Homeschool Strewing: Keeping the Chaos at Bay

Homeschool Strewing: Children at a table with a lot of art supplies. Each child is working on their own project.

Homeschool Strewing: Keeping the Chaos at Bay

Michelle Parrinello-Cason

Create Effective Learning Invitations

The other day, I found myself searching the web using terms like “psychology of window displays” and “visual marketing tips in storefronts.” 

Now, you may not know this about me, but I don’t own a storefront, and I have no intention of doing so. Why, then, was I looking for this information? To better homeschool my kids — I hope.

What Does It Mean to "Strew" Something

I’ve long been a fan of “homeschool strewing,” but I’ve come to terms with the fact that I was taking the “strew” a little too literally. 

The dictionary definition of “strew” is “scatter or spread things in a messy way over a surface or area.” 

That, of course, is not what a homeschooler means when they say they like to strew things. 

Most homeschoolers use strewing to mean creating “invitations” for active learning without explicitly giving instruction. In other words, homeschool strewing is about leaving great learning materials around in a way that invites engagement. 

For me, though, the two definitions had somehow gotten mingled and most of my “strewing” for education looked a lot like the “strewing” that happens when the cover slips on a grain truck and leaves the highway littered with debris. (I’m from the Midwest. Sorry if that metaphor doesn’t land for everyone.)

I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about what goals I want my children to reach and how best to get there. I pore over reading lists and science kit recommendations and Common Core curriculum standards. I plan. I choose wisely. I really care about this.

So imagine my delight when I found out I could put all those research skills to work on the back end and then just leave it all in piles around my house and wait for the magic to happen. 

A big bin of educational toys here. A towering stack of great books on a variety of topics there. A huge collection of board games. Done, done, and done. What could be easier? 

Except it didn’t work. The magic wasn’t happening. I believed in the logic and philosophy behind strewing, but most of my well-planned “invitations” were going nowhere — and I now think that’s because they weren’t, well, very inviting. 

Art supplies and paper cut outs laying on white table

The Anatomy of an Education "Invitation"

It seems like we have lots of examples of invitations for our earliest learners. Just look at children’s museums where hands-on activities are available at every turn. These same principles can be seen in many preschool classrooms where bins or “stations” are set up and activities rotate through to keep things fresh and interesting. 

There are fewer readily available examples for the older set, however. As standard learning models move toward more testing and worksheets and learner interests are more often explored independently, visual checks of classrooms offer fewer insights into how to engage learners voluntarily. 

That’s what left me frantically googling consumer psychology in the hopes for some answers. 

Here’s what I found.

Effective Homeschool Strewing Tip 1: Less is More

As Princeton researchers put it, “Multiple stimuli present in the visual field at the same time compete for neural representation by mutually suppressing their evoked activity throughout visual cortex, providing a neural correlate for the limited processing capacity of the visual system.” 

To put it another way, when you’re looking at a bunch of stuff at once, it’s more difficult to focus. 

I want my home to be full of lots of options for different kinds of play and multiple subjects, but how those choices are displayed — and, crucially, how many are presented at once — matters. 

That doesn’t mean you have to give up the boxes of fantastic curricula or the shelves of amazing games. It just means that storage and invitation should probably be two separate categories. 

Have you ever been in the Apple store? A minimal design layout invites customers to come in and play in the sparsely stocked main area, but there’s tons of stock — including items that aren’t on the floor at the moment — behind the scenes.

Homeschool Strewing: Three children sit at a table working on paintings.
Homeschool Strewing: Children at a table with a lot of art supplies. Each child is working on their own project.

Effective Homeschool Strewing Tip 2: Place It Thoughtfully

Stores use lots of psychological hacks to train customers to go for the items they want. Eye level is known as “buy level,” and you’ll see the more expensive name-brand products on this level while the cheaper alternatives are often tucked below or above it. 

The same tip applies to our kids and the things we lay out for them to find. Keep in mind both their visual plane as well as accessibility and area of use. So many people create gorgeous “classrooms” in their homes only to get frustrated because their kids never seem to actually use them. 

Identify the areas of your house where gathering and play naturally happen. Tap into the existing rhythms of the day rather than trying to fight against the tide.

Effective Homeschool Strewing Tip 3: Follow Simple Aesthetic Principles

Let’s face it, most of these carefully planned invitations are going to end up tousled and disheveled by the end of the day — at least that’s the hope! There’s no reason to spend hours upon hours making every single thing you do Pinterest-worthy. 

A few simple aesthetic principles can help make your invitations look more appealing, however, and that’s not just a matter of form — it’s key to their function. 

I noticed this principle in action when I went into the art room at our favorite children’s museum. The supplies were arranged in transparent containers and sorted by color. They roughly went from large to small. It was not only beautiful, but it was easy for the guides working the room to tidy things up in a hurry, and it definitely invited interaction. 

Clothing stores will often arrange their racks by color to draw our eyes and make everything seem a little more ordered. Size grouping is another common trick for store displays that has the same effect.

