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Mandy Davis began her journey in traditional education, where she worked tirelessly within public schools, private schools, and international institutions. But her path took a transformative turn when she chose to homeschool her three children, allowing her to blend her extensive background with a heartfelt commitment to personalized alternative education.  IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL HEAR: Why fighting the system is probably not the best use of your time How Mandy's unexpected journey can help you rethink your education options How Mandy's book can help you with the very practical "how-to" side of homeschooling Why it's so important to be on the same page with your spouse Why Outside-the-Box kids often fall through the cracks in the public school system Why Outside-the-Box kids thrive in the homeschool environment and much more Order Mandy's Book Follow me on Substack

We live in an age of cynicism and polarization but a more balanced view can help us think critically and ponder our civic duty as Americans. As we approach the 250th birthday of America, Dawn and I discuss and celebrate the good and beautiful about this land that we love. Dawn Duran has devoted so much to collect what is admirable in and about America and shares her own passion in A Reasoned Patriotism. In this episode you'll hear: Why a Reasoned Patriotism is the answer How to celebrate America's birthday with joy Why a Reasoned Patriotism is the answer How you can access fantastic resources to help you enjoy American culture through art, music, poetry, travel, and more

I've talked about autism a lot on this podcast (especially in this Autism Everything episode) but for the first time, I'm bringing my husband in to discuss autism from a dad's perspective. Don't miss this behind the scenes coversation and be sure to share this one with your husband, ladies.  This is Lee's first time on Homeschooling Outside the Box, but you can hear more from him on these podcast episodes:  No Dumb Questions: Hockey and What It Means No Dumb Questions: Marine Corp Boot Camp

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 autism grief cycle is real. And yet, I say "welcome." Find all the links on my SUBSTACK

The high school years are a big turning point in your homeschool journey but you don't have to walk through them blindly. Transcripts? College applications? Paths for students not interested in college? The high school "experience?" We talk about all of the myths and realities today.  Rachel Kovac has done so much research and shares her own story in Their Future is Shining Bright, THE homeschool book to help you navigate the high school years. PRE-ORDER now and get great bonuses

Beauty matters. It is not frivolous. It is not an afterthought. In a world that worships all that is utilitarian, I am here to remind you that beauty has a purpose in and of itself. Find all the links on my SUBSTACK

Music has been an integral part of history since the beginning. From the psalms of David to your favorite Amazon playlists or Spotify stations today, every culture in every time period has used music for expression, pleasure, and even a high form of worship. Music clearly carries meaning. Music tells us how to feel. While the words are often important, it is the notes being played that dictate what those words mean. And when you listen to music without words, there is no loss; the combination of notes can evoke joy or sadness, excitement or calm. Think of music in the background of a movie; we know suspense, fear, sentiment, or happiness based on the notes being played. Read more and find links on my Substack

Thank you for joining me for my 100th episode! This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. It's the "already, not yet" week. We have already experienced most of the year — we've made it through Christmas morning, decking the halls, singing carols, and slowly, slowly, we are emerging from our cocoa coma to realize a new year is upon us. This new year is a gift full of anticipation and though there are no guarantees, we make our plans, say our prayers, set our goals, and hope for a tomorrow better than yesterday, as good as yesterday may have been. Yet those of us who have lived enough years know that there will be trouble; dashed dreams, broken hearts, sickness, mourning, and disrupted plans. Goals will be unmet. Plans will change. And oh, among this hurt and sadness, joyful surprises will nurse our hearts and encourage us to hope once more. Already, not yet. For believers, we know that means we live in a world where Jesus has already rescued us, and yet…He has not returned for good. We still live in a broken world. So we wait in joyful hope. And sometimes in trembling fear, humble remorse, patient (or impatient) longing. We wait, but we live in the meantime. We strive to thrive and not merely survive. We look with longing and the longing leads us upward toward ideals of living not necessarily a great life, but a good one. This week captures that feeling better than any week of the year. It is full of reflection; it is full of expectation. Anything is possible…for better or for worse. So we make our plans. We lay them out like an offering. We hope that He multiplies the good and tosses out the bad as far as the east is from the west. We prepare to restart our homeschool year. We look upon it with fresh eyes after a long break. Things look clear — we wonder what in the world we were thinking adding that curriculum in the fall and we throw it out without looking back. We see with renewed confidence which books need to be read, which skills need to be honed, which habits need to be practice, which activities can get cut, which holes need to be filled, which branches need to be pruned. We pray and consider what this season of our life looks like as the mother, the homeschooler, the wife, the friend, the ________. We feel confident we will be able to wear all the hats and look great in them. The new year is a blank slate in some ways — a day (rather, a year) with "no mistakes in it yet," in the words of Anne. And yet, He has seen every day already. He knows our story; it's in the book. But we have the privilege of playing our part. It's a mystery in so many ways. READ MORE ON SUBSTCK

