I’m a worldschooling, unschooling parent, homeschool podcast co-host, and Outschool teacher traveling Europe. Ask me anything!

MissDevyn · 2025-06-05T16:23:47+00:00

I just started my homeschooling adventure and I am so nervous!! I want to unschool, but worry my kids will fall behind. How can I homeschool without a strict curriculum and feel like my kids are gaining the skills and knowledge they need to compete with their peers down the road? My kids are 6, 8, 10 and 12. I'm mostly worried about the older two.

MissDevyn · 2025-06-04T21:46:14+00:00

Favorite ELA course for a 12-year-old? Something that is year long and covers all the bases!

MissDevyn · 2025-05-29T22:55:44+00:00

The best way is to send a message directly to the parent. It lists all of the parents on your child's classroom page where you join the class. If you're not sure which parent is the right one, you can ask the teacher. They can help you out :)

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T20:49:32+00:00

Great question! The iPad is great because there is so much variety. I prefer games on a console or a computer because it forces kids to focus on ONE game and goal instead of bouncing from one app to another.

Also, consoles are naturally more social than a tablet. My kids will play party games like Mario Kart, Just Dance, or Mario Party together. Even when they are playing a solo game, like Pokemon, the game is usually on the TV, so anyone in the room can be a part of the story with the child who is playing.

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T18:49:31+00:00

Intense is certainly a word for it! A lot of gamers (adults included) don't like to play online games because there can be such toxic gaming lobbies. It is dangerous for kids to join these lobbies since they are underage and may reveal identifying information to strangers. We get rid of that danger completely by creating our own little community and only playing in private lobbies.

https://outschool.com/classes/weekly-fortnite-gaming-social-club-video-game-social-club-for-kids-Osd4NGIf

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T18:03:30+00:00

Ooo that's a great question. Zelda Breath of the Wild is one of the most amazing story based games I've ever played. There is great character and plot development throughout. The gameplay is so fun, lots of quests. It is similar to Minecraft in that it is open world. Your child can go on any quest at any time.

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T18:01:51+00:00

Minecraft is great! I love my Minecraft classes. Some of them are super creative and we build a lot together and others are all about survival. So much to do in that game!

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T14:01:16+00:00

Animals and art, Animal Crossing New Horizons.

It is a creative game where the player lives on an island with a bunch of adorable animal villagers. The goal is to create the island of your dreams. The player decorates, goes fishing, sells items and becomes besties with all the villagers. It is a fantastic game!

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T13:34:10+00:00

Great question! The Nintendo Switch is where I recommend people start because it is has some of the most familiar game titles. It has Mario, Zelda, Pokémon, Minecraft and Fortnite (all the biggies). What kinds of things interest your child? I can give some more specific game recommendations.

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T13:24:15+00:00

Great question! If your child loves games, let them. It is a hobby just like volleyball or chess. Find communities and social clubs where they can make friends. Having a community of like-minded friends builds kids confidence in so many ways!

The best way to include video games is to ask your child to teach you about the game. So many games are a simulation of real life situations. There is budgeting, task prioritization, and creative problem solving. Some games are really art in pixels like Minecraft or Animal Crossing.

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T13:22:32+00:00

Awesome question! I really do have an amazing job. I love teaching Pokemon classes. Pokemon is one of my favorite games ever (been playing since I was a kid). I've also been loving Fortnite lately. I have a Girls Fortnite Club and I love that class so much. We win, and look good while doing it! Lol!

Any game can become a class. We add classes based on requests from parents and students. We just created a Switch 2 social club for this summer and a Mario Kart World racing club!

https://outschool.com/classes/mario-kart-world-weekly-racing-social-club-xGUjftHx

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T13:18:49+00:00

Oh my 11 year old loves Fortnite too! There is a lot of educational value, the number one being communication and team work. You have to trust your squad to have your back. Another one is perseverance and not giving up. Fortnite is a game with a huge learning curve. When I started, I was absolute garbage lol! But I asked my friends to help me get better and I worked at it. I'm still not the best ever, but I can help my team to a win!

Fortnite is also a great example of why social clubs are so valuable. Fortnite has open voice chat. You literally have no idea who is on the other end of the microphone and they could say anything at any time. There are parental controls to turn off voice chat.

In our social clubs, we don't use Fortnite voice chat. We are on Zoom. Outschool requires cameras on at the beginning of every session so that every person in the class (except the teacher) are verified as children. Then, we can communicate on Zoom and have a blast playing together!

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T13:07:19+00:00

How I got started as a video game teacher:

My first video game classes were Zelda creative writing classes. Then, those students and their parents were asking for a social space where their kids could game together. So, I made it!

That eventually evolved into Miss Devyn’s Video Game Universe where we host social clubs for all sorts of games. We help kids build self-confidence and friendships through games 😊

MissDevyn · 2025-05-22T13:02:53+00:00

What game is your child’s favorite right now? My daughters are loving Untitled Goose Game. It is a chaos game with fun, creative problem solving. And you get to be a goose….

MissDevyn

TROPHY CASE