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Episodes
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Tuesday Oct 26, 2021
Science education is important, but can often seem dry. Homeschooling parents often wonder how to teach K-8 science. Just how do you make learning scientific concepts, theories, and laws fun and engaging? Don’t fret and don’t stress. Today, Holly and Melody discuss how to introduce science to your children, how their science education grows with them, how you can prepare your 7th and 8th graders for high school science, and more!
If you have any questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com
SHOW NOTES:
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Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
National Parks Junior Ranger Program
Mudpies to Magnets: A Preschool Science Curriculum
Backyard Scientist Series by Jane Hoffman
Where’s That Spider? (Hide & Seek Science)
Ruth Heller’s How to Hide a Butterfly & Other Insects
TOPS Learning System
Everything You Need To Know About Science Homework: A Desk Reference for Students and Parents
Handbook of Nature Study by Anna Botsford Comstock
A Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder by Walter Wick
The Story of Inventions from Christian Liberty Press
Prepare for the SAT and ACT on collegeboard.org and act.org
The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, 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!
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
Tuesday Oct 12, 2021
One of the most important parts of teaching reading and writing is the act of writing itself. Penmanship, cursive and typing put your student on the path of effective communication and prepare them for their future. But how do you start teaching kids handwriting and when? And is cursive important or passé? And just how important is it to be able to touch type? All these questions and more are answered in today’s Happy Homeschooler Podcast, when Melody and Holly sit down and discuss everything you need to know about penmanship, cursive, and typing! From methods and curricula for teaching and sharing stories from their long homeschooling pasts, to all the surprising benefits of cursive, today’s episode will make every homeschooler a happy homeschooler!
If you have any questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com
SHOW NOTES:
Visit Transcript Maker and get your 14-day free trial!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
Why Bother with Cursive? – International Dyslexia Association (dyslexiaida.org)
Free Online Teaching and Writing Resources | Learning Without Tears (lwtears.com)
D’Nealian Handwriting by Scott Foresman (classroomresourcecenter.com)
Italic Handwriting Series – Getty-Dubay Italic (handwritingsuccess.com)
A Reason For Handwriting
30 Days of Spencerian Script Style Worksheets – Dawn Nicole (bydawnnicole.com)
Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing
Learn to Type | Free Typing Tutor – Typing.com
OverDrive: ebooks, audiobooks, and more for libraries and schools
The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, 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!
Tuesday Sep 28, 2021
Tuesday Sep 28, 2021
Homeschooling doesn’t always have to stay in the home. The freedom homeschooling provides allows for a more mobile lifestyle, and travelling while homeschooling couldn’t be easier! Holly is joined today by our favorite guest Jennifer Jones, to discuss her adventures travelling while homeschooling her family. And be sure to stay to the end when Holly and Jennifer will discuss a few homeschooling news stories from around the world.
If you have any questions or comments, please email us at happyhomeschoolpod@gmail.com
SHOW NOTES:
Visit Transcript Maker and get your 14-day free trial!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram!
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel!
Jennifer’s Previous Appearances – 045: Teaching Kids With Learning Challenges, 055: What Is Gameschooling?
KOA Campgrounds
Bureau of Land Management Camping
HSLDA
New French Homeschooling Law
The Happy Homeschooler Podcast is a Transcript Maker Production. It is hosted by Holly Williams Urbach and Melody Gillum, 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.