Story time! (How fitting for today’s topic of language skills and literature?)

It was the very first day of our homeschooling journey. The kids and I cracked open the Language Arts curriculum I’d chosen… I hadn’t thought to pre-screen the material (rookie mistake) and I began to read the instructions out loud: “Circle all the prepositions.”

Horrified, my kids and I stared at each other blankly and we all wanted to cry. “A prepo-what???”

I had pulled my kids out of public school, and coming from public school myself, none of us knew what in the world a preposition was.

I was the mom. I was the teacher. I was supposed to be leading this whole thing and I didn’t even know what a preposition was!? I felt like a failure and I quickly realized that curriculum was NOT going to work for us.

I began desperately searching for an effective way to teach my kids language skills. Although my kids are quick learners, I knew this process was going to take divine intervention, because grammar seemed difficult to understand, and to teach. No one was inspired to write, nor did we have any kind of a system in place for learning how to do it well.

Enter the unsung hero: Mr. Andrew Pudewa, founder of the Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW).

Mr. Pudewa had a system in place (“Structure and Style for Students”) that included easy-to-use videos, pre-selected source texts and key word outlines. On top of that, his charming personality stole the hearts of my kids and if I’m being honest, it stole my heart too.

Mr. Pudewa’s method for helping homeschool families thrive was unlike anything I’d seen before. My kids became strong, inspired writers (and grammar wizards). Most importantly though, they fell in love with reading and writing and thinking.

When I had the opportunity to meet Mr. Pudewa in person, I quickly realized how authentic, engaging and witty he was. I invited him to join me on the podcast and he graciously agreed to share his time and expertise.

So, today you are in for an absolute treat! You can head to the podcast now to take in a conversation that is full of tips to help you cultivate language skills in your homeschool. Mr. Pudewa is sharing book recommendations, encouragement for homeschooling moms, one of his famous jokes and so much more!

Trust me when I say… this is a don’t miss episode! Enjoy!

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Find this Episode on the Blog | KatieHedrick.com/195

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Homeschool Goodies You Should Know About!

• Apply for a Homeschool Mom Scholarship to Receive 1/2 Off your First Steps to Homeschool™ Tuition **Application Period ENDS AUGUST 1** | FirstStepsToHomeschool.com

• Check out the Step-by-Step Path to Homeschooling (and Download your Free Curriculum Guide!) | TeachMeToHomeschool.com

• Grab a Seat at my (Free!) Class - Homeschool 101: Making so Easy that ANY Mom can Get Started! Register here | KatieHedrick.com/Homeschool101

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Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• IEW Language Arts Curriculum | KatieHedrick.com/IEW

• “However Imperfectly” by Andrew Pudewa | https://amzn.to/45PXwut