The Homeschool Sanity Show Melanie Wilson, PhD
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- Kids & Family
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Your prescription for happier, healthier homeschooling with Christian psychologist and veteran homeschooling mother of six, Dr. Melanie Wilson, who interviews experts on the issues that drive you crazy.
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Protecting Kids From Explicit Material
Hey, homeschoolers! This is one of the topics I have been asked to talk about over the years but I've frankly avoided. Not only can it cause problems with website and social media platforms that flag the posts but there are strong opinions about the issue. I don't like wading into controversial waters if I can help it.
But then I met Kristen Miele at the Great Homeschool Conventions who was speaking about this very issue. I was so impressed with her background and her message that is grounded in research AND the gospel, that I invited her to be a guest on the podcast. We will discuss how we can protect our kids from the harmful effects of pornography with sex education. This is an earbuds episode, though the content is not graphic.
Kristen Miele has been educating youth on the topic of sex for nearly 15 years. She has experience teaching ages 3 and up on content related to sex and sexuality. She is the founder and owner of Sex Ed Reclaimed and has a Bachelor’s and Master’s of Science in Community Health from the University of Illinois. She is also a Certified Health Education Specialist. Kristen has one daughter, Emma Joy and has been married to Anthony since 2012. They live in Columbus, Ohio. Here's my chat with Kristen.
Watch on YouTube
Summary
Kristen Miele shares her journey into sex education and discusses the challenges of protecting children from pornography. She emphasizes the importance of starting early and having open conversations with kids about healthy relationships, puberty, and the dangers of pornography. Kristen has created resources, including age-appropriate videos and workbooks, to help parents educate their children about sex in a God-honoring way. She encourages parents to reclaim sex education and be proactive in teaching their kids before the culture does.
Podcast Resources
SexEdReclaimed
Sex Ed Reclaimed on Instagram
Sex Ed Reclaimed on TikTok
My Approach to Screens for Teens
Have a happy homeschool week! -
Special Replay: How to End Your Homeschool Year on a High
If you feel like your homeschool year is fizzling out, you'll appreciate these tips for ending well.
LISTEN ON ITUNES
LINKS
GrammarGalaxyBooks.com/treasure.
Instagram at Psychowith6
Rochelle Barlow's Learn American Sign Language in 31 Days
The Organized Vacation Challenge
my recent podcast on being disappointed in your homeschool year -
Helping Daughters Deal With Comparison
Hey, homeschoolers! If you have a teen daughter, I think this episode is a must-listen. I interview Shannon Popkin and Lee Niehuis, authors of Comparison Girl for Teens, and I haven’t been able to stop talking about it. There is so much wisdom here about our girls and how to help them manage comparison and friendship in a God-honoring way.
Shannon Popkin invites you to drink deeply of God’s story, and live like it’s true. Shannon’s books include Control Girl, Comparison Girl, Comparison Girl for Teens (2024), and Shaped by God’s Promises(2024). Shannon also hosts the Live Like It’s True Bible podcast and has been featured on Revive Our Hearts, FamilyLife Today, The Gospel Coalition, and Proverbs 31. She’s happy to be sharing life with Ken, who makes her laugh every day. Together, they have the joy of watching their three young-adult kids become the amazing people God created them to be.
Lee Nienhuis is an author, speaker, and Bible teacher. She cohosts the Martha & Mary Show and the You Can Tell the Children podcast with Bible2School. Lee’s books, Brave Moms, Brave Kids and Countercultural Parenting are a clarion call for parents looking to raise wholehearted Christ followers. Lee and her husband, Mike, have four kids and live in West Michigan.
Here's my chat with Shannon & Lee.
Watch on YouTube
Summary
In this conversation, Shannon Popkin and Lee Nienhuis discuss the topic of comparison and its impact on teenage girls. They share personal experiences and insights on how comparison relates to anxiety and depression. They also discuss the role of family and church background in shaping a girl's self-perception. The conversation highlights the importance of parents in helping their daughters avoid the pitfalls of comparison and offers practical advice on how to do so. The speakers also introduce their book, 'Comparison Girl,' and provide additional resources for further exploration.
