Archive for the ‘Podcasts’ Category

Podcast: Supporting Learners Through Occupational Therapy with Sarah Collins

Brave Writer Podcast

Dive into a captivating conversation with our special guest Sarah Collins, a skilled occupational therapist turned homeschooling consultant. I met Sarah, known for her lively and engaging conversations, at the Michiana Homeschool Conference and there began an insightful dialogue about the powerful impact of her work.

Sarah shares her transformative journey from being introduced to homeschooling in 2016 while working with a client, to pioneering Homeschool OT in 2019. She uncovers the rich learning environment homeschooling offers and how this unique educational model motivated her to homeschool her own family.

Ever been perplexed about how to homeschool your children effectively? You’re not alone. Sarah shares how she identified with parents who grappled with similar questions. It’s this shared struggle that spurred her to use her expertise to consult with homeschooling parents around the globe.

Sarah Collins
Sarah Collins

In the context of homeschooling, we discuss:

  • handwriting,
  • sensory processing,
  • and executive function.

Prepare to gain comforting insights that will ease the journey of families with non-traditional learners.

Show Notes

Understanding the Role of an Occupational Therapist in Learning

An Occupational Therapist (OT) is a crucial figure in the field of education, particularly in homeschooling. The term “occupation” is not solely focused on professional work; it represents all activities that occupy one’s time, such as daily living activities, work, leisure activities, and so on.

OTs provide valuable insights when an individual experiences difficulties in their occupation. They focus on resolving these issues by addressing individual skills, environmental factors, and the occupation itself. This process extends beyond physical skills to encompass social, cognitive, and motor skills as well.

Consider handwriting, for example. To encourage a child to learn this skill, it’s essential to focus on the foundational skills that need to be in place: core strength, fine motor skills, visual motor skills, and motor planning. But above all, it’s crucial to help the child understand the value of the written word and its implications. For instance, documenting a child’s thoughts in a journal can underscore the importance of their words, keeping them motivated.

Recognizing When to Seek Help

Learning challenges are unique to each child, and it’s important to notice when your child’s behavior is obstructing their desired activities. If your child exhibits a strong desire to master a skill but consistently struggles with it, it may be time to seek professional help.

When it comes to handling learning difficulties, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. The strategy should be customized to the individual child’s needs. Remember, homeschooling is not “alone schooling”—you can always reach out to professionals and build a supportive team.

Creating a Tailored Plan Around a Child’s Diagnosis

Once you have a diagnosis, it can be used as a launching pad to create a specialized learning plan at home. This plan could include a range of activities from targeted therapies to changes in the home environment.

For example, to support vision development and reading ability, you could arrange games on a shelf from left to right to promote visual scanning. Other methods could involve writing on vertical surfaces or using different writing implements. Even daily activities such as grocery shopping or hiking can be used to practice visual scanning.

John Stilgoe’s “Outside Lies Magic” is a recommended resource that encourages the reader to observe and notice things in their environment that they typically overlook. These practices can enhance reading skills, observation, and working memory.

Enhancing Fine Motor Skills Through Fun Activities

Fine motor skills can be developed outside the confines of pencil and paper. Activities like writing on a window, climbing trees, jumping, and crawling can all contribute to the development of core strength and shoulder stability.

Additionally, cleaning activities like wiping floorboards are functional ways to help a child move, provide sensory input, and contribute to family chores. Engaging in physical activities like playing on monkey bars or Leapfrog can also be beneficial for learning and development.

Taking a Person-Centered Approach to Learning

Rather than focusing on skills, a person-centered approach makes the learning process more enjoyable and relatable. This strategy involves observing children to understand their individual needs and desires and adjusting the teaching approach accordingly.

A person-centered approach celebrates the uniqueness of each learner and their interests. It ensures that learning becomes an enjoyable process, not a burdensome chore.

Reaching Out for Help

As parents and educators, we don’t have to navigate these challenges alone. Websites like HomeschoolOT.com offer valuable resources, including blogs, classes on various topics like handwriting, sensory processing, and executive functioning, and even memberships for live weekly sessions.

Remember, every child’s learning journey is unique. As we tailor our approach to their individual needs and strengths, we create an environment that promotes joy and excitement in learning.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Brave Writer Podcast

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Podcast: Persistence in Homeschooling

Brave Writer Podcast

On today’s Brave Writer podcast, we discuss a topic that I believe is fundamental to the homeschooling journey: persistence.

