Brave Writer

Latest Episodes:

361. Growing Wild With Ainsley Arment Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

What if the best thing we can give our kids isn’t a perfectly planned education, but a childhood that leaves room for wonder?

We’re joined by Wild + Free founder Ainsley Arment to talk about her new picture book, Grow Wild, My Child, and the philosophy behind a childhood rooted in nature, curiosity, story, and play. We explore Ainsley’s unexpected path to homeschooling, the origins of Wild + Free, and why wonder and rigor don’t have to compete.

We also dig into screens, AI, child-led learning, family culture, and the joy of following “contagious obsessions” wherever they lead.

Join us for a refreshing reminder that learning doesn’t need a worksheet to count.

Resources:

Connect with Ainsley on Instagram@wildandfree.co and at Wild + Free
Find her new picture book, Grow Wild My Child, in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Registration is open now for Building Brave Writers: Experience and many other Brave Writer classes!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Melissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World.
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

360. Your Weekly Schedule Designed for You! Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

What if the thing standing between us and a satisfying homeschool rhythm isn’t the curriculum, but our resistance to sitting down and making a plan?

We’re looking at how attention, boredom, confusion, and even our phones shape the way we approach learning. Then we get practical, building a flexible monthly rhythm around read-alouds, Poetry Teatime, copywork, dictation, freewriting, nature study, and meaningful writing projects.

The goal isn’t a rigid schedule or endless workbook pages. It’s enough preparation to help learning feel alive, responsive, and sustainable.

Join us and discover how a little scaffolding can create more freedom in your homeschool.

Resources:

Click here to download a sample monthly plan!
Registration is open now for Brave Writer 101: Guided Writing Process and many other Brave Writer classes!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Melissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World.
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

359. The Rights of a Homeschooling Mom Sep 30, 2026

Show notes

What rights do we forget we have when homeschooling becomes an all-consuming family project?

Staying home to educate our kids can be meaningful, joyful work, but it is still work. We deserve a voice in family finances, time to maintain employable skills, space for lesson preparation, personal interests, exercise, rest, and a say in the educational decisions we spend our days carrying out.

We also get to change our minds. Homeschooling does not require signing away the rest of our adulthood.

We’re talking about financial agency, shared household labor, professional development, supportive partnerships, and why caring for our own future belongs inside the homeschool plan too.

Listen in, then ask yourself: what would change if you treated homeschooling like the real career it is?

Resources:

Here’s our episode on homeschooling as a working parent
Registration is open now for Building Brave Writers: Description and many other Brave Writer classes!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Melissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World.
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

358. Don’t Forget to Watch Movies! Sep 23, 2026

Show notes

What if movie day isn’t a break from learning, but one of the ways we build a rich education?

Movies give our kids stories, language, history, cultural references, and characters they can return to again and again. We talk about why rewatching counts, how film can make Shakespeare and Jane Austen more accessible, and what happens when favorite lines become family lore. We also explore modern adaptations, film clubs, fandom, and the joy of recognizing an old story in a new form.

So dim the lights, grab the popcorn, and give yourself permission to count the movie. Then tell us what your family is watching!

Resources:

Here’s the Andrew Scott performance of the “To be or not to be” soliloquy that Melissa was raving about!
Registration is open now for Essay Prep: Reading the Essay and many other Brave Writer classes!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
Find Shakespeare Stories by Leon Garfield (not Garfield the Cat) and our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Melissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World.
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

357. Picture Books and the Public Library Sep 16, 2026

Show notes

What if one of the best tools in your homeschool is already free?

We’re celebrating the library as a place where curiosity gets to roam and the default answer can be “yes.” We explore how browsing the stacks creates discoveries no search bar can replicate, why learning the Dewey Decimal System can empower kids, and how a regular library rhythm can enrich your homeschool.

Then we make the case for picture books at every age. From visual literacy and sophisticated vocabulary to science, art, emotional insight, and family traditions, these books offer far more than beginning reading practice.

Grab your library card and come rediscover the stacks with us!

Resources:

We love the Santa Clarita Public Library’s Dewey Decimal cheat sheet (customized for kid interests!)—a perfect starting point for kids to make a bookmark or bingo card.
Find Melissa’s Inch and Roly books, Chris Barton’s The Day-Glo Brothers, Jane Yolen’s Owl Moon, and many other Brave Writer favorites in the Brave Writer Book Shop
If you’d like to spend your school year celebrating the riches of picture books, be sure to take a look at Brave Writer’s Quill collections! These theme-based guides offer reading, writing, and math activities for ages 5-7, using picture books as portals for joyful learning.
Registration is open now for Middle School Writing: Nonfiction Projects and many other Brave Writer classes!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Melissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World.
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

356. Parenting Strategies or Teaching Tactics Sep 09, 2026

Show notes

What if the missing ingredient in your homeschool isn’t a better curriculum, but a bigger toolkit for teaching?

When kids resist a lesson, it’s easy to reach for familiar parenting strategies: consequences, bargaining, reminders, and demands for cooperation. But learning asks something different of us. We need teaching tactics that spark curiosity, invite collaboration, leave room for contemplation, and celebrate real growth.

We explore playful, practical ways to make math, history, writing, and other subjects more meaningful, while helping our kids develop genuine ownership of what they learn.

