Brave Writer

Latest Episodes:

251. The Joy of Slow with Leslie Martino Aug 21, 2024

Show notes

Once you view time as a gift to be savored, you can start to naturally exchange agendas for rhythms and arbitrary expectations for deep learning. This is one of the takeaway messages from The Joy of Slow: Restoring Balance and Wonder to Homeschool Learning, a book by experienced homeschooling mom Leslie Martino.

Leslie is our guest on the program today. She earned bachelor and master’s degrees in education from Columbia University, taught as an elementary school teacher, and now homeschools her four kids, ages 10-14. Her book is a meditation on the joy of slow as well as a how-to guide for homeschooling families.

In our conversation today, we dive into creating time and space for critical reflection, the importance of depth over breadth, and savoring joyful connection with our loved ones. If you’ve been feeling overwhelmed by the question, “Are my kids learning fast enough?” this episode will (hopefully) bring a little peace and calm to your soul.

Resources:

Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.
Don’t miss Fall Class Registration. Full class descriptions here.
Find “The Joy of Slow” in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Check out Leslie's webinar at Brave Learner Home
Learn more at Leslie's website: LeslieMartino.com/
Follow Leslie on Instagram: @lesliemmartino
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

250. Reading Aloud: Why Teach Writing Mechanics with Living Literature? Aug 14, 2024

Show notes

What’s living literature? What does it have to do with teaching your kids grammar and spelling? Today’s episode is a recording of Julie’s webinar where she explains the heart of Brave Writer’s approach to teaching writing.

Julie explains how immersion in rich, powerful literature is the best way to teach your child writing mechanics. She outlines the Brave Writer process in six steps: Parent reads aloud; student reads to themselves; student keenly observes what they read and asks investigative questions; student tests what they know through copywork and dictation; student corrects their own work; and student free writes.

With specific examples and colorful anecdotes, Julie dives into the details for each step. She also breaks them down by program level: The Quill (5-7 year olds), Dart (8-10), Arrow (11-12), Boomerang (13-14), and Slingshot (15-18).

If you’ve been looking for a distillation of what exactly Brave Writer is, this is the episode for you.

Resources:

Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.
Don’t miss Fall Class Registration. Full class descriptions here.
Check out the 2024-2025 Brave Writer Mechanics and Literature Programs.
You can find “Braiding Sweetgrass” and other books in the Brave Writer Book Shop.
Get free samples of our Brave Writer products.
Want the digital Brave Writer products professionally printed and quickly shipped to your home? Order physical copies from The Homeschool Printing Company.
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684.

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

249. Escaping Fundamentalism with Tia Levings Aug 07, 2024

Show notes

Tia Levings was trapped in a high-control religion, experiencing church-sanctioned domestic abuse at the hands of her husband. Her only relief was the Trapdoor Society online message boards where she could discuss big ideas about education and human development.

Years later, she barely escaped with her and her kids’ lives.

Tia joins us today for an emotional, deeply meaningful episode where we discuss our intertwined stories and her new memoir, “A Well-Trained Wife: My Escape from Christian Patriarchy.”

Resources:

Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.
Don’t miss Fall Class Registration. Full class descriptions here.
Check out the Brave Writer Book Shop for Tia’s book and all other books mentioned on our podcast
Learn more at TiaLevings.com
Follow Tia on Instagram: @tialevings
Subscribe to Tia’s Substack, “The AntiFundamentalist”
Watch “Shiny Happy People” on Amazon Prime
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

248. How to Find Homeschooling Community Jul 31, 2024

Show notes

Homeschooling can be isolating, but it shouldn’t be and it doesn’t have to be. In fact, as a homeschooling family, you have unique opportunities to meaningfully connect with all kinds of folks. In this episode, we discuss how to find community as homeschoolers and why it is so important.

We discuss connecting to your local homeschooler advocacy organization, using the internet to find like-minded homeschoolers (and even non-like minded homeschoolers), and coming up with ways to integrate non-homeschoolers into your fun learning experiences.

We also dive into why community is important. Yes, social media can show you some reels of cool project ideas, but ongoing conversations and relationships drive deeper growth. That’s why we created Brave Learner Home. We discuss the Braver Learner Home features and invite you to join!

Resources:

Join the community at Brave Learner Home
Watch the Brave Writer Summer Camp webinar replays
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.
Download our free Summer Games guide
Don’t miss Brave Writer’s Fall Class Registration
Listen to Episode 189. Party Schooling with Lise McGuinness
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

247. 2024 Summer Games Fever with Julie Bogart Jul 24, 2024

Show notes

If you aren’t already excited about the Summer Olympics, the episode is going to get you there. Julie’s passion for The Games is contagious. She shares some of her favorite Olympic memories as well as how she integrated the events into her kids’ learning.

Geography, physics, pageantry, dedication, loss–the Olympics and Paralympics have it all. Throw in some globes, homemade medals, and poetry, and for almost three weeks your home will be a hub of multi-disciplinary fandom.

Go to the Brave Writer website and download the free Summer Games Guide: bravewriter.com/landing/2024-summer-games-guide.

Resources:

Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.
Download our free Summer Games guide
Make writing more enjoyable with our Tools for the Art of Writing
Catch the replays of our Summer Camp webinars
Don’t miss Fall Class Registration
Read “The Brave Learner: Finding Everyday Magic in Homeschool, Learning, and Life”
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

246. Living Through Books with Lindsay Smith Jul 17, 2024

Show notes

Lindsay Smith caught our eye on Instagram with all the cool book projects she does with her homeschool kids. We are thrilled she accepted our invitation to be our guest on today’s show to tell us more about them.

We discuss the importance of fun, visual timelines of accomplishments: books read, skills gained, and milestones achieved. Timelines also act as lessons themselves, building summary skills and even historical inquiry chops.

