our planning has evolved over the years and our big plans for the 21-22 school year! For show notes, visit https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode49
It's our first anniversary episode! We celebrate this milestone by sharing our favorite episodes and how this podcast has impacted our lives as homeschool moms. For links to our favorite episodes, visit https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode48
In this episode we discuss how we formed our casual co-op and the ways it has evolved over the years into our beloved Coop Group. We have worked hard to create a common mission for our group, find families who share our vision and set goals for the group to continue to grow. The Coop Group allows for amazing cooperative learning opportunities and for lifelong friendships with homeschool families. For show notes, visit: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode47
Co-Ops Part 1: What Are Co-Ops? In the homeschool world we hear so much about co-ops and feel the pressure to be a part of one. We breakdown what a co-op is, the various types of homeschool co-ops out there, and what our experience with them has been. For more information and our show notes, visit our episode page: http://thecoophomeschool.com/episode46
With the endless supply of intriguing books at our fingertips, how can we possibly choose books for summer reading? We have some recommendations for you! We review some of our reads from last year and discuss the ones we plan to read this year. With fiction, non-fiction, parenting, and homeschooling books, we share a wide range of books for your listening pleasure. We also answer the question about arts and crafts storage options.
It's so fun to plan the next homeschool year, but for some, it can be overwhelming. Where do I start?!? We talk about some research in successful planning, walk you through a helpful planning tool we developed (and it's free!), share what curriculum and activites we are planning this next year, and show our favorite planners. We give our review of a super helpful planning book by Pam Barnhill, titled, "Plan Your Year." Did you know your personality effects how your plan? We also dive into a discussion about one of our biggest challenges as a homeschooling mom in our Coop Q&A segment.
It's super important to reflect on your school year so you can learn from your experiences and plan for the next year. We offer three questions for you to consider in your reflection, and we answer them ourselves with plenty of humble moments of learning as well fun ideas you might even want to try this next school year. We also answer the question, "What are some free resources for teaching letter recognition?" Tune in for some helpful ways you can learn from our mistakes and successes!
What do homeschoolers do in summer? With research and fun we discuss the history of summer, the benefits of a summer break versus the benefits of consistency, as well as summer ideas for homeschooling families. In our Coop Questions segment we answer the important question of "Why do you homeschool?" Join us for some summer fun!
Sometimes it's a stranger, a friend, a family member, or even a spouse that disapproves of your choice to homeschool. Not only that, they are vocal about it. How should we respond to these disapprovers? We tackle this topic with some helpful tools to equip you to respond in a way that is true to you and represents your view and mission in homeschooling.
How do I know if my child is learning what he is supposed to be learning? What if I don't teach him everything he needs to know for his grade level? Will he know what's he's supposed to know for success in life? Frankly speaking, gaps are in every educational approach, whether or not you use state standards for your child's grade level. We dive in to this pressure point to release you of any self-inflicted confinement to a standardized education. In our new segment, Coop Questions, we answer the question about quality educational shows for preschool and elementary-aged children.
Sometimes we homeschool moms fail, but hopefully we learn from our mistakes and through them we grow. In this episode, we share our recent failures in overplanning our schedule and curriculum and how we can improve for next time. We also dive in to a recent social media post about judging and shaming homeschool children for their lack of knowledge about commonly accepted educational standards. It's a fun one!
How do I keep my kids motivated to complete their school work? And is that even something I can do? In this episode we discuss these questions and introduce a way to increase your child's internal motivation. Also, we introduce a new segment on our podcast dedicated to answering your questions. This week we answer, "How many worksheets should I do in a week?"
I don't know what to do all day! We continue our Hesitant Homeschooler Series with one of our most common questions that we get as homeschool moms, "What do you do all day?" Whatever we want! Let me just tell you, the freedom is pretty awesome. Your day can be as scheduled as a traditional school day, or unique for each child and family. We talk about the main essentials in a homeschool day and give a couple examples of what our days looks like.
