PODCAST · education
Kitchen Table Homeschool
by Courtney Ostaff, Jenn Naughton
Curmudgeonly long-time classical, secular homeschoolers Jenn Naughton (Bookish Society) and Courtney Ostaff offer in-depth reviews of popular homeschool curricula, discuss educational philosophies, and answer common questions. Subscribe to transcripts at https://www.patreon.com/KitchenTableHomeschool
Episodes
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ELA Curriculum Suggestions Part 2 of 3
"Today, we are going to talk about logistics. What do you need to buy for a complete English Language Arts homeschool course? We’ll go through a bunch of grade levels and the choices you have. Today--early elementary."
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ELA Curriculum Suggestions Part 1 of 3
"Today, we are going to talk about logistics. What do you need to buy for a complete English Language Arts homeschool course? We’ll go through a bunch of grade levels and the choices you have. Not every year has to look the same; believe me, I was the Queen of the Curriculum Swap. I want to begin...
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ELA: Memory Work
"Today, let’s discuss how memory works, why it matters, and how to commit information to long-term memory. It’s hard work. This process doesn't always make your kid happy, and it may come packaged in a form that looks excruciatingly boring to you."
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ELA: Composition
Jenn: "Today, we are returning to ELA with composition. Finally! Composition is a different beast than creative writing. While your students will apply the skills they learned in composition to creative writing, you can’t count that incredible story that your kid wrote and call it composition.…
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AMA: Part Three
Listener Questions in this episode: 1) How did you stay the course when you felt unmotivated? 2) What curricula would you recommend for a severely delayed child?
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AMA: Part Two
Listener Questions in this episode: 1) "How do you think homeschoolers are perceived in college admissions?" 2) "accommodations for testing, how to go about applying and receiving them" 3) "What do you think are important reasons / circumstances when a child should Not be homeschooled?" 4) "How…
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Homeschool Gift Guide
Feeling like a little retail therapy? We share our favorite non-curriculum items and purchases, including vendors. As always, we get zero kickbacks or freebies. We buy everything we recommend with our own money.
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ELA: Literature
Books speak directly to us as readers, inviting us to talk back, which can change our lives. Literature, as the name of an academic subject, refers to the study of stories, novels, poems, plays, and creative nonfiction like essays or memoirs. Literature study involves reading, analyzing,...
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AMA Part One
Today: How did you get started in your respective homeschool-related careers (Bookish, homeschool evaluation)? Someone asks: What homeschool products do you, in hindsight, cringe at having used? What products do you wish you had used that you never got around to using or they weren’t available at...
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Behind the Scenes
(This pod was recorded in October of 2023) Today, we’re going to talk about how our own homeschooling is going this year, as well as homeschooling, in the news. We’ll swing back around to finish the ELA series later.
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Handwriting
When new home educators contact us, it’s usually about handwriting or math. Today, we’ll try to take the mystery out of teaching writing. Print first or cursive first? Then what brand of cursive is best? And finally, should we bother teaching it at all?
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Grammar: an equity issue
Today we’re talking about teaching grammar. You wouldn't think this is a controversial subject, but many homeschooling families do not, in fact, teach English grammar. Learning about English grammar in isolation does not appear to result in better student writing. We still teach it and we think…
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Spelling and Vocabulary
Today, we’re going to talk about spelling and vocabulary. It’s important to note that although there is overlap, they are not the same thing. Spelling is when a child hears, or thinks of, a word and is able to write, or know, the letters in the word--in their correct order. I know, I know, you…
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Phonics—necessary, but insufficient
(After a month of embargo for our Patreon subscribers, we'll post them here.) In this episode, we’re going to be talking about English language arts. English language arts is a complex area with multiple interlocking parts. We will take the whole thing apart and talk about each bit separately.…
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Introducing a New Series - English Language Arts
(After a month of embargo for our Patreon subscribers we'll release episodes here.) Today’s podcast is the first in a series about English Language Arts. This is probably the most complex subject to teach in the homeschool (or anywhere, for that matter) because it’s not really a single subject at...
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The Power of Routines
(After a month of embargo time for our Patreon subscribers we'll release episodes here.) Relationships are at the heart of successful homeschooling. But how do we leverage that on a practical level? How do we make sure that our kids understand our (hopefully reasonable) expectations and work to...
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Peer Advice in the Homeschool
(After a month of embargo time for our Patreon subscribers, we'll release episodes here.) Pros and cons. What to be wary of, the importance of a strong support team, and some tips.
