Toolbox for Learning Podcast: Recent Episodes
Lydia Lyons
Sharing resources, reviews and experiences of homeschooling from the perspectives of an adult who was homeschooled and the mom who taught him.
In Part Two of this two part series Levi and Chaz discuss what life is like as an adult after being homeschooled. They give insights into what it was like:
- Starting college
- Getting their first jobs
- Transitions into adulthood
- Things they will change when homeschooling their own children
- Things they appreciate from their own homeschool experience
They end by giving advice to both parents and homeschoolers, from the perspective of adults who were homeschooled.
In Part One, Levi and Chaz focused on their homeschool experiences and perspectives during childhood and how those opinions have changed or remained the same in their adult lives.
Most podcast focus on assisting homeschool parents as they navigate the homeschool adventure. Instead, our next two podcast will be focusing on what homeschooling looks like to our kids.
In this podcast, Chaz and Levi will be discussing what it was like growing up in the homeschool environment. What they like, what they didn't like and what they wish they had done differently.
They give advice to parents and their homeschooled children, encouraging children to carefully evaluate the gift they have being homeschooled and how to best use that gift to the fullest. They also give parents some insights into the unspoken concerns facing some homeschoolers as they reach the teenage years.
In the next podcast, Chaz and Levi will be discussing what life looks like as an adult who was homeschooled. They discuss their college experiences, work opportunities, marriage and other transitions into adulthood.
We hope these podcast give both parents and homeschoolers insight into their homeschool journey, and assists them as they plan out their adult life after homeschooling.
Disruptions in the homeschool are inevitable. But when your homeschooler is doing the disrupting things can get out of control fast. In this series we are discussing what to do when our homeschooler insists on disrupting the day, and why they do it.
In today's podcast, part 5 of the series, Chaz and Christie are discussing the funny child. This child brings so much joy, and light hearted good times to the classroom. But a funny child out of control can also bring frustration and choas.
Chaz, the funny boy, and Christie (the mom who taught him) discuss what homeschooling is like for the funny boy, and for the rest of the family. They discuss practical ways of helping the funny child work through their natural inclinations, while still learning the control and respect for themselves and others that are necessary for their interactions with others and their adult lives.
They discuss:
- The need to gain the respect of the funny child
- Teaching the funny child to tease without hurting others
- Training your funny child to not use jokes to draw attention to their own weaknesses or sensitive areas
- Classroom techniques for working with your funny child.
We hope you enjoy this podcast and check out the rest of our series on:
The Disruptive Homeschooler
- Part One: The Melt Down Child
- Part Two: The Distractor
- Part Three: The Watch Me/Look at This Child
- Part Four: The Talker
- Part Five: The Funny Boy
In this series, we have been discussing what to do when your homeschooler disrupts the school day. This podcast discusses the talker. This is the child who just can't seem to stop disrupting, because they just have to tell you one more thing.
Chaz and Christie give tips and insights into the talker and how to help them use their natural inclination to learn and develop, while still maintaining stability in the classroom. Chaz describes what it was like being a homeschool talker and the frustrations of having to keep quiet when he had so much to share.
He then goes on to share how his mom, Christie, used his talkative, outgoing nature to help him develop leadership skills in their homeschool environment. These skills gave him a great start into adult life and his present career. He strongly encourages parents to acknowledge their child's natural inclinations as they develop a plan for not just ending disruptions in the classroom, but also to help their child grow and mature through the homeschool experience.
We encourage you to check out the rest of the Disruptive Homeschool series:
Part 1: The Meltdown Child
Part 2: The Deflector
Part 3: The Watch Me/Look at This Child
Part 4: The Talker
Part 5: The Funny Guy
Disruptions in the school day. They come in many different forms, from the phone ringing, to errands that have to be run, the list is endless and constant. But the hardest is when your homeschooler is the disruptor.
In this series, The Disruptive Homeschooler, Chaz and Christie discuss five of the most common disruptive behaviors seen in most homeschools. Although no child has only one means of disrupting, you will see a natural inclination towards a specific means of drawing unproductive attention towards themselves. Understanding these kinds of disruptions, the motivation behind the disruptions, and ways to use your child's natural inclinations to help redirect them, will go a long ways to bringing stability back into your classroom.
The five disruptive personalities that are discussed in the 5 part series are:
- The Melt-down Child
- The Deflector
- The Watch Me/Look at This Child
- The Talker
- The Funny Child
In today's podcast, Chaz and Christie will be focusing on the Watch Me/Look at This Child. This is the child who loves to show you their newest twirl, whistle or picture they drew. Great things, but not necessarily in the middle of a grammar lesson.
