197: How We Homeschool With Robyn Robertson

Join us as we talk to Robyn Robertson about homeschooling, self-directed learning, world schooling and teens. Fall 2022 Season Sponsors   We are so grateful to our Fall 2022 Season Sponsors. Use the links below for their special offerings:   Blossom & Root and use code HSUnrefined15 for 15% off your purchase   Outschool and use code Unrefined for $20 off your first class    Night Zookeeper for a 7-day, risk-free trial, as well as 50% off an annual subscription  LTWs    Maren: Weiman Stainless Steel Cleaner   Angela: Libro.fm and All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir   Connect with us!  Visit our website  Sign up for our newsletter and get our Top 100 Inclusive Book List We are listener supported! Support us on Patreon Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and see video episodes now on Youtube Angela on Instagram: @unrefinedangela | Maren on Instagram: @unrefinedmaren and @alwayslearningwithmaren  Email us any questions or feedback at [email protected]   Complete Episode Transcript   [00:00:00] Maren: Hi, we're Maren and Angela of Homeschool, Unrefined. Over the past 25 years, we've been friends, teachers, homeschool parents, and podcasters, together with our master's degrees in 20 years combined homeschooling. We are here to rethink homeschooling, learning, and education with an inclusive and authentic lens. [00:00:29] Angela: At Homeschool Unrefined, we prioritize things like giving yourself credit, building strong connections, respectful parenting, interest led playing and learning, learning differences, mental health, self care, and listening to and elevating LGBTQ Plus and BIPOC Voices.  [00:00:49] Maren: We are here to encourage and support you, whether you're a new homeschooler, a veteran. [00:00:55] Whether you love curriculum or you're an unschooler, whether all your kids are at [00:01:00] home or all your kids are in school or somewhere in between, wherever you are on your journey, we're the voice in your head telling you, you're doing great,  [00:01:07] Angela: and so are your kids. This is episode 1 97, How We Homeschool with Robyn Robertson. [00:01:14] We are gonna talk about that in just a minute. Mm-hmm. . And then we're gonna end like we always do with our lt. Ws Loving this week. Hello Mar. Hello. How are you doing great. Great to see you.  [00:01:28] Maren: Yes, and you too. We are so excited to just tell you a little bit or remind you, actually, you've probably heard this, but if you sign up for our newsletter right now, you are going to get a free gift that we have created lovingly and Caringly for you. [00:01:43] It is a top 100 inclusive book list and you know, we're passionate about reading. And to our kids. And we love books and we love finding inclusive books and this, so this book is like, has been tailored from our years of [00:02:00] experience reading. And we just really wanted to share this with you. So join our newsletter today and you were gonna get that  [00:02:06] Angela: for free. [00:02:07] Yes, and we have all different age groups. We have audio books, we have graphic novels, so it is should be something for everyone. [00:02:18] Taking online classes is one way to take the burden off you and outsource something your child wants to learn. That's why we love Out School. We know that kids who love to learn don't just prepare for the future. They create it. That's why Out School has reimagined online learning to empower kids and teens to expand their creativity, wonder and knowledge. [00:02:39] Empathetic, passionate teachers encourage learners ages three to 18 to explore their. Connect with diverse peers from around the world and take an active role in leading their learning out. School has created a world filled with endless possibilities for every schooling journey. Explore over 140,000 fun and flexible [00:03:00] live online classes to find the right fit for your family and join us as we set learning free. [00:03:05] Sign up today at Out schooler.me/homeschool unrefined and get up to $20 off your first class when you enroll with the code. Unrefined.  [00:03:17] Maren: We know that teaching, writing and reading can be a struggle night. Zookeeper is here to help. Is your child a reluctant writer? Do they struggle with reading? If your answer to either of these questions is yes, the Night Zookeeper may be just what you've been looking for. [00:03:35] Night Zookeeper is an online learning program for children, ages six to 12 years old that uses a gamified and creative approach to help keep kids engaged and focused on developing awesome reading and writing skills, all while having fun at the same time. Some of the features we love include the educational games, the personalized feedback on writing from real tutors, [00:04:00] and the super safe community pages where children can work with each other and learn together. [00:04:05] If Night Zookeeper sounds like the perfect learning program for your child, you can try it for free by clicking on the link in the show notes. When you register, you'll get a seven. Risk free trial as well as a huge 50% off an annual subscription. That's a great  [00:04:22] Angela: deal if you ask. We know that finding a curriculum that fits your unique needs can be a challenge. [00:04:29] Have you tried Blossom and Root yet? Blossom and Root is a nature focused secular homeschool curriculum, focusing on creativity, science, nature, literature, and the arts. Blossom and WRI has been gently encouraging and supporting homeschool families around the globe since 2016. Blossom and Root currently offers curricula for pre-K through fifth grade with new levels being added in the future. [00:04:53] Additionally, a three volume inclusive US history curriculum told from a variety of viewpoints is [00:05:00] currently in development as of August, 2022. Volume one is available for purchase, and