262 episodes

Sarah Mackenzie helps your family fall in love with books, and helps *you* fall in love with homeschooling.

Read-Aloud Revival ‪®‬ Sarah Mackenzie

    • Kids & Family
    • 4.9 • 3K Ratings

Sarah Mackenzie helps your family fall in love with books, and helps *you* fall in love with homeschooling.

    RAR #239: Practicing the Habits of a Lifelong Reader

    RAR #239: Practicing the Habits of a Lifelong Reader

    We all want our kids to read, right?

    If you’re listening to this podcast, it’s probably safe to say that you want your kids to grow up to read more often than the average adult does. We want them to be lifelong learners and avid readers who read for pleasure.

    So it’s worth considering how we can cultivate the habits of real adult readers in our kids so that they grow up to be the readers we want them to be. And it turns out some of those skills are actually in direct opposition to how we tend to approach reading with our kids.

    In this episode, you’ll hear: 
    How choosing what to read is a skill you can help your kids developEight habits of avid adult readersPractical tips for cultivating the skills of adult readers in your kids
    Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
    Read Aloud RevivalWaxwing BooksSubscribe to the NewsletterFind the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/lifelong-reading-habits

    Get your FREE RAR Premium Sample: https://readaloudrevival.com/sample

    • 43 min
    Best of RAR: The Point is the Doing (Not Getting it Done)

    Best of RAR: The Point is the Doing (Not Getting it Done)

    Today, I’m sharing two recent episodes from my weekly coaching podcast, Circle with Sarah, that is available exclusively to members of RAR Premium.

    I wanted to share them with all of you because I think the message applies to most of us.

    A lot of us have this funny habit of focusing on getting DONE with the thing we most want to do. Of getting it over with and checking it off the list. It’s maybe more prevalent in our lives than we even realize. And I want to invite you to think about how that impacts your homeschool and how you might find your homeschooling to be easier and more joyful if you’re aware of it.

    If you would like this kind of encouraging boost each week, get RAR Premium and you’ll get instant access to all of the Circle with Sarah podcast episodes and new episodes every Monday.

    I think it’ll make a difference in the peace and joy you experience day to day in your homeschool. Head to RARpremium.com to learn more.

    In this episode, you’ll hear: 
    Why we should treat learning more like knitting, doing a puzzle, or readingHow focusing on the doing lets us rest now, instead of waiting for when we’re “done”How to reframe your goals to focus on doing, rather than being done
    Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
    Read Aloud RevivalWaxwing BooksSubscribe to the NewsletterFind the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/doing-not-getting-done

    Get your FREE RAR Premium Sample: https://readaloudrevival.com/sample

    • 28 min
    RAR #238: How Books Make Us Better, Happier Moms

    RAR #238: How Books Make Us Better, Happier Moms

    This year at Read Aloud Revival, we’re focusing on reading for joy.

    It’s so easy for reading to become another thing on your to-do list, but when we make reading a source of joy, of respite from our busy lives, it’s like running into a clear creek on a hot, dusty hike. Nurturing your reading life nurtures you, which in turn helps us be better moms, better homeschoolers, better parents, better women.

    Today I’m joined by Jennifer Pepito, creator of The Peaceful Press, which offers fabulous curriculum for homeschoolers, and she is the author of our spring RAR Premium Mama Book Club pick, Mothering by the Book: The Power of Reading Aloud to Overcome Fear and Recapture Joy.

    In this episode, you’ll hear: 
    How fiction can teach us as much about parenting our kids as a bevy of parenting manualsWhy connecting with your kids is the heart of homeschoolingFinding the balance between giving your all to mothering and letting go of the outcomes
    Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
    Read Aloud RevivalWaxwing BooksSubscribe to the NewsletterFind the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/how-books-make-us-better-moms

    Get your FREE RAR Premium Sample: https://readaloudrevival.com/sample

    • 40 min
    Best of RAR: What to Do When Reading Becomes a Slog

    Best of RAR: What to Do When Reading Becomes a Slog

    There is something kind of tragic that happens when our kids become readers of their own right. It doesn’t always happen, of course, and there are ways for us to prevent it. But it’s awfully common. That thing I’m talking about? When reading starts to feel like school.

    It happens to all of us at one point or another, and it’s very common especially at this time of year when school is well underway. Parents will notice a significant drop in how much their kids are reading for pleasure…if they’re reading for pleasure at all. 

    Obviously this isn’t what we want for our kids. But it’s easy to feel frustrated or panicked that our kids no longer seem to enjoy reading. 

    The good news? This is simpler to guard against than you might think.

