Tips and Questions on White Space

Tips:

• Block out the time for all your subjects in your daily schedule (sometimes less is more)
• Consider loop scheduling (science in the fall or grammar only on Mondays)
• Evening white space for your family (sports, dinners)
• Establish a daily family rest time (hour after lunch, hour before dinner)
• Don't make plans for ideal life---make plans that fit your family's needs not your neighbor's family.

Questions to Ponder:

1. "Over-scheduling eliminates my kids' processing time." Agree or Disagree? Why?

2.  What is your opinion of white space?

3.  How do you prioritize white space or not?

4.  What would you predict would happen with more white space in your day?

So How Do I Create White Space

Rather than thinking about the quantity of ideas, quantity of experiences, quantity of work produced, we need to think about the quality.  A single experience (really and truly had and understood) is more valuable than weeks and weeks of rushed, unconnected random experiences.  

Following a more unschooling  approach allows me to easily free up afternoons.  In our home white space looks like these long afternoons of digging into passions and talents.

GM loves animals and wants a rabbit so she: 

• reads about them
• watches YouTube videos on caring for rabbits
• visits pets stores and breeder to see different breeds
• creates plans for hutch
• determines best breed for her
• prices supplies
• makes list of needed items

Bubba is a passionate hunter.

• play (very realistic) hunting games
• shoots archery---creating challenging shots form different yards and scores target
• Actual hunting
• Field dressing animals
• Process meat-cut meat, mix and make jerky
• Watch shows like Meat-Eater
• Cooks his own recipes.  

These experiences can happen when I strictly protect our calendar white space.  About 4 afternoons during the week are left blank.  

White Space

White Space is the margin in your life.  It is the empty space surrounding the text.  This important, key item emphasizes things by setting them off.  Without white space there is no balance.  

Jesus gives us the example of creating white space.  Time and again we read that Jesus went off alone after preaching, performing miracles, and meeting with others.