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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6 Delightful Math Games to Boost Learning

 

This blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through these links will result in a small commission for me (at no cost to you!) 

We love using math games in our homeschool to mix things up and “add” in some fun and fierce friendly competition.  The best part about playing math games is that it’s a DELIGHTFUL way to learn. No pressure. No dread. Just fun!

I’ve picked out our favorite, most played, math games that we use to boost learning in our home.  They are categorized by what math skill they build.

Math facts:

4 Way Countdown
Math Games for Learning
4 Way Countdown

The best part about this game is that it is all contained in one piece.  Rather than roll dice, the dice are contained in a popper, which is super fun!  You “pop” the dice and then use the two numbers to make a math fact – any kind of math fact (addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division.  You take the answer to that fact and get to flip a block.  The object of game is to be the first player to flip all 10 of your own blocks.  Suggested age: 6+     

Shut the Box

This is a great single player game.  My kids have used it on car trips and can play it over and over.  It is similar to 4 Way Countdown in that you roll the dice and then get to flip over blocks.  But shut the box focuses on addition.  It develops good number sense in kiddos and gives them the practice of simple addition facts.   Suggested age: 5+

Sum Swamp
Math Games for Learning
Sum Swamp

This is a colorful and captivating game for those kids who are new to addition and subtraction. We played this a lot when my middle child was just starting to learn basic addition. It was played nearly every day during that time!  Suggested age: 5+ 

 

Money:

PayDay
Math Games for Learning
PayDay

A favorite of my husbands from his own childhood, Payday is a great game to give kids a taste of “real life” and help them learn about loans and bills. Payday is a very engaging game that is always enjoyed! This is the updated version.   Suggested age: 8+

Probability:

Qwixx
Math Games for Learning
Qwixx

Described as a “fast family dice game”, Qwixx is one of those games that’s a little tricky to get the hang of, but once you do, it is quite addicting. It’s a favorite and can easily fit in a purse or backpack!  Suggested age: 8+

Logic:

Mastermind
Math Games for Learning
Mastermind

As a lover of codes and puzzles, Mastermind was a favorite game from my own childhood. It is the ultimate code breaking game. One player makes a code with different colored pegs and the code breaker has to try to figure out the code. This is another game that really stretches your brain!  Suggested age: 8+  *I linked to a different version than the one in the picture above.  The one we have has gone up astronomically in price!

Happy Gaming!
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Why I Named My Blog ‘Outside the Box Learners’

Perhaps the most difficult aspect of starting a blog, at least for me,  is all the ideas of possible posts that come to you and then having to decide what to write about next.  Well… that and the logistics of creating a website!  But to think I originally thought I might not have enough to write about!  Ha!  This has been a fun adventure for me.  Re-discovering the joy I experience while writing has been amazing, and the fact that I get to fuse it with my everyday job of homeschooling my kids makes it even better!

My blog is still very young at this point.  Before I write any more posts, I wanted to address why I named my blog  ‘Outside the Box Learners’.  It actually was my first choice for a website name and was thrilled it was available!

Defining ‘Outside the Box’

Let’s start with a definition of ‘outside the box‘.   When I hear those words I think of anything that is not conventional, or anything different from the norm.  Not mainstream.

According to Dictionary.com, ‘outside the box’ is an idiom that means:

“in an innovative or unconventional manner; with a fresh perspective”

What is an ‘Outside the Box Learner’

This might more appropriately be stated who is an outside the box learner?  People are who’s, not what’s, after all!  Unless maybe you are a character in a Dr. Seuss book. 😉

Since we’ve already covered what ‘outside the box’ means, it should be clear what an ‘outside the box learner’ is, because we’re just tagging learner to our definition.   And thus we get: A learner who learns in an innovative or unconventional manner or a learner with a fresh perspective.

When I first got the bug to start a blog, I knew I wanted to write about my homeschooling experiences both of my son with dyspraxia and also my daughter who is gifted, especially in the creativity arena.  From the little research I did about ‘outside the box’ students, it was my guess that my daughter more readily fit the stereotype usually thought of when one hears the words ‘outside the box‘.

