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I received great question(s) yesterday, what do we do when our kids can't spell...what do we do when they're behind....what do we do when our head's not in the game.

"Hi Bonnie! I have a question! My 10 year old son is very very very much a struggling speller. I mean, I’m sure he is dyslexic. He can’t spell at all and I’ve tried everything. What would you do? Just dictation?"

"I admit I hit very much a rough patch with general overwhelm this summer and almost put two of my kids in public school. I’m trying to snap out of it and get back to our family vision. But it’s been very challenging with a toddler who still sleeps horribly and a destructive five year old boy . I need to re-listen to basically all of your episodes and get my head in the game again. My 10 yr old is just soooo woefully behind in math and spelling that it adds to my overwhelm."

"Basically / 10 yr old that is very behind in math and spelling. He has various learning disabilities and is very self conscious of being a “bad speller” but I’ve really tried everything to no avail."

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Short answer to an important question...our experience and how it changed over the years:

"Hi Bonnie! I’m thinking about our daily/weekly routines for this school year and wondering if you have thoughts on chores for kids. I’m looking at how many hours we have in the day and plugging in reading aloud, a little sit down work, more reading aloud, practicing piano, and then chores on top of that I just wonder am I asking too much of my kids (ages 6 and 8). On the one hand I see housework as my responsibility and am happy to just take care of it all so they can play and enjoy life. On the other hand I don’t want my kids to grow up and not know how to clean the bathroom or do laundry, and it does feel like a good family habit to have help tidying up after meals. Any thoughts you have or sharing about your own experience would be so appreciated! Thanks!"

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2h

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In this conversation, Mariette and I discuss how to motivate children to do tasks they don't enjoy, specifically focusing on math. We explore strategies such as setting parameters, incorporating math into daily activities, and giving children a sense of control and choice.

Takeaways

• Set parameters and give children a sense of control and choice when it comes to tasks they don't enjoy.
• Incorporate math into daily activities to make it more engaging and relevant.
• Consider using different math programs and breaking down concepts into smaller, more manageable steps.
• Understand that learning is a process and there is no rush to complete a certain curriculum by a specific deadline.

Sound Bites

• "There's always going to be things you don't want to do."
• "We don't want them in a state of alarm."

Understanding the Nature of Unpleasant Tasks

Avoiding Alarm and Resistance

Incorporating Math into Daily Activities

Breaking Down Math Concepts into Manageable Steps

Modeling Learning and Making it Fun

Teaching Math as a Magic Trick

https://www.mheducation.com/prek-12/program/key-workbooks/MKTSP-HGH01M0.html

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Question submitted via text message -

I’m wondering if you have any episodes or blog posts about math after chocolate chips - my oldest is 8 and about to start grade 3. We have been using your little yellow book along with The 3 R’s as a guide for our math learning so far. Would love to hear about where you went from there with your kids, any particular curriculums that you found helpful. I know nothing will be a perfect fit, I’m just looking for something to use as a guide as we continue our one on one lessons. Math is not a natural or easy subject for me to teach.

soundbites:

• "Chocolate chips are just the yummy, tasty, manipulative."
• "I bought a math book and I just followed the appendix."

blog posts:

a few math posts (nota bene, there are many more, search chocolate chips, math, teaching math on my blog)

To find episodes where we cover math, go to the bottom of the show notes to "episodes by topic" - and under math there are episodes wherever we have talked math!

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Sheila, a veteran homeschooling mother from Arizona, shares her experience with burnout and the challenges of homeschooling children with a large age gap. We touch on mothering teens and keeping the connection as they become adults.

soundbites:

• "It's a beautiful thing that you're doing."
• "Nobody prepares us for what it's going to be like to have adult children and our role in that."
• "Implementing mentorship for older homeschooling moms could be a wonderful way to share knowledge and support."

Navigating Burnout and Connection in Homeschooling

Finding Mentorship and Support in Homeschooling

The Importance of Self-Care for Homeschooling Parents

Creating Engaging Activities for Homeschooling

Engaging Children in Learning Through Animals

Investing in Educational Resources: Microscopes and Gardening

Exploring the 4-H Program

Maintaining Connection with Teens While Attending to Younger Children

Challenges of Parenting Adult Children

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A short answer to a question submitted on buzzsprout's new "FAN MAIL" function.

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Takeaways from this episode:

Passions can be turned into high school courses, such as chess

Course titles can reflect the skills and concepts learned, like "applied mathematics through strategy." A high school course typically requires 120-150 hours of work, so what does that look like for their passions?

A topical list of previous episodes is available for easy reference at the end of these show notes and also! A YouTube video featuring a dad's panel discussing homeschooling experiences is linked here in the show notes.

00:00 Introduction and Fan Mail Function

01:26 Turning a Passion for Chess into a High School Course

05:44 Incorporating Writing Assignments and Presentations

06:12 Resources for Developing High School Courses

07:37 A Topical List of Previous Episodes

09:36 Insights from a Dads Panel on Homeschooling

10:06 Conclusion and Farewell

Dad’s panel from our local conference

Homeschooling high school, blog post

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