Have you ever worried that you’re not meeting all of your child’s needs—academically, emotionally, spiritually, or even socially? Pretty much every day, right?
You’re not alone. Most of us have asked ourselves if we are giving our kids everything they need at one time or another.
In this episode, I’m sharing a replay from one of our Circle with Sarah live sessions where RAR Community Manager Kelsey Murphy and I dug into what education is really for, because if we know what it’s for, we’re better able to answer if we’re meeting our children’s needs.
I hope this conversation helps you reimagine your kids’ education in a way that eases your worries and reminds you that education is about relationships, not checklists, and that is very good news.
Circle with Sarah is my homeschool mentoring program within RAR Premium. Every Monday, members get a quick five to ten minute podcast with just the encouragement they need to be the peace-filled, joyful homeschool mom they’re called to be. Learn more here.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/education-is-for-love
Become the peace-filled, joyful homeschool mama you're meant to be: RARpremium.com
Many of you will already know that I am a huge fan of The Chronicles of Narnia. Today, I want to introduce my fellow Narnia lovers to a new book that jumped right off the shelf as soon as I saw it.
Giant is a middle-grade novel by debut author Judith McQuoid where we meet Davy, a fictional working class boy from East Belfast, Ireland who is sent to work in the wealthy Lewis household in 1908. There, he forges a friendship with Jacks–as C.S. Lewis was known to his friends and family–over books, stories, and building worlds of imagination and adventure.
Giant is a must-read for Narnia fans that adds a whole new depth of experience to C.S. Lewis’s world and will help you read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in a fresh way. And today, I’m chatting with the author about what inspired her to write the book, how much of the story is fictionalized, and how the process of writing the book shaped her identity. And you’re going to love her Irish accent!
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/judith-mcquoid
Order Flora and the Jazzers by Astrid Sheckels!
Astrid Sheckels continues the wit and whimsy of childhood through her marvelous and magnificent illustrations and storytelling.
You might recognize her from the Hector Fox and Friends series or Sea Dog and Sea Dog Rescue, and she created the gorgeous cover and interior illustrations for Beyond Mulberry Glen by Millie Florence.
Today we’re chatting about her new book, Flora and the Jazzers, which Kirkus called “sumptuously illustrated” in their starred review and I couldn’t agree more. This jazz-age Cinderella story starring a ferret named Flora and set in a 1920s New York hotel is going to blow you away, I just know it.
Astrid is a New Englander who loves to paint animals in clothes, so clearly she is a woman after my own heart, and I just know you’ll fall in love with her too.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/astrid-sheckels
Don't forget to pre-order your copy of Flora and the Jazzers and then tell us you did so you get your pre-order bonus mail!
Peace. It sounds lovely, right? It’s what so many of us want more than anything else in our homeschools. We long for peace, even if it often feels unattainable.
But what does peace actually look like in the midst of a real, chaotic homeschool day?
Last month in Circle with Sarah–my mentoring program for homeschool moms inside RAR Premium–we had a retreat. And our theme? Maintaining Peace in Your Homeschool.
Over four sessions, we walked through practical tips for letting go of guilt and holding onto peace when your day doesn’t go as planned–which we all know is basically every hour of every day, right?
Today, I’m sharing the first session of the retreat, called “What Do We Mean by Peace?”
I hope you find encouragement for maintaining peace within the everyday rhythms of homeschooling and that you get a better picture of the peace that’s available to you right here, right now, regardless of the circumstances you find yourself in.
And if you want to check out the rest of the retreat, all of the sessions are available now as part of RAR Premium (Join us right here!).
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/peace
Become the peace-filled, joyful homeschool mama you're meant to be: RARpremium.com
What does having a happy homeschool mean to you?
How would you describe it? What would you be doing?
Our homeschools are all unique. We have different kids, different spouses, different resources, different homes, different demands on our time and energy. And yet I have a hunch that when we think about what having a happy homeschool means, our answers would be remarkably similar.
As many of us are getting into the swing of a new school year, I want to revisit a topic that I think is incredibly important to keep in mind so that you can actually enjoy your homeschool this year.
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/homeschool-habits
Today, I have a very special treat for you! This spring, our publishing imprint here at RAR, Waxwing Books, celebrated the release of Painting Wonder: How Pauline Baynes Illustrated the Worlds of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien at one of my favorite bookstores, Fabled Bookshop in Waco, Texas.
I had so much fun talking to Painting Wonder’s incredibly talented author and illustrator, Katie Wray Schon, about this picture book biography of the fascinating woman behind the iconic illustrations in the works of C. S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien.
We knew this conversation would be too good to keep to ourselves, so we recorded it, and now we’re sharing it with you!
In this episode, you’ll hear:
Learn more about Sarah Mackenzie:
Find the rest of the show notes at: readaloudrevival.com/painting-wonder-launch
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.