What to do when you want to encourage your child's creativity and wonder, but also need them to focus on the task at hand? This podcast will give you practical, easy to implement tips for working with your Watch Me/Look at This child.
Disruptions in the school day, everyone has them. But what do you do when your biggest disruption is your homeschooler. In this series Chaz and Christie discuss some of the most common disruptive behaviors and share tips for getting back control of your homeschool.
Todays podcast focuses on the Deflector. These homeschoolers have a wide range of tools they can use to disassemble even the best planned school day. They ask questions that are off topic and are hard to answer, give tidbits of knowledge on subjects that have nothing to do with what you are talking about, and will argue with you over facts that are totally irrelevant to the discussion. And they can get so stuck on these facts, arguments, and questions that you can't pry their brains away from their topic of interest.
As an adult who was homeschooled and the mom who taught him, Chaz and Christie have a unique perspective as ones who have been where you are, both as a teacher and as a homeschooled student. Listen as they describe life with a deflector in the classroom and some of the funny and unique disruptions that it caused through their homeschool adventure. Also, hear some of the things that Christie discovered to bring order back from chaos as she learned how to work with her own deflecting homeschooler.
Disruptions, they come from everywhere - the dog, the phone, the doorbell, but the worst is when your homeschooler is the disruption. They come in many forms - the meltdown child, the distractor, the talker, just to name three. But, they all have basically the same purpose - to be noticed and to delay school.
For the next few podcasts, we are going to discuss different types of disruptive students, and give you some practical tips for dealing with their unique style of disrupting a school day.
**In this podcast Chaz and Christie will be discussing the Meltdown Child. From their own personal experience as a homeschooler, and the mom who taught him, they will describe the classic meltdown situation and the two main causes of such behavior.
They will also give many hints and suggestions for working with your Meltdown Child, including:**
- How to train your child to handle pressures and distractions
- Arranging the classroom and other learning environments to accommodate your child's particular needs
- Breaking down assignments into workable sections
- Curriculum options for the distracted learner
- Catching a melt down before it happens
And finally, they will encourage you sharing with you the results of a lifetime of training for an adult homeschooler who was once a Meltdown Child. If you have a child who meltdowns in or out of the classroom, this podcast will be an encouragement, and a help in dealing with the disruption of meltdowns and give you a plan for making them a thing of the past.
Merry Christmas! In this podcast we will be continuing our discussion on Christmas traditions. Last week, Chaz and Christie discussed the origins and history of Santa Claus and the Christmas tree.
This week we will be sharing the background behind:
- Christmas cards
- Poinsettias
- Salvation Army Bell Ringers
- Store Santas
- The Ugly Christmas Sweater
- Cookie Swaps
- Laying out letters and cookies for Santa, and carrots for his reindeer
We hope you enjoy the podcast and will come check us out at www.toolboxforlearning.com.
Merry Christmas! In this podcast, Chaz and Christie begin a two part series on some of our more popular Christmas traditions. This podcast focuses mainly on Santa Claus and the Christmas tree.
History of Santa Claus:
- Three main views of where Santa Claus originated
- How Santa went from an elf with a miniature sleigh to a full-sized Santa dressed all in red.
- Was Santa always jolly?
- Thomas Nast
- Coca Cola's
- Rudolph, elves and Mrs. Claus
History of the Christmas Tree:
- Paradise tree (Christbaum)
- Martin Luther
- Saint Boniface legend
- Legend of the Forester
- Queen Charlotte's Christmas tree
- Christmas tree's move to the United States
- History of the tree skirt
- 1851 first mass supply of Christmas trees
In our next podcast we will be discussing the history of:
- Christmas cards and stamps
- Poinsettias
- Salvation Army Bell Ringers
- Store Santa's
- Ugly Christmas Sweater's
- Cookie swaps
- Letter's to Santa with milk and cookies
We hope you enjoy this podcast and have a very Merry Christmas.
Gratitude can be learned. Whether giving a show of gratitude or being on the receiving end, how we respond is important.
In this podcast, Chaz and Christie discuss the importance of gratefulness and ideas for incorporating it into the life of your child. Included in their discussion is:
- What gratitude is and is not
- Research on the importance of gratefulness in the life of your child
- Teaching children how to accept others show of gratitude
- Showing your child how to respond when others are ungrateful for your child's gift
- Suggestions for teaching gratitude in your home
We hope you find this podcast helpful as you teach your child the joy of giving and receiving.
