Homeschooling Outside the [Curriculum] Box

Thanks for stopping by the Home Educating Family blog hop! And congratulations to Jen K. - she was the winner, chosen by random.org, of the Well-Planned Day Wall Calendar!

This week, we tackle the topic, "Homeschooling Outside the [Curriculum] Box". What image does this bring up for you?

Now, if I were a good homeschooling mother*, thinking outside the box might mean the following. . .

• tailoring my studies to fit my student's interest, spending hours and hours on creative, interesting lesson plans that I came up with myself
• using real life events to teach valuable life lessons; grocery store math, cooking, child care, and the like
• letting each child design their own course of study, acting as coach or mentor rather than teacher
• never using a pre-packaged curriculum or
• pulling together the "best of the best" by researching and spending HOURS agonizing over what resources to use with my kids 

However.

For me?  In my house, Homeschooling Outside the Box really means. . . . . .

• I refuse to let others put me and my family in a box and define my success
• If part of my curriculum isn't working for one of my kids, I tweak it, but usually don't throw the whole thing out
• Daily dying to the enemy of all homeschooling mothers: Comparison
• Not trying to make my home school look like "School At Home"
• Being flexible, and listening to the Lord and my husband when I have decisions to make or
• Being true to our family's own unique gifts, talents, needs, and perspectives when approaching not just our school days, but our LIFE!

And if I was a good homeschooling mother*, this blog post would be a lot longer!

But as it is, you'll have to settle for a good, old-fashioned GIVEAWAY!  And it's a good one!

The good folks at Home Educating Family are giving away - are you ready for it? - a Well-Planned Day "On the Go" planner!  Sweet!

You know the drill.  Leave a comment (even if you just say: "Girl! I need that planner!") and I'll pick a winner on Thursday night, October 4th.  Open to US residents only, and ya gotta claim it in a timely manner. There ya go.



And while you're at it, don't forget to "hop" around to my Review Team Buddies and see what's going on on their blogs!

*Note:  the phrase, "Good Homeschooling Mother" is a play off a joke between my mother and myself. But since she doesn't read my blog - much - no one will get aforementioned joke. I'll have to blog about it someday!