Brave Writer

Today we want to talk about the roles in our families – and the incredible power of choice. We delve into the labels and roles we use to characterize our kids, how those may limit our children, and how to let young people explore who they want to be through choice.Homeschooling is an empowering choice, and we can leverage that power to provide the best learning environment for our kids!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Connect with Julie on Instagram: @JulieBraveWriterCheck out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Julie spends a lot of time looking at the homeschooling zeitgeist, and she notices a common theme coming up every so often: the search for the one thing that’s going to magically create a flawless homeschool.But really we shouldn’t be aiming for perfection – we should be aiming for progress!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons -- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

In the last episode, Julie started breaking down some research on brain-based learning, or the science behind what it looks like to be a good learner. Today, we’re going to dig into the rest of that research so that we have a holistic understanding of how our children learn!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsFunderstanding.com -- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

When Julie started learning about home education, she read a lot of work by home educators. Of course this makes sense because she wanted to understand the philosophy behind home education. However, learning the philosophy didn’t teach her to understand how learning functions inside a person’s brain.So much of educational training is focused on organizational skills, but it’s also important to understand what’s happening inside our children's’ noggins!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsFunderstanding.com-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

Julie coined the term Party School when she was developing her own homeschool experience. Today, we’re going to look at the properties of Party School and how you can turn it into a practice that brings a little enchantment to your homeschool.With these tips and some imagination, you can transform the study of any subject into something more engaging and fun!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsRead: “The Ultimate Collection of Party School Book Club Ideas”-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

As we get older, we go through many different stages of our lives, and it can be challenging to discuss the topic of “Awesome Adulthood” because of this fact. Not everybody feels like they’re in a position to add anything to their lives, let alone an awesome new passion, hobby, or career choice.If you have children under the age of five years old, for example, your primary job to to take care of them and your enriching self-education is going to be look like becoming skilled at parenting.Our hope is that, when you’re in that early stage of parenthood, you will give yourself permission to become effective, understand what you’re doing, and care about that child. It’s a huge responsibility that you have, and they’ll be around for at least 18 years!But as kids start getting to school age, your primary self-educating focus will shift to becoming a career home educator.And like the many career educators in public and private schools, home education is indeed a career – but unlike other career educators, home educators don’t necessarily get any breaks from their students.Without any breaks, the burnout is very real. Too many of us get depressed, feel inadequate, blame ourselves, or isolate ourselves. The joy can dissipate, and the more you devote to the home education task, the worst it gets; “You start to feel like your whole life is consumed with an unattainable task.”Because not only is the act of teaching exhausting, not only do you not get a break, but your identity is directly tied to how your children perform.And unfortunately, when you feel depressed or discouraged or joyless, your kids see that too, and they will reflect it back to you like a mirror.The Remedy is Awesome Adulthood“If you’ve made your well-being dependent on how somebody else is doing, you are no longer the master of your own soul, of your own wellbeing; you have taken this personhood that is yours and relocated it, in your children.”What’s the remedy? Staying connected to the you that was you before the “you” became a “We,” whether that’s through marriage, children, or both.This doesn’t mean you have to find a new career or a time-consuming hobby – you just need to try retaining that piece of you and allow it to express itself.Does the word “awesome” in adulting scare you? Don’t worry, that’s really not the important part! It’s just alliterative!Maybe you think of it as being a Happy Adult, or a Fulfilled Adult, or a Meaningful Adult – but you do deserve some time for yourself.You deserve a prep period, a summer vacation, or a sabbatical… but, unfortunately, that’s not an option. But as a home educator, there’s something you CAN do that other educators can’t: mini vacations!You can’t necessarily take an extravagant trip for yourself when you have children living at home, but you can still do something for yourself!Here are a couple things to think about… If a subject area in school piques your interest, but your kids lose interest, keep going! “Home education is a re-education for mothers.”Every day, build in time for choices that make you happy. Even if it’s just for a moment, do something that reminds you that you have choices, value, and wants. The more that you allow yourself to desire, and be okay with that, the more your children have permission to do the same. It’s hard to teach someone to follow their passion if you don’t have experience cultivating your own. Resources:Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!) You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons

As home educators, what does it mean to have a satisfying adult life? How can we nourish and enrich our lives when we are so depleted from giving away so much to our kids? What happens if we spend so much of our time preparing our children that we end up watching our own lives go by?Today we’re going to address these questions, and many more, with a conversation about Awesome Adulting.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources: Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

In 1989, homeschool curriculum programs were few and far between; parents had to assemble products piecemeal, and this problem was far worse overseas. However, Sarita Holzmann decided to help by creating book lists for parents living abroad and then shipping those books to them, all before Amazon and the modern Internet.Fast-forward to present day: Sarita is the co-founder of successful homeschool curriculum brands Sonlight and Bookshark. The book selections are superb, and we especially enjoy the global focus.In this episode, Sarita shares how books help expand a child’s perspective of the world and how she chooses the 300+ books she reviews each year.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsCheck out Sarita’s Curricula at Sonlight or BooksharkDownload Sarita’s FREE, No-Stress Guide to Teaching Language Arts with Purpose: https://www.sonlight.com/language-arts-blueprint.htmlLearn How Literature-Rich Homeschooling Awakens Your Child's Natural Passion for Learning: https://www.sonlight.com/home2litRead: "How Reading Fiction Helps Kids Develop Empathy"Read: "Help Children Succeed in Their Careers by Using a Global Focus"-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

When Julie started homeschooling, all of the curricula she saw focused on what tasks the kids should do – there was nothing explaining to parents what it actually looks like to facilitate that process.In other words, most writing programs and teaching methodologies said what to do, but not how to do it. So when Julie started Brave Writer, her goal was to help parents and children become partners in writing and learning because she saw that as the key element of a successful home education.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsA Gracious Space: Fall Edition | Spring Edition | Winter Edition-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters

What’s the difference between Brave Writer and some of the other writing programs available online? Julie originally saw the writing process as a relationship between trusted allies; the child and the parent.You don’t grow a writer simply by focusing on the skill and act of writing – you also have to establish bonds of affection and joy around language.And it’s so easy and natural to find that joy through Poetry Tea Time (so easy, in fact, that we call it the gateway drug to Brave Writer)!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:Check out this brand new, free product designed to kickstart your writing program this school year: 7-Day Writing Blitz (and tag your creative young writers using #BWBlitz on Twitter & Instagram!)You can download Free Writing Lessons here: go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsDownload the free Poetry Teatime Quick Start GuideGet your own Poetry Teatime Companion Read-Aloud Poems for Young People: Readings from the World's Best Loved Verses by Glorya Hale Poems to Learn by Heart by Caroline Kennedy Americans' Favorite Poems: The Favorite Poem Project Anthology Otherwise: New & Selected Poems by Jane Kenyon You Read to Me, I'll Read to You by John Ciardi Love That Dog by Sharon Creech Poemcrazy by Susan Wooldridge-- Brave Writer is produced by Podcast Masters