A lot of Christian homes don't have experience with family devotions. Where do you even start? What's appropriate for our kids at their ages? This episode, we're following up our previous show about why to have devotions - now, we're looking at how!  Join us for some ideas that we've found really useful with our family of ten.

One of the most critical responsibilities of Christian parents is to teach our children to know and love the God we serve. One of the best ways is to have regular times of family worship and Bible study - but honestly, life is busy and kids are distracted and distracting, and it's just hard to stay on track. This episode we're being realistic and encouraging for real parents like you!

Encouraging Your Teen Drivers More and more Gen-Z'ers are delaying their driver's licenses ... but we're helping our eighth child through the process right now! This is a step toward adult independence and a big help to the family right now ... as we've seen time and again. This episode we're talking about why and how we encourage our young drivers to reach for the wheel! This podcast episode sponsored by The Ark and the Darkness. We’re watching our eighth child going through...

It is perfectly natural for our children (and ourselves) to be self-centered. It's also perfectly wrong! But how do we overcome this tendency in our children? Can we do it without constant nagging and scolding? What can we do to encourage our family members to look after one another, rather than each demanding his own way? Passages We Mention:  Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy,...

So many of us began homeschooling out of conviction that God wanted us to do it. Our commitment can be shaken if we come on hard times. We've homeschooled through job loss, high-risk pregnancy, financial challenge, and stage IV cancer, and we learned it can be done. This week we talk about why you ought to hang on to your convictions, and we'll offer some practical ideas we've learned while Homeschooling In Hard Times!   This podcast is sponsored by Reading Eggs.

We're both avid readers, and we've raised a whole nest of readers - our house is full of books -- and not just the parents'! We've talked about some our personal favorites, but this episode we're looking at whole genres of fiction. How should we, as Christians, approach fictional literature? Are there any kinds to beware of? What do we think about science fiction, fantasy, suspense, romance, mystery, or other sorts? And how do we sort the range of material in each group? If you're a reader,...

It's an exciting milestone in a homeschooling family - high school graduation just around the corner! Or maybe it's on the horizon and approaching fast. Either way, what can you do to prepare yourself and your student for this big transition? We've graduated six so far, so we're talking about things we found helpful as we lined up our teenagers for the big step coming up! Episodes You Might Find Helpful: 291 - Graduation Early, or Late?  246 - Planning for College (even during...

Homeschooling doesn't (and shouldn't) look like a classroom school. One big difference is multiple ages together - and sometimes, the younger ones aren't even school-age yet! How do you manage to teach your older kids while you have nursing babies and demanding toddlers in the room? It's possible - we did it for our eight kids! - so, in this episode, we talk about how to make it work in your family, too. Thank you to our sponsor, Route 60 – The Biblical Highway. In theaters September 18th...

We've seen that understanding history can help us navigate the present, too! The question is, how can we help our children learn to appreciate history like we do? What can we do to spark their interest, to make it memorable, and bring it to life for them? This episode we talk about several things we've built into our homeschooling family life to elevate history from dry lists of names and dates to a lively narrative of people, places, and ideas - in short, a grand story! Thanks to our...

Homeschooling with Special Needs This week we talk about homeschooling when your student has special needs--and why home education is a blessing to them. Our guests are the special needs consultants from the Home School Legal Defense Association, Betty Statnick, Krisa Winn, and Faith Berens. This podcast is sponsored by Reading Eggs.

Here in the technology-driven 21st century, why should we bother our kids with names and dates from the past? Shouldn't we be looking forward, not backwards? Does history really have much bearing on the world our children will inherit, and how they deal with it? We would say emphatically YES, we need to learn history! There's a strong Biblical example to support that, and experience should tell us that we can learn from the past - what to do, and what not to do. But the question may be,...

Do you have a precocious reader? We've had some! And when they're being homeschooled - and around grownups all day - their vocabulary can be surprisingly rich. So should we move them on into the youth books, and skip over the picture books and beginning reader stuff? Or is there a purpose for enjoying the simple books together, even when your child could read more complex things? This episode we're talking with Hal's mom, Norma Young, a retired elementary school librarian with nearly three...

