Ivy League Road

In this increasingly casual, digital age, it's hard for our kids to understand that sometimes, professionalism and formal behavior are required. This week's guest, Aeshia, DeVore Branch, founder of Pretty Girls Sweat, shares some of the pitfalls of NOT focusing on positive, stand out professionalism among young people. She provides several excellent tips and strategies, for your middle schoolers through your 20 somethings, to gain an edge in our very competitive environment. Your child can benefit from Ms. Branch's suggestions in a variety of areas, including when applying for: Internships Scholarships  College Admissions Jobs Athletic Recruiting Relationship Building And more! You can follow Ms. Branch and Pretty Girls Sweat at her website, www.prettygirlssweat.com and on Instagram and Facebook @prettygirlssweat. Books Mentioned: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens by Sean Covey The Personal Touch: What You Really Need to Succeed in Today's Fast Paced Business World by Joe Cooney and Terrie Wiliams Be sure to visit me at www.judysarden.com and sign up for the 5 Steps to Start Homeschooling Master Class, running June 29-July 3, 2020.  Be sure to register to gain access to the replay. Register here: https://www.judysarden.com/5steps  

We’re all worried about our kids staying at home and homeschooling while leaving us little time for leisure and work. Wouldn’t it be nice to know your child is in the hands of someone you trust while you go about your day? Adrien and Charlene Niles join me to talk about incorporating nannies, tutors, and sitters into your homeschooling and childcare plan.  We all need help and what better way to homeschool without losing the time you need to do the things you need to do? In this episode, the Nileses discuss the benefits of hiring help and provide ideas on how to incorporate help with school aged children, from elementary to high school. The Nileses are located in the New York area, but you can learn more about College Nannies, Sitters and Tutors at https://www.collegesitters.com and find a location near you. If you are interested in putting together a homeschooling and extracurricular plan to strategically position your child for college admissions success and beyond, you can learn more about how we can help you and book a consult with us at https://www.judysarden.com/strategiceducationplanning

Welcome to our newly renamed podcast!  To kick it off, we have Barbara, D'Antonio Phillips, co-owner of Windward Tennis Academy in Alpharetta, GA, sharing her knowledge as a homeschooling mom of athletes.  Whether you are homeschooling or not, you really don't want to miss her perspective on parenting, raising student athletes and preparing your children for their future, beginning in middle school. Highlights include: Teaching your child to set their own path How to help your child write their story Why following a child's passion is important Preparing kids to be agile and deal with change and adversity How colleges put together their freshman classes Why it is important to teach your child to think strategically Overcoming homeschooling challenges The law of attraction And more! You can reach Ms. Phillips at bdconsulting@gmail.com Mentioned in this episode: The 4 Questions by Byron Katie and The 5 Love Languages of Teenagers by Gary Chapman. You can visit us at https://www.judysarden.com.  If you are ready to invest in help strategically positioning your child for success during college admission, contact us for a consult at https://www.judysarden.com/strategiceducationplanning

Join me today as we talk a bout Dyslexia.  Whether your child has been diagnosed or not, you may very well hear Jennifer Henn describing your child's school experience. In this episode, Ms. Henn, Author of Take the Mystery Out of Homeschooling: A How to Guide, talks about how it felt growing up with an undiagnosed learning disability, how it made her feel about herself, and how she coped. She also shares how she was ultimately able to lead a successful career, once she was freed from the world of institutionalized education. And finally, she shares how she was able to homeschool her  children, despite being discouraged to do so. You don't want to miss a minute of this very moving episode!   Jennifer's Links: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/welladjustedhomeschooler/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The-Well-Adjusted-Homeschooler-343613345831777/ Book: https://www.amazon.com/Jennifer-Henn/e/B07WMYJ252   Special Education Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/spedhomeschoolsupport/   Syllables Learning Center: http://syllableslearningcenter.com/    Wilson Language program: https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/programs/wilson-reading-system/overview/      Judy's Links: www.judysarden.com/coronavirusschoolsoutplan www.judysarden.com/strategiceducationplanning   Facebook Group: @howtohomeschool Instagram: @judysardenspeaker YourTube: @Judy Sarden

