Brave Writer

Chantelle Grubbs, her husband Tony and her five beautiful kids have been using the Brave Writer lifestyle since 2014. In Spring 2016, Chantelle and her friend Christy Thomas launched a venture they call Play 4 Life Moms based on their experiences with the Brave Writer lifestyle.Chantelle fell into homeschooling because she didn’t think public schools were offering enough to her first two boys. She felt the school expected every child to perform and act the same way, and that’s just not the case.Chantelle was first introduced to the Charlotte Mason method of homeschooling, but she had difficulty implementing it. When she started, she didn’t know how to translate the ideas into actual lesson plans. It ended up looking a lot like school at home, and that didn’t work.“It took a lot of tears and trying over and over again to come to a place where we were enjoying ourselves and also learning at the same time.”Chantelle noticed that her kids were more engaged with learning when they were having fun with activities. This is because, when children are problem solving and using their bodies, they’re imprinting the lesson in a different way than just reading about it.When Chantelle started a weekly Poetry Tea Time in her household, her two oldest children were reluctant to enjoy poetry. Of course, they still came for the snacks. Over time, they came to enjoy the poetry too.Now everyone in the Grubbs household is excited for Poetry Tea Time, although not everyone likes tea and some of the older children aren’t able to be there for a whole hour – but that’s fine! Lemonade, snacks and poetry for 10 minutes is still a great family learning experience.Chantelle’s biggest challenge has been figuring out what is best for each child, and accepting that they all need something different. No two people learn in exactly the way.One of her children is actually finding the support and education she needs in a public school environment, and Chantelle couldn’t be happier.“I think you have to do what’s best for each child. That’s the biggest obstacle. It’s not always the easiest thing – the easiest thing is to pick one thing and have everyone do it – but that doesn’t make it the best thing for each child.”Play 4 Life Moms allows you to sign up for encouraging texts or emails that inspire you to build connections in your home through play.The service started after Chantelle and Christy interacted during one of my Facebook Live videos. They both wanted a solution to remind themselves, as homeschooling mothers, to slow down and embrace play.The text messages range from challenges to positive comments to inspiring quotes that help homeschooling parents live up to their best intentions.“Those little reminders help bring you back to where you want to be. That’s what we’re trying to achieve for other moms.”Some example texts:Drink a warm cup of tea today and savor the warm decorations in your house.“Play builds the kind of free-and-easy, try-it-out, do-it-yourself character that our future needs.” –James Hines, Jr.Try to sit down to eat during lunch this week. Enjoy your food. You’re important <3Having these quotes and reminders on a daily basis help create a sustained imagination and allow mothers to tap into their own experiences and best intentions. You can sign up for Play 4 Life Moms text messages here.Having your own story is what counts – not being somebody’s poster child for their story. Every home education experience is different. Chantelle’s incredible story and willingness to adapt will be an inspiration for any #BraveSchooler.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:You can download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsSign up for Play 4 Life Moms messages & join the private community ($5/month)Follow Play 4 Life Moms: Facebook | Pinterest | Instagram

