Homeschooling Outside the Box
Education & Explainer
About
Homeschooling Outside the Box is the podcast that encourages and equips moms who homeschool an outside-the-box child. Join the host, Cindy Rinna, as she talks about Charlotte Mason education, the joys and challenges of homeschooling Outside-the-Box kids, and creating a homeschool that fits your unique family.
Episodes
- On Autism: The "Everything" Episode
If your child has autism, Welcome . Welcome has a very positive connotation; the diagnosis your child received doesn't usually carry that same positivity. In fact, it probably rocked your world. And will continue to rock your world. The au…
- Their Future is Shining Bright: a Conversation with Rachel Kovac
This episode discusses navigating the high school years of homeschooling, covering topics like transcripts, college applications, and alternative paths for students not interested in college. It features insights from Rachel Kovac, author…
- On Artists, or Picture Study
Homeschooling Outside the Box episode 'On Artists, or Picture Study' emphasizes that beauty is not frivolous but has intrinsic purpose, a contrast to a utilitarian worldview. Further resources are available on the host's Substack.
- On Composer Study: Homeschooling by Subject
This episode discusses music's historical significance and its capacity to evoke feelings and communicate meaning, noting its influence from ancient times to modern streaming services and its use in media like film.
- On Reflection & Expectation
The 100th episode of Homeschooling Outside the Box explores the concept of "already, not yet," reflecting on past experiences and future expectations. It touches on setting goals, navigating life
- Replay: 10 Favorite Family Christmas Traditions
This episode revisits 10 beloved family Christmas traditions, highlighting the sensory aspects of the season—scents, sounds, tastes, and sights—while also touching on the spiritual essence of Christmas.
- Replay: Embracing Your Child's Differences with Nathan Clarkson
I am not doing interviews right now, but I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Enjoy! Do you find it easy to embrace your child's differences? As new parents – or even "not yet" parents – we can have many dreams and ideas…
- On Memory Work: Homeschooling by Subject
The phrase "memory work" is one that can carry baggage for people. The act of memorizing something may bring to mind a collection of facts you memorized as a child that you now deem useless such as the planets or the names of the bones in…
- Replay: Poetry & Teatime with Julie Bogart
I am not doing interviews right now, but I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Enjoy! Do you consider poetry to be a staple of your homeschool? Oftentimes when the subject of poetry comes up with other parents, even the m…
- On Poetry: Homeschooling by Subject
Do you consider poetry to be a staple of your homeschool? Of your life? Oftentimes when the subject of poetry comes up with other parents, even the most enthusiastic homeschoolers will admit that they shy away from this subject. When I pre…
- On Folk Songs: Homeschooling by Subject
This is going to sound familiar; a lot of what I had to say about hymns applies to folk songs, as well. Of course, there is a sacredness that goes along with hymns that you don't find in folk songs but that doesn't mean we should skip them…
- On Hymn Study: Homeschooling by Subject
Over the next few months I'm going to break down each subject and look at how we study it and what our favorite resources are. Our family adheres to Charlotte Mason's philosophy of education. To truly understand how to teach each subject,…
- On Planning Your School Year: The (Almost) Back to School Episode
I'm big on philosophy when it comes to education but at some point we need to stop thinking and discussing and actually do the thing. This is the nuts and bolts of it all. How do we actually homeschool? What is the super practical applicat…
- Replay: The Importance of Humor with Betsy Jenkins from Homeschooling with the Classics
I am not doing interviews right now, but I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Enjoy! Homeschooling is not for the faint of heart. It requires endurance and initiative. It requires sacrifice and diligence. But it also req…
- On the High School Years: The Beginning of the End
If you're just at the beginning of the high school years, it may feel like the end is still far off but I warn you, the ball sure does start rolling quickly once it starts. The end is nigh, my friend. You've been working yourself out of a…
- Replay: The Value of Teaching Through Stories with Jim Weiss
I am not doing interviews right now, but I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Enjoy! Stories have been a part of human history from the very beginning and have been used as a powerful teaching tool throughout the centuri…
- Replay: Seeing Autism in a New Light with Bryn Hogan, Executive Director of the Autism Treatment Center of America®
While I am not able to do interviews right now, I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Join me for the replay of a fantastic interview with Bryn Hogan. Are you ready to see autism in a new light? So often the conversation…
- Replay: Homeschooling High School with Melissa McMahan
While I am not able to do interviews right now, I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Join me for the replay of a fantastic interview with Melissa McMahan. Homeschooling High School…what is it about this phrase that makes…
- On the School Years: The K-8 Episode
This is the crux of it all. When you are homeschooling kids in the K-8 range, you are in the sweet spot, my friend. The pre-school years are largely spent cleaning up messes and putting out fires (hopefully only theoretically ones, but you…
- Replay: Why Effective Communication Matters with Andrew Pudewa, Director of the Institute for Excellence in Writing
While I am not able to do interviews right now, I want to bring you some great talks from past seasons. Join me for the replay of a fantastic interview with Andrew Pudewa. Are you raising effective communicators? Andrew Pudewa is a well-kn…
- On Rhythms & Routines: The "How to Run Your Day" Episode
Isn't this the best month of the year to talk about this? It seems like January is the time we all want to finally get our lives together and give a valiant effort to do so. Despite our best efforts, though, somehow the new of the year wea…
