Bookend Homeschoolers

We enjoyed every episode of Bookend Homeschoolers. Sharing with you, discussing subjects, and tackling topics that we face as homeschoolers, from the Near and Far Bookend views has been a delight. In our podcast finale, we bring you some special thoughts to end our show. 1:40 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (Sam's improvement with therapy and excitement for reading) 2:57 HSMotW: Mindy (Paul Louis and the mug warmer resurrection) 5:39 Best part of being a Near Bookend: Rachel 7:30 Best part of being a Far Bookend: Mindy 9:40 Our Adoption Stories 9:55 What I wish every Near Bookend Knew: Rachel 11:07 What I wish every Far Bookend Knew: Mindy 13:05 My favorite parts of doing the podcast: Rachel 14:47 My favorite parts of doing the podcast: Mindy 16:00 Which episodes I wish everyone would listen to: Rachel 16:58 All guest episodes :) 16:34 S1E2 Choose Your Method(s) 17:47 S2E22 Homeschooling in the Kitchen 18:50 Which episodes I wish everyone would listen to: Mindy 18:54 every single episode :) 19:14 S2E3 Cultivating Inclusive Friendships 19:47 S2E36 with Adam Brooks Bullying, Building Confident Kids, and Bridging the Communication Gap 20:36 S2E37 C'mon, Audiobooks Don't Count as Reading, Right? 21:25 S1E21 Evaluating Our Curriculum for Diversity with Kaytee Cobb 21:30 S2E2 Keeping (or Getting) a Sense of Humor with Betsy Jenkins 22:26 S2E5 Embracing Our Kids for Who They Are 23:51 S2E14 Being the Bad Guy Listen to all of the episodes 25:18 Memorable Moments: Rachel 28:00 Memorable Moments: Mindy 28:30 S2E34 Hanging Our Hat on How Our Kids Turn Out HSMotW 29:13 Bonus Episode Our Adoption Stories 29:34 Including YA in Our Homeschooling with Jeff Zentner 32:50 What I haven't gotten to say: Rachel 33:17 What I haven't gotten to say: Mindy Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

This episode we answered questions sent in by listeners. A wide variety of topics here for you today… behavior, curriculum, guilt, storage, and interference. We were honored to chat about your requests! 1:37 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (PL getting the Tender Heart Award) 3:05 HSMotW: Rachel (Zeke and his map skills) 4:56 Question 1: How and when would we step in with another teacher with our kids? 7:15 S2E36 with Adam Brooks 11:30 Question 2: What do we keep? 16:46 Question 3: How do we keep kids from fighting all day and how can we homeschool if our kids can't get along? 24:52 Question 4: When do I start looking for a different curriculum? 25:57 S1E15 Evaluating the First Semester 25:03 S1E31 Prepping for Next Year 29:17 Question 5: How do we handle guilt if we can't make homeschooling work? 30:09 S1E1 Know Your Why 30:28 S2E2 Having (or Getting) a Sense of Humor with Betsy Jenkins Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

Readers around the world debate this topic and homeschoolers are no exception! For our last regular episode for the podcast, we talk audiobooks verses print and ebooks. Where do you fall in the discussion? Hear us out (see what we did there?)! 2:10 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (puppy food teaching) 4:26 HSMotW: Mindy (Esther and Drawing 1 in dual enrollment) 6:22 Topic Talk: Print vs Audiobooks! 7:10 Benefits of audiobooks 12:56 Andrew Pudewa's talk: Nurturing Competent Communicators 13:45 Research to support audiobooks 20:56 Recognize our issues in accepting this 25:32 S1E9 Read Alouds: What, Why, and How? (to check out the audiobook apps) 26:41 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (choose an audiobook for the fam and one for you) 28:48 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (if you still aren't convinced, read the research) 30:14 YA helps reluctant readers S2E31 YA Reading with Jeff Zentner 30:30 Audiobook narration speed chat Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG   Some of the research for you to peruse: National Literacy Trust Tech & Learning Reading Trust TIME Heath Research Book Riot

What an episode we have for you this week! It ended up twice the length because we just couldn't delete any of the good info Adam brought us, but it's more than worth it… we promise! Today we have Adam Brooks on the show to share with us about bullying and all that is involved, can lead up to it, how to handle it, how to prepare our kids for it, and more. Seriously, this may be our best episode. Listen to every minute, even if you have to break it up, because you will learn so much and add to your parenting tool bag in many many ways! We have some powerful, humorous, and amazing Homeschooling Moments the Week to start you off. 0:50 Guest: Adam Brooks 1:13 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (Sam stepping in to defend Gideon) 4:10 HSMotW: Adam (sitting through a 5th grade music concert) 5:12 HSMotW: Mindy (hearing humpback whales under water) 6:17 Adam Brooks: Speaker, Educator, Advocate, & Communication Enthusiast 7:00 Topic Talk: Bullying+ 7:15 Wrong mindset that can make bullying unexpected 8:41 Types of bullying 8:55 Terms to clarify: drama, bullying, and harassment 11:52 Problems with zero tolerance policy 13:00 How can parents lessen the risk of bullying, if anything? 17:30 How many times do we need to talk about big topics? 19:00 Compounded conversations are the worst 20:00 A big tip to help our kids talk to us about big topics 22:36 When should you talk about big topics? 25:26 How to Raise an Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims 26:00 Drive-A-Logue Big topic help for family communication 50:31 A problem with us, questions, and kids 33:25 What are signs that our kids are being bullied? 35:00 How to navigate when kids don't want to talk a change in their behavior? 38:00 What if we are coming to this late in our kids' bullying experience? 42:00 What can we say/do if the bullying is happening? Cheerleader vs Coach vs Referee 44:35 Also, and! Not Yes, but! 46:00 Group/crowd bullying and instigator(s) 48:30 Unselfie by Dr. Michele Borba 50:25 What should we avoid doing? 54:00 Rachel shares a personal struggle in their home, knowing others may relate: How to handle when one child is provoked by a sibling intentionally to get responses AND cause the other child to be the “bad kid” ? 56:25 Rosalind Wiseman and Cultures of Dignity Tiny Guides by Cultures of Dignity FREE Tiny Guides by Cultures of Dignity 57:25 Teaching kids to recognize their cues, triggers, feelings, etc. and what to do to help work stress, anger, frustration out 59:30 Saving Our Sons: A New Path for Raising Healthy and Resilient Boys by Dr. Michael Gurian 59:44 Why we shouldn't have our sons write down what happened, they felt, etc. 1:01 How oxytocin affects us in being able to rationally talk through something and the only two things that can bring that hormone level down Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Adam Brooks on IG and his site and at Drivalogue If you work at a school/center/camp/RTC, we humbly suggest you hire Adam for a talk. Or two.

Listener requested episode, part 2! Aubree asked about narration and dictation and we love these tools, so here is a discussion on dictation. 1:30 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (Paul Louis persevering and succeeding at logic work) 3:18 HSMotW: Rachel (puppy labor and delivery) 7:27 Topic Talk: Dictation 7:33 S2E32 Narration: What, Why, and How 7:45 What is dictation? 9:21 How Mindy has used dictation 12:03 How Rachel has used dictation 21:00 Why it's ok for a discrepancy between use of grammar and dictation 23:04 Remember what you are focusing on at the time 25:18 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (“test” your older kids by having them try a dictation via dictating a text to them) 26:08 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (start dictation via a grocery list) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

We had such great conversations with Heather Schwarzen that we had her back for a Q&A from listeners! Hear some GREAT tips, plus some doggie doula, spices, and finicky kid talk! 1:35 S2E27 Homeschooling Kids with Learning Challenges 1:36 S2E28 Homeschooling Kids with Intensive Cognitive Disabilities 1:52 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (dog in labor and being a doggie doula) 3:00 HSMotW: Heather (reorganizing a kitchen cabinet and the 9yo alphabetizing all the spices) 4:15 HSMotW: Mindy (Jubilee's pickiness and success with the BambinoLUK) 4:18 MiniLUK Heather shared about in S2E28 6:30 Topic Talk: Q&A on homeschooling kids with learning disabilities 6:33 Q1: How to handle family pressure? 9:00 S1E24 Handling Unsolicited Criticism 13:15 Q2: How to help other kids understand the time needs of the one child? 17:32 Q3: How to help a kid who refuses to sit still and do school? 21:54 Q4: How to get with a private therapist for an evaluation? 24:33 Q5: When do you give up on certain skills? 28:30 Q6: What to do if a (speech) therapist doesn't like your child? 32:12 Q7: What to do about sleep issues? Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Heather Schwarzen at to sow a seed on IG

