Two weeks ago I shared the first 5 of 10 mistakes I’ve made in my homeschool -- believe me, I’ve made many, many more than that! But I’m highlighting 10 that stick out most prominently to me.So in the last “Best of Read-Aloud Revival” episode, I shared the first 5 and today I’m sharing the next 5. Hopefully, hearing these will keep you from making the mistakes I have. Homeschooling is a joy and a gift and it’s hard and wonderful and messy and effective -- it’s all of those things at once. I can promise you won’t get it perfect, and I can also promise that you don’t NEED to get it perfect. In this episode, you’ll hear:  Two big mistakes new homeschool parents often make Why you have to avoid the comparison trap in your homeschool Why more isn’t better when it comes to your homeschool One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned in my years of homeschooling Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode:RAR Premium Membership

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RAR Best Of: 5 MORE Homeschool Mistakes I’ve Made (they just keep comin’)

I’ve been homeschooling for a long time, and just like every other homeschooling mom I know, I’ve made a ton of mistakes. When I was new to homeschooling, I craved the insight of people who had been doing it for a while: What do you wish you did more of? What do you wish you worried less about? What would you do differently if you were starting over again?These are the kinds of things I wanted to know.At the time I’m airing this particular show, I have two college students who were homeschooled the whole way through. Our third child is about to graduate this spring and will also head to University. And then we’ve got three more -- ages 11, 9, and 9. And yeah… we’re doing things a little differently this time around. A couple of years ago I shared on this podcast some of my mistakes in homeschooling-- and they all remain true. So, it seemed like a good idea to talk about those mistakes again. Over this episode and the next one, I’ll be sharing 10 mistakes I’ve made in my homeschool -- five in this episode, and five in the next. If you heard these a few years ago when I first aired them, you might have a new take -- after all, you’re new in a new season of life than you were then. And if you haven't heard, I hope you enjoy. In this episode, you’ll hear:  What really makes a difference in the quality of your homeschool (hint: it’s not agonizing over which curriculum to use) What I wish I’d known then that keeps overwhelm at bay now Why it’s okay for your homeschool to be ordinary Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode: The RAR Quiz or text QUIZ to 33777 Pam Barnhill on skill subjects versus content subjects 

RAR Best Of: 5 Homeschooling Mistakes I've Made (so you can avoid them)

Why do we make things mean more than they actually mean?We all do it. We realize a kid doesn’t know how to tie their shoes at age 12, and we tell ourselves we’re forgetting to teach SO MANY IMPORTANT THINGS. We feed our kids frozen pizza for dinner twice in a week and think it means we don’t care about their health. We sleep late and tell ourselves we’re lazy. We have a late reader and think it means we’re not good at this “teaching reading” thing. We make things mean what they don’t mean ALL THE TIME.And today? Today we’re gonna talk about it.I’m sharing something we’ve been talking about in Circle with Sarah, which is our homeschool coaching program in RAR Premium. Recently I did a couple of episodes on why we need to keep data in its place in our homeschool and not make things mean what they don’t mean. I wanted you to hear it, so I’m sharing those two episodes in one RAR Podcast for you here. In this episode, you’ll hear:  Why you have to learn to separate the data from your self-worth and value  How to make use of what the data is actually telling you Journal prompts to help you suss out what the data is telling you and what you’re making it mean Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Books Mentioned in This Episode:Tranquility by Tuesday

RAR #225: It's Just Data (What your data is REALLY telling you about your homeschool)

Today, I’m sharing a conversation with my friend and colleague, Cindy West.Cindy teaches at No Sweat Nature Study, a homeschool nature study program that takes the guesswork out of nature study by teaching your kids directly. Cindy is also the host of the No Sweat Nature Study podcast, which features short episodes about nature. (My kids absolutely love it!)Cindy and I recently had a conversation for her community about how to use picture books to teach nature study and today, I wanted to share it with you.Because nature study kind of has a name for itself in the homeschooling world. We've sort of built it up as the supreme science activity and it can be wonderful - getting out in nature, observing and learning about the world around us …But we also tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves about it. There are just times in life when getting out in nature is harder than others – maybe you have a new baby, maybe someone has allergies, maybe the weather is just plain terrible. There are plenty of reasons why you might need or want to do some of your nature study from the couch or the kitchen table.And that’s why on today’s episode of the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast, Cindy and I are talking about teaching nature study through books.In this episode, you’ll hear:  How “living literature” helps you kids make connections between books and the world around them How making connections through picture books can relieve some of the pressure around nature study Why picture book biographies are great launching points for all ages Learn more about Cindy West: No Sweat Nature Study No Sweat Nature Study Podcast Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode:Nature Study Book List and Activity Guide

