Episode 159: 5 Must-Have Homeschool Resources
What You’ll Learn
We love talking homeschool, and we love sharing our favorite things with you guys!! We *may have gotten a little sneaky here…because some of these categories have more than one…
Podcasts (00:50)
Our podcast! We love spending time with y’all! But, when you’ve exhausted our library of now 159 podcasts, you can try out…
Julie Bogart and now Melissa Wiley are hosting the Brave Writer Podcast and I LOVE it! Listening to both of them is a delight! They have different perspectives because they’ve raised kids at different times, and there is SO much wisdom.
Sarah Mackenzie and the Read Aloud Revival Podcast is another favorite! Hands down, Britt has never come across anyone who can speak to your heart like Sarah does. She’s just the most comforting and wise person. She’ll bring so much beauty to your homeschool if you just listen to her. Fill your days with a little Sarah Mackenzie and your homeschool will be happier.\
As moms, we need to manage our information diet.
Another podcast I love is Schole Sisters. I first learned about them from Sarah Mackenzie’s book, Teaching from Rest. They operate with the idea of reading widely and thinking deeply, and listening to them will call you to another level of thought and learning.
Britt and her entire family are fans of the Greeking Out podcast from National Geographic kids.
The No Sweat Nature Study is an adorable science podcast.
Tumble is a great science podcast.
Brains On is another good science podcast.
Listen to Sleep is a great podcast that is meant for sleep—yes—but is also great for calming a chaotic home.
Catholic Sprouts is another good one Britt’s family listens to (and we’ve listened over the years too!)
Audible (04:25)
Brittany loves reading because of Audible. For moms, sitting down and reading uninterrupted is challenging. Britt’s daughter loves stories, but reading the written word is difficult for her, so bringing her audible has opened up a whole new world for her. Before you think…this is a crutch, think about it as a catalyst to doing more and challenging themselves in different ways.
But…there are many ways to use Audible!
Another way to use it is to let your children listen to books! When you can’t read aloud, your children can still be read to. Stories come alive when you read aloud, and mommas…we are busy. Once you get your children loving stories, Britt guarantees your kids will begin to love reading.
Brittany’s oldest is a voracious reader now (when it was like pulling teeth at 12 years old to get him to read anything).
Also…if you have kids in a car…they are a captive audience! Turn on an audible book and more often than not, kids will get intrigued! Arguing decreases, complaining decreases, and asking for snacks decreases because kids will be drawn into stories (and drives become more peaceful)!
In my homeschool, which is largely based on books, we do a mix of audible and reading the hard copy books. This helps us with pronunciation and staying on track (in a very busy season).
Britt has found that giving kids a book to follow along with Audible (and a highlighter to highlight what’s been read) is an excellent to keep busy hands going, little ears listening, and reading skills growing.
Read Aloud Revival Booklists (09:35)
We LOVE Sarah Mackenzie’s booklists! Momma reads, chapter books, picture books, and board books!
Her booklists are safe, the books on the lists are full of good, true, and beautiful literature. You can feel comfortable recommending anything from her lists. She (or someone on her team) reads each book!
The stories span all ages (The Umbrella Mouse is just as good for a teen as it is for a little one).
If you happen to exhaust these booklists, consider looking at other books by the authors (although, these books definitely need to be perused by parents).
I have recently begun to take some time to enjoy her Mama booklist!
Finally, anything written by Sarah Mackenzie is excellent! Read Aloud Family, Teaching from Rest, and any of the picture books she’s released (Because Barbara, A Little More Beautiful, While Everyone is Sleeping, and Beyond Mulberry Glen comes out next year).
Your Local Library (13:00)
You wouldn’t believe how much is available at your local library! Our local library does more for our city right now than any other city department (or at least, this is how we FEEL).
Most libraries will allow you to secure your books online! (This can be particularly helpful for mommas of many littles who can’t do the quiet of the library).
There are also apps like Libby where you can get audiobooks from your local library (but this DOES require more patience).
Libraries can also offer free passes to different sight seeing places around (or near) your town. While it may not offer enough to cover the whole family, having a few tickets paid for can make supporting these local places a bit more affordable for large families.
Finally, libraries do events! They have reading times for little kids & big kids, chess, legos, family movie nights, functions, activities, art, and SO many different things! Our local library has summer reading programs with prizes (crazy good prizes included).
There may be the occasional feisty librarian, but it’s worth it to win them over! Ask them for help, ask questions about books, and be kind!
Libraries also offer volunteer opportunities for our older kids! This can help with scholarships AND it’s a great way to get your kids involved in the community!
Art (17:15)
You can look on social media or YouTube and find many reels and videos teaching art! Allowing kids to do what interests them will take something off your plate AND allow your kids to learn and grow!
One of Britt’s favorites is Andrea Nelson on Instagram. Her tutorials are great for kids and adults alike!
Another on Instagram is Dear Elaine Co.
If you are a family that does YouTube, the Art for Kids Hub. You’ll find a very specific type of art there, but it’s worth a try!
My personal favorite is Let’s Make Art (you can find all the tutorials on YouTube)!
Another great one is Patty Palmer from Deep Space Sparkle. If you like Patty’s style, but don’t really want to teach art…try her Primerry subscription out!
Clipboards (24:20)
So, we gave you a few more than 5 resources today, so why not one more?!
If you’re already starting to be overwhelmed in your homeschool, give the Clipboard System a try!
Brittany keeps sharing about it, because it works! After listening to the podcast from Sarah Mackenzie last year, Britt was intrigued enough to try it out!
The clipboards did a few things for Britt’s homeschool…
They encouraged independence in her children in their work (freeing up HER time and mental space).
They made it easy to pivot or change things up (giving her space to change things up at any time).
They’re great for her visual learners.
They’ve forced Britt to keep things simple (and choose the MOST important things only).
They’ve helped Britt’s kids build habits.
Need more info? Want some ideas? Head to our page built specifically for the Clipboards!
