The Happy Homeschooler Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

In this episode, we discuss The Joy of Slow by Leslie M. Martino, a book that encourages families to embrace a slower, more intentional pace of life. We explore how its themes apply to homeschooling, parenting, and everyday living — from resisting the pressure to overschedule, to finding meaning in the quiet moments. Whether you’ve read the book or are just curious about the slow living philosophy, this conversation offers inspiration and practical takeaways for creating a more peaceful homeschool rhythm.

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The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Jennifer Jones, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our logo is by Norah Williams and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Summer school for homeschoolers offers unique opportunities that public school families miss out on. Today, we're offering practical advice for making summer learning fun and effective. Whether you’re continuing your curriculum, catching up on a few subjects, or exploring new interests, we share ways to keep education alive without losing the joy of summer. Summer is a great time for homeschooling, with lots of enriching opportunities that only come around this time of year.

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If you have any questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

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Summer Meals for Kids Site Finder | Food and Nutrition Service

2025 Summer Reading Lists | Association for Library Service to Children

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Jennifer Jones, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our logo is by Norah Williams and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

It may seem hard knowing how to choose homeschool curriculum, but we're here to help! Today, we break down the process of finding the right homeschool curriculum for your family. From learning styles to budget considerations, we cover the key factors to help you make confident choices. Whether you're just starting out or looking to switch things up, this episode is packed with practical tips to guide you through the decision-making process!

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If you have any questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

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Follow us on Instagram! Cathy Duffy Homeschool Curriculum Reviews 101 Top Picks for Homeschool Curriculum, by Cathy Duffy

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The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach, Melody Gillum, and Jennifer Jones, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our logo is by Norah Williams and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

As the final pillar of the Reading, Writing, ‘Rithmetic pyramid, it’s important to know how to teach writing. But when should you start? Why is it so important? And what are the best curricula for teaching the mechanics of writing? We here at the Happy Homeschooler Podcast have answers to all these questions, as well as in depth discussions about how to teach each element of writing, whether spelling, grammar, or composition. And be sure to stay to the end to hear our hosts discuss the Big Question dominating their homeschooling groups. School is back and The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is there for you every step of the way!

If you have any homeschooling questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

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Research any curriculum you can think of! – Cathy Duffy Homeschool Curriculum Reviews

Writing Resources:

Any Child Can Write, By Harvey S. Weiner

Easy Grammar Plus

Spelling: Tricks of the Trade, by Gayle Graham

Creative Composition

Natural Speller

The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jr.

MLA Formatting

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Being a home educator is like having three jobs at once, sometimes you might wonder how you’ll ever make it. Never fear, Holly and Melody are back with another volume of our Homeschool Survival Guide, compiling some of their best strategies, tips, and tricks for making your homeschool run smooth and stress-free! We’ll go through planning, teaching, and even extracurriculars.

If you have any homeschooling questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

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Homeschool Survival Guide, Volume 1

Storynory – Audio Stories for Kids

Libravox – Free Public Domain Audiobooks

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

What is gameschooling? Maybe you’ve heard of it before or maybe this is the first time you’ve read that word. It’s all based on some age-old wisdom: If you can make learning fun, you’ll never hear a word of complaint when lesson time comes. What better way to inject some fun into your learning than through games? But you might be wondering: what kinds of games? How do I incorporate a game into my lesson plan? And what do I do when my kids get too old for games?

Holly and Melody have a few ideas, but the world of gameschooling is so big we had to bring in a special guest who knows all about the fun and possibilties of gameschooling!

If you have homeschooling questions or comments, email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

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Teachers Pay Teachers

Gameschooling with Gameschool Academy on Facebook

The Ladybug Game

Pizza Fraction Fun

Our Previous Episode with Jennifer on Teaching Kids With Learning Challenges

Here’s a tip for all you happy homeschoolers: Melody mentioned a board game her family used to learn Greek mythology called By Jove. Well, we looked all over trying to find it new but it’s completely out of print. But we did find it on ebay selling for upwards of $100! Not a budget buy, but some of our listeners might have a copy collecting dust somewhere. Might be time to make some money off it!

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Are you wondering how to teach reading? From the brand new homeschooler to the old pro, everyone knows how important reading is. It’s so important, it can create a lot of stress for the home educator! When should you start teaching reading? What method should you use? How do you keep your student interested? And once your kids are reading, how can you be sure they’re reading the right things? Holly and Melody answer all these questions and more in today’s episode, so sit back, listen in, and learn all about how to teach reading!

If you have homeschooling questions or comments, email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

SHOW NOTES:

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The Well Read Kid

Checklist For Reading Readiness

Reading Resources for the ACT

SAT Reading Test

Our Reading Readlist:

A Home Start in Reading, by Ruth Beechick

A Strong Start in Language, by Ruth Beechick

You Can Teach Your Child Successfully, by Ruth Beechick

Games for Reading, by Peggy Kaye

The Writing Road to Reading, by Romalda Spalding

Reading and Spelling Pure & Simple, by Deede Hinckley Cauley

Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons, by Elaine Bruner, Phyllis Haddox, and Siegfried Engelmann

The Read-Aloud Handbook, by Jim Trelease

Phonics Pathways by Dolores G. Hiskes

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Math provokes strong feeling almost unlike any other school subject. Yet, like it or not, every home educator needs to know how to teach math. Maybe you’re the math lover of the family, maybe that’s your student, or maybe you’re both in agreement one way or the other. No matter your situation, Melody and Holly have all kinds of strategies to make math enjoyable for everyone!

If you have homeschooling questions or comments, email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

SHOW NOTES:

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Multiplication Bingo

S’math: The Game That Makes Math Fun

Math Geek Mama

Khan Academy

Homeschool On’s Comparison of Math Curricula

Key Curriculum Press

Miquon Math

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Liberal arts might be scoffed at sometimes, but we think you might want to take a second look at it. Not just for college and high school, a liberal arts approach might just be the answer to some of the challenges of the modern day homeschooler. Listen to today’s pocket-sized episode and hear about the shortcomings of a STEM-only approach, how people misunderstand liberal arts, why you might be trying to shy away from teaching arts and humanities, and more!

If you have homeschooling questions or comments, email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

SHOW NOTES:

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How Music Education Benefits Students –  Learning Lift Off

10 Benefits of Music Education for Students – Learning Liftoff

How Physical Activity Helps Learning – ADDitude Magazine

Build Your Muscles, Build Your Brain – ADDitude Magazine

Fine Arts Courses Help Students Excel In Math And Science – Forbes

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs raised their kids with limited tech — and it should have been a red flag about our own smartphone use – Business Insider

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Summer School… for parents? That’s right! With the semester over and all the tests taken, there’s a lot more time in a homeschooling parent’s life. Holly and Melody think you should be spending that time investing in yourself!

Listen and our hosts will share why it’s important to keep up your own development this summer, why it can be hard to do so, and the ways they’re planning their own summer schools. Plus, stay to the end for a brand new segment! Congrats on completing another school year, homeschoolers!

If you have homeschooling questions or comments, email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com

SHOW NOTES:

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Let’s Make Art: Your Home For Watercolor Painting Tutorials and Supplies

The Lazy Genius Way, By Kendra Adachi

The Lazy Genius Podcast on Apple Podcasts

French Kids Eat Everything, By Karen Le Billion

The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.

If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!