Christmas is no ordinary time of year. It intoxicates our senses; the air smells of pine and sugar. The days are filled with music and stories. The soft, warm sleeves on our arms and thick mittens on our hands and hat on our head triggers our mind to think cozy thoughts despite the biting cold. Our taste buds crave cocoa and peppermint. Our children's eyes glow with the sparkle of twinkle lights reflecting in them. And our hearts yearn for something…something more…something transcendent…something that seems just beyond our reach yet simultaneously living inside us. The "Christmas spirit"…or rather, The Spirit of Christmas. Christ incarnate. Immanuel. God with us.

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 about what our children are going to be like. Sometimes we are accurate about personality traits or hair color or interests but often God blesses us with children who have differences we really didn't expect. We then have the choice – do we push against these differences or press into them? Join us today as actor, author & filmmaker, Nathan Clarkson talks about all the difference embracing your child's differences can make. As a man who struggles with his own unique challenges and a former child whose parents played a crucial role in his education, he should know. Nathan is an encouragement to moms and kids alike, inspiring both to press on and embrace the unique challenges that can come with an outside-the-box child. His new picture book (co-authored with his mother, the wonderful, Sally Clarkson), Only You Can Be You, will give parents a practical and joyful way to discuss what a blessing being different can be.

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 the body. You may think of learning scripture verses in exchange for candy or cramming gobs of information into your head the night before an exam. You may think of your phone number or address and yes, memory work can include these things, but the heart of memory work is a very different thing than mind-numbing memorization. Read more and find links on my Substack

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 most enthusiastic homeschoolers will admit that they shy away from this subject. When I press to understand why that is, the answer is usually that they themselves are not excited about poetry – they consider it either intimidating or boring or have had such a bad experience with poetry that they loathe it entirely. Join me today as I talk with Julie Bogart of Brave Writer, who is known for her love of poetry as well as her writing and language arts resources and her coaching and mentoring program for home educators, The Homeschool Alliance. Julie shares with us the enriching role poetry played as she homeschooled her five children over the course of 17 years and shares with us the secret to making the connection with your children (hint…it has something to do with teatime!).   Julie gives persuasive encouragement to moms and who would much rather pass on reading poetry in their homeschool as well as inspires moms who already love poetry by giving some practical ideas for integrating it more successfully into the homeschool routine.  IN THIS EPISODE, YOU'LL HEAR: why poetry matters today  the benefits of reading poetry aloud why poetry is accessible to everyone how to love poetry if you don't right now how to entice your children to love poetry how poetry is especially nurturing to Outside-the-Box children

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 press to understand why that is, the answer is usually that they themselves are not excited about poetry. They consider it either intimidating or boring or they have had such a bad experience with poetry that they loathe it entirely. But poetry matters. READ MORE AND FIND LINKS ON MY SUBSTACK.

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. Folk songs pass culture from one generation to the next and help us learn about certain time periods, people, and places. They're also a pretty trustworthy source of entertainment for your kids. Like I said last time, singing has been a part of humanity for all of time and it's only recently that we've consigned it to the "experts" and you really only hear people singing on stage or in church. Let's sing in our homes, too. To sing is to be human.  READ MORE AND FIND LINKS ON MY SUBSTACK

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, check out my series on Charlotte Mason's 20 Principles. Hymn study is one of those easy to neglect subjects. We write it off as unnecessary because we feel it's either archaic or something that belongs in church (that is if your church still sing hymns. I hope you're blessed to be at a church that does). But I encourage you to do hymn study with your kids. Singing has been a part of humanity for all of time and it's only recently that we've consigned it to the "experts" and you really only hear people singing on stage or in church. Let's sing in our homes, too. To sing is to be human. And what better to sing than the hymns? Read more and find links on my Substack