The post RAR #239: Helping Our Kids Develop the Joyful Habits of Real Readers first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>Ever thought about that?
This is good news, because it means that rather than making sure our kids read all the “right” books before they leave home, we can focus instead on helping them become people who love to read.
[Big exhale.]
We don’t need to get through any particular booklist.
We don’t need to make sure our kids have read all the classics or the entire canon of Mark Twain.
We don’t need to rush through books at all.
Because if our goal is to help our kids to be voracious readers (that is, to become people who read more than the average person does), then . . .
. . . we can focus on helping them develop the joyful habits of real readers.
So how do we do that? How do we cultivate readerly habits in our kids?
It’s far simpler than you might think, and it’s what we’re talking about on today’s episode of the Read-Aloud Revival podcast.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
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The post RAR #239: Helping Our Kids Develop the Joyful Habits of Real Readers first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post Best of RAR: The Point Is the Doing (Not Getting Done) first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>It’s more prevalent in our lives than we realize.
We make plans to:
In so doing, we often miss the fact that the whole point of reading, or praying, or doing the math lesson is… the doing of it.
We feel accomplished when we finish a book, of course. But then somehow along the way, we start to prioritize just that—finishing books— rather than the reading itself.
But the reading itself is where all the good stuff happens.
In the newest episode of the RAR Podcast, Sarah Mackenzie is talking all about how when it comes to the most important things in our homeschools, the point is the doing, not the getting it done.
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The post Best of RAR: The Point Is the Doing (Not Getting Done) first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post RAR #238: How Books Make Us Better, Happier Moms first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>I mean, I don’t know about you. But that sounds like good news to me.
It’s easy for reading to become another thing on our to-do list, but when we read for the joy of it, it becomes a source of refreshment in the same way a relaxing, hot bath is a source of refreshment.
(It can also be easier to squeeze into ten minutes of a jam-packed, busy day than a relaxing, hot bath, just saying. )
Today on the Read-Aloud Revival podcast, I’m joined by my friend Jennifer Pepito to talk all about this.
Jennifer Pepito is the creator of The Peaceful Press, which offers fabulous curriculum for homeschoolers, and 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.
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]]>The post Best of RAR: What to Do When Reading Becomes a Slog first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>That thing I’m talking about? When reading starts to feel like school.
It happens to most of us at one point or another, so you might not think this is a big red flag.
But you know what? I think it is.
If I notice a significant drop in how much my kids are reading for pleasure, I pay attention.
This is simpler to remedy 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?
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The post Best of RAR: What to Do When Reading Becomes a Slog first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post RAR #237: How Fairy Tales Re-Enchant Us first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>I first 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 how fairy tales re-enchant us, the benefits of embracing both the imaginative and the fantastical in our reading, and so much more.
“By putting bread, gold, horse, apple, or the very roads into a myth, we do not retreat from reality, we rediscover it.” – C. S. Lewis, “Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings“
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The post RAR #237: How Fairy Tales Re-Enchant Us first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post Meet Sarah LIVE at Great Homeschool Conventions in 2024 first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>Have you ever been to one of the Great Homeschool Conventions?
I’m speaking at all five Great Homeschool Conventions in 2024, and I’d love to meet you there.
I’ll be giving brand new workshop sessions this year at every location.
If bad attitudes are one of the hardest parts of homeschooling… you aren’t alone. Kids’ bad attitudes are hard enough. But your own attitude can be just as difficult to manage.
Sarah Mackenzie, a homeschooling mama of six and founder/host of the Read-Aloud Revival®, knows that the key to a successful homeschool is a peaceful, content homeschooling mom (or dad).
We all want our kids to know we enjoy spending time with them. But how can we enjoy it when there’s so stinkin’ much to get done? In this session, Sarah shares practical tips to help you be the pleasant parent you know your homeschool needs.
Want to be a more pleasant parent? This is the session for you.
What do happy homeschoolers have in common?
Sarah Mackenzie has spoken with thousands of homeschooling moms all over the country. In this session, she’ll share the five habits that happy homeschooling mamas share.
The good news? You don’t need a new curriculum, schedule, or homeschooling philosophy. It’s possible to feel happier about your homeschool exactly as it is right now. Implement these five habits, and you’ll be well on your way.
Feeling stretched too thin? Not enough of you to go around?
Sarah Mackenzie can relate. She’s homeschooled her six kids (3 have now graduated), and at one point, was homeschooling three older kids with three babies under age two! Now she runs a community dedicated to creating relaxed, bookish, ordinary homeschools that moms love to lead.
Here’s the truth: your homeschool doesn’t need to be extraordinary. And it can be a lot simpler than you think.
If you want to do less, enjoy it more, and create a relaxed, bookish, ordinary homeschool life you’ll love, this is the session for you.
