Homeschooling Outside the Box – Details, episodes & analysis

Cindy Rollins homeschooled her nine children for over thirty years. She is the host of The New Mason Jar podcast and a co-host with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks of the popular Literary Life Podcast. She also curates the “Over the Back Fence Newsletter” at MorningTimeForMoms.com. She is the author of Mere Motherhood; Morning Time: A Liturgy of Love; Hallelujah: Cultivating Advent Traditions with Handel’s Messiah; The Literary Life Commonplace books, and Mere Motherhood Newsletters.

I had the privilege of meeting Cindy at a conference here in north Alabama this past spring and I’m thrilled to share our conversation with you today. She has so much insight to offer to the homeschool community and loves to encourage moms so I know you’re going to love this episode.

Join us today as Cindy and I discuss a variety of ideas near and dear to homeschoolers’ hearts.

• Cindy’s journey from her blog to Morning Time for Moms
• Why it’s important to encourage the next generation of homeschoolers even when it’s hard
• About the joy of learning alongside your child instead of giving in to insecurity
• Why you should give the humanities a chance even if they’re not your preference
• The importance of poetry
• Tips for the high school years with teen guys
• Ideas for a Charlotte Mason Sunday School
• How to connect with Cindy

Find Cindy online

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If you enjoyed this episode, please rate, review, subscribe, or share :) When you do, it helps to spread the word and encourage other moms just like you.

Therefore, we are limited to three educational instruments - the atmosphere of environment, the discipline of habit, and the presentation of living ideas. The P.N.E.U. Motto is: “Education is an atmosphere, a discipline and a life.”

We saw last time that there are quite a few wrong paths to take when approaching education that may be not only be our knee-jerk reaction but also taken with the best of intentions. These paths may even “work” but today Charlotte will show us a better approach. She says, “there are but three left for our use and to each of these we must give careful study or we shall not realize how great a scope is left to us.”

These are not the three measly options left over but three perspectives that open a wide lens for us to see education through and gift our child with. These three ideas together are the legs of a stool that will stand strong when used together.

Listen in to hear the three instruments of education.

Join me next time as we cover principles 9 & 10. 

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You can also follow along right here on my podcast as well as on my Instagram.

If you enjoyed this episode, please rate and review :).

If you've ever struggled to fit reading into your life as a busy homeschool mom, this is the episode for you! Join me as I tell you how to fit a true feast into the nooks and crannies of your day.

Show Notes

• Homeschool Rhythms: Morning Time
• Homeschool Rhythms: Rest Time
• Wild + Free Bundle Subscription
• Subscribe and get access to the booklists

Bring on the sweaters and boots and pumpkin spice lattes! Autumn is in full swing by now with falling leaves, crisp mornings, and night creeping in earlier and earlier. 

I like to take time to reflect as fall begins in earnest; what changes do we need to make in routines and atmosphere to get ready for a new season? Which traditions are we looking forward to the most and are there any we want to let go of? And how can I bottle everything that makes fall the loveliest time of the year?

The fragrance of spices, the glow of a candle, goldenrod swaying in a breeze that is still warm but warning of a coming chill.

It’s the poem, “Something Told the Wild Geese” and the actual geese flying overhead in the morning.

It’s the copper and crimson and buttery yellow leaves as the trees beginning to change, the sound of folksy coffee shop music as the sun sets earlier and earlier.

It’s stacks of familiar books mingling with new reads brought by the school year.

It’s being ready to say good-bye to one season and welcome another with a full heart.

IN THIS EPISODE YOU’LL HEAR:

• What autumn looks like for us
• Rhythms we keep
• Books we’re reading

SHOW NOTES

• Homeschool Rhythms
• Kid of the Week
• Julie Andrews' Poetry Collection
• Greenfield Village
• Morning Rhythms
• Subscribe to the newsletter
• Nature Journal

If you've listened to Part I of this episode (How to Start a Homeschool Group and why you should), you'll be delighted to hear this continuation on what to do when the group starts to grow and take on a life of its own!

