How We Became “Outside the Box Learners”?

Isn’t it funny how so often things in life come about from what DOESN’T work? We can make plans but must adjust if we are hitting a wall.  

Homeschooling Outside the Box Was Not the Original Plan

I did not set out to be “outside the box” in regards to homeschooling my kids. I’m a planner and there are plenty of well-planned out homeschool curriculums. I would prefer to be using one of those lovely well planned out curriculums. I’m a list person. A box checker. I prefer to have my plan and stick to it. However a lot of methods that SHOULD work and DO work for most families, simply are the not the best way of learning in our home.

We have a wall hanging in our school rooms that says “Mistakes are lessons inside out.“ I had it custom-made for my daughter – to remind her it’s OK and NECESSARY to make mistakes! It’s part of the learning process!

Our family has come around to this “outside the box” approach to learning in an inside-out way. And it has been downright frustrating for me at times. There have been tears shed by more than one person…..including myself! And definitely more than once!

And the truth of the matter is my kids did not become “outside the box learners”. They always were. It just took me a few years and to catch on and have the confidence to do things in less conventional ways.

Finding What Works With Our Outside the Box Learners

After years of trying things that “should have” worked, I’ve learned to follow my kids’ lead more. Sometimes that means stopping what we’re doing, and continuing at night while drinking hot chocolate after younger siblings have gone to bed. Sometimes
it means switching between different types of math curriculum throughout the year. Often it means checking out loads of books at the library on whatever is interesting to them that week…..or decade! For my creative child, it frequently means letting her get her inventive ideas out of her head in the morning so she can more fully focus on her work later in the day.

Ultimately it means letting go of the idea of doing “school at home” (as a former 4th-grade teacher this is hard for me!) and remembering one of the beautiful things about homeschool is the flexibility it offers. This attitude/philosophy is a work in progress for me. I have certainly not arrived. And I am too much of a list/plan person to let all routine go to the wayside. I do have things I expect my kids to accomplish each day.

However, every day I also try to give them time to create, imagine, play and read. And the great thing is, when we’re in the rhythm of this, it doesn’t feel like school. It’s enjoyable and there’s plenty of learning happening. Just not the way I expected it to.