Sometimes current events dictate the topic of Bookend Homeschoolers. Mindy & Rachel discuss teaching and talking about war in our history teaching and then about current wars, especially Ukraine and Russia. We DO start with some sweet and funny Homeschooling Moments of the Week, though. 1:11 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (Sam reading to Grace for the first time) 2:21 HSMotW: Mindy (not PL with an airsoft gun on the balcony; Jubilee asking why) 3:53 Topic Talk: Invasion of Ukraine inspires thinking about how we teach about war 3:56 Talking about war while teaching history 12:58 HSMotW for Mindy and Rachel both involved Ukraine in S2E32 13:11Talking about Ukraine and Russia's war 32:00 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (google current wars 2022 and discuss the list) 32:50 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (research ways to help Ukraine and involve our kids) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

Another listener requested episode for you this week! Mindy & Rachel think there is one educational tool that brings the biggest bang for your buck and … it's FREE! Aubree asked for us to delve into narration and we were happy to oblige! 1:45 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (PL knowing where Ukraine is and discussing current events) 2:00 S2E30 How to Reboot Your Day 3:30 HSMotW: Rachel (learning where Ukraine is having conversations about current events) 4:40 Topic Talk: Narration 5:05 Definition of narration 6:24 Use at any age 6:32 History of use in education 7:15 Why it is useful 8:00 How to do it 9:17 Use in special education, calling it narrative instruction 14:00 Charlotte Mason's goals 14:11 John Locke's goals 14:20 Comenius' goals 15:07 The hardest part of narration for Mindy 15:52 The hardest part of narration for Rachel 16:32 Wild Kratts 19:08 It's a gateway to conversations 19:22 Ways kids can do their narration 21:00 How to start 23:15 The more you do it, the more you benefit 27:04 Have your kids narrate where you left off in the read aloud before you start 29:03 Make It Personal: Far Bookend (have our high schoolers narrate and get a pass on writing) 29:47 Make It Personal: Near Bookend (make a commitment this week to do it once a day) 30:37 View from the (Near) Bookend: narration journals as a part of family life Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

*Please note that many products linked are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!* We are super excited to share this episode with Jeff Zentner with you! Jeff is a YA author with four books in his catalog and two of them best sellers! Those same two made it on to Mindy's Top 21 of 2021 (she read 189 books, so that's a big deal to her). Jeff shares what YA brings to the table that other books often don't. You may be surprised at what you hear and some of it may challenge you. We'd love for you to hear why including YA novels in our homeschooling plans can have long term benefits. 1:00 Jeff Zentner: best selling author of YA novels In the Wild Light and The Serpent King 1:15 Currently Reading Podcast 1:50 Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee 2:00 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (puppy birthing needs hay) 3:00 James Herriot Treasury Collection for Children 3:05 PBS Masterpiece on James Herriot 3:34 HSMotW: Mindy (Jubilee pre-writing skills and “writing” stories) 4:20 HMotQ: Jeff (snuggles and reading at home after being away) 5:20 Topic Talk: Including YA in our homeschooling plans 7:25 Writing about living in the South 10:20 How Jeff describes YA to us 11:39 Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Jones 14:00 What does YA have to offer in our homeschooling? 14:13 YA is great for drawing in reluctant readers 15:00 Teens can see themselves reflected in YA books 15:14 YA books are hopeful 17:00 Can YA be for families who are more conservative in their kids' reading selections? 18:28 Julie Berry 18:38 The Lovely War by Julie Berry 18:44 Caroline George 18:50 Caroline George books 19:00 Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Matinee Clean YA books (post by Book Series Recaps) 21:31 The Lunar Chronicles (Cinder is book #1) 21:33 The Selection Series (The Selection is book #1) 21:45 YA can be a gateway to conversations 22:23 YA helps us remember how things actually felt during our teen years 23:55 How Jeff incorporates reading in his family life 25:33 Gary Schmidt books 25:36 Gary Paulsen books 25:40 Jason Reynolds books 25:55 Does Jeff think about topics he wants to address in his books? 27:00 How Jeff feels about and treats teens 29:30 Which of Jeff's characters is most like him? 29:44 Why Jeff doesn't write himself on the page 30:44 Benefits of Easter Eggs in novels 32:06 How Jeff is involved with the narrators for his audiobooks 33:06 Angela's question for Jeff 33:27 Kelly Loy Gilbert 33:29 Jessie Ann Foley 33:45 Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert 33:51 Sorry for your Loss by Jessie Ann Foley 34:07 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (start reading YA) 35:02 MIP: Far Bookends (read a YA with your kid) 33:57 Bookend Homeschoolers Reading Guides: Summer, Japan, Fat Bear 33: 45 Jeff's novels: In the Wild Light, The Serpent King, Rayne and Delilah's Midnite Adventure, and Goodbye Days Clean YA books and tween books (List created by Book Series Recaps) 36: 47 View from the (Far) Bookend: show value to each season of our kids' lives, including late teenhood (If you have read The Serpent King, we have a fun bonus at the end of the show) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Jeff Zentner on IG, on Twitter, and his FB author page

We often find ourselves in the midst of a bad day as homeschoolers. Today, we share ideas on how to reboot those days! Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (had to reboot a day, but did so successfully!)  HSMotW: Mindy (Jubilee, “Go home.” “You. go.”) 4:35 S1E22 February Funk 5:00 Topic Talk 5:23 What most often creates the need for a reboot? 7:37 First idea to reboot: talk a walk, literally. 8:55 Frances Nojd, listener in Canada! Check out her family walk photos 9:45 Second idea: dance party of all varieties 10:05 Create playlists! 10:26 We Don't Talk About Bruno (just in case you're the last family to not have heard this amazingly addictive song) 11:44 Third idea: switch up locations! 12:44 S1E11 Car Schooling 12:53 Fourth idea: (especially for subject reboot) use a timer and alternate between work and fun 14:42 Fifth idea: designate a new teacher 16:23 Sixth idea: put phones in jail 17:38 Seventh idea: set up a play date/hang out/phone a friend 20:30 Eighth idea: stop, drop, grab a book 21:39 Ninth idea: easy craft of any kind 23:48 Tenth idea: lean into the fine arts of music also 23:56 Handel's Water Music 24:00 S2E18 Easy Music Appreciation 24:11 Twelfth idea: prevention by thinking what causes need for reboot 27:00 Are we the reason for reboots? 28:54 Help walk our kids through the need for self-regulation 29:38 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (scope our a nature walk to have ready for a reboot) 30:37 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (create a list in Notes on your phone with your preferred reboot ideas) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

Does our homeschooling change from the 1st to the 7th kid? Let's see! Rachel interviewed Mindy for today's episode to hear what, why, and how her homeschooling looks like from year one to year twenty-three. We start off with some sickness and Olympics centered HSMotW and have a few funny stories for you also. 1:44 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (kids caring for Jubilee and Paul with COVID well while she was gone) 2:39 S2E Homeschooling in the Kitchen 2:42 S1E28 Inspiring Kids to be Leaders 3:04 HSMotQ: Rachel (Robby Burns Olympic snow boarder from Mt. Shasta!) 6:97 Topic Talk: Mindy's 1st vs 7th Homeschooling Edition Interview 6:34 Something you felt was a hill to die on and now don't? 8:40 What do you wish you had done better as a Near Bookend? 10:04 S1E11 Car Schooling 11:35 Any materials you still use 23 years later? 11:40 Ticonderoga pencils 11:55 Trudy Palmer products (out of print) 16:13 How has Paul's role changed from the 1st vs 7th? 16:35 Bonus Episode 2 How We Arrived at Homeschooling 22:24 Any yellow school bus day dreams? 26:42 Noah wanting a school themed birthday party 28:00 How has your homeschooling philosophy changed? Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