Are you thinking about homeschooling but have questions like: What if I don't know everything to teach my child? Or What if I can't give my child everything she needs? Or Do I have to quit my job? I address these questions and others in this episode. Maybe you are currently homeschooling and are going through that winter slump that we all experience. What about burn out or that nagging suspicion that you are not doing enough?  I talk about these, too, and give you strategies on how to push through it. Want to talk about it some more?  Join the Facebook Group How to Homeschool (https://facebook.com/groups/howtostarthomeschooling) to ask questions live, start a conversation and build a community. You can also find resources on my website: https://www.judysarden.com/homeschool  

This interview with Teresia Matthews has something for everyone.  Are you a homeschooling mom who wants to work from home? Are you a single homeschooling mom, wondering how to make it work? Are you trying to figure out how to get your hustle on so that you can stay home with you kids? Well, Teresia has done it all. I am bringing this interview to you from my business coaching practice because it is so timely and relevant to so many homeschooling families who are trying to make it work financially. Follow along on Teresia's journey as a recently divorced stay at home mom, then as a homeschooling mom and now as a married mom of two. For over 20 years Teresia has found a way to work for herself so that she can stay at home with her kids and pursue her vision of motherhood. Teresia's New Company:  https://sumsweet.com   Join my How to Homeschool Facebook Group Here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/howtostarthomeschooling/ Follow me on my website: https://www.judysarden.com/homeschool https://www.judysarden.com/business Subscribe on Youtube: https://youtube.com/judysarden    

Are you homeschooling high school? Are you nervous about the prospect of homeschooling high school? Are you concerned about whether your homeschooled child will find it difficult getting into college, much less receive scholarships?   If any of these questions are looming in your mind, this is an absolutely must-listen episode!  Joining me is Pam Andrews, founder of The Scholarship Shark.  Pam brings her years of expertise in college admissions and winning scholarships for her clients.  Even better, Pam is a homeschooling mom of 4.  Pam’s oldest child, who was homeschooled throughout his K-12 education, was accepted to all 8 colleges to which he applied and was awarded over $700K in scholarships.  That is not a typo, by the way.   Highlights for this episode are:   9:00   High school and transcript prep   14:00 Course planning for dual enrollment   16:00 Coming up with grades and a transcript   21:30 What’s most important   26:30 Volunteer work   28:00  Colleges are looking for “Intellectual Curiosity”   31:00  Hacking college credits   35:30  What colleges say about homeschoolers   36:30  Learn more about The Scholarship Shark and how Pam can help your child   40:00  Lessons learned   Links Mentioned in This Episode http://www.mooc.org https://www.edX.org https://www.ocw.mit.edu https://www.online.stanford.edu/courses https://oyc.yale.edu https://online-learning.harvard.edu https://www.hslda.org/content/highschool/academics.asp   For free homeschooling audio downloads, visit my website at https://www.judysarden.com/homeschool Learn how to provide your kids with a world class education: https://www.judysarden.com/worldclasseducationlivenar  Join my Facebook group, https://facebook.com/groups/howtostarthomeschooling, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time.   You can follow me here: https://instagram.com/judysardenspeaker https://youtube.com/judysarden

So many people have asked for a dad's perspective on homeschooling and I am super excited to bring you this interview!  Meet Chris Lane.  He homeschools his kindergartener, is caring for his 18 month old and runs a successful fitness business. You'll love hearing his perspective on juggling it all and especially the meal plans that he and his wife offer to help busy families shop for, prepare and pack nutritious meals for their kids on the go.  You can find Chris at his company website here: www.takeoffperformance.com  If you are interested in working with Chris on meal plans for your kids, you can go here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HomeschoolMealPlan   For free homeschooling audio downloads, visit my website at https://www.judysarden.com/homeschool ​  Join my Facebook group, https://facebook.com/groups/howtostarthomeschooling, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time.   You can follow me here: https://instagram.com/judysardenspeaker https://youtube.com/judysarden  

Educating your child should be about more than just academics that require a 7.5 hour school day and hours of homework, all in the name of being called "rigorous." Education should be about helping your child discover and pursue her passions and build a life for herself. Wouldn't it be great if you could facilitate your child's education in a way that helps him to truly mold who he is and who he wants to be, without wasting time on busy work and tasks that simply will have no impact on his future? And what if you could give this to your children and on a world class scale while instilling in them a real passion for learning? Does such a  thing even exist? Yes, it does and its called homeschooling. Let's explore the possibilities.     Links Mentioned in this episode: https://judysarden.com/grouphomeschoolcoaching Email me here: sardenquestions at gmail.com to discuss our exclusive one-on-one Concierge Level Homeschool Coaching program. One of the key benefits of homeschoooling is the ability to teach your child to think critically.  You can truly help your child to move toward critical thinking versus memorizing just to pass a test. Grab my audio download, Teaching Your Child to Think to learn how to raise your child's analytical skills.   Join my Facebook group, How to Homeschool, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time.   For videos and articles on homeschooling and education, follow me here:   https://judysarden.com/homeschool https://youtube.com/judysarden Twitter @ sadenjudy Instagram and Facebook @judysardenspeaker    

