Enhancing Education with Outschool: Nurturing Curiosity and Learning Beyond the Classroom

The world is rapidly evolving.

And while school undoubtedly plays a crucial role in shaping young minds, traditional education is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to fostering a child’s growth. But there are options beyond those classroom walls that can greatly enrich a child’s learning journey.

One of these is Outschool – an online learning platform that offers a plethora of opportunities to supplement curricula and dive deeper into kids’ interests.

We’ve personally used Outschool over the course of the past few years, as an enrichment to our homeschool journey. But Outschool is NOT just for homeschool students. It’s for every student. And in this blog post, we’ll share some of the reasons why Outschool is an excellent choice to supplement a curriculum or explore kids’ interests further.

1. Personalized Learning:

One of the most significant advantages of using Outschool is its ability to provide personalized learning experiences.

Every child is unique –
– different strengths.
– different interests.
– different learning styles.

Outschool recognizes this diversity and offers a wide variety of courses covering subjects from academics to arts, languages, science, and more. Further, courses can be filtered by age. This customization allows parents and students to choose classes that cater specifically to a child’s passions and areas of improvement, leading to a more engaging and effective learning journey.

Some of the favorite courses and clubs we’ve invested in have included: personal responsibility, various art classes, nature club, and acting bootcamps.

2. Flexibility:

Traditional education often follows a fixed schedule, leaving little room for kids to explore their passions outside of school hours. Outschool bridges this gap by offering flexible class schedules that accommodate various time zones.

There’s even a handy filtering tool that allows courses to be filtered by days of the week, and specific time of day, allowing for users to only the options available when they are.

Looking for an art class for ten year olds that meets on Sunday evening? Outschool can show you that.

Want a computer programming course for a twelve year old, that meets after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays? Outschool can show you that, too.

So whether your child wants to learn a new instrument, explore ancient history, or master a programming language, Outschool’s offerings can fit seamlessly into their routine.

3. Exploration of Diverse Interests:

Kids are naturally curious and have a thirst for knowledge. Outschool capitalizes on this by offering courses that go beyond the standard curriculum. It provides a platform for children to explore niche subjects, unique hobbies, and unconventional skills that may not be readily available in a traditional school environment.

Let me give you an example – Sydney flew through the entire Percy Jackson book series over the summer. Absolutely LOVED it. So a quick ‘Percy Jackson’ search on Outschool brings up several options for book clubs and classes, dedicated to the Percy Jackson series.

Talk about specific…

4. Real-World Relevance:

One of the criticisms of traditional education is the perceived lack of real-world application for the concepts learned in the classroom. Outschool bridges this gap by offering courses that often have immediate, practical relevance. Whether it’s learning about entrepreneurship, coding, or even public speaking, children can gain skills that are directly applicable to their lives and future careers.

Our own favorite real-world relevance courses: personal responsibility and financial literacy! While Sydney may not have shown the most enthusiasm going into those courses, she was stunned at how much she learned. And now, at thirteen, she has a decent understanding of how mortgages work.

5. Engaging Educators:

Outschool boasts a diverse community of educators, each bringing their expertise, passion, and teaching style to the virtual classroom. This rich variety of instructors allows children to learn from professionals who are deeply passionate about the subjects they teach. This engagement fosters a more dynamic and interactive learning environment, where children can ask questions, explore tangents, and truly engage with the material.

There hasn’t been a single instructor on Outschool that Sydney didn’t think was fantastic. But her acting teacher/coach was probably her favorite. And the fact that her teacher was a working actress, added to the enthusiasm and knowledge she brought to the classes.

I’m guessing at this point, it’s obvious that we’re fans of Outschool, their offerings, and how they operate. And we’ll continue to use Outschool whenever Sydney has an interest she wants to explore a little further.

Ready to give Outschool a try, for yourself? Here’s a $20 gift to get you started.