What does having a happy homeschool mean to you?

How would you describe it? What would you be doing?

Our homeschools are all unique. We have different kids, different spouses, different resources, different homes, different demands on our time and energy. And yet I have a hunch that when we think about what having a happy homeschool means, our answers would be remarkably similar.

As many of us are getting into the swing of a new school year, I want to revisit a topic that I think is incredibly important to keep in mind so that you can actually enjoy your homeschool this year.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• The one word we want our homeschools to emulate
• Why your peace and contentment as a homeschool mama matters more than curriculum
• The five things moms told us again and again about having a happy homeschool (with a handy acronym!)

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/homeschool-habits

Today, I have a very special treat for you! This spring, our publishing imprint here at RAR, Waxwing Books, celebrated the release of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien at one of my favorite bookstores, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas.

I had so much fun talking to Painting Wonder’s incredibly talented author and illustrator, Katie Wray Schon, about this picture book biography of the fascinating woman behind the iconic illustrations in the works of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.

We knew this conversation would be too good to keep to ourselves, so we recorded it, and now we’re sharing it with you!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why Katie wanted to write and illustrate a picture book about Pauline Baynes
• Katie’s process for writing, illustrating, and revising a page-turning book
• What Katie would go back and tell her younger self, plus her favorite resources for aspiring authors and illustrators

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/painting-wonder-launch

One of the all-time most useful things I’ve implemented in my homeschool is Quiet Reading Time.

I did Quiet Reading Time with my three eldest kids, who are now in college and beyond, during the most hectic years when I had all six at home (three of whom were babies at the time!), and I still do it with those younger three today. It has made a bigger difference in our homeschool than almost anything else.

It isn’t always quiet. And it isn’t always reading, in the most traditional sense. But it is incredibly effective, and it’s still my kids’ favorite part of the day.

In this episode, I’m going to talk all about how to bring Quiet Reading Time into your homeschool.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why and how Quiet Reading Time can simplify your curriculum
• What Quiet Reading Time does for your kids (and for you!)
• How to manage reading time with littles underfoot

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/quiet-reading-time

Summer break . . . It’s often not much of a break, right?

Even if you find yourself with a little less on your plate, anxiety and second-guessing have a way of filling the gaps where we want rest and relaxation to fill.

To find peace that lasts throughout the school year, we can’t just “take a break.”

We need to break free from the stories and fears that keep us mired in anxiety.

When homeschooling moms ask me for advice, they rarely need advice. What they’re really asking for is reassurance, a chance to take a breath and let go of anxiety or fear, so they can trust themselves and trust that the Holy Spirit will guide them.

Today the RAR team selected some of our favorite pieces of wisdom on the theme of rest and reassurance from the RAR Premium private podcast, Circle with Sarah.

Think of this episode as a little vacation for your homeschooling heart.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How acting like we know we're loved helps us let go of anxiety
• What we’re actually responsible for when it comes to raising our kids
• How you know when you’re doing enough in your homeschool

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/vacation-for-your-heart

Have you ever read a book and thought, “Wow, how did the author do that?!”

Or maybe you’d love to sit down with your favorite author and pick their brain about their writing process or tips and tricks for when you get stuck.

Today, the Read-Aloud Revival team has compiled some of our favorite advice about getting creative from the archives of RAR Premium’s Family Book Clubs.

Whether you write, draw, paint, or engage in any other creative pursuit, and whether you’re seven or seventy-seven–and every age in between–there’s something here to help you get your creative juices flowing.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Tips for staying with the struggle and keeping the joy in your creativity
• How to create a satisfying story
• Advice for getting ideas, when to ignore your outline, and loving the process

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/writing-advice

If you’ve been around the Read-Aloud Revival for a minute, you might know that C. S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters is one of my all-time favorite books.

It’s the book I have read and re-read the most, and it’s also the source of some of my favorite read-aloud memories with my young adult son.

Today’s guest has written a book in a similar style with the modern woman in mind, and in this episode we talk about how the enemy is working the hearts and minds of women today.

Emily Wilson Hussem is the author of Sincerely Stoneheart: Unmask the Enemy’s Lies, Find the Truth That Sets You Free, as well as a speaker and YouTuber who shares her faith around the world. It was a delight to have her on the show.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• How Emily adapted C. S. Lewis’s format to get to the heart of the most common struggles in women’s lives
• Why embracing friendship, connection, and community is key to thriving as women and mothers
• The ways distraction, comparison, and dissatisfaction all pull us away from living in the truth of our identities as beloved daughters of God

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/emily-wilson

On the last episode of the Read-Aloud Revival, we talked about why Shakespeare is not a school subject. I hope we were able to convince you!

But if we know that Shakespeare isn’t a school subject or an item on a checklist, how do we actually do it? And how do we make Shakespeare not just doable in our homeschools, but delightful?

Today, we’ll talk through a simple framework your family can use to experience one of the richest and most rewarding literary treasures in the world in a way that is absolutely magical and a whole lot of fun.

I'm willing to bet that if you implement the framework that we discuss in this episode, you won’t mistake Shakespeare for a school subject ever again!

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• Why we don’t start teaching Shakespeare with the original text
• Simple, easy ways to build connections with Shakespeare’s works and with each other
• How incorporating performance makes Shakespeare come alive for the whole family

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/how-to-shakespeare

When most of us hear the name “Shakespeare,” we probably think back to a high school classroom, fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, while we struggled through Romeo and Juliet line by line—“wherefore art thou” and all that.

But here’s the truth:

Shakespeare was never meant to be dissected like a frog under a microscope.

His work, in fact, was never meant to be read AT ALL. He meant for his plays to be experienced. To be performed, seen, heard, and felt.

We tend to think of Shakespeare as a school subject. Or that we should read it as part of a rich literature curriculum in order for our children to be well-versed academically.

While Shakespeare’s plays are part of a rich literary heritage, I want to make a case today that Shakespeare is not a subject at all. It’s not a thing you “should” do in your homeschool to have well-educated kids.

Today, I want to talk about why experiencing Shakespeare with your kids might be one of the most joyful things you ever do together. And one of my very favorite people, Ken Ludwig, celebrated playwright, fellow Shakespeare nerd, and author of How to Teach Your Children Shakespeare, joins me to help me make my case.

In this episode, you’ll hear:

• What traditional classrooms often get wrong when introducing Shakespeare
• Why Ken recommends having kids start with reciting and memorizing passages
• How Shakespeare provides an entry to point to learning and loving complex language

Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:

• Read-Aloud Revival
• Waxwing Books
• Subscribe to the Newsletter

Find the rest of the show notes: readaloudrevival.com/shakespeare-is-not-school