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:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
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:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
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:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/writing-advice
Join us for Shakespeare Summer!
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:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/emily-wilson
Join us for Shakespeare Summer!
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:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/how-to-shakespeare
Join us for Shakespeare Summer!
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:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes: readaloudrevival.com/shakespeare-is-not-school
Join us for Shakespeare Summer!
Why should we read the classics?
So many of us want to read and enjoy them, but we don’t want to spend our precious free time feeling like we’re incompetent because we just don’t get it or that the internet has completely ruined our brains (is this just me?).
This winter in RAR Premium, we did a whole retreat about falling in love with your reading life again, and today I'm sharing one of those sessions, called How to Read Classics (and Actually Enjoy Them). RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy and I talk all about how to find your way into the classics and *really* begin to relish them.
Most of this translates to reading classics with your kids, but this session really is for you. We want you to discover the fun and enjoyment in classic literature because it makes your life richer and better. It also makes you a more peaceful and joy-filled mama to those sweet kids of yours.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/read-the-classics
Join us for Shakespeare Summer!
In this episode, RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy and I sat down to tackle some of your listener questions.
We put our heads together to answer questions about loved ones who don’t support your choice to homeschool, curriculum overwhelm, reading aloud with older kids or a wide age range of ages, how to encourage your kids to read high quality literature, and more!
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/growing-in-confidence
Today, one of my very favorite authors returns to Read-Aloud Revival.
You know him as the author of Sweep, The Night Gardener, the Peter Nimble series, and The Fabled Stables. That’s right–Jonathan Auxier is back!
This time, we’re talking about the much-awaited conclusion to the Peter Nimble series, The War of the Maps. In our conversation, we delve into the guiding questions he explores during the writing process, and how each of these questions becomes a doorway for discovering who we are, whose we are, and what our work is here in the world.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/jonathan-auxier-is-back
One of my favorite reads of 2024 was The Myth Makers by John Hendrix.
This gorgeous graphic novel tells the story of the remarkable friendship of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. I thought I already knew quite a bit about these Inklings, but there was even more to uncover.
Today, I’m delighted to share my conversation with the author and illustrator of The Myth Makers, John Hendrix. We dive into his research and writing process, exploring how the threads of the story came together.
In this episode, Jon shares a better definition of myth, and illustrates the differences between a myth, a fairytale, and a story. I even make him choose which series he’d rather bring to a desert island, The Chronicles of Narnia or The Lord of the Rings.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/john-hendrix
What comes to mind when you think of C. S. Lewis’s Narnia and J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings?
There’s a good chance a lot of us are seeing very similar pictures. We’re seeing images that swept us into the whimsical world of wonder beyond the wardrobe (and into the Shire).
The beloved images of these childhood stories remain with us.
But it’s likely we don’t know much about the woman who created the iconic illustrations of the White Witch, Mr. Tumnus and Lucy, and the Pevensie children having tea with Mr. and Mrs. Beaver.
Her name is Pauline Baynes, and her artwork brought the worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien to life.
Today, author and illustrator Katie Wray Schon is here to share her gorgeous new book, Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. This stunning picture book biography tells the story of the woman behind the pictures of Narnia that we know and love so much. You’re going to want to add it to your shelves!
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/woman-behind-narnia
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
Today, I’m thrilled to share a peek at the riches inside RAR Premium, our online community that helps you make meaningful and lasting connections with your books and helps homeschool mamas become the peace-filled, joyful mamas they’re called to be.
Last summer, our Family Book Club selection was On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness, the first book in the Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson. And we were lucky enough that Andrew agreed to join us to answer kids’ questions about the books.
This episode is spoiler-free, so listen in even if you haven’t read the books yet. I’m pretty sure by the end you’ll want to! We talk about the inspiration for the Wingfeather Saga, Andrew’s ridiculous made-up words (that we actually use in my house), developing a rich fantasy world, and even which Wingfeather character is most like him!
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/wingfeather
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
Have you ever read a book and felt like you’d actually been to that place?
Me too. Once, while standing in line at an amusement park, I met a couple who told me they were visiting from Maine. And I almost said, “Oh, I was just in Maine!” Except I’ve never actually been to Maine. I had just read a book that was set in Maine, and it was so immersive, it felt like I’d been there.
That’s the power of books. They take you places.
Books help us experience different narratives and cultures from all over the world and throughout history. They give us a taste of places and people we might not otherwise encounter. Reading books can enhance our real travel experiences, too.
Today, I’ve invited RAR Premium Coordinator Leilani Curtis to join me to talk about how books take us places. Plus, we’ll share a very fun new booklist we’ve created and plans for a whole new series of lists that will be coming up!