Math facts! The bane of many child’s (and parent’s) existence!  Dr. Jan Bedell, Neuro Developmentalist, discusses her Rapid Recall System and a very different way of helping both neuro-typical and neuro-diverse children acquire math facts. Links Discussed www.littlegiantsteps.com YouTube @braincoachtips Free Auditory Processing Test Kits: https://www.littlegiantsteps.com/auditory-processing   Free Math Facts Proficiency Recommendations: https://www.littlegiantsteps.com/math-proficiency   Visual Circle Math: https://www.brainsprints.com/math-proficiency/   To get a free consultation: https://www.littlegiantsteps.com/our-services   For free homeschooling audio downloads, visit my website at https://www.judysarden.com/homeschool   To join the How to Homeschool community and enjoy live trainings, guest speaker, ask questions and more, join my Facebook group: How to Homeschool.

Kristen Eckenwiler talks to us about all things reading in this episode. She shares what is developmentally appropriate, best teaching practices and how to figure out whether your child is a reluctant reader versus a struggling reader.   Highlights from this episode:   12:00 On you can’t teach your kids everything 14:00 What’s really important to teach 16:30 When is reading developmentally appropriate 27:00 Required reading vs leisure reading 33:30 Thoughts on the AR Reading system and assessing your child’s reading level 44:00 How to know when your child needs help   Mentioned Links: https://www.thestrugglingreader.com https://www.highnoonbooks.com   For free homeschooling audio downloads, visit my website at https://www.judysarden.com/homeschool   To join the How to Homeschool community and enjoy live trainings, guest speaker, ask questions and more, join my Facebook group: How to Homeschool.

Trying to figure out what to do with your littles?  In this episode, Jennifer Howell-Stephens, Ph.D turned homeschooling mom of 5 year old twins, shares her experience with homeschooling her little ones.  Jennifer is also a homesteader and founder of Sweet Peas 'n Carrots Homestead and a homeschooling Forest School that helps expose African American children to the beauty and wonder of nature and science.  This episode is chock full of great information for moms trying to figure out how to homeschool very young children while keeping the joy and curiosity of early childhood intact.   3:00 How Jennifer overcame her husband's objections to homeschooling 8:30 What Jennifer did with her 3 year olds 14:00 The importance of playing outside 22:00 What Jennifer did with her 4 year olds 31:00 About Jennifer's Forest School 37:00 Jennifer's Homesteading Classes at The Little Learning Farm 38:30 What Jennifer is doing with her 5 year olds 47:00 Scheduling the school day and week 57:00 Jennifer's plans for her 6 years olds   Discussed in this episode: https://www.instagram.com/sweetpeasncarrotshomestead https://www.Squiltmusic.com   Join my Facebook group, https://facebook.com/groups/howtostarthomeschooling, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time. You can follow me here: https://judysarden.com/homeschool https://instagram.com/judysardenspeaker https://youtube.com/judysarden  

As much as we all love the idea of homeschooling, the reality is that we all have "those days."  You know, those days when the kids won't do anything you ask them to do, your house is a mess, nothing is going your way, nothing is getting done and you really just want to curl up in a ball and cry.   In this episode, I share with you my own experience with a meltdown day and I give you 3 strategies to use in order to get through it when you have those days.   For more strategies on finding the patience to homeschool, go here for my free download, How to Have the Patience to Homeschool: https://www.judysarden.com/homeschoolstore   Visit me on my website at https://www.judysarden.com/homeschool Join My Facebook Group, How to Homeschool Follow me on Instagram @judysardenspeaker Follow me on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/judysarden  