Amy Milcic is a former mental health therapist and a homeschooling parent of five active, busy boys. She has a great blog, Rock Your Homeschool, that will add sparkle to your family’s learning fun.I first ran into Amy on Periscope, where she starts her day by pumping up other homeschool moms (I think coffee is one of her secrets!). Today, she is going to help pump you up in your homeschool efforts, too.Amy’s kids are drawn to the freedom of the Brave Writer lifestyle. It allows them to embrace who they are as an individual and keep out of any cookie cutters.“The Friday Freewrites have been… oh my goodness! I could cry when I think about the effect it has had on our family.”Friday Freewrites have been hugely beneficial for Amy’s family. They have helped her kids be comfortable in who they are, their thought processes and how they can express their thoughts on paper.  One of her children even said, “Mom, I never knew writing could feel this good.” Before Friday Freewriting, it was a struggle. The same child would crumple into a fetal position at the first mention of writing.Poetry Teatime has also been very meaningful for Amy’s family. It’s so popular that they want to do it more than once a week!“As a mental health therapist, I feel that self-expression is so important and poetry is just a beautiful way of carefully selecting words to express your thoughts and feelings.”Poetry has helped Amy’s boys realize that there are different writing formats and different ways to express yourself. Poetry Teatime opens up a world of new conversation and discussion that, otherwise, they never would have had. For the athletes in Amy’s family, poetry also helps them find a part of themselves that they never knew existed.If you want to see some wonderful examples of Poetry Teatime with five boys, check out Amy on Instagram @rockyourhomeschool.As a former mental health professional, Amy is acutely aware of the importance of self-care in homeschooling. As parents, we want to give everything to our children – yet, we need that time to reconnect with ourselves.“Self-care as to be a priority. Otherwise, if my cup is empty, I can not be there for my family. I feel that is a vital part of a homeschooler’s life.“Whether it’s self-care or lesson plans, there is no one way to do it. Many homeschooling parents and children feel boxed in, feel overwhelmed or feel like they should do something differently. That is simply not true.One of the wonderful things about the Brave Writer lifestyle is that there are so many different ways to do any one thing, and we can focus on using our own individual gifts to help our children.There’s many different ways to teach any one thing. We all can use our own individual gifts to help our children with that “and, in the process, learn more about our children and help them discover their unique potential.”You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/ Resources:You can download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsAmy Milcic: Rock Your Homeschool | Instagram | Periscope | Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Twitter Poetry Teatime Companion

Mary Wilson is a popular Brave Writer blogger and the only person I know who may love tea more than I do. In her blog, Not Before 7, she writes about homeschooling, parenting and adventure.In 2016, I put out a challenge for parents to show how they are leading an Enchanted Education lifestyle via Periscope. Mary used the hashtag #EnchantedEducation and walked us through her amazing child-friendly home to showcase the power of an Enchanted lifestyle.For Mary, there’s a Brave Writer lifestyle and then there’s a Brave Writer philosophy, which helps guide all of the other choices we are making. Mary first incorporated elements of the Brave Writer lifestyle into her home, and the philosophy naturally followed.She started by implementing pieces of the Brave Writer lifestyle that connected right away, like Poetry Tea Time, The Arrow and free writing. Mary was drawn to resources that allowed her to teach all four of her children together and effectively.“It was so great to move to this place where I could teach all my children together and accomplish so much.”Mary also started hosting book club meetings for her family and other families, but she takes the meetings to another level. She brings in appropriately-themed activities, puzzles, experiments, foods and even invitations to turn book clubs into an adventure.For “The Mysterious Benedict Society” by Trenton Lee Stewart, Mary sent out invitations that looked like a newspaper ad, set out a series of clues, used a red bucket to collect items and communicated using morse code using flashlights in the dark.For “Lord of the Flies” by William Golding, Mary turned her home into a jungle, procured a conch shell, started a fire and made food in the shape of pigs.Children aren’t just learning at these parties – they’re also excited to keep coming back. Mary has seen kids start public high school and continue to remain in the homeschool book club because it’s such a highlight of their learning education and their social life.The Brave Writer philosophy has encouraged Mary to look at her relationship with the child first, to look at the total person in front of her. Adopting this philosophy helped her take a year to focus on improving one of her children’s mental health. The extra focus was extremely beneficial and it greatly improved academic progress for her whole family.“Now we’re making so much more progress academically because we’re not fighting against the way my child is programmed. Now we’re working with the way that she is programmed.”Embracing this philosophy has also helped Mary shift from a Teacher-Student role to a Partnership role. This shift helped her overcome the preconceived notion that the teacher’s goal is to, eventually, not be needed in the education process.Collaboration through partnership is not only a useful tool for the education – it’s also a critical skill in the workplace. The most effective employees, workers and entrepreneurs of the future are those who know how to collaborate on a peer-level with their fellow co-workers.The Brave Writer wants to free parents from any obligation they may feel to make their student self-directed in learning without any conversation, direction or lesson preparation. Freeing yourself will allow you to invest in your children’s education, as opposed to controlling it.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:You can download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsMary Wilson: Not Before 7 | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