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Remediation in the Homeschool
(After a month of embargo time for our Patreon subscribers, we'll release all episodes here.) As the school year starts for many people in the USA, we are often disheartened and surprised to learn just how much our children forgot over their long summer break. We talk about identifying when our...
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Kitchen Table Homeschool Introduction
We're changing it up around here. Learn why and how we're doing it.
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Fun With Words ~ The Rules of Homeschooling, MCEH edition
In this episode, Jenn, Courtney, and Drew draw on past experiences to come up with 20 guidelines for homeschooling. Everything from times tables to instruction types is on the table!
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Identifying Learning Differences in the Homeschool
This one goes out to Noelani Perry, the Inclusive Academic Homeschoolers, and all the homeschoolers who've helped share their wisdom over the years. In this episode, we talk about some clues that your child may have atypical development, give an overview of how to find testing, and then review…
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How To Homeschool the Kids You Have
In this episode we discuss three homeschooling books we love: Minimalist Homeschooling by Zara Fagen, A Literary Education by Emily Cook, and The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise. Then, we talk about why we still felt it necessary to write our own book, including experiences…
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K-8 overview of Modern Classical Education at Home
We review the core subjects for grades K-8, as well as some pitfalls for instruction at those ages. We begin with Academics, Arts, and Athletics, and then divide Academics into English Language Arts; Mathematics; Social Studies; Science; and World Languages. We divide English into the skills of...
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Book Discussion: Make It Stick
Jenn, Courtney, and Drew review a classic in pedagogy. This 2014 book is chock full of advice about how to, well, make it stick. In the episode, we review this book from a homeschooling perspective. We also share some advantages that homeschoolers have over classroom teachers, especially…
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What is modern, classical education?
We talk about where this idea came from, how we've developed it, and what it means for our philosophy of education: rigorous academics, adult-directed, inclusive, mostly secular, and evidence-based.
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The Importance of Background Knowledge
What it is, why you need it, when it is important, how you can help your children acquire it, how cognitive science works with it, what curriculum helps.
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Book Discussion: Consider This by Karen Glass
We go deep on Charlotte Mason style homeschooling with a short bio of Charlotte Mason, Glass's argument, the three "educational instruments", Glass's definition of the classical tradition, the idea of "synthetic knowledge", teaching virtue, the need for people to earn a living, twaddle, the love...
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Holiday Break 2021
A short episode about homeschooling over the winter holidays, the dreaded re-entry, and the February slump. Plus a recommendation for a holiday unit study and some tips on how to beat those winter blahs.
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Book Discussion: Why Don't Students Like School? by Willingham, 2nd Ed
Courtney, Andrew, and Jenn discuss questions like: What is cognitive science? And why should we care? Why should homeschoolers read this book? Then we discuss each chapter, applying it to homeschooling and curricula choices. Spiral curricula, fluency, schemas, novices vs experts, and the…
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Blossom & Root
What it is, philosophical underpinnings, products and services, what users we contacted liked, what we didn't like, who we think this would work for, and our overall recommendation.
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Content Standards and Objectives
Jenn and AJ interview Courtney about standards: what they are (including Common Core), why homeschoolers should care about them, choosing curricula with standards in mind, how homeschoolers (or classroom teachers) can use them, the difference between content standards and learning objectives…
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Memoria Press
Andrew, Jenn, and Courtney dive deep into Memoria Press, reviewing what we like (easy to use curricula especially for students with executive functioning issues, thorough coverage, explicit phonics, special education offerings, literature sets, daily checklists) and what we don't like (workbook...
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Planning
In this episode, Jenn, Andrew, and Courtney discuss why your educational philosophy should guide your curricula choices, run through a quick checklist for identifying a solid curriculum, review some caveats (and share some blunders of our own), and talk about annual scheduling, working with…
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Brave Writer
In a special double-length episode, Jenn, Courtney, and AJ tackle the academics of Brave Writer. We begin with a high level overview of how Brave Writer covers grammar, literature, and writing, dig deep into the teaching methods (with stops along the way for the curse of expertise…
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The Curriculum Rating Game, Part 4
In this episode, we finish our curriculum rating game, all the way down to Z, and Zaner-Bloser handwriting.
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The Curriculum Rating Game, Part 3
In this episode, Jenn, AJ, and Courtney go from M (Mater Amabilis) to S (Saxon math), with a few detours here and there.
