‍THOUGHT: Create Before You Consume
TREND: What Counts as “Homeschool” Anymore?
TOOL: 10 YouTube Channels Worth the Bandwidth

One of my younger kids wanted to make YouTube videos—and wanted to watch them all day. So we made a rule: until you’ve created an episode, you can’t consume one. It doesn’t have to be good, we told him. You don’t even have to like it. Just create something, then go study what other people built, and come back to create again.

Digital devices are neither bad or good on their own. They have the most power when they let us be curious and creative. They turn on us when they suck us into being only consumers or critics.

I’ve watched the pattern with Minecraft and Roblox. Kids start by playing, then they watch other people play for inspiration, then they just watch, and pretty soon the motivation is gone. If you consume too much, you start to feel like whatever you make won’t be good enough because you’re comparing it against MrBeast. 

“Create first, consume later” keeps the spark alive.

—Isaac

What Counts as “Homeschool” Anyway?

In a new paper Defining Homeschooling and Why It Matters, Brian Ray argues that to count as "homeschooling," education must be 1) parent-controlled, 2) home-based, and 3) privately funded.

We get that lawmakers and researchers want precise language to defend parental rights. But once you try to pin down an increasingly widespread term like homeschooling, you start to run into all kinds of weird exceptions.

What about ‘roadschoolers’ who learn from an RV? Or families who share studio space and employ a certified teacher two days a week? Or households using ESA dollars to cover a part-time microschool?

We say: let parents decide what they call themselves—and give all parents as much control as they want over their child's education.

10 YouTube Channels Worth the Bandwidth

Inspired by a recent r/homeschool thread, here’s a curated list for kids who are ready to watch after they’ve made something of their own:

1. Miacademy – multi-subject lessons produced for homeschoolers.
2. Peekaboo Kidz (Dr. Binocs) – animated science explainers for ages 5–10.
3. Twinkl Teaching – quick videos that pair with printable activities.
4. Homeschool Pop – geography, history, and social studies from fellow homeschoolers.
5. Mark Rober – engineering, glitter bombs, and problem-solving inspiration for tweens and teens.
6. CrashCourse Kids & CrashCourse – structured series on everything from astronomy to entrepreneurship.
7. TED-Ed – beautifully animated lessons that prompt discussion.
8. Code.org & Scratch Team – coding tutorials that move from blocks to text.
9. Art for Kids Hub – step-by-step drawing and painting for the whole family.
10. Two Cents (PBS) & The Financial Diet – finance and entrepreneurship talk for teens.