Raising Lifelong Learners Colleen Kessler

Today we have a truly insightful episode featuring Lisa Van Gemert, an expert in gifted education and the mind behind Gifted Guru. Join us as we explore the intricacies of perfectionism in gifted children, how it intertwines with their cognitive abilities, and its impact on their mental and emotional health.
Lisa shares invaluable strategies for parents, including a unique "one to five" task evaluation approach that can help children better understand and navigate their perfectionistic tendencies. We'll also discuss the importance of connection and mindfulness, teaching kids empathy and critical thinking, and offering grace in the homeschooling journey.
 
Key Takeaways: Evaluating Perfectionism: Lisa introduced a practical "one to five" strategy for helping children—and parents—navigate the pressures of perfectionism by rating the importance of various tasks. This helps them discern between crucial and non-critical issues, thus reducing unnecessary stress. Emphasizing Self-Reflection: We discussed the importance of normalizing self-reflection for children, helping them understand and accept their unique traits. This practice not only fosters self-awareness but also nurtures a healthy, growth-oriented mindset. Connection Over Academics: Lisa's advice for homeschooling parents is invaluable—prioritize moments of connection and love over sheer academic achievements. Your dedication and sacrifice are more than enough for your children. Tune in to hear more about how we can support our neurodivergent learners and help them thrive, both academically and emotionally. 
 

Our sponsor for today’s episode is CTC Math 
 
Links and Resources from Today’s Show
Pre-Order - The Homeschool Advantage: A Child-Focused Approach to Raising Lifelong Learners Raising Lifelong Learners Membership Community - The Learners Lab Raising Resilient Sons by Colleen Kessler, M.Ed. Lisa Van Gemert's site: https://giftedguru.com Living Gifted: 52 Tips to Survive and Thrive in Giftedland by Lisa Van Gemert Managing Perfectionism | Strategies for Parents Perfectionism And Gifted Children: What You Need To Know RLL #55: Helping Your Child Manage Perfectionism Managing Perfectionism: 10 Tips for Helping Your Gifted Child Building Strong Writers at Home | Insights from Occupational Therapist Sarah Collins Learning Strategies for Reluctant Gifted Children Knowing If Your Child is Gifted The Social Emotional Needs Of Gifted And Neurodiverse Children Homeschooling Our Gifted Children: The Power Of Artful Questions Anxiety vs. Stress vs. Perfectionism: Helping Our Children Cope Homeschool Testing | Helping Your Perfectionist Do Hard Things Connect with Lisa Van Gemert
Learn more on her website: https://giftedguru.com
Connect with Lisa on Instragram @TheGiftedGuru,on Facebook @GiftedGuru, or on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/lisavangemert
Connect with Colleen
You can find Colleen on Twitter @ColleenKessler, Facebook @RaisingLifelongLearners, Instagram @ColleenKessler
How does your child learn best? Take the Quiz ==> https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/quiz/

In today’s episode, Colleen dives into the art of building a family team. Discover the importance of setting boundaries, taking personal time, and forming deep, meaningful connections with your loved ones. Colleen shares her personal experiences and offers practical tips on how to balance family and personal time, foster open communication, and create an empathetic, supportive home environment.
 
Key Takeaways: Personal Time & Boundaries: Importance of balancing personal time and family time to model self-care for children. Flexible and adaptable coping strategies are crucial, especially during busy times. Shared Responsibilities: Creating a team dynamic through defined roles, shared activities, and collaborative decision-making helps in fostering mutual support and accountability within the family. Building Connections: Engaging in activities that build strong bonds—such as family meals, open conversations, and expressing love and affirmation—contributes to a compassionate and empathetic home environment.  
Tune in to gain insights and actions you can take to strengthen your family bonds and support system. Let's create a loving, united family team together!
 
