Episode 11: Boost Your Potential with Brooke Lam of Keeping Families Well

During the holiday season, heightened stress and emotions aren't uncommon. And that's ok! This week, Weirdschooling brings you a special Screen Cares episode to remind you of the value of feeling your feelings...and not just the "good" ones.

Screen Cares hosts, Jennie & Sarah, explore how the film, Inside Out (2015) can be used as a tool to broaden the social and emotional vocabulary of the entire family, open doors to difficult conversations about complicated feelings, and provide room for individuals to accept the important role of sadness in their emotional lives.

Click HERE for a transcript of today's episode.

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

Today, we've brought you another Screen Cares episode in which hosts Sarah & Jennie respond to a listener's question: "...Is there a film that I could show my children that demonstrates how important it is to be an active ally?"

As Weirdschoolers, we may utilize different learning techniques, but we all fervently believe in the value of contributing to a world that actively works towards greater community, inclusion, understanding and allyship. This great episode shows how valuable it is to acknowledge and celebrate our differences, even when it feels hard to know where to start.

Click HERE for a transcript of today's episode and for helpful resources.

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

As proud weirdos, we embrace the unconventional in our approaches to learning, education, parenting and life. And in today's special bonus episode, your familiar and friendly Weirdschooling co-hosts share our other show: Screen Cares. This Screen Cares episode was hand-picked for our Weirdschooling community because it shows how watching the wonderfully weird independent movie, Captain Fantastic (2016), can spark a conversation about how to educate, how to parent, and how to live authentically. 

Click HERE for a transcript of today's episode.

To learn more about Screen Cares, please click HERE.

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

Weirdschoolers-- we care about you. It can be hard to focus on learning when your mind or body doesn't feel like it is cooperating-- and we've been there. So, for this week's episode, we wanted to share the gift of thinking differently about health. 
Brooke Lam, a wonderful Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach who owns and operates Keeping Families Well, shares her thoughtful expertise in a great conversation on holistic wellness. Join our conversation about disrupting the typical standard of care by learning to self-advocate, collaborate effectively with health care providers, make new lifestyle choices and prioritize feeling well again.

Whether you, your children or loved ones cope with allergies, autoimmune disease,  chronic illnesses, mental health issues, ADHD, or more, an outside-the-box approach to holistic wellness can make all the difference! And YOU deserve to feel well!
Follow Keeping Families Well on Instagram
Connect with Brooke About Your Own Health Journey
Click here for a transcript of today's fascinating conversation.
Learn More About:
Functional Medicine
Pilar Gerasimo and The Healthy Deviant
Dr. Mark Hyman and Functional Medicine
The School of Applied Functional Medicine
Functional Diagnostic Nutrition 

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

When you watch Mychal Threets' videos and reels, you might feel like you've been invited into a cozy corner table at your favorite library for a friendly chat. He's gone viral for sharing his love of books and his warm and fuzzy stories from his daily adventures as a supervising librarian in the Solano County Library system.

However, Mychal isn't just fluff. He's substance, using his platform to elevate the vital message that representation matters, that mental health isn't a weakness, and that diversity and inclusivity is beautiful and important. 

Join Weirdschooling co-hosts, Sarah & Jennie, for a fun chat with Mychal to learn about his experience as a homeschooler, his journey to becoming a librarian, the power of representation, joy and value of books, and so much more. Tune in, and we bet that you'll find that the world feels a little kinder, safer, sweeter and more vibrant, just because of Mychal. 
Click here for a transcript of today's episode.

Mychal's most recent reads:
Broken by Jenny Lawson
Studio Ghibli Cookbook by Mila Brady

Learn more about Mychal and how to connect:
Mychal on NPR's Life Kit
Follow Mychal on Facebook
Or, Follow Mychal on Instagram

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

Weirdschooling co-hosts, Jennie & Sarah, learn what it means to power outdoor learning experiences with purpose and professional excellence from the founder of Unearthing Joy, Dr. Ashley Brailsford. Unearthing Joy  has helped thousands of families across the country celebrate Indigenous, Black and Other People of the Global Majority’s experiences with nature through immersive learning experiences. At the heart of it all is a leader grounded in peace, joy and wonder. Join us!