Have a happy homeschool week! -
Robotics in Your Homeschool
Hey, homeschoolers! Have you considered learning robotics in your homeschool? I don’t have an engineering brain so I enrolled my kids in in-person and online classes. My youngest is now majoring in computer science in college. His classes had a major impact on his career direction.
Today on the podcast, you’ll hear about the advantages of including robotics and programming in your homeschool from my guest, Francie Black. I met Francie at the Great Homeschool Convention last year. She is the founder of HomeHackerCamp.com and is passionate about teaching. She and I are traveling to the IDEA conferences in Alaska this month. If you’ll be there, be sure to come by and say hello. Now here’s my chat with Francie.
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Summary
Francie Black, a former tech professional and homeschooling parent, shares her journey into robotics and programming and the importance of STEM education for kids. She explains the scope of robotics and the skills it develops, such as critical thinking and problem-solving. Francie offers online classes for homeschoolers, teaching software, hardware, and electronics. She also discusses the upcoming speaker at her program, her son who works as a Starship engineer at SpaceX. Francie and Melanie Wilson discuss their upcoming conference in Alaska and where parents can find more information about Francie's classes.
Have a happy homeschool week! -
Teaching Social Skills In Your Homeschool
Hey, homeschoolers, we know we aren't weird and unsocialized as a popular blog implies, but you might wonder if we are weirder than kids in public school. I was relieved when my oldest son, after having been in a public high school for a few weeks, told me that he thought that the public school kids were just as weird as homeschoolers.
We know that our kids can benefit from having good social skills. Here's why we should teach social skills directly in our homeschool and here are some practical tips for doing just that.
Watch on YouTube
Summary
In this conversation, Melanie Wilson discusses the importance of teaching social skills to homeschoolers. She addresses the misconception that homeschoolers are weirder than public school kids and emphasizes the benefits of good social skills, such as reduced anxiety and future success. Melanie provides reasons why social skills should be included in the homeschool curriculum. She also suggests creating a plan, teaching in a family or group setting, and using multiple modalities. Melanie introduces her Training Aliens curriculum as a story-based approach to teaching social and emotional skills.
Alternatives to Video Games
Great Homeschool Conventions
Have a happy homeschool week! -
How To Help Your Child Manage Emotions
Hey, homeschoolers! How to help an anxious, frustrated, or bored child is the most common question I get. In this episode, I'll share a three-step approach you can use to help your child manage any negative emotion.
Watch on YouTube
Summary
In this episode, Melanie Wilson addresses the common concern of homeschooling parents regarding their child's ability to manage emotions. She emphasizes that emotional struggles should be seen as skill deficits rather than character flaws. Melanie highlights the lack of emotional management education in schools and the need for explicit teaching in this area. She introduces a three-step framework for teaching emotional skills: prevention, recognition, and substitution. The chapters cover topics such as the importance of sleep, diet, and environment in preventing negative emotions, teaching children to recognize signs of frustration, and finding constructive responses to boredom. Melanie encourages parents to provide practice and grace as children learn to manage their emotions and emphasizes the role of prayer and faith in this process.
Previous Episodes on Emotions
Helping the Anxious Child
Helping the Frustrated Child
How to Deal with a Troublemaking Child
Homeschooling a Child with ADHD
Customer Reviews
We all need sanity
As a mom considering homeschooling my littles, I’ve been diving into these podcasts lately, and I love how uplifting this one is! It makes me feel like it’s definitely something my family can handle.
Inspirational and full of wisdom
I’ve enjoyed listening to your podcasts as you offer a lot of wisdom. I especially enjoyed listening to How to Combat Loneliness As a Homeschool Mom. You offered a lot of great suggestions as to how to make friends. I especially liked the one about reaching out to retired homeschool moms. This is something I’ve considered doing just recently. Thanks for the suggestions!
Resource and Inspiration Filled Podcast!
Dr. Melanie Wilson gives families such encouragement and so many resources for their homeschooling journeys! What a great podcast!