Regardless of where you are in your homeschooling adventure—whether you’re still contemplating the idea, just embarking on your first year, already ten years deep, or even approaching your final year—it’s essential to understand what it takes to persevere.

My most frequently shared piece of advice is a simple but powerful one: “Keep going, keep going.”

But how exactly does one maintain momentum? How do we cultivate persistence?

Let’s explore this together today.

Show Notes

How do you persist in homeschooling?

Persistence has to do with having enough resources and training to be able to carry out an objective or goal. Leah talked about having a purpose as the undergirding foundation of your homeschool. We have to know why we are choosing to stay home with our kids. Once we do, then we want to create a context for how we create the conditions for learning to happen.

Naturally, we want:

  • serenity,
  • joy,
  • and intimacy.

We want to learn and grow. We want our children to WANT to be home with us, to want to learn, to want us to be their companions on the journey.

The trick is: we sometimes expect our kids to want all of what we offer even when they don’t. We blame them for not wanting to learn or cooperate or behave. We don’t think about what we can do to create the conditions for learning to thrive.

Sometimes we don’t notice that we are persisting with our wills but not with our hearts. And that’s okay: our job is to just notice, not to shame ourselves.

Take a moment to remember what it felt like to be a kid in your home. What is the lingering felt experience? What is the experience you want for yourself now? What is the experience you hope your children take away from being home with you?

We can’t pretend a healthy home life into being. Persistence depends on honesty because to sustain a homeschool, we have to like our lives together.

First, it must be understood:

The priority of school is: achievement.

Achievement means matching the expectations of the school system. We feel it as a shadow in the background no matter how well we lead our homeschools. We wonder: Have I done enough? How do I know that what I’m doing is preparing my kids for the future? I know—I’ll measure myself by schools! But there’s a problem with that. The measures in school come through assessments. That doesn’t work in the same way at home.

The priority of home is: connection.

Everything you want to accomplish can be accomplished through connection. Connection IS the priority of your homeschool. It is your top priority of family life. Through connection, you can address every single need for achievement!

To persist means to create the framework that allows you to pivot, grow, and immerse yourself in your children’s education.

So let’s dive into what those conditions are. I am going to talk about 6 concepts that all start with the letter C.

  1. Compassion: We are usually good at compassion for struggle. What about compassion for lost drive, for changed mind, for losing one’s nerve, for outbursts of anger, for sneaking, for lying, for breaking the rules? What would it be like to be loved and known for our limits, not just for our strengths?
  2. Collaboration: I talk a lot about partnering—the essential to great mentorships is the presence of the mentor! We don’t “get a mentor” so that we can work independently! We ask for mentors and coaches specifically to have the presence of the person who will teach us, help us, lead us. Being with our kids helps sustain our joy in homeschooling—ironically. The more we disengage, the more we lose the thread of why we are doing what we do. If you get to the point where being in your homeschool as an active mentor is no longer your priority, it’s important to notice that and either: admit you are done, or reconceive of your homeschool to make it vibrant again.
  3. Communication: Not the sterile, perfectly worded kind. The honest kind. The “I can’t take it any more” kind or the “I’ve been blaming you and I’m sorry” or the “Looks like we’ve got a conflict in our expectations. Can we talk about it?” (Share about the “Art of the Sulk.” When we sulk, we are communicating that we need support and a place to confidentially express our lack of motivation. Sulking is a safe way to express disapproval and discontent)
  4. Creativity: Considering ideas that are currently not apparent. You can wait for creativity to come. One idea is to say: “Right now, I don’t know how to address how much you hate math and how much I feel you must learn it. Let’s give it a week and see if a new idea comes to either of us.” Await creativity—the muse—to help you! Open space for an alternative to your current “not working” practice. Be open-minded.
  5. Cognition: When we engage the mind, we create the context for learning. When you see disconnection in subject matter, it means the mind has not yet apprehended the topic enough to muse, mull over, ponder, consider. Give your kids the chance to engage a subject that is currently “caught the blahs” by finding ways to engage the mind.
  6. Consistency: Consistent connection is what creates the predictability of emotional safety. Many parents worry about their ability to be consistent. I hear from them. They worry that their children don’t have a perfectly routine schedule or that they are getting behind because the child regularly balks at doing a particular subject. There are a couple ways to be consistent that I want to share. There’s a predictable pattern (like a routine) and there’s a randomly created pattern (like a bingo card).