Chores, just the word makes both kids and adults cringe. Why does it have to be such a challenge? And is it even worth the effort?
In this podcast Chaz and Christie bring you beyond the chore list to discuss the root causes of chore challenges:
- Failure to understand the main purpose of chores
- Improper training for chores
- Lack of ownership for the chores
As a veteran homeschool mom and a former homeschooler, Chaz and Christie have a unique perspective as ones who have been where you are, both as a teacher and as a homeschooled student. Taking from their own experiences Chaz and Christie give suggestions for making chore time a more pleasant and productive time.
We look forward to sharing this podcast with you and look forward to reading your comments.
Starting college can be frightening for anyone, but for homeschooler's and their parents, there are extra apprehensions that come up as they prepare for the college experience. In this podcast, Chaz and Christie discuss college from the perspective of a homeschooler, who is now a college graduate, and the mom who taught him. They give tips in how to adjust and get the most out of the college experience.
They will discuss:
- Getting involved in campus life
- The important classes to take your first semester
- How to relate to your professor
- Using the math and writing labs
- Keeping track of important dates
- Watching bulletin boards and other announcements
We hope you find this podcast helpful as you prepare for your college adventure.
Dogs, cats, hamsters, just the names make many of us cringe. The mess, the chaos, the fighting over feeding, cleaning, and caring for them, for many of us it just doesn't seem worth it.
But there are so many opportunities and lessons to be learned through our pets. The lasting memories of the joy and trials of pet ownership help cement the teaching moments as they come along.
In this podcast, Chaz talks about the lifetime lessons he learned as a homeschooler with a menagerie of pets from chickens, cows, dogs, and cats to chameleons and salamanders. He tells the story of losing a dog he loved, but wished he had spent more time with, and how it motivated him to be the dog owner he is today. He also discusses how pet ownership teaches children how to relate to people with compassion, tenderness, and a sense of responsibility.
His mom and homeschool teacher, Christie, shares even more opportunities for learning that arises from having a family pet. She includes a discussion of the school topics, and life skills that can be jump started through curiosity about your pets anatomy or behaviors. She also discusses ideas for training your child to be a responsible pet owner.
Through their own personal experiences, Chaz and Christie take the time to not only encourage homeschoolers to add a beloved family pet to their household, but to use the relationship that develops to train your child in many areas of academic, lifestyle and relational areas.
You couldn't wait for summer to begin, and now you can't wait for it to end. You are weary of the heat, and the kids constant fighting and whining. In this podcast, Chaz and Christie give homeschool parents ideas for combating the end of summer blues, and end the summer on a high note.
As a veteran homeschool mom and a former homeschooler, Chaz and Christie have a unique perspective as ones who have been where you are, both as a teacher and as a homeschooled student.
So join them while they discuss:
- Changing up what you are already doing.
- Playing along side your kids.
- Involving your children in your end of summer projects.
- Creating a pleasant atmosphere for your children when they are helping on a project.
- Relaxing while you plan for the coming year.
- Using summer to get a jump start on school for the next year.
- Don't pressure yourself into thinking everything you do has to evolve around it being summer.
We hope you enjoy what summer has to offer, and get the most from your break from school from start to finish.
Can you homeschool and still enjoy a relaxing vacation at the same time? Definitely. In fact, homeschooling while on vacation can add to the fun and joy of vacationing.
In this podcast, Chaz and Christie will be sharing personal experiences adding educational opportunities in their vacations. Included in the discussion is how they managed to stay sane, entertained, and excited about their 3,542 mile drive during their move from Oklahoma to Alaska.
They will also discuss:
- Planning with your child prior to the trip (including how to keep to a budget)
- Teaching your child how to pack for themselves
- Looking for opportunities for learning along the way
- Ways to handle a long drive as a family
- Encouraging friends and family to teach your child a new skill or hobby when visiting
- Journalizing your trip
- Looking for opportunities for further learning once back home
- Teaching a love for learning and travel by example
Summer is the perfect time to try out unschooling. What better time of year to spark your child's interest than when flowers are blooming, tadpoles are growing, and rain and thunder fall from the sky. There are beaches and mountains to be explored and vacations to make learning one giant field trip.
In this podcast, Chaz and Christie share their summer experiences unschooling while Chaz was growing up in Oklahoma and Alaska. They hope to encourage you in taking the opportunities to help your child find new interest and develop the love of learning by taking advantage of the summer months.
