This Golden Hour

In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Shelley Woon, the head of Arrowsmith School in Toronto. We discuss Arrowsmith's innovative approach to addressing learning disabilities through cognitive exercises based on neuroplasticity principles. Arrowsmith’s mission is to harness neuroplasticity to change brains and transform lives. Shelley shares her personal journey in education, insights into the Arrowsmith program, and practical advice for parents and educators, especially those in the homeschooling community.
Connect With Shelley
arrowsmith.ca
Resources
Limitless Mind
Growth Mindset
Limitless
The Woman Who Changed Her Brain - TED Talk
The Woman Who Changed Her Brain

This Golden Hour
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In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Nephi Zufelt from Pocatello, Idaho. Nephi is a homeschooling father of five, mechanical engineer, business owner, leader in his local church congregation, and author of Katie Bell and the Wishing Well: A Story of Finding True Wealth, and The Big Startup Guidebook for Kids. Nephi and his wife had talked about homeschooling often when their kids were younger, but it wasn't until he left his job to start his own business and moved from Tennessee to Colorado that they finally decided to try homeschooling. At first, the Zufelt's just did what they thought was done in the schools. But over time and after studying the principles of homeschooling and learning, they began to see the great benefits and advancement of the homeschooling option. Nephi's wife had taught all of her children to read before they were five and so they already had that foundation when they started learning at home. Nephi and I talked a lot about how archaic and ill-equipped the public school system is to give students individualized attention. Unfortunately, most parents are still caught up in the old-school paradigm of focusing on their kids getting good grades and getting into college, when this is not sufficient for the world and future they are entering. Our children need to be curious and creative, know how to solve problems, love learning, know how to learn, and understand the principles of learning if they are to be successful in the rapidly changing and competitive world. The schools simply don't do this stuff! Nephi gave us so many excellent insights into topics like parent engagement, the role of the homeschool dad, principles versus skill sets, and knowing the difference between teaching your children grit and giving them the space to pursue their interests. Finally, we talked about Nephi's expertise in teaching children about wealth mentality. He helps us understand what real wealth actually is, things like good health, freedom of time, and strong relationships, instead of a myopic focus on materials and accumulation. Nephi reminds us that it takes great failures to create wealth.

Connect with Nephi
www.wealthmentalityfamilies.com

Nephi’s Books
Katie Bell and the Wishing Well: A Story of Finding True Wealth
The Big Startup Guide for Kids: A Principle-Based Approach to Entrepreneurship

This Golden Hour
Free eBook Course
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In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Crystal and JD Haitsma from Alberta, Canada. In this conversation, we explore several benefits of the homeschool environment, including fostering relationship-building, self-directed learning, thinking outside the box, and helping children with their emotional development. We discuss how screens and electronics impede learning and that boredom is good for kids so that they tap into their creativity and innovation. The Haitsma’s teach us about neurodivergence and how homeschooling provides a more ideal setting to help neurodivergent children. They observe that teachers in the schools are not equipped with the resources and time they would need to attend to all the needs of the students in their classrooms in the way that homeschool parents are able to do at home with their children. Crystal shares her thoughts about attachment-based research and its implications in the homeschool setting. She explains how mothers and parents have intuition to customize the learning for each child, and that parents can work with their kids to determine curriculum and learning.
Connect with Crystal and JD
https://www.coachcrystal.ca/
https://www.thecoachsupport.com/jd

Books
Hold On to Your Kids
The Call of the Wild and Free: Reclaiming the Wonder in Your Child's Education, A New Way to Homeschool
Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids, and How to Break the Trance
Jules Verne Collection

Homeschool Philosophy and Curriculum
Thomas Jefferson Education

This Golden Hour
Free eBook Course
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In today’s episode, we get to spend time with John Muir Laws, well-known naturalist, artist, educator, and author of many works. John, called “Jack” by his friends, grew up struggling with the challenges of dyslexia. But the love of his kind parents, the caring of two incredible high school teachers, and a love of art and nature, led Jack to discover the gifts and advantages of his dyslexia to pursue his passion for observing and drawing nature. In our conversation, Jack teaches us how essential it is to be curious, humble, and to always ask questions. He also emphasizes that we should slow down and pay close attention to the beauty and wonder that surrounds us and especially in nature. We talked a lot about the brain, our ability to learn and get better at anything we practice, and why we should download our observations of the world and nature in a journal so that we remember.
Connect with John Muir Laws
https://johnmuirlaws.com
https://www.wildwonder.org
John's Works
The Laws Guide to Nature Drawing and Journaling
The Laws Guide to Drawing Birds
How to Teach Nature Journaling: Curiosity, Wonder, Attention
The Laws Field Guide to the Sierra Nevada

Books
The Dyslexic Advantage: Unlocking the Hidden Potential of the Dyslexic Brain
Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction is Hijacking Our Kids

This Golden Hour
Free eBook Course
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In today’s episode, we get to spend time with Rebecca Zipp from Colorado. Rebecca is a homeschool mother of two children and creator of the blog, A Humble Place, which she started in 2012. Her first exposure to the homeschool world began when she became friends with a girl who was homeschooled when they were youth. Rebecca admits that when she started homeschooling it was partially driven by fear, but she evolved and does not regret her initial motivation, even if it was not the healthiest way to begin. Spending time, learning with her children, and escaping the conventional system that tends to develop cogs, are a few of the benefits Rebecca has observed through homeschooling. However, Rebecca acknowledges the challenges that accompany homeschooling, like dealing with negative attitudes at times, and navigating the roles of parent and facilitator for her children. Much of what the Zipp's do for learning and living is tied to principles espoused by Charlotte Mason. They use a Charlotte Mason curriculum, Ambleside Online, for much of their learning, and Rebecca's wonderful blog, A Humble Place, focuses on beautiful Picture Studies emanating from the Charlotte Mason philosophy of learning about art. Like so many homeschooling mothers who align with Charlotte Mason, Rebecca dove more fully into Charlotte Mason principles after reading the book For the Children's Sake by Susan Shaeffer Macaulay.

Connect with Rebecca
https://ahumbleplace.com/

Curriculum
https://www.amblesideonline.org/
https://www.alveary.org/
https://www.bfbooks.com/The-Genevieve-Foster-Collection

Books
The Story of the World Series
For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School

Resources
Yoto Player

This Golden Hour
Free eBook Course
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