RAR #224: Cozy Couch Nature Study

I have a theory that if I were to ask a hundred of today’s children’s book authors and illustrators to name a book that had a profound impact on them, I bet an unusually large number of those authors and illustrators would mention the work of E.B. White.I cannot count the number of times I’ve heard authors say that E.B. White’s books have made such a huge difference in their lives and writing.I’m a big E.B. White fan myself, and while I love Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little, my absolute favorite is The Trumpet of the Swan.And that’s what we’re reading this spring in RAR Premium for our Family Book Club. Plus, we’re going to look closely at first-lines (E.B. White was a master of this) for a WOW: Writer’s on Writing Event.It’s going to be quite the fabulous E.B. White spring here at RAR!  So today, we’re revisiting an episode from 2017 with children’s book illustrator Melissa Sweet discussing her children’s biography of E.B. White, called Some Writer.In this episode, you’ll hear:  How each story informs Melissa’s process of creating mixed media illustrations How a family of crafters and makers inspired Melissa to become an artist How Melissa’s research into E.B. White’s work led to the visuals for Some Writer  Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode:RAR #202: For Kids Who Don't Like Sad StoriesBooks Mentioned in This Episode:Charlotte’s WebStuart Little The Trumpet of the SwanSome WriterA Boy, A Mouse, and a SpiderThe Baby Bear SeriesThe Pinky and Rex SeriesThe Boy Who Drew BirdsBrave GirlBalloons Over BroadwayA Splash of RedYou Nest Here with MeThe Right WordA River of Words

(Fixed!) Bonus: Join us for an E.B. White Spring

Every year, the Read-Aloud Revival team watches the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards together. This is the award show where the medals that are considered the most prestigious in children’s publishing are given.Today I’m joined by Kortney Garrison, our Community Director, Kara Anderson, our Creative Director, and Harmony Harkema, or brand new Managing Editor at both Read-Aloud Revival and Waxwing Books.We are going to talk about the winners that were announced on January 30, 2023. We’ll talk about the books we were delighted to see honored, as well as some books that we think should have been honored. And you know we have opinions about that. ;)In this episode, you’ll hear:  The impact the awards can have for authors and illustrators The announcements that made us cheer The book gems that didn’t make the list and why we love them Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode: American Library Association announces 2023 Youth Media Award winners Kate DiCamillo Tomie DePaola James Ransome Read Aloud Revival: Picture Book Biographies Sophie Blackall Stops by The Yarn to Talk About Farmhouse RAR #177: Teach Your Kids to Think Like a Scientist (with Books You Already Have) 

RAR #223: The Books That Won (And a Few That Should Have)

Oh boy, do we have a treat for you today!Our team here at Read-Aloud Revival has been hard at work on a brand new booklist for you and I’ve invited Kortney Garrison and Kara Anderson from the RAR team back to this side of the podcast to tell you all about it.Nature study can be an intimidating subject that carries a lot of expectations in the homeschooling world. It’s something we want to do, but it can get pushed to the side because we don’t always have the energy to tramp around the woods with a watercolor set.So this project started with our team asking, how can we simplify nature study and make it more likely to happen? Could it really be as simple as reading a book and doing an activity?We think so! And that’s where our brand new booklist and activity guide comes in.In this episode, you’ll hear:  Why we chose 12 books per season, and why you don’t have to read them all How we paired books and activities to make them as accessible as we could How the guide brings know, do, and love to nature study Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode: Get the Nature Study Booklist and Activity Guide RAR #220: Essentialism for Homeschoolers RAR #177: Teach Your Kids to Think Like a Scientist (with Books You Already Have) RAR #62: Inspiring a Love of Nature Through Books, Greta Eskridge 

RAR #222: Read Books, Go Outside: Simple Science for Homeschooling Families

What do you do if you notice that your child isn’t finishing books?How can you get your kids to widen their reading taste outside of a single genre?How can you describe what you do for literature on a high school transcript when you take a more relaxed Read-Aloud Revival approach to the subject?And what can you do to help boost your child’s emotional intelligence and reading comprehension while reading? Today, I’m answering listeners’ questions about their kids’ reading habits, from bouncing from book to book to getting stuck in a genre rut, and more.In this episode, you’ll hear:  Is it okay if your child is reading from rather than through? How can we expand our child’s reading repertoire (without assigning them books)? How to describe literature on a high school transcript How picture books can help a child having difficulty with social and emotional cues Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode: RAR #215: Whimsy and the Power of Childhood Reading RAR #141: Why Re-Reading is Possibly the Best Reading Homeschooling for College by Design - Heather Woodie 

RAR #221: What to Do When your Child Doesn’t Finish Books…and Other Questions You’re Asking

