The Happy Homeschooler Podcast
The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a digital support group for everyone interested in a learning lifestyle. Join us the second and fourth Friday of each month as our hosts Holly Williams Urbach and Jennifer Jones discuss topics like the benefits of homeschooling, finding the right curriculum for you, navigating the line between parent and teacher, and more!
Episodes

Friday Mar 24, 2023
095: The Joys and Challenges of Foreign Languages
Friday Mar 24, 2023
Friday Mar 24, 2023
Learning foreign languages can be an immensely enriching experience, exposing you and your student to new perspectives, cultures, and ideas, and can even help you to understand your native language better as well. While foreign language learning can be full of joy, it’s not without its challenges. Today, we discuss the joys we’ve had and the challenges we’ve faced while teaching foreign languages in our homeschool, as well as all our favorite foreign language resources. And be sure to stay to the end for a special surprise!
SHOW NOTES:
If you have any questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com
Visit Transcript Maker and get your 14-day free trial!
Like our page and join our group on Facebook!
The Learnables – Affordable & Successful Foreign Language Courses
Henle Latin | Rainbow Resource
Official Rosetta Stone® – Language Learning – Learn a Language
Duolingo – The world’s best way to learn a language
My Signing Time
English from the Roots Up Volume I: Help for Reading, Writing, Spelling, and S.A.T. Scores (bolchazy.com)
Homeschool Spanish Academy – Learn Spanish with Certified Teachers
Spanish Podcast for Kids and Families! | Eat Your Spanish (eatyourspanishpodcast.com)
The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach, Melody Gillum, and Jennifer Jones, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.
If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Friday Mar 10, 2023
094: Get Out in Nature!
Friday Mar 10, 2023
Friday Mar 10, 2023
Nature is all around us, whether you live in the countryside or in a big city, and it’s important to spend time outside. As Charlotte Mason said, “One should not be indoors when one can rightly be out of doors.” Getting out into nature can soothe the mind and introduce new interests and ideas for child and parent alike. From sitting outside for lunch to big camping trips to national parks, there’s always a way to get out in nature!
SHOW NOTES:
If you have any questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com
Visit Transcript Maker and get your 14-day free trial!
Like our page and join our group on Facebook!
Follow us on Instagram!
1000 Hours Outside
Geocaching
The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach, Melody Gillum, and Jennifer Jones, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.
If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

Friday Feb 24, 2023
093: What is The Montessori Method?
Friday Feb 24, 2023
Friday Feb 24, 2023
What is the Montessori Method? The Montessori Method is an educational method and philosophy that’s been revolutionizing the way children are taught for over 100 years. Starting from a young age and going all the way up to high school and beyond, the Montessori Method teaches students how to build their independence in ways that reach far beyond the classroom. Today, we’re speaking with Nichole Gant, a head of school at an affiliated Montessori school, all about the Montessori Method, its history, and how homeschoolers can incorporate it into their learning lifestyle. And be sure to stay to the end, when we answer a big question about hybrid homeschooling.
SHOW NOTES:
If you have any questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com
Visit Transcript Maker and get your 14-day free trial!
Like our page and join our group on Facebook!
Follow us on Instagram!
Montessori Resources for Schools, Teachers, Families and Parents | American Montessori Society (amshq.org)
North American Montessori Center – NAMC (montessoritraining.net)
Online Homeschool Programs & Afterschool Enrichment | Time4Learning
Montessori Homeschool Curriculum | Multisori
Guidepost Montessori | Exceptional School Education Programs
The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach, Melody Gillum, and Jennifer Jones, produced by Matthew Bass, and edited by Norah Williams. Our graphic design is by Pete Soloway and our music is by The Great Pangolin.
If you liked this episode, and you’d like to help us grow, leave us a review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts and Spotify!

About Our Hosts
Jennifer Jones (left) is a dedicated homeschool advocate and community leader with over two decades of experience homeschooling her eight children in Marble Falls, Texas. After joining The Happy Homeschooler Podcast as a guest, Jennifer was thrilled to join the podcast as a co-host in 2022. She hopes that by sharing her own experiences on the podcast she is able to make homeschooling more approachable for new families. She believes homeschooling is truly a lifestyle, not just an educational choice, and encourages listeners to embrace it as an adventure for the entire family.
Holly Williams Urbach (right) is a dedicated homeschooling mother of six wonderful people (five of whom are now adults). She began homeschooling in Texas in 1993 when homeschooling was not yet fully legal. She is passionate about the benefits of the homeschooling lifestyle and shares her passion by mentoring new homeschoolers in person, through the local Facebook group she moderates with other seasoned homeschoolers in her community, and by being a co-host of The Happy Homeschooler Podcast.
Melody Gillum (not pictured) was a founding host of The Happy Homeschooler Podcast. In 2025, she retired from the show to spend more time with her husband Jon, with whom she homeschooled her seven children.