Plus, Lindsay gives us her perspective as a homeschooling mom currently using the Brave Writer Dart program and explains what it is like to be in our Refer-a-Friend program.

Resources:

Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.
Make writing more enjoyable with our Tools for the Art of Writing
Here’s our free Summer Games Guide
Sign up for Brave Writer Summer Camp
Don’t miss the first day of Fall Class Registration on July 22
Sign up by the end of July for the Brave Writer Training
Check out the Dart Year-Long Program
Become part of the Brave Writer Refer-a-Friend Program
Check out Lindsay’s accordion-fold Dart project at LittleSchoolofSmiths.com
Follow Lindsay on Instagram Lindsay's IG: @LittleSchoolofSmiths
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

245. High School Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #4 Jul 10, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to our fourth episode in our Natural Stages of Growth in Writing series! Today we cover the High School Writers stage, broken up into two parts: The Great Conversation (freshmen and sophomores) and The Rhetorical Imagination (college prep).

It can feel overwhelming for homeschooling parents to teach writing at the high school level, but it doesn’t have to. We talk about keeping it simple: the basic architecture of an essay, deeply engaging with perspectives, and of course, big juicy conversations.

Be sure to check the show notes’ resources section for links to all the writing programs we discuss in this episode, plus links to our free Olympics guide, Fall Class Registration (beginning July 22), Brave Writer Training (sign-up ends July 31),

Resources:

Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.
Make writing more enjoyable with our Tools for the Art of Writing
Read Understood Betsy
Here’s our free Summer Games Guide
Sign up for Brave Writer Summer Camp
Don’t miss the first day of Fall Class Registration on July 22
Sign up by the end of July for the Brave Writer Training
Check out the High School Writers’ Bundle
Learn more about the Help for High School Program
Buy the Boomerang Year-Long Program (ages 13-14)
Take a look at the Slingshot Year-Long Program (ages 15-18)
Don’t forget about the Building Confidence Program (ages 11-12)
Register for the Reading the Essay class (registration opens July 22)
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

244. Middle School Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #3 Jul 03, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to our third episode in our Natural Stages of Growth in Writing series! Today we cover the Middle School Writers stage, which typically occurs around ages 9-12.

This stage is all about building confidence, instilling in your student that they can consistently express themselves well in writing.

We dive into freewriting practices—generating ideas and writing in short spurts. We also walk through how to do low-stakes revisions to help kids get comfortable with messing with their writing after it is on the page. We also talk about non-writing activities students can do that contribute to their writing skills.

Resources:

Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention.
Sign up by the end of July for the Brave Writer Training
Here’s our free Summer Games Guide
Check out the Middle School Writers Bundle
Learn more about our Building Confidence projects
Buy the Building Confidence Bundle
Check out our list of Tools for the Art of Writing
Sign up for Brave Writer Summer Camp
View all the Brave Writer Bundles
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

243. Emerging Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #2 Jun 26, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to our second episode in our Natural Stages of Growth in Writing series! Today we cover the Emerging Writers stage, which typically occurs around ages 8-10.

We explain that the key to the Emerging Writers stage is partnership. Parents need to partner with their kids while writing, just like parents naturally partner with their kids while teaching them how to drive a car, or any other major life skill.

We dive into exactly what this looks like, and all of its benefits. Plus, we talk about the Brave Writer Emerging Writers Bundle and the Dart and Partnership Writing Bundle– don’t forget, they’re on sale through the end of June!

Resources:

Big juicy questions. Memories that last a lifetime. Meaningful ways to learn grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If this way of homeschooling speaks to you, check out our Brave Writer programs: Quill (ages 5-7), Dart (8-10), Arrow (11-12), Boomerang (13-14), Slingshot (15-18). On sale through the end of June. Sale includes a free lifetime membership to Brave Learner Home. Purchase by June 30 to take advantage of this deal!
Check out the Brave Writer Emerging Writers Bundle, on sale through the end of June.
Check out the Dart & Partnership Writing Bundle, on sale through the end of June.
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

242. Beginning Writers: Natural Stages of Growth in Writing #1 Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

We’re re-recording our Natural Stages of Growth in Writing series! If you’re a longtime listener, you may remember our first series on the topic. It was made up of conversations between Julie and her son. Now we’re recording in an updated format with more lessons learned and observations gleaned over the years.

In this episode, we cover the Beginning Writers stage, also known as the “Jot It Down” stage. This stage actually starts when your baby says their first word and you reflexively write it down. As they grow older and break out into passionate stories like toddlers do, jot down those stories right there in the moment. In this stage you’re teaching your child that writing is simply capturing thought in words that can be preserved for an interested audience.

Julie and Melissa share adorable anecdotes of when they did this with their own children, not only building a foundational concept of writing, but also preserving invaluable family moments.

Be sure to stick around for the end of the episode to learn about the Beginning Writers Bundle and the Quill and Jot It Down Bundle. All are one sale through the end of June!

Resources:

Big juicy questions. Memories that last a lifetime. Meaningful ways to learn grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If this way of homeschooling speaks to you, check out our Brave Writer programs: Quill (ages 5-7), Dart (8-10), Arrow (11-12), Boomerang (13-14), Slingshot (15-18). On sale through the end of June. Sale includes a free lifetime membership to Brave Learner Home. Purchase by June 30 to take advantage of this deal!
Check out the Brave Writer Beginning Writers Bundle, on sale through the end of June
Check out the Quill and Jot It Down Bundle, on sale through the end of June
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention!
Sign up for our Text Message Pod Ring to get podcast updates and more!
Send us podcast topic ideas by texting us: +1 (833) 947-3684

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA Media

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