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The Best Homeschool Subscription Boxes to Encourage Exploration & Growth

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Looking for the best homeschool subscription boxes to enjoy learning fun with your kids? Check out what I'm using with my five boys to pair outdoor adventures with growth mindset skills!

Strong individuals who can think for themselves, as well as care for the world around them.

That's one of the main reasons that I started homeschooling my boys.

After searching for a practical way to teach my boys these essential life lessons, I've found the best homeschool subscription boxes to help me do just that. These resources are enriching our homeschool and life experiences in countless ways.

Find out why I know these subscription boxes for kids can boost your homeschool plus get your special discount code so you can get started today!

THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES help you encourage exploration and growth in your kids. You\'ll have all you need for engaging lessons & activities that pair nature study with growth mindset.

Disclaimer:  I received these products for free and was compensated for my time. As always, I give you my honest opinion and I wasn't required to write a positive review.

What Type of Learning Experiences Do You Want In Your Homeschool?

When you think about your ideal homeschool experience, what does it look like? I find it super helpful to do this type of exercise as I plan out our homeschool year for our 5 boys. And it's why I started looking for a resource like THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES.

When we started homeschooling, my 2 older boys were transitioning from public school. From those experiences, I knew that our homeschool would focus on ways to encourage independent and creative thinking, as well as real-life skills.

I want to make sure that my boys acquire the necessary skills and abilities to be independent thinkers and doers with big hearts. My hopes and dreams center on helping my boys not just survive, but thrive, with confidence and resourcefulness.

We've used a variety of resources to teach and practice growth mindset for kids. Our homeschool had a gap in the survival skills area. I knew my boys needed more hands-on experiences to learn and apply these important lessons to real life.

But, how can you realistically fit growth mindset and outdoor skills into an already packed homeschool schedule? Figuring out how to transition from teaching sight words with my Kindergartner to graphing equations with my Freshman is hard enough 😉

Well, my motto is that if it's worth it, you'll find a way. And I finally have found a stressfree way to do it!

Two boys holding materials from THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES subscription boxes for kids in front of pine tree on grass and kids using rocks, sticks, & red leaves to make nature art on sidewalk and kids carefully adding bark to fire and boy using magnifying glass to examine pine tree for outdoor learning

Why Our Homeschool Will Always Include These Positive Life Skills 

I share below about THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES and how these subscription boxes are totally rockin' our homeschool. But, first I think it's important to cover why I will always find a way to teach my boys these life skills.

Education is so much more than academics. There's a whole big world out there for our kids to live in and navigate.

Hands-on experiences enhance learning and applying life skills, like first aid and outdoor basics. The real learning happens when kids actively practice these skills with experiences that tap both their minds and hearts.

Subscribe at Think Outside Boxes

 

And this reasoning comes from a self-described nerd. I always had my nose in a book and got perfect grades but was grossly unprepared for the real world. (I can still get lost using the Waze app. Oh how I wish I learned better navigation skills when I was younger!)

I want to make sure my boys are better prepared for life 😉

Back to planning our homeschool year...

Of course, the nerd side of me is still there. I want to know that these lessons are effective and educational. And our homeschool budget can only be stretched so far. I do a lot of research before clicking the buy button and including a resource in our homeschool plans. 

As a busy mom, I just don't have time to put together these type of engaging lessons for outdoor skills + growth mindset. I greatly appreciate having it all done for me. Open-and-go really makes this homeschool mom smile 🙂

THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES have passed my strict tests and my boys are having a blast with our new learning adventures. Win-win!

Your kids will really get into the lessons & activities in each monthly box from THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES.

Homeschool Subscription Boxes that Teach Important Life Skills

Now, for the nitty-gritty of THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES!

These monthly subscription boxes have themes that promote exploration and survival in the great outdoors with the added bonus of an empathy component in every lesson. As a former individual & family therapist, this extra touch makes my heart smile 🙂

Each box contains all you need for a month of powerful learning with:

  • 24+ page manual and activity guide
  • Lesson Plans 
  • 3-5 pieces of quality outdoor gear

My boys have loved getting hands-on experiences with the Nature and Fire Boxes. Take a peek at all of the themes on the THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES homeschool page.

(Scroll down to The Lesson Plan and you'll see all the themes for each season of the year. After clicking on a theme, you'll discover that each theme is broken down into multiple topics and activities. Kind of like a unit study!)

Discover why THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES are the best homeschool subscription boxes for your family to enjoy learning fun.

One of the biggest bonuses of using THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES in our homeschool (besides all the awesome outdoor learning fun) is awesome interaction for all.

Discussion questions are included in each simple lesson plan packet that you can print out. My boys and I have been using these prompts as conversation starters to keep the learning fun going after our outdoor learning adventures.

The activities and lessons in each of these homeschool subscription boxes contain questions that you can use to evaluate learning & for conversation starters.
I love having these talking points to refer to during our learning adventures with THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES!

These conversations are doing so much good for our homeschool. The boys are finding new interests to explore and enjoy together. For example, Xman (5) and Bear (8) have really gotten into learning about trees in our area after using the Nature Box.

