Tips for how to mark the start of your school year in a memorable way that sets your children (and you) up for success!

Kayte and Debra discuss the science behind the notion of summer slide. Then give tips for helping your kids recover what they may have (temporarily) lost over the summer break.

Your teen's brain changes and develops during early adolescence as dramatically as it did from birth-3 yrs of age. Learn how to work with (not against) those changes. Be the source of stability and wisdom your teen needs. 

Kayte and Debra talk about the risks and advantages during adolescence, a finite window of opportunity parents will not want to miss. 

Grief and loss can be overwhelming for a child and their grieving process is often different from adult grieving. Parents may not recognize the significance of a loss in a child's life that we may take in stride--the loss of a pet, changing churches, or moving, for example.

Bonnie Gonzalez, licensed counselor and Aim Academy Online psychology teacher, joins Debra and Kathryn to talk about how to recognize the signs of grief, how to keep homeschooling when you are grieving, and how to be attuned to your child's first experiences with loss and grief.

Play is essential to your preschooler's optimal cognitive development. Here's the confidence you need to give your little ones freedom and leisure!

What three ingredients are most important to help your preschoolers get ready to learn? You'll find out in this episode. Plus, we talk about lots of EASY ways for parents to support their preschoolers' cognitive growth and language acquisition during this CRITICAL time.

We're joined in the studio this week by Kayte's friend, Joanne, who also has preschoolers and is interested in learning more about homeschooling.

Online learning is a major reason homeschooling is growing rapidly in the U.S. and around the world. Here's an inside look at Aim Academy Online, a learning services provider founded by Debra Bell more than a decade ago. 

Kate and Debra discuss how online learning works and what parents should look for when choosing online classes for their kids.

Support your child's optimal learning with the right curriculum fit.  Let the research guide your decision-making. Here are three questions to ask yourself as you look at all your curriculum choices. 

We also talk about how text, images, headings, and white space should be organized on the page to support student learning.

In our final episode of Season 1, we talk about the six traits of great writing, how to evaluate your child's writing, and wrap up with a hot take on avoiding the pitfalls of teaching writing. From the research, folks, here's what you need to know.

And that's a wrap -- we'll release Season 2 spring of 2022.

Why should writing be a central component of your homeschool program? Because writing is a learning tool. Children learn what they write about. In this episode, we talk about the writing process--the key steps students should step through as they compose. And, we end with a discussion about why writing is a gift from God we should all treasure.

In this episode we talk about how to use the preschool years to get your child ready to read. Then we look at how to teach reading and what to do once your child is reading independently. We also give listeners tips for the middle school and high school years, and finish with strategies for helping a struggling reader. Thanks for listening!

Here are the high level goals for teaching a child how to read and what to do once they are reading independently. We start with an overview of the research into how children learn to read.

Kathryn and Debra discuss chunking, a strategy that will help students increase their working memory. Debra gives a quick test to help you assess your child's working memory and then discusses ways to extend their ability to work with a lot of new information at once.

Kathryn gives an overview of the scope of math education from K-12. Then she drills down into the priorities at each grade level. Finally, we close with a conversation about how to make math fun, and why you should!

In  this episode, Kathryn shares the most important goals to prioritize in your math program. The conversation includes great examples and simple strategies to use. Debra and Kathryn also discuss what to look for in a math curriculum and how to make the one you are currently using work best.

Kathryn and Debra discuss why their family chose homeschooling in the first place. Kathryn shares what she remembers about the elementary and high school years, what was great about the college transition and what was not so great, some of their biggest homeschool mistakes, and how being a second-generation homeschool mom affects Kathryn's approach to homeschool now.

Why does homeschooling work? Join mother-daughter team, Debra Bell and Kathryn Gomes, for a lively discussion of the research that points to why homeschooling works for so many families. We then explore the ways to individualize your homeschool program for maximum benefit for each child.

In this episode, Kathryn and Debra discuss how students can use their understanding of the mind's two modes for thinking to better apply their attention to their studies.

A Mind for Numbers by Barbara Oakley: https://www.amazon.com/Mind-Numbers-Science-Flunked-Algebra/dp/039916524X/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1689277055&sr=8-1

Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley: https://www.amazon.com/Learning-How-Learn-Spending-Studying/dp/0143132547/ref=sr_1_1?crid=150YTL6G6WZOJ&keywords=learning+how+to+learn+barbara+oakley&qid=1689277102&sprefix=Learning+how+to+lear%2Caps%2C90&sr=8-1

Pomodoro Hourglass timers: https://www.amazon.com/OrgaNice-Hourglass-Sand-Timer-Productivity/dp/B01KFYMFYE/ref=sr_1_35?crid=3B7WD30HLSX8H&keywords=hourglass+timers&qid=1689277139&sprefix=hourglass+timers%2Caps%2C106&sr=8-35

Spaced repetition is an effective strategy to promote durable learning.  When kids struggle to recall what they learned about previously, they strengthen the neural pathways that deepen their understanding and connections to prior learning. 

Celebrate the struggle! Tell your kids their brains are working properly.

Our skinnies are designed to give you quick bursts of teaching tips based on the science of learning that will revolutionize your homeschool program. 

Kathryn sits down with fellow Apologia author Sherri Seligson to talk about teaching math and science together. Sherri explains how math functions as the language of science while Kathryn chimes in with ways you can use science as a context for teaching mathematics. The result is a two-for-one punch, more learning with less effort.

Sherri's website: https://www.sherriseligson.com/

Sherri's Instagram: @sherriseligson

Kathryn discusses the neurodivergent child with Amy Bodkin, a homeschool mom, autistic adult, and licensed school psychologist.  We discuss learning differences and recent dramatic changes in the research and our understanding of these very common differences in children.  Amy offers lots of expert advice while also giving practical tips for designing a homeschool program that positions all children--even those who are neurodivergent--for success.

Amy's website: https://amybodkin.com/
Amy's Instagram: @amybodkineds

In part 2, Kathryn and Debra dive into the four types of learners researchers have found in an educational setting. This model is an easy one for homeschool parents to use because the clues are the observable preferences you can readily see in each child. 

You'll also learn how to recognize your teaching style and get lots of tips for choosing curriculum and activities that correlate with each learning style. The good news is you can use the same materials with most learners--you just have to modify your approach and expectations depending on each child's preferences.  

What does the research say about learning styles? How can homeschool parents leverage this information to algin with how each child learns best (and still keep your program manageable)?

We open with a discussion about the Big 5 Personality Traits, which are the foundation for how kids will process information and be motivated to learn.

Here are the visible clues that tell you how each child prefers to learn with plenty of tips for making the curriculum you're currently using work best for each kid.

We look at 5 dimensions of personality that influence how our teens interact with others and how they respond to new experiences. We also touch on other areas of individual differences parents should be attuned to so they can calibrate their program to how their teen learns best.