Se7en’s Tip of the Week… And Several of Our Favourite Podcasts…

So I started a Podcast a couple of weeks ago, called Se7en’s Tip of the Week…

It is teeny and tiny… but it is growing, slowly but surely. I wanted to create a podcast for years, but always battled to pick a topic, so I did what I do best and just took the leap… I started. So far, it is just a 2 minute tip of the week, with a link back into blogposts that our new followers haven’t read yet. I am off to a slow start but I have loads of ideas. I have big plans for this little corner of the podcast world in the new year, but in the meantime it is just ticking away and gathering episodes.

I don’t know about you, but I use podcasts to get my chores done… I could hang laundry all day if I have a podcast rolling out… so I thought, while I am introducing our new podcast I would share some of our favourites with you…

1. Feel Better, Live More with Dr Chatterjee: I love love love this podcast, its all about positive change and things we can do to improve our day to day living. There is a long form in depth episode midweek, and then a short bitsize episode on Fridays. He takes a look at health in general: how we sleep, how we work, what we eat, he covers everything and just a great listen every single time. Instagram.

2. Chatting to a Friend: So Catie Friend is the most humble and incredible speaker, with a passion for adventuring. She interviews or rather chats, to adventurous women from all over the world… what inspires them, what motivates them and what we can learn from them. I LOVE this podcast, and I love that all the episodes end with a challenge, not just for Catie, but for her listeners too. Instagram.

3. 28 Summers: Remember when summertime was for heading out on adventures… and not staying home to declutter your stuff and run all the errands you never got round to during school time… well this is the podcast to take you back there. Adventure for adventure’s sake, I love it. Instagram.

4. The Atlas Obscura Podcast: The Atlas Obscura takes you on a daily visit to a place that is off the beaten track. You know when you visit somewhere in the world, there is the tourist route, and then there is the Atlas Obscura route… I know which route I am choosing!!! Instagram.

5. The Wild with Chris Morgan: This podcast is amazing… all about wildlife, specifically, but not exclusively, wildlife in the Pacific North West… we all enjoy this one. Intriguing, satisfying curiosity on every level… its just a great production, so well done… you can just imagine traipsing through a swamp, sitting alongside a freezing coastline, from bats to rattlesnakes, condors to caribou… fascinating on every level. Instagram.
6. The Dirtbag Diaries: Genuine adventures in the great outdoors. From deserts to jungles, mountains to the sea… adventurers from every walk of life, seeking the challenge, seeking healing… this is a great listen every time. Instagram.

7. The Worst Girl Gang Ever: You may find yourself as part of this gang, without even knowing it… it is the girl gang for moms that have lost babies… it is extremely comforting. A look at real life stories of moms who have been through this before you and so reassuring to know that other folk have had similar experiences to your own. I have taken years not to get over the loss of our little one, and after spending hours listening to episode after episode of this podcast, I am finally at peace with that… turns out you can get on with things, even if you don’t want to move on. Instagram.

1. More or Less from BBC4: Tim Harford takes statistics that are presented as truth in the news, and presents the actual truth behind them, in understandable English. Very interesting listening and and loads of food for thought.

2. My Best Teacher: This is an interview-type podcast… famous folk are asked about their best teacher. Fascinating listening, from Michael Rosen to Gordon Buchanan, Cressida Cowell to Colin Firth. You get to hear anecdotes from their lives, the intricate details of several chapters in their lives.

3. The Numberphile Podcast: When you are teaching your kids maths in school and they say, “When will we ever use this in real life?” This podcast answers that question and many other questions that you may never have thought of before!!! This makes maths seem like a fun topic… maths in the news, famous mathematicians and even more fun, famous problems.

4. Twice upon a Time (with Janet Ellis): This is a new to us podcast and it is lovely… for book lovers everywhere. It is a conversational podcast, where authors tell you about their favourite childhood book… lovely lovely lovely!!! Instagram.

5. 1000 Hours Outside: This podcast is all the encouragement you need to get you and your kids outside… not just how to get outside, but why!!! Instagram.

6. Bravewriter by Julie Bogart: Is all about raising writers and so much more. Honestly, there has to be no homeschool mom on earth who thinks teaching their kids to writing is a breeze. Her entire website is packed with loads of homeschooling encouragement. Her books are fantastic, her blog is amazing and her podcast brings it all together in an accessible way for busy moms who are living at the “chore-front.” Instagram.

7. Read Aloud Revival: This has been one of my favourite podcasts, since the beginning of time. Always and forever… there is something wonderful about this one. Sarah Mackenzie never runs out of topics or things to say… tips on reading with your kids, tips on books your kids will love, loads of classic and even more contemporary reads… this podcast is a marvel and if you are a homeschooler or not, you definitely need to be listening to this one. Instagram.

1. Masterpiece Society: Famous Artists on point… Twenty five episodes so far, each one contains a famous artist… his art, famous works, what was happening around the world at the time… this is a great listen. Link back to the website for pictures of the works describe as well as a printable fact/activity sheet. Instagram.

2. Duolingo French: I know Duolingo is an app for learning almost every language under the sun… but they also have a podcast for French and Spanish. Our kids learn French as a second language and this podcast is perfect for a weekly listen. They are real stories about real French speakers from around the world. The narrator switches between French and English, and just like any immersive language study, you very quickly pick things up. It is fabulous, not aimed at kids specifically, but aimed at English speakers trying to learn French.

3. Earth Rangers: My kids love this podcast, each episode brings you amazing facts about animals around the world. In each episode, amongst the animal facts you will meet a professional animal expert… this is a podcast about biodiversity and the environment we live in… ticks all the kid appeal and their parent’s listening in appeal too. Instagram.

4. Homeschool History from BBC: Excellent history facts and loads of them… 2 short series, to be honest, not enough!!! These are absolutely fantastic… eclectic snippets of history: from Cleopatra to Mary Anning, from Da Vinci to Shakespeare… we loved these and have listened so many episodes over and over again, in fact really wish there was more.

5. You’re Dead to Me: Another History podcast, presented by Greg Jenner, he presents Homeschool History (above) as well, but loads more topics and not directed specifically at kids.

6. Merriam-Webster’s Word of the Day: Less than a minute every day and totally worth it.

7. Classics for Kids: We have been listening to this podcast for years. A new episode is posted every weekend, podcasts about classical musicians: quick facts interspersed with with loads of music. They have a musician of the month, a short weekly podcast episode, and a printable for each composer as well. It is fabulous, if you are doing a famous musician study then go back into the archives and look for them, otherwise we just casually listen to the podcast one or two days a week and you would be surprised how much we learn and retain.

And don’t forget to click on this link and listen to all our episodes here…