Do you wish you knew what it was like to be a child who is homeschooled? What about college, do you question what it will be like for your homeschooler? Joining the workforce, getting married, having children, contemplating homeschooling their own kids, all these are concerns we have as homeschool parents looking at our children's futures.
In this podcast, we will be addressing each of those concerns from the perspective of an adult who was homeschooled from birth. Our host, Chaz, who was also homeschooled, will be interviewing Reuben, who will be sharing his experience growing up homeschooled and life as an adult.
They will be discussing:
- Thoughts and opinions of homeschooling as a child
- Sports and homeschooling
- Starting college as a former homeschooler
- Entering the workplace
- Marriage and starting a family
- Adult perspective of homeschooling
- Suggestions for parents who are homeschooling
We hope that you will be able to use their suggestions and experiences to add to your child's homeschool adventure.
Siblings, sometimes it feels like all they do is fight. You walk in the room and they are playing so sweetly together, and seconds later they are screaming and throwing things at one another. What is a parent to do?
In this podcast, Chaz and Christie share their advice on working through sibling tensions to become best friends for life. Chaz was the youngest of three with only 3 years and 3 weeks between him and his oldest brother. Christie grew up with a sister 10 years younger than herself. Both share advice on helping your children grow their sibling relationships from their differing life experiences.
In this podcast they will discuss:
- Teaching your children the permanence of friendship in family
- Being best friends for life
- Using the technique of grounding your children from each other
- Using the outdoors as a tool for diffusing tensions
- How to guide your children as they "work things out" with each other
We hope this podcast gives you tools that will equip you for handling sibling tension when it comes, so that you can have children who are best friends for life.
You wake up in the morning already stressed about the day. Your homeschooling has had a bad week due to errands that had to be run. But it's not over yet, today is another day of appointments, shopping and of course a homeschool group get together. Sometimes it feels like you can never get to reading, writing, and arithmetic for all the other challenges in life.
From personal experience, we can tell you there is a way to educate your homeschoolers on the run, and that is what today's podcast is all about. Chaz and Christie have been where you are and share many of their personal experiences of homeschooling on the run.
Chaz shares some of the unique opportunities he had to learn growing up, due to his parents being busy in the community. And Christie shares some of the frustrations and concerns she felt as she tried to figure out how to give her children, including Chaz, a well rounded education while still maintaining their business.
In this podcast they go into detail about learning opportunities that abound in the:
- Grocery store
- Doctors office
- Bank
They also share the importance of being aware of the unique opportunities that your particular lifestyle brings for learning on the run, whether it is going to the pier for fresh fish, or doing a building project at home. Each of us can take advantage of those days packed with errands to homeschool on the run.
Hope you enjoy this podcast as much as we enjoyed making it.
Homeschooling teens is hard work, but it also comes with a lot of joy. In this podcast Chaz and Christie will be discussing techniques to add interest and accountability into your homeschooler's school day. Using the ideas of expectations, freedom and control, they will describe a classroom environment that allows for:
- Decision making
- Large project management
- Learning how to find and use resources
- Working towards adult goals
- Respect
Chaz, as an adult who was homeschooled, and Christie, as the mom who taught him, are in the unique position of being able to share ideas from not just the prospective of the parent, but also the teen. By listening we hope you will glean ideas for your homeschool teen.
Parenting teens….. A phrase that has strikes fear in many souls.
And who hasn’t heard the phrase - if you can’t control your child at two, you sure won’t be able to control him at thirteen. But, it doesn’t have to be that way and that is what we are going to discuss on this podcast - Teaching Teens.
This will be a two part series discussing the challenges of raising teens. Part 1 will emphasize the need for expectations for your teens and helping them set up their own expectations. We will also be discussing teen emotions and how best to support them, while also training them in mature responses to their feelings.
In Part 2 we will be exploring the academic side of raising teens.
As a former homeschooler, and the mom who taught him. Chaz and Christie are in an unique position to share with you their personal experiences of transitioning from pre-adolescents, into the teenage years, college years, and eventual adulthood.
Whether you are awaiting the birth of your first child or trying to decide if you should begin homeschooling your teenager, the question of "when do I begin?" is an important starting point for every homeschool parent.
In this podcast, Chaz and Christie will discuss the right time to begin homeschooling your child. This podcast will define what homeschool is and give specific advice for people who are preparing for the birth of their child by encouraging them to see all of life as a homeschool experience.
