Pre-order While Everyone is Sleeping from waxwingbooks.com.In today’s episode, I’m answering your questions!Listeners have sent in some fabulous questions for me, and I’m going to attempt to tackle them rapid-fire, including about where I get my favorite art prints, what to do with late-night readers, what to do if you don’t feel like you read aloud well, and more.In this episode, you’ll hear:  My favorite places to find bookish art What I do if my kids stay up too late reading How I handle assigned reading in my homeschool Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode: Eliza Wheeler Breezy Brookshire Litographs RAR #178: Why Read a Book a Day? (Yep, You Can!) RAR #165: When Reading Starts to Feel Like School RAR #196: Teaching Literature Without Curriculum (with Free Guide!) RAR #221: What to Do When your Child Doesn’t Finish Books…and Other Questions You’re Asking Free Guide to Asking Your Kids Open-Ended Questions  Books Mentioned in This Episode:Home in the WoodsA Little More BeautifulPride and PrejudicePaddingtonCorduroyThe Fabled Stables1984Animal FarmBrave New WorldLord of the RingsMoby DickThe Prince and the PauperThe Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Pre-order While Everyone is Sleeping from waxwingbooks.com.Two weeks ago I shared the first 5 of 10 mistakes I’ve made in my homeschool -- believe me, I’ve made many, many more than that! But I’m highlighting 10 that stick out most prominently to me.So in the last “Best of Read-Aloud Revival” episode, I shared the first 5 and today I’m sharing the next 5. Hopefully, hearing these will keep you from making the mistakes I have. Homeschooling is a joy and a gift and it’s hard and wonderful and messy and effective -- it’s all of those things at once. I can promise you won’t get it perfect, and I can also promise that you don’t NEED to get it perfect. In this episode, you’ll hear:  Two big mistakes new homeschool parents often make Why you have to avoid the comparison trap in your homeschool Why more isn’t better when it comes to your homeschool One of the hardest lessons I’ve learned in my years of homeschooling Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode:RAR Premium Membership

Pre-order While Everyone is Sleeping from waxwingbooks.com.I’ve been homeschooling for a long time, and just like every other homeschooling mom I know, I’ve made a ton of mistakes. When I was new to homeschooling, I craved the insight of people who had been doing it for a while: What do you wish you did more of? What do you wish you worried less about? What would you do differently if you were starting over again?These are the kinds of things I wanted to know.At the time I’m airing this particular show, I have two college students who were homeschooled the whole way through. Our third child is about to graduate this spring and will also head to University. And then we’ve got three more -- ages 11, 9, and 9. And yeah… we’re doing things a little differently this time around. A couple of years ago I shared on this podcast some of my mistakes in homeschooling-- and they all remain true. So, it seemed like a good idea to talk about those mistakes again. Over this episode and the next one, I’ll be sharing 10 mistakes I’ve made in my homeschool -- five in this episode, and five in the next. If you heard these a few years ago when I first aired them, you might have a new take -- after all, you’re new in a new season of life than you were then. And if you haven't heard, I hope you enjoy. In this episode, you’ll hear:  What really makes a difference in the quality of your homeschool (hint: it’s not agonizing over which curriculum to use) What I wish I’d known then that keeps overwhelm at bay now Why it’s okay for your homeschool to be ordinary Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode: The RAR Quiz or text QUIZ to 33777 Pam Barnhill on skill subjects versus content subjects

Pre-order While Everyone is Sleeping from waxwingbooks.com.Why do we make things mean more than they actually mean?We all do it. We realize a kid doesn’t know how to tie their shoes at age 12, and we tell ourselves we’re forgetting to teach SO MANY IMPORTANT THINGS. We feed our kids frozen pizza for dinner twice in a week and think it means we don’t care about their health. We sleep late and tell ourselves we’re lazy. We have a late reader and think it means we’re not good at this “teaching reading” thing. We make things mean what they don’t mean ALL THE TIME.And today? Today we’re gonna talk about it.I’m sharing something we’ve been talking about in Circle with Sarah, which is our homeschool coaching program in RAR Premium. Recently I did a couple of episodes on why we need to keep data in its place in our homeschool and not make things mean what they don’t mean. I wanted you to hear it, so I’m sharing those two episodes in one RAR Podcast for you here. In this episode, you’ll hear:  Why you have to learn to separate the data from your self-worth and value  How to make use of what the data is actually telling you Journal prompts to help you suss out what the data is telling you and what you’re making it mean Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Books Mentioned in This Episode:Tranquility by Tuesday

Pre-order While Everyone is Sleeping from waxwingbooks.com.Today, I’m sharing a conversation with my friend and colleague, Cindy West.Cindy teaches at No Sweat Nature Study, a homeschool nature study program that takes the guesswork out of nature study by teaching your kids directly. Cindy is also the host of the No Sweat Nature Study podcast, which features short episodes about nature. (My kids absolutely love it!)Cindy and I recently had a conversation for her community about how to use picture books to teach nature study and today, I wanted to share it with you.Because nature study kind of has a name for itself in the homeschooling world. We've sort of built it up as the supreme science activity and it can be wonderful - getting out in nature, observing and learning about the world around us …But we also tend to put a lot of pressure on ourselves about it. There are just times in life when getting out in nature is harder than others – maybe you have a new baby, maybe someone has allergies, maybe the weather is just plain terrible. There are plenty of reasons why you might need or want to do some of your nature study from the couch or the kitchen table.And that’s why on today’s episode of the Read-Aloud Revival Podcast, Cindy and I are talking about teaching nature study through books.In this episode, you’ll hear:  How “living literature” helps you kids make connections between books and the world around them How making connections through picture books can relieve some of the pressure around nature study Why picture book biographies are great launching points for all ages Learn more about Cindy West: No Sweat Nature Study No Sweat Nature Study Podcast Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie: Read Aloud Revival Waxwing Books Subscribe to the Newsletter Mentioned in This Episode:Nature Study Book List and Activity Guide