Homeschool Better Together with Pam Barnhill

Sometimes as much as we want to create an ideal Morning Time habit in our home, something stands in our way. That doesn't mean we have to give up.

Our guest today, Hayley Beck found that by putting aside the idea of an ideal Morning Time she was able to create something that works very well for her family. Hear all about how it works for them in this episode.

For shownotes and episode downloads, visit https://pambarnhill.com/ymb34.

Mentioned in this episode:

Independence Workshop

Are you ready to break out of “school-at-home” thinking and finally build a homeschool rhythm that fits YOUR real life—not just the one in the curriculum guide?

This week, I invited our two resident schedule-geeks—Laney Homan and Dawn Garrett—into the studio for a lively, practical (and very honest) roundtable on all things homeschool schedules.

We’re tackling the myth that there’s only one “right” way to schedule your homeschool, sharing why nobody here gets up for a 7am school bus...and giving you permission to let go of what doesn’t work for your unique family.

We walk through six of the most popular scheduling types (yep, there’s math, but not the scary kind), spill the biggest scheduling mistakes we’ve made, and show you what flexibility really looks like through every messy season.

No pressure. Just lots of ideas, permission to pivot, and some hilarious overscheduling confessions from yours truly.

If you secretly geek out over planners—or if you just wish someone would tell you WHY you can never stick to the schedule the public school uses—this is your episode.

Grab your coffee, open your planner (or don’t), and join us for a real talk that just might make your next homeschool season your smoothest yet.

What You’ll Learn:

• The most common homeschool schedule types and why families choose them
• How to start with intention (not just “fall into” inconsistent routines)
• Why your schedule can (and should) change as your family grows and life shifts
• How to adapt for outside classes, big family needs, and real-life curveballs
• The difference between loop and block scheduling (and which one to use if you always skip science!)
• How to use “magic number” scheduling for ultimate flexibility—and what to avoid
• Permission to experiment, change things up, or even go back to traditional if that’s what works

Resources Mentioned in this Episode:

• Put Your Homeschool Year on Autopilot
• Loop Schedule Video
• Homeschool Better Together Community

For full show notes and a transcript of today’s episode, head to pambarnhill.com/hsbt39.

Mentioned in this episode:

Independence Workshop

It is a question English Moms and Math Moms both dread, "What about the arts?" How am I going to help my child appreciate and love beautiful art, music, and dance? Why should I even bother? Why is this so important when the crowd is clamoring STEM?

Prof. Carol Reynolds is here to answer your questions and more. She is passionate about art, music and how it defines a culture. We are reminded that our children are very expressive beings who naturally find joy in creativity and admire beautiful things. She encourages us with practical advice on how to help our children keep their natural tendency for creative arts, how to integrate the arts into our

She encourages us with practical advice on how to help our children keep their natural tendency for creative arts, how to integrate the arts into our everyday lives, into every subject we teach, and how to do this all without a strong arts background ourselves.

With a gentle reminder that the goal is not to produce an artistic prodigy, but someone who appreciates and can discern the beauty in the arts. She also assures us that this can be done without spending gobs of money on lessons or resources but simply by asking the question, "Why is this beautiful, or ugly." With humor and warmth, Prof. Carol makes the arts sound not only doable for the average homeschool mom but absolutely essential.

For show notes and episode downloads, visit https://pambarnhill.com/ymb26/.

On today's podcast I am joined by homeschool mom Jennifer Stowe who has turned a passion for all things tea into a business and educational experience for her entire family. Join us as we talk about the historical, cultural, and literary learning we can derive from tea, fun food ideas for tea time, and how to expand upon passions to enhance learning.

For show notes and episode downloads, go to pambarnhill.com/ymb87.

Sarita Holzmann was a reluctant homeschooler but soon came to love it. With a heart for missionaries serving overseas and the people they serve, Sarita has always had an eye towards bringing geography to life using literature. On this episode of the podcast she joins us to discuss why geography is important and why literature is the best way to experience that. Get your notebooks handy -- there is more than one great book recommendation in this episode.

Mentioned in this episode:

Independence Workshop