UPDATE: This giveaway is closed. Congratulations to Shelly!

 

Today’s theme for Home Educating Family’s Review Team blog hop is Homeschooling Outside the [Curriculum] Box. At the end, I get to give away my favorite planner to one lucky reader, so make sure you read all the way down!

How do WE homeschool outside the box? Well, quite a bit. We, ahem, still don’t keep a tight schedule. Dr. J is so strong in his strengths, that we’re still pretty laid back. I figure if I get Bible, math, and reading or spelling in each day, I’m doing well with a six year old. Of course we have days when we get more than that in. It is also very important for Dr. J to have time outside if I can manage it.

Here are some ways we homeschool outside the curriculum box:

~One of my favorite outside-the-box activities is Marshmallow Math.

~I enjoy occasionally taking the boys outside for lessons. We pack up a blanket, materials, and snacks and enjoy a change of scenery.

~Social skills are a big part of our homeschool. That means real life interaction–making friends with maintenance workers at our complex and practicing handshakes; walking to the post office and waiting in line; time at the library, building relationships with the librarians.

~When Dr. J was younger, we did a lot of math using toy cars.

~We practice math facts while playing catch. I say a fact and throw the ball. Dr. J catches it and says the answer. I’ve done other exercises with him while reciting various facts.

~I often have Dr. J take movement breaks, especially during more challenging subjects like Spelling.

~I use lots of board games to teach a multitude of skills.

~We adapt. Handwriting can be difficult, so sometimes he may spell with tiles or tell me how to spell something. Dr. J may sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair or on the floor.

Now for the giveaway! Sometimes planning makes me break into hives or a cold sweat. However, I adore the On the Go Planner! It’s a general planner, not homeschool specific. It’s purse sized, and has lots of places for extra planning–holidays, budget, meals, grocery shopping, etc. If you’d like to enter to win, simply leave a comment like “I want to win!”. If you’d like extra entries, you can like Home Educating Family and/or Many Hats Mommyon Facebook. Finally, you can earn one entry per day for each share (Facebook, Twitter, etc.). Each entry MUST be a separate comment to count. Have fun!

Do you enjoy sharing about products you love? Do you consider yourself a good writer? Can you give both pros AND cons in a review? Maybe you should apply to join Home Educating Family’s review team!

Speaking of review team, make sure you head here to find the list of the other ladies participating in this week’s blog hop. You’re sure to find lots of great ideas!