The Stay-at-Homeschooling Mom Podcast

Latest Episodes:

The Scoop on Learning Styles Oct 30, 2024

Angela’s child is an auditory learner, and she wanted some tips to help him. Her request made us think about how most students have a dominant learning style. And how we can fashion our homeschooling to help them succeed.

Today, we learn about the four major learning styles, how to work with our kids’ styles, and the importance of preparing them not to grow too dependent on their dominant style.

Okay, let’s define four major learning styles.

Visual Learners learn more through images, diagrams, charts, graphs, and pictures. These students doodle, annotate, and make visual notes to retain information better. Consumable workbooks are better for underlining, margin arrows, and highlighting.

Verbal Learners (sometimes called Reading and Writing) absorb information best when they use words, whether reading or writing them. Written words are more helpful than images or spoken words. They’re best at writing essays, articles, and books.

Auditory Learners absorb information better when lessons are spoken and might not need notes. They ask questions often or repeat what they have just heard aloud to remember it better. They benefit from reading out loud but can get distracted by the noise around them.

Kinesthetic Learners prefer to learn through movement, by doing. They can’t sit still for long and need more frequent breaks than others. They benefit from activities that reinforce the information just covered in class.

Why We Need a Multisensory Approach

Your child’s future professor or boss will not care what type of learner they are. Your kid will not be assigned an essay or a work report and asked to substitute an oral presentation or a diorama. Get them ready: use as many sensory approaches as possible for the best learning.

And always remember that repetition is the key to learning.

Thanks to Angela for sending us this idea!

Send us a message and tell us what you want to hear about.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Homeschooling the Huge Family - Seven Steps to Staying Sane Oct 16, 2024

Kimberly asked Ginny and Mary Ellen how to juggle homeschooling when you have a huge family. You'll love every minute of their humorous reflections and insightful advice.

You may have a married kid or two with grandchildren dropping by while you're planning weddings and still homeschooling high school, middle school, and elementary school. Oh, and you're trying to keep the house clean enough so the Board of Health doesn't put your kids into foster care. Don't miss it.

Show Notes:

Let's talk about how moms of big homeschooling families can stay sane.

1. Have a School Schedule

Start schooling at the same time every day. An earlier start is better. If you have children too young to work independently, start with them.

2. For the Young Ones - Do the Essential Subjects with Them

But EVERY child has something they can do on their own: copy spelling words, finish a math page, etc. Be specific: "Those two pages have to be finished before you eat lunch, so don't dawdle."

3. For Students Who Mostly Work by Themselves - Have a Daily Appointment

Make sure they are staying on track. Set goals. "This chapter has to be read before tomorrow so you can start on the assignment. If you can't finish it during the school day, work on it after supper."

4. Don't worry about unessential subjects

Music in our family was piano lessons, voice lessons, or dance lessons. Anything I did not have to do! They were not cheated; two of my kids pursued fine arts after high school. Art lessons mainly were appreciation – Seton books and the Art Institute of Chicago. You can tour famous museums online, too. PE was town sports – that was enough.

5. Skip unnecessary busy work

If Junior is a good speller, give him a pretest on Monday. If he only gets one or two words wrong, have him write them ten times each and give him another oral test on Tuesday.

If there are twenty English problems identifying proper and common nouns, assign the first ten. If Janie gets them all right, move on to the next subject. Do the same thing with math fact problems. Repetition is the key to learning, but if you have it, you have it!

6. Schedule tidy time.

Having polished floors and sparkling windows can be challenging, but a tidy house makes all the difference to your peace of mind. Assign chores that include washing dishes and cleaning counters. Jackets are hung up, and laundry is folded and put away. Half an hour after school and another after dinner often does the trick if everyone chips in.

7. EVERYONE Chips In

If kids have moved back after college or are attending college while living at home, that's great. But a free ride does not include free maid service. They must take care of their laundry and clean up after themselves; they have to contribute their labor to the household: mowing the lawn, mopping floors, cooking dinner, whatever.

You Won't Regret It:

Young adults living at home should not be a burden – they should be just the opposite – fully contributing household members.

Thanks to Kimberly for sending us this idea.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

AFTER HIGH SCHOOL – NOW WHAT? Oct 02, 2024

We have discussed institutions of higher learning in another podcast, but today, we will discuss graduating high school students who may have had enough of school—at least for now. A son is not sure if he wants to go to college. A daughter thinks she wants to be a dentist, a hairdresser, or a chef but is unsure what these entail. Today, let's talk about how to help those kids.

Show Notes:

Some kids are great students and have plans and professional aspirations. BUT

College is now the default for many families, but should they reconsider?

Cost is prohibitive.
Campus life is less than wholesome.
Is Junior or Sis ready to leave home?
Do your grad’s aspirations require college?

What should they do? Some possibilities

Get a Job - You cannot go wrong with taking a year off to think about your future and earn some money.

· Build "employment skills." Show up on time, Learn to take orders from a superior, navigate a workplace, and stay off your phone.

· Test Drive a job in a field your student is considering: Front desk at a hair salon or dental office, carpenter's helper, restaurant host.

· Learn Money Skills - Build a bank account, buy and insure a car.

Go into the Military

Great benefits - Job training and after discharge: Free education - Low-cost mortgages
Learn teamwork - Hard work - Physical fitness - Discipline
Travel on the government's dime.

Take Time to Build a Spiritual Life

Frequent Mass and Confession - Get regular spiritual direction - Go on retreat

Volunteer in your Community

Church: altar server, lector, choir, teach CCD – Scouts – Help an elderly neighbor

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

The Homeschooler's Guide to College Choices Sep 18, 2024

This time of year, many homeschooling parents are dealing with high school seniors who are wondering what they will do with their lives. Join Ginny and Mary Ellen in a lively conversation about post-high school educational options—their pros and cons—for young Catholic adults.

Your hosts' insight and practical advice are always flavored with their inimitable humor.

Show Notes:

Many homeschooling parents have high school seniors wondering what they will do with their lives. Join Ginny and Mary Ellen in a lively conversation about a wide variety of post-high school educational options—their pros and cons—for young Catholic adults.

Neumann Guide schools –Colleges recognized for their commitment to a faithful Catholic education.

Pros - Easy access to the sacraments and other spiritual benefits. Many have expanded their academic offerings. They can be counted on NOT to teach your kids anything opposed to the faith - Wholesome living conditions - no coed dorms.

Cons - Private schools – not taxpayer-funded $$$, Distance from home and family, they might not offer certain fields of study.

Catholic Trade Schools –An early but growing trend in the Catholic sphere.

Pros - Many of the same benefits as Neumann Guide Schools – wholesome environment – opportunities for spiritual growth. Less costly and takes less time (associate degree), Kids with a trade will have few problems finding a job.

Cons - It's a new concept with no proven track record. There is uncertainty about which credits will transfer if kids pursue higher education.

Community Colleges

Pros - Kids can live at home – a BIG plus. While not spiritually uplifting, the lack of residential campus life can be an improvement over four-year schools. Many students go to class and work, which is WAY more cost-effective. Credits will typically transfer to a four-year state school.

Cons - Any spiritual growth must come from local churches and families.

State Colleges and Universities

Pros - It is much cheaper than private institutions, especially for in-state students, and offers a wide range of majors. Credits transfer; many have well-regarded schools for particular subjects, such as fine arts, bioengineering, and premed. Often, they are connected to local institutions for internships, etc.

Cons - Campus life is often at odds with Catholic teaching, which requires students to be firmly grounded in the faith BEFORE enrolling. Look for Opus Dei study centers and Neumann Centers. Most professors are left-wing and prejudiced against traditional values, although that can vary among departments.

Private Colleges and Universities

Pros - Many have strong name recognition and greatly benefit graduates seeking jobs. Strong alumni networks for job opportunities. Prestigious programs that make it easier to enter into prestigious graduate programs.

Cons - $$$$ Do not allow students to become so obsessed with going to a big-name school that they forget they will graduate with possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Even smaller, less-known colleges are expensive, and they may not accept some transfer credits.

Campus life is not always wholesome. Look for Opus Dei study centers or Neumann Centers.

Homeschooling Resources

Newman Guide Recognized Colleges

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Ten Rules to Raise a Reader Sep 04, 2024

Every homeschool parent fervently hopes to raise a child who loves to read. Once they find themselves loving a book, a series, or a subject and choose to immerse themselves in the pages of a book, we have won half the battle.

So, how do we encourage children to read? How do we make it so much a part of life that there is no option but to be a reader? Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny explain ten ways to raise a reader.

Show Notes:

1. Be a reader. Let your child see you enjoying a book, magazine, or newspaper.

2. Fill your house with books. Go to the library, pick up books at sales, thrift stores, and garage sales, trade books with other moms, and put books on the Christmas lists.

3. Read aloud every day. Read aloud to the newborn, the toddler, and the primary and secondary ages. It cannot be overestimated how important it is, even for toddlers.

4. It must be a live experience; audiobooks are not the same.

5. It’s okay to be interrupted. Answer the questions, make funny noises, notice the pictures, and point to things.

6. Give emerging readers time; don’t rush it. Often, a child who has been struggling suddenly gets it. Be patient.

7. Reading at this age should inspire imagination, encourage curiosity, and be fun.

8. If you suspect a learning issue such as dyslexia, don’t panic. There are programs available to help you*. Many families deal with these issues; don’t let them quench a child’s desire to read.

9. When a child is reading independently, check in often and provide a wide selection. Don’t neglect comics and series of books. Create a culture of reading.

10. Don’t forget non-fiction! A book about video games is still a book. If your child loves dinosaurs, sharks, or the rainforest, get some books about it.

Listener question: This is an interesting one from Michael Lewis

I was wondering if you would consider making the title a bit more generic to account for the fact that plenty of dads out there are considering dropping the 9 to 5 and full-time homeschooling.

The name of the podcast reflects our experience as homeschooling mothers, but we support and admire all the dads who have taken on the majority of homeschooling responsibility. Homeschooling is a whole family proposition, and whichever parent takes on the bulk of the teaching, leaving the other to take on the bulk of earning a living, knows that both are living lives of heroic virtue.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Special Services

Seton Testing Services

Important Life Skills Aug 21, 2024

While knowing the Four Rs (reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic, and religion) is essential for your child to succeed in life, it is also important to learn certain life skills to function well in the world.

Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny discuss ordinary things your children need to know, like how to manage money, how to really clean a room, and how to plan and cook healthy meals.

Show Notes:

Did you know that an entire Instagram account is dedicated to the hapless texts teens send their parents while trying to navigate life? Questions such as:

What aisle is the pasta water in?
What’s my middle name?
Can I put the big silver pot in the microwave?

While knowing the Four Rs (reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmatic, and religion) is essential for your child to succeed in life, it is also important to learn certain life skills to function well in the world.

So often, we hear of young people who cannot:

Shop for groceries
Do a load of laundry
Iron a shirt
Sew on a button

The result is that they cannot cope efficiently in life.

You can’t send your children into the world without teaching them how to care for themselves, their homes, and the people around them. Part of the problem is that an entire generation of people out there whose mommies did everything for them, and it shows.

Let’s run through a few basic life skills your children need to know how to do.

Managing money.

· Children should be taught the value of money.

· How to keep track of it from a fairly young age.

· They must learn to save, give to charity, and spend wisely.

· Grasp the long view of money. Every stop at Chik-Fil-A is that much less in savings.

· Teach them to write a budget and stick to it.

2. How to make small talk.

· Conversation is a life skill.

· You will be called upon to get to know strangers in business and social situations.

· You must make eye contact and speak in sentences.

· Learn to ask polite questions, smile, and be courteous.

3. How to really clean a room.

· Start at the top and work your way down, dusting, vacuuming, and polishing.

· Putting things away, fluffing pillows, and vacuuming curtains.

· Washing windows, baseboards, and moldings.

4. How to iron a shirt.

· This skill will save money.

· Your clothes will last longer.

· And it’s a dying art and will impress friends, family, and prospective spouse.

5. Taking care of a car.

· Pumping gas, checking the oil, and changing a tire.

· Jumping the battery, cooling an overheating radiator, and general maintenance.

· Preparing for an emergency.

6. How to read a map.

How to plan and cook some healthy meals as well as how to grocery shop.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Notes from Social Media

Anastasia wants to know, "How do you challenge a high ability/gifted child? What’s the best way to do that without stifling their natural wonder and love of learning?"

Ginny offered, "Anastasia, they still have to learn to apply themselves to academic tasks to build future study skills. But what keeps them engaged, challenged, and stimulates their wonder and love of learning is enrichment, which includes class trips and special programs of particular interest to them."

Heaven or Harvard? Aug 07, 2024

A recent social media meme asked, "Am I teaching my children for Heaven, or am I teaching them for Harvard?" Ginny and Mary Ellen address these important questions on the minds of many parents in today's podcast, thoughtfully defining the meaning of those destinations and guiding you to find your family's unique homeschooling solution.

Program Notes:

First, no parent wants their child to go to hell, and we all recognize that only a handful go to that particular university or any Ivy. So, what are we talking about?

Let's define some terms.

Heavenmeans that we give our children a thoroughly Catholic education so they:

Will stay close to the faith.
Live virtuous lives.
Go to Heaven.

Harvard means raising leaders for success in their:

Community
Country
World
Ability to get others to Heaven.

Not every child is a good candidate for the Ivy League, but

Every child can change the world—our job is to prepare them for that.

We must:

Form our children in the faith.
Encourage pious practices.
Teach them about the saints.
Give them a rigorous academic education.

Practical Suggestions

Great literature must be read to train getting past the 10-second social media blurbs.
They need the thoughts of great men and women to be great citizens themselves.
They need to learn how to think, form opinions, and process information, all through the lens of the Catholic faith.
A true understanding of science is what produces pro-life adults.
They have to aim for as high a place as their abilities can take them.

Can't Afford College?

Community college is a thrifty alternative.
Or join the military and let the GI bill pay for college.
Or take a year or two off to work and save.

Very Important Life Lessons

Let them play sports to develop discipline. If they like a particular sport, encourage them to work hard, stretch themselves, and strive for excellence.
Sadly, too many young people have no idea how to present themselves in public.
Teach them gracious manners, self-sacrifice, and service to others. They will stand out.
Attractive personalities do just that – they attract others.

Hopefully, some of your children, the talented and lucky ones, will reach positions of power and authority. Our country and our world need them.

But every one of them can:

Serve on the parish council, your town board to keep the porn shop from opening in town, or your library board to keep offensive books out of the children's section.
Organize the bus trip to the March for Life. Raise money for pregnancy centers.
Start a travel baseball, softball, or soccer league in your town to keep kids busy with wholesome pursuits.

Summary - Moral adults can improve the world in thousands of ways. So don't teach for Heaven or Harvard – teach for both!

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Notes from Social Media

April asks if we have some encouragement for a family dealing with complex medical issues.

"My question is: what would be the one thing you would share with a family to encourage them when they have a season where they are exponentially challenged, and they are spending more time praying than "educating"? I know what we do, but I'd love to hear what your combined experience offers your listeners. Thank you for sharing your talents."

Mary Ellen replied, "April, when you're a medically complex family, you are basically required to be flexible. Plans, deadlines, and intentions all take a backseat to health. With this in mind, it also presents a wonderful opportunity to teach fortitude, discernment, gratitude, patience, etc. I hope that helps. Please know that you and your family are in my prayers."

Catholic Kids Need a Catholic Education Jul 24, 2024

Providing children with a Catholic education was considered so important to Irish, Italian, and Polish immigrants that parishes built the school BEFORE the church. A lot has changed but Mary Ellen and Ginny remind us that one thing that has NOT changed is the serious obligation of Catholic parents to give their children an authentic Catholic education. Today they discuss how homeschoolers can best fulfill that obligation.

Show Notes:

Years ago, providing children with a Catholic education was considered so crucial that parishes built the school BEFORE the church. What changed? Well, lots, but today, Mary Ellen and Ginny remind us that the one thing that has NOT changed is the serious obligation of Catholic parents to give their children an authentic Catholic education. They also discuss how homeschoolers can be best equipped to fulfill that obligation.

Parents are required to give their children a thoroughly Catholic education – period.

So, what does this mean for homeschoolers?

Catholic materials have to be the default choice.

· There are a few legitimate reasons to use non-Catholic materials – a special needs child, could be one of them.

· Money can be a factor if you truly cannot afford a Catholic option.

2. Content is a critical issue in reading, science, and history.

· Books should teach the Catholic Faith and give examples of the saints.

· Christian books can be downright anti-Catholic.

3. It is imperative to teach the extraordinary accomplishments of faithful Catholics.

Holy Mother Church is often portrayed as anti-science. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Some sources are quick to bring up Galileo but neglect to mention that:

· It was Catholic cleric Nicolas Copernicus who first identified the sun as the center of our solar system.

· Augustinian Monk Gregor Mendel founded the field of genetics.

· Louis Pasteur, founder of bacteriology, was a devout Catholic who prayed the rosary daily.

· Seismology is often called the Jesuit science because of the order’s contributions.

That’s why you need a Catholic program!

4. Your parish CCD program, even the best-intentioned of them, is Catholic-lite.

They cannot and do not replace daily religious instruction in your home. Thirty hours a year just does not cut it. And it includes a minimal Catholic history of accomplishment.

A Great Catholic program we love:

Seton Home Study School

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Society of Catholic Scientists

Notes from Social Media

Beth from Illinois wants to know:

How much time is typically spent on kindergarten? My second child is on the way, and I am overwhelmed by the idea of managing a school schedule with a new baby at home.

Best advice: Don’t sweat it. Maybe an hour to two during the day can be split up. Be flexible using baby’s naptime or downtime. Now, as they start to crawl and walk, things get challenging. You’ll find more about that in our episode, The Secret of Teaching with a Toddler in the House.

How Do I Get Started? Help for the Homeschool Curious. Jul 10, 2024

Are you considering homeschooling but are not quite there yet? You may have bought a few books, read a few blogs, and followed a few Instagram accounts. It can be really hard to say, "We are doing this!" and jump in. Well, fear not: Ginny and Mary Ellen have helped thousands with their clear and simple practical advice, along with a generous helping of good humor.

Listen now at the link below!

https://www.setonhome.org/podcast/

Program Notes:

How Do I Get Started?

Are you considering homeschooling but are not quite there yet? Have you dipped your toes in? You may have bought a few books or read a few blogs. It can be really hard to jump in and say “We are doing this!” Ginny and Mary Ellen have a few things to consider that might help you take the plunge.

So, if you think you should homeschool, we agree and have a few tips to help you get started.

Check out the laws in your state.

· HSLDA is an excellent resource for state rules. See the link in Resources below.

· Discreetly check out the compliance your local school district requires.

· Look for local Facebook groups.

· Veteran moms are an excellent resource for the ins and outs of reporting.

· If you withdraw from public school, sending a letter stating you will homeschool is standard.

· Provide the minimum of information. Too much information can cause trouble.

2. Start with a boxed curriculum.

· In the first year, you might be more relaxed if you are enrolled somewhere.

· It's straightforward; you know all the bases are covered.

· As you gain experience, you can pick and choose or write your own.

3. Get organized.

· Start getting your house in order.

· Be ruthless and get rid of everything not serving your family.

· Set up a system to easily plan your meals, tidy up, and grocery shop.

· Record a phone message: "Schools in session. I'll return your call after dismissal."

4. Get routines started.

· Envision your daily routine and rhythm.

· Establish play times, chore times, nap times, and bedtimes.

· Schedules will make your first year of homeschooling much less stressful.

5. Make a Plan.

· Decide on your start date, vacation days, and end date.

· Plan a few field trips and art projects.

