Finding Community: Building a Support System Online and In-Person
Homeschoolers – especially those that have been doing this awhile – laugh at the question that is most often brought up by concerned family and friends. The socialization question really is quite amusing, as kids have opportunities to be social in so many ways. There...
Learning with Games | Blocks Rock!
MOM! She’s being mean to me! I closed my eyes and groaned inwardly. Seriously… the time between the end of winter and the beginning of springtime — you know, when the weather can’t quite make up its mind what it’s going to do — is so exhausting for an intense...
RLL 10 Sarah MacKenzie: Building Connections Through Books
Want to make the most out of your parenting — in just ten minutes a day? Listen in to find out the super (not so) secret way Sarah MacKenzie connects with her kids, builds meaningful relationships with all six(!) of them, and cultivates a passionate love of...
Sesame Street Live! | Coming to Cleveland
Live action theatre — it’s a surefire way to get kids excited and share joy with them. We love going to theatre of all types, and taking the littlest ones to shows that feature their favorite characters is a great way to ignite that love of theatre early...
RLL 09 Pam Barnhill: Better Together
Strengthening your family, simplifying your homeschool, and savoring the subjects that matter most is a piece of cake when you take a moment to soak in the wisdom of today’s guest, my friend Pam Barnhill. She has a knack for putting things into perspective and...
Why You Should Attend a Homeschool Convention
Homeschool convention season is upon us and I am so excited to be back with Great Homeschool Conventions! I’ll have all-new talks to share, exciting new stuff happening in my booth, and I always love seeing the faces of new friends and old ones. It’s...
An Online Math Solution for Families With Diverse Needs
Cue the tears. And much gnashing of teeth. It’s math time for the ten year old and this never, ever goes well for us here. Surprising, really, as we don’t typically have trouble with math in this house. Well, I should be completely honest and tell you that...
RLL 08 Melissa: Following Their Joy
Raising creative, loving, and inquisitive kids is a goal of mine, and so many other parents out there — homeschooling, afterschooling, traditionally schooling, and everything in between. Today I’m talking to Melissa, a friend from the interwebs, about...
Black History Month and Your Emotionally Intense Child
I sat down recently to begin planning out what all we’d learn about for Black History Month. The more I read, the more excited I felt to share such a rich heritage with my children, and the more grateful I felt to live during a time when our education is only...
RLL 07 Alicia Hutchinson: Homeschooling and Learning Well
Simple ideas + Easy routines = Homeschooling with confidence… That’s the philosophy behind the beautiful community that is Learning Well with Alicia Hutchinson. In this episode, Alicia and I talk about the beauty of an ever-evolving homeschool life and...
101 Reasons Eclectic Homeschooling Works for Gifted Kids
It started out an easy, relaxed conversation, and then the mom at the library asked me the question I most dread answering… “What curriculum do you use with your kids?” I always stammer and then feel like a deer caught in the headlights. I mean, how...
101 Reasons You Need Audio Books in Your Homeschool
“Alexa, play Harry Potter and the Sorcer’s Stone from my Audible library.” My eight year old daughter grabs her portable easel, some felt tip pens, and her sketchbook and settles into a pile of pillows on the family room floor to listen to our...
RLL 06 S.D. Smith: Cultivating Creativity Through New Stories with an Old Soul
Author of the fantastically popular series The Green Ember, S. D. Smith is here today to talk about honesty in storytelling, how igniting your own learning helps keep your tank filled as you homeschool and ecourage creativity and learning in your kiddos, and what it...
Strew to Learn | Five Days of Inspiration and Support
I love to sleep in, snuggled deep into my covers, all cozy warm while the world gets started without me. It’s a little piece of Heaven. Two of my children are just like me in that regard, and for that, they’ll always be my favorites. Shhhhh… don’t tell the other two....
AlexaSchooling | Using the Amazon Echo for Homeschooling
“Alexa, how do you spell instrument? i-n-s-t-r- Alexa! Spell instrument. u-m-e-n-t,” my eight year old lays sprawled out on the floor surrounded by colored pencils, Calico Critters and their teeny-tiny musical intruments, and a blank book in which...
RLL 05 Aurie Good: Roadtripping and Following the Child
Homeschooling foster and adoptive mama, Aurie Good, is here today to talk with us about all the ways she follows her kiddos’ lead and balances the structure of a program like Classical Conversations with a more free-flowing, child-led approach to learning....
RLL 04 Amy Milcic: Keeping Things Fun While On-the-Go
Keeping up with homeschooling, parenting, and all that goes into keeping a family going is tough enough when you’re home all the time. For Amy Milcic and her crew, they’re (more often than not) out and on the go at tournaments and other travel sports...
RLL 03 Gina Munsey: Keeping Up With a Profoundly Gifted Kiddo
Do you ever feel like you’re barely keeping up with your child’s learning? Like you could keep throwing materials, supplies, and activities at him or her all day long, and it would never be enough? That’s what it feels like to be raising an...
RLL 02 Caitlin Curley: Diving Down Rabbit Holes and Following Kids’ Interests
Diving down rabbit holes with your kiddos can lead to some pretty amazing learning and fun adventures. In this epsiode, Cait Curley shares some of the ways she embraces learning adventures with her kids, and how she cultivates their curiosity while buildng a family...
RLL 01 Colleen Kessler: What Does it Mean to be a Lifelong Learner?
What does it even mean to be a lifelong learner? How do we, as parents, cultivate a love of learning and curiosity in our kids? In this — the inaugural episode of the Raising Lifelong Learners podcast — we’ll chat about exactly that, and...
Great Dyslexia Resources for Homeschoolers
I don’t ever remember a time I couldn’t read. And, truthfully, neither do my parents, aunts, uncles, grandparents, or anyone who knew me as a girl. Of course, it’s not like I came out of the womb with a book in hand, but books were never very far...
Toys for Young Builders
Building allows kids to learn about S.T.E.M. concepts while having fun. With different materials to build with, and S.T.E.M. puzzles to explore, kids can dig into different ideas about how all things work. Answer kids’ curious questions through play! We love...
Smartick Math | Homeschool Math for All Ages
Mom! Can I PLEASE do my math? What is this magic? My kids are begging to do math now? For real? Yep. For real. My youngest three kids absolutely adore Smartick math. I’ve shared about it again and again on Instagram and in person at homeschool conventions...
Disney on Ice | A Great Holiday Gift for Kids
Sparkling eyes, and rapt attention… I remember the last time we went to see Disney on Ice we fell in love with princesses and iconic characters all over again. Well, actually the kids did. I fell in love with the look in the girls’ eyes as they stared at...Welcome!
Hi! I'm Colleen, gifted specialist, educational consultant, author, speaker, and homeschool mom of four gifted/twice-exceptional kids.
Grab a cup of coffee, some of that chocolate you're hiding from the kids, and join me as I learn, experiment, and explore with my kiddos -- and hopefully inspire you a little in your journey alongside smart, quirky, creative kids, too!
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