• How teens make a difference for the group
• How privacy plays into your group's growth
• Communicating with your growing group
• Membership fees and insurance
• All the legal mumbo-jumbo
• Icky issues like dress code and phone use
• Should you grow?
• Picking venues
• How to build sustainable leadership
• Working together as a group
• How events change as you grow
• Knowing when you're big enough

Doesn’t summertime bring out the child in us all? Swimming in the scorching heat, drinking lemonade, inhaling the wafting scent of the grill, listening for cicadas, watching for fireflies…there is a sense of wonder that comes with summer.

Use this month to tap into your inner child:

Stop and smell the gardenias and jasmine.

Take time.

Slow down.

Play and explore the great outdoors.

Soak in summer and all of its splendor.  

• What summer looks like for us
• Rhythms we keep
• Books we’re reading
• Why you don’t have to do a summer camp
• Why being bored is a good thing

• Homeschool Rhythms
• Zone Work
• Swallows and Amazons
• Robinson Crusoe
• All the World
• The Raft
• Let them be Bored

It's been a while...but I'm back and I'm so excited to be with you again! Catch up on what's new and what to look forward to. Or, if you're brand new, get to know a little more about Homeschooling Outside the Box. You are very welcome here!

You can also check out the new Nature Journal and sign up for my free monthly "Everything" guides.

So far in this “Homeschool Rhythms” series we’ve talked about morning time, narration, getting ready, group work, individual work, and read alouds. We’ve moved our way through morning activities and lunch so today we’re going to talk about rest time!

I know some of you might have the urge to check out right now thinking your children have aged out of this time of day but I assure you, it is for all ages…including you, mama. Rest time is a beautiful hour of the day when you can take a few deep breaths, make a fresh cup of coffee, and reset for your afternoon.

Our culture is obsessed with productivity; there seems to be an underlying pressure everywhere we turn to be active. What if rest is not something we do because we are finished with our work but rather something we do because God created us to need to do it?

Join me today as I show you how rest time can fit in your day.

• How to fit rest time in your busy day
• The benefits of having a family rest
• Why it’s for everyone – including you!
• How to do rest time

• Original Silent Reading Blog Post
• Bad Kitty Books
• Anne’s Kindred Spirits
• Mr. Putter and Tabby Books
• Water Wow
• Jim Weiss episode
• The Little House Book and CD
• How to Start a Homeschool Group episode

For decades homeschoolers have been plagued by the question, “what about socialization” from well-meaning (and let’s be honest, sometimes not so well-meaning…) neighbors, family, and friends. The question chafes at us because it assumes that the minute we begin homeschooling, we hole up in our homes and avoid all contact with any other humans. That’s just not the case though; community is an essential part of the homeschool experience and a great homeschool group can be the place for you to find lasting relationships.

Six years ago, I was struggling to find a community to fit my outside-the-box family and in a moment of courage (or perhaps desperation), I reached out to another homeschool mama and asked her to “go do stuff together.” The result has been a deep friendship between our families and an accidentally thriving homeschool group.

Join us today as Danielle and I explore the benefits of how to start a homeschool group and why you should.

• Why community and relationships are non-negotiables for homeschoolers
• How it only takes one other family to get started
• Which events are good to start with
• How to grow your group slowly and organically
• How to make your group “outside-the-box” friendly
• How to structure your group
• How to grow your group into an outreach
• How to communicate with your group members
• How to handle challenges
• How to adapt when your group gets big
• How to structure leadership
• What to do about cost
• Our list of events

• Get Started Pack

So far in this “Homeschool Rhythms” series we’ve talked about morning time, narration, getting ready, group work, and individual work. We’ve moved our way through morning activities and today we’re going to talk about reading aloud!

I want to talk to you today about making read-aloud time a family activity for all time – no matter what your child’s age. This is a beautiful part of the day that can be a little more laid back and relaxing and there are a few different ways you can make it happen.

I don’t think many people would argue about the value of reading great literature together but it can easily become something that slips from an overbusy schedule.

Reading aloud to your children helps them build vocabulary, creates a bridge for struggling readers, and most importantly creates a shared experience for your family making it a great tool for strengthening relationships. I encourage you to enjoy this nurturing time with your whole family and make it a priority in homeschool.

Join me today as I show you how read-aloud time can fit in your day.

• How to fit read-aloud time in your busy day
• The benefits of reading aloud as a family
• Why you should read aloud to kids of all ages
• How to choose great read alouds
• Why you shouldn’t focus too much on the time