· Get a teacher planner for each child.

6. Time outside your home.

· Use good judgment in choosing activities.

· Your first year is not the time to jump into outside activities.

· Those activities will be available in the second semester or even next year.

· Time may be your greatest asset, be a miser spending it in your first year.

Homeschooling Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Home School Legal Defense Association (HSLDA)

Notes from Social Media

Maria and Carrie posted on the podcast's FB page asking for tips on how to teach spelling.

There are two keys to successful learning: repetition and multi-sensory. Kids who struggle with spelling should write them 5 or 10 times each. They see them, and the words go into muscle memory when they write them. Even better, say them and spell them as they write them. Book b-o-o-k Book. Make it fun by letting them write words on a whiteboard or the patio floor using sidewalk chalk. Before they test, have students march up and down, repeating the words and their spellings several times.

Catholic Harbor - Interview w/ Draper Warren Jun 26, 2024

Who says Catholic homeschool students can't enjoy school spirit and connection with their fellow students? Not Seton Home Study School!

Seton has an online forum, Catholic Harbor, to provide just those things and more. Listen to learn more!

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Draper Warren Bio:

Draper Warren is the Director of Admissions at Seton and the Admin of Catholic Harbor. He is a Seton alumnus and graduate of Christendom College. He has worked at Seton for over 25 years, earned an MBA, and is currently completing a doctoral degree in educational leadership at Marymount University.

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Show Links:

https://www.setonhome.org/student-life/catholic-harbor/

https://www.catholicharbor.com

Debunking Seven Myths and Misconceptions About Homeschooling Jun 13, 2024

Venerable Fulton Sheen said. "There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate The Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be."

These words could easily be applied to homeschooling. Too many people react negatively when they hear of a family homeschooling, but these impressions could not be further from the truth. Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny take on the naysayers' challenge with Debunking Seven Myths and Misconceptions About Homeschooling, arming you with the real story.

#1 Parents are not qualified to teach their children.

This is ridiculous, considering a child learns more in the first five years of life than in the remainder of their lives, and that's entirely due to the parents. You can find all kinds of resources to help you teach.

#2. Homeschooled children don't get to socialize.

This is the most pervasive myth about homeschooling. People always bring it up, and it is just not true. Numerous studies prove that homeschooled kids excel in socialization.

Bottom Line - School socialization is virtually useless:

This generation is the unhappiest we have witnessed in modern history. Kids—the vast majority of whom are in school—are miserable, so socialization is not what it is cracked up to be.

3. It's harder for homeschooled students to get into college.

This may have been true at some point, but now colleges are actively recruiting homeschooled students.

4. Only parents with advanced degrees can homeschool.

That is not true. Any parent can homeschool. If you are unfamiliar with the material, there are teacher's editions, videos (YouTube, Khan Academy), and some home study schools have counselors. Online classes are also an option. As long as you are directing your child's education, you are homeschooling. You don't have to be the one teaching every class. Also, it is fun to learn alongside your kids.

Public school teachers all have degrees, many advanced, and that system is a disaster. Parents would almost have to try to do worse.

5. Homeschoolers need to experience diversity.

This is a funny criticism since public school classrooms are strictly geographical in their composition. You are sitting in a room with people who make up your neighborhood. How diverse is that? However, homeschooled students get out into the world, travel, feed their curiosity, volunteer, and have the opportunity to explore the world as they learn about it.

6. You can't work outside of the home and homeschool.

Again, not true. You can homeschool at any time of day or any schedule that works for you. You have to be organized and sometimes let something go (your floor may be sticky for a while), but it can be done and done well.

7. Homeschoolers can't participate in extracurricular activities.

Homeschool kids play on soccer teams, go to dance classes, and participate in the same club leagues and other organizations that other kids do. Because their time is better managed, they also have an opportunity to follow up on their interests. They have time to read for pleasure, craft, tinker with Legos, or build forts in the yard.

There will always be naysayers when you choose a path different from the norm. When you prayerfully decide that homeschooling is right for your family, do not let the Debbie Downers of the world rob you of the peace that comes with knowing that your child is growing and learning in a loving, safe environment from parents who want the best from them.

Resources:

Homeschooling and the Question of Socialization Revisited, Richard G. Medlin, Stetson Univ.

Richard G. Medlin, Stetson University (A wealth of information here, See: Publications)

Homeschooling Information:

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

How to Build Up Your Child’s Self-Confidence (without creating an egomaniac) May 29, 2024

Do you have a child who is hesitant to try new things? Who would rather sit and stare at a book because they are convinced, they can’t do it, even before they try?

Today, Ginny and Mary Ellen discuss how confidence can be encouraged in even the most hesitant children and chart a map of seven key lessons for building self-confidence in your homeschooled child.

The Hesitant Child

Do you have a child who is hesitant to try new things? Who would rather sit and stare at a book because they are convinced they can’t do it before they even try? Self-confidence is an essential life skill, enabling a child to face challenges, cope with frustration, and try their best at new things.

Seven Key Lessons to Build Self-Confidence in your homeschooled child.

1. First and foremost, self-confidence is knowing you are a child of God. He has given you gifts and talents and expects you to use them. When you know that, it becomes easier to believe in yourself. One of the best results of self-confidence is the ability to do the right thing even when it is unpopular, which is part of life in the world today.

2. Model confidence for your children. Tell them that sometimes new things make you nervous or stressed out, but they mostly turn out fine. We were not created to worry but to try to discern God’s will for us. Sometimes, that means doing something new or out of our comfort zone.

3. Praise sincerely. That doesn’t mean constantly. Constant praise diminishes the effect and kids know insincerity when they hear it. It’s a “you get a sticker for everything” culture. Praise when something is truly praiseworthy and make it meaningful. It doesn’t have to be direct praise. You tell Daddy that little Johnny took over for you to make dinner when you were called away. He was a lifesaver. You don’t have to say to him directly. Everyone will know that he saved the day. And he’ll know it, too.

4. Help them set realistic goals. Some kids will set the bar for themselves too high for their developmental age.

5. Guide them in problem-solving, ask why something isn’t working, help troubleshoot the problem, and let them work it through.

6. Let them fail. It’s the best teacher. Let them see that sometimes, even our best efforts are not enough to reach a goal, and that’s okay.

7. Give them responsibilities and their completion opportunities to earn privileges. Children gain confidence in their abilities when they accomplish something – not when they get an unearned trophy. Start with household responsibilities such as yard work or babysitting. As they gain skills, they can market them.

Epilogue: Two of my grandkids were hired to help at a large family gathering – mainly to entertain little ones. They did that but also helped with party cleanup. Got glowing reviews and tipped!)

Homeschooling Information

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

To Learn Online or Not – That's the Question May 15, 2024

To Learn Online or Not – That's the Question

Online homeschooling programs offer a tempting solution for busy parents. However, it's essential to consider both the benefits and drawbacks.

Today, Ginny and Mary Ellen cut through the noise to provide practical, no-nonsense advice, wrapped, as always, in their unique humor and warmth.

Little kids – preschool and primary grades.

Overall, there are advantages to Online Learning, but sitting a child this age in front of a screen gets a big thumbs down, with just a few exceptions.

Kids this age need to be:

Jumping around.
Sniffing flowers.
Chasing bunnies, real or imagined.

These activities develop imagination, observational, and communication skills.

It's their chance to tell you what they have seen, heard, touched, and smelled.

Stuck in the house? - Give them blocks, Legos, or a whiteboard with markers—not a screen.

A word or two on Handwriting:

Have you seen children's Handwriting recently? Does it look like chicken scratch?
Most young children can't read cursive, and virtually none can write it.
They will whine but need to sit and practice penmanship for hours.
Writing, cutting, and pasting builds small motor skills and reinforces learning.

Is online education ever appropriate in younger years?

Two opportunities stand out:

Online Language Lessons

Being bilingual does great things for children's brains. Online language lessons are a solution.

Enrichment Programs

For instance, if students study bees in science and are very interested, an online enrichment lesson or video could be beneficial. But an even better solution might be a trip to the library.

Online for Middle and High Schoolers?

The PROS: Online Can be Appropriate for Older Kids - Upper-level and even middle-school math, science, and foreign languages. Even before high school, moms may need help teaching grammar and diagramming. Teaching Textbooks has been a lifesaver in many homeschools.

Online classes allow kids to hear lectures from experts or watch videos that expand on a textbook lesson. As students mature, it will be easier to put screens in perspective.

The CONS: Isolation - It is psychologically unhealthy to be isolated. This generation has more diagnosed mental illness and higher suicide rates than any before it. Human beings are social creatures - we need social interaction. We don't get that in front of a screen.

Tongue-tied - We've all passed groups of teens who stand near one another but never look up from their phones. They don't know how to communicate. Teens struggle to get jobs because they lack social confidence. None of this gets better if they stare at a screen all day.

Homeschooling Information

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Answering the Nursing Call to Duty with Dr. Maura Wenzel May 01, 2024

Many of us started homeschooling to pass on our Catholic faith and get our kids to heaven. But in the back of our minds, when we can think past laundry and dishes and driving kids to activities, we hope they can exert a positive influence here on earth.

Our guest offers a career track to fulfill that influence in a Christ-centered manner. Dr. Maura Wenzel’s nursing career satisfies her desire to serve, love others as Christ loves, and see Christ in every patient. Her choice may be a perfect fit for your Catholic homeschooler.

Program notes:

Now more than ever, why do we need nurses with a solid moral compass?

Dr. Wenzel is a Clinical Associate professor at the Catholic University of America’s Conway School of Nursing. As a former U.S. Navy nurse, Dr. Wenzel has experience in many fields of nursing, including surgical, emergency, and perioperative nursing. Dr. Wenzel is passionate about nursing, nursing education, and weaving the Catholic Faith throughout her courses.

She and her husband and three young children live in southern Maryland.

An inside look at this gratifying profession.

● What attracted her to nursing?

● What are the emotional or spiritual traits that make the best nurses?

● How did homeschooling help you develop them?

● What high school courses are most important?

● What is the difference between R.N., BSN, and APRN?

Why is Catholic University so attractive to Catholic homeschoolers?

Catholic—The beautiful campus, in a very safe part of Washington, D.C., is steeped in Catholic culture. Surrounded by the U.S. Conference of Bishops, next to John Paul II Shrine, there is an abundance of priests and nuns on campus and many opportunities for daily mass.

Professional – An education from an excellent faculty, teaching in a new state-of-the-art nursing building with a floor replicating a hospital wing. Receive a nursing education that clearly emphasizes the role of ethics, values, and spirituality in health care in a city with many partnering hospitals for clinical experiences.

“Nursing is an excellent profession for those who wish to serve but in a much more spiritual way. It is an opportunity to love others as Christ loves and to see Christ in every patient.

As a young nurse, I found my deep faith in our Lord to be the framework through which I was able to process many challenging patients, situations, and long hours.

Still, in a much more substantial way, it helped me to persevere through new and challenging medical ethical dilemmas. The world has shifted since my early nursing days, and the challenges we Catholic nurses face now are even more difficult to navigate.” Dr. Maura Adams Wenzel

Resources

Conway School of Nursing

The Catholic University of America

Seton Magazine: Answering the Nursing Call to Duty by Dr. Maura Wenzel

Homeschooling Information

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

The Remarkable and Increasing Value of a Liberal Arts Education - Interview w/ Michael Yost Apr 17, 2024

In an enlightening exchange, Mary Ellen and Ginny discuss the remarkable but often overlooked value of a Liberal Arts education.

Michael Yost of Thomas More College joins our hosts today, revealing why a Liberal Arts education may be the wisest, most valuable choice your student could ever make. This conversation could change everything if college is in your family's future.

The Remarkable and Increasing Value of a Liberal Arts Education

Michael Yost is the Senior Admissions Officer at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. He is a 2018 graduate of the college where he met his lovely bride. They are the proud parents of three beautiful children.

Tapping into Mr. Yost's expertise as Senior Admissions Officer, our hosts discuss:

How affordable is Thomas More College?
Work-study opportunities.
Why is the Rome Semester integral to their education?
The Admission Department's view of "Mom diplomas."
The value of extracurriculars on the college application.

Full disclosure by Mary Ellen:

I have a daughter who graduated from Thomas More College, so I am partial to the college; it's dear to me.

What makes Thomas More College a unique experience compared to other colleges?

The focus is on a college education rather than training.
Students learn to be fully rational, knowledgeable creatures capable of understanding themselves, their Maker, and the world around them.
They are trained to be talented communicators, able to process information rapidly and clearly.
Skilled in communication abilities needed in a world driven by data and information.

The Thomas More College Bachelor of Arts in Liberal Arts.

Our Program consists exclusively of the great works of the Western canon, deliberately organized in our single, integrated program of studies.
By carefully guiding in-class conversations, our exceptional faculty start students down the path of Wisdom in a mode more characteristic of discovery than instruction.
These aspects set the College apart from most other institutions of higher learning, yet the College is truly unique in its emphasis on the necessity of experience.
Each student sees first hand the impact of culture in our mandatory semester in Rome, begins the study of philosophy by studying the natural world in our Natural History course, and learns the value of craftsmanship in our Guild program.

The Rome Program – Integral to the Thomas More Education

In their Rome semester, Thomas More College sophomores

Traverse catacombs and cloisters, piazzas, and palazzos.
Explore the heart of the Christian West.
Experience the history of Christendom written in the stones and on the ceilings, in the streets and the cemeteries, and in the skyline dominated not by skyscrapers but by the dome of St. Peter's.

Statistics: After four years at Thomas More College, each student has

Written at least 64 papers.
Participated in 1,792 seminar hours
Translated over 1,000 lines of Homer, Cicero, and other Classical authors.
Read 10,000 pages of the Great Books.
Traveled over 8,400 miles to and from Rome, Italy.
Visited over 100 baroque churches, Roman architectural sites, Renaissance piazzas, and catacombs.
See it all here.

Thomas More Resources

FAQs

Meet Michael Yost

The Rome Program: An Integral Part of the TMC Experience

Homeschool Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Let's All Keep Chickens! - Interview w/ Dalia Monterroso Apr 03, 2024

Let's All Keep Chickens!

Dalia Monterroso is the passionate author of "Let's All Keep Chickens! The Down-to-Earth Guide to Natural Practices for Healthier Birds and a Happier World," and her enthusiasm for this homeschool-friendly topic is contagious.

She is a popular teacher on the basics of backyard chicken keeping. In today’s show, Dalia talks with Ginny and Mary Ellen about her book, which is gaining popularity among homeschooling families who appreciate its educational value as part of their learning curriculum.

Program Notes:

Dalia is the creator of the website and YouTube channel "Welcome to Chickenlandia," podcast "Bawk Tawk," and an online course called "Chickenlandia's Backyard Chickens 101". She also hosted a TEDx talk titled "I Dream of Chickens."

She is also the author of "Let's All Keep Chickens! The Down-to-Earth Guide to Natural Practices for Healthier Birds and a Happier World," a comprehensive guide for beginners and experienced chicken keepers.

Getting started

1. Is it legal to own chickens where you live?

2. What is the expense and the daily care?

3. Is there a good number of chickens to start with?

4. What's your best advice for frugally getting started?

5. What are the recommended breeds?

Chickenlandia for Homeschoolers

1. Why does chicken keeping resonate with homeschooling families?

2. What unexpected life skills can kids gain from interacting with chickens?

3. How do you integrate chicken keeping into your curriculum?

4. How does chicken keeping help us connect better with ourselves and each other?

Resources

"Let's All Keep Chickens! The Down-to-Earth Guide to Natural Practices for Healthier Birds and a Happier World

Dalia's website and YouTube channel "Welcome to Chickenlandia."

Her online course is called "Chickenlandia's Backyard Chickens 101."

Dalia's TEDx talk titled "I Dream of Chickens."

Homeschool Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

How to Homeschool and Not Lose Your Mind (PART II) Mar 20, 2024

Is your homeschooling experiencing the “End of the Winter Blues?” Are you frustrated that you and the kids have been cooped up way too long? Ginny and Mary Ellen have the tonic for that.

Their formula is simple, and their solutions are straightforward. Their insight, ideas, and effective routines will help you manage everything.

How to Homeschool and Not Lose Your Mind (PART II)

This is part two of our topic. If you missed one, listen to the episode posted last week.

Last week, we covered discipline, early rising, prayer, and focusing on what is right for your family. So, let’s jump back in.

Household – three things must be done daily.

1 – Laundry: washed, dried, folded, and put away.

2 – Meals: menu plan, grocery plan, and a well-stocked pantry.

3 – School: math, reading, and religion.

Keys to Success

Simplify your home and life as much as possible.
Eliminate clutter.
Minimize time out of the house.

Before you join a co-op or pod school -

Discern carefully! They sound attractive, but:

Will it be worth it?
They require everyone to be up and dressed for outside the house.
Drive time there, entertaining the non-co-op kids, and a drive home.

Don’t buy the socialization nonsense.

Let them be friends with their siblings, cousins, neighbors, and teammates.
Socialization occurs outside of academic situations all the time.

Basic Rules of Life – Children

Pray with them.
Instill discipline.
Give them meaningful work.

Basic Rules of Life – Older Boys

Maintain a schedule.
Should have physical work.
Occupy their time as much as possible.
Teens should get paying jobs, gaining valuable skills that their peers lack.
Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.

Spend time outside every day.

Even 15 minutes makes a difference.
Kids need vigorous exercise and lots of fresh air.
Better concentration in class, and standardized test scores went way up.

Homeschool strategy in a nutshell

Pick a program and stick with it.
Simplify your curriculum.
Don’t follow trends (stay off the internet).
Minimize the outings.
Do school every day.

Strengthening your marriage is very important.

Schedule a home date regularly.
Welcome him when he arrives.
Praise him often and speak well of him.
Listen to his concerns and involve him in your decisions.

Homeschool Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

How to Homeschool and Not Lose Your Mind (PART I) Mar 06, 2024

Sometimes, homeschooling can feel like the most overwhelming, frustrating, impossible thing to do, especially at the end of winter. You and the kids have been stuck in the house, and the work seems never-ending. It just feels gloomy. We've all been there.

But it's a new day, and Ginny and Mary Ellen are here with ideas and a plan that includes humor, smiles, and simple, effective methods to succeed with your family's homeschooling. Welcome to Episode One of Season Two – It's great to be back with you!

How to Homeschool and Not Lose Your Mind (PART I)

There are no magic bullets.

Methods or systems will only work if you are disciplined.

Focus on your children's needs,
Make a plan for the day, and stick with it.
Schedules work—even when they don't.

Do what works for your family, not what works for another family.

Copying other mom's systems can lead you astray and waste precious time.
The internet can be a tool, but it also makes you crazy.
OTOH, if a homeschooler has it all together, become her best friend. See what she does.

Get up early as best and often as you can.

This is your prayer time, personal grooming, caffeine, and prep for the day.
Start your morning the night before.
Lay out clothes for the day the night before.
Straighten the house before going to bed.

Pray

Center your homeschool on God and petition Our Lady.
Use visual reminders (statues, pictures, holy cards).
Frequent confession. Put it on the schedule.
Start each day with prayer.
Say the Angelus at lunchtime.

Consult your husband.

Find out his priorities for his household/homeschool.
Bring your problems to him.
Make him the principal of your homeschool.
If a kid is difficult, this is a "dad has to make him" job.

Dad:

1. Warn Junior before you leave for work (If your mother tells me….)

2. Call at lunch (Do you remember what I told you this morning?)

3. First thing dad says when he gets home (Junior, what kind of a report does mom have for me?)

Homeschool Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Five Things You Should Know About Homeschooling a Child with Special Needs (And a Big Announcement About the Podcast) Dec 27, 2023

Are you considering homeschooling your child with special needs? Are you already in the trenches and feeling like you aren’t doing well? This show could be a lifesaver.