volume two is available on pre. All profits from this history curriculum. A river of voices will be used to support storytellers and artists from historically excluded communities. [00:05:16] You can find ex examples, samples, scope, and sequences, and information about each of their levels [email protected]. You can also find them in on Instagram at Blossom and Root. Blossom and Root has created a special discount for our listeners. Use the code Hs. Unrefined 15 at checkout for 15% off your purchase. [00:05:40] Maren: All right. We would like to introduce you to Robyn Robertson. Robyn Robertson is an unschooling mom to two kids. Podcast host, business owner and public school board trustee. Robyn, her husband and their two kids started their world schooling [00:06:00] journey in 2012. Her experiences traveling while home educating had Robyn questioning her past beliefs around parenting, how we learn and the education system. [00:06:12] Today, Robyn advocates politically for home education and self-directed. She combines that experience, knowledge, and curiosity in her mentoring, working with families to help them envision and create their own unique  [00:06:27] Angela: learning paths. [00:06:28] Please enjoy our conversation with Robyn. [00:06:31] Well, hello Robyn. Welcome to Homeschool Unrefined.  [00:06:35] Robyn: Hi Angela. Thank you for having me. I'm excited to be on your podcast. I'm a, I'm a listener,  [00:06:40] Angela: so Oh, you are? Okay. That's great. I'm so glad to have you and I know you have your own podcast too, and we've just never connected until now. I know some of our listeners listen and so I'm just really glad to be able to connect. [00:06:54] Robyn: Me too. Thank you for,  [00:06:56] Angela: So for people who don't know you or who maybe don't listen to your podcast, [00:07:00] can you tell us a little bit about yourself and your family and your work and things like.  [00:07:05] Robyn: Yeah, absolutely. So my name is Robin Robertson . Yeah. And I'm the creator and host of the podcast, Honey. I'm homeschooling the kids. [00:07:13] I'm an unschooling parent to two kids who are now teenagers. We live in northern Alberta, Canada, but we began this homeschool journey as world schoolers. We wanted to travel with our kids, and that's the beginning. Of the journey. And honestly, we thought we would be doing this thing for like a year at the most. [00:07:33] Yeah. . And then everything would be going, like, we'd go back to school and all that sort of stuff. Okay. But obviously it's 10 years later. Okay. And we're still kind of doing, creating our own unique learning journey and You know, the podcast is a big part of that where, But a lot of my purpose is sharing that the stories of families that are creating their unique learning journeys, just to provide the example and inspiration that it can be done. [00:07:56] Yeah. Families have been doing it, that kids have grown up [00:08:00] doing it, have been successful and I wanna say successful in our. Different ways. I know there's not just a standard idea that I, or maybe there is, but I think that's shifting. Mm-hmm. . So, you know, that's really what I do. I advocate for self-directed learning locally within my community within the homeschooling community. [00:08:18] But really I advocate for kids. Yeah. And families that wanna create their own unique learning.  [00:08:24] Angela: Yeah. That's awesome. So I'm really interested in that because you, did you go on a big trip for that first year you were traveling around?  [00:08:33] Robyn: We actually, we moved to Jamaica. Oh, okay. For a little over half a year. [00:08:38] My family, my dad is from Jamaica, so we actually moved back in with that side of the family and lived there. Okay. And then we ended up going to South Korea for a year, a little over  [00:08:48] Angela: a year. Wow. Okay. Okay. Yeah. And at that point you were, you thought. This, we'll do this for a little while and then when we come back, our kids will go into school. [00:08:58] That was your plan originally? [00:09:00] Yep.  [00:09:00] Robyn: That was the, I took six months leave of absence for my job. . Okay. told everyone I would be back in six months. Okay. Yeah, and we thought we would, you know, go traveling. We go to Jamaica first, and then we would decide what we would wanna do. . Yeah. And we thought we'd come back. [00:09:15] My kids would go back to school, we'd go back to our house and, you know, we'd be happy with a little bit of a, a change in our rhythm. At that time, we, we needed to make a change actually. Yeah. But we, we found out our change needed to be bigger than what we planned it to  [00:09:30] Angela: be. So, Or in the other direction, you know? [00:09:33] Yes. Like, yeah. Yeah. So what about that year or year and a half made you change your mind? And decide to keep going. Keep homeschooling or, Yeah, keep, keep homeschool.  [00:09:46] Robyn: You know, it was my kids. Mm-hmm. really, we, you know, we, my husband and I had traveled a lot before. Okay. And we, when we began our family, we knew it was something we wanted to eventually continue doing. [00:09:57] So my dad's from Jamaica, my mom's from Canada. [00:10:00] Okay. I've lived all over the world from like my. My, my parents because of my dad's work, because my parents traveled. And then as I became an adult, a young adult, I started traveling on my own for school and then just experience. And so it was very much having a multicultural viewpoint of the world was very, a much a normal thing for me because of my family history. [00:10:24] But just to begin with that so my viewpoint was always a little bit different and I, it was really important to me that my kids also have a perspective, especially because we have a very diverse family. Mm-hmm. . And my husband was the same as well. And the way that he, you know, he had, he had loved our travel experiences. [00:10:41] He