Today, I want to talk about how a homeschool community can help you to play more, boost connection, and increase happiness. And we all need community and connection after the year-plus we’ve just endured!
But first, there’s this quote I’ve been thinking about lately. I want to share it with you.
It’s the things we play with and the people who help us play that make a great difference in our lives.
-Fred Rogers
I’ve been thinking about this quote a lot this week.
How a Community Can Help You Play More in Your Homeschool
So many homeschoolers are looking for a community and connection right now.
When reflecting on 2020, I always joke about how we survived by throwing squishy burritos at each other. But do you know what? It’s true.
Play kept us connected. It was a distraction when we needed an escape. It kept us busy rather than bored. And, above all, it made us laugh so hard we cried.
And BOY did we need that!
I’ve been thinking about that a lot today, not just because we decided to up our burrito chucking game, but because Never Board Learning will be one month old on May 1st.
What a wonderful whirlwind of a month this has been!
Curious about the first month of Never Board Learning?
Check this out:
A homeschool community can provide inspiration and renewed energy.
For the first time since this whole pandemic-ing started, I am waking up before the kids. I sneak downstairs to pour a cup of coffee and drink it (while it’s hot!) while catching up with NBL members.
I am feeling renewed homeschool inspiration for the first time in a long time, and I’m not alone.
Finding a homeschool community can increase connection and creativity.
There are many parts of NBL that I’m excited to share with members, but my favorite part is the community forum.
Ready for a confession?
I thought the first several months would be crickets. Maybe it’s the introvert in me, but it can take a while to warm up and connect and all that jazz.
There are no crickets here.
Forty-three comments? Be still my homeschoolin’ heart! The NBL community ROCKS.
This community is AMAZING. Everyone is sharing, connecting, and supporting each other.
Support other homeschool families on their play-based and interest-led learning journeys.
After a year of distance and disconnect, it feels pretty darn good to connect with other homeschool families and to give and to receive support.
As homeschool parents, we need connection and support now more than ever! (And so do our children and teens!)
I have a friend who keeps saying, “This is the weirdest timeline to live through” and I think she might be right. This has been such a challenging time for all of us, and I think we’ll only realize how hard it was when we have hindsight. We are still in the thick of it, but connecting with other people over a shared passion has been wonderful!
The NBL Community is a diverse group of parents and educators. We have new homeschoolers with young children and we have parents who have been homeschooling for 17+ years with teens and homeschool graduates!
I start and end my days with NBL. I love the exchange of creativity, support, and ideas. I am feeling inspired in our homeschool and others are saying the same.
And it’s only been a month! I can’t wait to see what this year has in store (and I can’t wait to share what we are cooking up behind the scenes)!
And, in case you were wondering, Never Board Learning is available on all devices, is mobile-friendly, and there is even an app!
We’ve received tons of feedback about how easy NBL is to access and navigate. Tech was one of my worries going into this because I’m not particularly tech-savvy, so I love hearing that folks are enjoying the tech.
Homeschooling can be *almost* all fun and games. Adding play-based learning can transform your homeschool and family.
I’m gushing about the NBL community because that’s my favorite part, but I have to mention that NBL was created to help families incorporate play-based learning and gameschooling into their daily routine.
Adding more play and gameschooling to your homeschool day can be transformative. Play is a wonderful way to connect, make memories, and learn… together!
Learn how to add educational games and play to your homeschool routine by attending Never Board Learning guest speaker events.
If you’re new to the concept of play-based learning and gameschooling, no worries! In addition to the sharing of ideas and resources that happens in the community forum daily, we have a monthly guest speaker event.
(I am over-the-moon excited about these events because we will be able to grow together!)
Do you have questions about interest-based learning and using educational games for learning? Submit a question to the live Q & A!
I’m also having live Q & As during which I can answer your questions!
We’ve had our first one already and it was a blast!
For those curious, all replays are made available to members within 24 hours.
Wondering what a homeschool day-in-the-life looks like? Homeschool parents share their homeschool routine in Never Board Learning.
One of the most common questions I receive is something along the lines of, “I would love to add more gameschooling to our homeschool day, but what does it look like?”
It’s a tough question to answer because gameschoolers are a unique bunch! That’s why I am thrilled to offer monthly Day-in-the-Life events. Never Board Learning community members will be sharing DITLs via a blog post and some members will also sit down for a live interview where they answer member questions!
Our first DITL event featured Shawna Wingert. She talked all about homeschooling teenagers with unique learning needs. She also explained how she incorporates video games into the homeschool day.
Our growing Never Board Learning Resource Library will provide you with resources to help you on your homeschool journey.
Want a sneak peek of the Resource Library right now, in April 2021?
Keep in mind, it will grow every single month! I’m adding the May 2021 resources later this evening!
Never Board Learning member perks include monthly partnerships with some of your favorite companies and fun-tastic game giveaways!
This month, Never Board Learning is partnering with Night Zookeeper. Night Zookeeper provided members with a discount and contributed an article to the private NBL blog.
The Never Board Learning April 2021 game giveaway…
This month, we are giving away two copies of Trekking the National Parks to two lucky U.S. winners. The winner will be announced in the NBL Community Forum on May 1st. On May 24th, we’ll announce the next giveaway!
Never Board Learning also includes a members-only “What should I play next?” quiz (with individualized results)…
…and a “Play Matters” audio course.
Never Board Learning founding members are helping to shape the community and member experience. They are growing this space from the ground up!
I am so grateful for our founding members who believed in this wild idea when it was just a little thought knocking around in my overtired, post-2020 noggin. They joined when it was brand-new, knowing that I am not a tech wizard or particularly fancy. They believed it from the very beginning and they have helped to shape an incredible community.
We survived last year by chucking squishy burritos at each other. This year? NBL is going to help us do more than just survive. When I think of the Fred Rogers quote above, I think of NBL.
To all the founding NBLers: I am so happy you’re here. I’m working on some goodies for you and they will be in your inbox later today. I am so excited about May and what we have planned for the next several months.
What’s coming up in Never Board Learning?
Never Board Learning members will receive the Never Board Learning May 2021 Play Book. This resource has everything they need for the upcoming month, plus two printable resources!
If you’re looking to add more play and gameschooling to your homeschool days, join Never Board Learning today!
Never Board Learning is an online community for creative parents and educators who embrace play-based learning and gameschooling for ALL ages.
NBL features a private community forum (not FB), guest speakers, Q and As, day-in-the-life family spotlights, and a growing resource library filled with printable activities, documentation resources, and challenges.
Join NBL today and have more fun tomorrow!