Mary Ellen has been there, and Ginny has a wealth of knowledge to bring to the subject. Let’s tackle the five things you need to know about homeschooling a child with special needs.

Five Things You Should Know About Homeschooling a Child with Special Needs

*** Stay tuned to the end of the show to hear our big announcement. ***

First, the Big Things You Should Know…

about homeschooling your child with special needs.

What do we mean by special needs?

When we speak about children who have educational issues outside the norm, we mean children who have been diagnosed with a neurological or physical condition that impairs learning or makes learning particularly challenging in some way.

How to get a diagnosis – and how not to.

The how-NOT-to is on social media. If you ask a question, people may respond based on their own experience – BUT they don’t know the facts of your case.

Let’s say you tell little Johnny to put his navy-blue shirt on, and he comes out with his maroon one. He seems to do this all the time.

● He could have attention deficit disorder.

● He could have a hearing loss.

● He could have an auditory processing disorder.

● He could be colorblind.

● Or it could be nothing to be concerned about at all.

See a professional if you are worried. If $ is a problem, you can often get an evaluation from your local public school district.

Five Essential Things You Should Know

1. You Can Do This

There is a myriad of resources to help you navigate your student’s challenges. You don’t need a degree in special ed; you are an expert in your child.

2. Sometimes, Doing Less is More

With a challenged child, sometimes doing less is more. It may take a challenged child longer to graduate than the typical 12 years. That’s fine. If you need to go an extra year or even two, there are no worries about that.

3. Life Skills can be as Critical as Academic Skills

There are certain special needs children for whom life skills are just as critical as academic skills. They may not be able to do algebra, but they need to know how to count up change in the grocery store, navigate a bus route, or cook for themselves.

4. Routines and Rhythms

Creating a daily routine or rhythm can be extremely helpful. If your child learns what to expect and when there is a lot less anxiety, that makes learning much easier.

5. Asking for Help is Not a Failure

Sometimes, you need the services of an expert, be that a speech therapist or a reading specialist. You are still directing the education of your child, and you are still the manager.

Special Announcement.

When we started this podcast over a year ago, we were filled with ideas and enthusiasm, and the past year has been a great blessing. Still, we are starting to get a wee bit burnt out, so to keep the episodes you enjoy coming along, we will make some changes.

First, we are taking a hiatus for a few months to regain our bearings.

Beginning January 1st, we will be on break until March 1st. This breather will give us time to catch up on some neglected projects and write new material for upcoming podcast episodes.

Next, we are changing from a weekly format to an every-other-week format.

This format change is for a couple of reasons.

1. We don’t want you to look at your inbox, see it full of us, and be exasperated. It’s hard to listen every week, and if you feel behind, you might not be inclined to stick with us.

2. The other reason is that we feel much more energized when we have that little break.

We hope you will start tuning in again in March when we come out of the gate with all kinds of new material. In the meantime, there are about 60 episodes you can listen to in our archive if you miss the sound of our New York accents.

Homeschool Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Super J and the Power of Love Dec 20, 2023

Sometimes, situations we might have avoided if given a choice are the greatest blessings. Today's guest has written an inspiring book about a little boy who brings joy to all who know him.

Today's podcast will touch your heart, bring a smile, and open a gift of unexpected proportions. Life-changing inspirations can come wrapped in unexpected ways.

Super J and the Power of Love

Jennifer Nelson is a wife, homeschooling mom of seven children, and the founder of an international prayer ministry for women with pregnancy complications, infertility, and miscarriages. Her joyful spirit is infectious, and her deep faith informs everything she does, and she does a lot! We found her to be such an inspiration, and we know many of you will as well.

The book we're discussing today, Super J and the Power of Love, is her first published work - the first of many, we hope.

Super J is a little guy with Down syndrome. Meeting the real Super J some years ago inspired Jennifer to write the book.

● I love the way you dealt with aborting Downs kids – in a very child-appropriate way,

● Super J's superpower is his heart – his ability to love without conditions.

● The book does not encourage tolerating those who may be different – but celebrating them!

Homeschool Influenced

● Our author, Jennifer, was homeschooled, as was the book's Illustrator, Sam Estrada.

● Jennifer homeschools her children and shares how homeschooling formed her worldview.

● Our hosts share how differently-abled kids are well accepted in homeschool support groups.

Super J and the Power of Love

This book is a perfect gift for parents who may have just gotten a prenatal diagnosis and not just for Down Syndrome.

To purchase the book - www.deogratiasco.com

To learn more about Sam Estrada, the remarkable Illustrator - www.prostrada.com

To learn more about Jennifer's ministry - www.travelingrelicsofstgianna.com

Instagram

@sisterhoodofthetravelingrelics

@superJthebook

Homeschool Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, STD - Spiritual Direction for the Homeschooling Mom Dec 13, 2023

For homeschooling moms seeking to advance in the spiritual life, the Church offers many opportunities, including the Rosary, Daily Mass, Spiritual Reading, and Liturgy of the Hours.

But as a homeschooling mom with limited time, how do you choose from among these excellent practices? In today's podcast, author and moral theologian Fr. Jeffrey Kirby is here to help you prioritize your choices to advance in your spiritual life.

Father Kirby has an important message for our listeners at the end of the podcast.

Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, STD - Spiritual Direction for the Homeschooling Mom

Father Kirby has authored several books, including the focus of our podcast, A Year with

the Popes, Daily Meditations with the Vicar of Christ.

A Path Toward Spiritual Advancement

A Year with the Popes, Daily Meditations with the Vicar of Christ.

● There are 365 meditations – one for each day of the year.

● Each day has a theme with a short explanation.

● A reading on the theme from a pope, a saint, or a council.

● A short examination of conscience.

● A short closing prayer.

The Time Dilemma

The Church has many resources available to homeschooling families, but many families are short of time. Father Kirby guides us in prioritizing these excellent choices:

● Daily Mass

● Daily prayer life: Rosary? Divine Mercy Chaplet? Liturgy of the Hours?

● Frequent Confession

● Adoration

● Parish missions

● Spiritual reading: Scripture? Meditations?

● Retreats

● Pilgrimages

Resources

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

A Year with the Popes: Daily Meditations with the Vicar of Christ

More about Father Jeffrey Kirby, STD:

Father Kirby is a moral theologian, Papal Missionary of Mercy, and the Pastor of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Indian Land, South Carolina. He holds a doctorate in moral theology from the Holy Cross University in Rome, a Bachelor of Arts in History, and a Master of Arts in Philosophy from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Father is also a Papal Missionary of Mercy.

The Missionaries of Mercy are priests – diocesan or religious – who have been commissioned by the Holy Father to give particular emphasis to the duty shared by all priests to "hear confessions and preach on behalf of and promote the Sacrament of Reconciliation." They are to be an intentional, visible expression of the mercy of God.

In 2016, Father Kirby was recognized by Governor Nikki Haley and granted the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest civilian honor, for his service to local communities and young adults throughout the state.

Teaching music in the home (for the non-musical mom) Dec 06, 2023

Music Appreciation

There is lots of music beyond Disney!

An excellent place to start is encouraging your children to listen to fine music.

One good thing about the World Wide Web is you can find excellent classical music. You can also find explanations of the various pieces if you are interested.

Teaching music in the home (for the non-musical mom)

Carnival of the Animals (Camille Saint-Saens): Various parts of the piece represent different animals. In Danse Macabre, the xylophone sounds like bones.

Amahl and the Night Visitors (Gian Carlo Menotti) is a Christmas opera about the Three Kings visiting Jesus.

Peter and the Wolf (Sergei Prokofiev) is A fairy tale for children where different instruments represent characters.

The Planets (Gustav Holst) Music represents the solar bodies and the classical origin of their names. For example, Mars is the source of war.

1812 Overture (Great for boys!) The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake (Pytor Illich Tchaikovsky)

The Messiah

After I discouraged Disney

Fantasia (Leopold Stokowski) Disney graphics set to classical music. Also Fantasia 2000

If you live near a major city, find out what is nearby.

● Broadway/Off-Broadway productions

● University productions

● Opera

● Ballet

● Symphony Orchestras

● Band concerts

Even if you do not live in a city or lack the cash, you can almost always find:

● Community college or high school concerts/plays

● Bands in the park during the summer.

Music Theory and Performance

The very best ways for kids to learn to read music are:

● Instrument lessons (easy to find independent of schools)

● Choral lessons (more challenging, but sometimes churches have kids’ choirs)

Online courses are available for instrumental, choral, and reading sheet music.

Study parts of bands and orchestras (Andre Rieux videos online)

● Learn sections: strings (orchestras only), woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

● Make scrapbooks with pictures of musical instruments. Label them with section and soprano, alto, tenor, or bass.

● Define: conductor, soloist

Let kids make their instruments:

● drums from oatmeal boxes or by stretching balloons over empty jars

● Fake cymbals by smashing two pot lids together

● Maracas: Decorate small pringle containers or empty plastic water bottles and fill them with dry beans or popcorn. Tape plastic spoons to empty plastic Easter eggs, fill and decorate.

● Homemade xylophone out of water glasses filled to different levels

Composer Study

● Learn about the great composers, their music style, and their influences.

There is so much to explore. We hope this sampling helps you get on track.

Learn More About Seton Home Study School

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Exploring the Lives of the Saints in Our Homeschools Nov 29, 2023

Join Ginny and Mary Ellen in a lively, joyful discussion on the saints, our great friends and allies on our homeschooling journey. And as always, they share their experiences with their unique blend of humor, love, and practical advice.

Prepare for dozens of examples from the saints to inspire and guide your homeschooling family in faith formation and education. - Welcome to the lesson book from our family of saints!

Exploring the Lives of the Saints in Our Homeschools

● Studying the lives of the saints gives our children models of virtue, holiness, and faith.

● Knowing more about the saints helps kids understand and connect with their Catholic faith.

● It's essential to know that many saints were sinners first. Their lives were transformed through a willingness to be open to grace and a sincere desire to follow Christ.

● Listen for the "aha moment."

Saints for Homeschool Parents - Because we welcome all the help we can get!

● Thomas Aquinas (the dumb ox) is the patron saint of academic progress.

- He defined the four cardinal virtues as prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude.

- Doctor of the Church and is considered one of the greatest theologians who ever lived.

- He was recruited as a boy by Dominicans.

- His family imprisoned him for a year before allowing him to take vows.

- He is a model of Perseverance.

● St. Elizabeth Ann Seton homeschooled her children.

- The first American-born saint.

- Widowed with four young children in a foreign land.

- Disowned by her in-laws.

- She started schools and an order of nuns she nurtured like her children.

● St. Monica is a patroness of patience, perseverance, and mothers.

- Mother of Saint Augustine.

- Prayed for decades for her wayward son and NEVER gave up on him.

- Her prayers resulted in her son becoming one of the Church's greatest saints.

● St. John Bosco is a patron saint of students and magicians.

- Believed in educating children from a place of love.

● St. Marcellin Champagnat, patron of education and teachers.

- Founded the Marist Brothers.

- He struggled as a student and was beaten, but with determination and perseverance, he completed his education.

- He wanted to teach all children to love Jesus.

● St. Jean Marie Vianney (The Cure of Ars) was such a poor student that he barely made it out of the seminary – but became the patron saint of parish priests

● St. Expeditus is the patron saint of expeditious solutions to overcome procrastination.

The Takeaway

Explore ways to foster a personal connection with the saints through:

- Prayers

- Devotions

- Traditions

Celebrate feast days with:

- Food

- Crafts

- Movies

- Visits to shrines

Research patron saints for their names and activities.

Resources

● Butler's Lives of the Saints

● Art books (Seton's)

● Picture books (Tomi DePaolo, Demi, Diane Stanley, Ethel Pochoki)

● Vision books

● Holy Heroes/Glory Stories

● Movies: Song of Bernadette, A Man for All Seasons, The Scarlet and the Black.

Learn More About Seton Home Study School

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Emily Malloy, Theology of Home IV: Arranging the Seasons Nov 22, 2023

Mary Ellen and Ginny introduce to Emily Malloy, whose floral design career began as an apprentice who swept petals and leaves off the floors of a rapidly growing floral shop in Philadelphia.

She rose to manager and floral designer. Her work has appeared in Elle Décor, Green Wedding Shoes, the National Catholic Register, and the Ember Journal. Emily is the food and floral design editor at TheologyofHome.com. She and her husband live in Mississippi with their four children.

Emily Malloy, Theology of Home IV: Arranging the Seasons

In this fourth installment of Theology of Home, Emily Malloy explores the vibrancy and life of the garden. With her expertise as a florist, Malloy brings a wealth of practical ideas for incorporating flowers into our homes as we march through nature's seasons and the Church's liturgical calendar.

Yet this edition, like the rest of the series, does not stop at the material level. Remembering mankind's beginnings in the Garden of Eden, Arranging the Seasons sumptuously illustrates and highlights our intrinsic need for beauty within the human heart.

Explored within this edition of Theology of Home are the deeper questions of life, family, love, and God that animate our efforts to cultivate the earth. In simple and small ways, it will inspire us to layer our lives and homes with the intangibles that turn the stuff of matter into a song.

· Your thoughts on beauty are so very Catholic and necessary in a world that seems to value the opposite. So many books on gardens and growing focus on the utility, but yours makes the point that beauty is necessary. Can you expand on that?

· Nature's beauty is absolutely a religious experience. As we record this, my garden is dying down for the winter, but I still see butterflies hovering and hummingbirds sipping nectar. It does give one delight and gratitude to God for His creation.

· Please tell us how you plan your gardens. Are they well planned and laid out, or is there a randomness to them?

· There are a lot of practical suggestions in the book for designing, arranging, and even how to make a boutonniere and wrapping a presentation bouquet. I'm so glad you included the very practical for the craft-impaired like myself.

· You homeschool your children. How was it writing, photographing, and designing this book while homeschooling? The children are in several photos (pg 256 is my favorite). Did it become a family endeavor?

· Gardening can be expensive, but a lovely garden can be done on a shoestring. Anyone can save marigold seeds to plant next spring, and bulbs multiply over the years. When gardening buddies divide perennials, they often want to rehome their plants. Anyone with a few feet of dirt or room for some pots can enjoy them.

· What we cannot see in our Creator, we can see in His creation. It is with the gift of the flower—a powerful representation of the love of God—that we can bridge not only home and garden but also the eternal and the everyday.

Purchase Emily's book at Theology of the Home

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Expand Your Studies with the Fun Stuff Nov 15, 2023

Teaching and learning do not have to be dry and boring. In fact, for homeschoolers, it can be quite the opposite. We are free to expand our studies beyond the text and be creative.

Today, Ginny and Mary Ellen take us on a journey to a world of ways to expand your studies with lapbooking, notebooking, novels, videos, you know, the fun stuff. There's a treasure chest of resources for you and the kids. You're going to find something here that you will love.

Expand Your Studies with the Fun Stuff

Lapbooks are a fun way to collect and creatively display what you are learning.

· Start with two legal-size file folders and add your creative juices.

· Perfect for, you name it, math, science, history, literature, religion, etc.

· Each child can add to the project.

· Mary Ellen offers a mountain of suggestions and experiences.

· Dinah Zike's Big Book of Books and Big Book of Projects are a big help.

Notebooking is an effective way to absorb facts and retain memory.

· Keeping a history or science notebook is easy to start and fun to add on to.

· Creating timelines and making nature notebooks with words, pictures, and specimens are very kid friendly.

· Recording the commonplace is a means of making lasting memories.

· Tactile associations will create neural paths that can develop into highways.

· In early grades, I would have the kids do what we call morning work:

"Today is Tuesday, November 15, 2022. It is a cloudy day. (Check the outdoor thermometer) The temperature at 11:30 was 34 degrees F. Today, we are going to the zoo." It seems pretty elementary, but kids learn days of the week, months, how to write dates, check thermometers, etc. Tomorrow, this child can write about the animals he saw at the zoo and perhaps draw a picture of one.

Make History Come Alive

· If you are studying a particular historical time, find novels set in that time.

· These are great Christmas gifts.

· Audiobooks for the car; an alternative to isolating, personal music feeds.

· Love2learn.net has many booklists, as does goodbooksforcatholickids.com.

Raise the Bar, we set expectations very low for children now.

Throughout history, kids performed real work at an early age.

· For his 9th birthday, Almanzo Wilder received an ox yoke and learned to train ox calves.

· His wife, Laura Ingalls, taught school at 15 to help pay for her blind sister's education.

· We're thrilled now if our kids make their beds. We need to set higher expectations.

· Having thoughtful kids who really help cut back on stress and burnout, too.

Videos – Good or Bad

Videos often get a bad rap. Carefully screened and considered, they can reinforce and engage.

· Nowhere else can your children see the inside of a beehive.

· Or watch a tsunami strike the coast of Japan.

· Online content can bring learning alive.

Resources

YouTube

Discovery Channel

Curiosity Stream

NASA TV (from the NASA website)

Dinah Zike's website for lapbooks

Notebooking Resources

Thanks to our sponsors, especially Seton Home Study School, check out their great resources:

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Homeschool Roadblocks: What to Do When You Are Drowning Nov 08, 2023

Homeschooling with small children in the home will, at times, push you to the end of your patience. But these times will pass.

For now, take a breath as Ginny and Mary Ellen discuss tips, insights, and lessons on turning trying times into life-shaping opportunities. Learn how to lighten your load while training the kids to be big helpers and prepare them to be better students and caring adults. You've got this.

Homeschool Roadblocks: What to Do When You Are Drowning

This may sound like a health and safety or first aid podcast, but don't be fooled. A podcast buddy, Meg Gan, contacted our hosts on social media.

Ginny explains, "Meg had seven kids in seven years and wanted to know how on earth she could homeschool. Essentially, her question was, 'How do I homeschool while drowning?'

She came to the right place. Although I didn't have seven kids in seven years, I did have five in six years, and lots of kids on either side of those five.

Mary Ellen had eight, including twins! I assure you we know something about drowning, and yet we survived. And our kids have thrived!"

First, here's a word of encouragement. This time is about as tough as your life will ever be.

Second, kids from big families learn to help relatively early and can make all the difference in the world. A 7-year-old's help may be limited, but 10-year-olds can set the table, do dishes, fold laundry, watch toddlers while you cook, and even help get breakfast on the table. Things should get MUCH better in a few short years.

To follow up on that, make sure that you are teaching your kids every household task as soon as they can help. You can find lists on the Internet of which ages to teach which tasks.

Naptime is the key to homeschooling when you have lots of small kids.

+ Babies, until 1 ½ or 2, should take two naps daily.

+ Children 2 to 4-ish, an afternoon nap.

+ Even 4 and 5-year-olds should have some quiet time after lunch. Maybe let them look at a book or listen to some quiet music, but they have to stay in bed (on the couch, etc.) until they hear the timer go off.

Homeschool: You can often complete early homeschool grades in an hour or two each day.

+ In the same way you teach your children to help with household chores, teach them to complete homeschool assignments independently.

+ Even the littlest students can practice handwriting on their own or practice their math facts.

+ Get the littles involved in homeschooling. Get some DUPLOS and finger paint and let them be part of the classroom.

+ Play revolving kids. Let school kids take turns playing with the littles.

+ When the weather allows, homeschool in the yard while the little guys run around.

Reinforcements:

+ Look for some outside help. The grandmas may give you an hour or two each week.

+ Nannies are expensive but look for a local teen to work as a mother's helper after school, allowing you to make dinner or clean. Double points if the kid is homeschooled and can give you some hours during the school day.