wanted to travel himself, so he did as well. And then we just felt it was something that we wanted our family to do. And then when we decided to travel, We were, we were at a point in our life where we knew our family needed a change. We were doing the work, you know, we're busy working. Yeah. My husband was building a [00:11:00] business. [00:11:00] I actually worked at the school that my kids went to, which was nice. But it was like, We, you know, our week was spent with work, school, getting ready for all of that stuff, activities, barely having supp or having a bath, going to bed, doing it all over again. Sunday, I grocery shop, clean up the house and I was tired. [00:11:19] Like Saturday was sports and you know, all those mm-hmm. and we were like, we need to, And our kids were like getting the leftovers essentially. Yeah. You know, they were getting just those minutes. Energy that I could maybe, you know, do with them. And it's like, well let's just watch some TV kind of thing. [00:11:36] Yeah, yeah. Cuz you're so tired, . Yeah. And so we needed to, we needed to do something different. So my husband was the one who said, Well, why don't we first? He said, Why don't we go to Jamaica? You know, let's, we want to travel. Let's just try, you know, if it doesn't work, we can just come home. Right? Yeah, totally. [00:11:52] And he was like, It'll be easy. You're, you know, we'll live with family there and. And then, you know, at least it will be like an easy [00:12:00] entry and we can homeschool the kids . Like we can homeschool. It's no problem. And his business was mobile so he could work from anywhere. So we started doing that and, but the thing was, is. [00:12:15] My kids were, well, one, we finished our homeschool work that the school had sent us within like the first month. It was six months of work and we finished it in like a month, and that was only doing a few hours every morning. Okay. Our rule was, By the time lunchtime hits it's free game. Like, yeah, free play. [00:12:34] We're gonna spend the afternoons at the beach, we'll go visiting family. It's just exploring, having fun. And what happened was is my kids, even when the work was done, my kids in their play time, in their free time, and then the time after the, the quote unquote school work was done. They were even more engaged. [00:12:54] They were asking so many questions about the world around them and wanting to find out more [00:13:00] that it was one of those times where I was in that experience and began to understand that idea that learning is separate from school. School and learning are not always. That it doesn't have to look like a textbook and classroom, that actually you can be absolutely engaged and internally motivated and love learning at any time of the day. [00:13:24] Mm-hmm. , especially when you're engaged in play freedom something that you're, you know, you are loving to do and joy and. The more we, our life looked like that. Mm-hmm. , It was like the more my kids seemed to be learning. Yeah. So everything that I understood before seemed to really contradict almost. [00:13:45] Yeah. And so that's kind of the beginning of how we started or to continued homeschooling. Yeah. And then by the time we got back to Canada not where we were living, but actually here where we are now. My kids said to me one day, [00:14:00] they were like, We don't wanna go back to school. Hmm. Interesting. We wanna keep homeschooling. [00:14:05] Mm-hmm. and I had wanted to, but I also didn't want to put it on them like, We're gonna keep homeschooling. We can't go back to school. We'd always had that conversation. It would always be open. And so once they said, No, we wanna, we, we have no desire to go back to school. We wanna keep homeschooling. We were like, Okay, we'll keep doing it as long as it works for us and as long as you wanna do that. [00:14:24] And yeah. So  [00:14:26] Angela: your, your experience of them being more authentically involved in their learning when you were doing self-directed things and when you were homeschooling, when you were traveling mm-hmm. is what led you to do it. It's like you had the, you had confidence cuz you saw, you saw with your own eyes and your own experience that this was really good and that they were learning a  [00:14:46] Robyn: lot. [00:14:47] That's exactly it.  [00:14:48] Angela: Yeah. Yeah, yeah. So, and you had a background in schools and so you saw it, you definitely in your, you know, you're a product of the school system I'm sure too, right? Yeah. So was it [00:15:00] hard for you to let go of some of those more traditional school type things like you know, like You know, we need to, we actually do though, need to be doing some sitting down and writing, or we actually do need to be doing some homework or, I don't know, what were, were there things that you had a hard time letting go of? [00:15:22] Robyn: Oh yeah, of course. Okay. I think , I think all of us do. Right? And my husband as well too, right? Yeah. I, you know, there were times where I was, you know, maybe like, No, we're not gonna, we don't have anything planned for today. And my husband would like, Don't you think the kids should do some writing? Yeah. [00:15:38] Like, don't you think like, after they're watching Magic School Bus, they should maybe do a summary on what they, you know, what they learn? Kind of, you know, that kinda thing. And yeah, I absolutely did. I think that's pretty normal for every homeschooling parent you wanna get in some reading and math lessons as much as you can just sneak it in here and there. [00:15:55] Yeah. Yeah. But also I, you know, where we are from in Canada, it's [00:16:00] fairly highly regulated. Canada itself is go very government regulated. Okay. The province that we live in the way we were registered, we actually had to follow our provincial curriculum. So there were still checks and balances