Children hands sorting shells, rocks, and wooden blocks.

Don't Let Perfect Be the Enemy of the Good (Enough)

I’ll be the first to admit that researching and thinking through these principles didn’t magically make every educational plan I have work, but things certainly go a lot smoother when I use them. 

I also like that they’re simple enough that I can remind myself to get back on track when things eventually devolve into chaos once again. There’s not some complicated system that’s either functioning or not. Instead, there’s a fresh start each day (or even in the middle of the day) to try again.

You've Got This!

Incorporating homeschool strewing into your teaching approach can open up an exciting world of discovery for your kids—just remember that it’s all about making learning invitations truly engaging. Keep it simple, experiment with placement, and don’t stress about getting it “Pinterest-perfect.” Strewing can be a great tool, but it works best when it flows naturally into your home and daily rhythms.

Ready to take your homeschool strewing strategy to the next level? Check out these homeschooling tips to keep sparking curiosity every day!





Game Based Learning – Create Your Own Board Game

Family Playing Board Game, Make Your Own Board Game for Homeschooling Families

Game Based Learning: Create A Board Game

Samantha Matalone Cook

Game Based Learning

Game based learning is an engaging and innovative way to transform traditional education into an interactive experience, where students can learn through play. By incorporating game design elements into the learning process, students can enhance their creativity, problem-solving skills, and critical thinking. Whether designing a simple roll-and-move game or an intricate deck-building challenge, the process of creating and prototyping a game offers valuable lessons in strategy, teamwork, and adaptation. Through the exciting journey of game development, learners gain a deeper understanding of both the subject matter and the mechanics of games themselves.

Five Steps to Creating Your Own Board Game

1. Select a theme. For example, your game could be based on your favorite animal, subject, or fandom. Once you have some ideas, stop and read all the instructions for this project. Understanding the entire process will help you at each stage of your game design journey. Once you’ve done that, come back and focus on your game development in each of steps 2-5.

2. What kind of game are you creating? Is it a roll and move game or a deck-building game? Area control game or legacy game? You can look up the different kinds of board games for inspiration. What is the objective of the game? Is it cooperative? If not, how do you win? How many people can play the game? Who is this game designed for? Start writing down rules and game play ideas you have. Keep it simple at first, you can always make it more complex as you prototype your game.

Prototype: this word means to make a preliminary, or first, model of something. You create a prototype, and then test to see how it works. You can continue making new prototypes until you have the final version of what you are making (in this case, a game). Prototyping is important because it allows us to see how our design works and what changes need to be made in order to get the best possible version of our ideas.

Child Playing Homemade Board Game - Game Based Learning - Make Your Own Board Game

3. Sketch out what you think your game might look like and make temporary board pieces and cards as needed so you can protype your game. How a game looks will depend a lot on how it is played. You may want to look at games you already own, or that are on the shelf at the store. Games are designed to appeal to players, and the visual art of a game is just as important as how interesting or fun it is to play.

4. Next, take your prototyped rules and sketches and play your game a few times. You can play by yourself (if your game is multi-player, you can play the role of one or more others) and then play with your friends or family, using them as testers. What works? What doesn’t? Is there information missing? Does anything need to be changed on your sketches? What materials should your game pieces and board be made of to hold up to being played with and to make playing fun? Play as many times as needed to collect as much feedback and information as you can. You may need to create new protypes in order to get to the best version of your game. Redesign and prototype as many times as needed. When you feel your game is ready, go to step 5.

Homemade Battleship Game - Gameschooling - How to Make Your Own Board Game

5. Now you are ready to make the final version of your game! Use higher quality materials to make your board, game pieces, cards, and any other part of the game. You can use art supplies, computer programs such as Inkscape or Illustrator, and machines such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and Cricut machines to make a more polished version of your game. If you are using a laser cutter or 3d printer, Thingiverse is a great resource for free pre-designed pieces. You could also re-purpose objects or old game pieces from around the house for your game. Type or write up a manual for your game that includes a description of the game, the rules, any tips you have on playing the game, and a game developer biography (that’s you!). You may also want to create a box (you can use a shoe or shipping box if that’s easier) to contain your game. Don’t forget to design the outside of the box to advertise the game within. You can look at games you already own for examples. Finally, share your game with others. Perhaps throw a game launch party and have friends over to play!

Enjoy your new game!

Meet the Author:

Samantha Matalone Cook, MAT, is an educator, historian, writer, maker, and speaker. She has almost three decades of experience in education, program development, and the arts and has worked with both small and large organizations to create educational programming that centers and connects the learner to concepts and skills. She has taught in classrooms and in private workshops, mentored other educators, and worked for and with many museums including the Smithsonian. Samantha has two teens and one preteen, all home educated; the oldest of whom has recently fledged into college. To see her past and current projects, including her blog, her book on Project-Based Learning, and Pandia Press History Odyssey curriculum, please visit www.samanthamatalonecook.com

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