Outside the Box Learners Learn in Unconventional Ways

Being the analytical person I am, I really thought about those words ‘outside the box’, specifically how they mean unconventional and outside the norm.  I use unconventional methods to homeschool both my 8 and 10-year-old.

For my son, I frequently make modifications to help him succeed, specifically with handwriting, which is very hard for him.  He is very asynchronous in that his reading capabilities and handwriting capabilities are lightyears apart.  If he was in a regular classroom, he would not be your typical student.  I LOVE that I am able to meet him where he’s at and he doesn’t have to feel like he’s “less than” or just “can’t keep up” due to his difficulties with handwriting.   And he is able to maintain a love for learning!

My daughter is my creative child who definitely approaches things with a fresh perspective.  She is inventive and always thinking of something new to try (as I write this she’s making sushi, which she’s done before, but this time experimenting with new ingredients!).  She is in her happiest and most peace-filled state when she is creating something new.  Her mind is in a constant state of motion. She hates worksheets and anything conventional really and learns by doing and teaching.   In my opinion, she is a poster child for an “outside the box learner”.

Emphasis On Learners

Since I knew I would be writing a lot about my kids and our homeschool, I wanted to emphasize learners in my website name.  And really the whole reason I’ve come around to homeschooling the way I do is to meet their needs, which I talk about in this post: How We Became Outside the Box Learners.

They learn in unconventional ways, so I’ve come around to teaching in unconventional ways.

 

 

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Weekly Wrap-Up: October 29 – November 2 (free poetry printable)

Weekly Wrap-Up: October 29 – November 2

We spent the better part of two days this past week on outings.  Both outings were unplanned but also welcomed and wonderful.  And I love how these outings didn’t stress me out and attribute that to planning backwards.

The Outings

One of our outings was to a local park to check out a short but picturesque trail.  We also discovered that the trail is part of the National Scenic Ice Age trail and explored new parts of it we had never seen.  I always find it amazing how being in God’s creation is so therapeutic.  The fresh air was good for us all.

How to write a limerick printable

Our other outing was an impromptu trip to see my grandpa, who lives about an hour away.  We did not get much done in the way of our studies that day.  However, the time spent together was lovely.

How to write a limerick

Limericks

We had an entertaining Poetry Teatime this week with an emphasis on limericks. We read quite a few limericks from this book, and then created some of our own.  Check out this printable if you want to try making your own!

Duolingo

I mentioned a few weeks ago we were trying out Pronunciator, an online foreign language curriculum offered through our local library. Unfortunately, it was not the most user-friendly in that we had difficulty with signing in. Probably a user error…😬  In any case, I looked around and found a free app called Duolingo that is much easier for the kids to use. Both of the older kids have been enjoying learning some Espanol.

Vision Therapy Update

Joe has now been in Vision Therapy for a month. We are 11% done (no – we’re not keeping track!) It’s going well and we’re in the rhythm of getting his exercises done at home each day. We have already seen some mild improvement in his handwriting and gross motor skills.

At the recommendation of the Vision Therapy Center (where he goes for therapy), he has been using a slant board, which has been very helpful to him when he needs to complete seat-work.

If you have a kiddo who has difficulty with handwriting I can not recommend using a slant board or slanted surface enough.  A large binder can also provide a slanted surface.  Working on a slanted surface cuts the fatigue down for kids who struggle with handwriting, and for anyone really.   There’s a reason that desks in the “olden days” were on a slant!

Goal-setting

In my head, I know the value of goals. It’s powerful to have something to work towards. Despite knowing the importance of having goals, this is the first year I have worked with the kids to create quarterly goals.   They have goals in a few different categories including life skills, academic, spiritual, etc.

We went over the 1st quarter goals this past week and made new goals for 2nd quarter.  It was pretty awesome to see how certain goals were met due to diligent prodding along.  It was also interesting to see my kid’s personalities really shine through in how they approach goals.  One kiddo was hesitant in making goals due to the risk of not being able to achieve them, while the other kiddo made some BIG, HAIRY, AUDACIOUS goals!

While we have a ways to go in learning to make goals the SMART way (Specific Measurable Attainable Realistic Timely), I’m just glad we decided to give goals a go this year!

This blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through these links will result in a small commission for me (at no cost to you!).  Please know that I only recommend products we own and love, or products that I have researched and would LIKE to own! 

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Weekly Wrap-Up October 22 – 26

WEEKLY WRAP-UP: OCTOBER 22 – 26

Free-Writing

As I’ve mentioned in other posts, we are using Bravewriter for writing this year.  I am experimenting having Lydia do some free writing each day using Bravewriter methods.  Basically, I will set a timer and she will have to write about the prompt for a certain amount of time.  She is very content in writing her own stories but I’d like to see her write when given a prompt. For now, I am having this take the place of copywork, which is not her favorite anyway.  The few times we did this last week, she balked, but then once she got going, got into it.   I’m hoping this challenges to her write about new topics!

Public museum field trip

We took one day this week to redeem some free passes the kids received for the summer reading program at the Milwaukee Public Museum.  It was an educational field trip where we got to peruse many different parts of history.  I have a feeling we’ll want to head back there after we study Ancient Egypt, as the Ancient Egypt exhibit there is pretty neat and extensive.

Dubblit

Joe is continuing to move along in Math-It.  This past week, he broke 1 minute on the 2nd portion of Dubblit, where he has to halve numbers.  So we will officially be moving on to multiplication facts or ‘Timzit’. I took a few pictures of the Dubblit portion of Math-It in case anyone reading this wanted to see what it is like.    I really love this program and so naturally I want to share about it!  Basically, he has to place all the yellow cards on their answers in under a minute.

Mel Chemistry

My daughter was given a Mel Chemistry subscription from her aunt.  We had a lot of fun doing some of the experiments this past week.  Our favorite was one called ‘Milk and Cola’.

First, we had to pour the milk and cola into separate cups.  We had to stir the cola to get rid of all the bubbles.

Mel Chemistry
Milk & Cola

Then we combined the two liquids and stirred it some more, continuing to get rid of the bubbles.

Mel Chemistry
Joe mixing the ‘mixture’ to get rid of all the bubbles.

Next, we poured the mixture into a filter-lined funnel that was set on a flask.  The liquid slowly dripped into the flask.  What was left in the funnel was the coagulated milk and caramel coloring from the cola.  Apparently, the caramel coloring adheres to the proteins in the milk!

And here are the final results.  Clear cola that tastes and smells just like cola.  Minus the fizz!

Mel Chemistry

Smorgasbord organizing unschool-y day

I spent Friday organizing while the kids did a bunch of other things.  You can read about that here!

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A Very Unschool-y Day

I really wanted to title this something like ‘Katie and the very good, super productive, still filled with learning, unschool-y day.’   A fun title, but way too long for a blog post title.

We Are Not Unschoolers

I am not an unschooler.  Let’s just get that out there.  I DO think unschoolers who execute it well give their children a huge gift.  There are elements of our homeschool that are unschool-esque such as many I mention in this post about how we became outside the box learners, and also the planning backwards method I use.  But at the end of the day, I do have somewhat of a plan.  I consider us more child-led homeschoolers.  If learning more about child-led homeschooling is something that interests you, I recommend the book, Educating the WholeHearted Child by Sally Clarkson.

House Organizing

Our house has fallen into a bit of disarray.  Ok, not really… but for this clutter-phobic mom, it has.  And eventually, the clutter really starts to get to me!  Winter is coming and all the winter gear is about to come out of the attic and there is no place to put it.  Well, there wasn’t… until our very unschool-y day.

My youngest is doing a year of pre-k this year and the days he has school are when we get the most done, naturally.  I’m sure any of you who have busy, mischievous 4-year olds who wake up at 5:30 a.m. ready to conquer the world destroy the house, understand.  I digress…

Since my youngest had off school yesterday I decided earlier in the week it would be an organizing day for me/unschool-y day for the kids.  Of course, I relied a bit on my lovely daughter to entertain her 4-year old little brother for parts of the day.  Which she is really good at!   I managed to get a TON done.  And I really think my less cluttered house will allow me to be a more productive mom, as outward clutter definitely exasperates my already cluttered, trying it’s best to multi-task, mind.

