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In Part Two of this two part series Levi and Chaz discuss what life is like as an adult after being homeschooled. They give insights into what it was like: Starting collegeGetting their first jobsTransitions into adulthoodThings they will change when homeschooling their own childrenThings they appreciate from their own homeschool experienceThey end by giving advice to both parents and homeschoolers, from the perspective of adults who were homeschooled.  In Part One, Levi and Chaz focused on their homeschool experiences and perspectives during childhood and how those opinions have changed or remained the same in their adult lives. 

Most podcast focus on assisting homeschool parents as they navigate the homeschool adventure. Instead, our next two podcast will be focusing on what homeschooling looks like to our kids.  In this podcast, Chaz and Levi will be discussing what it was like growing up in the homeschool environment. What they like, what they didn't like and what they wish they had done differently.  They give advice to parents and their homeschooled children, encouraging children to carefully evaluate the gift they have being homeschooled and how to best use that gift to the fullest. They also give parents some insights into the unspoken concerns facing some homeschoolers as they reach the teenage years. In the next podcast, Chaz and Levi will be discussing what life looks like as an adult who was homeschooled. They discuss their college experiences, work opportunities, marriage and other transitions into adulthood.  We hope these podcast give both parents and homeschoolers insight into their homeschool journey, and assists them as they plan out their adult life after homeschooling.

Disruptions in the homeschool are inevitable. But when your homeschooler is doing the disrupting things can get out of control fast. In this series we are discussing what to do when our homeschooler insists on disrupting the day, and why they do it.  In today's podcast, part 5 of the series, Chaz and Christie are discussing the funny child. This child brings so much joy, and light hearted good times to the classroom. But a funny child out of control can also bring frustration and choas.  Chaz, the funny boy, and Christie (the mom who taught him) discuss what homeschooling is like for the funny boy, and for the rest of the family.  They discuss practical ways of helping the funny child work through their natural inclinations, while still learning the control and respect for themselves and others that are necessary for their interactions with others and their adult lives.  They discuss: The need to gain the respect of the funny childTeaching the funny child to tease without hurting othersTraining your funny child to not use jokes to draw attention to their own weaknesses or sensitive areasClassroom techniques for working with your funny child.We hope you enjoy this podcast and check out the rest of our series on: The Disruptive Homeschooler Part One: The Melt Down ChildPart Two: The DistractorPart Three: The Watch Me/Look at This ChildPart Four: The TalkerPart Five: The Funny Boy

In this series, we have been discussing what to do when your homeschooler disrupts the school day.  This podcast discusses the talker. This is the child who just can't seem to stop disrupting, because they just have to tell you one more thing.  Chaz and Christie give tips and insights into the talker and how to help them use their natural inclination to learn and develop, while still maintaining stability in the classroom. Chaz describes what it was like being a homeschool talker and the frustrations of having to keep quiet when he had so much to share. He then goes on to share how his mom, Christie, used his talkative, outgoing nature to help him develop leadership skills in their homeschool environment. These skills gave him a great start into adult life and his present career. He strongly encourages parents to acknowledge their child's natural inclinations as they develop a plan for not just ending disruptions in the classroom, but also to help their child grow and mature through the homeschool experience. We encourage you to check out the rest of the Disruptive Homeschool series: Part 1: The Meltdown Child Part 2:  The Deflector Part 3: The Watch Me/Look at This Child Part 4: The Talker Part 5: The Funny Guy

Disruptions in the school day. They come in many different forms, from the phone ringing, to errands that have to be run, the list is endless and constant. But the hardest is when your homeschooler is the disruptor.  In this series, The Disruptive Homeschooler, Chaz and Christie discuss five of the most common disruptive behaviors seen in most homeschools. Although no child has only one means of disrupting, you will see a natural inclination towards a specific means of drawing unproductive attention towards themselves. Understanding these kinds of disruptions, the motivation behind the disruptions, and ways to use your child's natural inclinations to help redirect them, will go a long ways to bringing stability back into your classroom. The five disruptive personalities that are discussed in the 5 part series are: The Melt-down ChildThe DeflectorThe Watch Me/Look at This ChildThe TalkerThe Funny ChildIn today's podcast, Chaz and Christie will be focusing on the Watch Me/Look at This Child. This is the child who loves to show you their newest twirl, whistle or picture they drew. Great things, but not necessarily in the middle of a grammar lesson.  What to do when you want to encourage your child's creativity and wonder, but also need them to focus on the task at hand? This podcast will give you practical, easy to implement tips for working with your Watch Me/Look at This child.