The post Meet Sarah LIVE at Great Homeschool Conventions in 2024 first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post Best of RAR: No More Bookish Overwhelm first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>Listen, I’m a list person. I L-O-V-E ticking off a good list.
I’m also a fairly ambitious person! I L-O-V-E goal-setting.
But setting reading goals feels, to me, like a good way to take My-Most-Favorite-Activity-on-the –Planet and turn it into an assignment.
It’s similar to how I’d feel, I think, if I set a goal to eat a bowl of ice cream every day, or to try 50 different flavors of ice cream in the coming year.
(That’s a sure-fire way to get me to hate ice cream, just sayin’.)
This isn’t true for everyone, of course, and if you love a good bookish goal, do it! But one of the sentiments we hear at Read Aloud Revival all the time sounds something along the lines of…
Aha. Yes.
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 episode.
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The post Best of RAR: No More Bookish Overwhelm first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post Best of RAR: Your New Favorite Tradition – Jolabokaflod first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>What if I told you this tradition makes your life easier, not harder?
During Jolabokaflod, you gift members of your family with new books, and everyone drinks hot cocoa and spends the whole of Christmas Eve reading. If I didn’t get your attention before, I’ve got it now.
There is so much that happens this time of year that adds to our to-do list, that puts more on our plates, but Jolabokaflod is truly a joy. It is a moment of rest and refreshment for you too.
The Icelandic tradition has Jolabokaflod landing on Christmas Eve, but you can do it any time that works for you. Winter solstice? New Year’s Eve? A random Tuesday evening? The date is up to you!
You don’t need a stack of books for Jolabokaflod—just one book per person will do. You can purchase special books for the occasion or simply reserve books at your library and tuck them away for your special day.
Jammies on, hot chocolate simmering. That’s it! We recommend making an easy dinner on Jolabokaflod, so you can relax and enjoy the evening, too.
I hope you enjoy this tradition with your family. And most importantly, I hope you are filled with comfort and joy this Christmas season.
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Read-Aloud Revival® Christmas booklists can be found here:
The post Best of RAR: Your New Favorite Tradition – Jolabokaflod first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post RAR #236: It’s Time for Christmas School first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>Most of us have too much on our plates before the busy holiday season begins. Then December hits and we feel behind on … well… everything.
But for homeschoolers, December should be the best month of our entire year.
That’s why we created Christmas School.
Christmas School is a whole-family curriculum from Read-Aloud Revival that helps your family slow down, savor the season, and wait in joyful hope.
Join thousands of families and replace your current curriculum with a month of Christmas School to make December a different kind of month in your homeschool year.
A better one.
Today, I’m sharing what you can expect in this year’s Christmas School, plus we’ll hear from families who have participated in and loved Christmas School in the past.
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The post RAR #236: It’s Time for Christmas School first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post RAR #235: How to Give Feedback on Your Child’s Creative Writing (Even If You Aren’t a Writer!) first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>And if you are raising kids who love to read, then you may find that they become kids who want to write.
(Not always. But often.)
Those young writers will come to you looking for feedback on their stories.
And while we know that homeschools are fabulous places to grow young writers…
…we can also feel a little ill-equipped as their writing mentors.
That’s where today’s guests come in.
Kara Swanson and Brett Harris were both homeschooled. They are both professional writers, and these days, they’re committed to mentoring young writers.
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The post RAR #235: How to Give Feedback on Your Child’s Creative Writing (Even If You Aren’t a Writer!) first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post COMING SOON: Christmas School 2023 first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>Then December hits and we feel behind on… well… everything. But for homeschoolers, December should be the best month of our entire year.
Christmas School is a whole-family curriculum from Read-Aloud Revival that helps your family slow down, savor the season, and wait in joyful hope.
Join thousands of families and replace your current curriculum with a month of Christmas School to make December a different kind of month in your homeschool year.
A better one.
This year, we’re reading books by Tomie dePaola:
Need to order any? We’ve collected them for you here.
When you register for Christmas School, you’ll get the robust Christmas School Guide and access to all related videos and workshops.
It’s a full curriculum for the whole family that will take you through December. We can pretty much guarantee you’ll never want to do do “regular” school in December again!
This year, for the first time ever, you can purchase access to Christmas School outside of RAR Premium. (RAR Premium members will still get Christmas School included with their membership.)
For $39, you’ll get access to Christmas School 2023, which includes the Christmas School Guide and access to all videos and workshops.
Don’t miss it!
You’ll be able to purchase and access Christmas School on November 17, 2023. If you want to know as soon as Christmas School 2023 is ready, pop your email into the form below.
The post COMING SOON: Christmas School 2023 first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post RAR #234: Encouraging Creativity: Insights and Inspiration from Author Millie Florence first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>When she was 9, Millie Florence decided she wanted to be a published author.
