Outside the Box Homeschooling 4 Outside the Box Kids
Do you have an outside the box kid? Or I like to call them extraordinary kids? One or more kids that just doesn’t fit into the mold of traditional curriculum, but you aren’t quite ready to launch into unschooling?
I gave a workshop to offer encouragement and thoughts for those of you who find themselves in this very same situation. I hope this article can serve as a refresher to those who heard me speak and offer the same encouragement and ideas for those finding this information for the first time.
What is an Outside the Box Kid?
An outside the box kid, is a child with one or more label that causes stress or difficulty in using curriculum as the writer of that curriculum intended. This often includes kids without an official diagnosis, but could include kids with health issues, physical disabilities, spectrum kids, among others. No matter what we are blessed with, the goal is the same. We each want our children to thrive and meet their fullest potential. (this is not meant to be health advice, or to supersede medical advice). You are your childs first teacher, and the one who knows you child like no one else possible can, just from being with them, and observing them, you are the expert on your child.
Isn’t Outside the Box Homeschooling just Unschooling?
Outside the box homeschooling can look like unschooling, but it different in several key ways. It is a type of education that aims to provide tailored learning experiences and support for students with diverse learning needs. Unschooling is very child led, while outside the box schooling can be child led, that isn’t the core of it. For example, I consider myself to be an eclectic Charlotte Mason Inspired Homeschooler, with outside the box tendencies. I still use my box Charlotte Mason inspired curriculum, that served me well for one child, less well for another child, and not at all as written for my third child.
Thinking Outside the Box has been a catch phrase in business and classrooms for decades. Now I suggest we use it to find the ideal solution for families who feel that everything they have tried falls short.
More Details Please!
Homeschooling allows parents to customize their child’s education based on their strengths, interests, and learning style. You probably already knew that. What I’m talking about is taking it one step further and acknowledging the learning that takes place wherever it takes place. This may involve incorporating hands-on learning experiences, utilizing assistive technology, or adapting teaching methods to suit the child’s individual needs.
Start by identifying what you like about the curriculum and what is not working about it. Then brainstorm alternatives, that utilize the core belief or idea in a way that works for your child.
So, while I can’t tell you HOW to teach YOUR kids. I’m here to encourage you, that you are already teaching your kids. Now you can just be more intentional and recognize it for what it is.
Last year I wrote ten posts with varies tips and suggestions you can find them here.
If you scroll to the bottom, I do provide a workbook with places to play with schedules, to put your thoughts down, and to record what worked and what didn’t work as you explore new options.
Some Examples
Using speach to text is just as valid as writing by hand. In the future for your child, papers won’t be hand written, so torturing them does nothing. They do still need to learn proper grammer, spelling and punctuation, but that can be done after the body of the work has been spoken into a device.
Math can come in the form of games (math pentathlon), practical use and practice (grocery shopping, crafting, baking), video learning, even incorporated into stories (life of fred), using a calculator.
Science can be from textbooks, workbooks, hands on labs, and you tube, video’s.
Literature can be from independent reading, reading out loud to your child (yes even older kids), and audio books.
The key is that they are exposed to the material, not how they get exposed.
How can this translate into your homeschool?
I created a workbook to help you brainstorm this answer. Only you know your child’s strengths and weaknesses and weaknesses. If it means you learn to be more flexible too, then think on that as modelling the behavior we want to see in our kids.
One of the benefits of homeschooling for outside the box kids is the flexibility it provides. Allowing families to create a schedules and routines that works best for their child’s needs. Sleep till noon and do school in the afternoon, great! Wake early and be done before lunch, also great.
Outside the box homeschooling for outside the box kids means providing a tailored and flexible education solution that meets the unique needs and abilities of each child. While homeschooling those with special needs requires a commitment from parents, it can also provide opportunities not found any other way.
Workbook
I hope you found some actionable and encouraging information here, but I don’t want you to leave thinking ‘now what’. So here is a workbook to get down to brainstorming how you can make this work for your outside the box kid.
This workbook will be free when you sign up for the my newsletter below, for a limited time. Don’t worry I work hard to not spam you, my newsletter usually goes out once a week, it includes things like: links to posts I’ve written, craft ideas, free ebooks, news about my upcoming or past books and projects. Don’t worry, not all at once!
You’ll also get access to my Free Resource Library, I send a password reminder in every email, so you don’t have to remember it, just look up my most recent email.
If you have any questions, or want to share a tip or trick you have used with your extraordinary child, leave a comment or send me an email.
