• 29 minutes 34 seconds
    Building a Strong Math Foundation in Early Childhood

    Joy chats again with speech pathologist, Priscilla Roberts who shares practical strategies for teaching early math skills to young children. Emphasizing hands-on, movement-based learning, she explains how to build a strong foundational understanding of numbers, counting, and base 10 concepts to foster confident, capable mathematicians from the start.


    resourcesfixitlearning.com - https://fixitlearning.comFind Joy Here:My Bloom & Brush course walks you through teaching drawing and nature study. Check it out here:https://www.howeverimperfectly.com/bl...✨ Find my nature study resources at https://www.howeverimperfectly.com/bloomandbrush✨Learn how to get outside and use a nature journal with https://www.naturestudyhacking.com

    24 August 2026, 11:49 am
  • 31 minutes 48 seconds
    Let's Talk about Reading: Auditory Skills and Speech Foundations| Interview

    Joy interviews Priscilla Roberts, a speech pathologist with over 40 years of experience, shares insights on how auditory processing and foundational speech skills impact children's reading development. She emphasizes the importance of assessing and strengthening prerequisite brain skills before starting formal reading instruction, offering practical tips for parents to support their children's literacy journey.Resources Mentioned:fixitlearning.com - https://fixitlearning.comMore about Joy Cherrick✨GET YOUR *FREE* NATURE STUDY LESSONS HERE:✨✨Get your Free Nature Study Start up guide here: https://www.howeverimperfectly.com/na...Find Joy on Substack: https://howeverimperfectly.substack.com/

    10 August 2026, 11:32 am
  • 32 minutes 49 seconds
    Ep 20 Simple and Joyful Nature Study- a Chat with Nicole Williams

    Joy and Nicole talk about the challenges and joys of doing nature study in a homeschool setting. They talk about getting started when you don't know the names of anything and how to help older children engage. Grab Nicole's free nature study starter guide here: https://sabbathmoodhomeschool.com/hipJoin the Screen Free Kids Get Outside Challenge: https://www.howeverimperfectly.com/ScreenFreeChallengeStart the 5-day Nature Journal challenge here: https://www.howeverimperfectly.com/opt-in

    21 June 2025, 1:31 pm
  • 18 minutes 58 seconds
    EP 19 Principle #20 All Knowledge Comes from God

    Principal #20: “We allow no separation to grow up between the intellectual and ‘spiritual’ life of children, but teach them that the divine spirit has constant access to their spirits, and is their continual helper in all the interests, duties, and joys of life.”

    Get the reflection questions and resources that go with this episode over on However Imperfectly on Substack here.

    13 June 2025, 10:46 am
  • 17 minutes 15 seconds
    Ep 18 Principle #19| Principles of Conduct

    Principle #19: Therefore, children should be taught, as they become mature enough to understand such teaching, that the chief responsibility which rests on them as persons is the acceptance or rejection of ideas. To help them in this choice we give them principles of conduct, and a wide range of the knowledge fitted to them. These principles should save children from some of the loose thinking and heedless action which cause most of us to live at a lower level than we need.

    Head over to However Imperfectly on Substack for the reflection questions and show notes.

    **If you want to be effective with your Nature Study work, join the Screen Free Kids Get Outside Challenge. Head over to HoweverImperfectly.com/ScreenFreeChallenge to download your free packet!**

    30 May 2025, 5:18 pm
  • 19 minutes 22 seconds
    EP 17 The Way of Reason| Leaning God's Wisdom not Our Own Understanding

    Principle #18: “The way of reason: We teach children, too, not to 'lean (too confidently) to their own understanding'; because the function of reason is to give logical demonstration (a) of mathematical truth, (b) of an initial idea, accepted by the will. In the former case, reason is, practically, an infallible guide, but in the latter, it is not always a safe one; for, whether that idea be right or wrong, reason will confirm it by irrefragable proofs.” Vol 6, Mason

    To see the reflection questions and notes from this episode, head over to However Imperfectly on Substack. --**If you want to be effective with your Nature Study work, join the Screen Free Kids Get Outside Challenge. Head over to HoweverImperfectly.com/ScreenFreeChallenge to download your free packet!