at the end of Sure. [00:16:12] The throughout we had to follow. But there is an option where you can opt out and I didn't do that because I didn't, you know, I didn't think it was okay. . Yeah. You know, I wanted to have that security, but by the time my son was in third grade, he was about, yeah, he was probably about nine. He, you know, it was kind of like near the end of the school year and I wanted to go through all of the curriculum checks, like, you know, let's make sure we covered this and this and this and that year, third grade, where we live, there is a area of social studies that is like a world broadening your worldview. [00:16:51] And so they have specific country you have to study in order to get an idea of the world kind of. Yep. The I, the general idea is that we are [00:17:00] citizens of the world and we have similarities and differences from people all around around us. Sure. Yep. And so they give you the countries to study. And we hadn't studied those countries. [00:17:09] And when I brought them to my son, he was like, I don't wanna study those countries, . And he, and he asked me, he was like, Why do I have to study these? And I told them, Because the curriculum says you have to, Yeah. Yeah. Mm-hmm. , And he just kind of looked at me like, that makes no sense whatsoever. Like, so basically he just said, So this says I have to do it, so that's why I have to do it. [00:17:33] Even though I've been studying, you know, I've been learning about Borneo and Tahiti because I wanna learn about those spaces because of Right. You know, I'm, there's things that I relate to and those that I'm interested in. Mm-hmm. , So I've been learning about those places for the last six months. Mm-hmm. [00:17:49] but doesn't that count? Yeah. And I was like, this is a good argument. He brought Yeah. . Yeah. Right. And I, I had no response, like no valid response where I felt to my core like, you know [00:18:00] what? I disagree. This is know, this is why. Yeah. So that was the last year and after that we opted out of following any curriculum. [00:18:08] Oh, okay. Eventual curriculum. We, we checked off the box where we said we no longer will be doing. Following this. And, and then I think that was a full step of, we're just on our own.  [00:18:20] Angela: Right. And so what kind of do you have a label for your type of homeschooling right now? Like what kind of homeschooler would you say that you are now? [00:18:28] Robyn: We're  [00:18:28] Angela: unschoolers. You're unschoolers, Okay. Yeah. And did you Was that more gradual, like after the third grade year when you opted out? Did you feel like you fully jumped into that or were you still was, this has been a gradual change for you?  [00:18:42] Robyn: Oh, it's been a gradual change, yeah.  [00:18:44] Angela: Yeah, absolutely. Okay. [00:18:45] Okay. And so I would say that. To maybe a lot of our listeners that might sound unique, just because I know you have teens now. Your kids are now teens. Mm-hmm. , and so you're still unschooling. Can you tell us what that looks like? We get this question [00:19:00] a lot, and so I would love to hear from you what that looks like for your teens. [00:19:06] Robyn: Oh yeah. I get this question too, and it's kind of hard to, you know, people want it, put it in a nice like package and bow and then give it to you when unschooling can't be packaged and put a bow on top and given to you because it's so unique to the learner. Yeah. I think the easiest way to define unschooling, which I, I usually start with, if we're looking at learning, it's when the learner decides the how. [00:19:28] What, where, and what of their learning. The learner decides that, okay, and they're internally motivated with their own personal why. Mm. So coming from that place it's very much learner directed or my, you know, my, my children, I, I, I call myself an end schooler as well cuz I'm a learner in our family for sure. [00:19:48] Call my husband is a learner. Yeah. So all of our learning is self-directed in that way. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm . So what it looks like is, you know, my kids, for example, my youngest is 13. [00:20:00] And you know, she has her really, it's supporting their interests and their curiosities. So, you know, a lot of it is. You know, we're in conversation all the time. [00:20:10] Mm-hmm. , we are you know, I, it's observation. Mm-hmm. , it's noticing, it's being a, a listening parent that listens and hears mm-hmm. that doesn't always speak because I, I want to understand what they're interested in, what they're curious about, and usually, especially after these, They are very good at communicating. [00:20:30] You know, I'd really like to learn more about this, or I'd really like to do this, or, you know, in our conversations we were doing this last year and I felt like maybe it worked for my brother, but it didn't work for me and I wanna do something differently. Yeah. So for my daughter, for example, she's really into. [00:20:44] Sports team sports. She plays volleyball, she plays softball. She's snowboards, so a lot of her activities are centered around her sports and training. Mm-hmm. . So that of course takes time. She's a musician, so she does a lot with guitar songwriting. Right now she's [00:21:00] doing a music theory course because she plays. [00:21:03] But she doesn't know how to read notes yet. So that was her focus this year is she wants to be able to read music. Yeah. So she's doing a course in that. And, you know, things like, she's very creative. She loves to read. She always has like, you know, she reads novels like by the minute. Awesome. It seems like so really, You know, knowing their interests for the long term and for the year or for the month, and I'm the support person that helps 'em with resources. [00:21:30] I'm the chauffeur, I'm the person who encourages and really I think unschooling, and