We have a full-to-the-brim episode for you today, with guest Heather Schwarzen. Heather joined us to share and discuss homeschooling her son Phin, who has FASD. Homeschooling kiddos like Jubilee and Phin bring different challenges and blessing not only to their families, but to their communities. Hear how to be a part of the journey! 1:08 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (Twister fun with Jubilee) 2:22 HSMotW: Heather (cartography success) 3:08 HSMotW: Rachel (Usborne Search Books) 4:22 Topic Talk: Homeschooling Kids With More Intensive Cognitive Disabilities 4:50 S2E27 Homeschooling Kids with Learning Disabilities 5:00 Introducing Phin 5:55 Flat Affect (definition) 7:33 Phin's abilities 8:28 Misconceptions Heather had about Phin 11:344 S2E3 Inclusive Friendships for Homeschoolers 13:00 Adding Phin to the homeschooling day 17:25 Successful co-op participation 21:07 Considering other educational placements 22:10 Reframing academics 26:47 S2E5 Embracing Who Are Kids Are 28:38 Typical Schwarzen homeschool day 29:14 Visual Schedules (what are they?) 29:33 MiniLuk materials Version for younger kids: BambinoLUK 31:43 Art for Kids videos 32:05 Resources Heather recommends 32:15 Simply Classical: A Beautiful Education for Every Child 323:06 MiniLuk sets 33:13 Usborne Maze and Puzzle Books: Train Book 33:37 Timberdoodle 34:00 Fun Schooling Journals 34:20 Fun Schooling Math Journal Phin loves 34:33 Orton-Gillingham approach and materials 35:11 What to say to someone considering homeschooling for the first time? 36:47 Mindy, Paul, and Jubilee preschool story 38:24 What to say to someone considering pulling their kid out of public school? 39:00 Considerations parents with kids with cognitive disabilities face 48:00 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (humble ourselves to remember some parents have to make decisions we never have to make) 49:15 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (follow Heather on Instagram) 50:00 Make It Personal: Homeschool Leaders (make space and welcome families with kids like Phin) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Far Bookend Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Near Bookend Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Heater Schwarzen on Instagram

Today we welcome a Far Bookend homeschooler of ten , Heather Schwarzen, to talk about homeschooling kiddos with learning struggles and disabilities. Heather isn't a podcaster, but took time to talk to us from Tennessee. 2:45 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (Paul Louis and Mock Trial) 4:06 HSMotW: Rachel (Sam making the Homeschooling in the Kitchen episode super real while she and Jake had COVID) 5:10 Topic Talk: Homeschooling Kids with Learning Difficulties with guest Heather Schwartzen 9:15 Orton-Gillingham 11:00 Dyscalculia 11:34 Getting a diagnosis 17:44 Jamie and Knox… Greenlight! The Popcast 18:04 Benefits for Neurotypical Kids and the Family 18:26 Synesthesia 21:06 Tried and Didn't Work 22:50 Go for the “Freebies” 24:00 What is the Hardest Part of Homeschooling a Kid with a Learning Struggle? 28:00 Benefits of Getting a Diagnosis 30:00 This Opens Doors for All of Us 31:16 What Heather Says to Parents Want to Consider Homeschooling a Child with a Learning Difficulty? 33:26 Make It Personal: Parents Who Have Kiddos with Learning Difficulties (Get the diagnosis) 34:48 Make It Personal: Parents Who Don't Have Kids with Learning Difficulties (Get your kids around kids who are different) 36:10 S2E3 Cultivating Inclusive Friendships 37:54 View from the (Far) Bookend: Asking for help is leading with humility and by example The podcast on IG Bookend Homeschoolers Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Heather Schwarzen at to_sow_a_seed on IG Our Zazzle store!

Raise your hand if you feel like you've been here before! Yup, us too. Rachel & Mindy bring some reminders and tips for this season of pandemic homeschooling or remote schooling or shut down schooling that feels familiar but also unwanted. We have two great Homeschooling Moments of the Week to kick off, two really wonderful ways to make this topic personal, and a View from the Near Bookend. 1:20 Yes! Rate and review us! It helps! 2:00 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (a fun book on tall tales) 2:17 American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborn 3:15 HSMotW: Mindy (Jubilee with donut, donut face, and books) 4:35 Topic Talk: Deja Vu Times for Homeschooling and Parenting in General 7:27 S1E27 Remote Schooling Tips and Tricks with Meredith Monday Schwartz 9:00 Take a mental health sick day 9:39 S2E11 Two Types of Field Trips 10:20 Our kids feel the stress too 11:33 What do we need this week… not the entire next six months 11:55 Lean into the arts:helps emotionally 12:00 S2E4 Easy Art Appreciation 12:03 S218 Easy Music Appreciation 12:09 Let's Make Art: Kids Water Color FREE! 13:07 S2E8 Why Do Something Hilarious? 14:11 Brouses' fave family Bob's Burgers episode: Christmas in the Truck 14:22 S2E3 Keeping (or Getting a Sense of Humor) with guest Betsy Jenkins 15:09 Cole Kids' Costume-fest 16:46 How the Brouse Spa came to be 20:00 S2E1 Transitioning Into (or Out of) Homeschooling 20:21 COVID Homeschooling = Unlikely Unschoolers? 21:00 S1E20 Slightly Unusual Ways to Socialize 21:21 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (our kids pick up on how we feel so maybe self assess info intake) 23:31 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (set aside a family mental health evaluation day) 25:49 View from the (Near) Bookend: This will end and we can do it (again) The podcast on IG Bookend Homeschoolers Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

Homeschoolers gotta eat and homeschooling parents usually gotta make that happen. Today, Mindy and Rachel talk about ways to get in and out of the kitchen quickly so you can get back to homeschooling… In-N-Out. Season 2 Episode 25 starts with Homeschooling Moments of the Week that will make you smile. We have a book and a suggestion for ways to Make It Personal and Rachel shares a thoughtful View from the Near End. Enjoy! 1:25 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (different kind of muffin cups) 1:35 S2E3 Keeping (or Getting) a Sense of Humor While Homeschooling with guest Betsy Jenkins 3:04 HSMotW: Rachel (Sam doing the dishes at midnight) 5:20 Topic Talk: In-N-Out Homeschooling 24:22 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi) 25:44 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (The Decide Once Lunch! TM) 25:52 View from the Near Bookend: adjust the plan so the perspective is too Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

Today's topic is a heart focused one that hits homeschoolers right in the kisser. Join us as we discuss how to avoid Hanging Our Hats on How Our Kids Turn Out. We start with an absolutely hilarious Homeschooling Moment of the Week from Rachel that may have you blushing while laughing. Let's do this! 00:58 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel (omg… dog breeding…ahem) 4:07 HSMotW: Mindy (PL joining her at the table) 5:15 Topic Talk 23:20 Stop using this phrase! 23:25 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (focus on relationship building) 25:33 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (make a list of those you need to mentally or actually apologize to) 26:26 View from the Far Bookend (Camille from Parenthood) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

Join us today as we discuss reasons homeschoolers may choose faith based and/or secular curriculum. So many valid reasons for both. We start with our adorable and physical Homeschooling Moments of the Week, give you ways to make the Topic Talk personal, and this week we end with a View from the Far End. 1:10 Homeschooling Moments of the Week: Rachel (Jiu Jitsu as a family) 2:55 HSMotW: Mindy (Jubilee shopping for books) 4:16 Topic Talk 4:30 Kaytee Cobb of Currently Reading Podcast and fellow homeschooler 6:12 Reasons for Choosing Faith Based Curriculum 14:24 Reasons for Choosing a Secular Curriculum 23:13 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (be gracious and don't feel obligated to defend yourself) 23:47 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (check out faith based and/or secular based curriculum) 24:42 View from the Far Bookend 26:02 Rachel's hilarious physics text story Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

Homeschoolers are in the kitchen all day, ok not really, but it sure feels like it. One way to make the most of that is to do some homeschooling when we are there! Hear Rachel share some great ways she does this and how Mindy has in the past. We start today's episode with some sweet bookish Homeschooling Moments of the Week and give two easy ways to Make It Personal. Lastly, we end with our new segment: View From the (Far)Bookend. Listen now! 1:22 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (Jubilee reading to stuffies) 2:03 HSMotW:Rachel (snuggles and books) 3:00 Topic Talk: Homeschooling in the Kitchen 4:40 How we feel about cooking? 4:50 S2E21 Our Homeschooling Influencers 4:53 Carol Barnier 6:15 Why is it beneficial to have the kids in the kitchen? 6:26 How we feel about people in the kitchen with us 12:45 Tips & Tricks for Homeschooling in the Kitchen 13:40 One at a time 14:35 Start with the menial 15:20 Right height stools 17:30 Assign “official” roles 18:16 Do it while their academic load is lighter 18:30 Do day meals together 19:05 Use smaller measurements to math more or be on their math level better 20:17 One kid per ingredient 20:52 Have extra tools 21:55 Kid's safe knife 22:30 Practice zone 24:10 Converter cheat sheet 25:00 Repeat recipes fairly often 25:42 Make treat recipes 26:27 Ask a kid having a “bad day” to make “their” lunch 27:45 Grace and space to do this as often is best for YOU 29:00 Clean up is a part of the process 30:20 Handel's Water Music to calm the brains 30:20 S2E18 Easy Music Appreciation 30:30 Italian cooking music 31:00 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (ask your kids about a signature dish) 32:10 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (officially make a plan) 32:38 View from the (Far) Bookend: Take the opportunities while they are young Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

