484 | The Importance of Family Devotions (Sean Allen)

Family devotions are an incredibly important part of the lifeblood of your home. Do without them and your home suffers in obvious and not so obvious ways (and the not so obvious ways are the scariest). This episode discusses a few practical considerations that will help you to get started with devotions in your home or will help you be more consistent than you may be now. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you! Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Is it imaginable that freedom of speech and freedom of religion could be suppressed where we live at some time in our future? History would indicate so. How do we prepare ourselves and our families for such a contingency? What curriculum might best prepare us for persecution, even martyrdom? How do we cultivate necessary virtues without sparking burdensome fears? Listen in as Janice Campbell and Andrew Pudewa explore this challenging subject. About Brian Brian Wasko's background is in English education. He taught high school English for many years in public and private Christian schools. In 2001, he founded WriteAtHome, an online service offering tutorial writing courses to homeschoolers. He also teaches online literature courses through Wasko Lit, where he can share with young people his love for the great books of Western Civilization. He has been a popular homeschool convention speaker since the early 2000s, entertaining and educating audiences as both keynote and convention speaker at dozens of conferences across the country.  Brian and his family live in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He and his wife, Melanie, homeschooled their four daughters from kindergarten to college. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Brian Wasko’s writing classes and other resources Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien Poetry by Hilaire Belloc Booked: Literature in the Soul of Me by Karen Swallow Prior Evaluate Writing the Easy Way by Janice Campbell Miss Thistlebottom’s Hobgoblins: The Careful Writer’s Guide to the Taboos, Bugbears, and Outmoded Rules of English Usage by Theodone M. Bernstein Connect Brian Wasko of Write at Home | Website | Facebook | YouTube  Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

It's sad to say but family singing is very nearly a lost art. We just don't sing anymore and it shows. Waltz into your local congregation and listen to the quality of the singing - it can be painful. But this could quickly be turned around if we sang more in our homes and just as importantly it instills in your children a joy and a sense of togetherness that cannot be replicated by any other pastime. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you! Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

It feels like there is so much opposition to homeschooling. Though today there is a far greater degree of acceptance, plenty of voices remain which not only question but blatantly oppose our efforts to raise our children at home. That said, the greatest opposition probably comes in our own self doubts and even resistance to what homeschooling requires of us. And what does it require? Just about everything. But if we learn to yield to the requirements, to the sacrifice, we learn the secret - giving is receiving, losing is reclaiming. Death is life.  About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Well Ordered Homeschool Planner - Undated Edition Find a Great Homeschool Convention near you! Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Looking for a fresh start for your year? In this episode, Jessica shares her family's homeschool daily schedule -- for each member of her family. She will explain what led her to schedule everyone's day to fifteen-minute increments and what it taught her. Jessica hopes this will be an encouragement as you see a very normal, real-life schedule for a homeschooling family! About Jessica Jessica is a wife, homeschool mom of three, author, and blogger. She lives in sunny North Carolina on a big family farm with chickens, goats, cousins, and lots of mud. Resources  Have A Happier Homeschool Podcast episode  Connect Jessica Smartt | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode, we dive into a powerful conversation with Cindy LaJoy of Blue Collar Homeschool about creating meaningful educational paths for kids who aren’t headed toward the traditional college track. Cindy shares how to help children discover their strengths, explore careers and trades, and build skills that get overlooked in traditional schooling. From certificate programs to apprenticeships, she shows how learning can be tailored without being “less than.” We also discuss the importance of relationship at the heart of homeschooling and celebrating every kind of excellence. This episode is full of practical ideas and encouragement for parents seeking alternatives to the college-only path. About Cindy An unexpected homeschooler, after a dozen years Cindy is entering her final year of homeschooling with her youngest of five kids. Her children, now young adults, were all adopted from orphanages in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan and presented her with the unique challenge of educating learners with numerous learning disabilities, no English, and giftedness in the mix as well! Three years ago Cindy founded the Facebook group and website "Blue Collar Homeschool" to help others find the support and encouragement she couldn't find for her own family. College is not the only path to a successful future, and Cindy's kids are proving that as they operate their own pizzeria and tech businesses. Her online group has grown to a membership of almost 9000 and is a haven where families with kids who are not college-bound can post questions to find resources for everything from business start-ups to barn building to creative arts pursuits...and not be bashed for having children whose gifts may be discovered outside the academic arena. Blue Collar Homeschool is helping many discover "A different kind of homeschooling excellence! About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Penn Foster Career School  Stratford Career Institute ITPRO.TV Online tech training for numerous certifications Lynda.com for a wide variety of training in everything from graphic design, programming, photography, social media marketing, general marketing, small business, accounting, videography and more EdX Coursera Amazon Web Services Scoop School Mike Rowe Books Cindy would share with every child: Love You Forever by Robert Munsch  Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder Connect Cindy LaJoy | Website | Facebook Group | Email Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Thank you to our sponsors! Medi-Share: an affordable Christian alternative to traditional health insurance Tuttle Twins: children’s books to help you teach your kids how the world really works Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

