Teaching Character Through Literature | Beautiful Feet Books
A few years ago, my daughter (then nine) stumbled across a table filled with the most beautiful books she had ever seen (her words) at a homeschool convention she was attending with me. She begged me to stop everything I was doing and go over to the booth with her to...
RLL #47: The Introverted Homeschool Mom with Jamie C. Martin
Are you an introvert? Guess what?! You’re not alone! Today’s guest, Jamie Martin, is the brilliant mama behind the website Simple Homeschool and has just released a new book called The Introverted Mom: Your Guide to More Calm, Less Guilt, and Quiet...
The Anxious Parent of the Anxious Child | The Guilt of Passing it On
It’s late. Really late. I should have been in bed hours ago, but instead I’m sitting up, trying to calm the fears, trying to shush the irrational thoughts, trying to calm the breathing, trying to wipe away the tears. Anxiety has reared it’s ugly head...
Homeschooling Through Anxiety With Time4Learning
It’s no secret that anxiety is rampant these days. In addition to all of the families I work with and hear from who struggle with anxiety in their home, my own family is affected. Anxiety makes everything harder, scarier, and sometimes seemingly impossible. It...
RLL #46: Homeschooling Quirky Kids with Cynthia Heren
Cynthia Heren joins Colleen today to talk about what it’s like in the trenches homeschooling differently-wired kiddos. She gives us a peek into her schedule, the rabbit holes her family dives down, and how they incorporate online learning and Minecraft...
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...
Amazing Gifts for Book Lovers
Throughout the year we are met with a list of loved ones to buy gifts for…. this takes thought, time, and creativity to find that perfect gift. The goal is to find that meaningful gift that they will love and use. This list of gift ideas can help you do just...
The Best Homeschool Typing Program | Typesy Homeschool
I cringe every time I sit near my kids as they use their chromebooks or the shared desktop computer. Hunt and peck. Hunt and peck. It’s excruciating. In fact, since typing takes them so long, in most cases my kids just use talk-to-text when they need...
Surviving Different Weather Conditions | Think Outside Boxes
“I see a bulldozer!” “I see a dolphin!” “Well I see a jet ski being ridden by a rabbit.” Cloud-watching is almost a childhood rite of passage. Lying back on the plush grass or looking through a car window, there is just...
Smart Kids Still Need Help
Parents, teachers, friends and mentors… let’s talk. We have a generation of brilliant, gifted, amazing kids who are having (and are going to have) significant crises over the next days, weeks, and months. These kids, the ones we’ve nurtured and shuttled from...
RLL 45: Homeschooling Special Needs Kiddos with Faith Berens
Are you homeschooling a kiddo with special needs? You’re not alone. It can be a challenging adventure, for sure, but today’s guest, Faith Berens, has some wonderful insight and tips for parents who are homeschooling their special needs kids. Links...
Books to Help Your Kids Learn Mindfulness at Home
To help keep all of these wonderful mindfulness resources in one place, I have gathered some of the best books to help your kids learn mindfulness at home. We already know how reading can help children learn. So why not combine the incredibly helpful topic of...
Taking Care of Injuries on the Trail | Think Outside Boxes
It’s no secret that anxieties are strong in my home. With creativity and intelligence abounding, my kids have no trouble imagining plenty of worst case scenarios or developing healthy fears of illness and injury. If I’m being honest, I’ve been known...
Passions, Pressure, and Letting Our Kids Let Go
When my son was about 5 years old, he fell in love with birds. I can’t remember now how it all started, but suddenly, he was a tiny John James Audubon, pointing out species and identifying calls. He spent hours emerged in bird books, and once, when he met a volunteer...
Surviving the Elements | Think Outside Boxes
Any time the kids are outside long enough, either in a backyard, a park, or out camping, they start gathering sticks and scouting locations for shelters. Maybe it’s all those episodes of Alone we watch on the History Channel, maybe it’s the number of...
RLL #44: Rooted Childhood with Meghann Dibrell
If you scroll through your Instagram feed and wish for slower, more meaningful days, or dream of better connections with your kids like those gorgeous images, this is the episode for you. Meghann Dibrell talks to us about cultivating a rooted childhood for your kids,...
I Hate My Son’s Headphones
My son has a sensory processing disorder. He is an avoider – sounds, smells, textures. There’s a lot in our world that hurts him, a lot of situations that are overwhelming for him, a lot of sensations and stimuli that you or I take for granted related to...
Using Time4Learning with a Busy Middle Schooler
A few months ago my eleven year old asked me if she could try something new for her homeschool lessons. She’s always been a box-checker, someone who wants a clear-cut list of plans and a chance to hole up in her room and just get it done so she can get on with...
Why You Should Keep Attending Homeschool Conventions
Okay, so you’re a pro by now. You’ve been homeschooling for years now, you’ve got your systems in place, your preferred curriculum selected, and you are living in the sweet spot of a homeschool veteran who knows what they’re doing. You’ve...
Homeschool Testing | Helping Your Perfectionist Do Hard Things
“Great! Now this stupid test that I didn’t want to take and I’m probably failing anyway just ruined the beautiful book I’m reading! I had no idea that Darcy and Elizabeth ended up together! How on Earth can they spoil amazing pieces of...
Come Meet Me (and Many Others) at Great Homeschool Conventions!
Winter is fading. The snow is melting (a little), the birds are singing, and Spring is just around the corner. I love this time of year not just because of the warmth that is headed my way, but because it signals the beginning of convention season with Great...
RLL #43: Getting Your Kids Outside with Justin Wren
Sometimes it seems difficult to get our kids outside when all they want to do is lounge around inside the house. But, studies show that time outside increases creativity and cognitive functions, so it’s important to get kids outside as much as we can. Today...
RLL #42: What It’s Like to be Homeschooled with Best Friends Molly and Ella
Ever wonder what your homeschooling kiddos really think about this life? Today, Colleen talks to her daughter Molly and best friend Ella all about what it’s like for these 10 and 11 year olds to be homeschooled, what kinds of things they’re involved in,...
Homeschooling and Public Schooling | Differentiating for Your Own Kids
Spend a solid five minutes with the parents of gifted kids, and you’re like to hear the term “differentiating” tossed around at least a few times. It’s the golden standard for kids of varying gifts and abilities, the seemingly-perfect answer to...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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