Today, Mindy and Rachel share the top influencers on their homeschooling journey. Our lists may surprise you. Who are your influencers? Give this episode a listen to see if our Topic Talk prompts you to remember someone. We start like usual with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week ( , provide ways for you to Make It Personal, and end this episode with a hack and a tip! 2:22 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy (Paul Louis and Jurassic Park reading during a test) 3:26 HSMotW: Rachel (visual therapy success for Sam) 5:11 Topic Talk: Our Influencers 5:50 Mindy #1: Lorna (friend who was also a ps teacher; let Mindy go watch) 7:30 Rachel #1: Her mom (first person she knew to hs kids) 8:41 Mindy #2: Tammy Brown (first to open wide the hs door) 10:09 S1E2 Choose Your Method 11:00 Rachel #2: girls at Indian Hills Camp (first hs peer friends) 13:35 Mindy #3: Gatrel (biggest and longest influence; embraced Mindy and kids) 15:40 Rachel #3: Jen (fellow foster adoptive and Type B mom who took Rachel in) 17:26 Mindy #4: Sonlight Forums (online coffee shop for Mindy to hang out with hs moms) 18:49 Rachel #4: Shawna (mentor to hs friend) 20:29 Mindy #5: unnamed negative influencer (friend to shunner) 24:22 Rachel #5: Charlotte Mason (yes, THE Charlotte Mason) 26:39 Mindy #6: Kerrville Homeschool Co-op (most influential hs community for Mindy) 28:00 Mindy #7: Carol Barnier (brought Mindy truth and freedom) 30:29 Thoughts on who is a real influencer… you! 32:16 Make It Personal: Both Ends… we “assigned” the same thing 33:48 Take This With You: Mindy (fake present hack) 34:46 Take This With You: Rachel (gift tip ofhomemade playdough) See you January 2nd!! Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

Mindy gets to ask Near Bookend Rachel ten questions about being homeschooled and her answers may surprise you! We start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, give you ways to Make It Personal, and end with some encouragement (reminders and a surprise about billions of dollars)! 1:33 Homeschooling Moments of the Week: Rachel (fun music appreciation moments) 3:41 HSMotW: Mindy (driver's ed outsourcing miracle) 5:13 Topic Talk: Q&A for Rachel About Being a Homeschooled Student 6:22 Q1: What was the BEST aspect of being a homeschooler? 7:00 Q2: What was your schedule like? 8:39 Q3: What was the most DIFFICULT aspect of being a homeschooler?10: 10:05 Q4: What is a “homeschool weirdo” moment? (She gives us TWO!) 13:28 Q5: What is one of your funniest homeschooling memories? 15:15 Q6: What was your favorite perk for homeschooling? (She gives us TWO from then and one she realizes NOW!) 17:17 Top Ten: Things We are Thankful for in Our Homeschooling Journeys 17:22 Q7: What would you say you made difficult for your homeschooling teacher? 19:36 Q8: Who did you admire? 22:10 Romeo and Juliet with Leonardo DeCaprio and Claire Danes 22:33 Q9: What would you differently now as a homeschooled student? 25:10 Q10: How is your view of homeschooling different now than it was then? 26:15 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (remember your students aren't fully formed yet and hug your homeschooler) 27:07 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (interview your homeschoolers; download our PDF) 27:31 Take This With You: Rachel (reminder to do the handprint/footprint crafts) 29:00 Take This With You: Mindy (you are saving billions!!) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

Season 2, Episode 19 *Please note that many products linked are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!* You know we just LOVE read alouds, so why not offer you some suggestions for the most wonderful time of the year!?! This episode if full of books we think make for terrific reading as a family! We start with picture books, then move to middle grade and up. We even give some suggestions for the teacher(s)! Enjoy, friends! 2:10 Homeschooling Moments of the Week: Rachel (new vision therapy) 4:00 HSMotW: Mindy (Jubilee's presentation) 5:23 S1E14 (Some of) Our Favorite Read Alouds 5:24 S1E34 Round 2 of (Some of) Our Favorite Read Alouds 5:45 Topic Talk: Christmas Read Alouds 5:50 How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Suess 5: 53 A Charlie Brown Christmas by Charles M. Schultz 6:05 Picture Books Shared by Rachel: 6:10 The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats 7:19 Mr. Willoughby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry 8:00 The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams Bianco 8:30 Christmas Tapestry by Patricia Polacco 9:24 An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco 10:03 The All-I'll-Ever-Want Christmas Doll by Patricia C. McKissack 11:15 Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hankes Nobel 11:47 The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski 13:07 Jotham's Journey by Arnold Ytreeide Christmas Chapter Books Shared by Mindy: 16:24 The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson 17:15 The True Gift by Patricia MacMachlan 18:27 How Winston Delivered Christmas by Alex T. Smith 19: 48 The Girl Who Saved Christmas by Matt Haig 21:05 The Paperbag Christmas by Kevin Alan Milne 21:57 A Boy Called Christmas by Matt Haig 23:08 Letters from Father Christmas by JRR Tolkien 24:44 The Toymaker's Apprentice by Sherri L. Smith 27:01 The Big Book of Christmas Mysteries Edited by Otto Penzler 28:53 Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan 28:56 Currently Reading Podcast 30:40 Comments on need for Middle Grade Christmas books by POC authors 31:17 Refer back to this moment when 4 authors Mindy reached out to publish some ;) Teacher Books shared by Mindy: 31:45 The Treasury of African-American Christmas Stories by Bettye Collier-Thomas 32:32 The Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan 22:25 The Deal of a Lifetime by Frederick Backman 34:15 Make It Personal for Near and Far Bookends: Share your fave Christmas read alouds on our IG post 34:Take This With You: Make S2E18 Easy Music Appreciation and Read Alouds the biggest part of your homeschooling this month… relax and read together! Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

*Please note that many products linked are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!* One of the easiest subjects to add to our homeschool is music appreciation! Hear (see what we did there?) why and how and tips! Mindy asks Rachel some ways she incorporates music appreciation into her homeschooling for this episode and listens intentionally (again, see what we did there?). We have two ?? Homeschooling Moments of the Week, easy ways to Make It Personal, and ? to end the episode out. Enjoy this in your ears (one more time)! 1:24 Homeschooling Moments of the Week: Rachel (yay, being off & requesting math!) 2:15 HSMOT: Mindy (DJ Paulie in the car) 3:58 S2E4 Easy Art Appreciation 4:04 Topic Talk: Easy Music Appreciation 4:20 Rachel's musical background 5:33 Mindy's musical background 6:53 Benefits of including this 11:47 Tips for adding this to your homeschool 16:22 Yo-Yo Ma 16:23 Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach's Cello Suite No.1 16:28 The Piano Guys playing Bach's Cello Suite No.1 17:31 Some women classical composers Institute for Composer Diversity! 18:50 Two Cellos 19:02 Two Cellos “Sweet Child of Mine” (Mindy is now smitten with this!!) 19:03 Two Cellos “Thunderstruck” 19:21 Pandora Station The Piano Guys 20:05 Vivaldi 24:14 S1E13 Homeschooling During the Holidays 25:56 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (play music) 26:18 Bluetooth speakers we love for our homeschool- Rachel's fave Mindy's fave 27:10 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (modern composer… Alex Lacamoire, Mindy and Chloe's BFF- see photo on site. Yes, we are super proud!) 27:50 Hamilton 28:16 Take This With You: Mindy (Handel's Water Music for our brains) 30:43 Take This With You: Rachel (As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of the Princess Bride) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG Our Zazzle store!

This episode finds Near Bookend and Far Bookend thankful lists! Homeschooling is hard, tiring, and work. It is also amazing and gives us quite a bit. Hear a bit more of Rachel and Mindy's journeys at they share their Top Ten on this topic! Hear two great Homeschooling Moments of the Week, two easy ways to Make It Personal, and encouragement! *Please note that some products linked are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!* 1:32 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel 2:51 Frog and Toad Books 3:00 HSMotW: Mindy 4:48 Topic Talk: What We Are Thankful for in our Homeschool Journeys 5:17 Rachel #1 Breva Expresso Machine 6:20 Mindy #1: Read aloud memories 6:45 Rachel #2: Good books 7:17 Mindy #2: Curriculum that brought her really great books 7:49 Rachel #3: Large laminated maps 9:46 Mindy #3: Supportive Mom and Dad (Papalou) 10:23 Rachel #4: Really supportive family 11:18 Mindy #4: Vacations at discounted times 12:16 Rachel #5: Being in the trenches together 13:24 Mindy #5: Homeschooling friends for weekly get togethers 14:02 Rachel #6: Three amazing friends 15:33 Mindy #6: Co-ops at the right time and place 16:14 Rachel #7: Great tip right off the bat 17:39 Mindy #7: Found the right fit curric right off the bat 18:43: Rachel #8: Homeschooling in the internet age 20:38 Mindy #8: Homeschooling friendly states 21:26 Rachel #9: Specialists 22:49 Mindy #9: Evenings free of school stress 23:21 Rachel #10: Family time in abundance 23:43 Mindy #10: 23 years!!! 24: 22 Paul Brouse's IG and email pbrouse@hotmail.com :) Help a sistah out! 24:50 Make It Personal: Near Bookends (write it down!) 25:33 Make It Personal: Far Bookends (have your kids write it down) 26:13 Take This With You: Rachel (enjoy the holidays as a homeschooler) 26:38 Dec 5th will be our Christmas Read Aloud episode! 26:54 S1E13 Homeschooling During the Holidays 27:38 Take This With You: Mindy (Homeschooling = the Thanksgiving table) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Our Zazzle store!