Click HERE for a transcript of the episode.

Learn more about Unearthing Joy at www.unearthingjoytogether.com
Follow all the joy and get program updates on the Unearthing Joy Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

People of all abilities deserve to get to enjoy spaces in which they can have fun, challenge their limits, increase their self-confidence and just exist without the stigma of labels, all in a safe place that was built to gift the experience of a lifetime.  Children and adults can do all this (and more!) at Camp for All.

Join Weirdschooling Co-Hosts, Jennie & Sarah, in a warm and fuzzy conversation with Camp for All fan-girl, Ally Kelly. Ally has not only served as a camp counselor in her college years AND met her now-husband at Camp for All but has continued to support their mission through her adulthood and now serves on the Board of Directors.

Along with two other moms who have kiddos who have food allergies, Ally has also co-created Camp Bumblebee, "a place where food allergy families can feel safe, included and empowered to be themselves, have fun and make connections with other families managing food allergies."

Barrier-free camp fun isn't weird, it's WONDERFUL, so bring on the swimming, ziplines and more!

Click HERE for a transcript of today's episode!

Want to find a barrier-free camp experience at Camp for All or learn how to support their wonderful mission of inclusion? Click HERE!

If you're a family who has a loved one with a food allergy and would love a fun camp experience, Click HERE to learn about Camp Bumblebee!

Click HERE to contact Space to Bloom Behavior if you would like to see if one of the supportive behavioral services might be the right fit for you. 

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

Tune in to this short episode for a "scary"  update about your dedicated hosts, Sarah & Jennie, and what weirdness they're up to this week!
 
Feel like screen time can feel a bit meaningless? Check out our other podcast, Screen Cares. for new perspectives on why movies matter, and how to use movie nights to create conversations and connections. 

Nashville Film Festival is an amazing convergence of film, media, music and great conversations. Follow along as your multi-tasking hosts, Jennie & Sarah, explore film the Screen Cares way by visiting our website and social media channels. 

But wait! Why the spooky music? Well, in October the Screen Cares podcast becomes Screen SCARES, with a shift in focus to an all scary movie lineup. Screen Scares' theme song by the incomparable Brooks Milgate.

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling

Weirdschooling co-hosts, Sarah and Jennie, love history. But not the kind that only tells one white-washed side of the story. Uplifting historical events that have been omitted from many standard texts isn't weird, it's important and valuable.  Like many educators, we've found it to be a challenge to find a history curriculum that is secular, progressive, features stories of the global majority AND one that inspires learner and teacher-guide alike. 

Our search led us to this week's guests and we're excited to share our conversation with Helen and Arielle of Mint and Bloom Learning. These dynamic creators have created something truly special: an art-based history curriculum that encourages fun discussion, contextual understanding, empathy and positive change. 

Click here for a transcript of today's episode and a full list of resources mentioned.

Resources
Arielle's Music Pick for Setting the Educational Mood
Helen's Music Pick for Setting the Educational Mood
Sarah's Music Pick for Setting the Educational Mood
Jennie's Music Pick for Setting the Educational Mood
A Conversation with Brooke Barker, author of Sad Animal Facts
Article about Edward Gorey's The Gashlycrumb Tinies
Howard Zinn’s A People’s History of the United States: 1492 to Present

We encourage you to connect with Helen and Arielle and all that Mint and Bloom Learning has to offer! To to view their wonderful progressive, inclusive and secular history curriculum, Power of the People, or their new grammar workbook, A Melancholy Grammar Workbook for Melancholy Students, v.1, please visit their website.

Being weird doesn’t have to be isolating! Connect with other lifelong learners who like to think outside the box by joining our Weirdschooling Community Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram @weirdschooling