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!
[Podcast #310] High Tide Homeschooling with a Teen
Melissa Wiley takes the mic solo this week for a heartwarming look inside her current homeschool life with her youngest, sixteen-year-old Huck.
Drawing from her decades of experience as both author and homeschooling mother of six, Melissa walks listeners through a day in the life of their family’s “tidal homeschooling” rhythm—where structured “high tide” study meets creative “low tide” exploration. She shares how her son’s outdoor program, their history-and-literature studies, and rich family traditions—film club and nightly read-alouds—keep learning alive and joyful.
If you’ve ever wondered how homeschooling evolves through the teen years—or how to nurture curiosity and connection as your family grows—this episode offers both inspiration and practical insight. Melissa also touches on her creative work, finding balance as a writer and parent, and how rhythms of learning shift with each new life chapter.
Show Notes
As homeschooling parents, we come to recognize that family learning moves in tides. There are seasons of high energy—bursting with projects, discussions, and discovery—and quieter times when we drift, recharge, and let curiosity find its own way back to shore.
For Melissa Wiley, these rhythms are a source of peace rather than pressure. After years of homeschooling a bustling household, she now finds joy in the slower, one-on-one days with her son Huck. Their mornings start quietly, often with reading or reflection, before easing into studies of history, science, and literature. The rest of the day flows with creative play, outdoor adventures, and unhurried conversation. It’s homeschooling that breathes—steady, flexible, and deeply human.
Tidal Homeschooling and Daily Rhythms
Melissa describes this way of learning as tidal homeschooling: alternating between “high tide” periods of structure and “low tide” stretches of exploration. In practice, that might look like a week of focused writing lessons followed by days spent outdoors, tinkering, sketching, or diving deep into a new interest. It’s not about balance as much as trust—trusting that learning is always happening, even when it doesn’t look like school.
Connection, Creativity, and Family Culture
At the heart of Melissa’s homeschool life is connection. Whether it’s the family’s “film club,” her husband’s rock-and-roll history sessions, or daily read-alouds that spark lively debate, these shared rituals nurture both imagination and relationship. Learning isn’t a checklist; it’s a conversation that keeps evolving as her kids grow.
Melissa reminds us that education doesn’t end when the formal lessons do. It continues in laughter around the dinner table, in curiosity during a walk, in the stories that knit a family together. Homeschooling, at its best, is simply life—rich, rhythmic, and full of wonder.
Resources
- Teens and Books: A Deep Dive with Dawn Smith
- Finally: Not Boring History with Emily Glankler
- Tidal Homeschooling: The Ebb & Flow of Home Education with Melissa Wiley
- Find the Moomins books in 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: bravewriter.com/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
Middle School Writing: History Projects
You might wonder how your middler is ever going to be a competent essay writer. They procrastinate. They lack organization. They can’t follow steps. They have zero motivation to write. Like, at all!
Well, we have a secret to share.
Projects are the perfect stepping stone to academic writing for a middle grader.
Projects offer:
- A gentle introduction to formats and writing within parameters
- A toe-dip into the world of academic research
- A chance to move through concrete steps, like planning, revising, and editing
- And the opportunity to share all that hard work with others!
Projects are also an opportunity for a deep dive.
In Brave Writer’s online class, Middle School Writing: History Projects, we look at the history of one of your child’s favorite things. That’s right, your child will choose their own topic—an ideal way to generate motivation!
What will it be for your kids?
- The origins of chess?
- The story of popcorn?
- A deep dive into Morse code?
So sign up! You’ll find this course is the ideal pre-game academic experience for your middle grader!
Turn Living Literature into Unit Studies
Brave Writer’s Literature Singles are more than grammar guides—they are literary treasure boxes filled with ideas to expand a novel into an engaging unit study for the whole family.
Read a book, talk about its grammar, punctuation, spelling, and literary devices. Discuss the stories with comprehension questions and then throw a party to celebrate!
Want inspiration for unit study planning?
Check out the curated themed collections below to see how you can mix and match levels to meet the needs of your family. We share resources from our Poetry Teatime website (FREE!) and our Brave Learner Home membership community to give you some ideas.
Slide into Baseball
- Spectacular Sports (Quill)
- Painting the Game (Dart)
- The Boy Who Saved Baseball (Arrow)
- The Wednesday Wars (Boomerang)
Combine with
- Poetry Prompt: Sports Poetry
- Brave Learner Home One Thing Unit Study: Sports
Step into History (Black History edition)
- Elijah of Buxton or Freewater (Arrows)
- Unbound (Boomerang)
- The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (Slingshot)
Combine with
- Brave Learner Home Master Classes:
Step into History (Spies edition)
- Ra the Mighty: Cat Detective (Dart)
- The Bletchley Riddle (Arrow)
- The Woman All Spies Fear (Boomerang)
Combine with
- Espionage Themed Teatime
- Brave Learner Home
- One Thing Unit Studies: Secret Codes
- Master Class: Bringing History to Life
Slip Under the Sea
- Under the Sea: Sea Mammals (Quill)
- Odder (Dart)
- 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea (Boomerang)
Combine with
- Underwater Themed Teatime
- Brave Learner Home One Thing Unit Study: Ocean Exploration
Space Out
- Space: Planets (Quill)
- The Lion of Mars or A Rover’s Story (Arrows)
- Hidden Figures (Young Readers Edition) (Boomerang)
Combine with
- Astronomy Themed Teatime
- Brave Learner Home One Thing Unit Studies:
Inventions & Inventors
- Maya and the Robot (Dart)
- A Rover’s Story or The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street (Arrows)
- The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind (Young Readers Edition) (Boomerang)
Combine with
- Science Themed Teatime
- Brave Learner Home One Thing Unit Study: Inventions
- Movie Wednesday: Back to the Future
Planning Tool
We’ve also put together a spreadsheet tool that helps you see all of our literature singles at once. You can sort by historical era, literary device, author, and more!