Today we continue our discussion on burn out. We shared last week things we should not do, so today we bring you things to do to help start recovering from burn out. We care. Mindy has been there. We also start with two great Homeschooling Moments of the Week, provide ways to Make It Personal, and end with two tips this week! Enjoy S2E16 now! 1:30 Homeschooling Moments of the Week: Mindy (family reading time) 2:25 HSMotW: Rachel (Halloween homeschooling Amelia Earhart awesomeness) 3:52 Topic Talk: Burn Out- What to Do 4:01 S2E15 Burn Out: What Not to Do 5:22 Talk to Someone (spouse, counselor, friend) 8:05 Thing about what's NOT working? 8:27 S2E14 Being the “Bad Guy” 10:30 S1E2 Choose Your Method 11:11 S1E1 Know Your Why 14:37 Consider this could be hormonal or depression? 15:34 Lean into relationships 16:21 Go back to homeschooling loves 17:03 Truly address the changes in our lives due to this season of history 19:26 Find our people 20:37 Consider a big yearly schedule change 22:04 Take care of yourself (for real) 24:3 0 Evaluate our social media usage 28:37 Look into outsourcing 30:33 S2E9 But Are You REALLY a Homeschooler? 31:21 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 32:00 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 33:15 Take This With You: Mindy (artichoke casserole tip) 34:0 9 Take This With You: Rachel (marshmallow hack) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Our Zazzle store! Artichoke Casserole 2 cans (drain and save water) artichoke hearts 1 c Italian shredded cheese, 1c Italian bread crumbs, 2T minced garlic, 1 tsp Italian seasoning. Mix. Spread artichoke in a baking dish. Spread mixture on top. Lightly pour the artichoke water on top and allow to soak in. I poke the crumb mixture with a toothpick before pouring the water. After water soaks in, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake at 350 covered until bubbly, then uncovered to lightly brown. Share. IF you want.

It's time for a tough topic: burn out and homeschooling. It's for sure a real and difficult thing. Hear our hearts as we dive into this topic, but first hear some fun homeschooling moments.  We end with encouragement and a tip this week!  1:38 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel 4:28 HSMotW: Mindy 4:55 The Jam on Jerry's Rock 6:45 Topic Talk: Burn Out and what NOT to do 7:22 Love you, Darcy! 7:38 What is burn out? 10:43 Symptoms of burn out 12:16 Please seek help if you are depressed 12:30 Find a counselor near you 12:30 Suicide Hotline: 800-273-8255 14:22 Some things NOT to do for burn out 15:25 S2E2 Keeping (or Getting) a Sense of Humor with guest Betsy Jenkins 27:34 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 29:44 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 30:15 Take This With You: Rachel 31:28 Take This With You: Mindy Come back next week for Burn Out: What To Do Our Zazzle Store Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

Have you ever felt like the “Bad Guy” in your homeschool? It's a common feeling, unfortunately. Mindy and Rachel bemoan this and share some remedies and prevention tactics. As usual, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week (two really special ones!), give you ways to Make It Personal (yeah, homework), and end with some encouragements or hacks (a great product and an easy hack this week!). Enjoy Season 2 Episode 14! 1:45 Homeschooling Moments of the Week: Mindy's (Jubilee to first class setting) 2:50 HSMotW: Rachel's (Moonlight Sonata recognition!) 4:36 Topic Talk: Being the Bad Guy 11:44 How Do I Get My Child to Actually Do This? S1E7 16:40 Smile to Frown idea from Mindy 21:32 Two Types of Field Trips S2E11 21:3 Doing Something Hilarious S2E8 21:39 Embracing Our Kids for Who They Are S2E5 23:35 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 25:51 Make It Personal : Far Bookends 26:50 Take This With You: Mindy (homeschooling parent bestie product: Smart Warm Coaster) 27:32 Meredith Monday-Schwartz Remote Schooling S1E27 27:37 Currently Reading Podcast 29:00 Take This With You: Rachel (cup assignment idea) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Our Zazzle store!

*Please note that many products linked are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!* Oh, y'all! We are super pumped about this episode. Reading is near and dear to us, but book clubs make reading even better! Join us as we chat with Amy Allen Clark about book clubs and the benefits for moms, working, homeschooling, or anything! You'll get some tips and suggestions along with some Homeschooling Moments of the Week, ways to make the topic personal, and encouragement. You may also hear Project Hail Mary a few times! Enjoy Season 2, Episode 13 now. Amy Allen Clark of MomAdvice.com 1:43 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 3:45 Betsy Jenkins guest Bookend Homeschoolers S2E2 4:07 Bookmans in Flagstaff 4:13 Jurassic Park 5:08 Topic Talk: Book Clubs for us? 5:42 Amy on Bookstagram Book Gang on MomAdvice 8:08 Mom Advice Book Club 10:13 Benefits of being in a book club 11:45 Tips to being in a book club 14:22 Hamnet Spotify Playlist (yeah, yeah… Amy didn't mention a specific one, but I couldn't pass this chance up!) 22:06 Leave the World Behind 23:58 The Midnight Library 24:01Project Hail Mary 26:00 A Cup of Joe blog 26:04 Article club idea! 28:00 Hamnet (Hi, Liz! My precious Hamnet Pusher) 28:01 Harry's Trees 28:44 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 30:04 The high bar set by Rachel's first book club 30:36 What Rachel walked away with from being a part of her first book chat 33:05 Make it Personal: Far Bookends 33:37 Take This With You: Mindy (benefits of daily reading time) 34:16 Take This With You: Rachel (personal pizzas) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Amy Allen Clark on IG momadvice and at Mom Advice.com Our Zazzle store!

Rachel asks Mindy about the difference in parenting the 1st versus the 7th in today's episode! Rachel got to ask ANYTHING, so there are confessions and hilarity. We don't talk homeschooling issues in this episode, but that is coming in a few weeks! Bedtime, TV, gaming, books, and more for how Mindy did it 24 years ago and how she's doing it now. As usual, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, then dive into our topic, suggest a Make It Personal, and end with someone lovely. Our Zazzle store! 3:15 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 6:40 Topic Talk: Ask Mindy anything for 1st vs 7th kid 13:36 Nintendo Wii (feel free to buy big items through our links! ;) ) 15:49 Harry Potter series 20:20 The Lazy Genius Way by Kendra Adachi 23:33 Call out lies! Bookend Homeschoolers S2E2 Keeping a Sense of Humor with Betsy Jenkins 25:47 Boy undies!! YAY! 27:48 Geronimo Stilton books 28:00 Common Sense Media 28: 13 The Martian 28:20 Mandie books 28:24 Anne of Green Gables 28:29 Project Hail Mary 28:38 Make It Personal: Both Bookends Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram - go comment: 1st vs (current caboose) 29:51 Take This With You: Mindy (laugh!) 30:05 Ted Lasso Take This With You: Rachel (see a friend) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Our Zazzle store!   *Please note that all products linked are Amazon affiliate links. Your cost is the same, but a small portion of your purchase will come back to us to help offset the costs of the show. Thanks for your support!*

We love field trips as homeschoolers! Right? Mindy & Rachel talk about two types of field trips and how to make the most of them as homeschoolers. Which kind do you lean towards? How can you up your field trip game? As usual, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, dive into Topic Talk, provide ways to Make It Personal, and end with a couple of hacks! 2:20 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 4:20 Topic Talk: Two Types of Field Trips and How to Make the Most of Them! 5:33 Car Schooling S1 Ep11 Bookend Homeschoolers 6:00 Two types of field trips: explanation 8:22 Lesson field trips 10:40 Japan Guide S1 E39 Bookend Homechoolers 10:43 Fat Bear Week Guide S2 E8 Bookend Homeschoolers 17:44 Experience field trips 24:55 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 25:57 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 26:43 Take This With You: Rachel (two kits to keep in the car!) 27:00 Mindy's Diaper Hack for Spills in the Take This With You in S2Ep9 at the 26:31 mark 30:00 Take This With You: Mindy (what to keep in the car also) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