When she was 10, she attended her first writing conference.
When she was 13, she self-published her first book.
(She was homeschooled. But you probably could have already guessed that by now! )
Now she’s 20, and she’s making books I know your families are going to love. I can’t wait for you to meet her for yourself.
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The post RAR #234: Encouraging Creativity: Insights and Inspiration from Author Millie Florence first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post Best of RAR: Is My Child Dyslexic? first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>Without fail, at every homeschool conference, at least one person comes up to me and says, “Dyslexia was not even on my radar until I listened to the episode with Marianne Sunderland.”
Most of us don’t understand what dyslexia really is and the signals to look for in our kids. And we don’t know what to do when they do show signs of having a dyslexic brain.
It’s important to remember that a dyslexic brain is not a disorder. Nothing needs to be fixed. It’s the way God made your child’s brain. And it’s genetic, so it’s the way God made your brain or your husband’s brain, too.
Dyslexia means your child processes language differently, which means we need to teach dyslexic brains in a way that makes sense to dyslexic brains.
If you have any academic frustrations with your kids of any age, listen to this episode. Even if dyslexia is nowhere on your radar, I encourage you to listen. You might be surprised.
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The post Best of RAR: Is My Child Dyslexic? first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post RAR #233: Audrey is Back, and She’s Answering Your Questions! first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>We discussed what worked, what didn’t, and about our homeschool experience in general.
And last spring, at the Great Homeschool Conventions, you all kept asking me when Audrey would be back on the podcast.
She’s now about to start her senior year at Franciscan University, so it seemed like a great time to check back in with her and get her perspective now that her college experience is almost complete.
Today, she’s answering your questions from inside the RAR Premium forum and the RAR Instagram.
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The post RAR #233: Audrey is Back, and She’s Answering Your Questions! first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post About Those Homeschool Plans first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>…are things going as planned for your homeschool year?
[ahem]
Yeah. Didn’t think so.
First of all, if you’re new to homeschooling, you should know: the first weeks never go as planned.
This is to be expected.
It’s normal every year, even if you’ve been homeschooling for approximately 4,356 years.
And those homeschool plans that you made, before this school year began? They were guesses. Important guesses! Good guesses. Educated guesses. And you needed to make them.
But they were still guesses.
Well… in September of 2019, did you make your homeschool plan with Covid in mind?
Right. Me neither.
See, when we’re planning for a school year, we’re making all kinds of guesses. We’re guessing about…
We’re making guesses about how much schoolwork we can get done, how many read-alouds we’ll be able to finish, and whether there will be any major family crises.
We’re making guesses about big life events and tiny day-to-day minutia.
Because none of us actually knows what tomorrow (or, in fact, this afternoon) holds.
It’s just a fact.
We don’t need to see the future. We don’t need to know what’s coming around the bend.
That’s what grace is for.
And when we keep this fact in mind—this fact that our best-laid plans are just educated guesses, it helps us keep homeschool plans in their place.
We breathe a little easier when things don’t go as planned (and they won’t, in case you hadn’t noticed yet! ), because we understand that wasn’t the point of the plans in the first place.
An incredibly helpful compass, I might add. Very, very helpful in pointing you in the right direction.
But not perfect. And planning, at its best, is just educated guessing.
That’s good news, because it helps us remember that no matter what is around the bend, the grace we need will arrive the very moment we need it.
So look up from your phone (or your computer, or however you’re reading this right now) just for a second.
Smile at the mess. The chaos. The kids running amok.
Smile at the unfinished assignments on the kitchen table, the sink overflowing with dishes, the 6 loads of laundry piled on the sofa.
Smile at this messy, unpredictable life.
It might not be going according to your plan, but I can assure you: it’s going according to His. And He’s giving you exactly the grace you need for these kids, this situation, and this moment.
I hope you have a gloriously unpredictable and grace-filled day.
P.S. Want more like this through the school year? Come on over to RAR Premium, because I send a boost like this every single Monday in the Circle with Sarah podcast.
It’s Premium Homeschool Coaching that will help you teach from rest and enjoy the journey just a little bit more. Promise.
The post About Those Homeschool Plans first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>The post RAR #232: How to Know If You’re Doing Enough first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>Have you asked yourself that lately? Maybe in the last 15 minutes?
And here’s the kicker: we all ask it. Whether you’re relatively new to homeschooling or a seasoned veteran, we ask it on repeat.
So let’s figure out a way to answer it, so we can give our brains a break.
Today, I’m sharing the last of my sessions from the spring homeschool conferences. This one is all about taking the overwhelm out of “am I doing enough?” and figuring out how to answer that question every time it pops up.
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The post RAR #232: How to Know If You’re Doing Enough first appeared on Read-Aloud Revival ® with Sarah Mackenzie.
]]>