Tag: Right-brained

The rare occasion a list works for our ‘right-brained’ creative kid…

I am a list person.

Checking off boxes makes me happy.  There is even this super handy app called “Doit.im” that helps me keep my life in order. I get to check off boxes every day or very easily move them to another day.  I seriously think checking off boxes releases dopamine in my brain.  Kinda twisted, I know…  Unless maybe you’re a list checker yourself, then you get it!

I also happen to be the mom to an amazing young lady, who is NOT a list person.

A girl who is creative, non-linear, super right-brained, and definitely outside the box!  She is a huge part of the reason I don’t do a ton of homeschool planning, and why I plan backwards.  She doesn’t like to do things in any particular order and is often almost always thinking of something new to create.  I do print out weekly lists of the individual core things(math, writing, chores, piano practice) that need to be done each day, but usually I am cattle prodding a bit to make sure those things get done (besides piano, I usually don’t have to cattle prod her to get that completed).

But there’s a phenomenon that happens occasionally in our home.

And I can’t remember the first time it happened.  And I can’t quite figure out why it works so well.  It goes like this… I leave the house for a few hours and she is left in the care of my husband or my parents.  I leave her with a list to complete.   She doesn’t complain.   I come home 2 hours later.   The list is complete.  WHAT?!

I’m still trying to figure out WHY this works.

In fact, I almost look forward to days I have to leave for a bit because there is little to no battling.     I’m trying to figure out how to replicate this on our typical days.  But I think that’s part of it… me leaving for a few hours is not a typical day and she craves novelty and non-typical.

I have my other hypotheses…  Like maybe she loves being independent and this is foreshadowing of how she will do “in the real world”.   Or maybe it feels like it’s a ‘beat the clock’ type thing and there is a little fire under her tush once I leave the house.  Whatever it is, I welcome it!  Especially in our current season, where my 8-year-old is doing 9 months of Vision Therapy, and I occasionally leave my daughter with my mom or dad.  I can leave her with a list, and know it will get done!

Are you a list person or do you loathe them? How about your kids? If you’re not a list person, what motivates you to get stuff done?

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How Planning Backwards Breathes Life into Our Homeschool

Planning backwards has revolutionized our homeschool and my sanity!  I first heard about it last school year and it was a like a lightbulb went on for me!  It has been a game-changer.

What IS planning backwards?

Planning backwards is simply writing down what we did each day, after the fact.  I still have a basic idea of what should be accomplished any given day or week, but I am not bound to that.

No more late nights planning

Ions ago, when I was a classroom teacher, my favorite part about the job was lesson planning.  I loved finding ways to engage my students and help them learn in a fun way.  This was pre-kids of course, and I had the opportunity and TIME to work 12 hour days and create awesome lesson plans.  Enter in real life – marriage, kids, sleepless nights, and homeschool.  Time is at a premium.

In the past, I have been known to stay up too late getting everything set up for our next school day or anything really.  Maybe I’m a little obsessive in that way…  Maybe.  I do this to set everyone up for success.  Rather than succeeding, however, these well laid out plans just frustrate my highly creative child. 

Also, late night planning is just not a sustainable practice (unless you are a high energy person… which I am NOT).

Leaves room for rabbit trails and other things

If you have especially curious kids, rabbit trails are inevitable!  By planning backwards, we can go on rabbit trails without feeling the guilt of going off course.   We can experience learning in a relaxed state and simply enjoy the rabbit trail!  And often times the BEST LEARNING happens in those rabbit trails.  When you are addressing kids’ natural questions their brain is like a sponge.  They are learning A LOT in those moments!

Planning backwards also allows more flexibility for going to the park, on a hike, or possibly even a last minute field trip.  You don’t feel like a slave to the schedule.

No checkboxes to worry about

Confession here… I am a card-carrying member of Box Checkers Anonymous.   When I have boxes to check, I am one motivated lady!  It helps me GET STUFF DONE.

However, that box-checking mentality does not work as well for our homeschool.  And removing the boxes to check off allows me to feel more relaxed and engaged with my kids’ learning.

I should mention there are a few things that absolutely need to be done each day.  For those items, I give the kids a daily schedule where they need to check things off when finished.

Could planning backwards be a game-changer for YOU?

Obviously, planning backwards is not necessary, or even best, for everyone.  However, if you are more right-brained or have a right-brained creative child, and need a method of homeschool planning that doesn’t feel so rigid or restrictive, backwards planning could be your answer!   It has definitely breathed more life and joy into our homeschool.

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