Homeschooling happens … at home. And that means life messes. How do we handle chores and homeschooling? Hear Mindy and Rachel share different dos and don'ts. As usual, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week (you know Fat Bears will be involved this week, right?), provide ways to make it personal, and end with something positive! 2:00 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 2:06 Fat Bear Week on explore.org 2:16 Fat Bear Week Mini-unit and S2 Ep Why Take the Time to Do Something Hilarious? 5:12 Topic Talk: How to Incorporate Chores Into Homeschooling 7:06 Remote Schooling with Meredith Monday-Schwartz S1 E27 Bookend Homeschoolers 8:16 Charlotte Mason in Choose Your Method S1 E2 Bookend Homeschoolers 25:56 Make it Personal: Far Bookends 26:32 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 29:00 Take This With You: Mindy (s'mores hack) Sorta Awesome Show kellygordonmn on Instagram 30:16 Take This With You: Rachel (suggestion) Justin's Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

Alrighty… Mindy and Rachel have a bee or three in their bonnets… and they want to say a few things about who really counts as a homeschooler. Get ready! Per every episode, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week (very Near and Far Bookend-ish this time!), give you ways to Make It Personal (one is sweet and one is … less sweet), and today we close with two hacks! 1:15 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Rachel 2:07 Homeschooling Moment of the Week: Mindy 3:49 Topic Talk: But are You Really a Homeschooler? 4:27 Our definitions of homeschoolers/homeschooling 6:00 Why it's not helpful to be exclusive with our definitions 6:28 Bookend Homeschoolers S1 Ep1 Know Your Why 7:55 Bookend Homeschoolers S1 Ep 2 Choose Your Method 8:45 Have you felt like people didn't count you as a homeschooler? 11:21 Negative impacts of being exclusive 13:00 Bookend Homeschoolers S2 Ep7 Community with Meg Tietz 18:45 Positive impacts of being inclusive 21:07 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 22:50 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 24:38 Take This With You: Rachel (nerf math) 26:31 Take This With You: Mindy (liquid spill hack) Don't forget to download allll our FREE goodies for Fat Bear Week! Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

We are super duper excited about this week's episode! We bring you the challenge to consider doing hilarious and fun educational theme school moments, days, or weeks! Why? Let us share! We even provide help for you!! It's Mindy's favorite theme week of the year and we are here for it! AND we want you to be too! As usual, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, have some Topic Talk, then suggest ways for you to Make It Personal. We end this week with some (awkward, but wonderful) encouragement and a hack (recipe). Join us for Season 2, Episode 8! Fatten up!!! 1:30 Homeschooling Moments of Week 3:03 S1 E11 Car Schooling 5:25 Topic Talk: Why Take the Time to Do Something Hilarious? 12:28 S1 E39 Summer Reading Guide: Japan Olympics Theme 17:30 Fat Bear Week site 17:33 Fat Bear Week Katmai site 18:42 Katmai Bear Cams 19:20 Online Fat Bear Week Chats with Explore.org 19:22 Online Fat Bear Week Chats with Katmai Rangers 21:35 Fat Bear Week Explore.org Lesson Plans on Brown Bears of Katmai 21:36 Fat Bear Week In the Classroom 20:04 Fat Bear Junior 22:47 Download our Fat Bear Week Homeschool Guide and 9 other download sheets on our site! 24:25 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 26:06 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 27:00 Take This With You: Mindy 28:53 Take This With You: Rachel (recipe!) Cole Mac&Cheese Bag of pasta into the IP, add 2c water. Cook 4mins. Drain. Add “a bit of milk, a bit of butter, and some cheese”. Cover for 4mins. Have a child stir for exercise. Enjoy on Mac&Cheese Monday! Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

We are soooo excited to have guest Meg Tietz of Sorta Awesome! Join us awe we chat about why friendships for just you, the homeschooling parent, are so important. There is a lot here to glean and take to heart. As always, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week and after our Topic Talk, we give you ways to Make It Personal. We close out with homeschooling hacks, advice, or … a gross recipe? 1:10 Meg Tietz of the Sorta Awesome Show 3:22 Homeschooling Moments of the Week (HSMotW) 3:25 HSMotW Rachel 433 Rachel and her inflatable globe 4:40 HSMotW Meg Link for you about eels recommended by Meg and her boys 5:57 HSMotW Mindy 7:00 Topic Talk: Friendship and Community for YOU 7:18 Ep 5 Embracing Our Kids for Who They Are 7:28 Sorta Awesome Community 7:47 Meg's Book??? 9:14 Why is this important? 9:24 Sorta Awesome Ep 285: The Friendship Advice We All Need Right Now 9:31 Friend Forward Podcast 11:52 Benefits to having our own friendships? 12:33 Voxer app 19:24 What are the hurdles? 21:49 Doritos, Ding Dongs, and Cheese Whiz 22:37 Tips for homeschoolers with littles only? 25:03 Marco Polo app 30:18 What will Meg have to do differently now? 32:00 Bookend Homeschoolers S2 Ep 1 Transitioning Into or Out of Homeschooling 33:10 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 35:04 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 36:10 Take This With You: Meg (best social anxiety tip ever) 37:09 Take This With You: Rachel 38:25 Take This With You: Mindy (unusual cake) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Meg Tietz on IG Sorta Awesome Show on IG Paul's Grandma's Pistachio Cake which he calls: The Best Ever Pistachio Cake Mix the following: 1 box white or yellow cake mix, 1 box pistachio instant pudding, 3 eggs, 1 c club soda, 1 c oil, 1/2 c nuts. Beat all ingredients for 2 mins at medium speed. Do not overbeat. Bake in a bunt pan for 50mins. While cake is baking, make the following icing/filling using 3 c milk, 2 pkg Dream Whip, 2 box of pistachio instant pudding. Whip in a bowl for 5 mins until thick and chill. When cake is cook, cut into 3 layers. Put filling in between layers and ice the top and sides. Paul Brouse says, “You're welcome.”

An often requested topic that can be polarizing, but doesn't have to be: Homeschooling preschool! Join us as we discuss preschool from a far bookend and a near bookend point of view! As usual, we provide ideas for making it personal, share our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, and end with a hack or encouragement! 1:36 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 4:07 Topic Talk: Homeschooling Preschool? 13:28 Rachel being a neuroscientist on the podcast 19:08 Physical development matters 19:33 Slingerland Institute for Literacy 20:00 Curriculum? 20:46 Counting Bears 20:54 Trudy Palmer's The Gift of Reading 21:47 In One Ear (and Hopefully) Not Out the Other 22: 58 There Was an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly 23:10 Caps for Sale Brown Bear, Brown Bear 23:16 Honey for a Child's Heart 23:28 The Hand That Rocks the Cradle 23:31 The Read Aloud Family 24:00 Learn From Mindy's Mistakes 26:43 Beads to string 29:09 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 30:06 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 31:36 Take This With You: Mindy (birthday hack) 32:07 Birthday hat 33:00 Take This With You: Rachel (encouragement) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

We love our kids. Do we truly embrace who they are though? Season 2, Episode 5 finds Mindy & Rachel discussing the ways we can give the wrong message to our children and be inconsistent with our goals. Hear how to embrace your child for who they are! Of course, we start with Homeschooling Moments of the Week and provide ways to Make It Personal after our Topic Talk. 1:31 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 1:40 S2 Ep 4 Bookend Homeschoolers: Easy Art Appreciation 4:49 Topic Talk: Embracing Our Kids For Who They Are 16:30 How can we see that we are not doing this? Qs to ask ourselves 17:05 S2 Ep 3 Cultivating Inclusive Friendships 17:33 Ep 41 Mistakes We've Made 17:49 S2 Ep2 Keeping (or Getting) a Sense of Humor with Betsy Jenkins @homeschooling_withtheclassics (say and laugh at lies!) 19:50 Confusing moral vs preferred 22:30 Ways to keep this in check 28:06 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 30:42 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 33:12 Take This With You: Rachel (reminder) 34:20 Take This With You: Mindy (tip) #cookingwithMindy on IG Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Far Bookend Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Near Bookend Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG  