Our sponsor for today’s episode is CTC Math 
Links and Resources from Today's Show Pre-Order - The Homeschool Advantage: A Child-Focused Approach to Raising Lifelong Learners Raising Lifelong Learners Membership Community - The Learners Lab Raising Resilient Sons by Colleen Kessler, M.Ed. Activities to Strengthen Your Family Team Homeschooling Success | The Role of Strong Family Connections Masterclass | Building Family Connections A Different Kind Of Family Togetherness: Ideas and Encouragement For Connecting With Our Kids Rock Your Family Life and Raise Awesome Gifted Kids Family Night Game Guide Fostering Teamwork | The Power of Collaborative Learning in Homeschooling Masterclass | Raising Resilient Families Self-Compassion for a Healthier Mindset | A Conversation with Michelle Brownell How a Return to Outside Play Will Help Our Kids Thrive with Ginny Yurich  
Connect with Colleen
You can find Colleen on  Twitter @ColleenKessler,  Facebook @RaisingLifelongLearners,  Instagram @ColleenKessler

How does your child learn best?  Take the Quiz ==> https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/quiz/

In this week’s episode of the podcast, we’re talking with Christine Fonseca, licensed educational psychologist, critically acclaimed author, and nationally recognized speaker on topics related to educational psychology, mental health, giftedness, and using storytelling to heal past wounds. 
Understanding the complex world of giftedness is crucial for providing the best support for your child. In this episode, we delve into key understandings that can make a significant difference in your homeschooling journey.
 
Key Takeaways: Recognize Intensity: Gifted kids often exhibit intense emotions and behaviors due to their high sensitivity and cognitive abilities. Understanding this can prevent mislabeling their intensity as behavioral issues. Identify Needs: Differentiating between gifted traits and actual behavioral problems is crucial. Providing the right accommodations can help them thrive without pathologizing their uniqueness. Embrace Emotional Intelligence (EQ): Teaching EQ can have a profound effect on a child's success. Use everyday moments to instill skills like empathy, adaptability, and social awareness. Navigate Social Dynamics: Gifted children may find it hard to fit in due to their exceptional intellect. Helping them value and appreciate different perspectives can bridge social gaps. Knowledge & Resources: Books and websites can be transformative. Utilize practical resources to better understand and support your gifted child. Parental Reflection: Understanding and managing your own emotional triggers can help you respond more effectively to your child. Trust that they will be fine, and lead with patience and empathy. Community and Support: Engaging with communities offers valuable insights and shared experiences. Connecting with other parents can provide additional support and strategies. Links and Resources to Today's Episode Our sponsor for today’s episode is CTC Math 
Pre-Order - The Homeschool Advantage: A Child-Focused Approach to Raising Lifelong Learners Raising Lifelong Learners Membership Community - The Learners Lab Raising Resilient Sons by Colleen Kessler, M.Ed. Christine Fonseca: https://www.christinefonseca.com New Edition! Emotional Intensity in Gifted Children The Caring Child: Raising Empathetic and Emotionally Intelligent Children RLL 24: Asynchrony, Intensity, and Motivation | A Listener Question Giftedness & Intensity Calm the Chaos with Dayna Abraham The Social Emotional Needs Of Gifted And Neurodiverse Children The Unique Challenges of Homeschooling Gifted Kids When Giftedness is Misdiagnosed as a Behavior Problem Knowledge is Power: Helping Our Gifted Children Cope Perfectionism And Gifted Children: What You Need To Know Homeschooling Our Gifted Children: The Power Of Artful Questions Anxiety vs. Stress vs. Perfectionism: Helping Our Children Cope Connect with Christine Fonseca
You can find Christine on: Instagram @ChristineFonsecaAuthor, Facebook @AuthorChristineFonseca, or LinkedIn @Christine Fonseca
Christine's group: The Intense Life Tribe on Facebook
Christine’s website: https://www.christinefonseca.com
Connect with Colleen
You can find Colleen on Twitter @ColleenKessler, Facebook @RaisingLifelongLearners, Instagram @ColleenKessler
How does your child learn best? Take the Quiz ==> https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/quiz/
 

In today's episode of the podcast, we dive into the power of building strong family connections, especially in homeschooling families.
We'll chat practical tips like setting family goals, managing time with multiple calendars, and encouraging sibling collaboration. Then, I'll touch on how mindfulness, open communication, and family rituals can foster deep bonds and support your kids' emotional and academic growth.
Tune in to embrace family time and create unforgettable memories together!
  Key Takeaways: Encourage Collaboration and Communication: Foster emotional connections and model respectful communication and empathy during conflicts. Simple actions like admitting mistakes and apologizing can nurture trust and respect. Promote Independence and Responsibility: Assign age-appropriate responsibilities and allow children to make their own choices. This builds accountability and helps them learn from consequences. Prioritize Quality Family Time: Focus on quality over quantity by engaging in one-on-one time and screen-free family outings. This can be achieved through creative solutions like car ride conversations or including kids in errands. We also discuss the resources available through The Learner's Lab community -- Join us if you haven't yet! 
 