Nadine Dyer and her two kids are living a big, juicy homeschool life above a rowan tree in Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Up Above the Rowan Tree, she talks all about her journey as a homeschooler, especially her experience using the Secular Charlotte Mason method.“There are moments of joy that definitely outweigh the difficulty, but I was completely unprepared for how hard it was. I don’t feel that enough people mention that part.”When Nadine first started homeschooling, she wishes she knew how difficult it would be – and how rewarding those hard days would be when her children overcome an obstacle.When we see our homeschooling communities on social media, we are often looking at the bright red berry moments in a dark winter. We sometimes forget that, behind those bright moments, there are days, weeks or even months of challenges.“One of the scariest things that I’ve done as a homeschooler is saying I need to back off. That didn’t feel intuitive to me. That didn’t feel natural to me. It made me feel like somehow I was neglectful if I didn’t just keep pushing and prodding.”We also forget that children can offer us a lot of insight into their experience, if we’re willing to act on what they say and not just talk them out of it.Nadine has tackled her biggest home education challenges by giving herself permission to slow down, offering her kids the control and trusting in that process.One of the things I love to advocate when we talk about the Brave Writer lifestyle is imagining what would nourish a sense of commitment to education. Is it freedom, is it one-on-one time, is it eye contact, is it a treat, is it feeling like this space is intended for a specific purpose?Too often we’re juggling 12 balls at once and we want our kids to exclude all the distractions or just get it done so we can move on with our day, and we don’t consider what it is that we’re asking them to do. We don’t set the context.To add context to a difficult subject, Nadine really embraced Teatime. It became something that she wasn’t forcing because there were no worksheets or quizzes. It was just sitting, enjoying, reading and talking together. It became such a positive connection for her kids that she started putting down tea and snacks right before their math lessons.  “[Teatime] became this thing that they connected with calmness and safety and there was not a lot of pressure. Anytime I need them to do something difficult or challenging I make a pot of tea or a pot of hot chocolate and we will do whatever it is that’s hard, while we sip tea, because everything's better when you’re sipping on tea.”Nadine was first introduced to Charlotte Mason while reading The Writer’s Jungle. She saw pushback to the Charlotte Mason ideology, but those ideas were also what worked for her kids and brought peace to her home.It works for her family and, ultimately, the goal of homeschooling is for a tailor-made education directed by a real human being.Nadine has a wonderful blog and Instagram account. Follow her to learn more about how she is using the Charlotte Mason methodology to craft a unique homeschool experience for her family and how the Brave Writer lifestyle has helped her overcome family challenges.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:You can download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsNadine Dyer: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter | YouTube The Writer’s Jungle

Alicia Hutchinson is the founder of Learning Well and a homeschooling mother of four. The funny thing about Alicia is that she never really saw herself as a mom – much less a homeschooling mom.Now Alicia can’t imagine life without homeschool.Alicia begins every day with a morning meeting. It started as a time to sit down, talk about the day and, on Mondays, go over the coming week. The meeting has grown to incorporate more activities and a daily focus.“What I’m doing as the home educator is I’m teaching them to love to learn.”The Morning Meeting:Sit down with an assignment notebook to write down what each kid has to do for that day.Talk about what is happening later in the day.Each day has a daily focus: Nature Study, Math and Logic, Writing, History and Geography or Fine Arts.Alicia runs down a list of fun activities or discussions: daily idioms, current events, games, journaling and more.“It’s really, really important for me to have a house where my kids can create and play and learn together.”What is Learning Well?Learning Well is the idea of not being so hung up on the logistics of everything and focusing more on our kids. What you do may look different than what the homeschooler next door does. Education works differently for everybody, but if you’re all learning together then you’re doing it right.Learning Well is a community of homeschoolers teaching each other – and having fun!“Learning Well is the idea of not being so hung up on the logistics of everything and focusing more on our kids. If you’re all learning together then you’re doing it right.”The Learning Well Community website is full of valuable lessons, planning tools, reviews of homeschooling products and a community of like-minded homeschoolers. Make sure you also follow the @learningwell Instagram account. There’s so much value in seeing the life in action and her posts are fabulous.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:You can download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsAlicia Hutchinson: Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | PinterestLearning Well Community: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest

