Blog | Raising Lifelong Learners

RLL#62: [Audioblog] Why Should You Homeschool Your Gifted Children?

The longer I homeschool my gifted children, and the more I see and talk to other parents of gifted and twice-exceptional kids, the more I believe that homeschooling is the best educational option for our nation’s above-average...

RLL #61: Let’s Talk About Anxiety

While this podcast episode was recorded before all the COVID-19 stuff hit, and things were relatively normal, I felt it important to share it with you. In this episode I talk about five simple things you can do with your anxious kiddos to help them right...

Helping Your Child Manage Anxiety During COVID-19

I was drifting off to sleep in my Fort Worth hotel room just last week after the convention I was speaking at was closed down in the middle of everything because the city had issued an order banning all gatherings of more than 100 people. I heard my teen clear his...

High School Science Without a Lab | Paradigm Accelerated Curriculum

When we first started homeschooling, I hadn’t planned too far into the future. We were accidental homeschoolers, thrust into it rather than inspired by it, and I was focused on the immediate. I had no idea that we’d still be home educating this many years...

Beat Boredom at Home | Free Bingo Card

Stuck at home with kiddos who are used to being stimulated all. day. long. and at a loss for what to do? The activities on this super fun (and free) downloadable Bingo card are just what you need to keep your quirky kid engaged in learning and fun — without an...

How to Help Your Kids Thrive When They’re Stuck Inside

Maybe you’re dealing with a prolonged illness, a weather mishap that canceled your plans, job transitions, car troubles, recovery of some type, or a good old-fashioned school break, but sometimes, somehow, you find yourself stuck at home for long periods of...

RLL #60: Raising Differently-Wired Kids with Debbie Reber

Differently-wired kiddos require a major shift in parenting philosophies and practices, and today’s guest is no stranger to shaking things up. Debbie Reber, founder of the Tilt Parenting podcast and author of Differently-Wired: Rasing an Exceptional Child...

Taming the Worry Dragon at GHC

Year after year that I attend Great Homeschool Conventions, I meet families struggling to help their child cope with anxiety, worry, and perfectionism. Anxiety is an issue plaguing many of today’s young people, and gifted and twice-exceptional children are...

RLL #59: [Audioblog] Gifted Kids Are Gonna Gift

I shrug a lot, shake my head with a smile, even chuckle. My kids are a blast. They’re different and difficult and quite the handful, but at the end of the day I don’t know what I’d do without the constant excitement of their excitabilities or the quick wit...

Great Homeschool Conventions and Great Homeschool Speakers

Great Homeschool Conventions always promise to put on quality events. They listen to homeschool families and are always incredibly responsive to the ever-changing needs of the community, making sure to truly have something for everyone. If you check out their...

Finding Books for Your Gifted Readers

The best thing about having gifted readers is also the hardest thing – they are voracious. They inhale books, consume them, and aren’t even done chewing on their last novel before they’re begging for more. Parenting a gifted child comes with...

The Social Benefits of Online Gaming

There’s a lot of information and opinion out there about online gaming, warning us, the parents, not to let our children rot their brains and spend their days on these video games. The big bad wolf is no longer outside, threatening to blow our house down –...

RLL #58: Why You Should Check Out a Homeschooling Convention This Year

Are you planning to come out to a homeschool convention this season? Colleen will be speaking at all seven of the Great Homeschool Conventions and several others as well — you can find her entire calendar on her speaking page. In this episode, though, she...

WriteShop to the Rescue | When Unschooling Isn’t Enough

Homeschoolers these days sound like they’re ordering a Starbucks treat when describing their educational styles. “I’m Charlotte Mason-inspired with a little Waldorf and wildschooling mixed in, sprinkled by gameschooling and very unschool-y...

RLL #57: Protecting Our Kids From Porn with Kristen Jenson

In today’s highly connected world, kids are being exposed to pornography at younger and younger ages. Oftentimes, by the time we’ve sat down with our kids to have a conversation about what they may come across online it’s too late. Filters...

Don’t Stifle the Polymaths

“So what do you want to be when you grow up?” It’s a simple question, innocent enough. It’s a great icebreaker from young children up to teenagers, a great way to learn a lot about someone in a small amount of time. There’s nothing...

RLL #56: [Audioblog] Disclipline and Your Intense Child

Do you feel like all you ever do is yell at and correct your intense child? That for every time you praise him, you’ve already berated him 15 times? And, are you completely exhausted before you’ve finished your first cup of coffee? Yeah… me too. This...

Coming to GHC – The Real Mom Tour!

I am so excited to finally be able to share this! For the last few years at Great Homeschool Conventions, I’ve joined my dear friends Pam Barnhill and Sarah Mackenzie for a panel discussion, addressing questions about everything related to homeschooling,...

RLL #55: Helping Your Child Manage Perfectionism

So many gifted and twice-exceptional kiddos struggle with perfectionism, and untreated perfectionism can lead to other problems like low self-esteem, anxiety, depression, and even eating disorders. Finding ways to talk to your kiddos is important, and keeping...

Falling Unexpectedly in Love With Homeschooling My Gifted Child

I’ll admit to having harbored some pretty unfavorable opinions towards homeschooling in the past. I was not only a product of public schools, I was a fan. An extreme extrovert, I’d absolutely loved school, my classmates, all of the extracurricular...

Games to Help Kids Control Their Anger

When it comes to the powerful emotion, anger, things can get a little bumpy. Usually, this stems from the fear of not knowing. Instead of living in a state of wonder (I wonder if….. I wonder when…. I wonder how…..), let’s give our kids the...

How I Homeschool With a Chronic Illness

I love getting to contribute here at Raising Lifelong Learners. My kids are like your kids and I share a lot about them, what works for their overexcitabilities or anxiety or unique needs that come with giftedness. I’ve shared about discovering their giftedness,...

New Year, New Talks, New Reasons to Attend Great Homeschool Conventions

We are officially in the roaring 20’s, and I could not be more excited about all that awaits us in the new year! We’re settled into our new home, the kiddos are at some seriously fun ages, and I have more opportunities than ever to travel and speak to...

Great Resources for Curious & Creative Homeschoolers

There was a time when I looked forward to poring over the ads and mapping my conquests out in a post-turkey haze, gearing up for the bargains I would snag on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Now, my bargain-hunting tends to be restricted to tapping away at the...

RLL #54: Homeschooling Through Tough Times

Let’s face it — homeschooling differently-wired kiddos is challenging. Parenting them is challenging. But, when life hits you from all sides, and you have highly emotional, anxiety-filled, and otherwise differently-wired kids to parent through it,...

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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!