Stories Equip Kids Better Than Lectures Ever Will - S.D. Smith

You don’t just learn from a great story. You go there.S.D. Smith explains what he means by “equipping” kids through literature: not dumping morals on them, but letting them accumulate virtues, affections, and lived experience inside a story. Lord of the Rings did more to make him love what he found in Scripture than most “Christian living” books. Nathan didn’t lecture David—he told him a story, and David felt it.This clip is about inhabiting a story, reading aloud as a family pilgrimage, and Andy Wilson’s line that stories are catechisms for our bones. That is also why they are dangerous—in a good way or a bad one.🎧 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. 

What happens when government or corporate money enters homeschooling?In this excerpt from the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast, Israel Wayne and Kristi Clover discuss the growing number of hybrid schools, learning pods, charter programs, and other educational models that are sometimes described as “homeschooling.”Israel argues that these distinctions matter—not only legally, but because funding can come with influence and regulation. He encourages parents who want to retain control over their children's education to carefully consider who is funding that education and what expectations may come with the money.“Whoever’s paying for the education controls it,” Israel says. “If you, as a parent, want to have control over what your children are learning, it needs to be private.”🎧 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.

Your daughter wants to become a midwife through apprenticeship, not a four-year nursing degree, and people lose their minds! Seth Gruber says that reaction is the old fight between individualism and collectivism. Citing William F. Buckley, he argues the battle between Christianity and atheism is the same struggle as family responsibility versus collectivist systems. We were made to put our hands in the dirt and exercise the dominion mandate, not wait for a socialized credential to tell us we are allowed to work. You cannot have familial, covenantal succession and Bernie-style collectivism at the same time. Homeschooling forces that choice into the open. Excerpt from the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast with Seth Gruber, hosted by Aby Rinella.🎧 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. 

The average child now spends about 30 minutes a day in unstructured outdoor play — and seven hours a day in front of a screen.In this Schoolhouse Rocked clip, Aby Rinella and Yvette Hampton unpack what that shift has done to kids’ bodies, minds, and academics… and how homeschool families can reverse it without becoming “extreme outdoor people.”You’ll hear why outdoor time is linked to lower depression and anxiety, why ADHD symptoms often drop outside, why more recess and nature programs tend to raise test scores, and the first practical step for parents who don’t feel outdoorsy: change what you believe about what kids need.Then they get specific: community gardens, reading outside, walks, bikes, a park, a stream. It does not have to be nine days in the backcountry. It just has to start.🎧 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. 

What if the thing you’re most afraid to admit is the very thing your kids need to see?Rachael Carman and Kristi Clover talk about the year the word “humility” landed hard, and why homeschooling a house full of kids will bring a mom to her knees. Leaning on your own strength turns you into your own idol. Jeremiah 17 doesn’t just bless the one planted by the water. Right above it, it warns the one who trusts in himself. Admitting “I can’t” is not weakness. It is freedom, and your kids need to inherit that freedom too.🎧 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.

Safety is a good instinct. It is a terrible only-value.S.D. Smith (The Green Ember) and Cindy West talk about why “clean and safe” cannot be the highest standard for the stories we give children. Drawing on Lewis’s line that Aslan is good but not safe, Smith argues that overprotecting kids from hardness in literature does not keep them innocent—it leaves them unarmed.In this clip: why safety-as-the-only-virtue creates fearful people, why the Bible itself is not a “safe” book, and why Smith would rather give kids robust, dangerous stories that tell the truth about the world and make them dangerous to the darkness.🎧 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. 

What happens when homeschooling becomes primarily about educational options rather than discipleship?In this challenging excerpt, Israel Wayne argues that Christian homeschoolers can become so focused on the academic benefits and growing variety of educational choices that they lose sight of the spiritual purpose he believes has been at the heart of the homeschool movement.Israel also addresses the rapid growth of learning pods, hybrid programs, neighborhood schools, and other educational models—and explains why he believes families need to pay attention to the legal distinctions between these models and traditional homeschooling.The question at the heart of this conversation is simple: What are we willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of more educational choices?🎧 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.

Seth Gruber tells Aby Rinella why the perfect math book will not form your child. A product of homeschool himself, he argues that modern curriculum obsession is a leftover of liberalism and the industrial school model. For most of history, children learned with their parents, not about life from a desk. Fathers worked from home, mothers assisted the family venture, and education happened alongside real work. His advice to the mom drowning in fall curriculum catalogs: do life together. Your kids will learn far more working beside you than sitting rear-end-down for four hours of lectures. Excerpt from the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast with Seth Gruber, hosted by Aby Rinella.🎧 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. 

Homeschooling means you’re together all year — so summer isn’t about “getting used to being home.” It’s the best chance you have to get outside.Yvette Hampton and Aby Rinella talk about why kids are drawn to dirt, why a “perfect” lawn can quietly train that desire out of them, and why outdoor play is not just fun — it’s how they were created.Yvette shares the moment her daughter looked at a brand-new backyard and asked, “Mommy, where’s the dirt?” Aby explains that children were designed for the garden, that messy play boosts immunity and creativity, and that our job as parents is not to sanitize childhood out of them.🎧 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. Watch if you’ve ever cringed at muddy hands… and wondered if that’s actually the point.

Even when you love homeschooling and feel called to it, the fear can linger: what if I’m ruining my kids?In this clip from the Schoolhouse Rocked Podcast, Kristi Clover and Rachael Carman name the quiet fear so many homeschool moms carry — that they are messing everything up. Rachael is honest: mom guilt is universal, but it hits harder when you’ve been told you aren’t qualified and you did it anyway. Curriculum and schedule will not make you perfect. Homeschooling forced her to face her own imperfection, and that was the gift. Your kids need more than a perfect mom. They need God.🎧 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.