Read-Aloud Revival ®

Discover practical strategies for helping struggling readers and signs of dyslexia. Learn about addressing unique difficulties faced by advanced readers. Explore homeschooling benefits for dyslexic children and engaging materials for differently wired kids. Find out how to engage with advanced readers and manage anxiety in homeschooling.

During my hardest year of homeschooling, I had a 12, 10, 8, and 1 year old, and twin newborns. Life was… a little chaotic.One week, a friend of mine who had homeschooled all three of her kids asked, “So how's homeschooling going?”And naturally, I burst into tears. I’m not sure she saw that coming. But then, maybe she did. Anyway, she asked me how I was keeping the kids on track for their schoolwork and how much they could do when I wasn’t able to lead them, and when I looked at her with a blank stare, she said, “Okay, I’m going to come over tomorrow and I’ll bring some spiral notebooks.”So, I cleared a path to the door and she came and she showed me how a 25 cent notebook could completely change our homeschool for the better.Today, we're going to talk about those spiral notebooks-- the one simple tool that has had the biggest impact on my homeschooling life.In this episode, you’ll hear: How the spiral notebook system combats overwhelm when you’re being pulled in too many directionsHow I used the spiral notebooks in our homeschoolThe modified system that we use in our homeschool nowFind the rest of the show notes at: https://readaloudrevival.com/spiral-notebooks-for-homeschool 

Imagine that your child is grown up, and his or her reading life looks a lot like yours does right now.How do you feel about that? Is your reading life something you want your kids to emulate when they’re adults? What if we built for ourselves the kind of reading life that we’d be delighted for our own kids to imitate? Novelist Katherine Paterson once wrote that “a fondness for books is catching.”I think she’s right. It’s much easier to be drawn into a reading life when the people around you also have a rich reading life.And if you’re someone who wants to raise kids who love to read - that’s probably why you’re here, right? Modeling our own rich reading life is an incredibly important strategy in making that a reality.Which means that reading – not just to your kids, not just for your kids, not just about how to be a better mother to your kids – but reading for the sheer joy of reading, is one of your most important jobs as a mother.And regardless of what your reading life looks like today, it’s OK. Keep listening. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why modeling your own enjoyment of reading is such an important piece of raising kids who love to readHow reading reduces stress, makes us happier, improves focus and more!How to overcome the hurdles and read more (in fact we have a printable for that!)Find the rest of the show notes at: https://readaloudrevival.com/mom-reading-life/

Today, in this Best Of Read Aloud Revival episode, we’re revisiting a conversation about a series I absolutely adore: The Penderwicks, by Jeanne Birdsall.The Penderwicks follows the escapades of four spirited sisters, Rosalind, Skye, Jane, and Batty. The books are a modern nod to Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, and they’ve won tons of awards including the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, several ALA Notable Children’s Book Awards, and the Massachusetts Children’s Book Award.Since recording this interview for RAR episode 100, Jeanne unknowingly planted the seed for my own book, A Little More Beautiful, the Story of a Garden when I visited her and her Northampton, Massachusetts, home. So now, of course, we like to call A Little More Beautiful “our book.”The first book in the Penderwicks series, The Penderwicks, A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy is our RAR Premium Family Book Club pick for this summer.That means we’ve got a full Family Book Club Guide with all the trimmings available now for members AND if you and your kids sign up for RAR Premium, they will have a chance to meet Jeanne Birdsall live on Zoom on August 25th.In this episode, you’ll hear: How Jeanne got her start writing in her 40s and why it’s never too late to follow a dreamAbout Jeanne’s character-driven writing process and why she always envisioned the Penderwicks as a seriesWhere Jeanne gets her inspiration Find the rest of the show notes at: https://readaloudrevival.com/penderwicks-book-club/

In this episode, I’m answering more of your questions.You’ve sent in some fabulous messages and I’m going to tackle them rapid-fire for you and answer as many as possible today. Today I’m sharing about when to use Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) or teach composition, when and how to start using the library, and what to do when a teenager doesn’t enjoy reading.In this episode, you’ll hear: Why you don’t need to rush your kids into composition, and what I do insteadStrategies for handling books you’d rather your kids didn’t check out of the libraryHow to encourage older, dyslexic kids in readingFind the rest of the show notes at: https://readaloudrevival.com/teaching-writing/

Full show notes can be found here: You Don't Need to Make the Most of Your SummerGet RAR Premium HERE>>

In today’s episode, I’m answering your questions!Listeners have sent in some fabulous questions for me, and I’m going to attempt to tackle them rapid-fire, including about where I get my favorite art prints, what to do with late-night readers, what to do if you don’t feel like you read aloud well, and more.In this episode, you’ll hear: My favorite places to find bookish artWhat I do if my kids stay up too late readingHow I handle assigned reading in my homeschoolFind the rest of the show notes at: https://readaloudrevival.com/late-night-readers/

Two weeks ago I shared the first 5 of 10 mistakes I’ve made in my homeschool -- believe me, I’ve made many, many more than that! But I’m highlighting 10 that stick out most prominently to me.So in the last “Best of Read-Aloud Revival” episode, I shared the first 5 and today I’m sharing the next 5. Hopefully, hearing these will keep you from making the mistakes I have. Homeschooling is a joy and a gift and it’s hard and wonderful and messy and effective -- it’s all of those things at once. I can promise you won’t get it perfect, and I can also promise that you don’t NEED to get it perfect. In this episode, you’ll hear: Two big mistakes new homeschool parents often makeWhy you have to avoid the comparison trap in your homeschoolWhy more isn’t better when it comes to your homeschoolOne of the hardest lessons I’ve learned in my years of homeschoolingFind the rest of the show notes at: https://readaloudrevival.com/5-more-homeschool-mistakes/

The podcast discusses common homeschooling mistakes and provides insights for new homeschooling moms. Topics include curriculum choices, overplanning, and feeling overwhelmed. The importance of reading aloud, combining kids and subjects, and fostering a love of lifelong learning are also explored.

Why do we make things mean more than they actually mean?We all do it. We realize a kid doesn’t know how to tie their shoes at age 12, and we tell ourselves we’re forgetting to teach SO MANY IMPORTANT THINGS. We feed our kids frozen pizza for dinner twice in a week and think it means we don’t care about their health. We sleep late and tell ourselves we’re lazy. We have a late reader and think it means we’re not good at this “teaching reading” thing. We make things mean what they don’t mean ALL THE TIME.And today? Today we’re gonna talk about it.I’m sharing something we’ve been talking about in Circle with Sarah, which is our homeschool coaching program in RAR Premium. Recently I did a couple of episodes on why we need to keep data in its place in our homeschool and not make things mean what they don’t mean. I wanted you to hear it, so I’m sharing those two episodes in one RAR Podcast for you here. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why you have to learn to separate the data from your self-worth and value How to make use of what the data is actually telling youJournal prompts to help you suss out what the data is telling you and what you’re making it meanLearn more about Sarah Mackenzie:Read Aloud RevivalWaxwing BooksSubscribe to the NewsletterFind the rest of the show notes at: https://readaloudrevival.com/its-just-data/