+ If your MIL asks what you want for Christmas, suggest an hour or two with a maid service.

+ Talk to your husband. If he can take the younger kids out for an hour on Saturday or Sunday, it will give you some time to homeschool.

Thanks to our sponsors, especially Seton Home Study School, check out their great resources:

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Roadblocks to Homeschooling: The S word - Socialization Nov 01, 2023

When talking about homeschooling, the elephant in the room is socialization. Naysayers insist that homeschooling isolates children, but the reality, as experienced homeschoolers and those who know them praise, is that their kids are the most socialized, as well as the most thoughtful and considerate kids around.

But how do you get there initially, or how can you improve things? Ginny and Mary Ellen have a fresh bouquet of ideas and tips for finding new friends for the kids and yourself. You'll surely enjoy these practical solutions garnished with a generous helping of good cheer.

Roadblocks to Homeschooling: The S word - Socialization

Used to be, you made friends on the sidewalk or on the street where you lived. Too often now, these places are empty – kids are at activities or afterschool care.

Solution - Be Aggressive in Seeking Buddies.

● If your little guy finds a buddy at the playground, talk with his mom.

● Find out where they live and see if you can offer to get together.

● Not every friend has to be another homeschooler or even Catholic!

● Diversity is an overused word, but there is a benefit to true, not forced, diversity.

How to Find Other Homeschooled Children.

Step One:

● Check with local public libraries and museums for homeschooler programs.

● Check out orthodox parishes. Homeschoolers tend to flock to those parishes.

● Go to daily Mass. If you see other moms and kids, chances are they are homeschoolers.

Step Two:

● See if you can set up times for get-togethers. Coffee and donuts after church?

● Meet at a park, church, or someone's house on Fridays.

● Set up a FB page to keep in touch.

Possible Problems

● Poorly disciplined kids

You invite this lovely family you met at church to your home. Their kids trash the place and are generally rude. Should you give up on that family? Maybe, but not right away.

The key to dealing with kids like this is often to separate them from their parents.

Offer to pick up the children and bring them to a park or your home.

I found kids responded to our house rules.

They say "please" if that is the only way to get the cookie.

"We don't do that in this house" often does the trick.

Could you be their "Angel?"

Sometimes, a mom with no idea how to control her kids learns a trick or two from calm, confident parenting.

Lonely moms

Hey, you need buddies, too! There is no question that moms often make friends waiting at the school bus stop or volunteering for school activities. But don't give up.

● Tell your church acquaintances you would love a weekly rosary morning at your home. As time passes, maybe other moms will pick up the slack, but it is an excellent excuse to clean up the house anyway.

● As you get to know people, ask them if they ever get out without their kids. Suggest an adult outing.

● Do you bake bread? Pop over with a loaf. People will love you!

● Do you sew? Offer to fix that sagging hem.

● When my kids were teens, we had the "white tornado." If someone had a miscarriage or were sick, we would go over and clean.

● Join local groups: Ladies Auxiliary for the Knights of Columbus, Italian American Club, Hibernians.

If none of this is working, remember:

Laura Ingalls Wilder - Almost no neighbors. But the family was happy, and the children thrived.

Abe Lincoln was raised in a cabin in the woods and became president.

Andrew Jackson grew up during wartime, lost his entire family in his early teens, and he raised himself. He grew up to be a successful military officer, landowner, and president.

Summary: People may say that you are cheating your children by not sitting them in a classroom with two dozen of their agemates. Don't listen to that. Too many modern kids are clinically depressed, on meds, and confused.

Thanks to our sponsors, especially Seton Home Study School, check out their great resources:

Seton Home Study School

Seton Testing Services

Fr. Ken Geraci - Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy Oct 25, 2023

Fr. Ken Geraci, of the Fathers of Mercy, joins Ginny and Mary Ellen today and fills us in about his latest book, Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy, the Weapon for Our Times. Father is a friend of homeschoolers, having spoken at many of our conferences.

Father is an engaging speaker with a gift for converting complex spiritual matters into simple, understandable lessons. And our hosts take advantage of Father’s gift for plain speak to the max. This is a must-listen, for those who want to be a better-equipped homeschooling parent.

Fr. Ken Geraci - Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy

If you attended homeschooling conferences through the years know the Fathers of Mercy. An order dedicated to preaching missions, they have been great supporters of Catholic homeschooling and often preached at our conferences.

Fr. Ken Geraci was raised in a Catholic home but was a bit of a late bloomer in practicing his faith. He was an agnostic, then a non-denominational Christian, and finally found his way back to Holy Mother Church. He joined the Fathers of Mercy, headquartered in Kentucky, in 2006 and was ordained in 2012.

Fr. Geraci is the author of two books, "Why Be Catholic," published in 2021 by TAN Books, but today we will speak about his new book, "Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy, the Weapon for Our Times" published this year.

Father Geraci asks:

“Is the Church a cruise ship or a warship?”

Follow the Captain's orders
Know your job and do it with excellence
While doing your job, look to see if you can assist others.
Do not sink your own ship or shoot at your crewmates. (We see this everywhere today.)

Practical Ways to Enter Spiritual Warfare

Am I in a state of grace?
Do I have a daily plan of prayer? (Moms need reliable habits! 15 minutes of silence for us would be a blessing.)
Do I have monthly goals for receiving the sacraments?
Do I have a plan for mortification? (Americans are terrible at self-denial.)
How do I plan to serve my community?

Is There an Absolute Need for Regular Confession?

Few Catholics confess regularly, but virtually ALL Catholics receive Communion. Receiving in this manner is a potential sacrilege. (What should moms do when their parishes offer scant availability?)

The Value of Divine Mercy as revealed to St Faustina.

Sincere examination of conscience.

Divine Mercy Sunday (Sunday after Easter Sunday) Confession within 20 days and receiving Communion in a state of Grace brings total remission of sin and remits temporal punishment for those sins. It is similar but not the same as a plenary indulgence.

The Value of Praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet

The rosary is a meditation, while the Chaplet is an action. But we can meditate on the passion of Our Lord while saying the Chaplet.

At the conclusion of the book, Father Geraci reveals that some in the Church preach that hell is empty. Why is this dangerous?

References:

Spiritual Warfare and Divine Mercy: The Weapon for Our Times by Fr. Ken Geraci, CPM

Teaching Homeschoolers the Secrets of Time Management Oct 18, 2023

Teaching our children to set priorities, complete assignments on time, and achieve their goals are essential life skills we must teach them. After all, no child is born knowing how to manage their time effectively.

Ginny and Mary Ellen discuss why mastering these skills can be challenging for homeschoolers. But, as expected, our hosts have a plentitude of practical solutions, literally dozens of methods, to teach homeschoolers time management skills for success in school and later, as adults.

Teaching Homeschoolers the Secrets of Time Management

Parental Guidance Required

Completing assignments on schedule, submitting applications and other paperwork on time and in a professional manner, and setting priorities and goals are all life skills that need to be taught. No child is born knowing how to manage their time effectively, so the only way they are going to learn these essential skills is for you, their parent, to teach them.

The Parent is the Model

That means, to a certain degree, you must model this behavior. If you are always running around with your hair on fire, trying at the last minute to get the "thing" done on time, then it is unlikely that your students will learn to plan well.

Getting Our Students Organized and Focused

1. You must set clear goals with reasonable deadlines.

a. What is your child expected to accomplish this week, month, or year?

b. What are the consequences of missing the goal?

2. Prioritize – You have to teach the importance of prioritizing tasks based on deadlines and importance.

Create a schedule.

a. Work with your student to create a plan that includes school, work, extracurriculars, study, rest, and relaxation time.

b. Work should come before play, and the schedule should be flexible enough to rearrange according to different needs and seasons.

Make time management tools available.

Digital - myHomework app, Microsoft's To Do or OneNote apps, MyTask app, Evernote.

Paper - (linked below). Make some system available to your student and show them how to use it. It will be invaluable in college.

Reduce distractions:

a. No screens, music playing, or texting when working.

b. It's a good idea to have a cell phone basket.

c. Background music with NO LYRICS.

d. Debussy piano etudes can be calming.

Review - teach your student to review at the end of the week.

a. Where did the schedule work?

b. Where didn't the schedule work?

Some Practical Advice

· Mom needs to keep an eye on younger kids and know if they are falling behind.

· When students start reading longer books and writing essays, they often benefit from fewer sibling distractions.

· They can, however, be easily distracted from the task at hand.

· Mom needs to have a daily appointment with each high school student.

More Practical Advice

· When they finish today's assignment, do not exit it. Minimize so mom can ensure that progress is being made. She can add notes/suggestions in red or blue.

· Make sure math and foreign language have been corrected.

· Set clear expectations for tomorrow's work.

A Final Note - Accountability

· There have to be consequences for missed deadlines and unfinished assignments.

· Important - Mom must not swoop in and save the day.

· Students must learn to be accountable and face the consequences of not finishing tasks.

· It is better to suffer little problems now than BIG ones later.

Physical Planners

Inexpensive Student Planner

Seton High School Planner

Seton Teacher Planner

Catholic Daily Planner

Donna Young - requires a subscription

Blue Sky Academic Planner

Blue Sky Teacher Planner

Erin Condren Planners

Digital Planners

My Homework App (the free version is plenty)

Evernote (better for organizing)

Microsoft To Do

My Task

Unbreakable, Saints Who Inspired Saints to Moral Courage - by Kimberly Begg Oct 11, 2023

In today's podcast, Ginny and Mary Ellen talk with Kimberly Begg about her new book Unbreakable, Saints Who Inspired Saints to Moral Courage. Kimberly describes her work, published by TAN, and its unique perspective of not just telling the typical saint story but also the saint behind the saint.

Kimberly explains the importance of knowing how and why other saints inspired each saint, how these stories develop moral courage, and why saint stories are the birthright of Catholic children. She explains why Catholics need to teach their children to go through the cross instead of around it and why we are too comfortable in America.

At the end of the podcast, we will tell you how to enter to win a copy of the book!

Unbreakable, Saints Who Inspired Saints to Moral Courage - by Kimberly Begg

Kimberly Begg is a Catholic wife and mother of five children. She's an attorney with over 20 years of experience strengthening Catholic and conservative causes, and she helped found Young America's Foundation's Standing Up for Faith and Freedom seminar—a program for students at Catholic schools. She serves on the boards of numerous centers and foundations dedicated to Catholic and conservative principles. She is editor of Catholic School Playbook, an online resource for the renewal of Catholic education. Editor's note: they have a really cool website for those interested in Catholic schools.

A Different Perspective

Unbreakable has a very different perspective than the typical saint story in that we meet the saint behind the saint. Knowing the back story is critical to understanding the saint's story.

Kimberly explains:

What made her decide to write a saint book this way?

What led her to these particular saints?

Why are the stories of the saints the "birthright of all Catholic children."

Kimberly introduces her free-to-download study guide linked below - a wealth of resources and insights for homeschoolers; a sampling:

· What is a red martyr?

· What is a white martyr?

· Why is it ideal for all family members to pray together?

· What is "the way of spiritual childhood" St. Thérèse discovered during her short life? How can her "little way" help people of all ages grow closer to Christ daily?

The Saints Who Inspired the Saints:

St. Joan of Arc

Inspired by St. Michael the Archangel, St. Margaret of Antioch, and St. Catherine of Alexandria.

St. José Luis Sánchez del Rio

Inspired by Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego, St. Tarcisius, and Blessed Anacleto González Flores.

Blessed Jerzy Popieluszko - an inspiration for her book.

Inspired by St. Maximilian Kolbe, Blessed Stefan Wyszyński, and Pope John Paul II.

St. Teresa of Calcutta

Inspired by St. Thérèse of Lisieux.

The little way both saints practiced is simple and perfect for homeschooling moms.

In her study guide:

· Kimberly quotes a study that says 73% of Americans say the most important goal in raising children is that they are happy, and should we share that goal?

· In her chapter about Blessed Jerzy, she reveals that his family, who probably didn't have much to begin with, abstained from meat on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday because "man must know from childhood that renunciations are necessary in life, that not everything is like one wants," so how will Americans fare when it comes to raising saints?

· Ten ways of imitating saints by practicing courage in everyday moments.

· Where can our listeners purchase the book?

Her study guide is available for Unbreakable at www.kimberlybegg.com

Catholic School Playbook is an online resource for the renewal of Catholic education.

Homeschooling’s Flexibility - Providing Stability in Changing Times - Interview with Arlena Brown Oct 04, 2023

Meet Arlena Brown, a Seton Mom with four kids who found stability in times of change and chaos through homeschooling. Lena is a Traditional Roman Catholic wife of 14 years to her husband, Robert, and mother of four children ranging from 2 to 13 years old.

The Browns had three children in elementary school when the pandemic occurred. They discovered homeschooling amid layoffs, relocations, and other changes and chaos. Lena shares with Ginny and Mary Ellen how their decision to homeschool provided a stable base and a saving grace in chaotic times and fills us in on their future plans.

Homeschooling’s Flexibility - Providing Stability in Changing Times

Arlena (Lena) Brown has a B.S. in Psychology with an Emphasis in Infant and Toddler Development. She has worked with parents and children from infancy through 8th grade and has been a mentor and teacher for a teen mom program.

Lena and her family have shared their homeschooling experiences in media outlets including Associated Press, Fox News Live, and the podcast From the Kitchen Table with Rachel Campos-Duffy and Sean Duffy.

The Road Ahead

The Browns plan to continue homeschooling for the coming year, grateful that they can tailor the curriculum to fit their children’s distinctive needs. Jacoby, 11, has been diagnosed with narcolepsy and sometimes needs naps during the day; Riley, 10, has been tested as academically gifted; Felicity, 9, has a learning disability. The Browns also have a baby, Lucy.

Reaching Their Full Potential

“I didn’t want my kids to become a statistic and not meet their full potential,” said Robert Brown, a former teacher who now does consulting. “And we wanted them to have a solid understanding of their faith.”

Lena explains how homeschooling flexibility was critical to their kid’s growth and success.

· Why did they continue homeschooling after the pandemic?

· How did having a baby enter into their homeschooling dynamic?

· What specific advantages does homeschooling bring to their home?

· Some of their kids have special learning needs. How does home education address that?

· Do they plan to keep homeschooling?

The Benefits of Homeschooling

When families’ lives are interrupted by flux or chaos, job loss and transition, and relocation:

· You know what your children are learning.

· Your children are progressing at their own pace.

· You are keeping your kids from falling through the cracks.

· It provides stability when relocating, particularly helpful for military families.

Reality Check - Taking on the Responsibility of Homeschooling

Homeschooling can be a sacrifice for Mom and Dad to ensure the kids have a solid grounding through turbulent times. It can be a sacrifice, a kind of cross, picked up for the kids.

The Benefit of Siblings Bonding

· The enrichment of siblings spending their days together is a remarkable opportunity.

· This relationship-building time is so different than spending a few hours together.

· These enriched times together can bear fruit for the children’s lifetimes.

· If a baby is in the household, you are raising baby-friendly kids!

· Raising children at ease nurturing younger siblings is a rare gift indeed.

Dad’s Influence

· In the Brown’s home, Robert discovered the homeschooling option.

· Dad can offer prayerful support and influence.

· Supporting his wife’s efforts is critical for homeschool success.

Other Practical Insights from Lena

· Homeschooling can keep pace with changes in your season of life.

· The flexibility can adjust to changing sleep patterns.

· Your home and parenting style is unique to your family. It does not need to be a copy of someone else’s homeschool.

· A good homeschooling program provides the structure to be the best definition of the family you can become.

Homeschooling in the Philippines – An Interview with Therese (Mommy T.) Habana Sep 27, 2023

Today, we are pleased to speak with an experienced homeschooling mom in the Philippines, Therese Habana, fondly known as Mommy T., to her homeschooling community.

In this warm, engaging discussion, you’ll learn along with Ginny and Mary Ellen as “Mommy T.” details the Filipino homeschool environment and culture and how she got started. She also shares her experience utilizing “Partner Centers” and explains homeschooling accreditation with the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd).

Homeschooling in the Philippines – An Interview with Therese (Mommy T.) Habana

Therese Habana is a homeschooling mom of four active boys ranging from 18 to 4 years old, a busy volunteer parent in the Catholic Homeschooling Families (CHF) community in the Philippines, an entrepreneur, and a full-time homemaker to her husband of 20 years.

· Her family has been homeschooling using Seton Home Study since 2017.

· Homeschooling families fondly call her Mommy T.

· Homeschooling works amazingly well for her family of athletic boys -- two triathletes, one jujitsu martial artist, and one preschooler who never runs out of energy.

What led Therese to homeschool?

She went to a homeschool conference when living in Colorado and thought she should try it. When she moved back to the Philippines to be near her family, she started to homeschool with Seton. Therese became very involved in the community and loved it.

An interesting fact: Mommy T’s son took Filipino as a second language, which is funny because although he is Filipino, his first language is English.

In the Philippines, people homeschool for many reasons:

· Most of Therese’s friends homeschool for religious reasons.

· Many people start as non-religious homeschoolers and become more faithful as a result.

· Academics - Many use Seton books because of the excellent academic.

Seton lists two “Partner Centers” (co-ops) in the Philippines.

How do Partner Centers work?

Partner Centers are for Seton parents to help them with their homeschooling.

The Centers organize conferences so people can display their materials.

Interested families can come to see how homeschooling works.

Children participate in the Partner Centers and sponsored field trips.

Priestly involvement:

It is common for priests to be very involved.

Priests often anoint the children with oil to begin the school year and bless the materials.

Accreditation

A common question is whether Seton Home Study School is accredited by the Philippine Department of Education (DepEd).

Answer: DepEd accredits schools located in the Philippines, and as Seton is an American school with offices in the United States, Seton is outside of the DepEd jurisdiction.

However, Seton records are accepted in the Philippines.

· Seton issues transcripts of records to students and an American diploma to graduates.

· It is more or less the same as a Philippine student who attended high school in the U.S.

· Several graduates are now studying in different Philippine universities.

Transferring to a regular school from Grades 1 to 10:

· Ask the school about its requirements for international students with an American transcript.

· Requirements vary for different schools.

· From our many years of experience, students who used Seton transcripts to transition to Senior High and College in Philippine schools have been accepted and performed excellently in their chosen courses.

“You seem to have much more family support there than we do in the States. It must make having babies and homeschooling easier.”

· Therese has a staff of household help, which is pretty common.

· Her sisters are nearby, and the homeschool friends have become family.

· It is common for parents and siblings to live close together and help each other.

Is Homeschooling Legal? Sep 20, 2023

**The following podcast contains information on homeschooling and the law. The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional legal advice, consultation, or representation. For specific information about the law where you live, we suggest you contact the Home School Legal Defense Association, a local homeschooling support group, or a qualified attorney.**

“Is Homeschooling Legal?” is one of the most frequently asked questions Ginny and Mary Ellen have been asked over the years in person, in forums, and at homeschool conferences.

They have spoken with countless moms and dads about the topic and today, they concisely explain in a simple, easy-to-understand manner what they have learned. Get ready for a good listen and some peace of mind.

Do I have to jump through any hoops to homeschool?

● It depends on where you live.

● Some states have substantial requirements: MA, PA, ND, and NY. But even in these states, requirements can vary tremendously from district to district.

● Others have very few laws and restrictions: IL, MS, ID, CT, AR, and OK. OK has the right to homeschool in its constitution, which makes it unique.

● But you may find inconsistencies within your school district. One might insist that you register with the school district, another may instruct you to take standardized tests.

● These inconsistencies are often due to ignorance about laws, so you must be informed and advocate for yourself.

How do I find out the restrictions or requirements where I live?