    Today, I’m revisiting an episode from a few years ago about what to do when reading becomes a slog. What do we do when reading starts to feel like school?
    In this episode, you’ll hear: 
    The proven, positive impacts of free, voluntary readingWhy curriculums with long book lists raise red flags for meIdeas for making reading an invitation to enjoyment, not another thing to check off the list
    Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
    Read Aloud RevivalWaxwing BooksSubscribe to the NewsletterFind the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/when-reading-isnt-fun

    Get your FREE RAR Premium Sample: https://readaloudrevival.com/sample

    • 27 min
    RAR #237: How Fairy Tales Re-Enchant Us

    RAR #237: How Fairy Tales Re-Enchant Us

    What are fairy tales? Why do we love them so much? And why do these stories continue to capture the imaginations of countless generations?
    To help me answer those questions, I’m welcoming author Sarah Arthur to the podcast.

    Personally, I fell in love with Sarah’s writing through A Light So Lovely, on the spiritual legacy of Madeleine L’Engle. And when I found out she was working on a young adult fantasy, and that it was a sort of love letter to fairy tales? I had to have her on the show.

    She joins me to talk about what makes fairy tales so powerful, the benefits of embracing the imaginative and the fantastical in our reading, and lots more.

    Sarah Arthur is the author of a dozen books for teens and adults, including the bestselling Walking with Frodo: A Devotional Journey through The Lord of the Rings. After over 25 years working with youth she plays a wicked game of Four Square—but absolutely refuses to eat cold pizza from a box, ever. She has served as preliminary fiction judge for the Christianity Today Book Awards, was a founding board member of the annual C. S. Lewis Festival, and co-directs the Madeleine L’Engle Writing Retreats. She’s a mom of sons, a writer, and today’s highly esteemed guest.

    In this episode, you’ll hear: 
    The elements that draw us into fairytalesHow “escapist” fiction actually helps us understand the truthHow imaginative stories create an invitation rather than a prescription for experiences
    Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
    Read Aloud RevivalWaxwing BooksSubscribe to the NewsletterFind the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/how-fairy-tales-enchant-us

    Get your FREE RAR Premium Sample: https://readaloudrevival.com/sample

    • 57 min
    Best of RAR: No More Bookish Overwhelm

    Best of RAR: No More Bookish Overwhelm

    Today, I’ve got another Best Of RAR episode for you.

    I wanted to revisit this episode because it feels extra relevant this time of year as we’re thinking about setting goals and resolutions for the year ahead.

    Personally, I tend to feel a little overwhelmed by it and I bet some of you can relate.

    And when it comes to books and goals for our reading lives, one of the things we hear at Read Aloud Revival all the time is, “There are so many books and so little time!”

    There are SO MANY good books we want to read aloud with our families and we’re always trying to figure out how to fit more in. But we don’t want our read-alouds to become merely another item on our lengthy to-do lists. So how do we quell the bookish overwhelm?

    That’s what I’m breaking down in this replay of an Ask Sarah episode with that exact question.

    In this episode, you’ll hear: 
    What it really means to read aloud “every day”Why it’s okay if you don’t get to all of the books (promise!)Simple ways to expand the genres you and your kids read
    Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
    Read Aloud RevivalWaxwing BooksSubscribe to the NewsletterFind the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/how-to-quell-overwhelm

    Get your FREE RAR Premium Sample: https://readaloudrevival.com/sample

    • 28 min

Customer Reviews

4.9 out of 5
3K Ratings

3K Ratings

HeatherBeautiful ,

A homeschool must!

This is my favorite podcast for mothering and homeschooling. The joy and enthusiasm for this topic is always in Sarah’s voice. Listening always makes excited to keep building memories with my family through reading books together. And the book recommendations are excellent :)

LiteraryLover📚 ,

Inspiring and encouraging!!!

Sarah Mackenzie is inspiring and encouraging for all the homeschoolers out there seeking the good and the beautiful books. She gives helpful advice for everyone’s reading lives, from mamas to babies, and in between. I recommend this podcast to mamas who need encouragement, and their kids who love to read and write! 🤩

jazz.lindsey.88 ,

The best!

I listen to many various podcasts - mostly about homeschooling and motherhood (and cold cases, ahem)- but this one! Is the absolute best!! My love for books and Jesus and homeschooling and parenting and publishing and authors!!! All found in one cozy, real spot. Like talking to a friend over coffee….Now just throw in a cold case or two…This would be all the podcasts I ever need. Haha 😂. Just kidding. But seriously—do yourself a favor and listen. Sarah’s wisdom and wit and fabulous guests are the trifecta of perfection!

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