Raising Lifelong Learners

Today Colleen is talking about helping our children draw healthy boundaries, with the example of family members wanting a hug when our child is not comfortable giving one.  This question was submitted during one of the group coaching events in The Learners Lab, a Raising Lifelong Learners online community for neurodiverse homeschooling families.  Each month in the Lab Colleen hosts a group coaching night.  Parents can submit their questions ahead of time and Colleen will take the time to answer each one. One goal we have for our neurodiverse kids is the ability to advocate for themselves as they grow older.  One of the best ways to do this is by honoring their needs.  Perhaps you have a child with a sensory struggle, anxiety around others, or becomes easily overwhelmed in new environments.  When we acknowledge their limits and draw healthy boundaries we teach our kids that it is healthy to know what they need and express it kindly to others. Our sponsors for today’s episode are CTC Math and Reading Eggs Additional Links and Resources Raising Lifelong Learners Community - The Learners Lab Masterclass| Building Family Connections Raising Resilient Sons by Collleen Kessler, M.Ed. Respecting Your Child’s Sensory Needs: When You Have to Say “No” I Hate My Son’s Headphones Am I Spoiling My Child or Accommodating His Special Needs? A Unique Place For Gifted And Twice Exceptional Kids To Thrive My Child Won't Wear Socks: Dressing A Child With Sensory Processing Disorder Calm the Chaos with Dayna Abraham The Social Emotional Needs Of Gifted And Neurodiverse Children  If He’s REALLY So Smart… When Gifted Kids Struggle   Connect with Colleen You can find Colleen on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram How does your child learn best? Take the Quiz!

Welcome to Raising Lifelong Learners, the podcast that delves into the challenges and triumphs of parenting exceptional children while fostering a lifelong love for learning.  Today's guest is Dayna Abraham, author of the newly released book, Calm the Chaos.  Dayna is the founder of Calm the Chaos Parenting and the popular parenting blog, Lemon Lime Adventures. She’s worked with hundreds of thousands of parents around the world struggling with some of the most challenging behaviors to go from barely surviving to creating families that work together, advocate for each other and empower each other. She’s the best-selling author of Sensory Processing 101 and Superkids Activity Guide.  In today's episode, we tackle an important issue: helping children articulate their discomfort and advocate for themselves. Dayna shares personal anecdotes and strategies for empowering children to express their feelings and communicate their needs effectively. Join us as we explore the stages of self-advocacy, discuss homeschooling pressures, and delve into the power of modeling behavior and open communication. Get ready to feel supported, understood, and inspired by our incredible community of parents raising exceptional children. Let's dive in! Find Calm the Chaos here: http://calmthechaosbook.com Connect with Dayna on social here: https://www.facebook.com/calmthechaosparenting Calm the Chaos workshop: https://calmthechaosworkshop.com/   Additional Links and Resources Sponsor: CTC Math Sponsor: Reading Eggs Raising Lifelong Learners Community - The Learners Lab Masterclass| Finding Peace in a Life Filled With Intensity Homeschooling Gifted Kids | Meeting Asynchronous Abilities Giving Your Child Life Skills | Metacognition Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Kids with Jim Delisle When the World Overwhelms Your Anxious Child | How You Can Help The Social Emotional Needs of Gifted and Neurodiverse Children Anxiety vs. Stress vs. Perfectionism: Helping Our Children Cope If He’s REALLY So Smart….When Gifted Kids Struggle Getting Back to Homeschool After a Mental Health Crisis   Connect with Colleen You can find me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram How does your child learn best? Take the Quiz!  

Today, we dive into the topic of helping our children embrace their authenticity and discover who they truly are. This discussion is prompted by the upcoming focus on this subject in the Learners Lab community. We emphasize the importance of nurturing an environment where our kids feel comfortable being themselves and exploring their interests and passions. By fostering open communication, acceptance, and understanding, we can empower our children to develop a strong sense of self-esteem, emotional well-being, and resilience. Join us as we explore practical ways to create a nurturing environment and encourage our kids to embrace their unique identities.  Raising Lifelong Learners is brought to you by CTCMath. CTC Math is an online math curriculum that is perfect for homeschoolers with children of different ability levels. It provides teaching and access to all grade levels, allowing children to progress at their own pace. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.

Today we're diving into a favorite topic - connecting with your kids. We talk about the vital role that building a strong relationship with your child plays in creating a successful homeschooling experience. Remember that academics can always be remediated, but damaged relationships and self-esteem can have long-lasting effects on our children's learning. We explore why many of us chose to homeschool in the first place - the desire to provide a safe and supportive environment for our children, and discuss the importance of being our children's person, their safe place to land, and how connecting with them on a deep level lays the foundation for trust and open communication. In this episode, we highlights the significance of identifying triggers and helping our children navigate anxiety and stress.  Raising Lifelong Learners is brought to you by CTCMath. CTC Math is an online math curriculum that is perfect for homeschoolers with children of different ability levels. It provides teaching and access to all grade levels, allowing children to progress at their own pace. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.

Today, we're chatting with Sarah Collins of HomeschoolOT.com, delving into the topic of parenting with sensory needs and challenges while homeschooling, and discussing how the challenges we face as parents can trigger similar challenges in our children, creating a cycle that we need to proactively address.  Sarah shares valuable tips on how to take care of ourselves as parents and effectively homeschool our children. Stay tuned to discover how to effectively communicate with our children, model healthy adulthood, and navigate the unique sensory quirks that come with homeschooling neurodivergent children.  Raising Lifelong Learners is brought to you by CTCMath. CTC Math is an online math curriculum that is perfect for homeschoolers with children of different ability levels. It provides teaching and access to all grade levels, allowing children to progress at their own pace. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.  

Our family unit is the backbone of our homeschool.  There are many habits and activities that can nurture a team mentality.  It is one of the best things you can do for yourself and your kids to be successful in anything you do and build a strong, resilient, emotionally intelligent family. The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast is brought to you by CTCMath. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.  

One of the most beautiful things about homeschooling is how we can adjust kid-to-kid, and year-to-year. It's also one of the things that messes with us as parents. It’s inevitable when everything is functioning well, there’s another change: developmentally, emotionally, physically and we find ourselves reevaluating again.  It can be hard, tiring, and wear us out. That is why self-care is essential for those of us homeschooling differently-wired kids. The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast is brought to you by CTCMath. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.

Today we're doing something different -- we're sharing a talk that Colleen gave at the Great Homeschool Convention with Sarah Mackenzie of Read Aloud Revival. They address both sides of the reading spectrum, with Sarah discussing struggling readers and then Colleen shifting the conversation to advanced readers. You will leave with ideas and strategies that will help your kids wherever they are. The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast is brought to you by CTCMath. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.

You have neurodiverse children. They are gifted, they are twice exceptional, they have anxiety, perfectionism, sensory struggles, or perhaps they're on the autism spectrum. They have any number of neurodiversities. I am right there with you. I believe with my whole heart that homeschooling is the best possible educational choice for kids like ours. And I'm here to help you with that. So today we're going to talk about opening your mind to new possibilities. It's a different kind of education, and it's exciting. The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast is brought to you by CTCMath. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.

Self-discovery is a powerful tool we can use and harness to help our kids feel good about themselves and be successful and to help all of us in the family thrive in our atypical, differently-wired homeschool. Colleen will be sharing ways we can guide our kids in ways that help them discover who they are and how their brains are wired. The Raising Lifelong Learners Podcast is brought to you by CTCMath. Find out more at https://www.ctcmath.com/purchase/homeschool50?tr_id=RLL.