I think this is missed. A lot of times we talk about the learning part of it, but unschooling by supporting the learner. The biggest part of it is building the relationship with our family and kids, because I think the biggest part of unschooling that sometimes is overlooked is the trust, and that's the hardest part as well. [00:21:55] Trusting our kids cuz we usually think kids aren't gonna make a good decision, they're gonna [00:22:00] choose wrong, They're going, you know, they don't understand. So, mm-hmm. , building that trust and knowing, and for our kids to know that they are trusted, that they're. Their environment is safe. Mm-hmm. , it's, they're loved and validated, so they will ask those questions. [00:22:18] They will be, you know, confident to try things and try new experiences because they know even if it is a mistake or doesn't work, it's not the end of the world. It's a learning experience. So that's really the biggest part of our unschooling, is building that foundation. For my son, he's older, so he has always been someone who's very focused on specific things. [00:22:42] His personality is that way. He been animals since he was like tiny, like an infant, almost like he. Bird, I think was one of his first words. Wow. And, and so he's always been dedicated to learning about wildlife and ecology and animals. And [00:23:00] that now has taken him to a path where he, like, he works in, in, in the field. [00:23:06] He works for a wildlife outfitters. And this is the second season for six months under the year he's out in the wilderness. And he helps, he's learning to be a guide, a wildlife. Wow. And so they're out on very unique terrain. Mm-hmm. , you know, working with international clients, they do things like you know, their area is very unique to the animals that are there. [00:23:28] Mm-hmm. . So that's also why it's a unique outfitters, but, you know, supporting that interest and helping him to get connected with real life experiences is another big part of unschooling. Yeah, so, so it's very broad, but that's what it looks like for our family  [00:23:44] Angela: and that sounds amazing. I'm so glad you explained all that. So the thing I noticed when you were explaining that is these experiences for your kids, whether it's what, what your son's doing with the wildlife outfitter or all the different things that your daughter's doing with the sports [00:24:00] and the music and just being creative and all of that. They would not be able to do that if they were in school. [00:24:05] They just, There wouldn't be time. There wouldn't be time. . Yeah. And energy. They would be exhausted. From exerting themselves all day, doing things that they're not really that interested in. And then so to have the time at at night to come home or on the weekends and do those things, they might be able to do some of them, but it wouldn't be like this deep a deep experience into something that they're truly interested in and passionate about. [00:24:30] And that is where the real learning happens. It's just, you know that that's where the real learning happens and I just think you are giving your kids such a gift and that they have these opportunities to go deep into things that they're passionate about. I think, I think kids who are in school and mine are this year, I think kids who are in school have a hard time with harder time with that. [00:24:52] They come become like, Kind of general, like they know a little bit about a lot of things. Mm-hmm. and they have a hard [00:25:00] time pinning down like, what am I really interested in? Because they're not spending time doing tho their interests as much. Right. Yeah. And so I just, and so sometimes then they're like, Well, I wanna go to college, but I don't know what I wanna do. [00:25:11] I mean, that was me so. So I relate to that. Like it would've been great as a teen when you have all that energy and all that excitement and like you're ready for some intensity in something. Yeah. To be able to do that, to be able to like gear it towards the thing you're into. I. Your son, you know, he's known for a long time that he is interested in animals, but some kids wouldn't know that. [00:25:34] And so this would be a good time to like explore and try. Like maybe they try one job and they're, they realize, well, that was a good experience, but I'm not really into that. I'm gonna try this other thing. You know? And you have the time and energy and freedom to do those things. I just think that is a real gift. [00:25:51] And I just I think it sounds dreamy as a team, like really dreamy . So is there anything that [00:26:00] is challenging about it for you or your kids that you wish could be different or were a challenge?  [00:26:07] Robyn: Let me see. I think probably. You know, I think, you know, it's interesting. I think it is a challenge, but it isn't a challenge partly because where we live, Okay. [00:26:19] Is fairly remote. So, you know, my kids do are very social. They have a lot of friends. Actually, my daughter, because of sports, most of her friends go to school. Actually now the majority of her friends. So sometimes I think it would be nice just to be physically closer to more unschoolers, more self-directed learners who just get or understand our lifestyle a little bit more. [00:26:42] Mm-hmm. . For example, like my daughter will say, you know, I don't understand why my friends who go to school don't like to read. Yeah. Cause she would love to have like a discussion on books, . Yeah. Right. You know, on the books that she reads. But usually they tell her, I don't, I hate reading. Like, we have to read this book that my teacher made us read, Right? [00:26:57] Mm-hmm. . So I know sometimes they say they miss the [00:27:00] conversations with maybe kids around their age group that they'd like to have, that they can have with adults, which is fantastic. Yeah. But sometimes