● Step #1 is to go to the Home School Legal Defense Association – HSLDA website.

● HSLDA is the best resource in the nation on legally homeschooling in every state and will provide competent and knowledgeable representation for homeschoolers when needed.

● The HSLDA website provides reliable, up-to-date information about homeschooling in each of the 50 states. Also, HSLDA attorneys present short (2-5 minute) videos on "How to Comply with (my state's) Homeschooling laws."

● Talk with a homeschooling family in your school district for practical experience on how interfering, or not interfering, your district will be. That can make a big difference.

● Seton Home Study maintains a list of their families willing to be contacted.

Which families are most likely to face difficulties?

Divorced or separated parents

If parents divorce or separate, it’s advisable they agree about homeschooling. If the issue goes to family court, judges frequently opt for the most common education choice – public school. Public school is often the outcome when one parent wants private or religious schools, too.

A child with a disability

Parents of a disabled child are sometimes contacted by authorities who question their competence to home school.

Other situations

In some states, parents of children who claim gender confusion will have a problem if they try to pull their children out of school, even if those schools reinforce their children's confusion.

How do you keep your homeschool free from government interference?

● Know your state's law regarding home education.

● Comply with all necessary legal requirements.

● Choose the least restrictive option. Some families find that the religious exemption option to be the least restrictive.

● If you live in a restrictive state, consider joining HSLDA (Seton families get a discount.) They provide legal guidance and help to their members.

● Know what to do if authorities contact you. Contact HSLDA for advice about this possibility.

Important to know -

1. When you pull a child out of school, it is not the time to explain your reasons.

2. If you are pulling your children out of a parish school, you want to have a good enough relationship to be able to get the sacraments.

3. A reasonable explanation is, "We are making other arrangements for Billy. We'll be in touch for his records."

How to Create and Live with a Homeschool Budget Sep 13, 2023

You want to start but wonder how much homeschooling will cost? The wait is over, Mary Ellen and Ginny share the cost, the budget, and how to maximize your benefits.

Learn about different homeschooling styles, where to find free placement tests and samples, budgeting tips and tricks, and much more. And as always, you're guaranteed to smile with their humorous yet practical, common-sense approach.

How to Create and Live with a Homeschool Budget

When people think of homeschool budgets, they often jump to the curriculum. While that can be the bulk of the expense, many factors play into the cost of homeschooling, accounting for a wide variance in what families spend.

Budgeting your first year is hard because you have no idea what to expect. Here’s what to do:

Keep track of your expenses.
Don't impulse buy; be sure you need it.
If possible, wait a few days before purchasing.

The curriculum cost…

will hold some families back from homeschooling, but these tips will make that easier.

Research your style before you buy

Scholastic
Classical
Charlotte Mason

Research different Providers and Publishers

Check out the websites for free placement exams.
Sample books online and skim a few pages.
Can a friend who uses the materials let you look them over?
Would she let you observe one day when she homeschools?

Check out the return policy

Don't rely on the website. Call and ask before you buy.

Buy used – a great way to save

Facebook groups
eBay
Thrift books
Library sales, etc.

Check out school voucher programs

Arizona and Florida have them.
A dozen other states have them, too, and more are becoming available.
Some states have educational savings accounts.
Research what your state offers.

Supplies - from pencils to laptops

Buy in bulk only when needed.

Ask for discounts

Many stores give teachers discounts.
Homeschool teachers often qualify, use your IHIP as proof, or make an ID card.
HSLDA offers discounts for members.
Ask relatives to gift memberships to museums or national parks. Or for big-ticket items like microscopes, science kits, etc. It's easier for relatives than buying individual gifts.
Use the library for special collections, discount passes, computers and internet, audiovisual materials, maps, music, art, tutoring, and inexpensive classes.

Food

You might be shocked at how much your food bill will increase. Three meals a day plus two snacks can add a lot to a weekly grocery bill. It's essential to have rules and to shop judiciously.

No grazing.
Bake where you can; packaged food is unhealthy and very expensive.
Try to cook for multiple meals. Ham on Sunday can become a casserole on Tuesday, and the bone can be pea soup on Thursday.
Meal plan. Nothing breaks the budget like last-minute takeout.
The kitchen closes at night.

Utilities

Having people in the house all day also increases utility bills, more heat, more a/c, and more water. Teach children to be careful with their resources.

Specials and Extras – can yield a significant return on investment

Music Lessons
Sports
Field Trips

Important - Here's what not to do:

Do not switch the entire curriculum mid-year because someone is struggling, bored, or hates it. These can be addressed individually and only require a little money to fix.
Do not ask on Facebook what they use for (fill in the blank). You will get four hundred answers and affiliate links to their favorite things.
Do not impulse buy or click on Instagram or Facebook ads. Take a deep breath, vacuum something, and think before you purchase.

At the end of the year

Assess your spending.

Save what you can for next year, the next child.

Give away or sell what you don't need or didn't work.

Try to set a reasonable budget for the coming year.

Having more control over the finances will bring a lot of peace of mind.

Resources

HSLDA https://hslda.org/explore/member-savings

Teaching Our Kids Financial Responsibility Sep 06, 2023

Training our kids to be financially responsible is a skill set that is terribly important but too often overlooked. If these skills are not mastered, their road ahead will be rocky at best.

Ginny and Mary Ellen expertly manage this challenging subject in depth and with a treasury of practical tips. With age-appropriate lessons for your children, youngsters to young adults, these lessons will last a lifetime and are guaranteed to yield a handsome dividend.

Teaching Our Kids Financial Responsibility

For Young Children - Kids learning about money helps with decimals later on.

Show them the value of saving/budgeting.

Teach the importance of delayed gratification.

Start simple - forego a few unnecessary purchases to save for a more significant purchase.

Let them earn a little extra.

Allowances: It is important to expect your kids to perform basic chores. Cleaning their room, helping with the dishes, etc.
Consider paying extra money for bigger jobs outside the routine.
Extra work pay can instill good habits and teach control over saving and spending.

Sacrificial giving

Teaching children to set aside a part of their earnings for the poor is essential to raising children to know, love, and serve God.
Make it about more than just money.
Giving is about donating their time and thoughts.
Helping at your food bank, the life center, or visiting the sick are all ways to give.

Don't indulge them too much.

If they make a foolish purchase, resist the temptation to bail them out — caveat Emptor. This is an incredibly powerful teaching moment. Don’t waste the opportunity.
Negative consequences can carry powerful lessons.
Talk about how to do better the next time; they'll start making more intelligent choices.

For Teenagers

Show them how to create a monthly budget.

Discuss what they want to save for and develop a plan.

Plan for college. It is never too early to discuss the cost of education.

Pair this with discussions on their gifts and talents.

What can they make a living at?
That might be different from what they are passionate about.

Explain the difference between private and state schools.

Discuss early on how scholarships are awarded.
Early research pays off.

Explain the realities of life. (Get a job)

Teens are often shocked by the deductions from their first summer job paycheck (Who is FICA, and why is he getting all my money?). Explain taxes, budgeting, tax returns, and keeping good records.

For College-age Kids

Explain the realities of borrowing money.

Credit cards are high-priced loans.
Emphasize the importance of paying credit card bills on time and, if possible, in full.
Explain why a good credit report is important.
If you are borrowing money to go to college, major in something that will get you a job that pays well enough to repay your loans.

Help analyze career aspirations.

If your goal is to be a school teacher or a fireman, a private school education will likely saddle you with too much debt. Go to state school.

Make sure they are aware of their hidden financial support.

They will face these expenses someday, so they need to know the actual cost of living.

For Young Adults

Emphasize the importance of saving.

Encourage them to set up an emergency fund.

Suggest building up a rainy-day fund to cover at least six months of living expenses.

Retirement should be on their minds.

If there is an employer-sponsored 401k, take advantage of it.
Please make an appointment with a trusted financial advisor and take them to discuss long-term planning. Even a little set aside each month adds up quickly.
Take advantage of any pre-tax benefits offered by employers.

Thanks for joining us. We hope you enjoyed today's podcast. We thank our team at Seton, Jason Loughry, Jim Shanley, and Robin Hibl. We would be lost without them! Please remember to like and subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts.

Dealing with Hesitant Dads Aug 30, 2023

Getting Dad on board for homeschooling is critical to succeed. A house united, with a common goal of educating children in the Faith and academics, is essential for starting and maintaining.

Mary Ellen and Ginny have a tried-and-true plan for you to win Dad's approval and cooperation. Their step-by-step approach is simple and manageable and, as they always do, presented to you with humor, good cheer, and an eye on the practical. Good listening!

Dealing with Hesitant Dads

We NEED dads to be on board.

● Even if he never teaches a single spelling word:

– The kids know that he is watching.

– Kids must learn to listen.

– His support helps train them in the virtue of Obedience

● When kids really get out of line, dads make all the difference.

– He can talk to them before he goes to work.

– Or call home at lunch.

– And deal with Junior when he gets home.

● He can run interference with other relatives. His support, "I am behind home education 100%.", can be a considerable factor for mom.

Dads are often hesitant to start homeschooling.

● It seems weird to them.

– They want their kids to be successful.

– No one in the office does it.

– They question if the kids will fit into the culture to be successful.

– Many say, "Hey, I went to public school and turned out okay."

● The best way to convince Dad is to start in K.

– "Just give me one year, and then we'll reevaluate."

– Dad usually doesn't panic over K.

– If he sees Junior is doing well, get him to commit to another year.

● Get together socially with homeschooling families.

– He can see that kids are well-adjusted and well-educated.

– Search out homeschooling families in your or surrounding parishes.

– Seton families have a "Connect with Seton Families" program to meet families.

Let him know how public schools are doing. Give him the data.

Dads compete in the business world and want their kids to be able to compete too.

● Latest NAEP tests - The Nation's Report Card (link below)

In Fourth Grade - Math scores declined in 41 states. Just 36 percent of fourth graders were proficient in math, down from 41 percent. Reading proficiency at 33%

In Eighth Grade - Math scores fell in nearly every state. A meager 26 percent of eighth graders were proficient, down from 34 percent in 2019. Reading proficiency at 33%

● US schools routinely graduate functionally illiterate adults.

● They are not proud to be American or willing to serve in the military.

Losing mom's income.

● Often, mom has to cut back on hours or even quit to homeschool. In this economy, everyone is worried about paying the bills.

● Carefully figure out what homeschooling would save you:

1. Childcare costs

2. Commuting costs

3. Wardrobe costs, both for mom at work and kids in school

4. Tuition for Catholic/private schools

5. The inevitable takeout when mom can't get dinner going.

● You might find that losing mom's income will not be as tough an attack on your purse as you anticipated

How can Mom teach advanced math, science, and foreign languages? Be ready to address objections. Can a non-native speaker teach phonics?

● Taped programs

● Online programs

● Co-ops or pod schools.

Resource:

The Nation's Report Card (National Assessment of Educational Progress) https://nces.ed.gov/nationsreportcard/

Teaching Language Arts Aug 23, 2023

The utter failure of public schools to teach phonics has led to terrible illiteracy rates. Too many modern reading programs have been a disaster. But there is a better way and Ginny and Mary Ellen explain why teaching phonics to your elementary students should be mandatory in your homeschools.

Our hosts explain why a rigorous Language Arts curriculum of phonics, spelling, reading, vocabulary, and English are key to helping students become more knowledgeable, clear-thinking, and equipped to meet the challenges ahead.

Teaching Language Arts

Working for Seton, we occasionally hear from new parents who have "box shock" when their books arrive. "The kid next door only has one book for ELA (English Language Arts)." A 3rd-grade Seton student has 5 ELA subjects, some courses with more than one book! Is this really necessary?

Let's dive in…

Phonics

My son taught English in China for eight years. Many of his middle–high school students were more literate in English than in their native language. Chinese is a language of tens of thousands of characters that children must memorize. We are blessed that English and other European languages are phonetic. Instead of tens of thousands of characters, our kids need to learn 26 letters with around 40+ sounds.

The utter failure of public schools to teach phonics has led to terrible illiteracy rates. See a word/say a word, whole language, and other reading programs have been a disaster. Phonics should not be an option in your homeschools.

Spelling

Phonics teaches kids to decode words – spelling teaches them to encode words. Spelling as a separate subject teaches kids to take the sounds they have learned and put words on paper. Although they reinforce each other, they are not the same thing.

Spelling also points to a reason to continue at least some phonics practice past 1st grade – even for good readers. There are six ways to make a long a sound: plain a as in agent, a silent e, ai, ay, ei like veil, and ea as in break. English spelling is not just something you randomly pick up.

Spelling can be fun:

·spelling games

·find-a-word

·bananagrams

·boggle

·hangman

·scrabble…

Reading

Phonics teaches a child HOW to read, but daily reading is an absolute must once the student can read Hop on Pop or Frog and Toad. Some parents will say that their students get plenty of practice reading history, religion, or science texts.

Literature gives them deeper insight and, God willing, inspiration. A child may learn about the settlement of the West in history but gets to experience it through the eyes of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series. Science texts teach the five senses, but the play The Miracle Worker allows young people to see how our senses, or lack of them, impact our lives. Kids can learn about virtue and holiness in religion, but they get to see them in action by reading the biography of St. John Vianney.

There is no substitute for daily reading in a child's academic life.

Expose them to a wide variety of literature, fairy tales, fantasy, poetry, historical fiction, etc.…

Vocabulary

Why study vocabulary as a separate subject? Won't students pick it up in other subjects: science, history, and literature? There is no substitute for daily reading in a variety of subjects to develop a strong vocabulary. 100% scores on vocabulary tests will not be enough. Conversely, kids often focus on certain types of reading dinosaurs or knights in shining armor. A vocabulary book has them look at words from a variety of sources. Formal studies also introduce word roots, prefixes, and suffixes that students will encounter.

English

In many parts of the country, grammar – the rules of English – has been largely abandoned. We should not be surprised that rhetoric – the art of expressing oneself in writing or speech – seems to have deteriorated to using four-letter words. Language can be so much more.

Supplemental Reading Lists:

https://www.setonhome.org/elementary/grade-3/third-grade-reading-list/

Living the Life Liturgical Aug 16, 2023

If raising your children in the Catholic Faith is your goal, then living a liturgical life could help you achieve that in a simple and fun way. Ginny and Mary Ellen are your guides for the journey that might change your approach to family Faith Formation.

Their Faith-enriched immersive step-by-step approach makes it easy as they show you how to take your family’s activities to a supernaturally enhanced higher level. Stay tuned for an episode that could save a generation.

Living the Life Liturgical

What does living a liturgical life mean?

It simply means keeping my life and that of my family focused on Christ by following the liturgical seasons of the church. By “flavoring” our family’s activities to the liturgical seasons, we piggyback on the masterful design of the Church year to form and enrich our children’s Catholic Faith. Simple and brilliant.

The Church year consists of six liturgical seasons:

*Advent

*Christmas

*Ordinary Time after Epiphany

*Lent

*Easter

*Ordinary Time after Pentecost (the long one).

How do I do it?

1. Begin with the sacraments.

Grace comes to us through the sacraments; when the kids are young, it is easy to bring joy to the celebration of a sacrament. Celebrate their Baptism Day and bring out their candle. Help them make a communion notebook, make wedding cards for newly married couples

2. Choose one or two liturgical celebrations per month to focus on.

There are a lot of books and websites to help with this.
The key is to keep it simple, don’t get too caught up in recipes and crafts.
Aim for establishing traditions.

3. Read the Mass readings a few days ahead and highlight things to listen for.

Magnifikids, Catholicmom.com, the USCCB website…

4. Research feast days important to your heritage.

St. Patrick’s Day, St. Joseph’s Day, Our Lady of Altagracia…
Make an appropriate dish or dessert.
Read a book about your saint.
Listen to a hymn or song.
Make a craft.
Don’t overcomplicate it.

5. Learn the Litany of Loreto (link below)

Spend some time with Our Lady.

Research one or two of her titles of Our Lady each year to teach your children.

6. Build a liturgical celebration library. Many books and videos are available for help.

7. Grace before meals is the prayer we have always said together, even the adult kids.

As simple as it is, Grace is a prayer that binds us to our family, is a witness to our Faith, and a prayer, may it please God, that our children will teach their children.

Add seasonal prayers to Grace before meals:

In June, you can add the aspiration, “Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us,” as it is the month of the Sacred Heart.

Maybe in August, the month we celebrate the Assumption, say, “Oh Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

During November, the month of the poor souls, we always added, “May the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.”

December, is the month of the Immaculate Conception but also the time to bring out your Advent candles and Advent prayers.

8. Mini-pilgrimages can be fun.

May - Find a shrine to the Blessed Mother (outside a church or on a Catholic college campus) and make a pilgrimage.

Lent - Try to find some outside Stations of the Cross for Lent.

Holy Thursday - Although this is easier in a city, there is a lovely tradition of visiting the Blessed Sacrament at seven churches after Mass.

Patronal holy day - there are indulgences attached to attending Mass at a church on its patronal holy day. For example, go to Mass at St Joseph Parish on March 19.

Resources:

Resources at Seton Magazine

Ultimate List of Catholic Shrines in the US

Litany of Loreto

O Night Divine Blog

Mondays with Mary

Brigid's Cloak, An Ancient Irish Story

Catholic All Year by Kendra Tierney

Magnifikids

Colorful saint posters - Free to Download!

How to Navigate Modern Culture Aug 09, 2023

With cultural change and confusion swirling, Mary Ellen and Ginny take on the timely topic of protecting our children's innocence in our increasingly crazy culture.

Their advice, steeped in love and tested through experience, can build your confidence and help steer your decisions to the moral high ground in today's most challenging times. Join them as they help you chart a virtuous path for your family. You won't want to miss today's show.

How to Navigate Modern Culture While Protecting Children's Innocence

The idea for this episode came up at the end of June, the month now branded by many stores, corporations, even brick and mortar schools as Pride Month. But the co-opting of a month is only one of the moral hazards that threaten childhood innocence in our contemporary culture.

The Problem

Language in movies, podcasts, and political gatherings is often filthy or worse.
Anti-American sentiment, which dominated college campuses for decades, has seeped into kindergarten.
Patriotic fervor is hard to find. Crowds no longer stand for the national anthem or cover their hearts with their hands.
Military recruitment is down as preferred pronouns are valued over patriotism.

The Solution - The Three P's

In today's podcast, Mary Ellen and Ginny discuss how we can protect our children's innocence and provide a roadmap for you to navigate our culture. They start with prayer, then add the importance of teaching patriotism, and finally, bring it all together with the virtue of prudence.

So how do we navigate our family – our kids – through this troubling time in history?

First, with Prayer

As always, prayer comes first. We have to make religion the center of our homeschools.

Our children need to know God's law - their catechism.
A Brilliant Solution - the 6th and 9th Commandments.
It has to be presented in an age-appropriate way.

Second, Patriotism

Teaching our children that the United States is a beacon of freedom to the world is not pretending it is perfect. Heaven is perfect - no man-made place can be.

Present US history with its flaws but also with its accomplishments.
Attend patriotic events: parades, fireworks, special Masses, band concerts, etc.
Watch movies that highlight our nation's heroic past.

Finally, Prudence

Before you take your kids anywhere these days:

You must check websites before you go.
Being advertised as "family-friendly" events does not make them so.
Museums, etc., may showcase agendas in conflict with your family values.
In June, you are practically a prisoner; you can't take the kids to a department store unprepared.
Beware of subtle influences in movies and television that normalize errant behavior.

Electronic Devices are a huge part of the problem. Strongly consider flip phones with no internet access. If you get them smartphones, find software programs that prevent bad content on devices, or alert you when kids try to access it.

