Outside the Box: 03/01/2015

Boys and Legos--they go together hand in hand! Lego blocks unleash creativity in a variety of ways even in homeschooling.

When we first started homeschooling three years ago, I was so stuck on formal education and was appalled at the thought of bringing bubba (blankie), stuffed animals, and even Legos to class. It didn't take long to realize that I was fighting a losing battle and that these things actually enhanced our classroom as we found creative uses for them. Since then, we've found more uses for Legos in our classroom than we can count. And, we've seen that there is value in stuffed animals joining in the fun, especially when they all "need" a turn to spell a word (many chances for repetition) or when they all want to take turns to read in their unique "voices".

Some days, it takes a great deal of patience on my end to "teach" a classroom of Lego minifigures because they add a lot of excitement and distraction to the lesson. It would be a lot quicker and easier if my child would simply answer the questions in his normal voice so we can move on to the next question or lesson. But if I gloss over these moments, I lose valuable opportunities to reinforce lessons, spelling words, reading, and story retelling skills in a way that makes learning real and fun to my child. And if a stuffed animal makes my child actually want to pick up a pencil and write, I'm all for it! There is a time and a place for Legos, stuffed animals, and even blankie, so don't discount what toys can do to transform tough subjects, diffuse frustration, and increase learning.

The pictures below show ways that we have incorporated toys into our homeschool over the past three years. I hope it encourages you to think outside the box and embrace the value that toys can add to your homeschool!