those things, they. But saying that as well, I know some of their closest friends are different ages, Like they both have, their closest friends are a lot older than them, and I think that just is what happens with the circumstances of their life and living as well. [00:27:24] But you know, I think also that's our remoteness is just where we are. Yeah. And there's not a lot of people just, there's not  [00:27:31] Angela: where we're, ok. Yeah. So when she's doing sports and stuff, that's at like the nearest town. That you're close  [00:27:37] Robyn: to? Yeah, we do a lot of driving and especially if she's doing club or she actually plays for school team right now. [00:27:44] Okay, okay. Which is fantastic. So homeschoolers can play with, they can try out for school teams. So right now she's playing volleyball with our local junior high high school team. And then she'll, once that season is done, she starts club. And, but it's just, yeah. And I think most parents who. [00:28:00] Do things like club volleyball or basketball or anything like that. [00:28:03] There's a lot of traveling. They're driving. Yeah.  [00:28:06] Angela: Whether you're in homeschool or, or school or, Yeah. There's just a lot of driving. Yeah. So is it, so are you finding community then with people, not with a lot of other homeschoolers, but with more just like people in your community who maybe do other activities that your kids are in? [00:28:25] Robyn: Yeah, we do, You know, still we have a very strong homeschooling community do. It's very spread out. We do. Okay. Yeah, that's great. It's absolutely grown over the last few years, but you know, a lot of people are an hour and a half away. You know, we're just kind of that radius. But especially now, everyone is trying to gather as much as possible and meet, connect. [00:28:45] Mm-hmm. . So there are some fantastic, Some of my closest friends locally are either unschooling or homeschooling moms, so we absolutely have. Which is good. But yeah, we just do our best to make it work and to come together and things like online, you [00:29:00] know, with my podcast, I have a really large community and have fantastic friends who, you know, I've actually never met in person yet. [00:29:06] Right. But we talk. Almost every day, or we talk regularly online as well. And hopefully soon in the near future I'll be able to see them face to face. .  [00:29:16] Angela: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sometimes some. Ugh, something that we try and tell our listeners is you know, you don't always have to find community with other homeschoolers who live in your town. [00:29:25] You know mm-hmm. And that it's okay to, you know, ha have be friends with your neighbors or people who are doing the same activities as your kids or in other ways. And then also those online friendships are not, those are real. Mm-hmm. , those are real and valuable, and not just for the adults, but kids too, you know? [00:29:44] Yeah. I dunno if your kids have online friends, mind you, and. Those are really valuable friendships as well, and I just think it's an advantage to living in the time that we live in, that we can like connect with people who might be a lot like us, but who live far away because there [00:30:00] might not be that many people who are a lot like us, who are really in proximity to  [00:30:04] Robyn: us. [00:30:04] Right? Yes, Angela, That's absolutely true. That's right. Yeah. Yeah.  [00:30:08] Angela: So do you have like a ? I'm asking this, but I'm kind of  [00:30:13] Robyn: you giggle before you ask. You,  [00:30:15] Angela: going before I'm asking me, do you have a typical day or week ? What, And if you do, what does that look like for you?  [00:30:20] Robyn: No, not really. , not really. [00:30:22] Okay. Okay. No, I, we do so I mean, I think it changes with the season. Okay. Honestly. So I also work apart from my podcast and working at home from that. I also am actually a public school board Trustee . Oh, okay. So I'm a locally elected official. Oh, awesome. So, It gives me good perspective because then I really get the inside knowledge on our public school system, especially locally within our area and division. [00:30:47] So I do, I probably work out of the home once or twice a week. Okay. So, you know, and that depends sometimes. And then, and then also my schedule works around my kids as well, [00:31:00] so coordinating You know, we're usually the mornings I'm with my kids or I mean, usually my daughter, cause my son's just not home very much anymore. [00:31:09] Yeah. But I'm there to, you know, whatever she needs support in whatever she wants to chat about. We usually like sit on the couch in the mornings and, you know, she loves, she likes math. She does Khan Academy for math, so. Okay. I know people always ask what about she's, but she does it. She. She likes it. [00:31:27] She has her goals that she sets every year, every month for it. And usually she just likes me to hang out with her. So she has questions and we discuss everything. Like, we'll watch a video, talk about it, she'll do an exercise or quiz and we'll talk about it. Okay. So things like that, I set aside time in the mornings to, to be there for my kids. [00:31:45] Yeah. And then usually the afternoons. You know, work afternoons or you know, we have a day a week where maybe we'll go exploring or visiting. Mm-hmm. or connecting. And then, you know, right now when it is sports season, it's [00:32:00] usually, you know, my daughter's practicing or training. Either like Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays she has off. [00:32:09] And then Friday, Saturdays are usually games and tournaments. Wow. So the week gets busy. And then in the wintertime we see in snowboard. So we actually spend a lot of time out in the mountains during the winter time. That's so great  [00:32:21] Angela: doing that. So, That's so great. I love