Today we have a bonus treat for the Brave Writer community, especially those of you in the Boomerang Book Club.We are introducing you to Kwame Alexander. He is a poet, educator, New York Times Bestselling author, honorary Brave Writer, and recipient of both the 2015 Newbery Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award.We explore...self-publishingpoetry as a form of form of activismand why Kwame blends poetry and sports.You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Resources:You can download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsWatch The Official Music Video for The Playbook (with music by Randy Preston)Pick up one of Kwame’s books: The PlaybookThe Crossoveror any of his 20 other books!--Production & Development for The Brave Writer Podcast by Podcast Masters

Today two Julies sit down to discuss how the Brave Writer lifestyle draws on diverse experiences to provide excellent home education.Julie Kirkwood, our guest, is a mom to three kids who believes in the value of curiosity, exploration and a daily dose of nature in her homeschool world. She created the fantastic home education website Creekside Learning.Creekside Learning is a space to share STEM and Naturalist learning resources for adventurous kids, as well as inspiration for homeschooling parents. The focus on STEM developed because it was her kids’ biggest interest.Julie also shares a number of tools that she and her children develop, including Positive Thought Cards. They are positive affirmations for learning that can act as a reset button when you get to a point where learning stops. It’s a unique, effective tool – and it’s completely free!“The STEM stuff really grew out of my kids’ interests. It was not my big interest, but when I saw how interested they were and how excited they were when we would learn about science and technology, it just grew and grew.”A huge aspect of the Brave Writer lifestyle is that we are trying to give our children a rich landscape of experiences – it’s not just focusing on language arts properties. If we immerse them in experiences that call out access to language then we find ourselves more capable of writing and more able to draw on a richer and wider vocabulary.Julie’s family often experiences homeschooling outside of the home. The outings are intentional, but they have no agenda. It’s entirely child-led. She’s found that the learning then continues at home because her children see something and then they want to learn more about it.  “The natural environment becomes important to them, and so it does come out in their writing, it comes out in what they talk about and it comes out in what they desire to do.”Like nature, a weekly Poetry Tea Time experience can be re-centering for the family. There is something about changing the routine, coming together and simply enjoying poetry (or the outdoors), as opposed to requiring learning to happen, that actually creates a safe space for learning to occur.“We’re in year seven right now and never, ever have my kids balked or fussed when I said it was time for Poetry Tea Time.”Julie’s children love to build, which led to a fascination with LEGO and, of course, Minecraft.Julie views Minecraft as a valuable learning tool. Her children think very analytically when they are building something and she’s noticed that they now look at the rest of the world in a more analytical way.Julie does have some anxiety about the frequency with which her children, and most children, are in front of screens. She talks to them about and encourages a balance between games, activity and nature.“It’s really interesting to see them face a new challenge with whatever video game they’re playing and figure stuff out, and I think there’s great value in that.”You can find all of Julie’s excellent resources at Creekside Learning for incorporating STEM, Naturalism and diversity into your home education. I know I’m going to print out a set of Positive Thought Cards for my family!You can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/You can download Free Writing Lessons here:http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessonsResources:Creekside Learning: Website | Pinterest | Instagram | Twitter | Facebook Positive Thought Cards for KidsBarton System - A great tutoring system for individuals who struggle with spelling, reading and writing due to dyslexia or a learning disability.