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The Curriculum Rating Game, Part 2
On deck in this episode, we do Yelp-style reviews of: Explode the Code, Exploring Nature with Children, Memoria Press Latin, Galore Park, Getty-Dubay Italic Handwriting, Italics: Beautiful Handwriting for Children, Getting Started with Latin (etc), Guest Hollow, Grammar for the Well-Trained Mind,...
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All About the Bookish Society
AJ and Courtney interview Jenn about the Bookish Society, including what parents and students can expect and how an international community of young readers has bloomed amid the latest book releases for K12 (and beyond!)
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Exploring the World through Story (EWS)
In this episode, Jenn and Courtney interview Andrew Campbell about the newly published curriculum Exploring the World through Story. We talk about what it covers, the educational philosophy behind it, and what's included.
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The Curriculum Rating Game, Part 1
Jenn keeps score as she, Courtney, and AJ rate curricula, Yelp style. On deck in this episode are: 100 Easy Lessons, All About Learning, Analytical Grammar, History of US, Seton, Ambleside Online, Art of Problem Solving (Beast Academy), ARTistic Pursuits, Blossom and Root, Barefoot Meandering,...
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Changing with the Seasons / Pepper & Pine's Silk Road Unit Study
Jen, AJ, and Courtney talk about how their homeschools change with the seasons and with the years. We also take a look at Pepper & Pine's Silk Road Unit Study.
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Secular Bible Study
Author, homeschooler, and teacher Christy Knockleby discusses secular Bible study in the homeschool.
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Episode 16: Teaching Reading in the Homeschool
Teaching your child to read, the Matthew effect, and all the domains required for a good reader. Specific curricula and book recommendations, and the benefits of poetry memorization. Includes an overview of the Simple View of Reading and the Simple View of Writing, and why you should think twice...
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Becoming an Educational Architect
homeschool planning
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Teaching Math in the Homeschool, Part 2
Special guest Lu Allen of Epic Education Illawarra joins us for the second half of a wide-ranging discussion on math instruction in the homeschool. Everything from math anxiety to when to seek outside help is on the table.
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Math In The Homeschool, Part 1
Special guest Lu Allen of Epic Education Illawarra joins us for a wide-ranging discussion on math instruction in the homeschool. Everything from math anxiety to when to seek outside help is on the table.
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Literature and Reading
In this episode, Courtney, Jenn, and AJ talk about literature in the homeschool. Courtney talks about literature in aiding reading comprehension, Jenn offers some practical advice (including book choices!), and AJ talks about supporting students in reading the Great Books. There's a surprise at…
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Critical Thinking
In this episode, we attempt to define critical thinking, contemplate the best curricula for teaching it, and point out times when we should use it, but don't.
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Book Discussion: How to Educate a Citizen
AJ, Courtney, and Jen, along with special guest Julie, review E.D. Hirsch, Jr.'s new book, How to Educate a Citizen. Our discussion centers on homeschooling, progressive politics, and Hirsch's Core Knowledge curriculum.
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Secularizing Religious Curricula
AJ, Courtney, and Jenn discuss why we made the Good Enough Homeschool podcast. Then Jen & AJ lead our discussion about secularizing religious curricula, including parent guides and setting up customized planners. Publishers discussed include: Seton, Kolbe, Memoria Press, Rod and Staff, Bookshark,...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Curmudgeonly long-time classical, secular homeschoolers Jenn Naughton (Bookish Society) and Courtney Ostaff offer in-depth reviews of popular homeschool curricula, discuss educational philosophies, and answer common questions. Subscribe to transcripts at https://www.patreon.com/KitchenTableHomeschool
HOSTED BY
Courtney Ostaff, Jenn Naughton
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Kitchen Table Homeschool have?
Kitchen Table Homeschool currently has 58 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Kitchen Table Homeschool about?
Curmudgeonly long-time classical, secular homeschoolers Jenn Naughton (Bookish Society) and Courtney Ostaff offer in-depth reviews of popular homeschool curricula, discuss educational philosophies, and answer common questions. Subscribe to transcripts at...
How often does Kitchen Table Homeschool release new episodes?
Kitchen Table Homeschool has 58 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Kitchen Table Homeschool?
You can listen to Kitchen Table Homeschool on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Kitchen Table Homeschool?
Kitchen Table Homeschool is created and hosted by Courtney Ostaff, Jenn Naughton.
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