Find Your Tribe A close-knit group of like-minded friends can make a big difference.

* From Ginny - Rotate Sunday morning brunch after Mass among a group of families:

Your house is usually clean on Sunday.
Brunch only requires doughnuts or bagels, maybe a fruit tray.
It’s a great way to socialize and celebrate the Lord's Day.
Ginny's group led to summer Sunday get-togethers in a centrally located park

* From Mary Ellen - Friday Night Gathering option:

Rotate homes to gather for Pizza and Rosary.
A Dad might lead a little song for the kids to learn between decades.
These activities can lead to long-term friendships.

With Conviction (the Secret Sauce)

We have to pray for the strength to remain steadfast. Raising our children in a wholesome and religious environment is not optional; it is a mandate of our Faith.

And Always Add the Ingredient of Charity

Evangelization starts with heroic charity.
It is NEVER wrong to be kind.

Peaceful Interiors with Colleen Billing Aug 02, 2023

Colleen Billing is an expert on decluttering, organizing, and bringing peace to client’s homes. She has worked as a professional organizer for 18 years with her business Peaceful Interiors.

She also is a homeschooling mom, a spiritual director-in-training, and a longtime friend of Ginny and Mary Ellen, all of which which makes today’s conversation so personable, relevant, and fun.

If you’ve ever dreamt that your home could have the simplicity and beauty of a little monastery then today’s podcast is for you. It can be done and Colleen tells you how to do it.

Peaceful Interiors with Colleen Billing

We know that many homeschool families, both moms and dads, struggle with organization and tidiness because the children are home all day, and if the kids are small, they create havoc. They are darling people and funny, but they are not neat.

The top three reasons to get ourselves organized.

1. God is a God of order. We are created for order, beauty, and peace. When there is order, we can hear the voice of God and we simply feel better.

2. Hospitality – When our home is in order, we are more inclined to be hospitable. We can throw our doors open, be a good host, and make our guests welcome.

3. Kids learn better if there is order rather than chaos. Studies show learning capability increases when the home has a good routine and order.

How to make your home into a little monastery - simple and beautiful.

Find the small things that bring you joy. For Colleen for example, it’s twinkle lights.

True minimalism is to bring peace and beauty, not just eliminate stuff.

Want to know how to Declutter? You need to know yourself.

· What are your weak spots?

· Do you use it?

· Do you use it regularly?

· Do you really love it?

· Are you holding on to it for the wrong reason?

Don't hoard the gifts

Everything we have is a gift from God,

Donating what you don't need and love is an act of charity.

Don't buy things at thrift stores/garage sales because they are inexpensive - someone else may need them.

The Best Lesson We Can Teach Our Children

We do our kids a disservice when we don't teach them to care for their homes.

You need to train the children to run their own homes.

Where to start?

The kitchen is the heart of your home, and your bedroom is your sanctuary, so begin there.

The Takeaway - Don't start tomorrow with today's mess.

Colleen Billing is a Catholic speaker, retreat leader, and has been a member of the Franciscan-based community, The Brothers and Sisters of Charity, for 25 years. The community is a Public Association of the Faithful, recognized by Rome and under the direction of the Bishop of Little Rock, Arkansas.

She is in a Spiritual Director program through the Franciscan University of Steubenville and plans to graduate in January. Colleen has been married to Andrew for 31 years. They have five children and three of their sons have gotten married in the last three years. They are expecting a grandson in September and a granddaughter in October.

Resources

A Mother's Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot

http://www.flylady.net/

Get in touch with Colleen!

On Facebook - Colleen Gallagher Billing

Peaceful Interiors

Colleen.billing@sbcgobal.net

The Best Homeschooling Methods to Teach Geography Jul 26, 2023

Ginny and Mary Ellen have eye-opening news that may worry you. On today's Podcast, they discuss the "Nation's Report Card" on Eighth Graders.

In Geography - only 25 percent of U.S. students scored at or above the Proficiency level. Scores in U.S. History and Civics are subpar as well.

But the good news is that homeschool families are best positioned to turn those numbers around. Don’t miss today’s lively discussion, full of advice and practical tips, to learn how.

The Best Homeschooling Methods to Teach Geography

The recent 2022 Nation’s Report Card informs us that our nation’s children are not scoring well.

Geography - only 25 percent of students scored at or above the NAEP Proficiency level*.

U.S. History - only 13 percent of students scored at or above the NAEP Proficiency.

Civics - only 22 percent of students scored at or above the NAEP Proficiency level.

The Nation's Report Card is annual analysis from National Assessment of Education Progress.

* 2018 data, statistics were unavailable for 2022.

The World is Getting Smaller.

We hear daily about war and social problems in foreign countries.

A smaller world requires greater knowledge about our relative position.
A geographical perspective is critical to making prudent decisions.
Do we realize how our national and world map position may affect us?
Many of our children will work for international corporations.

Closer to Home.

Just seventeen states require any geography in high school.
Only six states feature stand-alone geography courses, the rest combine geography with history, civics, and current events into a single course – usually called social studies.
Is it a wonder that U.S. students know so little about the world they live in?

What can we do about this in our homeschools?

Use maps in your daily life.
Let kids follow your progress on your GPS screen.
Use direction words in your everyday speech. "It is much colder where Aunt Jane lives because her home is farther north."
Get online maps of zoos or museums you plan to visit and plan your trip.
Use paper maps to show your route on a family vacation. Tip: You can get them free at rest stops on interstate highways.

More Tips:

Display maps in your house. Hang them in your classroom if you have one.

Or on the walls of the kid's rooms.

Have world, national, or maps of your state and town. Refer to them when appropriate.

Expand Their Horizons through Reading

Have your students read about different places.

Most libraries have books with beautiful illustrations about other regions or National Geographic Kids-type magazines.

Children's fictional literature can also arouse interest in different countries and cultures.

Teacher Tip: When choosing a map skills book, make sure they also teach geography. Many map skills books teach skills but need facts about the world. Often, they use product maps, then ask questions about a fictional product map. Very few teach the real deal, i.e., oceans, continents, countries, and regions, in an organized fashion. But that's what you want.

Important Caveat: Always glance at anything you get from the library published after 1970 or so. Sadly, we have to do this now.

Find online games that teach geography. I've used lizard point, but there are others.

Excellent Advice

Encourage your kids to make of their world.
Let them make maps of their bedrooms or your backyard.
Map your vegetable garden.
Give primary-grade students a blank outline map of the world. Add the names of the continents with a blank box next to each one. Have students choose colors for each continent and make their map key.

The Voice of Experience - Kids learn best hands-on.

Avoiding Mass Hysteria - Taking Young Children to Mass Jul 19, 2023

A Facebook post from a mom struggling to bring her large family of small children to Mass inspired today's show. The mom was in a jam, getting the kids to Mass by herself as her husband was deployed. Many advised her not to bring the children to Mass until they were older. This is terrible advice.

Mass is not optional. It isn't easy when you bring many babies and toddlers, and in fact, it's heroic. Ginny and Mary Ellen can help and want to share their hard-earned, practical advice learned in the pews of thousands of masses with many toddlers in tow. Listen and enjoy their love, humor, and common sense.

Ten Tips on Taking Young Children to Mass

1. Make your peace with the fact that this will go off the rails sometimes. God put the wiggle and the noise in those children, and He knows they will use them both at Mass. Remember that not every fellow parishioner will be patient. Expect a few dirty looks; don't let it get you down.

2. Prep the night before. Lay out everyone's clothes, find the shoes and socks, set breakfast, and pack the diaper bag.

3. Everyone goes to the bathroom before you leave for Mass.

4. Sit up front and quietly whisper to point out the priest, the candles, and the bells.

5. Do not bring toys. Having toys at hand is a reason to fight, make noise, and be a general distraction for everyone around you. A soft book for 4-5-year-olds is fine.

6. No food or drink for anyone over three. Nursing babies and small toddlers get a bottle or cup, but everyone else can go an hour without food. Feed everyone before Mass; small children are not required to fast. A bag of dry cereal for desperate times, but it should be the exception.

7. No devices, ever.

8. Keep the three and under people on someone's lap as much as possible.

9. If the baby or toddler makes some noise or moves around too much, don't let it make you self-conscious. Most people can focus through a distraction and are very tolerant of small children. Just take it in stride.

10. If the noise becomes too much, take the child out and settle them quickly but bring them back in so the habit of poor behavior getting them out doesn't take hold. Just wait against a wall until you can get back to your pew. This is a biggie! You do not want to form a bad habit. Act up– go to the vestibule and run around. Again, people understand.

If possible, sit near someone you know as sympathetic. I've helped more than once, letting a kid play with my fur collar and holding a sleeping baby so Mom could go to Communion.
Especially with one year old, there is little you can do. DH and I went to different Masses at times.
Once you are sure kids understand how they should behave, a consequence for bad behavior is in order. Perhaps while everyone else is enjoying an after-Mass bagel, Junior has to "practice" church behavior by sitting on a chair in the middle of the living room. Consider adding a decade or the whole rosary as reinforcement.
As my kids got older, we discussed the gospel, the homily, or even the music on the way home. It encouraged them to pay attention.
The cry room is an option I did not use. I tried it once with a baby, but eight-year-olds played with cars on the floor. Kids are paying zero attention. I noticed the cry room where my daughter lives is very different—just some back pews glasses in, so a better deal.

Again – you do not want to form bad habits.

Habits for Holiness - Father Mark-Mary Ames, CFR Jul 12, 2023

Fr. Mark-Mary Ames, CFR, (Franciscan Friars of the Renewal) was ordained in 2018 and lives at the CFR friary in the Bronx. Fr. Mark-Mary is a weekly host on Ascension Presents, the second-largest Catholic YouTube Channel in English.

His new book Habits for Holiness: Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress, is a perfect and practical spiritual guide for homeschooling families. In it, Fr. Mark-Mary, takes 800 years of Franciscan spiritual wisdom and extracts “small steps” that can lead anyone — especially lay people — to great holiness.

Habits for Holiness

In this episode of the Stay-at-Homeschooling Mom Podcast, Father explains how to get the most from his book Habits for Holiness:Small Steps for Making Big Spiritual Progress and how to grow closer to sainthood in your daily life.

What led you to write Habits for Holiness?

In the book, you speak of prayer as food; actually, in the first chapter. Can you explain how prayer is that necessary?

What do we say to busy mothers and fathers who feel they have no time for a meaningful prayer life?

An Easy Way to Do a Daily Examen

Father recommends taking a few minutes in the middle of your day to write down five things to thank God for, five ways you’ve failed him, and five things coming up where you could use God’s help.

Five reasons to give thanks.
Five reasons to need mercy.
Five reasons to ask God for help.

In the chapter on liturgical living, Father explains that, as Catholics, our values are radically different. We know this (we try to avoid bad television, music, movies, etc.), but how do we live it deeply?

Observe the liturgical year
Keep Sundays as special
Remember the Passion on Fridays.

Father explains the Christian call to contentment - Based upon the poverty check of the Franciscans, a discernment tool to see if we are suffering from too much.

Discussed in this episode:

https://www.franciscanfriars.com/

https://focus.org/

https://ascensionpress.com/products/e-book-habits-for-holiness-small-steps-for-making-big-spiritual-progress

Teaching History the Way It Actually Happened Jul 05, 2023

Mary Ellen and Ginny have wanted to bring you Historian Jerry D. Lenaburg since the debut of their podcast. They knew he was the most qualified historian to make a case for why homeschoolers must teach history the way it happened. It's not hyperbole to say that our future depends on it.

A pleasure to listen to, Mr. Lenaburg is a 1987 graduate of the US Naval Academy with a BS in history, an MS in technology management, and an MA in military studies. A naval flight officer from 1987 to 1998, veteran of Operation Desert Storm, he has written extensively on military and national security topics, and has taught home school history for over 15 years.

Why is it so important to teach history the way it actually happened?

The Nation’s History Report Card - A National Disaster

How our nation’s children scored.
How did we get here?
What have we been teaching?
Can we get back on track?
Why historical inaccuracy undermines forming good citizens.

The two-part litmus test for choosing history textbooks:

1. The Ronald Reagan test

2. The Founding Fathers’ treatment

Lenaburg recommends Teaching Real History:– Teach the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly.

In today's brick-and-mortar schools, he observes that there are two ways to teach American History.

1 - Either America is inherently good, but we've had some bumps, or
2 - America is evil, racist, xenophobic, oppresses minorities, and unworthy of respect.
There's no in-between these days and whatever model is taught, will form young people’s view of American history, America today, and their role as informed citizens.

The Founding Fathers

The heroic, deified image of yesteryear.
The contemporary narrative.
The real person - human and interesting.

Chronological Snobbery - CS Lewis says this is the uncritical acceptance of the intellectual climate of our age and the assumption that whatever has gone out of date is, on that count, discredited.

The importance of bringing perspective and balance to the conversation

Warfare
Slavery
Revolution

The Value of a History Major

A History Major’s ability to synthesize data, cite sources, and reach sound conclusions is a skill set that stands on its own or broadens opportunities in other career choices.

Speaking Points:

Is the U.S. Constitution broken? – Critics often have not read it.

Is Public School an Option? - AP Courses offer some promise.

The first book Jerry Lenaburg recommends buying is a Barnes and Noble leather-bound copy of the Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, The Federalist Papers, and other related writings. At $25.00, you cannot beat it.Also recommended: Land of Hope: An Invitation to the Great American Story by Wilfred M. McClay

Recommendation to students on writing: "So the two things that I try to get all my students to do is, number one, I let them roam. I give them book reports. I'll have them do a biography. I might pick something that interests you because you'll study history more if you find something that interests you. And yes, one of my students wanted to do the history of video games. I said, have at it, Dude. I want a 10-page paper in Chicago style, appropriately sourced, and with a bibliography and footnotes. Have at it! That gets him interested in something, and he's learning how to write a paper, and it probably goes back a lot further than we think. It was a fascinating paper."

Other tips:

Writing is hard, but the red pen will make you better.
You've got to practice; mechanics, grammar, style, and the purpose of writing.
Going out into the world, successful people know how to communicate.

Links:

Common Sense Barrage – Blogspot

Books mentioned:

The American Heritage Series – Google for used copies.

The Great Battle series

Johnny Tremain

Killer Angels

Jeff Shara

Laura Ingalls Wilder – Little House in the Big Woods

The Secret of Teaching with a Toddler in the House Jun 28, 2023

Let’s face it; homeschooling with a toddler around can challenge learning and Mom’s sanity. Little people don’t care much about order, method, or quiet; they want to explore, move around, and touch everything—all perfectly appropriate but completely distracting to your homeschool day.

Ginny and Mary Ellen have run this drill thousands of times and have learned how to turn this challenge into an enriching, family-focused triumph for toddler, siblings, and mom. Now, they want to share these nuggets of practical advice with you.

Toddlers Defined

Typically, toddlers are children ages one to four who are independently mobile; that is to say, they can toddle around, pulling things down upon their sweet little heads and tossing objects willy-nilly everywhere. This is called independent mobility.

Acceptance is Key

The key to a peaceful homeschool when you have toddlers is to accept it’s not going to be peaceful. It may be chaotic and messy. There is not much you can do, but here are some suggestions.

Recognize their need for attention and independence.
Use morning time, before school to focus on the toddlers.
Give them a job to do: a small dustpan and broom, a Swiffer, or dishtowels to fold.
Praise their help and efforts. Call them mommy’s big helper.
More ideas on the Podcast.

Revolving Kids – The Game for Larger Families

Start by giving toddlers something to keep them busy. Then, work with your K-2 students. Their work goes quickly. If toddlers start to drive you up the wall – send in an older child to keep them busy. Rotate older kids in and out to play as they finish their work. This activity is good for the little guys and teaches the older children to be responsible.

High-chair-age children can be given colored construction paper, a small plastic cup of water, and a paintbrush and told to paint. Older children can sit in a blow-up kiddie pool. I buy these at the end of the summer for about five dollars. They store easily (just deflate), and the little ones love to sit there and play.

Ideas for Young Toddlers

A play yard with some toys can be helpful.
Some bean bags and a bucket provide lots of fun.
Provide a baby doll and two baby wipes. Tell the child to wash the baby. For some reason, this will keep them busy for a really long time.
More ideas on the Podcast.

Ideas for Older Toddlers

Three and four-year-olds can be given a glue stick, ripped-out magazine pictures, and paper and told to make collages. You can promise to mail it to Grandma, so it must be extra beautiful.
Playdough is fun. I could always find playdough toys at garage sales and added a few things from around the house: cookie cutters, a small rolling pin, corks, an old butter knife, or a spatula.
Build buildings with a pile of mini marshmallows and some uncooked spaghetti or toothpicks.

Toddler School - I also found it extremely helpful for older toddlers to have their own school box and work. They could only join us at the table if they would “work” quietly.

Use nap times, evenings, and weekends when you have an extra pair of hands. If this is a possibility, consider hiring help.

BONUS: Accept that somedays none of this works, not much work will get done, and that’s ok.

Starting a New School Year – Getting Your Ducks in a Row in Five Easy Steps. Jun 21, 2023

June is upon us; now is the time to plan your homeschool year. Take a day or two to think about last year. What did you love? What was a disappointment? What drove you crazy? There’s an old saying in the business world, “Failing to plan is planning to fail.”

Ginny and Mary Ellen’s treasure trove of tips, organized in five easy steps, is worth their weight in gold. Listen to them all and find those that resonate for you.

First – Pick your curriculum.

● If you liked what you had last year – stick with it. Switching involves both you and the student learning new formats. Don’t chase after something new because a friend loves it.

● If something didn’t work, try to figure out why. Was it indeed the product’s fault, or was it a reluctant learner? Don’t count on a new shiny book to coax that kid back.

● OTOH if a book or a program was just confusing to use, or not helpful, or not Catholic enough, or didn’t work, find something else. If possible, ask a mom you know whose kids are turning out great – not a stranger on social media.

Second – Order your material in June or July.

Waiting until August almost guarantees a lower level of service – because of the rush of homeschool moms who waited for August.

Third – Think about WHERE you will teach.

● Can you organize your dining room better, add some bookshelves, and buy desks for the basement? Can you use your picnic table in nice weather?

● Are you facing problems because your husband works from home three days a week and can’t stand the noise? Public libraries are usually pretty empty during the day; they often have toy corners for littles. Sometimes, they have study rooms.

● Make sure you have a system to organize books, art and school supplies, and manipulatives. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Pens and pencils in cups, books in milk crates – but you need to be able to find things – quickly and easily.

Fourth – Have your school day planned.

We all know that life will throw you curve balls, but a plan keeps everyone on the same page and helps you get back on track.

● Set specific times to start, take breaks, eat lunch, and tidy up. A Schedule makes all the difference in the world.

Even if circumstances force you to change it, you have a plan when things return to normal.

● Think about how you will start your school day. Prayers, the Pledge, saint of the day, morning Mass?

● If you have babies and toddlers, consider how you can keep them from disrupting too much. Hire a local nanny to take them to the park, Homeschool outside so they can run around the yard. Set up a play area.

● Think about how you can eliminate distractions. Silence your phones. Let friends, family, and neighbors know you are dedicated to homeschooling.

Fifth – and finally – Remember that these are our homes, not a classroom.

We don’t have custodians cleaning up for us, a nurse’s office to send a sick child to, or an aide. Don’t stress when the house is messy, or plans don’t work out.

BONUS – In fact, by seeing how a real home operates, your homeschooled children are learning how to navigate their future families.

Dealing with Objections Jun 14, 2023

You've made the decision, you are going to homeschool. When you announce it to friends and family – not everyone is supportive. How do you handle this?