Tune in and discover how to trade “Come on, you guys!” for richer learning experiences.

Resources:

Registration is open now for Middle School Writing: Nonfiction Projects and many other Brave Writer classes!
Interested in helping the Library of Congress transcribe old documents? Sign up here!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
Find Jim Weiss’s Greek Myths CD along with our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Melissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World.
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

355. Feed Them Well with Jennifer Anderson Sep 02, 2026

Show notes

What if feeding our kids didn’t have to feel like a test we could pass or fail?

Registered dietitian and Kids Eat in Color founder Jennifer Anderson joins us to talk about raising capable, curious eaters without getting trapped by nutrition trends, food guilt, or rigid rules. We explore picky eating, growth and weight concerns, food advertising, introducing unfamiliar foods, and why the “best practice” isn’t always the best fit for the child in front of us. Jennifer also shares ideas from her new book, Feed Them Well, for helping kids care for their bodies while enjoying food.

Come rethink what it means to feed our children well.

Resources:

Don’t miss out on the special pre-order bonuses for Jennifer’s new book, FEED THEM WELL! It comes out on Sept 8th, so be sure to order your copy before then. You’ll find all the details on Jennifer’s website: kidseatandcolor.com/landing-pages/feed-them-well-book
Registration is open now for Playing with Poetry: Discovery and many other Brave Writer classes!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Melissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World.
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

354. Working Parents and Homeschooling Aug 26, 2026

Show notes

Can you really homeschool well while also holding down a job? Yes, but the answer may require us to rethink when, where, and how learning happens.

With Brave Writer president Dawn Smith joining us, we explore flexible schedules, morning meetings, night schooling, body doubling, buddy reading, planning from behind, and the art of “triangling in” support. We also look at why homeschool doesn't need to imitate a nine-to-three school day and how ordinary moments, from breakfast to dishwashing, can become rich opportunities for connection and learning.

Come discover how work and homeschool can fit into the same family tapestry.

Resources:

Registration is open now Registration is open now for Playing with Poetry: Discovery and many other Brave Writer classes!
Check out the special offer at Talkbox.MOM/brave and start speaking a new language with your kids from day one!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
If you’ve ever thought of trying out online music lessons, now is the time! Claim your free Maestro Music lessons at Maestromusic Free Music Lessons for Brave Writer Families | Maestro Music .
Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Melissa’s books make great readalouds—and there are Darts for The Prairie Thief and The Nerviest Girl in the World.
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

353. Only Connect: The Power of Partnership in Homeschooling Aug 19, 2026

Show notes

What changes when we stop treating homeschooling as something we do to our children and begin learning alongside them?

Connection is at the heart of meaningful education: connection to ourselves, to the subjects we study, and to one another. We explore how curiosity leads to purpose, why collaboration matters more than perfect independence, and how low-stakes practice can help children build confidence without turning every lesson into an evaluation.

From fractions and cookies to grammar, handwriting, games, and writing revision, we look at practical ways to turn abstract academics into learning that feels useful and alive.

Join us and discover what can happen when we trade coercion for connection.

Resources:

Registration is open now for Playing with Poetry: Discovery and many other Brave Writer classes!
Visit bravewriter.com/handwriting for our free handwriting and copywork printable!
Check out the special offer at Talkbox.MOM/brave and start speaking a new language with your kids from day one!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
If you’ve ever thought of trying out online music lessons, now is the time! Claim your free Maestro Music lessons at Maestromusic Free Music Lessons for Brave Writer Families | Maestro Music .
Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

352. Handwriting: Why, When, and How to Teach It Aug 12, 2026

Show notes

What if one of the simplest tools for improving reading, memory, attention, and creative thinking is already sitting in your pencil cup?

We’re revisiting handwriting and the surprising neuroscience behind why it still matters in a digital age. We explore how forming letters supports early reading, why handwritten notes encourage deeper thinking, and how copywork can build skill without limiting a child’s original ideas. We also share playful ways to practice, from cornmeal and sidewalk chalk to gel pens and tablets.

Download the free companion handout at bravewriter.com/handwriting, then join us as we make handwriting a satisfying part of the homeschool day.

Resources:

Visit bravewriter.com/handwriting for our free handwriting and copywork printable!
Registration is open now for Movie Discussion Club: Captivating Stories (Christopher Nolan) and many other Brave Writer classes!
Check out the special offer at Talkbox.MOM/brave and start speaking a new language with your kids from day one!
Start a free trial of CTCmath.com to try the math program that’s sure to grab and keep your child’s attention
If you’ve ever thought of trying out online music lessons, now is the time! Claim your freeMaestro Music lessons at MaestromusicFree Music Lessons for Brave Writer Families | Maestro Music .
Find our favorite readalouds and nonfiction in the Brave Writer Book Shop
Visit Julie’s Substack to find her special podcast for kids (and a lot more!)
Purchase Julie’s new book, Help! My Kid Hates Writing
Find community at the Brave Learner Home
Learn more about the Brave Writer Literature & Mechanics programs
Subscribe to Julie’s Substack newsletters, Brave Learning with Julie Bogart and Julie Off Topic, and Melissa’s Catalog of Enthusiasms
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
Interested in advertising with us? Reach out to media@bravewriter.com

Connect with Julie:

Connect with Melissa:

Produced by NOVA

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