The Coop Homeschool

We have some favorite episodes to share with you - from our own podcast! There's a few nuggets we summarize about each one for some quick inspiration.

We have shared our favorites, and now it's our kids' turn! In this Coop Faves each of our kids share their favorite book. The interviews are short and sweet and may inspire you to try out a new read-aloud for your family. Each book is linked on our website!

A music program that is all about play? Yes please! From experience, this music program is worth the commitment to provide the best music education for your little one. Check out our review here!

Ecologies is a nature inspired card game designed by a biology teacher - building ecological knowledge, a colorful vocabulary, and a beautiful art aesthetic. Check out our review here!

It's a time capsule in a book! This question of the day journal is worth your time, and here's why.

Fun Fables is a story-telling podcast show for kids - sharing fables with a twist!

This unit study truly encapsulates how enriching and fun studying your state can be!

Cursive is a dying art, but it's so good for the brain! This fave is a short and simple curriculum that teaches cursive penmanship for a child's first exposure to handwriting. It's easy and fun to teach!

Why use a curriculum when you can just read books with dangerously misplaced commas and apostrophes?!? My kids love these books and learn a ton about punctuation from them.

The deliciousness of a country all in a box! This monthly subscription box brings so much enriched learning and joy to our family, and may be a must for anyone wanting to teach cultural appreciation. Check it out here.

Operation Ouch is a YouTube Channel with fun lessons, experiments, diagnoses, and more all about the human body - with kids! We all love it.

You are enough. You are exactly who your children need right now. Trust yourself a little more and create a custom homeschool environment that fits you and your children. In this episode, we reassure you with the research, talk custom education, and share some affirmations. In our Coop Q & A we answer the question, "What subject do we feel that we are not enough to teach?"

When is it okay to let your kid quit an activity, and when should we push him through? In this episode, we discuss the research, the reasons for quitting, assessing the pros and cons quitting, five ways to handle the situation, and ideas for approaching a new activity or potential interest. In our Coop Q&A we answer the question, “My kid hates going to their piano lesson, but we really value it, what do I do?”

Friendship is a huge component of helping our children live a joyful life! This is an area of parenting that we spend a lot of time on to help our kids. In this episode we will talk about, how to find friends for your kids, developing friendships, continuing friendships, navigating conflict, and letting go of friends. We also share a few resources for teaching your child about friendship. In our Coop Q & A, we answer a question about how to handle the neighborhood kids who do not have good boundaries when it comes to playing with your child.

Sometimes, all you need is a game! In homeschooling, games can provide a major portion of content for a child's learning, no matter the age. Some homeschoolers use games as their "schooling" entirely on its own! In this episode, we sit down with a games expert for some wisdom on how games can impact a child's learning as well as a family's lifestyle. We also introduce a new segment called, "Things I Never Knew (Before Homeschooling)." This is a fun one!

Living in the digital age, it seems many people no longer consume live theater or performances. What are they missing out on? We discuss the benefits of going to live performances, when to begin taking kids to performances, where to find performances, the best season for performances, and fun local examples. In our Coop Q & A we answer the question, "How do I help my 5-year-old become more serious about ballet classes?" Show Notes

What should I do when my kid is bored? It's not what you think! We dive into recent research, boredom vulnerability factors, and fun ideas like a boredom basket. We also answer the question, "When should I let my child quit a sport/lesson/class and when should I make her push through it?"

Whether it's on the couch cuddling with you or with a flashlight in their bed at night, reading with your kindergartener is magic. With all the benefits it brings, choosing beautiful, magical, and meaningful books creates the ideal moment for learning and bonding with your little one. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, “When should my child transition from picture books to chapter books?”

It's the small things we do throughout our homeschool days that make our lifestyle a bit easier. We offer 10 shortcuts to creating the homeschool life you want. You can pick and choose to customize your family's experience to make homeschooling easier! We also answer the question, "What should I say when my child tells me that he is bored?"

It seems that when it comes to kids, so much conversation centers around their schooling, including achievements, success, challenges, and interventions. We all seem so concerned about measuring our kids, that I have to ask: IS OUR FOCUS ON SCHOOL HEALTHY? In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: How do I know if I covered a topic thoroughly?

Why teach history, and what major principles do we need to know when homeschooling history? How do we educate our children for knowing history in preparation for college? We sit down with a historian to learn some helpful fundamentals about a history education. You don't know what you don't know, until you do! We also review a few games that help teach various aspects of North America in our Game-Schooling segment.

Working Moms - They can and do homeschool too. It may not always be easy, but it can be done! If you are wondering how, we share some tried and true advice on how to do it.

Does your child desire a pet? Whether it's a hermit crab or kitten, a tarantula or a hamster, pets can provide a wealth of learning experiences that will equip your child with important life skills - like researching, budgeting, planning ahead, and growing responsibility. Most importantly, the process will empower your child and help her mature organically. We also discuss what we think is a great first pet in our Coop Q & A.

A homeschool mother and grown adult daughter (and fellow homeschool mom) share their highlights, regrets, and advice about homeschooling in this thoughtful and honest interview. Keeley shares what it was like to homeschool in the 90's and early 2000's, while Kim dives in to what it was like to be a homeschooled child. Hindsight is always 20/20, and we get to be blessed with their wisdom. Also, in our Gameschooling segment, we share The Oregon Trail games that are all the rage in our homes these days.

Just like any creative adventure, in homeschooling, you need a toolbox to make building your dream homeschool life the way you want it! We discuss ten tools with links to make it easy for you to get to work with ease and awe. We also answer the question, “What do you do first thing in the morning during the school year?”

