Imagination Is Not Neutral — And That’s Why Your Kids Need Better Stories - S.D. Smith

Imagination is not a cute extra for the kid who likes to draw.S.D. Smith walks through what he means by moral imagination. C.S. Lewis called reason the organ of truth and imagination the organ of meaning. Everyone has it—engineers too. It is a gift to steward, and it is not safe on its own. An imagination will serve God, self, or something much worse.🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast for more encouragement and biblical insight.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ready to join the homeschool revolution?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry!Please consider making a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠donation to support the ongoing ministry of Schoolhouse Rocked⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is making an ETERNAL impact!Sponsors:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BJU Press Homeschool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is dedicated to providing homeschool families with academically strong curriculum rooted in a biblical worldview. They offer a complete curriculum from preschool through 12th grade, available in both traditional textbooks and video courses. By teaching through the lens of Christ’s power, they help students view the world through the transformative story of God’s creation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CTCMath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Creative graphics and animation, synchronized with the friendly voice of internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, make learning math easy and effective. Start your free trial today.⁠⁠⁠⁠Explorer Bible for Kids⁠ - Bring the Bible to life with the the Award-winning Explorer Bible for Kids family of products. These engaging kids Bibles and NEW kids Bible dictionary include QR codes to print out fun activity pages, timelines, and discussion questions, and watch videos that equip kids to explore God’s Word & apply truth to their lives!Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network. 

"If I do this, this, and this, then my child should turn out like that." Most of us are running that loop even when we swear we are not.In this clip from the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast, Rachael Carman and Kristi Clover talk about the formula homeschool moms quietly keep. Rachael’s picture is simple: God is an endless sheet of paper. Limitless in knowledge, presence, and power. You are a mom. Limited knowledge. Limited influence. Limited time. Parenting is a hot second, even when the early years feel endless. The work is to stop infringing on what is strictly His responsibility and stay in your lane.🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast for more encouragement and biblical insight.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ready to join the homeschool revolution?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry!Please consider making a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠donation to support the ongoing ministry of Schoolhouse Rocked⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is making an ETERNAL impact!Sponsors:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BJU Press Homeschool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is dedicated to providing homeschool families with academically strong curriculum rooted in a biblical worldview. They offer a complete curriculum from preschool through 12th grade, available in both traditional textbooks and video courses. By teaching through the lens of Christ’s power, they help students view the world through the transformative story of God’s creation⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CTCMath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Creative graphics and animation, synchronized with the friendly voice of internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, make learning math easy and effective. Start your free trial today.⁠⁠⁠⁠Explorer Bible for Kids⁠ - Bring the Bible to life with the the Award-winning Explorer Bible for Kids family of products. These engaging kids Bibles and NEW kids Bible dictionary include QR codes to print out fun activity pages, timelines, and discussion questions, and watch videos that equip kids to explore God’s Word & apply truth to their lives!Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network.

Kids can sniff an agenda. So can you.S.D. Smith and Cindy West talk about why treating stories as delivery trucks for a message produces thin Christian books and movies. The analogy that lands: David Robinson’s job, after a dunk, is not to stop and preach. It is to get back on defense. The vocation is the faithfulness.Same with fatherhood: you feed your kids and hug them without turning every bite and every hug into a sermon illustration. Art is a gift from God, not only a tool. Respect for the medium is respect for the reader.If you want to write, film, or paint as a Christian, this clip is the charge: put in the work. Don’t propagandize people you claim to love.🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast - https://Podcast.SchoolhouseRocked.comStream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://SchoolhouseRockedMovie.comGet your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://Homeschool-Survival-Kit.comSupport the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry - https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/supportSponsors:https://BJUPressHomeschool.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BJU Press Homeschool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is dedicated to providing homeschool families with academically strong curriculum rooted in a biblical worldview. They offer a complete curriculum from preschool through 12th grade, available in both traditional textbooks and video courses. By teaching through the lens of Christ’s power, they help students view the world through the transformative story of God’s creationhttps://CTCMath.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CTCMath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Creative graphics and animation, synchronized with the friendly voice of internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, make learning math easy and effective. Start your free trial today.https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/Explorer - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explorer Bible for Kids⁠⁠ - Bring the Bible to life with the the Award-winning Explorer Bible for Kids family of products. These engaging kids Bibles and NEW kids Bible dictionary include QR codes to print out fun activity pages, timelines, and discussion questions, and watch videos that equip kids to explore God’s Word & apply truth to their lives!Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network. 