What makes a marriage last? How do you build a strong and stable relationship for hard times and good times? Is it something more than just being "lucky in love"? This episode, we're talking with our friends and fellow teachers, Roger and Jan Smith. Between us, we have eighty years of marriage, twelve children, and a lot of practical experience! So join us as we chat about the ideas and habits we found most effective at creating and maintaining a healthy marriage from day to...

This week, we're talking with our friends Roger and Jan Smith, veteran homeschool leaders and speakers, about Roger's new book, Parenting with Influence. The parents of four adult children, Roger and Jan share the principles they found helpful preparing their kids to take on the responsibilities of adulthood, without resorting to legalism or overbearing control. It's a worthwhile book and this is a wide-ranging and entertaining conversation!

Homeschoolers have the blessing of flexibility on so many issues - and graduation timing is one of them. Should you plan to graduate your student at 18? What about the precocious kids who might earn a diploma by 15? Or kids with health or learning issues, should they graduate later? We've had all three situations - this episode we're talking about what we decided and what we learned!

  "You never would have let me do that," says the older child. "Why can't I do the same thing as my brother?" demands the younger. Parents may find themselves caught between competing complaints! But the fact is, many of our family rules can and should change as our children grow and mature - and that means different rules in the same family. This episode, we talk about why that is, and how we can explain it to our kids!   Things We Referenced: When I was a child, I spoke as a child,...

Rules are a good and necessary part of running a home and raising a family. Why do our best efforts sometimes breed resentment or even rebellion, when it's all so well-intentioned? This episode we're looking at the crucial balance between rules and relationship in our home! Scriptures We Reference The Ten Commandments - Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:1-21 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”      Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your...

Like it or not, February 14 is just around the corner. Maybe you've got big plans, but maybe you don't have the funds for a romantic getaway. With eight kids and a limited budget, we've been there! This episode we're talking about ways to make the most of the holiday without spending a fortune! Why Celebrate Anyway? The Bible describes several holidays which were instituted by God for the people of Israel. When they gathered to celebrate Passover, the Feast of Weeks, or the Feast of...

The holidays are upon us and we are looking forward to having our college students home again! But to be realistic, there's always a transition to bringing our young adults back into the household - and often both the student and the family ends up frustrated. This episode we're talking about things you can do - on both sides - to make the visit as smooth and pleasant as possible for everyone! Parent Understanding If you went to college, you remember the rush of exam week - and the...

Part Three of our series on work - Your kids and their chores! We have eight kids and with some health challenges around, it was really necessary that everyone contribute to running the house. This episode we deal with some common questions: Should children be paid for chores? Are we making tasks too difficult for kids to handle? What's appropriate to teach and expect from different ages? How do you handle chores for children with developmental or health issues? And what do you do to keep...

Part 2 on getting our kids to work - What about school work? That's really the daily job for our children - whether it's homeschool or any other educational system. What can we do to overcome their natural resistance to school, and how can we encourage good habits in the pursuit of knowledge? We've homeschooled our eight children from the beginning and we have some practical ideas that have really helped us along the way! 0:55 - How our motivation affects the kids' 2:29 - The risk and...

It's one of the most common questions we get - "How can I get my kids to work?" Surveys find that a large number of families don't expect their kids to do chores - and many that do, have a running battle over getting them done cheerfully. This episode, we're talking about a balanced, Biblical attitude toward our children's work (as well as our own), and what we can do to encourage them in it! References "Sparing chores spoils children and their future selves, study says" - Ami Albernaz,...

A lot of families are struggling during this economic downturn. It’s not the first time we’ve been through it, either. How do we respond in a positive, faith-directed manner to the undeniable challenges of the day? What can we learn and what can we teach our kids as we make our way through?      

There are a lot of new homeschoolers this year, and many families may be wondering, "How will we ever manage to teach two, or three, or six grade levels at the same time?" It's possible - Melanie has taught six students with a toddler underfoot, more than once! But there are some tricks to the trade that make it workable. This episode we talk about changes in expectations and choices of curriculum that make the difference when you have more than one grade to teach! Homeschooling looks...