Bonus: Spring Preview - What We're Reading Next

I want to help you think about what’s most essential in your homeschool. I’ve invited Kortney Garrison and Kara Anderson from the RAR team to chat with me about a favorite book when it comes to essentializing.We've been talking and thinking about the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown a lot here at Read Aloud Revival, especially as it relates to homeschooling. We're reading the book in our Mama Book Club in RAR Premium in January and I will tell you this book is easily one of the books I can say has changed my life.That is not an exaggeration. I think Read Aloud Revival itself has been built on the principles in Essentialism. I've probably reread it a dozen times.This book has changed the way I've thought about my own life and maybe this is due to me being a mother to half a dozen kidsbut this idea of less but better really appeals to me. Today, Kortney, Kara, and I are going to dig into just the first chapter and how it relates to our homeschools.In this episode, you’ll hear:  Defining Essentialism and why the concept is so needed for homeschool parents How doing less, but better can help us set priorities in our homeschools and avoid decision fatigue How comparing your kids’ progress to the baseline, not the ideal, can give you a better perspective on your successes Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode: Great Homeschooling Conventions Use the code READALOUD23 for $10 off a registration at any location RAR#209: What Worked? What Didn't? Looking Back on Homeschooling with my 20-Year-Old Daughter 

RAR #220: Essentialism for Homeschoolers

The Long Winter is the sixth book in the Little House on the Prairie series. It was first published in 1940, and is an autobiographical novel. Laura Ingalls Wilder based the series on her actual life as a child, settling the west. This particular story, The Long Winter, was set in the southwestern Dakota Territory during the severe winter of 1880-1881 when Laura was 14 years old. Even if you haven’t read the rest of the Little House books, I think you want to read this one. You can read any of the Little House books as stand-alones, but I’m betting that if you give your kids a taste of any of them, they’ll want to keep reading more stories from Laura.And truly, it’s no wonder why. Laura Ingalls Wilder is, to my mind, unparalleled as one of the finest novelists in children’s literature, ever alive.In this episode, you’ll hear:  How Ingalls Wilder creates an immersive experience with deceptively simple writing Why re-reading can be the best kind of reading, for us and for our kids How to handle troubling or problematic content in books with your kids, and why I believe we need to have those discussions But there is an elephant in the room with the Little House on the Prairie books and we need to talk about it. Today, we’re talking about what makes The Long Winter so gripping and so beloved, as well as how we handle problematic texts with our kids and why I believe that scenes and language we may find troubling aren’t reasons to leave great books on the shelf.Find the rest of the show notes at: https://readaloudrevival.com/219/

RAR #219: Yes, You Should Read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s The Long Winter

In this bonus episode, you'll hear: How Sarah's Jolabokaflod really went Can we actually fall in love with the homeschooling lives we already have? All-new for 2023 -- Circle with Sarah: RAR Premium Homeschool Coaching For the full show notes, head here.  

Bonus: Let's Fall in Love with our Homeschooling Lives

What if I told you that there’s an Icelandic Christmas tradition where you spend an entire day (or evening) reading books and sipping hot cocoa? And it’s what you’re SUPPOSED to be doing.Yes, this is a real thing!It’s called Jolabokaflod, and in this episode, you’ll hear:  Where the tradition came from 3 super-simple steps to your own Jolabokaflod How other mamas just like you have made the tradition their own During Jolabokaflod, you gift members of your family with new books, and everyone drinks hot cocoa and spends the whole of Christmas Eve reading. If I didn’t get your attention before, I’ve got it now.Today, I’m talking about when and how this tradition started, and how your family can make Jolabokaflod part of your Christmas traditions.Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/218/.

RAR #218: Jolabokaflod: How to Have a Christmas Book Flood

By now, most of us are knee deep in our homeschool year.And no matter how far into your year you are, and no matter what’s happened that you either did, or didn’t, expect to happen, I’m willing to bet that something funny has happened: You’re carrying around a lot of pinecones.What on earth do I mean by that?In this episode, you’ll hear:  All the ways we end up with a metaphorical 56-pound backpack of homeschool curriculum What are these pinecones (and why do I keep picking them up?) How to decide which homeschool curriculum you really need for the rest of the school year Find the rest of the show notes at https://readaloudrevival.com/217/.

RAR #217:  It’s Time to Put Some Pinecones Back

 Is it really possible to teach from rest? Even if you’re teaching a lot of different ages? And even if you feel a bit underwater, pretty much every single day in your homeschool? Let’s talk about it. This fall in Circle with Sarah, we’re diving deep into the principles of Sarah’s first book, Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace… and today we’re sharing some of it with you. So let’s get nitty gritty, In this episode, you’ll hear:  * Is it possible to teach from rest? And if so, how?* What to do when you don’t have enough time* What’s really getting in the way of a good homeschooling day ? Click here to listen to this episode on your favorite podcast player. ? Scroll to the bottom of this post to view the transcript. Books and Resources Mentioned in This Episode: * RAR #214: Am I Doing Enough?* Teaching from Rest If you enjoy this episode… Join us for Circle with Sarah in RAR Premium:. Every month in RAR Premium, Sarah Mackenzie leads our members through ideas and journaling to help us all get clarity on the work we’re doing in our homeschools. Members consistently tell us this coaching transforms their homeschool—they find joy and purpose in homeschooling again, and they gain the skills and the steps to create the homeschool life they want. Ask Sarah a question Listen to more RAR episodes 

RAR #216: How to Teach from Rest

Sarah Mackenzie will help your kids fall in love with books, and will help *you* fall in love with homeschooling.

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Read-Aloud Revival ®

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