With so many curriculum choices, co-ops, tutors, programs, activities, and educational options available today, it's easy to lose sight of the most important question: Why are we homeschooling?In this excerpt from the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast, Israel Wayne challenges Christian homeschool families to build their education on a biblical philosophy—not simply on personal experience, cultural expectations, or whatever educational option happens to be available.Israel explains why he believes parents can't pass on a biblical theology of education if they don't have one themselves, and why academics should serve a greater purpose: knowing God and learning to love and serve others.“Keep the main things, the main things.”🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast for more encouragement and biblical insight.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ready to join the homeschool revolution?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry!Please consider making a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠donation to support the ongoing ministry of Schoolhouse Rocked⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is making an ETERNAL impact!Sponsor:⁠Liberty HealthShare⁠ is one of the nation’s oldest and largest healthcare sharing ministries, The non-profit is a caring community of health-conscious individuals and families who choose to support one another and agree to the Christian values of stewardship to make healthcare affordable for all. It serves thousands of homeschooling families across the country.Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network.

The hard part of homeschooling often isn’t the lessons. It’s the meals, the diapers, the night shifts, and the weight of still being the one in charge. Whitney Newby shares the season when she was homeschooling a 6-year-old, a 4-year-old, a 2-year-old, and a newborn while working nights as a nurse, and the one perspective shift that changed the bitterness: from “I have to” to “I get to.” This is a short but sacred privilege. God calls motherhood a ministry and children a gift, not a burden. A practical mind shift for the hard homeschool day, from Whitney Newby and Aby Rinella on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast.🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast - https://Podcast.SchoolhouseRocked.comStream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://SchoolhouseRockedMovie.comGet your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://Homeschool-Survival-Kit.comSupport the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry - https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/supportSponsor:⁠⁠⁠https://libertyhealthshare.org - Liberty HealthShare⁠⁠⁠ is one of the nation’s oldest and largest healthcare sharing ministries, The non-profit is a caring community of health-conscious individuals and families who choose to support one another and agree to the Christian values of stewardship to make healthcare affordable for all. It serves thousands of homeschooling families across the country.Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network. 

Children do not start language by memorizing words. They start by hearing tone in context. In this clip from Schoolhouse Rocked, Andrew Pudewa (Institute for Excellence in Writing) tells Yvette Hampton why sensitizing kids to subtle pitch differences actually improves their ability to discern, understand, and use language.He also draws a line most parents blur: hearing happens automatically. Listening is intentional. And the best place to train it is not more worksheets. It is focused listening to music chosen on purpose, the way you choose literature or food, instead of the accidental soundtrack of stores, restaurants, and screens.The four arts of language, in order: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening comes first.🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast - https://Podcast.SchoolhouseRocked.comStream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://SchoolhouseRockedMovie.comGet your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://Homeschool-Survival-Kit.comSupport the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry - https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/supportSponsors:https://BJUPressHomeschool.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BJU Press Homeschool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is dedicated to providing homeschool families with academically strong curriculum rooted in a biblical worldview. They offer a complete curriculum from preschool through 12th grade, available in both traditional textbooks and video courses. By teaching through the lens of Christ’s power, they help students view the world through the transformative story of God’s creationhttps://CTCMath.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CTCMath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Creative graphics and animation, synchronized with the friendly voice of internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, make learning math easy and effective. Start your free trial today.https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/Explorer - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explorer Bible for Kids⁠⁠ - Bring the Bible to life with the the Award-winning Explorer Bible for Kids family of products. These engaging kids Bibles and NEW kids Bible dictionary include QR codes to print out fun activity pages, timelines, and discussion questions, and watch videos that equip kids to explore God’s Word & apply truth to their lives!Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network. 

You are not the Holy Spirit for your husband, and you are not the Holy Spirit for your adult kids.Kristi Clover and Rachael Carman talk about the moment you realize fixing them was never your job. Duck low enough that they can hear from the Lord. Work on yourself. And when the decision is so foolish it leaves you speechless, hold this: God is sovereign even over this. He is not asleep. He has not turned a blind eye. Rachael is also blunt about something moms need to hear: do not tell on your children. Their worst moments are not content. They are not your story to capitalize on. This is not too big, too messy, or too broken for Him.🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast - https://Podcast.SchoolhouseRocked.comStream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://SchoolhouseRockedMovie.comGet your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://Homeschool-Survival-Kit.comSupport the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry - https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/supportSponsors:https://BJUPressHomeschool.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BJU Press Homeschool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is dedicated to providing homeschool families with academically strong curriculum rooted in a biblical worldview. They offer a complete curriculum from preschool through 12th grade, available in both traditional textbooks and video courses. By teaching through the lens of Christ’s power, they help students view the world through the transformative story of God’s creationhttps://CTCMath.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CTCMath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Creative graphics and animation, synchronized with the friendly voice of internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, make learning math easy and effective. Start your free trial today.https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/Explorer - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explorer Bible for Kids⁠⁠ - Bring the Bible to life with the the Award-winning Explorer Bible for Kids family of products. These engaging kids Bibles and NEW kids Bible dictionary include QR codes to print out fun activity pages, timelines, and discussion questions, and watch videos that equip kids to explore God’s Word & apply truth to their lives!Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network. 