    17 May 2025, 9:38 am
  • 21 minutes 5 seconds
    EP 16 Principles #16a and #17- Helping the child learn to control his will

    “There are two guides to moral and intellectual self-management to offer to children, [the first] we may call 'the way of the will'...

    The way of the will: Children should be taught, 

    (a) to distinguish between 'I want' and 'I will.' 

    (b) That the way to will effectively is to turn our thoughts from that which we desire but do not will. 

    (c) That the best way to turn our thoughts is to think of or do some quite different thing, entertaining or interesting. 

    (d) That after a little rest in this way, the will returns to its work with new vigour. ” (Vol 6, p. 128)


    To see the reflection questions and notes from this episode, head over to However Imperfectly on Substack. --**If you want to be effective with your Nature Study work, join the Screen Free Kids Get Outside Challenge. Head over to HoweverImperfectly.com/ScreenFreeChallenge to download your free packet!

    3 May 2025, 3:00 pm
  • 17 minutes 50 seconds
    EP 15 Principle #15: The Habit of Attention

    "A single reading is insisted on, because children have naturally great power of attention; but this force is dissipated by the re-reading of passages, and also, by questioning, summarizing, and the like."


    **If you want to be effective with your Nature Study work, check out my Nature Study Hacking Guides at www.howeverimperfectly.com. Learn how to get outside and use those lovely nature journals which will help you and your children cultivate the habit of attention with ease.**

    18 April 2025, 11:44 am
  • 16 minutes 38 seconds
    EP 14 Principle #14 The Art of Narration

    Principles 14- Narration: The Art of Telling Back: “As knowledge is not assimilated until it is reproduced, children should 'tell back' after a single reading or hearing: or should write on some part of what they have read.” (Vol. 6, xxix)


    Check out the sample narrations and reflections questions over at However Imperfectly on Substack.

    **If you want to be effective with your Nature Study work, check out my Nature Study Hacking Guides at www.howeverimperfectly.com. Learn how to get outside and use those lovely nature journals.**

    4 April 2025, 10:39 am
  • 15 minutes 18 seconds
    EP 13 Principle #13 The Curriculum i.e. The Living Library

    Principle #13 “In devising a SYLLABUS for a normal child, of whatever social class, three points must be considered:

    (a) He requires much knowledge, for the mind needs sufficient food as much as does the body.

    (b) The knowledge should be various, for sameness in mental diet does not create appetite (i.e., curiosity).

    (c) Knowledge should be communicated in well-chosen language, because his attention responds naturally to what is conveyed in literary form.” (Vol. 6)

    Read and find links on However Imperfectly on Substack

    21 March 2025, 10:25 am
  • 17 minutes 5 seconds
    EP 12 Principle #12 Education is a Science of Relations

    Have you ever wondered how to help your child truly love learning? In our latest podcast episode and Substack article, we dive into Charlotte Mason’s Principle #12: Education is a Science of Relations.

    Children are born with a natural desire to connect—with ideas, history, nature, art, and even the materials they use in their hands. Our role as parents and educators is not to force information upon them but to introduce them to a vast world of meaningful relationships. Whether it’s through books, tangible experiences, or friendships, a full and flourishing life comes from these rich connections.

    In this episode, we explore:

    • How to cultivate a love for learning through real, living ideas.

    • Practical ways to encourage deep engagement with knowledge.

    • How to guide teenagers toward meaningful pursuits.

    • The role of parents in fostering a broad and full education.

    Get the show notes and reflection questions here: https://open.substack.com/pub/howeverimperfectly/p/principle-12-education-is-about-relationships?r=37a62&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

    **If you want to be effective with your Nature Study work, check out my Nature Study Hacking Guides at www.naturestudyhacking.com. Learn how to get outside and use those lovely nature journals.**

    7 March 2025, 12:55 pm
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