In today's podcast, Mary Ellen and Ginny cover the questions you will get about your decision and walk you through solid answers. Whether the questions are from loved ones or the simply curious, you will be prepared with well-thought-out replies.

Some people deeply care and may need a better explanation.

You'll learn where to find convincing data on homeschooled students showing that they:

● Routinely score 15 to 25 percentile points above public-school students on standardized academic achievement tests.

● Score above average on achievement tests regardless of their parent's level of formal education or their family's household income.

● Increasingly recruited by colleges.

● And more…

Here's how to answer the simply curious.

● It is not your job to give them an in-depth understanding of your choice.

● Ginny and Mary Ellen offer polite answers.

● And they explain when being vague may be appropriate.

Be careful not to knock brick-and-mortar schools.

They may be why you homeschool, but it's a potential minefield: for instance:

● Your children’s grandparents could take it as an insult.

● Some wonderful people graduate from brick-and-mortar schools.

● Each family needs to decide what is best for them.

Bonus - We have the answers to common objections:

● How will you teach Trigonometry, physics, and foreign language?

● How will they learn to interact with their peers?

● Aren't you worried they'll be weird?

Seton's College Entrance Exam Board (CEEB) number: 470902.

Always informative, practical, and guaranteed to bring a smile, Ginny and Mary Ellen provide the questions you may not have thought to ask…but you'll be glad they did!

It’s Not a Race Jun 07, 2023

In today's show, Ginny and Mary Ellen introduce us to University of Iowa senior and author Jacinta Hamilton. In March 2023, the National Catholic Register and LifeSiteNews featured Jacinta Hamilton's work to build awareness of World Down Syndrome Day.

Jacinta is an Iowa City, Iowa native, the oldest of seven children, and a 2019 Seton Home Study School graduate. She is blessed to be the big sister of Gabriel, her little brother with Down syndrome, who has positively influenced all areas of her life.

In the National Catholic Register, she said, "It's World Down Syndrome Day, and I'd Like You to Meet My Brother Gabriel." We thought you would like to meet Jacinta and learn what motivates her to do great things.

It’s World Down Syndrome Day, and I’d Like You to Meet My Brother Gabriel NCRegister.com

It’s not a race: My brother with Down syndrome embodies in a special way the precious gift of life LifeSiteNews.com

Jacinta Hamilton – Building Awareness to Make a Difference SetonMagazine.com - Includes insights on homeschooling from Jacinta’s mother, Mrs. Marcy Hamilton.

Beauty and Truth in Education and Evangelization May 31, 2023

How important is cultivating beauty in your homeschool? Ginny and Mary Ellen speak with Joseph Pearce about the true, the good, and the beautiful and how it affects our homeschool, worship, and very selves.

There are few as qualified as Joseph to speak on the topic. He is a man of many hats, including bestselling author, EWTN host, and Director of Book Publishing at the Augustine Institute. His website www.jpearce.co is replete with his work and thoughts and emphasizes the subject of today’s podcast. He is also a homeschooling Dad.

Beauty and Truth in Education and Evangelization

Beauty is Key

Be careful - We separate goodness, truth, and beauty at our peril.

Because - the three are inseparable, transcendental, and will lead us to God.

Beauty is in the thing beheld, not in the eye of the beholder.

Culture has turned away from the good, the true, and the beautiful and now serves power. This path leads to despair. To distract ourselves from the despair, we turn to noise.

Contrast that with the soul in love with Christ and in His grace who craves silence.

Popular culture and the secular school system have turned away from Objective Truth and embraced Relativism. In this cult of Relativism:

There is no virtue.
Sin is banished from the vocabulary.
Goodness, Truth, and Beauty are replaced by Viciousness, Lies, and Ugliness.

However, a significant and growing minority are on fire for the faith and know what they are on fire for. Homeschoolers – like the monks of the Middle Ages have the means to preserve the culture of the Good, True, and Beautiful.

Advice to Homeschoolers

Finding (and Teaching) the Good, the True, and the Beautiful

Good - The key is to know that a good program:

Choose a good curriculum provider such as Seton Home Study School.
The curriculum should study the Catechism.
Teaches Catholicism.
Focused on the learning of the good.

True – Truth is found through studying philosophy. Philosophy is simply using reason to understand truth, and its study will become more significant in high school.

An example of an excellent high school Philosophy text, and the text instrumental in Joseph’s path to conversion, is Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine by Archbishop Michael Sheehan.

Part 1 – Apologetics: Rational Proofs for the existence of God

Part 2 – Catholic Doctrine: How those rational proofs play out in the teachings of the Church.

True or False

Modern culture preaches two extremes.

Materialism - there’s nothing but matter.

Subjective Reality – all reality is in the mind.

To counter these false notions, we must surround our children with the truth of God The world is charged with the grandeur of God as articulated by Gerard Manley Hopkins in his poem, “God’s Grandeur”.

This truth must be taught through reason and rational processes.

Summary

The Good is an education in virtue.

The True is engagement with philosophy using wisdom to engage with the truth.

Beauty needs space and silence. Unplug from gadgets and distractions.

Our takeaway:

The flexibility of homeschooling provides the opportunity to see, hear, and do beauty. We must make time and space to participate in creation. Use the talents God has given us.
Listen to music - make music by learning to play an instrument.
Read great literature - write great lit or at least work at it.
See great art, make art. Paint, bake, garden – use your talents.

Beauty speaks profoundly and, like prayer, evangelizes by lifting the heart and mind.

Links:

Please visit our sponsor: Benedictine College

Joseph Pearce’s website: www.jpearce.co

Referenced in this episode:

Apologetics and Catholic Doctrine by Archbishop Michael Sheehan

Gerard Manley Hopkins “God’s Grandeur”

Where Are Our Manners? Homeschoolers Guide to Social Skills and Manners May 24, 2023

It's easy to blame others for the loss of civility and politeness in the news and social media. Fortunately, as homeschoolers, we are blessed with the opportunity to train our children to push back on cultural influences and lead others by example.

In this episode, Mary Ellen and Ginny examine modern behavioral norms and provide simple, concrete, practical tips, methods, and lessons to regain civility and good manners. Please join us and learn how your home can flourish as a training ground for polite, civil, and well-mannered leaders of the future.

Program Notes

A 2017 Study of Millennials – people born between 1981 - 1996 – today's homeschooling parents and tasked with teaching their children social skills and polite behavior is unsettling. The study reveals many feel challenged as role models of good social skills.

40% believe lacking social skills has held them back at work.
39% think it has caused problems for them within friendships.
62% dread face-to-face communication with friends or co-workers.
65% need more confidence in face-to-face social situations.
68% avoid talking face-to-face.
80% are more able to express themselves in text or online than in person.

What are Social Skills?

These are the skills we use every day to interact and communicate with each other. We are not speaking in this podcast about people with disabilities who struggle in this area or are unable to communicate in a typical way.

But let's dig deeper. We are talking about courtesy and manners. A polite society that is sadly lacking in today's culture. Things like

Holding open doors.
Bringing a little gift when arriving at someone's home.
Men, take off your hat in a restaurant or at the dinner table.
Speaking in a moderate tone of voice.
Being quiet in quiet places (church, movie theatres, waiting rooms).
No reaching across people.
Standing when a lady enters or leaves a room or the table.
How to use utensils at a correctly set table.

The root of the word "rude" is interesting: it comes from the Latin rudis, meaning

unsophisticated, which remains its primary definition today. In the late Middle Ages, the word came to mean ill-mannered, which is the opposite of polite.

Simple, Practical Lessons

These will help your children be comfortable in any situation and allow them to succeed in all social situations. Remember, it is never a formality to practice good manners.

Practice good manners at all times at home.
Insist on appropriate dress for Mass, dinner, visiting, etc.
Use words like please, thank you, would it be too much trouble, etc.
Send thank you notes for gifts and hosting.
Set the table every night.
Do not allow gross habits - chomping or munching food, talking with a mouthful, using hands instead of utensils.
Encourage table talk – so-called small talk is an important skill (timidity is not an excuse)
Never criticize the food – period. "No, thank you" is the answer to something you do not like.
Teach a school etiquette class.

In Summary - There is a reason to teach etiquette and good manners; it's not to place yourself above others but to recognize other people's feelings and accommodate their needs.

Sources

You can't go wrong with Emily Post

https://amzn.to/3lD61Xk

Manners in God's House

https://amzn.to/3FLey13

The Compleat Gentleman, The Modern Man's Guide to Chivalry

https://amzn.to/3lEMENG

Raising Worker Bees - The Essentials of Work May 17, 2023

Teaching our children "how to" work is a lesson too often overlooked. The consequences of this oversight can last a lifetime, robbing our children of reaching their full potential as faithful servants of God and role models for their children.

In this episode, Ginny and Mary Ellen discuss why teaching "how-to" work is critical in raising strong and independent children. They make a convincing case for why today, more than ever, we must train our kids how to work for them to become responsible adults. And they show us, practically and simply, how to do it.

Why Aren't They Working?

I heard on the news the other day that two jobs are available for every person seeking employment. People stay out of the workforce for many reasons, but most of us agree that we want our children to have a strong work ethic. We want them to have the competence and self-confidence that comes from working – having a job.

So how can you give your children a strong work ethic? Much the same answer to the old NY joke about how to get to Carnegie Hall – practice, practice!

Younger kids

A big part of the problem today is that we don't NEED our children's labor. In times past, when most families lived on farms, daily life was so labor intensive that children were taught to provide essential services early on. They hauled wood and water, gathered eggs, shoveled manure, and fed livestock as soon as they were physically able – often at five or six.

Now we would be thrilled if they made their beds!!!

Simple Lessons Will Yield Lifelong Habits

Give them a bed that is simple to make and insist they make it.
Make sure they stow dirty clothes in the hamper and clean clothes in their drawers.
Kids set the table and clear it off. No one eats before it is set or leaves the kitchen before it is cleared.

As they get older, give them regular chores for which they have full responsibility.

A Word about Allowances

I never believed in paying kids because they breathe. I don't even believe in it for carrying out regular chores. No one pays me for cooking and cleaning. I occasionally offered a sum for a major job like cleaning out the garage. We all shared responsibility, and we all shared generosity.

Teen Years

By early teens, your children should be ready to start earning money.
Altar servers make money when they work at weddings and funerals.
Make sure people know they are homeschooled, so they are available during the day if mom has a doctor's appointment. One daughter used to send out emails that she had no plans on a Friday and Saturday night. She almost always got takers.

Bottom Line

It is important to learn how to navigate the real world of employment.

Show up – on time – and do the job you are being paid to do.

The Homeschooler's Guide to Teaching Math May 10, 2023

Today, Mary Ellen and Ginny discuss why nothing makes homeschooling mothers more nervous than the concept of teaching math. Then, making it as simple as two plus two, they provide a road map of tips, suggestions, and insights to help you confidently teach math.

Show Notes

Let's first talk about what a general scope and sequence would look like for the different stages of your students and some general teaching methods, and then we can discuss curriculum and how to choose the best one for your student.

Picking a curriculum

Doing research should not involve asking Facebook.

Review the curriculum in person if possible, ask a friend, see it at a conference, or view it online. Be thorough.

Take free placement tests.

Speaking very broadly, you have two methods to teach math – Mastery and Incremental. Both use manipulatives and pen and paper.

Mastery – a skill (say multiplication) is practiced for several days, even weeks. The student takes an end-of-chapter test and then moves on to the next skill, maybe division. Mastery is probably best for early grades. There are fewer skills but mastering them is key to continued advancement. Most publishers provide periodic review of past skills.
Incremental – with increasing difficulty, different skills are practiced daily for weeks or months. Saxon is the best known. This method is best for older grades as students add four functions for fractions and decimals, geometry, algebraic and trigonometric functions. Daily review pounds all of these skills into the kid's bones!

Caution – common core programs.

Primary Grades (PreK-2nd)

When teaching math to small children, it is important to make the lessons fun and engaging. Use a variety of visual and tactile learning tools, such as counting manipulatives, flashcards, and hands-on activities.

Counting bears
Cuisenaire rods
Base ten blocks
Dice
Wooden Pattern Blocks
Pegboards

Or you can just pull forks and spoons out of the silverware drawer.

Number recognition, writing numbers, counting, and pattern recognition are the goals at this early stage, and each child will gain these skills with daily practice in short lessons. Once these skills have been mastered, you can move on to simple addition and subtraction.

Elementary (3rd - 6th Grades)

A time to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and reasoning skills. In these years, the children should be mastering:

1. Addition and Subtraction

2. Multiplication and Division

3. Fractions

4. Decimals

5. Geometry

6. Measurement

7. Telling Time

8. Money Skills

9. Probability and Statistics

10. Algebraic Thinking

Reinforce these skills with measuring, building, baking, and other household activities.

Middle School

These are the years to prepare for high school and higher math solidly. Take time—no shame in repeating concepts.

A solid foundation in math basics is critical to prepare a high school student for advanced math. You build that foundation by helping the student to understand the underlying concepts rather than just memorizing formulas. Practicing problem-solving skills, such as breaking down complex problems into smaller steps, is also essential. Providing the student with challenging problems and activities can also help them to develop a deeper understanding of the material. Finally, it is vital to give the student a supportive environment and to encourage them to persist in their efforts.

High School

Use all available resources.
I hated math and never felt that I was good at it. John Saxon gave me tremendous confidence.
Hiring a tutor or doing a co-op are both good options.
Online classes (Khan, Nicole the Math lady, HSC, dual enrollment)

BTW - You will be surprised at how much you remember and how much better you are at math than in high school.

Final notes

Stick with it.
Consistency is the key with math.
Math may not be a good fit for block scheduling.

How Long Should My Homeschool Day Be? May 03, 2023

Ginny and Mary Ellen take up a common question among new homeschoolers. Perhaps most interesting is the variety of answers they received. See how your family compares.

Factors in the conversation include that some kids have their noses to the grindstone while others seem to zip through. But like homeschooling, the parent is best positioned to decide how long your family’s homeschool day should be.

Program Notes

A typical public or private school day is about 6 hours. Added to the bus ride there and back, many kids are away from the house for 7 hours each day or more.
You can knock off lunch, recess, and gym hours in the early grades. Classroom teachers spend lots of time getting kids to line up, get their stuff from lockers, and just be quiet and pay attention.
But you can add back at least 30 minutes of homework in each grade.
Middle and high school are more regimented, with kids typically spending 45 minutes or so on task for each class and often coming home with an hour or two of homework.

What can we expect in our homeschools?

Pre-K and K

Most kids love the attention, and many quickly pick up reading readiness, reading itself, and math.

These fun grades trick us into believing we can homeschool in 30 minutes to an hour. Add in some prayers and poems, and you’re done.

At this level, if kids, often little boys, rebel against any book learning, it is wise to wait several months before trying again. Some kids are just not ready, and red-shirting them is the prudent plan.

Primary Grades

Most students can finish grades 1-3 in 2 hours or less per day, depending on the curriculum you are using. Generally, if it takes longer, that is a discipline problem – not an academic one. Kids are dawdling.
This is the age to train kids how you want them to approach their education, for example, starting at the same time every day, only taking breaks at established times, and stowing their books and supplies when finished.
3rd grade is also the time to expect a little bit more. I suggest memorizing multiplication tables or writing paragraphs regularly.
Time to get kids ready – 4th grade is coming!

Upper elementary

Fourth grade is where many successful homeschoolers begin to get discouraged. Subjects like history and science, which used to be just fun extras, are now real subjects.
Even if you do not use a curriculum, 4th grade is when students need to learn more than just history stories and the lives of famous people. Now they need real physical and life sciences.
They need to begin writing book reports and full-paragraph answers to questions.
Math becomes much more demanding.
A focused 4th grader can finish in 4 hours.
It is common for a 7th or 8th grader to spend 5 or 6 hours on task.
Many kids require even more time. Each school year, the day may become longer.

High School

A good rule of thumb for high school is one hour per day per subject. A student taking six credits should spend about 6 hours on schoolwork. Some classes will take less time, but others more, so the average will be about 1 hour per credit.

Why this Matters

We don’t question that kids need to practice piano to progress. We encourage our children to practice shooting hoops, catching a baseball, or dribbling a soccer ball. We understand that focused practice is how we all get better at everything.
But somehow, when children require more time to master an academic skill, we go on social media and look for new curriculum.
A new program may be more engaging, but ultimately, our kids must work hard to memorize math facts, learn a foreign language, or understand the Constitution.
There is no substitute for hours of concentrated practice.

BONUS

I knew a master. My MIL was the foremost woman trumpet player in the world. I met her in her fifties while working at the Metropolitan Opera in NYC. She still practiced every day.

Teaching Study Habits Apr 26, 2023

Good study habits lead to academic success. Children from an early age need to learn how to internalize information to do well on tests and essays if they continue their academic careers after high school.

In this episode, Ginny and Mary Ellen examine and explain the how and why of learning good study habits.

It begins with a simple but critical foundation of memorizing spelling words or math facts. They explain simply and clearly how this essential element is fundamental to a student’s success. They discuss the gradual process of learning good study habits and why it should start as early as second or third grade. By fourth grade, your student should be ready for note-taking and highlighting.

In today’s show you’ll learn:

Five study skills to teach your student

Organization - A student must be well organized to succeed at studying. They must be able to find their books and notes, and the notes must be legible and in the correct order. Margin notes must also be legible. Videos, recordings, and computer documents should all be easily accessed.
Minimize distractions - Studying is less effective with music blaring, a television on, notifications pinging on the phone, or anything else happening. Electronics must be minimized, and apps closed. A quiet space with as little going on as possible is ideal.
Time management - Homeschool parents need to set firm deadlines and set consequences when their students miss those deadlines. The real world will do so, and it's a disservice to your child not to teach them the skill of managing their time wisely. Papers should have due dates, tests should have time limits, and school hours should have end times. Work not completed in the allotted time is done in your free time.
Taking notes - There are five main methods of taking notes, Cornell, Mapping, Charting, Sentences, and Outlining. These methods all make use of visual mastery of the information. Highlighting facts in your text is also a valuable method of study. Different situations call for different types.
Read, Recite, and Review - Reading is more than just staring at the book. You need to internalize the information. Saying it out loud can help. Reviewing it with a study partner can also help.

Bonus Information

Having your student study using a pen and paper is more likely to result in success than using a digital method.

In a digital world, having children write things down becomes more and more rare. Many public and private schools have entirely abandoned teaching cursive handwriting and now pass out tablets and laptops at the beginning of the school year. Notebooks in your local office store sell for .25 cents, yet no one buys them because even small children use tablets and stylus' to learn.

The Secret of Writing on Physical Paper

A study of Japanese university students and recent graduates has revealed that writing on physical paper can lead to more brain activity when remembering the information an hour later. The unique, complex, spatial, and tactile information associated with writing by hand on physical paper likely leads to improved memory.

Contrary to the popular belief that digital tools increase efficiency, volunteers who used paper completed the note-taking task about 25% faster than those who used digital tablets or smartphones.

Although volunteers wrote by hand with pen and paper or stylus and digital tablet, researchers say paper notebooks contain more complex spatial information than digital paper. Physical paper allows for tangible permanence, irregular strokes, and uneven shape, like folded corners. In contrast, digital paper is uniform, has no fixed position when scrolling, and disappears when you close the app.

"Our take-home message is to use paper notebooks for information we need to learn or memorize," said Sakai.

How to Get Back on Track! Apr 19, 2023

What gets your homeschooling off track? After all, we lead busy, sometimes even chaotic lives! The bottom line is that there are many reasonable and legitimate reasons to put homeschooling aside or to do the bare minimum for a time.