He did not sit down to write a courage curriculum.When S.D. Smith started The Green Ember, the assignment was simpler: tell his own kids a wonderful, exciting adventure. No heavy-handed “this will teach them good vs. evil.” If your own roots are in Scripture and reality, he says, that comes through. If you start with the sermon and reverse-engineer a plot, kids feel the phoniness—the way you feel it when a “friendship lunch” turns into a sales pitch.This clip is the difference between allegory and applicability, propaganda and a gift, using children as contacts versus loving them with a real story.🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast - https://Podcast.SchoolhouseRocked.comStream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://SchoolhouseRockedMovie.comGet your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://Homeschool-Survival-Kit.comSupport the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry - https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/supportSponsors:https://BJUPressHomeschool.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BJU Press Homeschool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is dedicated to providing homeschool families with academically strong curriculum rooted in a biblical worldview. They offer a complete curriculum from preschool through 12th grade, available in both traditional textbooks and video courses. By teaching through the lens of Christ’s power, they help students view the world through the transformative story of God’s creationhttps://CTCMath.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CTCMath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Creative graphics and animation, synchronized with the friendly voice of internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, make learning math easy and effective. Start your free trial today.https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/Explorer - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explorer Bible for Kids⁠⁠ - Bring the Bible to life with the the Award-winning Explorer Bible for Kids family of products. These engaging kids Bibles and NEW kids Bible dictionary include QR codes to print out fun activity pages, timelines, and discussion questions, and watch videos that equip kids to explore God’s Word & apply truth to their lives!Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network. 

Homeschool freedom didn't happen by accident.In this excerpt from the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast, Israel Wayne looks at the history behind the freedoms homeschool families have today—and warns that many newer homeschoolers may not understand what previous generations fought to preserve.Israel discusses the growing influence of government funding, charter programs, learning options, and increased oversight, and explains why he believes Christian homeschoolers need to understand the biblical philosophy behind homeschooling—not just the growing list of educational choices.What happens when homeschooling begins to look more and more like the system families originally left?🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast for more encouragement and biblical insight.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Ready to join the homeschool revolution?⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Stream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Support the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry!Please consider making a ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠donation to support the ongoing ministry of Schoolhouse Rocked⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Your support is making an ETERNAL impact!Sponsor:https://BJUPressHomeschool.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BJU Press Homeschool⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is dedicated to providing homeschool families with academically strong curriculum rooted in a biblical worldview. They offer a complete curriculum from preschool through 12th grade, available in both traditional textbooks and video courses. By teaching through the lens of Christ’s power, they help students view the world through the transformative story of God’s creationhttps://CTCMath.com - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠CTCMath⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ specializes in providing online video tutorials that take a multi-sensory approach to learning. Creative graphics and animation, synchronized with the friendly voice of internationally acclaimed teacher, Pat Murray, make learning math easy and effective. Start your free trial today.https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/Explorer - ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explorer Bible for Kids⁠⁠ - Bring the Bible to life with the the Award-winning Explorer Bible for Kids family of products. These engaging kids Bibles and NEW kids Bible dictionary include QR codes to print out fun activity pages, timelines, and discussion questions, and watch videos that equip kids to explore God’s Word & apply truth to their lives!Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network.

Most homeschool moms start with curriculum, methods, and a schedule. Whitney Newby says the thing that actually shapes the day is perspective. In this clip from the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast, Whitney and host Aby Rinella talk about the subtle thought patterns that sabotage joy even when every box is checked: “I’m behind.” “It’s all on me.” “I have to.” Whitney shares why the homeschool parent is the heart of the home, and why two moms in the same circumstances can live two completely different days. Life is 10% what happens to us and 90% how we react to it. If your homeschool looks right on paper but feels heavy, start here.🎧 Watch this full conversation on the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast - https://Podcast.SchoolhouseRocked.comStream Schoolhouse Rocked: The Homeschool Revolution for free!⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://SchoolhouseRockedMovie.comGet your FREE Homeschool Survival Kit⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - https://Homeschool-Survival-Kit.comSupport the Schoolhouse Rocked Ministry - https://SchoolhouseRocked.com/supportSponsor:⁠⁠⁠https://libertyhealthshare.org - Liberty HealthShare⁠⁠⁠ is one of the nation’s oldest and largest healthcare sharing ministries, The non-profit is a caring community of health-conscious individuals and families who choose to support one another and agree to the Christian values of stewardship to make healthcare affordable for all. It serves thousands of homeschooling families across the country.Homeschool Insights is a member of the Biblical Family Network.