An Ongoing Odyssey of Discovery
We had a great conversation on Instagram (go here and scroll through the screenshots) about how to inspire your kids to learn when they don’t want to do the work you assign. I’ve written books that are dedicated to this subject!
What is the underlying principle that guides my work?
Taking children seriously.
Believing them when they tell us they are bored or disinterested or hate something. Understanding what motivates a child from a child’s perspective not the adult’s reasoning.
When we shift how we see our children and we shift how we understand learning, all kinds of ideas for teaching emerge. It’s difficult when the system is against you.
You have all the hours in the day when they are not in a system to experiment and see your children for who they really are. Stay curious. You don’t completely know them yet.
It’s an ongoing odyssey of discovery to raise a child and to believe what they say to you.
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
Brave Learning: My Honest Thoughts about Tech in Schooling
Recently on Brave Learning…
My Honest Thoughts about Tech in Schooling
And what I wish for today’s homeschool parents.
EXCERPT:
When we put kids on a computer to “learn,” they may associate learning with lessons given to them by a machine, rather than seeing learning as their natural state—that thrives in relationship to other human beings and the world around them.
Homeschooling, in its purest form, has been about learning as a lifestyle—something that goes on everywhere, all at once, all the time.
Our kids don’t need to fear the online world, but we also don’t want them to associate it with the primary place where learning occurs.
Subscribe to Brave Learning on Substack where we chat, discuss, problem-solve, and create together. Here’s what you can expect: weekly themed content, freewriting prompts, and a podcast for kiddos called Monday Morning Meeting (first 6 are free)!
[Podcast #311] An Atmosphere, a Discipline, a Life
Julie Bogart and Melissa Wiley reunite to reflect on one of Charlotte Mason’s most enduring ideas: that education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life. What begins as a heartfelt story about a cozy childhood home becomes a rich conversation about the environments we create for learning—spaces that invite participation, curiosity, and joy.
Together, Julie and Melissa trace how atmosphere extends far beyond decor: it’s about invitation and accessibility—baskets of art supplies, blocks within reach, and time to be alone with one’s imagination. They explore:
- the balance between discipline and freedom,
- how attention and process nurture joy,
- and what today’s parents can learn from slowing down in an age of distraction.
From Charlotte Mason’s 19th-century wisdom to 21st-century challenges, this episode is a practical and deeply reassuring guide to cultivating meaningful education that feels alive, attentive, and full of enchantment.
Show Notes
Charlotte Mason once wrote that “education is an atmosphere, a discipline, and a life.” More than a century later, her words still point us toward a gentler, truer approach to learning—one that honors the whole child and the home that surrounds them.
An Atmosphere That Invites Participation
Atmosphere isn’t about how your home looks—it’s about how it feels. It’s the warmth of being invited to join in, to create, to make, to wonder. When we fill our homes with tools for exploration—paintbrushes within reach, books in easy stacks, a cleared table for projects—we invite our children to participate in learning rather than simply receive it. An atmosphere rich in invitation nurtures curiosity far more deeply than a picture-perfect space ever could.
Discipline as Gentle Habit
Discipline, in Mason’s sense, isn’t about control or rigidity. It’s about forming life-giving habits that allow focus and flow to emerge naturally. A few minutes of consistent practice—writing, sketching, tending a bird feeder—teaches persistence and attention in ways that worksheets cannot. Discipline provides the rhythm that helps curiosity take root and blossom into skill.
A Life Infused with Joy
When atmosphere and discipline work together, learning becomes a way of life. Children discover joy in attention itself—in getting lost in a book, a hobby, or an idea. In our world of constant distraction, this joy is revolutionary. It reminds us that education isn’t the pursuit of outcomes, but the cultivation of wonder, purpose, and delight.
When we slow down enough to notice what truly matters—time, focus, shared curiosity—we rediscover education as it was meant to be: an atmosphere of love, a discipline of growth, and a life of continual discovery.
Resources
- Julie’s Monday Morning Meeting for kids – the Birds episode
- Project Feederwatch: feederwatch.org
- Visit the Brave Writer Book Shop
- Fall class registration is open!
- Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
- Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
- Brave Learner Home
- Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
- Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
- Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
- Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
- Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684
Connect with Julie
- Instagram: @juliebravewriter
- Threads: @juliebravewriter
- Bluesky: @bravewriter.com
- Facebook: facebook.com/bravewriter
Connect with Melissa
- Bluesky: @melissawiley.bsky.social
- Website: melissawiley.com
- Substack: melissawiley.substack.com
- Instagram: @melissawileybooks
Produced by NOVA
The World Is Your Classroom
Sometimes it helps to work through a systematic approach to math or phonics. And sometimes, that’s the exact right approach for this season of homeschool.
However…
I want to remind you that the genius of homeschooling is that the WORLD is your classroom. The conversations you have along the way, the activities you pursue out in the world matter and count!
Your kids are going to forget so much that you teach them. They won’t remember all of the activities you painstakingly created.
What they will remember is that the entire world is available to them. They’ll learn that if something interests them, they can go find out what it is and what it means.
They will see the world as wonderful to know. They won’t see learning as something you only do in a building.
Need some ideas?
If it feels scary to let go of “kitchen table” type learning, here are a few hacks:
- Take that workbook outside and sit on a blanket.
- Go to a coffee shop or library to finish the math book.
- Drill the times tables on a hike.
- Practice spelling words while jumping on a trampoline.
- Skip count while tossing a frisbee.
You might also download our FREE 7-Day Writing Blitz! It has a week of ideas to help you and your kids see writing in a whole new way.
You got this!
This post was originally shared on Instagram.
Watch the accompanying reel for more.
Keep YOUR Curiosity Alive!
Sometimes we blame our kids for not being interested in the lessons. Ask yourself: “When was the last time I was actually interested in what I’m teaching them?”
For example, you unleash curiosity in your children when you become curious about:
- phonics,
- the origin of the symbols called numbers,
- or how a book was printed and bound.
Curiosity drives learning.
Anytime the routine becomes too predictable and stale, kids check out. You might notice that you check out, too. You can check back in by asking provocative questions, and even doing research yourself. Have more to express, be more interested.
It’s the oldest education hack in the book. Curiosity drives learning. Live your questions in front of your kids before you expect curiosity to bloom in them.
This post is originally from Instagram and @juliebravewriter is my account there so come follow along for more conversations like this one!