In today’s podcast, Ginny and Mary Ellen check what will inevitably get you off track. But they will call you back on the way and roll in the right direction using their practical sensibilities, sweet humor, and genuine warmth.

Show Notes

The beauty of homeschooling is that, by its nature, it can deal with challenging times, even with the chaos, if that is what Our Lord presents us to make us better and stronger.

Here’s What to Do When You are Facing:

1. Illness

Chronic - Parent or child
Temporary - flu, stomach bug, etc.
Injury

2. Moving

3. Job Loss

4. Care for relative

5. Outside Commitment

Sports competition season
Performance season
Travel opportunities (mission trip, etc.)

Simple Steps to Get Back on Track

1. Take stock of where each child is in each subject and begin there,

2. Write a week’s lessons for the main subjects, and leave the enrichment alone.

3. Plan a simple menu for the coming weeks using the crockpot and using leftovers (sandwiches, soups, salads).

4. Use grocery delivery or pick-up services.

5. Accept help. Ask for help. Pay for help (household help, tutoring help, driving help).

6. Put capable kids in charge of one chore and accept it won’t be perfect.

7. Meet with each child at the end of the week, assess their progress, and address any issues.

8. Relax; catching up is a process, not an event (John Clark quote),

Five Keys to Long-Term Homeschool Success Apr 12, 2023

Every year is different, and you have to adjust to your homeschool's changing conditions, whether those changes are new babies, new teens, new jobs, or new activities.

That said, some things are timeless, and Ginny and Mary Ellen devote this episode to bringing it all together into five key habits that will help you have long-term success in homeschooling. And the Five Keys are different from what you would think!

Program Notes

1. Stop Overthinking.

Prayerfully and with your husband's input, choose a curriculum or a method and stick with it. "Do not ask your friends on social media to suggest better options. You will get 100 suggestions from people more confused than you already are."

2. Have the Children do Chores Every Day.

Your house will be clean enough if your children pick up after themselves and do some basic chores every day.

3. Make a menu plan.

Making a menu plan for a week/month saves money and time.
Ask your family for their favorite meals. These meals will be your framework.
All the kids should have basic cooking skills.

4. Get dressed. It sounds silly, but it helps.

Put on a nice outfit, whatever you feel good wearing, do your hair, and put on a little lip gloss, and you will feel much more pulled together and able to face the day.

5. Write down Your Plan

Writing something down imparts a little magic to it. It's a promise that it will happen. Write down lesson plans, lists for shopping, a family calendar, and everything that needs to be organized. Make sure you look at it.

Summary

Doing these five things will not guarantee a perfect homeschool experience, but it will put you on the right track to cope when things feel like they are spiraling in the wrong direction.

Joseph Pearce - Poems Every Child Should Know Apr 05, 2023

In today’s episode, author Joseph Pearce joins Ginny and Mary Ellen to discuss his book of particular interest to homeschooling families, Poems Every Child Should Know. Finding a more eloquent or eminently qualified author to speak on the subject would be challenging.

“Every child is called to be a poet.” So begins the book compiled by Joseph Pearce, Poems Every Child Should Know, but he is quick to insist that the book is for children of all ages and that this book allows parents to make available a robust volume of poetry that is accessible.

Please join us for what is sure to be a profound literary treasure!

Show Notes:

A native of England, Joseph Pearce is the internationally acclaimed author of many books, which include bestsellers such as The Quest for Shakespeare, Tolkien: Man and Myth, The Unmasking of Oscar Wilde, C. S. Lewis and The Catholic Church, Literary Converts, Wisdom and Innocence: A Life of G.K. Chesterton, Solzhenitsyn: A Soul in Exile and Old Thunder: A Life of Hilaire Belloc. His books have been published and translated into Spanish, Portuguese, French, Dutch, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Croatian, and Polish.

He has hosted two 13-part television series about Shakespeare on EWTN. He has also written and presented documentaries on EWTN on the Catholicism of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. His verse drama, Death Comes for the War Poets, was performed off-Broadway to critical acclaim. He has participated in and lectured at a wide variety of international and literary events at major colleges and universities in the U.S., Canada, Britain, Europe, Africa, and South America.

He is the editor of the St. Austin Review (https://staustinreview.org/), series editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions (www.ignatiuscriticaleditions.com), senior instructor with Homeschool Connections (www.homeschoolconnectionsonline.com), and senior contributor at the Imaginative Conservative and Crisis Magazine. In 2022, he was awarded the St. John Henry Newman Visiting Chair of Catholic Studies at Thomas More College (Merrimack, NH). His website is http://www.jpearce.co

Poems Every Child Should Know is available at Seton Educational Media

Among the topics in today’s show:

Poetry was a standard part of every school curriculum until the 1950s.
When Sesame Street and programs like it became standard fare in American homes, reading readiness and ability began to drop off.
G.K. Chesterton said, “the coming peril of civilization is the standardization by a low standard,” Sesame Street and its ilk are examples of that. They are cultural vandalism.
Poetry is the music of language; reading it to children early, as infants, allows them to become familiar with language from the beginning. They will pick up the meanings later on with no difficulty.
Simplicity has great beauty, and simple poems help us enter into a spirit of contemplation.
Encourage your children to read and recite poetry. Read it to them regularly and have them recite it back to you.
Host a poetry slam.
Reading poetry is good, and writing poetry is also good.
We are meant to be “little creators” because we are made in the image of the Creator Himself.
Write stories, tell stories, write poetry, recite poetry, compose music, play music, paint, and create. We are meant to do all these things and were created to do them because the Imago Dei is in us.

We seek beauty because we long for heaven.

Coach Joe Patterson - Director of Athletics at Ave Maria University Mar 29, 2023

Joseph Patterson - Ave Maria Director of Athletics is a leader of young men and women in an environment that stresses faith, self-discipline, and hard work.

In today's show, we have the pleasure of speaking with Ave Maria University's Director of Athletics, Joseph Patterson. From his position as coach and leader, Patterson is an authority on how Ave Maria University Athletics integrates the Catholic faith into collegiate athletics, promoting the formation of mind, body, and spirit.

Show notes

Coach Patterson came to Ave Maria University as the head football coach and is now entering his eighth season in that role.

During his tenure with the Ave Maria University Gyrenes, the team's grade point average and student-athlete retention have dramatically improved. Success on the field followed as the Gyrenes went from a 0-10 season in 2016, his first season, to Sun Division Champions in 2018, a turnaround earning Patterson Sun Division Coach of the Year honors.

Joseph Patterson was named Ave Maria Director of Athletics in May 2020, elevated to the President's Cabinet in 2021, and promoted to Vice President in 2022. Since Coach Patterson was named Director of Athletics, the University has added ten varsity intercollegiate sports, going from 14 teams in spring 2020 to 24 in fall 2022.

Coach Patterson earned his master's degree in Catholic Leadership from the Catholic University of America and his undergraduate degree from Villanova University. An educator by trade, he taught literature at St. John's College High School in Washington, D.C., for 19 years, earning three teacher-of-the-year awards, including the Archdiocese of Washington Veteran Teacher of the Year. For his last 12 years at St. John's, he served as the head varsity coach, during which time his teams earned playoff berths in 10 of the 12 seasons.

Coach Patterson and his wife, Jana, live with their six children in Ave Maria, Florida.

Joining Coach Patterson in today's show is Brendan Clark.

Brendan is a senior at Ave Maria majoring in politics with a minor in communications. Brendan is a kicker/punter for the Ave Maria Gyrenes and explains why athletics are important for the student and stresses the following points.
Athletics are an avenue of evangelization and education.
Athletics gets to the heart of what it means to be a true competitor.
Athletics encourages the pursuit of virtue throughout the entire life of the student-athlete.

Brendan was a soccer player before college but decided to try something new. He applied to Ave because of the balance of sports, faith life, and academics.

He explains why time management is essential and sometimes fun has to take a back seat to training and academics.

Sports help you learn to balance the parts of your life, and the supportive nature of Ave University's belief in helping the student balance mind, body, and soul.

Closing words from Coach Patterson

"Embrace self-discipline and adversity. Embrace self-sacrificial effort, toughness, and love, animated by Christ's example and teachings. Embrace victory."

Through recruiting and coaching, AMU Athletics creates an environment that stresses faith, self-discipline, and hard work.
Athletes in season train 20 hours per week, out of season about 12 hours per week
He advises student-athletes to "become attached to something that requires you to do something very specific and strenuous; this is good training for life."
Athletics is fabricated adversity and trains students to overcome adversity.
A hallmark of athletics is subjecting yourself to something bigger than yourself.

"No one accidentally ends up at Ave Maria."

The Importance of Energetic Physical Sports Mar 22, 2023

Mary Ellen and Ginny tackle the important topic of physical exercise in your homeschool. This kicks off the first of our two episodes focused on athletics.

Master teacher John Taylor Gatto, after winning several teaching awards in New York City and State, quit the field saying he could no longer hurt children to make a living. Gatto wrote on the importance of sports to develop future leaders.

Show Notes:

There are six excellent reasons to focus on energetic physical activity in your homeschool.

1. Build Focus and Attention

Experience has proven that kids who exercise vigorously, especially in the fresh air perform better. Very important in our homeschools. Students need to get outside and move.

2. Practice Makes Perfect

People at the top of their fields say that thousands of hours of deliberate practice and training are necessary to reach the highest levels of performance. Sports are how our children learn to practice.

3. Learn to Win and Lose Graciously and Keep it in Perspective

Good sportsmanship discourages being a sore loser, a particularly unattractive trait in sports, business, and life.

4. Learn to Play by the Rules

No matter what, three strikes and the batter is out. No amount of whining gets him a fourth strike. Organized sports come with some pretty rigid regulations. Every member of the team plays by the same rules; Children learn that rules apply to all, and success follows those who follow rules.

Something we should remember in our homeschools.

5. Avoid the Devil’s Workshop

21st century children spend too much time playing mindless video games and watching TV shows which clinically proven to destroy the attention span and lead to depression and anxiety. Fill these empty hours with wholesome activity.

6. Play to the Crowd

Team sports teach kids to give their best in front of an audience that may or may not be friendly. In a similar way, leaders in government, the professions and business need to be able to pitch their ideas to a crowd, all the while keeping their cool. This is an important life skill.

John Taylor Gatto suggests the following three reasons for engaging in physical exercise.

1. Learn to Handle Pain

Learning to calmly deal with pain, and continue towards a goal despite it, is a trait that is useful in every walk of life. John Taylor Gatto considers it essential in a leader.

2. Learn to Deal with Emergencies

The unexpected crops up all the time in sports and players must simply deal with it. The ability to think on one’s feet and adjust quickly to changing circumstances is crucial in a potential leader.

3. Learn to be a Calm & Confident Leader Who Inspires Confidence in Others

“Energetic physical sports are not a luxury, or a way to blow off steam, but they are absolutely the only way to confer grace on the human presence, and that grace translates into power and money later on.”

We want well formed Catholic leaders in positions that can change the world and your children are poised to do that. Physical activity can help.

Weapons of Mass Instruction, A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling By John Taylor Gatto:

https://amzn.to/404Jvpa

Dr. Ray Guarendi - Is discipline the number one problem in homeschooling today? Mar 15, 2023

Is discipline the number one problem in homeschooling today? In this episode, Mary Ellen and Ginny interview Dr. Ray Guarendi about discipline and, specifically, why having a handle on your children's behavior is the key to homeschooling success.

Dr. Ray is an expert on discipline and its relationship to children's behavior. Dr. Ray is a Catholic father of ten adopted children, a clinical psychologist, author, professional speaker, and national radio and television host. Many listeners also know him as a popular and dynamic speaker at homeschool conferences.

Show Notes:

His radio show, "The Dr. Is In," can be heard on over 440 stations and Sirius XM channel 130. His TV show, "Living Right With Dr. Ray," can be seen on EWTN Global Catholic Network and is aired in 140 countries. Dr. Ray received his B.A. and M.A. at Case Western Reserve University and his Ph.D. at Kent State University.

In today's podcast, Dr. Ray answers if discipline is the number one problem in homeschooling today. After all, if kids don't listen, then moms can't get a handle on the situation and worry that the kids are not getting an education. Too much of this behavior, and back to the brick-and-mortar school they are sent. But there, don't teachers often struggle to maintain classroom discipline as well? Dr. Ray speaks to this and other homeschooling dilemmas, including:

Why lack of self-control is a big problem today – and getting worse.
Is it ever too late to learn self-control?
Is shutting off the TV something to cry over?
Does every kid who doesn't pay attention have a sensory processing disorder?

Fr. Philip Schumaker - Encouraging Vocations and Faithfulness in Your Children Mar 08, 2023

Mary Ellen and Ginny speak to Father Philip Schumaker, a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The pastor of three Milwaukee churches, Father was homeschooled by his mom, Colleen, who took her six children to daily Mass.

In today's episode, Father Philip shares experiences from his childhood that influenced his discernment and offers excellent advice for encouraging vocations and faithfulness in your children.

Show Notes:

Father Philip Schumaker is a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and the pastor of Immaculate Conception, St. Augustine of Hippo, and Sacred Heart of Jesus Parishes.

"I have my family to thank for my vocation; they helped me to pray, taught me to pray, taught me about faith. Really, family is everything, and I see that more and more as I get older."

In our interview, Father offers personal reflections on how the family can best create an environment for vocational discernment and faithfulness, including:

Place a great emphasis on teaching and living the Catholic faith in your time with your children.
Promote interaction with priests and monks; invite them to dinner and visit monasteries.
Encourage your children in discernment awareness and virtue creation: "Do what you are doing and do it well and through it all, remain close to the Lord, and He will lead you."

Self-Care for the Homeschool Mom Mar 01, 2023

Not being big fans of what society deems “self-care,” Ginny and Mary Ellen discuss creating a life that nourishes you rather than depletes you. Having routines and systems in place to care for school and home and guarding your time, heart, and mind so that you can feel most peaceful and happy in your daily life.

Show notes and Bullet Points

How to take care of yourself as a stay-at-home-work-at-home-keeping-a-home-school-at-home parent

• Find time to pray. Sit and let God speak to you or read from a daily devotional that can take just a few minutes of quiet. Prayer is essential. Getting up just 15 or 30 minutes before the kids can make a big difference.

• Tie prayer to a household task, so it becomes a habit (folding laundry, vacuuming)

• Read or listen to something that inspires or encourages you every day. Audiobooks, podcasts (this one!), Homilies, etc. Podcasts are perfect because you can listen while you do something else.

• Text a friend, and keep in touch with friends/relatives. Gabbing with a buddy is also something you can do while you fold laundry or match socks.

• Be mindful of gratitude. Gratitude is an excellent source of satisfaction. For someone, your life is their dream.

• Make time to get out of the house alone whenever you possibly can. Grocery store, walk, gym, errands

• Foster your creativity. Pursue a hobby or craft. You don’t have to excel. Just do it.

• Keep in touch with your husband. Dates (in-house or out), texts during the day, etc.

• Don’t be afraid to ask hubs and kids for help with chores. Doing the chores should not all fall on you. If you can hire some help.

• Unfollow or delete anyone or any app which makes you doubt what you are doing or makes you feel bad. Also, limit people who don’t understand why you homeschool and constantly question/pick at you. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.

• Try to gather a circle of like-minded buddies. After Mass, Sunday brunch is a perfect time to host. You only need to buy bagels or donuts and serve coffee or tea. Most of us clean on Saturdays, so the house is at its best

• When my kids were little, we agreed with other families to meet at a park on the first Sunday of the warm weather months. Even if no one else showed, your kids could run around and have fun, but I do not remember that ever happening.

Homeschooling is a lifestyle, and if you create a home that is focused on learning but also on respect, that is, knowing mom is a human being who needs to have some time to recharge and rest, then your life will be one that you don’t need to escape from under the guise of self-care.

Navigating High School, You Can Do It (You Really Can) Feb 22, 2023

Loving homeschooling but dreading the high school years? Not sure how you could ever get through physics, trigonometry, and a foreign language?

Long-time homeschooling moms Mary Ellen Barrett and Ginny Seuffert have graduated homeschoolers and sent them off to college. Let them walk you through the decision and the practical details.

Show notes:

Incentives:

I don’t trust the local public school.
The poor academic performance of American students.
No money for private or Catholic high schools or none in our area.
The social climate in brick-and-mortar schools is less than desirable.

Hesitations:

Not sure of my skills.
Upper-level math and science – yikes!
How to teach a foreign language?
How to get kids into college?
Teens need friends

Academic solutions:

Catholic homeschool program
Online courses
Private tutoring
Co-ops
Taking single courses at the local high school – public or private.
Dual enrollment at community college or Newman Guide colleges.

Other big bonuses:

Students can get jobs.
Families can travel.
Your family can enjoy closer relationships.

Links**

CLEP exams

https://clep.collegeboard.org/

AP exams

https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/ap-exams-overview

Newman Guide Colleges

https://cardinalnewmansociety.org/college/

Online tutoring resources

https://www.wyzant.com/

https://www.varsitytutors.com/online-tutoring

** Please note that including a link does not mean we endorse that website or business or that we have thoroughly explored each website for content.

Interview w/ Dr. William Thierfelder - President of Belmont Abbey College Feb 15, 2023

Today we have the pleasure of interviewing Dr. William Thierfelder, president of Belmont Abbey College. Founded in 1876 and rated #1 in Best Undergraduate Teaching by U.S. News & World Report, Belmont Abbey is a Newman Guide Recommended College in North Carolina and a school particularly welcoming to homeschooled students. Dr. Thierfelder shares his thoughts on the value of liberal arts education and reveals the two things that all students of Belmont Abbey College know by the time they graduate.

Decluttering Feb 08, 2023

Yes, you can declutter, and Ginny and Mary Ellen are here to guide and encourage you with simple tips and methods to do just that! They have three easy but critical questions to ask yourself about any object you own. The answers will reveal whether to keep it or not! It's really that simple. Their creative solutions are often fun and always practical. One thing's for sure, their experiences will have you smiling, if not laughing out loud!

Expanding Your Student’s Love of Words through Quotes, Poetry, and Song Feb 01, 2023

Do your history, religion, or literature studies ever feel a little dry, or you can’t fit in another field trip? Memorizing quotes or learning patriotic songs can reinvigorate your child’s interest in the subject and is also a lot of fun. Preserve the culture, encourage patriotism, and build memory skills; Ginny and Mary Ellen help you figure out how.

Coping with Burnout Jan 25, 2023

Have you been feeling like you just can't cope with homeschooling for another day? It's normal to get the mid-year, winter-time, I don't want to do this any more blues. We've all been there. In this episode, Ginny and Mary Ellen discuss burnout, how you know you have it, what causes it, and how you can beat it.

Sacraments for Homeschoolers Jan 18, 2023

It can be a little intimidating to approach your pastor or Director of Religious Education as a homeschool parent to ask that your children receive their sacraments. Ginny and Mary Ellen have been there many times and each has had each of their children receive in different parishes and in different ways. Hear their thoughts and suggestions for approaching sacrament prep while keeping the peace in the parish and retaining your parental authority.

Top Ten Reasons to Homeschool Jan 11, 2023

There are a thousand great reasons to homeschool your children but Ginny and Mary Ellen picked the top ten reasons why all the sacrifices and hard work are worth the effort. This is the podcast you are going to want to re-listen to on those days when your patience is wearing thin and you need to remember why you listened to God's tug on your heart to homeschool your children. Homeschooling is not easy, but nothing valuable ever is.

Early Literacy Jan 04, 2023

Join Mary Ellen Barrett and Ginny Seuffert, two leading speakers and writers on the topic of Catholic education, as they discuss ways in which Catholic parents can find success in their homeschooling journey.