Your child can’t stay on task. Your son is impulsive. Your daughter has poor short-term memory.  You have a child who has been diagnosed with ADD, ADHD, ODD or any number of the alphabet cocktails that kids are being labeled with today.  As a parent, all you want are answers.  You just want to know how you can help your child.   Today’s episode explores taking a neurodevelopmental approach to tackling the symptoms that can lead to many of these diagnoses.  Dr. Jan Bedell, a neurodevelopmental expert and founder of Little Giant Steps, discusses how we can help most children improve in their information acquisition and storage, which will directly impact their ability to stay on task, keep and follow checklists, improve reading and math skills and more. Be sure to make the time to listen to this eye-opening episode! 3:15 What is executive functioning? 6:00 Labeling children vs dealing with symptoms 12:00 How to help kids stay on task 20:00 Examples of things you can do today to help with auditory processing 23:00 Why infants need tactile stimulation 25:30 Examples of things you can do today to help with short term memory storage 30:00  How Improving executive functioning can help improve test scores 33:30 Working with learning styles 35:00 How building new neural pathways helps the brain function better 38:00 Programs that could help develop executive functioning 43:00 Why movement and tactile experience is so important for infants and young children 47:00 Free Resources 49:30 There is help for older children and adults 52:30 Labels   Links Discussed https://www.littlegiantsteps.com YouTube @braincoachtips Free Auditory Processing Test Kits: https://www.littlegiantsteps.com/auditory-processing   Free Math Facts Proficiency Recommendations: https://www.littlegiantsteps.com/math-proficiency   Visual Circle Math: https://www.brainsprints.com/math-proficiency/   To get a free consultation: https://www.littlegiantsteps.com/our-services   One of the key benefits of homeschoooling is the ability to teach your child to think critically.  You can truly help your child to move toward critical thinking versus memorizing just to pass a test. Grab my audio download, Teaching Your Child to Think to learn how to raise your child's analytical skills.   Join my Facebook group, How to Homeschool, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time.   For videos and articles on homeschooling and education, follow me here:   Judy Sarden Website YouTube Twitter Instagram

Building community is one of the most important things you can do as a homeschooling family. When I speak at homeschooling conventions, I invariably am asked how to start a homeschool group for various reasons. In this episode, I talk with Amber O’Neil Johnston, founder of Heritage Homeschoolers in Atlanta, GA, about how she started her group.   Amber is a homeschooling mom of 4 and business owner, who found herself in need of something that didn’t exist – a black homeschooling group in her county.  Thinking she would find success if she could find 5 or so other families in her area, Amber’s group grew to over 90 families in only 2 years.  An example of how there are always people out there for us to build community with, we just need to position ourselves to find them.   During this interview, Amber shares what led her to homeschool, how she discovered her need for a new homeschooling group (she was already, and continues to be, a member of several other homeschooling groups) and she details exactly how she started her homeschool group.   In this episode: 4:30  About Amber and her life in corporate america 6:00  How Amber grew her home business organically 8:00  What led Amber to homeschool her children 10:00 How she overcame the fear that she wasn’t capable of homeschooling her children 15:00 What led her to start her homeschool group (a must-hear for moms of African American children!) 18:00 Why community is important 22:00 Starting the Community 29:00 Homeschool communities and African American boys 32:30 Mechanics of how Amber started her homeschool group (exactly what she did and her thought process) 39:30 Recommendations for getting started 44:00 What to do if you can’t find a group you need   Links from the Episode: www.homeschool-life.com www.cafephysique.com www.heritagehomeschoolers.org www.heritagemom.com   One of the key benefits of homeschoooling is the ability to teach your child to think critically.  You can truly help your child to move toward critical thinking versus memorizing just to pass a test. Grab my audio download, Teaching Your Child to Think to learn how to raise your child's analytical skills.   Join my Facebook group, How to Homeschool, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time.   For videos and articles on homeschooling and education, follow me here:   Judy Sarden Website YouTube Twitter Instagram

In an effort to ensure that their kids are covering all the necessary academic material, homeschoolers will often turn to book lists.  You know, that list of “great books” that all kids should read.   Some homeschoolers cling religiously to their book lists.  While others eschew book lists and choose a different route.   Which approach is the right one?   In this episode, I talk about why I don’t use booklists, the benefits of using a book list, why finding diverse literature is important for all children and considerations for finding a book list.   One of the key benefits of homeschoooling is the ability to teach your child to think critically.  You can truly help your child to move toward critical thinking versus memorizing just to pass a test. Grab my audio download, Teaching Your Child to Think to learn how to raise your child's analytical skills.   Join my Facebook group, How to Homeschool, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time.   For videos and articles on homeschooling and education, follow me here:   Judy Sarden Website YouTube Twitter Instagram