Today we are talking about the Brave Writer lifestyle and how it shows up in homeschooling families all around the globe. Our guests and partners in crime, Kara Anderson and Caitlin Fitzpatrick, co-host the wonderful The Homeschool Sisters podcast.“I think Brave Writer brings joy because it gives the parent permission to let school be a lifestyle, and take the school away from the education.” –Caitlin AndersonCaitlin is a school psychologist, a mother of three and calls herself an “unexpected homeschooler.”Kara never imagined herself homeschooling either, when she was working at the newspaper. She brought her passion home with her and works part-time while learning with her two favorite people on the planet.“As a writer and somebody who love books, I want my kids to love it, but I know it’s not going to work if I try to force them to love it. Brave Writer has been a perfect solution to that, and the whole lifestyle has taken that worry and anxiety and turned it into joy.” –Kara AndersonSo… what is an unexpected homeschooler?Caitlin works as a school psychologist and she is a product of public education. Her vision was that, when her kids were old enough to go to school, she would go back to work. Things don’t always go the way you envision.Caitlin and Kara both had to reassess what they knew about school and education when their kids experienced difficulties during the first few years of public education. The public classroom didn’t address their kids’ needs, so both of them decided to go on a new journey with their children.“It was a very unexpected, impulsive decision and one that I haven’t regretted for a second.” –Caitlin Fitzpatrick  Support can be a vital part of homeschooling, for both the child and the parent. The Internet makes finding that support easier than it has ever been. Kara and Caitlin have never met, but they support each other through every step of the homeschooling process.You can connect with like-minded, brave individuals online – and it can be vital for your own well-being as a homeschooling parent. Online communication can bring you together from hundreds of miles away to help each other, at any time.Kara and Caitlin are a gentle, supportive and nourishing presence in the homeschooling world. If you haven’t already, head over to TheHomeschoolSisters.net and listen to the podcast.Resources:The Homeschool Sisters: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | PinterestKara Anderson: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TwitterCaitlin Fitzpatrick: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter“The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Poetry Tea Time” by Kara AndersonSimple HomeschoolVoxer - Fast, Simple, Voice & Messaging AppYou can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/ Download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons

Welcome to the beginning of this Brave Writer Podcast series. Today we’re talking to Rebecca Spooner, a hip homeschooler and a shining example of the Brave Writer Lifestyle. Rebecca writes about homeschooling on her blog Hip Homeschooling, and she helps others with planning their lives and launching their own blogs at RebeccaSpooner.com.Rebecca has five kids between the ages of three and nine, all of whom are homeschooled. It turns out, being homeschooled gave Rebecca unrealistic expectations for being a homeschool teacher. She came in with a plan and schedules, and then she had a massive wake-up call. Her five kids need five entirely different styles of teaching.“I had it all figured out, but it was just this massive wake-up call because all my kids have are different learning styles. Every one of them.”Rebecca’s first child is an auditory learner. She relates to that, so the teaching style is easier. Her second child is a kinesthetic learner, a more tactile learning style that involves learning by physically doing, which is almost the exact opposite. Rebecca had to learn and adapt to the differences, and becoming a Brave Writer helped her accomplish that goal.“All kids are going to learn better when it’s experiential and they can own the experience. It’s totally shaped the way that we do everything.”One of the key features of the Brave Writer Lifestyle and Enchanted Education is the family participation, and Rebecca is a champion of the lifestyle. By embracing the Brave Writer Lifestyle, Rebecca made homeschooling what she wanted it to be: an environment where her kids got to learn together, and where she got to learn because she was learning with them.“Brave Writer really did change the entire way that I approach homeschooling … it totally changed my perspective and it gave me permission to make homeschooling what I wanted it to be.”Rebecca’s main goal with her website is to show other moms real life and provide a sense of community, because she feels like everything we see out there makes us feel like a failure and makes us feel like we’re not doing enough. She shows her successes, but she also shows her failures. It’s an excellent resource for anyone interested in homeschooling or education, and she also hosts a podcast.I appreciate Rebecca taking time out of her busy day to join us today. She shows that a Brave Writer can nurture any learning style, and Hip Homeschooling provides a strong community and a great example for any current or potential homeschool teacher.Resources:Learn more about Rebecca: Website | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | TwitterHip HomeschoolingInterested in starting a blog? Rebecca can helpWatch Julie talk about The Enchanted EducationAre you a homeschooler parent? Check out The Writer’s JungleYou can download show notes for the podcast here: http://blog.bravewriter.com/category/podcasts/Download Free Writing Lessons here: http://go.bravewriter.com/free-writing-lessons

Today we welcome one of the most prolific writers of children’s fantasy and poetry, Jane Yolen! [This post contains Amazon affiliate links. When you click on those links to make purchases, Brave Writer receives compensation at no extra cost to you. Thank you!] When I began my freelance writing career, I chose the picture book […]