They explain the importance of understanding baby development and making intentional lesson plans for helping your child reach the necessary milestones. In addition, they give practical ideas for encouraging learning without breaking the pocketbook.
They also discuss the older child and when you should begin homeschooling your teenager. This podcast even includes ideas for how to homeschool your child if they are a traditional student.
We look forward to sharing this podcast with you and ask that if you enjoyed the episode that you would like and follow us.
There is nothing like working alongside mom and dad to help your child develop the skills they will need as adults. When our children join us in our day to day work they learn more than just how to wash dishes or change the oil in their cars. And that is what Chaz and Christie will be discussing in this podcast.
They have a unique perspective on this subject due to their personal experiences as a homeschooled adult and the mom who taught him. By having been there before you, they will encourage you in your own homeschool adventure as you have your child work alongside you.
I know, life is busy. There are babies to feed, houses to clean, kids that need homeschooled, and bills to pay. Now, to add to that - making sure my husband isn't getting neglected! You just can't win, can you.
But, what if you could? What if there is a way to keep up your responsibilities and have a spouse that doesn't feel like the last thing on your list? That is the purpose for today's podcast.
Christie will share her own experience trying to juggle home, work and homeschooling, while trying to keep her marriage healthy. It doesn't have to be hard - it just has to do with willingness to be creative and intentional effort.
She will be discussing:
- The natural ebbs and flows of marriage
- Questions to ask yourself periodically
- Evaluating your time
- Working small times for each other naturally into your day
We hope you enjoy this podcast and find new and creative opportunities for enjoying your spouse.
Homeschooling boys. Somedays there's nothing better - other days it's like pulling your teeth out. A million times a day do you find yourself asking:
- Why can't he just sit still and pay attention?
- Why does he zone out and act like he's not even there?
- Why are there rocks, sticks and unrecognizable things in his pockets all the time?
- How do I get my son excited about his school day?
- Why does it seem so much harder to teach him than my daughter?
- What do I do with all that energy?
- How is he ever going to be able to manage a desk job/college when he gets older?
If you find yourself asking these questions, then you are in the right place. As a adult who was once a homeschooled boy himself, Chaz has insight into what it means to be a boy in the educational environment. Despite all his energy growing up, which hasn't really gone away, Chaz has learned to manage college and a desk job career by embracing his need to move, with his responsibilities in the workplace. Your son can do the same.
In this podcast Chaz, and his mom, Christie, will use research to describe to you what is going on inside your son's brain, and share some of their methods for waking up boys minds. Using their personal experience homeschooling three boys, Chaz and Christie will teach you the best method of homeschooling boys: Time and Training.
They will be discussing:
- Causes of misbehavior in boys
- How to add movements and physical activity into your day
- How to train your son to find ways to add small movements into his day, even when he must sit quietly
- How to teach your boy how to read a situation and know how to respond in a way that keeps his mind engage
We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions for educating boys.
In this episode, Chaz and Christie discuss the many benefits and family memories gained through reading aloud as a family. Christie and her husband, Jamie, began reading together early in their marriage. When their three boys came along, it was only natural that couples reading would turn into reading as a family.
Chaz and Christie will share many of their experiences as a reading family and give you tips for your own family reading time. Their suggestions include:
- Being intentional in finding time to read as a family.
- Stopping a reading section at the right point.
- Recapping at the beginning of each reading session.
- Suggestions for making reading easier on the reader.
- Taking the time for children to read aloud.
- Understanding the importance of homeschool parents reading to themselves and their spouse.
We look forward to sharing this podcast with you, and look forward to reading your comments.
On December 25th, people will be celebrating Christmas around the world. Today Chaz and Christie will be looking at two countries, Sweden and Argentina and how they will be celebrating Christmas this year.
First, they will be discussing Sweden and their celebrations centering on Disney and St. Lucia. They will also discuss how straw plays a big role in their Christmas decorating and activities. They will also talk about how the Swedish people protect their trees and homes around Christmas.
Second, they will tell you about Argentina and their Christmas Eve of food, family and lights. They will also tell you the part cotton balls play in the Argentine Christmas.
If you enjoy this episode, please click like below, and leave a comment telling us what family traditions you practice at Christmas.
In our special edition of Toolbox for Learning Podcast, Chaz and Christie discuss the many blessings that homeschooling allows families. They share personal experiences as a homeschooler and the mom who taught him.
We hope you enjoy this change of pace from our normal show, and that it will encourage you and your family to slow down this Thanksgiving and reflect on what the homeschool experience has meant to your family.