Citing the wisdom of T.S. Eliot, William May tells the story of a student pressing the poet with a question following his lecture, “Mr. Eliot, what are we going to do about the problem you have discussed?”  To which Mr.Eliot replied, “You must understand that we face two types of problems in life.  One kind of problem provokes the question, ‘What are we going to do about it?’  The other kind poses the subtler question, ‘How do we behave towards it?’” (May, 3)

The first type of problem evokes strategies and tactics so the problem can be solved – so it can “go away.”  The second admits of no solution because the problem will not go away: “The problem will persist.  It requires behavior that sensitively, decorously, and appropriately fits the perduring challenge…. it demands a response that resembles a ritual repeated more than a technique” (May, 4).

The shift is important—not all the troubles you experience in your homeschool need to be done away with. You and your kids have limits.

The enemy of a healthy home is pretense. We pretend that we have a certain kind of family. We pretend we aren’t worried. We pretend that we have solutions in six easy steps. We pretend that the pain we are feeling personally is not bleeding out on our children. We pretend that homeschooling is better than public school in all circumstances to avoid dealing with our limits and fears. We pretend that we agree with our spouses against our children to make peace.

Sometimes we are pretending with the highest motives—as if we can will our homeschools into our imagined fantasy.

Resources

  • Are you a new or fledgling homeschooler who needs some support? Join the waitlist for Jumpstart Your Homeschool with Julie here: bravewriter.com/jumpstart
  • 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
  • Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Go to bravewriter.com/getting-started
  • Sign up for the Brave Writer newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2022 and you’ll get a free seven-day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: https://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie

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Podcast: Writing for Young Kids

Brave Writer Podcast

At Brave Writer, we believe that writing is at the heart of education. Our approach is to teach kids to write by reading books they’ll love, and organically – but methodically – bringing up discussions that expand upon how the books were written.

The focus of today’s podcast discussion is the youngest among us: those just embarking on their literary journey, learning to read and write for the first time.

We’re going to delve deep into the fascinating process of developing the Quill, our groundbreaking educational tool specifically tailored for children aged five to seven. The Quill aims to foster early literacy and numeracy skills, providing an engaging foundation upon which children can build as they learn phonics, handwriting, and basic computation. It goes beyond traditional education methods, inviting children into the world of reading, writing, and math through:

  • tactile experiences,
  • thought puzzles,
  • and experiments.

This all-encompassing approach has seen the Quill become a beloved part of the Brave Writer program, loved not just by young learners, but older kids who gain tremendous value from revisiting the foundations of literacy.

Show Notes

What is the Quill?

The Quill is a comprehensive program comprising two writing activities, two reading activities, and two math activities. These thoughtfully curated tasks equip parents with the tools they need to facilitate their child’s development of pre-literacy skills.

In fostering the early stages of writing, the Quill encourages parents to transcribe their child’s thoughts and ideas. It’s important to note that this is not a conventional phonics or handwriting program. Rather, it is a supplement to such programs, enriching a child’s educational journey through physical kinesthetic learning.

The Quill emphasizes the development of fine and gross motor skills, print awareness, book anatomy, letter recognition, vocabulary development, and background knowledge. Furthermore, it inspires parents to kindle learning through big, engaging conversations, exploring questions driven by natural curiosity and thereby creating a more organic and engaging learning environment.

What do you get inside of the Quill?

Within the Quill, you will find a comprehensive guide to engaging educational conversations with your children, akin to the process of preparing for a podcast interview. The program begins with an introduction and a preview of the concepts to be covered, accompanied by a suggested thematic book list.

Each section of the Quill contains two activities, coupled with an introduction and a planning box for parents. These activities are intended to be completed over the course of a month, encouraging the repeated exploration of concepts in different contexts and iterations. Importantly, the activities in the Quill are not intended as one-off exercises, but as springboards for a multitude of learning experiences, sparking interest in a range of subjects from science and art to history.

The themes for the Quill

Themes within the Quill are thoughtfully chosen to resonate with children aged five to seven. Some of the exciting themes include:

  • under the sea,
  • inventions and adventures,
  • music and song lyrics,
  • weather focusing on clouds,
  • superheroes and heroes,
  • farm life,
  • space focusing on planets,
  • pets,
  • and flowers.

It uses a combination of fiction and nonfiction in learning in order to add depth, context, and nuance to the child’s understanding of the topic.

Using the Quill alongside older kids

Despite being tailored for younger children, the Quill can easily be adapted for older learners, proving its versatility. By pairing the Quill activities with other resources, such as related literature for older children, parents can cater to a range of age groups.

Writing is threaded through every part of education. By learning the principles of good writing through Brave Writer, your kids will start to incorporate that learning across their entire curriculum. And now is a great time to get started!

