Kolbecast

152 Join the Conversation

AMDG. We love hosting visitors from across the Kolbe and wider communities, but sometimes it’s nice to take a breather and check in with each other. In this episode, Bonnie, Steven, and Jordan do just that. They honor the memory of the incomparable Mrs. Dianne Muth, Kolbe co-founder, voice of wisdom, and skydiver; they talk about Jordan’s recent writing projects and Steven’s work in highlighting Kolbe’s mission; and they reflect on taking the long view on things to nurture a love of learning and truth over the course of a lifetime.  
Recordings with and about Kolbe Academy co-founder Mrs. Dianne Muth 
Kolbecast ep 100 In the Beginning 
Interview with Dianne Muth (1934-2023)
Celebrating the Life of Dianne Muth
Rosary for Mrs. Dianne Muth
Mass of Christian Burial for Mrs. Dianne Muth 
Related links: 
Kolbecast ep 135 Hidden Holiness Made Known, the most recent cohost confab in which Jordan shares his Fr. Franz Reinisch story and project  
Jordan’s articles in Prime Matters: 
The Hidden Origins of Victim Culture 
The Enemy Next Door 
Jordan and Steven refer to this manual by Kolbe co-founder Francis Crotty for implement Ignatian education in the home. 
Kolbecast ep 145 Subsidiarity, Support, and Resources discussing new and improved offerings  
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast! 
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode! 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org 

151 Joyful Discoveries for Preschoolers

AMDG.  As the toddler years turn into preschool years, children develop big ideas, big feelings, and big opinions.  On this episode, Nicole O’Connor and Maggie Hayden discuss how Kolbe’s new preschool program helps channel little ones’ energy and enthusiasm into a lifelong foundation.  They talk about how games teach manners, safety, and following directions; how playtime can help budding trailblazers learn teamwork; and how preschool is both one of the easiest and most complicated learning seasons.  Also included: a description of the books involved in Kolbe’s new program, along with the optional online lab and monthly parent meetings, plus tips on how to tell when little ones are ready to participate. 
Links mentioned & relevant: 
new Preschool Program webinar 
information on Kolbe’s website about the preschool program 
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast! 
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode! 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org 

150 A Family Apostolate: Liturgical Living with Kendra Tierney

AMDG.  Mother of 10 and liturgical living guru Kendra Tierney joins us today to chat about embracing both the fasts and the feasts of our faith.  Kendra speaks with years of experience from simultaneously homeschooling and running Catholic All Year, an outreach that brings people in.  She shares how many families are already liturgically living without giving themselves credit, describes her family’s tradition of celebrating three special days, and highlights the role of hospitality in evangelization.  Ultimately, this episode demonstrates how focusing on the challenges of our faith are an incomplete picture of life with Christ—challenges abound, but so do beautiful celebrations, festive food, and good humor. 
Visit Kendra online at https://catholicallyear.com/ and check out her show on FORMED.org.  
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast! 
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode! 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org 

149 Faith-based Play with Chantal Baros of Shining Light Dolls

AMDG.  We’ve talked before about filling our environments with things that help young children encounter their faith in a tangible way.  In this episode, homeschool mom, fellow podcaster, and owner of Shining Light Dolls, Chantal Baros, visits with Bonnie and Steven.  They talk about how play-based learning can help little ones internalize tenets of our faith and experience the global community of cultures, how big emotions like grief can be processed through play, and how Chantal runs a small family business while also homeschooling.  
Links mentioned & relevant:   
Check out Shining Light Dolls (affiliate link) and look for the Saint Stories for Kids podcast in your favorite app! Use Promo Code "KOLBE_ACADEMY" to receive 10% off your order.
Bonnie refers to the St. Maximilian Kolbe doll that’s visible on the new preschool program page.  
Listeners may find Kolbecast episode 71 A Sight for Sore Eyes with Chris Lewis of Baritus Catholic Illustration to be of interest. 
 
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast! 
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode! 
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org.