Where the Unschool-y Day Took Us

The great thing about organizing is discovering things you haven’t used in a while. Such as this Discovery Kids Activity World Map that we’ve had for 5 years (but haven’t used for 2 years).  It’s meant to hang on the wall, but we found it to be just as fun on the ground.  Joe spent a good chunk of time, putting all the labels in their place!

As usual, much of the day was spent with a nose in a book.

Unschooling

And another discovery, a wooden tangram tetris puzzle, found in our mudroom while I was organizing!

Unschooling

And it wouldn’t be an unschool-y (or a typical day for that matter), without a creation made by our in-house baker.

The creation of the day: Homemade Oatmeal Packets

Child-led learning

Joe and I had a chance to venture out in the marsh in our backyard. We both needed some fresh air and activity!  Because it’s so thick back there, we have to wait until the plants all die to hike there, which is now through the end of winter.  If you go far enough you run into the creek!

Unschooling

And here Joe is classifying volcanic rocks with his Rocks Activity Kit.

Unschooling

Also, we were able to finish The Tale of Despereaux, our book club book for November.  This was accomplished because I was able to get the audiobook from my library app.  We did not expect to finish it in one week, but the kids loved it and kept requesting more.  Also, it was a pretty quick read, or ‘listen’!  As a side note, I just discovered there is full motion picture for this story.  It will be fun to watch it and compare to the book.

All in all a pretty good day!

Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost to you).

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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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Weekly Wrap-Up October 15-19

WEEKLY WRAP-UP: OCTOBER 15 – 19

This was the first week in many where we didn’t have any extra appointments.  We definitely get a lot more done when we don’t have to leave the house!

Here are the Highlights:
Bravewriter: Communication Game

We have switched to Bravewriter for our writing curriculum this year.  I plan on working through The Writer’s Jungle with the kids this year.  This past week we worked on the Communication Game outlined in Chapter 2 of The Writer’s Jungle.

So what IS the Communication Game?  Well, I drew a picture with simple shapes and lines placed randomly on a page.  Then the kids described the picture back to me and I had to draw what they described.  This activity forced them to communicate more clearly. They had to use the right words in order to get me to draw the picture correctly.  Not only was it effective in teaching about the importance of good communication, but it was also super fun!  We will certainly be doing this game again!

The Mysterious Benedict Society Author Talk

We were chomping at the bit to finish The Mysterious Benedict Society because the author talk with our Read-Aloud Revival Book Club was on Wednesday. By the end of Tuesday night, we were able to finish it  – thank goodness for audiobooks!  As a side note, I do think that kids still glean the benefits of read – alouds by listening to audiobooks.  

Spanish Lessons

We recently discovered our library offers a free online foreign language curriculum, called Pronunciator.  In my never-ending effort to keep things novel for Lydia, my creative child, I had her check it out.  So far so good.  I’m hoping she really takes off with this.

 

BOOKS BOOKS BOOKS!

Joe has been cruising through a few different book series. I just love when my kids get hooked on a good series because there are always more books to read when they’re done!  He is working through The Epic Order of the Seven Series by Jenny L. Cote.  He finished Book 1 and is started on Book 2.   He is also working through the Spirit Flyer Series by John Bibee.  This series is a bit older and harder to get your hands on.  I was unable to find it at the library but did get the first two books used rather inexpensively on eBay.

Scrambled Eggs 101

We had a slow start to the day on Friday, and I was wanting us to get started as I had my agenda for the day.  However, I could hear my 10-year-old daughter talking to my 8-year-old son, offering to teach him how to make scrambled eggs.  I try my best in moments like these to just take a step back and let them be, to let them bond as siblings and to let my daughter have the joy of teaching others.  I wish I could say we had moments like that all the time, but the reality is we don’t, and so I savor them when they pop up.

Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost to you).

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Weekly Wrap-Up: October 8 – 12

Life of Fred a complete curriculum?

WEEKLY WRAP-UP: OCTOBER 8 – 12

Diving Board Diva

The kids had their final semi-private swim lesson this week.  Determined to conquer her fears, Lydia decided to jump off the diving board.  Considering this girl couldn’t even jump into the shallow part of the pool a few months ago, this was a BIG deal.  We are exceedingly proud of her!

