The BIG Home Ed Conversations

BIG Home Ed Book Club: Introducing Our First Pick: The Four-Hour School Day

The BIG Home Ed Conversations

Show Notes

This week, Ashley pops in solo to launch something new and fun for our community—the BIG Home Ed Book Club! Think bite-sized, practical reflections you can listen to on a walk, while folding laundry, or between activities. In this intro, Ashley:

Shares why we’re starting a book club now (hello accountability and actually finishing the gems on our shelves)

Walks through the books on her current list and why they matter for home-educating families

Explains how the series will work: short recaps, key takeaways, surprises, and who each book is best for—even if you don’t read along!

Books mentioned

The Four-Hour School Day by Durenda Wilson — Next week’s pick!

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Untangled by Lisa Damour

The Case for Make-Believe by Susan Linn

Between by Sarah Ockwell-Smith

Hold On to Your Kids by Gordon Neufeld and Gabor Maté

Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff

Peaceful Parent, Happy Siblings by Dr. Laura Markham

The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie

Let Them Be Kids by Jessica Smartt

Raising Critical Thinkers by Julie Bogart

What’s next

Read along: The Four-Hour School Day by Durenda Wilson

Ashley will share a practical, no-fluff recap next week: big ideas, what surprised her, and how to apply it in real life

Why this series will help

Quick refreshers so the good stuff actually sticks

Support for parents at different stages—from little years to tweens and teens

Curated, relevant reads for UK home ed families (and beyond)

Links

Read-Aloud Revival: readaloudrevival.com (book lists, podcast, family book club)

Follow us on TikTok and Instagram: @bighomeedpodcast

Podcast page: www.offroadingmotherhood.co.uk/podcast

If you’re new here This is a bonus mini-episode. For our usual conversations, start with earlier episodes to get a feel for our style and mission! In the mean time don't forget to:

Subscribe so you don’t miss the first book club review!

Share this episode with a home ed friend who loves a good book stack!

Leave a review on Apple Podcasts to help others find us!!

Keywords: home education, homeschooling, book club, home ed resources, Durenda Wilson, The Four-Hour School Day, parenting books, tween parenting, read-alouds, Julie Bogart, UK home education

More from The BIG Home Ed Conversations

Oct 15, 2026

Whether you came to home ed after your child burnt out of school, or you're the parent running on empty right now, burnout is something so many of us know far too well. In this Season 6 episode of our series on the tricky bits of home education, Kelly and Ashley get honest about home ed burnout: what parent burnout actually looks like, why it creeps up on us, and how to find our way back, for our kids and for ourselves.

Oct 8, 2026

Consistency is one of those words that can make home educating parents feel a bit twitchy. Some weeks your home ed routine flows beautifully, and some weeks the maths book hasn't been opened and someone's still in their pyjamas at 2pm. In this Season 6 episode on the tricky bits of home ed, Kelly and Ashley unpick what consistency really means in home education. Do you need a strict homeschool schedule, or is a gentler rhythm (showing up, keeping the curiosity going and coming back to things after a break) enough?

Oct 1, 2026

Welcome to season six of The BIG Home Ed Conversations Podcast, where we're digging into the tricky bits of home education. Not the sunshine-and-nature-walks highlight reel, but the real, unglamorous moments that every home educating family knows too well.

Jul 19, 2026

In this final episode of the season, we’re doing something a bit different. (Please note, no explicit details are mentioned, but use caution if you listen with children as we do discuss things they may be exposed to as they start to use the internet more widely.) We originally planned an episode focused on internet safety and online security… and then real life happened. We were away at our annual home ed camp, the world took over, and we decided to lean into the learning that was already happening right in front of us. So this becomes a wider conversation about:

Jul 5, 2026

In this bonus episode of The BIG Home Ed Conversations, Kelly Rigg is joined by Dr. Chris Bagley — educational psychologist, musician, author, and co-founder of States of Mind (with B. Herbert).

See all episodes →