Resources

  • Shop for our popular Quill, Dart, Arrow, Boomerang and Slingshot programs in June for the lowest price of the year!
  • Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention!
  • Begin your bilingual adventures by visiting TalkBox.Mom/Brave. Choose your language and use the coupon code BRAVE for $20 off your first box and phrase book bundle. Start talking from day one with TalkBox.Mom and add a whole new language dimension to your brave journey!
  • Join our Jumpstart Webinars in June with Julie: blog.bravewriter.com/2023/05/22/jumpstart
  • 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
  • Want help getting started with Brave Writer? Go to bravewriter.com/getting-started
  • Sign up for the Brave Writer newsletter to learn about all of the special offers we’re doing in 2022 and you’ll get a free seven-day Writing Blitz guide just for signing up: https://go.bravewriter.com/writing-blitz

Connect with Julie

Brave Writer Podcast

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Podcast: All About Writing

Brave Writer Podcast

While the field of reading science is buzzing today with various theories, philosophies, and approaches, Brave Writer’s method stands out.

Let’s be clear, Brave Writer is not a reading program. We don’t teach phonics or whole language. We aren’t focused on reading instruction, but we do recognize that the ability to write effectively relies heavily on proficient reading skills.

Today’s podcast conversation goes beyond conventional methodologies. Figures like Thomas Jefferson learned to read without phonics, and so can your kids. We explore the essence of our Brave Writer programs.

Joining us is Melissa, our co-host, and Dawn Smith, the director of publications at Brave Writer, each bringing valuable insights from their respective realms of expertise.

Show Notes

The philosophy of Brave Writer

Our journey with Brave Writer began when we recognized that a significant number of children struggled with the transition from reading to writing. The common complaints from kids ranged from not having anything to write about to physical discomfort. This challenge prompted us to look beyond traditional writing programs and tap into self-expression and reader engagement.

Our approach prioritizes the individual voice of each student as something sacred. While we do offer support for traditional foundational skills like phonics and handwriting, we never sacrifice the development of each student’s unique expression. This emphasis on meaningful self-expression is how Brave Writer seeks to inspire children to write.

Capturing interest first

Our approach to creating educational content focuses on sparking interest first and achieving academic objectives second. To engage the student, we use:

  • captivating narratives,
  • interesting language,
  • and playful elements.

For instance, in our DART program, we use a novel read aloud and pick four passages to study throughout the month. We prioritize delightful passages and fun wordplay over rigid grammar and punctuation rules. By keeping our approach lively and playful, we ensure that the learning process remains enjoyable for the child.

Embodying language

At Brave Writer, we encourage students to go beyond simply learning about grammatical constructs and instead focus on meeting and becoming familiar with them. We even employ physical activities to ensure children embody the concepts they are learning.

Our goal is to enable children to form friendships with concepts like prepositions and verbs, not just recognize them.

Writing is more than words on a page

Brave Writer places a strong emphasis on critical thinking. Writing is not just about functional literacy or self-expression; it’s also a tool to engage the world, generate insights, ideas, and construct a valuable worldview. It allows us to examine our thoughts and beliefs in the process of translating them into written words.

One of our students’ testimonies beautifully encapsulates this perspective. His mother wrote to us:

“I’m sharing this with you and your staff because I feel like this is our win, yours and mine. You already know the long-term impact of Brave Writer pedagogy, but I thought I would tell you about my mind-blowing day yesterday. We have a beautiful, gentle 16-year-old who has some developmental delays and was bullied and and pulled from school. The Brave Writer lifestyle enabled him to travel through his education, believing he was amazing. Each milestone celebrated, rich language introduced, and big juicy conversations presented in ways he could understand. He took many of your online classes and received nothing but encouragement, positive feedback, and more celebrations from your staff. He’s now in college. Yesterday, he was writing about the long-term political impacts of the Treaty of Westphalia, and I couldn’t get my head around the treaty. And he turned to me and said, ‘Let me explain this to you in a way you will understand. Think of the Thirty-Year War as the Galactic Civil War, and of France, Sweden, and German princes as the rebel alliance. They considered the Catholic Church as Darth Sidious because they thought it was secretly trying to create a world monarchy that would remove the heads of state. Then you need to consider the Holy Roman Empire as Darth Vader, who ends up on a redemption arc. It was closely aligned with the Catholic Church, but then ended up being the biggest advocate for introducing and implementing a palatable treaty to end the war.’ This is what he learned in Brave Writer, to interpolate, to present information in a format someone could understand, to use appropriate, respectful language, to love, love, love reading, and most of all, believe in himself. All the games, parties, celebrations, challenges, and thinking outside the box for solutions were worth it.”