Audiobooks and Forts!

We continued with The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart.  It is a  12-hour audiobook but we have been plugging away little by little each day.  We have about 4 hours to go.  Our goal is to get through it by this Wednesday as that is when the “Meet the Author” event is through our book club with Read-Aloud Revival.  The kids usually prefer that I read to them right from the book.  However,  due to book’s length and the fact that we just started it last week, we had to use the audiobook.  A few of the activities that were chosen to do while listening to the audiobook this past week were painting and fort building.

Mysterious Benedict Society
The fort
Life of Fred Marathon

Joe continued with Math-It this week focusing on “Dubblit” or the double facts  (2+2 up through 36+36).  I also added in Life of Fred Apples.  We’ve gone through this one together before, but per the recommendations of the creator of the book, Joe will now be going through the first 4 books on his own, with me checking his work.  Dreambox is our main curriculum for math, but Life of Fred is very “outside the box” and my kids love the quirky ways of the main character, Fred.  Thus, it’s a fun supplemental curriculum  (you can also use it as a full curriculum).  Joe was so excited to get back to Life of Fred, that he did 11 lessons in one sitting!   Not bad for a kid who isn’t too fond of handwriting!

Start of Vision Therapy

Joe had his first official vision therapy session on Thursday.  If you’ve read other parts of my blog you know how I feel about therapy.  Vision therapy is certainly going to be a commitment, as it will take up a morning of our week and there are also daily exercises to do at home.  However, we are excited and hopeful to see how this will help Joe!

More Bath Bombs and Creative Children

Lydia made MORE bath bombs this past week.  This time they were donut shaped!  She chose to do this during some free-time she had one morning while I was working with Joe.  On her own accord, she quartered the recipe.  Since she’s not a math-lover, I enjoy seeing her using math skills in real life situations.

I generally like to do our “Morning Basket” (which includes Bible, History, our current novel, and anything else we can do as a group) first thing after breakfast, but that is not how it always goes as I mention in this post about having a creative child.    For those of you reading this that may have highly creative kiddos, I encourage you to read this post about homeschooling in the afternoon vs. the morning.    I first read it about a year ago and found it freeing and eye-opening.

Field Trip – Underground Railroad

We ended the week by doing an interactive field trip with our old co-op friends.  It was an exciting and interactive experience where we played the part of abolitionists and had to help a slave get to freedom.   We got to meet “Harriet Tubman” as well as a few other abolitionists from the past.  The kids loved it, and it definitely made an impression!

 

Disclaimer: In the name of full transparency, please be aware that this blog post contains affiliate links and any purchases made through such links will result in a small commission for me (at no extra cost to you).

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Autumn Themed Poetry Tea Time – FREE PRINTABLE

We have been enjoying Poetry Tea Time each week.  It is indeed a bright spot on our Tuesdays and we are loving having it as part of our weekly routine.  We pull out the tablecloth, light a candle, spread out the poetry books and scrounge up whatever treats we can, just to make it special.

One thing I am discovering is the need to mix things up.  Unfortunately, my current repertoire of poetry leaves much to be desired.   So for now, I am relying on our local library.  And I have discovered that not all poetry books are created equal.  Some are not very good LAME.  I haven’t had much success finding fall poetry books with the exception of Johnny Appleseed  by Reeve Lindbergh (affiliate link).  I know quality fall poetry books are out there though!

With fall being in full swing, I wanted to “spice” things up a bit, so I decided we would take some time during Poetry Tea Time to write our own poetry.  Because I’m having so much fun creating stuff on Canva, I made a template for an AUTUMN acrostic poem.  Obviously, you don’t need a printable to do an acrostic poem, but I had fun adding images and making it look pretty.

Here’s the autumn acrostic poem printable: AUTUMN (1)

Here’s the poem my daughter wrote.  She’s “word smart” and whipped this up in no time.  Autumn Acrostic Poem Printable

For more on the 8 great smarts, go here.

Looking for other fall activities?  You can find my Fall Scavenger printable here: Fall Scavenger Hunt (1)

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