The manual and activity guide has been a great jumping off point to learn more about trees and how to identify them. Now, our library bag is now filled with additional resources about their new interest.

Your kids will be encouraged to explore the outdoors with these homeschool subscription boxes. Great ways to encourage growth & learning fun!
Xman using the magnifying glass from our Nature Box. This boy is now obsessed with trees!

I'm thrilled to have the All Fired Up box as part of our homeschool learning. Our state (Pennsylvania) requires homeschool students to learn about fire safety every year.

This box has been perfect for an in-depth look at fire safety in our home and in the outdoors. One activity guides you through creating a fire escape plan with your family. The campfire kit included with the box has everything you need to learn how to safely start a fire, including fire striker, tinder, and kindling. My boys couldn't believe that they could start a fire with just a small spark!

With all of the activities and lessons, the fire safety portion of our homeschool portfolios is going to be quite impressive to our evaluator!

Your kids will learn all about the science behind fire & fire safety tips using THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES.
Fantastic real-life science lessons make these homeschool subscription boxes rock!
Your kids will learn valuable survival skills, like how to safely start a fire, using these homeschool subscription boxes.
The fire striker + cotton-based tinder (included in the All Fired Up box from THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES) with the amazingly helpful manual. Will we be able to get a spark?
Kids learn valuable lessons, like patience & persistence, with the activities & lessons in these kits.
Success! Bear, Captain, & Xman stand back after we got our fire started using the fire striker included in the All Fired Up box. Great experience for learning fire safety + persistence!

Tips & Tricks to Get the Most Out of These Homeschool Subscription Boxes 

After using two of THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES, I have a few suggestions to help you maximize the learning fun with your kids:

  • Pace yourself. There's no need to rush through the activities. You'll have plenty of information to savor with your kids.
    My boys get really excited with subcription boxes and want to blast through everything right away. We started to zoom through the first box and I had to remind all of us to hit the brakes.
    Work on a page in the booklet or an activity a day. It will mean so much more to all.
  • Include all ages but be flexible. THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES provides a recommended starting age of 7. My five-year-old was able to follow along just fine with his older brothers, but he's also used to doing that with a lot of our activities. You know your kids best so if you need to pivot or take a break, go for it.
  • Boost the learning experience with spelling and vocabulary! Each theme has a separate sheet in the lesson plan packet of vocabulary words for that month's theme.
    I added these words to my boys' rotation in Spelling City to bolster spelling and vocabulary practice with fun games and videos.
    Wow! Their faces light up when we work on a THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES activity and they recognize a word 🙂 
You can turn these outdoor subscription boxes into unit studies with all the materials & information provided in one kit.
  • Use your library for supplemental resources. Each 24+ page manual and activity guide is packed with information and has all you need.
    But, if interest-led learning is your thing, a quick trip to the library can be a great way to round out their outdoor learning fun. (And a great option if the weather is nasty!)
  • Record observations and experiences for your homeschool portfolio.  Or just because! Your kids will be learning all about fire safety, nature, nutrition, first aid, wildlife, shelter, and more. 
    Build on these experiences by keeping a journal and taking or drawing pictures. Wonderful keepsakes of your outdoor learning adventures!

**If you don't have easy access to the outdoors (like forests or even a backyard), that's okay! We live in the country but I was wondering how these homeschool subscription boxes would work for urban families.

THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES Live Chat is amazing! I quickly got this helpful response to my question:

Almost all of our activities are able to be done with a small amount of green space (parks, etc.). Definitely a consideration we took when developing. The only box that may have constraints is the Fire Box, but parks regularly have charcoal grilling areas setup that can be used for those activities as needed. 

Materials from the Fire Safety box from THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES and boy using magnifying glass to examine red leaves and two kids carefully adding bark to fire & two kids using rocks, sticks, pine cone, & red leaves to make nature art on sidewalk for outdoor learning fun

Help Your Kids Explore & Grow with THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES!

Get the peace of mind that comes with knowing you're giving your kids valuable life skills using the best homeschool subscription boxes. Who has time to put together all these lessons and materials?!?

THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES does the hard work for you so you can enjoy a stressfree and fun approach to outdoor activities + growth mindset skills. It's so nice having all the work done for you!

Just a few of the valuable growth mindset lessons that my boys have learned from using these boxes include:

  • Patience
  • Persistence
  • Empathy (talking about things like endangered animals and wild fires brings out powerful emotions!)
  • Cooperation 
  • Creativity (trying to get that fire striker took a bit of creative thinking and teamwork)
  • Respect (for each other and nature)

THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES is now on the top of my list of recommended resources to help you easily make your homeschool more hands-on and experiential. I know it will quickly climb to the top of your list, too 🙂

*My boys have been able to share one box but some families prefer to use the sibling discount to purchase multiple boxes for their family (take a look at the pricing plans and options HERE).

Use coupon code HOME10 to get $10 off the first order. Coupon valid until the end of 2019.

Psst! These homeschool subscription boxes would make great and meaningful Christmas gifts. Just sayin' 😉

THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES are brilliant homeschool subscription boxes to enjoy learning outdoor skills & more with kids.

Got questions about our experiences with THiNK OUTSiDE BOXES?
Let me know in the comments area below 🙂

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