Yes, we're tackling one of the hot button issues in homeschooling: socialization. We talk about what socialization is, what it isn't, and why it ruffles homeschool moms' feathers when questioned. Our biggest goal in this episode is to break down what we think people really mean by, "How are you going to socialize your children?" and whether it should be a valid concern for homeschooling families.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode36
With all the enriching experiences and activities available to our kids, how on earth do we pick what to expose our children to? In this episode, we talk about maintaining a balance of interest discovery and pursuit with unstructured time at home.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode35
Grab your straw hat! Spring has sprung and it's time for flowery fun with your kiddos! We are excited for this new season of sunshine, so in this episode we discuss the Spring Equinox, theme days, Easter fun, and more ideas for homeschooling spring time.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode34
Homeschooling a single child can be a huge gift with the ability to customize your child's learning to fit his or her needs. However, since children do need regular interaction with other kids, homeschooling a single child has its share of challenges. We discuss the blessings and difficulties from one of our own experiences, and offer some ideas and fun solutions too.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode33
"My kid will miss out" is a frequent reason we hear for why families choose not to homeschool. The fear of missing out on the classroom experience is a valid concern. In this episode, we address this fear of missing out on classroom community, academics, and character development. We strive to replace your fear of missing out with a hopeful enthusiasm that these elements can be very present in your homeschooling life. For more, visit our website: thecoophomeschool.com/episode32
In this episode, we discuss the value of making music and movement a priority in our children's lives. Jessica shares a little of her expertise as an early childhood dance educator for nearly 20 years and provides some helpful tools to adding movement to your homeschool. For more information and resources, visit thecoophomeschool.com/episode31
Be sure to check out our Brain Dance Warm-Up, perfect for getting young brains ready for learning! https://youtu.be/YMx9o_qnjcM
In this episode, we review The Brave Learner and discuss some of our favorite take aways and themes of the book by Julie Bogart. Our favorite phrase to come out of this book is "Us-Schooling" which we discuss at length on the blog. For more information and resources, visit thecoophomeschool.com/episode30
What is a unit study? How do unit studies differ from curriculum? We answer those questions and share some of our favorite unit studies and discuss how to put together your own based on your child's interests. For more information, visit our website: thecoophomeschool.com/episode29
"I don't think I can, but I want to" is such a common topic of discussion amongst parents interested in homeschooling. There is so much hesitation and we want to talk through some of the biggest issues we hear. Our goal in this new series is to discuss these common hesitations and provide research, insight and experiences to help alleviate the fear of homeschooling. For more, visit our website: thecoophomeschool.com/episode28
What is a "mom friend" you ask? Well, in this episode we share what we mean by that, some of special friendships we have in this current phase of life, our advice for finding your mom friends, and our favorite ways to spend time with them. We are so looking forward to our very own Galentine's Day event to celebrate the amazing moms in our Coop Group, you should plan one too! For more info and resources, visit thecoophomeschool.com/episode27
In this episode we finish our review and discussion of the book, Home Grown by Ben Hewitt. We give our overall thoughts on unschooling, the idea of a truly individualized, organic education.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode26
Happy 2021! We're back with a new episode all about how we restart our year and refresh our homeschool. We share some of our favorite resources to help us. For resources and more, visit: thecoophomeschool.com/episode25
It's cold and flu season and that can really put a damper on our homeschool routines. In this episode we provide our best advice, tips, and tricks to homeschool while you are sick without resorting Netflix school. To see more on our Sick Bin idea, visit https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode24
'Tis the season of thankfulness and giving. In this episode, we focus on encouraging a giving spirit in our children. While this can and should be done all year round, the holiday season is the perfect time to dig in and really discuss what it means to give with your children. We often make it a whole learning, homeschooling experience!