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/books-take-you-places
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
Lately here at RAR we’ve been talking about reading for refreshment—reading for the pure joy of it—and how our own reading lives can be a source of energy and joy even in the throes of the busiest seasons of motherhood.
This week on the podcast, we're revisiting an episode that dives into why reading isn’t just good for us and our kids, but why reading for fun is also an important part of our jobs.
In this episode, we talk about why it’s so important and what it does for our kids and for us. I hope you’ll be inspired to ramp up the reading for fun in your own life, no matter what else you have on your plate.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/reading-for-fun
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
Dear Duck, Please Come! is the most fun I’ve ever had writing a book.
But writing the words is only half the story for a picture book. Which is why today, I’m delighted to share my conversation with the illustrator of Dear Duck, Please Come!, Charles Santoso.
Charles was born in Indonesia, raised in Australia, and now lives in Singapore. He’s illustrated tons of books we love here at Read-Aloud Revival, and I was over the moon that he agreed to illustrate Dear Duck.
In this episode, we’re diving into the collaborative process of creating a picture book, the inspiration behind Dear Duck, Please Come!, and how illustrations tell a story.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/how-illustrations-tell-half-the-story
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
At the start of a new year, we are overwhelmed with the phrase “New Year, new you!” And of course, we want to be better wives, better mothers, and better people.
This desire to improve ourselves filters into our reading lives, too. It’s easy to justify a lot of our reading if it helps us be better for our families and communities.
But what about reading for fun? What about reading fiction? When you’re a busy mom, is it worth it to carve out time to read just for the fun of it? And how would you even make that time?
But reading for delight is like stopping for water on a long, dusty hike. It’s a lifesource for us mamas. Today, RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy joins me to talk about how to be refreshed by your reading life.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/you-can-be-refreshed
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
Gather your aspiring writers and littlest book lovers for this episode.
I am so excited to welcome back author Millie Florence to talk about the beautiful book we created together, Beyond Mulberry Glen.
Millie and I are chatting about the making of the book from inspiration to final draft with a series of fun questions from what scene was the hardest to write to what character she’d want to hang out with for an afternoon.
Beyond Mulberry Glen is a read-aloud novel for the whole family, featuring a gorgeous cover and illustrations by Astrid Sheckels. It’s Waxwing Books’s very first middle grade novel, and we can’t wait to share it with you.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/millie-florence-is-back
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
What if I told you there’s an Icelandic Christmas tradition where the whole point is to spend an evening sitting around, sipping hot cocoa, and reading books?
Sign me up, right?
Today, we’re talking about Jolabokaflod, which loosely translates to “Yule Book Flood,” how it started, and how you can bring the magic of this bookish tradition into your home this Christmas.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/icelandic-christmas
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
"Marley was dead, to begin with."
That is one of the most famous first lines in English literature. It comes from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, which is perhaps the greatest Christmas ghost story ever told.
What is it that speaks to so many of us about this story of Scrooge and his ghosts?
Today I want to talk about what makes this story so beloved and enduring–from its original bestselling release in 1843 through countless adaptations–to the place of fondness and tradition it has in so many of our homes today.
In this episode, you’ll hear from RAR Premium members; Joe Sutphin, who did the beautiful illustrations for Little Christmas Carol; Samantha Silva, author of Mr. Dickens and His Carol; and some RAR kids on the lasting impact of Dickens’s tale and what they love so much about A Christmas Carol.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/all-about-a-christmas-carol
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
As homeschooling moms, we often focus more on what we’re not doing than what we are doing. We fret about the lessons we should be teaching or the projects we should be creating.
But here’s what we want you to remember (and what we try to remind ourselves): what you’re already doing is powerful. It’s purposeful. And best of all, what you’re already doing builds an enduring family culture.
In this bonus episode, you’ll discover the power of what you’re already doing and why the culture we create in our homes matters much more than whatever curriculum we use.
Today, we’re unlocking our most recent Circle with Sarah Live, a regular RAR Premium event where I mentor homeschooling moms like you. After all, we believe that the key to a successful homeschool is a peaceful, happy, homeschooling parent.
You’ll hear about all the things you’re already doing that make a significant impact in your homeschool. Plus, you’ll get an insider look at RAR’s framework for making rich and meaningful connections with your kids through books.
There are cupcakes involved.
Whether you’re ready to join RAR Premium or not, I think this episode will help you think about how you structure your homeschool and discover how the things you’re already doing have a huge impact on your family culture.
Remember, you’ve got everything you need to teach with peace that transcends all understanding. You were made for such a time and such a homeschool as this. I’m praying for you.
Books mentioned in this episode:
Links:
📖 Order your copy of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien by Katie Wray Schon.