There are so many things to consider, learn, and explore before choosing to homeschool. But, we also need to be aware that there are some things that should not be considered when evaluating how homeschooling fits into your family's needs.
In this podcast, Chaz and Christie will be discussing six things notto consider as you contemplate homeschooling. As a veteran homeschool mom, Christie has been in a position of helping others as they discover whether homeschooling fit's their own family's needs. Also, Chaz, a former homeschooler, shares his observations, especially in the area of children's attitudes when parents are considering homeschooling.
In this podcast, they will be discussing topics, such as:
- heated confrontations with school teachers or administrators
- your child's attitudes
- opinions of family, friends or social circles
- your education level
- fear and insecurity
We look forward to hearing from you. Please like and comment with your own suggestions of things that you should or shouldn't consider before deciding to homeschool.
Thanks for listening.
Who wouldn't want to be known for being the ideal family? We all want to be admired. But many of us unintentionally strive for the attention of others at the expense of our families. In todays podcast, Chaz and Christie will be discussing the difference between the ideal family and the ideal family environment and why the difference is so important.
Chaz and Christie are in an unique position to discuss this topic. Chaz was homeschooled and Christie was the mom who taught him. They understand where you are and the struggle to keep up the family image, while homeschooling.
Chaz and Christie will be discussing research that shows people are becoming more critical of themselves and others. This podcast will go into how to deal with knowing others may judge you for how you choose to run your home. They also discuss what happens when that judgmental, perfectionist attitude becomes a part of your home.
In this podcast, they will also be discussing specific ways to change you thinking about why you do the things you do. Using examples such as chores and manners, Chaz and Christie explain the importance of working towards a healthy family environment, rather than trying to be the perfect family.
We look forward to sharing this podcast with you and reading your comments and suggestions.
Fire and tornado drills are a normal part of the traditional school environment. But they are commonly ignored by homeschool families. In this podcast, Chaz and Christie will be discussing why disaster preparedness is important, and how to prepare your child for a disaster using their own experiences during the 7.1 magnitude earthquake that hit Southcentral Alaska in 2018.
They will be giving specific ideas for helping your child prepare for the next emergency, whether it being something as minor as the electricity going out or a flat tire, to tornado's, fire and other more extraordinary disasters.
Subjects that will cover include:
- The need for your child to understand the disaster's cause, history and scientific advancements
- How to not strike fear into your child while practicing disaster preparedness
- Helping your child gain the skills needed to handle an emergency as it occurs
- Making sure your child knows what to do and expect after a disaster
- Teaching how they should respond if you are not in the area when a disaster hits
- Involving your child in an emergency preparedness plan
- Training yourself to stay calm and manage yourself when a disaster occurs
- Displaying your confidence in their ability to handle an emergency if it arises
As a veteran homeschool mom and a former homeschooler, Chaz and Christie have a unique perspective as ones who have been where you are, both as a teacher and as a homeschooled student. They look forward to sharing this podcast with you and reading your response.
You know you want your child to grow into a financially wise adult. But, for that to happen they must be trained. As homeschool parents, it falls on us to make sure they have the financially literacy they need. So, when do you begin teaching them these important skills and what is it they need to know.
Today Chaz, a certified public accountant (CPA), will be discussing with you, what it takes to be financially literate. He will also be discussing how his parents taught him how to be financially responsible during his homeschooling years.
Chaz and Christie are uniquely qualified to teach you these principles due to the combination of their experience in the field of finance, being a homeschooler and being the mom who taught him. We invite you to listen to their practical advice and suggestions for what worked in their homeschooling experience.
They will cover subjects such as:
- What is personal finance.
- When to begin teaching finance to your homeschooler.
- Banking
- Investing
- Debt
- Insurance
- Financial Planning
- Identity Protection
- Much more
You know that play is important and that children need plenty of it, but do you know what play really is? In this episode, Chaz and Christie will define play and share with you research that has been done on this very important subject, along with how you can incorporate play into your homeschool.
Using many personal experiences they will:
- Discuss how to recognize true play
- The value of both structured activity and unstructured play
- The loss of playtime in the U.S.
- The gift of boredom
- Tools children use to play
- Being an example to your kids
- How to play with your child without taking over
As a bonus, learn about how Chaz and his brothers explored learning through a simple game of "Squirrels Get Ready for Winter".
You know you want to homeschool, but don't know where to begin? In this podcast Chaz and Christie discuss a step by step approach to starting your homeschool adventure and sharing with you how to access their free Getting Started in Homeschooling Guide.