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode23
Teaching thankfulness to our children in meaningful ways is such an important job as a parent! It can be challenging to find ways to model thankfulness, teach it, find it in hard moments, and express it to others. In this episode we discuss some of our favorite ways to teach and model thankfulness to our children and some fun ways you can try! For our resources and more, visit us at: thecoophomeschool.com/episode22
Being a mom is hard, being a homeschooling mom is really hard. We know how challenging it can be to prioritize a little time for yourself, for self-care, but it is so necessary! In this episode we dive into what self-care is and finding what you need most.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode21
We begin the second half of our book and discuss extracurricular activities and balancing the time your children spend outside of the home. We also talk about the work our children do as they grow and develop, the work ethic we hope to model and encourage within them as they become more and more independent. Check out our blog this week: When Do Extracurriculars Become Too Much at https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode20
Are you on the go so much that you feel your homeschool day suffer? We've got strategies for effectively educating in the car! Sometimes it involves actual curriculum, but more often than not, we're just creative with adding learning and bonding opportunities to our car rides. For more information on the products and resources we discuss, visit https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode19
Add some fun and excitement to your family's learning with theme days! In this episode we discuss some of our own favorite theme days, as well as how you can develop your own around the interests of your children. For links to our theme day blog posts and more, visit https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode18
With so much societal pressure to have children reading at younger and younger ages, many parents face challenges with reading instruction. In this episode, we discuss our own experiences with reading challenges, research and findings on the average age of reading, and institutionalized education literacy expectations vs. developmentally age-appropriate reading instruction vs. natural literacy. We offer information to not only release you from the pressure of reading challenges but helpful ways to combat them. For more links and resources, visit our website: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode17
We dive deep into the next chapters of our first book club selection, discussing institutionalized education, throwing out convention, imagining our children's futures, and building the lives we want for our families. If you haven't read the book, be sure to check out Episode 12 where we discuss the first three chapters.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode16
Fall is here and we love what this new season brings in continuing traditions, building new ones, and creating fun experiences and memories. In this episode we share some of our ongoing traditions from food and decor to pumpkin patches and parties. For links and more, visit our website: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode15
We LOVE books! We especially love the sweet, fun, and educational picture books that began our reading relationships. In this episode, we each share 10 of our favorite picture books. For links to the books and some of our other recommendations, visit: https://www.thecoophomeschool.com/episode14
We love camping! In this episode, we share our fun experiences and favorite tips. We have more details and our printable Camping Packet which includes both our minimal packing list and over-packer packing list over on our blog!
In this episode, we discuss the first 3 chapters of the book, Home Grown by Ben Hewitt. If you don't have a copy, grab yours and catch up! We highly recommending digging right into chapter 1 and saving the prologue and introduction for later. Don't have time to read right now? Don't worry about it! We pretty much sum up everything in this episode.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode12
In this episode, we share what we have planned for this school year and what goes into our planning. We discuss using our children's interests to help us make a plan that will work for them as well. Visit our website for the list of resources and recommendations we share in this episode: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode11
In this episode we meet Mandi's sister-in-law, Katie! She shares her experiences homeschooling her three kids, her background in education, and what homeschooling looks like for her family. Hearing from other real homeschool moms is so encouraging and inspiring!
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode10
Sometimes, we really need to do something awesome with our kiddos that doesn't require hours of prep time. In this episode, we share some of our favorite minimal prep activities!
@20:00 the game mentioned is called Suspend It!
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode9
In this episode we discuss some wonderful ways to set up independent activities that will allow you some "me time" during your homeschool day. Get creative and use that time wisely!
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode8
Where do you homeschool? We chat about our homeschool spaces and how we utilize them. We share our experiences homeschooling just about anywhere!
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode7
In this super fun bonus episode, we introduce our spouses and ask them some big questions about homeschooling. So glad they are on this journey with us!
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/bonusepisode1
In this episode, we discuss how we plan for our first day of homeschool and some traditions we've started. For more ideas and inspiration, check out our blog: thecoophomeschool.com/episode6
Want to know what we've been reading? Most of our summer reading books are homeschool related and we discuss what we're loving about them. We also announce our first Coop Club Book of the new school year. Be sure to read along with us!
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode5
Parents are well equipped to teach their children, especially preschoolers! It just takes a little creativity and out of the box thinking. Your homeschool preschool can look however you want it to! In this episode we talk about our own experiences homeschooling our former preschoolers.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode4
Are you trying to homeschool older children with a toddler at home? It can be a challenge to manage, but in this episode we share our experience and tips for success.
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode3
Well, we homeschool moms are certainly not perfect! Sometimes we fail quietly and don't share with anyone. Other times, we fail, share with you and laugh at ourselves. We talk out the fail here and discuss ways to improve. The best thing we can do in this journey is support each other.
Don't worry, we will have more fails for you in the future!
For more information and resources, visit our episode page: https://thecoophomeschool.com/episode2
Homeschooling can be overwhelming - from just getting started to the ongoing worry of preparing your child academically for whatever could be in their future. We discuss what has been most overwhelming to us and how we manage that in our own homeschool adventures.
Welcome to the COOP! We are sharing how The Coop came about, our vision for growing this homeschool community and a little about your mama hens: Jessica & Mandi. We are so excited to kick-off the summer with this fun podcast.