Do you want your kids to learn a second language? Do your high schoolers need to take two years of a second language for college admissions? Are you traveling to a Spanish speaking country and would like to be able to communicate with the locals?   If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ve come to the right place!   My kids are in their second year with Homeschool Spanish Academy so I thought I would review it for you and give you tons of information to help you learn more about the program.    In this episode, I interview Homeschool Spanish Academy CEO and Founder, Ron Fortin.  Ron shares his fascinating journey to creating Homeschool Spanish Academy and then we jump into:   [8:00] Details about the Homeschool Spanish Academy program   [16:00] Teacher certification, school accreditation and high school credit that is accepted by colleges and universities   [22:00] How the program also accommodates non-homeschooling families, adults and businesses   [25:00] How homeschooling co-ops can use the Homeschool Spanish Academy program   [27:00] Individual and family lessons   [29:00] Whether your kids should take Spanish instead of Latin   . . . .and more!   One of the key benefits of homeschoooling is the ability to teach your child to think critically.  You can truly help your child to move toward critical thinking versus memorizing just to pass a test. Grab my audio download, Teaching Your Child to Think to learn how to raise your child's analytical skills.   Join my Facebook group, How to Homeschool, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time.   For videos and articles on homeschooling and education, follow me here:   Judy Sarden Website YouTube Twitter Instagram   Homeschool Spanish Academy LInks: Link to free class: https://try.spanish.academy/how-it-works/   Link to homepage: https://www.spanish.academy  

The final episode in my 3 part How to Homeschool series covers the big question - how do you socialize homeschooled kids?  This is probably the most asked, and the most irritating, inquiry that a homeschooling parent receives!  In fact, this very question may be what's keeping you from homeschooling. Stay tuned to learn why socialization is not a problem . . if you are intentional. We also discuss the mysterious "deschooling" that is recommended for kids who are pulled out of school, especially when a child is pulled out suddenly during the school year.  We'll discuss what it is, how to do it and how long to deschool for you and your child. And lastly, we'll talk about how to incorporate learning into every day life. If you are considering homeschooling but need help getting organized and running, reach out to me here! I offer homeschool coaching to get you started on a successful homeschooling journey.  One of the key benefits of homeschoooling is the ability to teach your child to think critically.  You can truly help your child to move toward critical thinking versus memorizing just to pass a test. Grab my audio download, Teaching Your Child to Think to learn how to raise your child's analytical skills. Join my Facebook group, How to Homeschool, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time. For videos and articles on homeschooling and education, follow me here: Judy Sarden Website YouTube Twitter Instagram

In this part two of my 3 part How to Homeschool series, we dive into how you should define your homeschooling goal and how to use assessments to best provide the level of course work that your child needs. If you are on the fence about homeschooling because you think you lack the patience - think again! I'll share with you the key strategy you'll need to get past your concern about having enough patience.  Here I'll share a secret: its OK if you're not perfect. One of the awesome things about homeschooling is that you don't have to be beholden to anyone else's schedule.  Every family is unique and your homeschooling schedule should be based on your family's needs.   If you've listened to episode 1, you'll be ready to ready to put together your schedule with tips from this second episode. A key benefits of homeschoooling is the ability to teach your child to think critically.  You can truly help your child to move toward critical thinking versus memorizing just to pass a test. Grab my audio download, Teaching Your Child to Think to learn how to raise your child's analytical skills. Join my Facebook group, How to Homeschool, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time. For videos and articles on homeschooling and education, follow me here: Judy Sarden Website YouTube Twitter Instagram

Let's get down to it - you want to homeschool but you have no idea where to start.  I've got you covered in this first episode in my How to Homeschool series. In this episode you'll learn 3 of the first things you'll want to consider when you're thinking about homeschooling: finding out your state homeschool laws, figuring out how to set up your homeschool and choosing your curriculum. And for all you working parents, I also bust the myth that you can't work if you homeschool! Finally, you'll discover the top challenge that all homeschoolers grapple with and how to over come it. One of the key benefits of homeschoooling is the ability to teach your child to think critically.  You can truly help your child to move toward critical thinking versus memorizing just to pass a test. Grab my audio download, Teaching Your Child to Think to learn how to raise your child's analytical skills. Join my Facebook group, How to Homeschool, to see videos, ask questions and join the conversation real time. For videos and articles on homeschooling and education, follow me here: Judy Sarden Website YouTube Twitter Instagram