They will be discussing:
- How to discover your states regulations and educational standards.
- Home School Legal Defense Association
- Budgeting and scholarship opportunities
- Picking your homeschool resources
- Free and low cost homeschool materials
- Picking a school calendar
- Evaluating where your child is academically
- Discovering your child's learning style
- The importance of also discovering your own learning style
- Common teaching methods
- Importance of an active homeschool group
- Setting up your classroom
- Organizing and preparing for the school year
- Consistency in your homeschool/ flexibility and how to achieve both effectively.
We look forward to sharing this invaluable resource for both the new and seasoned homeschooler.
Are your parents excited that you will be homeschooling their grandkids? I know mine weren't thrilled. So, what did I learn about from the experience of winning the grandparents over to homeschooling? That is what we are discussing in this podcast.
We will be covering topics such as:
- Why grandparents may not be positive about the homeschooling experience
- Things you can do to help them see homeschooling in a more positive light
- Specific ways of involving grandparents in the homeschool experience
- Things grandkids do that help grandparents know homeschooling is the right choice for your family
Do you have dreams of adding excitement into your classroom by making your own curriculum. You know you and your kids would love it, but don't know where to begin? In this episode, Chaz and Christie will be sharing their own curriculum building experiences.
They will lead you step-by-step through the process of curriculum building by bringing you through the process Christie went through while planning an election series for Chaz and his brothers. Some of what will be discussed include:
- Determining your states standards list
- How to determine you and your child's learning styles
- Deciding what format to use for your curriculum
- Writing out the overview for your learning objectives
- Purchasing and designing your curriculum
Including in the show notes are resources such as:
- Educational standards websites per state
- Learning Styles Cheat sheet
Is your homeschooler ready for "the real world"? Many times we assume our child is prepared, just to discover they aren't. In this podcast, Chaz and Christie will share with you some of the skills that your child needs to function in the adult world and give guidance for how to go about achieving this goal starting in their preschool years.
They also include a resource called "Preparing Your Child for the Adult Life Now" to help you develop a curriculum for teaching adulting to your homeschooler.
Chaz, as an adult who was homeschooled, has the unique perspective of having made the transition from homeschooler to college and professional life. His insight is invaluable in helping you focus on an intentional plan for preparing your child.
This podcast will cover topics such as:
- Social skills
- Finance
- Daily living skills
- Emergency preparedness
- Car maintenance
- Work ethic
- Time management and organization
- Critical thinking skills
We look forward to having you join us for this episode. See you soon!
The community should be on the top of every homeschooler's resource list. No matter the size of the community, the opportunities to learn and grow are endless. In this podcast, Chaz and Christie will be discussing specific ways of bringing your community into your homeschool learning experience.
The podcast begins with their personal experiences homeschooling in rural Oklahoma and later in Alaska. Chaz and Christie share these stories to show you the richness of opportunities that are right at your door. They discuss everything from a bullfrog pond to exploring a boat manufacturing plant as part of their experiences homeschooling.
They follow up their stories with practical advice on how to discover your own community resources.
We suggest you grab a pen and paper before listening to the podcast, so you can write down ideas that come to your mind as you listen.
Does your homeschooler seemed bored and unmotivated by his school day? Today Chaz and Christie are going to discuss how using your child's passions can take the school day from a drudgery to exciting and fulfilling.
Chaz and Christie have a unique perspective as an adult who was homeschooled and the mom who taught him. They will use this uniqueness to show you what homeschool can look like when a child's passions are ignited and allowed to grow both inside and outside the classroom.
Many times your child already has something they are passionate about, such as the example used in this podcast of Chaz's oldest brother, Devin, and his interest in becoming a veterinarian. In this story, their Dad finds a bird that is in need of care and a whole world of both real life and academic opportunities open up for Devin and his brothers due to this experience.
Other times daily experiences or a subject in school brings about an interest they never knew existed. Chaz tells the story of a man in the neighborhood who opened up the world of business and cattle through a brief interaction in their front yard one day. From that experience so many lessons were learned.
Chaz and Christie will give you suggestions on how to take a passion and apply it to math, science, English and other subjects for your homeschool. They will discuss using a unit study to build on your child's passion. They will also discuss how to modify ready-made curriculum to fit your child's interest.
This podcast will be an encouragement for any parent who wants to bring excitement back into their school, while at the same time allowing their child the opportunity to explore and develop their passion.