To me, that encapsulates what we want to accomplish with every child. It’s that level of empowerment.

Brave Writer believes that every child has the potential to articulate their thoughts in a way that is both meaningful and engaging. It is through this prism that we view the journey of teaching writing, and we couldn’t be more excited about the amazing transformations it can produce.

Resources

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Brave Writer Podcast

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Podcast: Party Schooling with Lise McGuinness

Brave Writer Podcast

Get ready for an entertaining journey into homeschooling on this episode of our podcast! We delve into an inspiring approach to education that proves learning can be:

  • fun,
  • dynamic,
  • and full of joy!

This episode features an exciting discussion with our special guest, Lise McGuinness, a veteran preschool teacher and homeschooler (and Brave Learner Home member!) with an infectious enthusiasm for what she calls ‘party school’.

Lise McGuinness
Lise McGuinness

Don’t miss this episode filled with enthusiasm, inspiration, and tons of practical insights on homeschooling with a twist. Lise’s zest for learning and her party school concept may just revolutionize your approach to education at home.

Show Notes

Lise’s journey to homeschooling

Lise, originally on the path to become a traditional teacher, found inspiration in the works of ’60s progressive educators, such as John Holt, which instilled in her a thirst for non-conventional teaching methods. Her teaching philosophy was further influenced by the progressive preschools of Reggio Emilia, Italy, known for their child-centered approach, which emphasizes children’s competence, encourages their multifaceted language development, and promotes learning guided by children’s interests—an approach known as the emergent curriculum.

Lise’s homeschooling odyssey truly began when she discovered the Unschooling Handbook, a guide that opened her eyes to the possibilities of applying these progressive teaching methods to older grades. This pivotal revelation led her to establish a family childcare, a decision driven by her desire to apply her newfound educational perspectives while also remaining at home.

Lise’s association with Brave Writer, a staple in her teaching arsenal, traces back to her early teaching days when she resonated deeply with the concept of “Jot It Down”—an approach she had already been applying with her preschoolers. Over the years, she has integrated various Brave Writer resources into her homeschooling curriculum, such as Arrows, the Seven-Day Blitz, the Writer’s Jungle, and classes focused on movie discussions and essay writing. As we move forward, she is excitedly preparing to embark on the journey of “Help for High School,” another powerful resource from Brave Writer. This comprehensive insight into Lise’s educational journey provides a blueprint for those seeking innovative and personalized approaches to homeschooling.

Hosting a successful book party

Brave Writer book parties are unique gatherings which seamlessly blend literature discussions with enjoyable activities and social elements, transforming the often solitary act of reading into a communal celebration. The inspiration for these parties springs from the party guides included in various Brave Writer materials like the Arrow, Dart, and Boomerang. These guides propose a wealth of creative suggestions, ranging from book-specific activities and decorations to themed food ideas.

Lise recalls one notable instance of such literary celebrations that featured author Melissa Wiley discussing her book “Prairie Thief” via Zoom. Lise’s prolific club has impressively journeyed through 60 books and has a goal to reach a total of 100 books by the time the daughter graduates from high school.

To distinguish these gatherings from traditional school-based book discussions, Lise injected elements of fun and excitement. Children were encouraged to dress up, and book club meetings were turned into vibrant parties. Books like “My Side of the Mountain” and “The Wild Robot” sparked associated activities like foraging for food and crafting dioramas with natural items. Outside professionals, such as dance teachers, were even brought in for certain books like “Jazz Owls” and “The Red Umbrella,” enhancing the immersive reading experience.

To execute these events smoothly, planning ahead was crucial. Platforms like Pinterest proved useful for gathering related party ideas, and other homeschoolers like Mary Hannah Wilson served as a source of inspiration. But above all, the essence of these book parties was not just about discussing the book. The emphasis was equally placed on crafting an enjoyable atmosphere, filled with related activities, decorations, and themed food. By doing so, learning became an exciting and meaningful adventure, helping children engage with literature in a deep, yet joyous manner.

Whether they are elaborate events or much simpler endeavors, the goal of a book party is to celebrate the act of reading as a group. By bringing people together to have fun and share in the joys of reading, you encourage a lifelong habit of reading that is sure to benefit your children for years to come.

Resources

Connect with Julie

Brave Writer Podcast

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