Disruptions in the school day, everyone has them. But what do you do when your biggest disruption is your homeschooler. In this series Chaz and Christie discuss some of the most common disruptive behaviors and share tips for getting back control of your homeschool. Todays podcast focuses on the Deflector. These homeschoolers have a wide range of tools they can use to disassemble even the best planned school day. They ask questions that are off topic and are hard to answer, give tidbits of knowledge on subjects that have nothing to do with what you are talking about, and will argue with you over facts that are totally irrelevant to the discussion. And they can get so stuck on these facts, arguments, and questions that you can't pry their brains away from their topic of interest.  As an adult who was homeschooled and the mom who taught him, Chaz and Christie have a unique perspective as ones who have been where you are, both as a teacher and as a homeschooled student. Listen as they describe life with a deflector in the classroom and some of the funny and unique disruptions that it caused through their homeschool adventure. Also, hear some of the things that Christie discovered to bring order back from chaos as she learned how to work with her own deflecting homeschooler. 

Disruptions, they come from everywhere - the dog, the phone, the doorbell, but the worst is when your homeschooler is the disruption. They come in many forms - the meltdown child, the distractor, the talker, just to name three. But, they all have basically the same purpose - to be noticed and to delay school.  For the next few podcasts, we are going to discuss different types of disruptive students, and give you some practical tips for dealing with their unique style of disrupting a school day.  In this podcast Chaz and Christie will be discussing the Meltdown Child. From their own personal experience as a homeschooler, and the mom who taught him, they will describe the classic meltdown situation and the two main causes of such behavior.  They will also give many hints and suggestions for working with your Meltdown Child, including: How to train your child to handle pressures and distractions Arranging the classroom and other learning environments to accommodate your child's particular needsBreaking down assignments into workable sectionsCurriculum options for the distracted learnerCatching a melt down before it happensAnd finally, they will encourage you sharing with you the results of a lifetime of training for an adult homeschooler who was once a Meltdown Child. If you have a child who meltdowns in or out of the classroom, this podcast will be an encouragement, and a help in dealing with the disruption of meltdowns and give you a plan for making them a thing of the past. 

Merry Christmas! In this podcast we will be continuing our discussion on Christmas traditions. Last week, Chaz and Christie discussed the origins and history of Santa Claus and the Christmas tree. This week we will be sharing the background behind: Christmas cardsPoinsettiasSalvation Army Bell RingersStore SantasThe Ugly Christmas SweaterCookie SwapsLaying out letters and cookies for Santa, and carrots for his reindeer We hope you enjoy the podcast and will come check us out at www.toolboxforlearning.com.

Merry Christmas! In this podcast, Chaz and Christie begin a two part series on some of our more popular Christmas traditions. This podcast focuses mainly on Santa Claus and the Christmas tree. History of Santa Claus: Three main views of where Santa Claus originatedHow Santa went from an elf with a miniature sleigh to a full-sized Santa dressed all in red.Was Santa always jolly?Thomas Nast Coca Cola's Rudolph, elves and Mrs. ClausHistory of the Christmas Tree: Paradise tree (Christbaum)Martin LutherSaint Boniface legendLegend of the ForesterQueen Charlotte's Christmas tree Christmas tree's move to the United StatesHistory of the tree skirt1851 first mass supply of Christmas trees In our next podcast we will be discussing the history of: Christmas cards and stampsPoinsettiasSalvation Army Bell RingersStore Santa'sUgly Christmas Sweater'sCookie swapsLetter's to Santa with milk and cookies We hope you enjoy this podcast and have a very Merry Christmas.

Gratitude can be learned. Whether giving a show of gratitude or being on the receiving end, how we respond is important.  In this podcast, Chaz and Christie discuss the importance of gratefulness and ideas for incorporating it into the life of your child. Included in their discussion is: What gratitude is and is notResearch on the importance of gratefulness in the life of your childTeaching children how to accept others show of gratitudeShowing your child how to respond when others are ungrateful for your child's gift Suggestions for teaching gratitude in your homeWe hope you find this podcast helpful as you teach your child the joy of giving and receiving.

Chores, just the word makes both kids and adults cringe. Why does it have to be such a challenge? And is it even worth the effort?  In this podcast Chaz and Christie bring you beyond the chore list to discuss the root causes of chore challenges:  Failure to understand the main purpose of choresImproper training for choresLack of ownership for the choresAs a veteran homeschool mom and a former homeschooler, Chaz and Christie have a unique perspective as ones who have been where you are, both as a teacher and as a homeschooled student. Taking from their own experiences Chaz and Christie give suggestions for making chore time a more pleasant and productive time. We look forward to sharing this podcast with you and look forward to reading your comments.  

Starting college can be frightening for anyone, but for homeschooler's and their parents, there are extra apprehensions that come up as they prepare for the college experience. In this podcast, Chaz and Christie discuss college from the perspective of a homeschooler, who is now a college graduate, and the mom who taught him. They give tips in how to adjust and get the most out of the college experience. They will discuss: Getting involved in campus lifeThe important classes to take your first semesterHow to relate to your professorUsing the math and writing labsKeeping track of important dates Watching bulletin boards and other announcementsWe hope you find this podcast helpful as you prepare for your college adventure.