How much should I use computers in my homeschool? What computer skills should my child have before going into college or a profession? How do I keep my child safe while on the Internet? These are all questions that will be covered in this podcast.
Chaz, as a former college student and now a CPA (certified public accountant), will give detailed insights into what colleges and the workplaces will be expecting out of your child in regards to previously developed computer skills. He will also be covering gaming and its advantages and disadvantages when considering your child's computer strength. In this podcast Chaz and Christie will provide you with information on potential resources for helping your child develop computer skills.
Finally, we invite you to download some of our other podcast. Also, watch for other episodes that will be coming out in the future. We look forward to hearing your comments. Happy listening!
Are you concerned that if you homeschool your kids won't fit in? Maybe you are concerned that homeschooling will leave them ill-equipped to handle life in the real world. If so, you are not alone. Today we are going to look at research that has been done on this subject, along with Chaz and Christie's own experiences.
Chaz and Christie are in a unique position to share this podcast with you. Chaz was homeschooled from pre-K to 12th grade. He graduated with honors with his bachelors in accounting and now works as a CPA (certified public accountant).
Christie homeschooled her three sons (Chaz included). She ran across her first homeschool family when she was 14 and knew at that moment that she wanted to educate her children in the same manner.
In this podcast they will be sharing three pieces of research from peer-reviewed journals which show how homeschoolers rate alongside traditional students in areas ranging from academics to socialization and depression. They will also be discussing Chaz's experiences in college and in the working and social worlds after homeschooling.
Further into the podcast Chaz and Christie will discuss how Chaz and his brothers were intentionally trained in social skills and how that impacted them both in the short and long terms. They also discuss the benefits they received from being in a homeschool environment, and how homeschooling better reflects the real world than its traditional counterpart.
Finally, we encourage you to check out some of the other podcast that we have published, along with keeping your eyes out for future episodes. Thank you for listening and we look forward to hearing from you.
How do I teach my child a subject I don't even know? All homeschool parents will ask this question at some point during their homeschool careers. In this podcast Chaz and Christie will be sharing not only their experiences (good and bad), but make specific suggestions for helping you teach your child in the areas you are not comfortable.
As a veteran homeschool mom and a former homeschooler, Chaz and Christie have a unique perspective as ones who have been where you are, both as a teacher and as a homeschooled student. Listen as they discuss evaluating the interest and abilities of friends and family and incorporating their talents within your homeschool. They even touch on how to use Zoom, Skype or other communication platforms to learn from those who do not live near you. This is especially useful information in light of the COVID pandemic. They also spend time covering online classes.
They include a discussion of locating senior adults who may enjoy working with your child - even discussing a volunteer reading program provided by the AARP. In the podcast they cover free, low cost and other tutoring opportunities through local colleges, in person tutors and online programs. They also discuss using the library and You Tube as a resource for parents and students in learning difficult subject material.
They relay the story of how Radio Shack unexpectedly became a great learning resource for their family. This story shows the importance of always watching for new opportunities for learning in areas where a parent needs help in covering certain topics in the classroom.
Chaz and Christie also talk about learning subjects alongside your child or taking a class in a subject ahead of your child in order to learn or even just brush up on a subject. Chaz discusses the benefits of shared learning between parent and child. This podcast will be a great encouragement for any parent struggling with concerns over teaching subjects in which they do not have a background.
We look forward to sharing this podcast with you and invite you to explore our other podcast here at Toolbox for Learning. And please stay tuned for our future podcast.
Welcome to Toolbox for Learning Podcast first episode. In this podcast Chaz and Christie will be introducing themselves and explaining why they decided to produce this show and what they hope you will get from listening to the podcast.
Christie discovered homeschooling when she was 14 years old and immediately knew it was what she wanted. In college she met her husband, who wholeheartedly supported her homeschooling dream. It was not until after her first son was born that she realized he didn't understand what homeschooling was.
Christie homeschooled her three boys, including Chaz, from birth through high school graduation. In this podcast she will be sharing what it was like to send her oldest off to college and the realization that college professors were now in a position to evaluate her abilities as a homeschool mom.
Also in this show, Chaz will be sharing what it was like to be "mom's guinea pig" during his year as a homeschooler. He will also be sharing with you about his college years and career as a certified public accountant. Finally, he will be sharing with you what he gained from his homeschooling years and the influence he feels it has had on his adult life.
We look forward to sharing our homeschooling experience with you and hope that it will be an encouragement and help for you in your homeschool adventure!