- Replay: Reclaiming a Wild + Free Childhood with Ainsley Arment
In case you missed it... Join me for the replay of a fantastic interview with Ainsley Arment. Childhood is a unique growing time for our children; educators, parents, and experts have known this for years and yet childhood often gets swept…
- On Principles 11-15: The Curriculum Episode
This is it, guys. The final episode of the series. We made it. It's a big one, too — five principles jammed into one article but they all have to do with wonderful, wonderful curriculum. Read and subscribe on Substack . Connect with me on…
- On Christmas Cheer: December Everything
Ah, Christmas. The lights. The music. The traditions. The bustle. The gatherings. The Reason for the season. Starting this month, I'll be gifting my paid subscribers with a bundle of rhythms to help celebrate the season from month to month…
- On Principles 18 & 19: The Reason Episode
Principle 18 & 19: The Way of the Reason We should teach children, also, not to lean (too confidently) unto their own understanding because the function of reason is to give logical demonstration of (a) mathematical truth and (b) of initia…
- On Principles 16 & 17: The Will Episode
Principle 16 & 17: The Way of the Will We may offer to children two guides to moral and intellectual self-management which we may call 'the Way of the Will' and 'the Way of Reason.' The Way of the Will: Children should be taught (a) to dis…
- On Grief: The Interruption Episode
I'm supposed to be working on my next episode of the "Summer with Charlotte" series that I've been slogging through this summer these past few months but after wrestling through fits and starts in my head I realize the answer is, as usual,…
- On Principles 9 & 10: The Mind Episode
Principle 9 & 10: How We Make Use of Mind "We hold that the child's mind is no mere sac to hold ideas but is rather, if the figure may be allowed, a 'spiritual organism' with an appetite for all knowledge. This is its proper diet with whic…
- Beyond Morning Time: A Conversation with Cindy Rollins
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 Ba…
- On Principles 5-8: The Instruments of Education Episode
Principle 5: Three Instruments of Education 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…
- On Principles 3 & 4: The Posture Episode
This is the third article in my "Summer with Charlotte" series. If you missed the first two, you can read On Education and On Principles 1, 2 & 20 . Let's jump in. Principle 3: Authority and Docility The principles of Authority on the one…
- On Principles 1, 2 & 20: The Defining Episode
Principle 1: Children are Born Persons "No sooner doth the truth…. come into the soul's sight, but the soul knows her to be he, first and old acquaintance." "The consequence of truth is great, therefore the judgment of it must not be negli…
- On Education: The Charlotte Mason Episode
Where do I even begin? For the better part of twelve years I have been writing (and reading and podcasting and speaking) about Charlotte Mason. I'd like to think I've hit that 10,000 hours expert level of knowledge about her but truth be t…
- On Nature: The Great Outdoors Episode
"Never be within doors when you can rightly be without." It's one of the first Charlotte Mason adages I learned by heart. I use it all the time to this day. I bet it'll be one of those sayings my kids will remember when they're fifty and s…
- To the Pre-School Mom
While becoming a parent is the true beginning of the journey, the preschool years bring a certain amount of well, uncertainty…for those of us who embark on the adventure of homeschooling. When is "the beginning" of their education? What sh…
- The Philosophy Episode
What is education? What are your family values? What type of family culture are you working to create? What type of people do you hope to help your kids become? Mark Twain once famously said, "I have never let my schooling interfere with m…
- The Winter Episode
Winter has the propensity to bring burn-out for homeschoolers but it doesn't have to be that way. Today I'll talk about ways to avoid burn-out and how to enjoy the coziness of winter. Show Notes Sunlight before noon post Until the Streetli…
- Essential Rhythms for Busy Days
With the holidays around the corner, there are bound to be some busy days that will rock your normal homeschool routine. Those days are not lost, though. There's a simple way to stay productive and relaxed when a hectic schedule demands it…
- How to Read A Lot Even As a Busy Mom
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 Tim…
- The Autumn Episode
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…
- How to Grow a Homeschool Group (and if you should) with Danielle Easley, co-founder of Connect
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! IN THIS EPISODE YOU…
- The Summer Episode
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.…
- I'm Back!
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…
- Homeschool Rhythms: Rest Time
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…
- How to Start a Homeschool Group (and why you should) with Danielle Easley, co-founder of Connect
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 th…
- Homeschool Rhythms: Reading Aloud
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…
- Homeschool Rhythms: Individual Work
When you ask a seasoned homeschooler about structuring the day, you will often hear the same refrain: "combine as many subjects as you can." But what about the subjects that require a certain set of skills for children to master? You can g…
- The Critical Skill of Creativity, with Chad Stewart, award-winning and bestselling author of Britfield & the Lost Crown
What if I told you there was a skill that would help prepare your child for any job he might pursue in the future? And what if this skill was so attainable, that you wouldn't have to purchase a fancy curriculum or join an elite co-op to ac…
- Homeschool Rhythms: Group Work
When you ask a seasoned homeschooler about structuring the day, you will often hear the same refrain: "combine as many subjects as you can." Academics can generally be broken into two categories: skill-based subjects and non-skill-based su…
- Homeschool Rhythms: Get Ready
I have no doubt that when my children are grown people, making their way in the world, they will hear the faint refrain of my voice when they roll out of bed and get ready for their day: "Attitude-dressed-bed" And again after they have bre…