Today's episode sounds like a difficult or lofty topic, but it's not! We promise! Trust us. Hear some easy ways to enjoy the many benefits of art appreciation in our homeschools. As usual, we start you off with some Homeschooling Moments of the Week (no gross ones this week!) before we dive into our topic. After we provide suggestions to Make It Personal, we share a tip (Mindy's sounds like a bad idea, but it's not) and an enco uragement. 1:26 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 4:00 Topic Talk: Art Appreciation Amazon Artist Calendars: Impressionists Calendar, Monet, Picasso, Matisse, etc… look on eBay too! Some Master Artist project videos from Mindy (less than 30min lessons) 24:24 What Mindy Wishes She Had Done 27:20 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 28:12 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 30:10 Take This With You: Mindy (Can you even believe she suggests this?!) 31:55 Take This With You: Rachel Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

Today's episode is near and dear to our hearts and it's also a convicting discussion! Join us as Mindy shares how inclusive friendships matter and how the lack of effort hurts. We dive into the Whys, Whos, and Hows of this important topic for homeschoolers! If you listened to Mindy on the Sorta Awesome show, know that there is a tiny bit of overlap, but that we hit some points not discussed there as well as hone in on homeschooling issues for this topic. It's a different episode and a great flight! 1:28 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 2:35 Impossible Rubik's Cube 4:20 Topic Talk: Cultivating Inclusive Friendships 4:40 Meg Tietz and Mindy on Sorta Awesome: Inclusive Play for All 5:30 Bookend Homeschoolers Bonus Ep 1: Our Adoption Stories (if you want to know who Daniel is) 9:53 Bookend Homeschoolers: Keeping (or Getting) a Sense of Humor with Betsy Jenkins of homeschooling_theclassics 12:00 Homeschooling kiddos with disabilities stats article 16: 16 Bookend Homeschoolers Ep9: What, Why, and How of Read Alouds 29:25 Make It Personal: Near Bookends Special Books by Special Kids 33:15 Make It Personal Far Bookends 31:57 Take This With You: Mindy (tip) 32:45 Take This With You: Rachel (tip) Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

Could we be more excited about this episode?! NO! We could not. We are thrilled to have Betsy Jenkins, creator of homeschooling_withtheclassics, join us to share why keeping a sense of humor while homeschooling is so important. She made us laugh, but she also brought tears to our eyes as she reminded us of how our hearts can hurt if we can't laugh at ourselves and homeschooling. Join us for a fabulous episode! 1:30 Betsy Jenkins from homeschooling_withtheclassics 2:30 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 6:44 How Betsy arrived at homeschooling_withtheclassics 9:50 Topic Talk: Keeping (or Getting) a Sense of Humor 13:27 Episode 41 Bookend Homeschoolers: Mistakes We Have Made 21:58 Important Note: If you are struggling with depression or anxiety, please talk to someone to get support. We care. 23:07 Make It Personal: From Betsy 25:47 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 29:20 Make It Personal: Far Bookends 30:23 Take This With You: Mindy (hack) 31:13 Take This With You: Betsy (epic one liner) 32:10 Take This With You: Rachel (little known show rec) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Betsy at homeschooling_withtheclassics Boring Betsy at talltimbers_willowlake

Welcome back to Bookend Homeschoolers! We couldn't be more excited to start season 2! Many people are making transitions in their educational settings and we want to help! Listen to our ideas on how to make the switch into homeschooling or out of homeschooling smooth! Just like last season, we are also starting each episode with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week and sharing ways to Make It Personal! 1:42 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 4:17 Topic Talk: Transitioning into or out of homeschooling Ep 27 Season 1 with guest Meredith Monday-Schwartz 14:41 S1E1 Bookend Homeschoolers: Know Your Why 14:47 S1E2 Bookend Homeschoolers: Choose Your Method(s) 20:03 S1E4 Bookend Homeschoolers: To Schedule or Not to Schedule? 20:54 S1E7 Bookend Homeschoolers: How Do I Get My Kids to Actually Do This? 27:00 Make it Personal: Far Bookends 27:51 Make It Personal: Near Bookends 29:43 Take This With You Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

We can't believe it and are so thrilled to find us wrapping up our first reason of Bookend Homeschoolers! Celebrate with us and hear some messages from listeners, take aways from the year, teasers for season 2, and more! (note: We will take a show break July 25 and return for Season 2 Aug 1!) 1:30 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 4:48 Ep 41: Homeschooling Mistakes We've Made 7:14 Mindy's Memorable Moment #1 (from Ep 38: Summer Reading Guide #1) 8:37 Rachel's Memorable Moment #2 (from Ep 8: How Do I Get Myself to Actually Do This?) 9:34 Listener call in: Juliann Krusting 10:50 Mindy's Memorable Moment #2 (from Ep 40: Hosting Kids' Book Clubs) 12:03 Rachel's Memorable Moment #2 (from Ep 19: Homeschooling Extroverts) 13:19 Listener call in: Carlee Marlow 13:54 Rachel's Memorable Moment #3 14:35 Mindy's Memorable Moment #3 (from Ep 11: Car Schooling) 12:27 Heidi Jackson (westmorelandpodcast) 17:00 Rachel's Memorable Moment #4 (from Ep 41: Homeschooling Mistakes We've Made) 18:11 Mindy's Memorable Moment #4 (from Ep 27: Remote Schooling Tips and Tricks) 19:05 Listener call in: Megan Goodell 21:00 Insider Info on Season 1 and starting the show! 23:12 Rachel's Take Aways 24:46 Mindy's Take Aways 26:46 Teasers for Season 2 27:40 Make It Personal 28:24 Take This With You 29:44 Thank you, Meredith & Katyee at Currently Reading!

Our second to last episode for Season 1 has us being vulnerable with you, listeners! We share small and big mistakes we have made in homeschooling. Do any of these resonate? If so, understanding hugs from us. If not, learn from us. As usual, we start the show off with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, dive into our topic, and then give you ways to Make It Personal! 2:00 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 5:20 Topic Talk: Homeschooling Mistakes We've Made 27:15 Near Bookends: Make It Personal 28:50 Far Bookends: Make It Personal 29:40 Take This With You 29:49 Adam's Peanut Butter 30:17 Earbuds Mindy Recommends and Has Bought Twice: SoundPeats 30: 50Earbuds Mindy Uses: Airpods (oh, the irony… Mindy lost these two days before this episode dropped! Sad face.) 31:09 Rachel's Sound Cancelling Earbuds: Airpods Pro (note: we will have a show break on July 25th and start Season 2 Aug 1st!) Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool

Happy July 4th! Today, we have a bonus episode for you! Get to know your hosts, Mindy & Rachel, a bit better and hear their journey to becoming homeschooling parents. You might be surprised! One of them was! 1:00 Intro to the Episode 1:43 Rachel's Story 10:10 Bonus Ep 1 Our Adoption Stories 15:00 Mindy's Story Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

Want a way to deepen your love for a book and make memories with your child and their friends? Hear how to host a kids' book club! Rachel asks Mindy lots of questions on how she successfully had Boys' Book Club with some eleven year old boys! As usual, enjoy homeschooling moments of the week, ways to make this topic personal, and then end with something fun! 2:23 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 5:30 Topic Talk: Kids' Book Clubs 6:10 Currently Reading Podcast 10:40 The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan 13:20 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen 20:00 Nevermoor by Jessica Townsend 24:21 Mindy on Currently Reading Podcast talking about Kids' Book Clubs with Kaytee S2E24 24:33 Make It Personal (MIP) 24:41 MIP: Near Bookends 26:36 (MIP) Far Bookends Mindy on Instagram to follow for Zoom Book Chats 27:30 Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 27:52 Wrap Up Send us your video files: Your Questions for a Q&A episode AND How Bookend Homeschoolers Helped You This year!…. email to bookendhomeschoolers@gmail.com Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool (Paul Louis' Boys' Book Club Reads: The Lightning Thief, Hatchet, Nevermoor, The Book Scavenger, Eagle of the Ninth, The Track Series, Artemis Fowl, The Hobbit)