that for you and I, you know, we're in Minnesota and so it, it's cold here too. [00:32:29] We don't have the mountains . But just being able to live and live well in your area and take advantage of thing, the snow. I mean, you have to, you have to in the  [00:32:40] Robyn: winter. You kind of gotta embrace it. Yeah. You have to it or  [00:32:43] Angela: you embrace it. Yeah. You either embrace, embrace, like different sports, snow sports, there's a lot of them. [00:32:48] Or you're gonna be stuck inside for a long time. So, so I think that's great that you do that. That is really, really awesome. I love it. So what are you working on right [00:33:00] now that we can let our listeners know about or how  [00:33:02] Robyn: can they find you? Well definitely go to any podcast player unless, and look for honey. [00:33:07] I'm homeschooling the kids. You can find me there. My website as well. Yeah. I, I usually have events or something special going on through the year, so right now, like as we speak, it's October, my masterclass. I do a very, Intimate small group masterclass twice a year and right now fall, This is my time. [00:33:27] We're, we're just beginning that. Mm-hmm. . So that's always awesome on, I started it last year. It's been fantastic for everyone, including me. Yeah. I think everything is a learning process for me. I'm always a student. Whenever I approach anything, so I'll be running another one in the new year in spring. [00:33:46] Okay. So you can contact me to get on the wait list if you're interested in something like that. A good friend of mine, Kelly or Edwards, from the 90 Minute School Day, we do a homeschool summit every year. So we're actually, we do it every. Ring. We actually host it through the app [00:34:00] Clubhouse. Okay. I have a club on that app, Honey Am Homeschooling Club. [00:34:04] So through that app we host a homeschooling summit where we have keynote speakers. There's a theme every year, like a three part theme. And so now is a time where we start planning and getting everything together for the summit. So that's gonna be March, 2023. Okay. That's a free summit to attend. And we have like giveaways and prizes and it's actually a great, that's. [00:34:30] Great to summit. Yeah, so that's, you know, my clubhouse runs. We have discussions three times a week for homeschoolers, non schoolers, and that's something that's open for anyone to join and be part of those live discussions. We do record them and that goes on through the year. And otherwise I do support parents one-on-one if I'm not doing my masterclass or Summit [00:34:51] I do have some, you know, some time where I set aside and I mentor parents as well one-on-one. So That's great. That's usually what I have going on. Building [00:35:00] That's a  [00:35:00] Angela: lot's great. That's a lot. That's a lot. Yeah. And you're with your kids, so.  [00:35:04] Robyn: Yeah. And that's priority, honestly. Right? For  [00:35:07] Angela: sure. For sure. Well, it was really great having you and I'm so glad that our listeners got to hear from you and thank you for  [00:35:13] Robyn: being. [00:35:14] Thank you for having me. I really appreciate it. [00:35:17] Angela: All right, let's move on to our lt. Ws. All right. Yes, Mar, what are you loving this week? Okay. I  [00:35:25] Maren: am loving something that I should have gotten years ago. Years ago, . Okay. I just discovered it in 2022. All right. It is a stainless steel cleaner appliance pool. Oh,  [00:35:40] Angela: oh, okay. Yes, yes. The  [00:35:41] Maren: brand name is Wyman. Okay. [00:35:44] And it's a stainless steel cleaner and polish. It's just a spray. Very simple. It removes fingerprints, it removes residue, watermarks, grease, that kind of stuff. And it is [00:36:00] something that I've, I feel like I've been putting  [00:36:02] Angela: up with kind of for like, Oh  [00:36:03] Maren: yeah. I think we, I think we got our first. Stainless steel appliance in like 2015 when we moved [00:36:10] When we moved. Right. Ok. So it's been seven years. Yeah. Of looking at fingerprints on stainless steel appliances, , and so here we are. And nothing really, I, nothing else really works. Like you can't just clean that stuff off.  [00:36:24] Angela: Just doesn't come off. You can't normally, So. Okay. , I feel like a, See, I have not jumped on this. [00:36:32] Okay, well I thought I was the last one, so not the last one. So bad, . But I have to tell you, Jeremy is like, he wants stainless steel appliance cleaner, and I'm like, Why? Who cares? .  [00:36:42] Maren: That is so funny. That's really interesting because usually I, you know, I, I'm, I, if you knew Angela and I, if all of you listened, knew Angela, you might think that I would be the one who cared a lot less about this, but I really do. [00:36:56] I, I, like, I cleaned my kitchen and I'm like, I did [00:37:00] all that work and  [00:37:01] Angela: it, you know, and can still see like water spots when you. Yeah, exactly. Or other junk  [00:37:08] Maren: drinks. Yeah. You know, like, I may have cleaned it off, but it just looks gross.  [00:37:11] Angela: I get it. I'm like, it's just gonna get dirty again. I d I know . No, but  [00:37:16] Maren: seriously, this makes it look brand new. [00:37:18] Oh, I bet. It's amazing. It's so amazing. You might, and it just like, it's like the finishing touch, but you don, you do have to still. There's still gross stuff, sticky stuff that doesn't, you know, that's not what this is for. Oh, no. Sticky polish fingers. Yeah, this is like a Polish. It just shines it up. It makes it look nice. [00:37:35] Okay. Okay.  [00:37:36] Angela: Gotcha.  [00:37:37] Maren: And. It's just, I don't know. It makes me feel so happy because That's awesome. I'm seriously, for seven years, it's, Hasn't , , Like a week after we got into appliances, it was, they were gross and they stayed gross. Oh. So yeah.  [00:37:51] Angela: Yeah. Till this year. I get it. I mean, that is one downside to stainless steel appliances. [00:37:56] Maren: It is, yeah. Yeah. And it's super easy. Like it took, you [00:38:00] know, it takes five minutes to clean your appliances, and then they just, it just like brightens everything up. I love it.  [00:38:04] Angela: Okay. I should, should probably do that. Do you put it, do you have a stainless steel sink?  [00:38:10] Maren: I do, and I haven't tried it in there and,  [00:38:12] Angela: but I should, you know, it's the one area I, I could possibly  [00:38:15] Maren: do. [00:38:15] You know what I used in there? What, what is the magic erasers? Yeah. I use that in my  [00:38:21] Angela: sink and it works great in a stainless steel sink. Yes. Interesting. Yeah. Okay.  [00:38:28] Maren: It gets out a lot. It's amazing. Okay. Well, I don't know. This would do that too. Maybe it would. Okay. You  [00:38:34] Angela: would. Okay. Well, I'll tell Jeremy all about your new product by Wing [00:38:41] Maren: Sounds good. All right. Angela, what are you living this  [00:38:43] Angela: week? Okay, so you have probably heard me talk about bookshop.org before. Bookshop.org is a place that you can order all of your books. So, and this is like an alternative to Amazon, and they support independent bookstores through bookshop.org. [00:38:59] So [00:39:00] you, once you purchase a book on bookshop, you, or before you purchase a book, you choose which independent bookstore you would like the proceeds to go to. Yes. And so a lot of independent, independent bookstores around the country. bookshop.org, like storefront basically. So it's like shopping online for them. [00:39:21] Maren: Right. And like all of our affiliate links for books  [00:39:23] Angela: go to Yes. bookshop.org too. Right? Cause we have our own, We have a shop too. But, and I've been using, this is just, you know, I still use Amazon. Of course. I, I have to, but you know. Mm-hmm. . I definitely have a love hate relationship with Amazon because I love. [00:39:39] I mean, it's so convenient, right? Yeah. But then also I don't like supporting Amazon, and so this is just one way that I can That I can like move a gr set of purchases over like every time I need a book, I just go to bookshop. Yep. Okay. So I've been doing that for a few years. It's been great. What I hadn't done yet and what I wanna tell you all about [00:40:00] is their audio books. [00:40:01] I have still been using audio audible for audio books. Mm-hmm. . Mm-hmm. . And I've been feeling kind guilty about it a little bit because a lot of my book purchases are audio books. Right. But Bookshop has their own audio book that's. Part component. Yeah, it's called Libro fm. It's an app just like Audible. [00:40:23] You can get a subscription just like Audible, except it's supporting an independent bookstore. And so I just decided to do it like a few weeks ago and it's amazing. I love it. And right now they have a deal where if you join libro FM right now, you get two free audiobook. So that's how I did it. When I joined, I got two free audiobook books. [00:40:44] And I wanna tell you about one of them, which I have been loving you too. Yes. It's called All My Rage. Ooh, By, I'm interested .  [00:40:53] Maren: Okay.  [00:40:54] Angela: By Saba to here. Okay. Okay. This is a fiction y a book, [00:41:00] but love it. It is really, really well done. It is about two Pakistani teenagers. Mm-hmm. who are family friends as they're growing up in. [00:41:11] California. And there's just a lot of, there's all the trigger warnings possible probably are in this book because it's really sad. So I don't know that you would like it mind because it's Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's very sad. But I'm in the sad books. , I'm into sad books. I'm into like Just hearing real true stories and Yes. [00:41:30] Of people and getting, getting through hard things. So for sure that's what this is. And there's, it's, But the, but the thing is, it's so well written. I know it's y and I hate to say this, but it doesn't seem like y a, it's only Y because the characters are in high school. Okay. But it's just. Because a lot of ye is really well written. [00:41:50] So this is a really well written ye book. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And it is beautiful on audio. So you've on  [00:41:58] Maren: audio. Okay. That's great to [00:42:00] know about audio too. But you've introduced me to so many good y eight books,  [00:42:05] Angela: so I mean, you could try, I trust you on this because you might like the story because also it's like you're learning about a culture that you're, for me, that I'm not as familiar with, and so that also is, I really liked learning about that. [00:42:17] Maren: Yeah. That's also some of my favorite reading is just  [00:42:20] Angela: reading so different cultures for sure. You so what? Sad you might you might be okay with it. Yeah, I dunno. So anyway, it's really good. So I got that on LiRo fm, so you know, that's so awesome. Even if you don't end up using LiRo fm, you could just go over and get your two free audio books right now you get two free audiobook. [00:42:38] Yeah, I'm going. Thank  [00:42:40] Maren: you. You should. Thank you. I will. All right. We want to thank our three season sponsors Blossom and Root Out School and Night Zookeeper. Be sure to check out their links in our show notes.  [00:42:55] Angela: This podcast is created and hosted by Angela Se and Marron Gorse. [00:43:00] We are listener supported. [00:43:01] To get extra content and the Back to School summit free with your membership, go to patreon.com/homeschool unrefined. Subscribe to our newsletter and get our free top 100 inclusive book [email protected] slash new. You can find Mar on Instagram at Unrefined Mar and at Always Learning with Maron. [00:43:22] You can find Angela at unrefined. Angela.