In this episode, Janice Campbell sits down with Professor Carol Reynolds to explore the powerful role music and the arts play in a child’s education. Together, they unpack how music isn’t just a “nice extra,” but an essential part of helping kids connect with history, science, and even math. Carol shares how rhythm, sound, and story all work together to shape not only knowledge, but also confidence and joy in learning. If you’ve ever wondered how to integrate music and literature more fully into your homeschool, or you’re looking for encouragement that it’s not too late to begin, this conversation will inspire you. By the end, you’ll be reminded that education is about more than checking boxes—it’s about nurturing the soul through beauty, rhythm, and story. About Carol Professor Carol Reynolds is a much sought-after public speaker for arts venues, homeschool conferences, and general audiences. She combines insights on music history, arts, and culture with her passion for arts education to create programs and curricula, inspires concert audiences, and lead art tours. Never dull or superficial, Carol brings to her audiences a unique blend of humor, substance, and skilled piano performance to make the arts more accessible and meaningful to audiences of all ages. Carol has led art tours to Russia, Poland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Switzerland, the Czech Republic, Croatia, Slovakia, San Francisco, and Broadway on behalf of several arts organizations and has recently teamed with Smithsonian Journeys for cruises to the Holy Land, Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltic Sea, Indian Ocean, and across the Atlantic. Her enthusiasm and boundless energy give tour participants an unforgettable experience. For more than 20 years, Carol was Associate Professor of Music History at the Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. She now makes her home in North Carolina with her husband, Hank, and her daughter and grandchildren. Hank and Carol maintain a second residence in Weimar, Germany — the home of Goethe, Schiller, Bach, and Liszt, and the focal point of much of Europe’s artistic heritage. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Saul by George Frideric Handel The Creation by Joseph Haydn https://www.professorcarol.com/2011/08/20/the-biggest-page-turn-in-music/ Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev The role of music in a Hitchcock movie soundtrack Hurrah and Hallelujah: 100 Songs for Children Excellence in Literature curriculum (Grades 8-12) Connect Carol Reynolds | Website | Facebook | Instagram  Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog.

Jeannie Fulbright and Shiela Catanzarite discuss the benefits and the beauty of a Charlotte Mason education, sharing experiences from the years of educating their own children using Charlotte Mason's model. You’ll hear how it brought beauty to their homeschool days and how it prepared their children for college and career. You’ll see how employing the Charlotte Mason method equips children for success in the real world. Jeannie and Shiela share the importance of deprogramming from the standardized system of education that is failing our children. By employing the methods Charlotte Mason taught, methods that research confirms effective, you will provide for your children a peaceful, joyful, quiet growing time that honors their uniqueness and gives room for them to discover their gifts and talents. The simplicity of using the Charlotte Mason model enables children to become strong thinkers, writers, communicators, and leaders in their generation. About Shiela Shiela Catanzarite is an author, speaker, editor, and communication coach. She's a 20-year Charlotte Mason veteran homeschooler and has worked as Jeannie Fulbright’s editor and designer for 20 years helping develop Jeannie’s award-winning Apologia science curriculum and most recently her Charlotte Mason products published through Jeannie Fulbright Press. Shiela is the author of the newly published Living Verse Language Arts in Poetry and is finishing up her second book in the series Living Verse Language Arts in Scripture, to be released spring 2024. Earning a bachelor’s degree in Special Education and a master’s degree in Christian Education from Dallas Theological Seminary, Shiela has been teaching language arts in some capacity for 40+ years. Her passion remains helping students understand the elements of language and how to use these elements artfully to communicate effectively. Shiela is currently a language communication coach, working one-on-one with students who have language learning and communication challenges. She also writes curriculum for her private middle and high school English language communication classes that focus on writing and speaking. Both of Shiela's and her husband Bruce’s daughters attended private universities on scholarship and went on to pursue graduate studies in medicine and global business. She attributes their love for learning and academic achievement to homeschooling with Charlotte Mason’s philosophy and methodology. About Jeannie Jeannie Fulbright, a 24-year veteran homeschooler, is the author of the #1 best-selling, multi award-winning Apologia Young Explorer science series: Exploring Creation with Astronomy, Chemistry and Physics, Botany, Zoology, and Anatomy & Physiology. She is also the author of the action-packed historical time travel book series Rumble Tumbles Through Time, as well as preschool science books and activity kits, the Charlotte Mason Heirloom Planner, and many high-quality Charlotte Mason based products. Jeannie and her husband Jeff became empty nesters in 2019. All four of their children all went to the University of Georgia on scholarship (homeschooling works!). For more than 20 years Jeannie has traveled around the country speaking to homeschoolers at conventions, covering a plethora of topics from Charlotte Mason to marriage and prayer.  Connect Jeannie Fulbright | Website | Instagram | Facebook | Facebook Group | TikTok | Pinterest Shiela Catanzarite | Website | Instagram | Instagram Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site. View full show notes on the blog.

You can't quit mom. You're simply too important. To others your work doesn't look like much and I know it often doesn't feel like much but if you left off sweeping your kitchen and nursing bruises and staging impromptu tea parties and the thousand other things you do to enrich the lives of your children, the world would fall apart. About Sean Sean Allen is the founder of The Well Ordered Homeschool, husband to his beautiful bride Caroline and a proud father of eight. He has a bachelor of fine arts in graphic design and is passionate about creating materials to assist parents in the incredibly challenging, yet surpassingly beautiful, work of schooling and training their children at home. Resources  The Well Ordered Homeschool Connect Sean Allen | Instagram | Facebook | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site, and tune in to our sister podcast The Charlotte Mason Show. View full show notes on the blog

As parents, it can be tough to stay focused through a day of homeschooling or working from home. Here are a few tips to help you manage some of the most common distractions that can keep you from getting done the things you really want to do. About Janice Janice Campbell, a lifelong reader and writer, loves to introduce students to great books and beautiful writing. She holds an English degree from Mary Baldwin College, and is the graduated homeschool mom of four sons. You’ll find more about reading, writing, planning, and education from a Charlotte Mason/Classical perspective at her websites, EverydayEducation.com, Excellence-in-Literature.com, and DoingWhatMatters.com. Resources  Handbook for Writers Connect Janice Campbell | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Website Homeschooling.mom | Instagram | Website Subscribe to our YouTube channel | YouTube Have you joined us at one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?  We hope to see you there! For more encouragement on your homeschooling journey, visit the Homeschooling.mom site. View full show notes on the blog.