We could hardly wait to release Part 2 of our Summer Reading Guide! This one has a theme! Why? Because we are homeschoolers. Ha! With the Olympics starting at the end of July, we have a special Summer Guide to suit the summer! 1:14 Homeschooling Moments of the Week Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir Ep 38 Summer Reading Guide Pt 1 4:45 Topic Talk: Summer Reading Guide Pt 2 Middle Grade 6:00 The Cat Who Went to Heaven by Elizabeth Coatsworth 6:46 The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata 8:30 The Big Wave by Pearl S Buck 8:56 All the Ways Home by Elsie Chapman 10:26 Cool Japan Guide by Abby Densen 11:34 Both 11:51 10 Best Manga for Beginners article 12:30 Yotsuba&! (Vol #1) by Kiyohiko Azuma 13:52 The Last Cherry Blossom by Kathleen Burkinshaw 16:40 High School 16:45 Pure Invention: How Japan's Pop Culture Conquered the World by Matt Alt 18:30 I Love You So Mochi by Sarah Kuhn 20: 30 They Called Us Enemy by George Takei (we rec reading this with your MG too, but side by side) 24:17 Ink and Ashes by Valynn E Maetani 26:00 Tokyo Ever After by Emiko Jean 27:24 Make It Personal Far Bookends Mindy liked a lot, but not what we wanted on the Guide: 28:27 The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa 28:32 The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino Made it to the Guide: 28:46 The Wild Goose by Ogai Mori (FREE on Kindle!) 30:15 Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami 31:31 Shogun by James Clavell 33:25 Near Bookends 34:35 National Geographic Kids' Japanese Fast Facts 34:50 Japanese Pod 101 YouTube Channel 35:07 Japanese Fairy Tales by Yei Theodora Ozaki (free on YouTube) 35:36 Japanese Soul Cooking by Tadashi Ono 35:50 Picture books (see below) 35:57 Bookend Homeschoolers Japan BINGO CARD! Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Don't forget to download your Summer Reading Guide Pt 2 AND your Bookend Homeschoolers BINGO Card! (Did you listen to Summer Guide Pt 1 and download the PDF?) Other Links: Learn about Haiku Learn about Japanese Culture in 30 minutes Picture Books: I Live in Tokyo by Mari Takabayashi Time for Bed, Miyuki (series) by Roxane Marie Galliez Suki's Kimono by Chieri Uegaki available kindle kids Eyes That Kiss in the Corners by Joanna Ho

How excited are we? Pretty dang excited! Today, Mindy & Rachel present the first Bookend Homeschoolers Summer Reading Guide! We have so many fantastic books for you: Middle Grade and Young Adult! As usual, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week… this week has a gross one to lead off. You've been warned. In our Make It Personal section, we give the teachers their summer books! Episode 38 ends with some encouragement and a hack! Don't forget to download your Summer Reading Guide Part 1 PDF! 1:19 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 3:38 (skip Rachel's gross HSMotW) 5:12 Topic Talk: Summer Reading Guide (Part 1) Middle Grade 6:05 Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston 7: 10 Warrior Cats #1 Into the Wild by Erin Hunter 8:08 Detectives in Togas by Henry Winterfeld 8:58 Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez 9:15 Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan 11:25 Hand in Hand by Katie Proctor 12: 40 Book Scavenger by Jennifer Bertram 14: 27 High School/Young Adult 14:31 Time After Time by Lisa Grunwald 15:46 Dreamland Burning by Jennifer Latham 17:21 Cinder by Marissa Meyer 18:56 Scarlet by Marissa Meyer   19:23 Wizard for Hire by Obert Skye 20:38 The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon 24:10 Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 25: 20 Synopsis of Project Hail Mary… we think you should skip this, but… your call 25:46 Back to Project Hail Mary raving 26:02 Make It Personal 26:13 Near Bookends 26:28 Marley and Me by John Grogan 26: 56 The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger 28:19 Far Bookends 28:39 The Chosen by Chaim Potek 30:25 What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty 32:00 Part 2… of our Summer Reading Guide in Ep 39! 32:20 Take This With You Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace Rachel at colemountainhomeschool Get your PDF Bookend Homeschoolers site Come back for Episode 39 for our Part 2 Summer Reading Guide! (Amazon links are affiliate links to help cover the cost of producing the show. We are grateful for EVERY click!)

Mindy answers Rachel's questions about a fun summer get together idea that can both help fellow homeschoolers AND provide some fun encouragement: a curric chat! Or a personal curriculum fair! Hear how this could benefit you and your friends by listening to episode 37 now. We start like always with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, then after our Topic Talk, we provide ways to Make It Personal. This episode has us ending with a homeschooling hack and some encouragement! 1:32 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 5:18 Topic Talk: Hosting a Curric Chat/Fair 9:42 Ep 2 Bookend Homeschoolers: ChooseYour Method 20:24 Make It Personal 22:30 Homeschool Hack & Encouragement Carol Barnier Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

We mentioned before how having our kids do presentations as a “class” can really benefit them long term. Today, Mindy and Rachel dive into this topic! Our #nearbookend, Rachel, asks Mindy, our #farbookend, questions to flesh this out. We have some great info for you! As always, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, then discuss our topic. Afterwards, we suggest real life ways to make the topic personal and end with something positive for you to Take This With You: Encouragement, Homeschool Hack, or learn from Mindy’s Mistakes. 1: 42Homeschooling Moments of the Week Ep 35 Bookend Homeschoolers Cultivating & Inspiring Our Kids to Follow Well Ep 34 Bookend Homeschoolers Round 2 of (Some of) Our Favorite Read Alouds The Martian (the book… best!!) The Martian (the movie, super fun!) Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir 4:53 Topic Talk 23:08 Make it Personal 25: 06 Take This With You Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG {Book links are affiliate, to help cover the cost of the show. We’d be grateful for any shopping via the links!}

Often, we forget to encourage our children to be great team players and followers. We admire leadership and obedience, but can overlook teaching that learning to follow well is just as important. No one wants a person on their team who doesn’t follow the leader with grace and integrity. Hear Mindy and Rachel share ideas on how to cultivate this in our kids. As always, we start with our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, then after our Topic Talk, we give you ways to Make it Personal. We wend with something fun: Take This With You! 1:30 Homeschooling Moments of the Week Ep 28 of Bookend Homeschoolers Inspiring and Providing Opportunities for Leadership 5:00 Topic Talk 22: 33 Make It Personal 24:40 Take This With You #cookingwithmindy Bookend Homeschoolers on IG Mindy at gratefulforgrace on IG Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on IG

We LOVE talking books and especially read alouds!! They are our favorite part of homeschooling, so…. here is our second episode with (some of) our favorites and recommendations. As usual, we also share our homeschooling moments of the week, suggestions on how to apply the topic IRL, and end with some encouragement! How many of these have you read to your kiddos/students? 1:11 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 4:54 Topic Talk Ep 14 of Bookend Homeschoolers (Some of) Our Favorite Read Alouds Illustrated Books 6:26 The Giraffe That Walked to Paris 7: 30 The Paper Bag Princess The Paddington books on audio 8:06 The Paddington Treasury 8: 55 Can’t You Sleep, Little Bear? 9: 49 Ruby, Head High Early Elementary 10: 40 George Washington Carver 11:22 My Life with Chimpanzees 11:51 Winnie the Pooh 12:10 Where the Red Fern Grows Ep 30 of Bookend Homeschoolers on Writing with Katie Proctor Middle Grade Ep 9 of Bookend Homeschoolers What, Why, How, & When of Read Alouds 13:33 Secret of the Andes 14:24 The Witch of Blackbird Pond 15:33 The Great Turkey Walk 16:42 The Watsons Go to Birmingham 17:44 Daughter of the Mountains Young Adult 19:40 Mara, Daughter of the Nile 20:27 Warriors Don’t Cry 21:49 The Gift of Fear 23:25 The Martian 25:11 The Princess Bride 25:40 Dreamland Burning 27: 10 Make It Personal 29:10 Encouragement {Book links are affiliate, to help cover the cost of the show. We’d be grateful for any shopping via the links!}

It’s almost summer! Listeners requested this topic and we happily obliged! Those of us who grew up in the traditional school system see summer as the time to take a break and play. Do homeschoolers see it this way too? Listen to episode 33 as Mindy & Rachel discuss what they do and provide ideas for making the most of summer. As usual at Bookend Homeschoolers, we share our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, provide ideas for making the topic personal, and end with ecouragement! 1:17 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 4:47 Topic Talk 23:10 Make It Personal 23:40 Hike It Baby 24:34 Hailstones and Halibut Bones 26:14 Encouragement Visit Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Find Mindy at gratefulforgrace on Instagram Find Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on Instagram

Milestones matter and ending the homeschooling year is a big deal… especially this year! We love helping our kids see their victories and finishing a year of academic work is a victory! Mindy & Rachel share reasons for and ideas for celebrating! As usual, you will also hear our Homeschooling Moments of the Week, suggestions on how to make the topic personal, and encouragement. 1:24 Homeschooling Moments of the Week 5:38 Topic Talk 24:10 Make It Personal 25: 45 Encouragement Bookend Homeschoolers on Instagram Mindy at gratefulforgrace on Instagram Rachel at colemountainhomeschool on Instagram