Our sponsor for today’s episode is CTC Math 
Links and Resources from Today's Episode Pre-Order - The Homeschool Advantage: A Child-Focused Approach to Raising Lifelong Learners Raising Lifelong Learners Membership Community - The Learners Lab Raising Resilient Sons by Colleen Kessler, M.Ed. Activities to Strengthen Your Family Team The Importance Of Play For Your Entire Family Creating a Family Mission Statement RLL #76: Creating the Adventurous Family with Rachel Rainbolt Stick Figuring Through the Bible - NEED AMAZON LINK Host an Epic Family Movie Night Rock Your Family Life and Raise Awesome Gifted Kids Growing a Family of Character Find a Place of Belonging for Your Neurodiverse Kids RLL #102: A Conversation about Connection with Shawna Wingert RLL 10 Sarah MacKenzie: Building Connections Through Books A Thriving Homeschool | Strategies for Setting Boundaries Sibling Unifier: Peanut Butter Play dough Resiliency Resources Everything You Need To Homeschool A Child With ADHD Connect with Colleen
You can find Colleen on  Twitter @ColleenKessler,  Facebook @RaisingLifelongLearners,  Instagram @ColleenKessler

How does your child learn best?  Take the Quiz ==> https://raisinglifelonglearners.com/quiz/

In this week's episode of the podcast, we're talking with Rachel Figg, a trailblazer in the homeschooling world and the creator of Spark Schooling. As homeschooling parents, we recognize some challenges come with teaching children at home. This conversation focuses on sparkschooling, a novel approach to learning designed to ignite curiosity and engage students more deeply by integrating art, music, physical education, and STEM into daily learning activities.
The heart of sparkschooling lies in its curiosity-driven approach, tailoring learning to align with a child’s natural interests. Rachel explains how Spark Schooling integrates non-traditional methods like using buckets and kitchen utensils to teach musical rhythms, or video classes for varied subjects to cater to diverse learning preferences and paces.
This method not only respects each child’s learning journey but also fosters a supportive environment where learning is associated with joy and discovery rather than pressure and memorization.
Key Takeaways: Curiosity-Driven Learning: Rachel Figg emphasizes the importance of fostering curiosity in children as a fundamental aspect of sparkschooling. This approach encourages students to pursue their own interests and questions, leading to deeper engagement and understanding.  
Integrating Creative and Analytical Learning: Both Rachel and Colleen discuss the importance of combining left and right brain activities—such as art and STEM—into homeschooling to develop both creative and analytical skills in children, enhancing overall learning and problem-solving abilities.  
Hands-On Experiences: The episode highlights the significance of hands-on learning experiences, like the real-life application of physics concepts in a homeschooling with horses class to understand inertia. This method helps cement knowledge through practical application.  
Resource Accessibility: Sparkschooling is likened to a Netflix-like library where children can choose from a variety of activities based on their interests, all available in a simple, self-paced format. This accessibility makes learning adaptable and tailored to each child's pace and interests.  
Higher-Level Thinking Skills: The discussion underlines the need to focus on developing higher-level thinking skills from an early age, moving beyond basic knowledge to analyzing, evaluating, and creating. This prepares children for complex problem-solving and independent thinking.  
Low-Pressure Learning Environment: The sparkschooling program is designed to create a low-pressure, non-judgmental learning environment that encourages exploration and reduces the fear of failure, enabling children to explore new subjects and discover their passions.  
Simple Integration of Diverse Subjects: Rachel suggests practical ways to integrate diverse subjects like music, art, physical education, and STEM into daily homeschool routines to ensure a holistic education that keeps children engaged and promotes well-rounded development.  
Encouraging Physical Education: Physical activities are highlighted as crucial for children's education, not just for physical health but also for teaching persistence, coordination, and critical thinking through physical challenges.  
Engaging and Fun Learning Activities: The episode emphasizes the importance of making learning fun and engaging through activities like using kitchen utensils as drumsticks to learn musical rhythm, which helps sustain children's interest and enthusiasm for learning.  
Following Children's Natural Curiosities: Both host and guest stress the need for parents to pay attention to and nurture their children's natural curiosities, as this will lead to more meaningful and self-motivated learning, making education a joy rather than a chore.  
Our sponsor for today’s episode is CTC Math
  Links and Resources from Today's Show Pre-Order - The Homeschool Advantage: A Child-Focused Approach to Raising