Julie Bogart, author of The Brave Learner and creator of The Brave Writer, came out with a new book this year, Raising Critical Thinkers. We read it and want to share our thoughts on it with you. We also answer the question: What resources or tools can you use to teach logic and critical thinking?

When an experienced homeschool mom with 25 years of experience shares wisdom, perspective, ideas, and homeschool hacks - we listen! In this episode, we interview a long-time friend Kathy about her favorite resources, positive experiences, regrets, and everything in between. Calling all Game-Schoolers! We recommend a few geographical and history themed games that will spice up your history lessons.

Sometimes, to find a deeper joy in homeschooling, you just need to add a little magic! From unique learning adventures like a "Donut Road Trip" to allowing space for a large portion of free time, we provide a fun and creative list of 10 ways to add magic to your homeschool life.

How do you know if your child is ready to start kindergarten? With helpful tips, ideas, and out-of-the-box analysis, we dive into the various ways to determine if your child is ready for this next milestone. We also answer the question, "How do I sign my child up for kindergarten?"

"Where, when, and how do I begin?" Music education can be a daunting endeavor if you don't know where to start or what to do. We ask accomplished musician and owner of US Music Lessons studio the questions that every homeschool family needs to know. Music education makes a huge impact in your child's development and should be a top priority. We also introduce a new segment called "Gameschooling" where we share a few educational music games that will organically grow your child's music language.

We share six things we are most excited about adding to our homeschool year this next year 2022-2023. With new ideas and resources for history, Bible, art, field trips, kindergarten, and morning time, this episode is jam packed with fresh ideas and inspiration. We also answer the question, "How far should I plan in advance?"

One of our favorite ways to learn history is to live it! A Living History experience may be exactly the adventure your child needs to spark curiosity about important time periods and events.

We give this math curriculum rave reviews! Listen in on why we love it, and check it out here.

It's a museum in a book! These beautiful books are big enough to envelope you and your child on a museum tour within itself. Check it out here.

This fave puts the "game" in "game schooling"! We love this game and here is why. Buy this great educational experience here.

Unit studies by Gather Round Homeschool are some of our favorite curriculum in our homeschool life. They are worth trying one unit study at a time!

My kids are enraptured by this thin book packed with extraordinary information about ordinary things. You can buy this book here.

What could be better than a cooking club for kids? This monthly subscription provides a lifetime of tools, skills, and bonding moments - all in a box. Check it out here.

These beautiful illustrated storybooks with accompanying music clips help anyone teach musical concepts in an enriching way. You can check it out here.

It's time to talk about a theme day that we all love in our house: Star Wars Day! We like to experience numerous themed learning days in our home, but this one is different. This one is an annual tradition in our home that always happens in May. “May the fourth be with you.” To check out our favorite resources for this theme go to our Theme Day blog post or to our new post review!

Our kids love Mrs. Wordsmith, specifically her Storyteller's Word A Day flip book. As moms, we love it too for three reasons and share it in our new podcast shorts - Coop Faves. Check out one of our most favorite language arts products here.

How do you know if you are succeeding at homeschooling? We dive into a couple ways to measure your success, share some of our successes, and provide helpful takeaways. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, "What is one thing my child should learn before adulthood?" Check out our website for show notes!

Chapter 5 is such a fun conclusion to our book club! We discuss Gatto's take on church history, economics, and, of course, the public school. We share some of our favorites quotes as well as our take aways from the book. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: Should my child take state testing?

“I want to homeschool, but I don't have the budget!” Homeschooling does not need to break the bank. We share many resources and ideas for where to look for free or low cost supplies and curriculum, how to plan inexpensive experiences, and how your homeschool lifestyle can make a big difference on your bank account. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: What is your favorite thing to buy for homeschooling?

Have you found yourself in a sudden situation needing to homeschool? Whether it's Covid requirements or an intolerable public school situation, the basic essentials are all you may need to homeschool your child on short notice. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: What curriculum would work well for multiple grade levels, with a focus on read alouds, and a "school" time limit of about two hours per day?

Should I Homeschool? Many people find themselves debating whether or not to homeschool their child. We're going to explore some scenarios and give you the answer. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, "Do I need to enroll in public school to get services for my child with special needs?"

Deciding your child's schooling trajectory is a top priority for every parent of young children, and some ask, "Could I homeschool?" There are a few simple questions for you to answer, and then you will know whether or not you could homeschool. In the Coop Q & A, we answer the question "Where can I find free printouts for my three-year-old child?

Should I sign up with a homeschool charter school? We discuss what a charter school is, what a homeschool charter school provides, and the pros and cons to consider before you decide. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, "How can I spend my charter school funds?"

Bedtime can be a wonderful time of day for your children to learn and grow their curiosities and passions. We discuss research, offer activities and ideas, and give a few simple steps for a peaceful and enriching bedtime. In our Coop Q & A we answer the question, “I have one child - I would homeschool, but don't you think he'd be better off at our church school?”

Kindergarten can be a joyful but also a scary start to your homeschooling adventure. We've got you covered by providing you with some foundational ideas for Kindergarten that will allow you to teach from a place of peace. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question, “What does a Kindergarten homeschool day look like?”

We need less school, not more...a chapter titled perfectly by John Taylor Gatto. School is a synthetic community; it's merely a network that drains vitality from families and real communities. In this episode, we talk honestly about what the institutionalized school really is...according to an experienced and highly regarded school teacher. In our Coop Q & A, we answer the question: "How can I get my child more interested in history?"