148 Engage & Apply

AMDG.  Every Kolbe student gets a rigorous experience, so how can high school parents best decide between core and honors courses?  That’s the topic of the day with Everett Buyarski, Megan Lengyel, and Tony Guzzaldo.  The group describes qualitative and quantitative differences between the various course offerings (spoiler alert: there are a lot more of the former than the latter), highlights how simply giving students more to read doesn’t automatically increase academic rigor, and gives practical recommendations on how to challenge students without overburdening them.  Also listen in for details on student awards, National Honors Society eligibility requirements, and dual enrollment considerations.
Mrs. Lengyel describes the awards established to recognize student achievement in their courses of study at Kolbe Academy. Detailed information about the awards is available here.
Relevant Kolbecast episodes:
76 Study Buddies with members of Kolbe’s National Honor Society chapter
99 Gifted, Graced, and Formed
109 A Lifetime Venture with Dr. George Harne, which features a bit about Kolbe’s dual enrollment partnership with The University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas
120 Substance Matters with Jeremy Tate, founder of the Classic Learning Test, with some discussion about AP and College Board
127 Forging a Path with CLT’s Kimberly Farley, who offers some more food for thought about dual enrollment
Enrollment for the 2023-24 school year is now open! Here’s where to start.
Kolbe Academy webinars which may be of interest or assistance to families considering enrolling:
K-12 Online Program webinar
new Preschool Program webinar
Student Support Services webinar
Experience Kolbe’s live online classes by registering for an upcoming Shadow Week.
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

147 Building Blocks for Reading Success

AMDG.  Learning to read is different for every child and every family, but there are resources and helpful hints that can reduce frustration and bring joy to the process.  Elementary teachers Sarah Lee and Kristen Crook share some of those resources and tips today, including how to incorporate small things into your home environment, the benefits of phonics and tactile involvement, and some little-known but important facts about letters and their sounds.  They also discuss when reading intervention might be appropriate, the Orton-Gillingham technique, and tech options for enrichment.
For more discussion on the early elementary years, check out these Kolbecast episodes:
82 Move & Groove with Sarah Lee & Eileen Duryea
122 Bridge Year with Colleen Goodwin, Marissa Piñon, and Nicole O’Connor
81 The When and the How of Online Elementary with Sarah Foulkes, Anna Havens, and Emily Thibideaux
Resources & recommendations from Kristin and Sarah:
ABC Mouse
Starfall
Bob books
Learning at the Primary Pond
The Phonics Song
Learning Letter Sounds song
another Letter Sounds song
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps us reach more listeners. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

146 Stepping into the Arena: Bobby Angel on Our Call to Holiness

AMDG.  The call to be perfect as your heavenly father is perfect can be intimidating, but God doesn’t ask us to live in a pressure cooker.  Today Bobby Angel—writer, speaker, youth minister, and homeschooling dad—joins Bonnie, Steven, and Kolbe’s communications and marketing director, Josh Beckman, to talk about answering the call to holiness in everyday life.  Bobby describes how to live differently from the culture in a way that doesn’t turn people off; how to bring gifts, quirks, and personality to the table as part of God’s plan for life in abundance; and the all-important part of life of just being human together.  The group also reflects on parents’ call to holiness in their families, including rupture and repair as well as emotional attunement.  In sum, Bobby’s message to podcast listeners is that the call to be holy is a call to be whole.
Kolbecast episodes mentioned and relevant:
123 A Change of the Ages with Msgr. James Shea
138 Stories to Treasure Together with author (and Kolbe mom) Kathryn Swegart
131 It’s All about Relationship with Danielle Bean
 
Visit JackieandBobby.com for more information about them and their ministry, projects, and offerings.
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps broaden the reach of the podcast. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org

145 Subsidiarity, Support, and Resources

AMDG.  Kolbe is committed to classical education, the western canon, sacred tradition, and academic rigor.  As the breadth and needs of students develops, we work to identify new needs and areas to support families so we can adapt to changing kinds of students while remaining committed to our core values.  Karen Allgood, Megan Lengyel, Tony Guzzaldo, Nicole O’Connor, Kelly Powers, Ashley Massey, and Elizabeth Hoxie visit with us today about the new Student Support Services program coming soon to Kolbe families.  They discuss identifying gaps and struggles, providing resources for special education and learning disabilities, offering multiple levels of support for customizable help, and the availability of accountability mentors for homeschool students.
Links mentioned and relevant:
details about Kolbe’s Student Support Services
Feb 2023 Schoolwide Address
Student Support Services webinar
K-12 Online Program webinar
new Preschool Program webinar
upcoming Shadow Weeks
Kolbecast episodes cover a range of topics relating to school at home, the life of faith, and Catholic education. Using the filters on our website, you can sort the episodes to find just what you're looking for. If you listen to the Kolbecast via a podcast app/player, we'd be so grateful to you for leaving a rating and review. That helps broaden the reach of the podcast. However you listen, please spread the word about the Kolbecast!
What questions do you have about homeschooling, the life of faith, or the intersection of the two? Send your questions to podcast@kolbe.org and stay tuned for answers. You may hear them answered in an upcoming Kolbecast episode!
Interested in Kolbe Academy’s offerings? Visit kolbe.org