It’s that time of year! Spring has sprung and homeschoolers are itching to get out into the sunshine and fresh air. But there’s school to finish!
You don’t have to choose because you can do BOTH! Just get outside and homeschool!
Get Outside for Nature Study
The easiest way to school outside is to study the world around you. There’s so much to see and do right in your own backyard.
Nature study is by far the easiest science you can do in the spring. You can study insects such as ants, grasshoppers, and crickets. Or talk about honeybees and birds and other pollinators that help give us the beautiful flowers and juicy strawberries that we find in spring.
If you’re feeling a little more adventurous, or you have a child that loves the creepy crawly things of God’s wondrous creation, then a study on spiders might pique their interest!
You may not have any idea where to begin, and that’s ok! It’s a big world out there, and it can be hard to narrow down your choices or decide what to do and how to do it.
If you’ve never done a nature study before, you’ll want to make sure that you bring along all the important essentials for getting the most from your study.
Get Outside for Field Trips
Feeling up to adventure a little further from home than your backyard? Spring field trips are a great way to take school on the road!
State and local parks are really amazing and most have websites or local offices that can help you plan a full day of fun. Check into geocaching in the area and track down a few stashes. These are great fun! A leisurely hike can be great exercise and a fun way to “get away from it all” for just a little while.
When you plan a weekend trip or a longer vacation, look for ways that you can tie in learning. Look for museums and memorials, aquariums and nature reserves, even interesting rocks, trees, and plants found only in the area can be a great topic to study.
You can also transform normal everyday errands into exciting learning experiences. With a little imagination and planning, places like doctor’s offices, grocery stores, and post offices become fascinating.
Before you head out, be sure to stock up on essentials to make the most of your learning time.
Get Outside for Creative Play
Outdoor play can be so much more than simply riding bikes and swimming. Make use of all that nature offers to get those brain gears turning.
Gather up some sticks and grass and leaves and try your hand at a STEM project. Or up the challenge a bit by building an impressive backyard fort or obstacle course.
Why not take a camping trip . . . in your own backyard! There are so many ways to make a backyard camping trip into the ultimate spring memory-making fun. From games and activities to print and create to scavenger hunts and crafts.
Spring is also the perfect time to start a garden! Even if you don’t have a lot of space, you can plant a few things in containers such as herbs or peppers. Children are fascinated by watching plants grow and change over time.
SchoolhouseTeachers.com
SchoolhouseTeachers.com offers some great resources for taking your homeschool outside and right now you can get access to an entire year of every subject and every grade for every student in your home for ONLY $179!
You’ll find some great courses like:
Use God’s creation to make your own creations! Explore nature and discover ways to use it as a background for art, as a way to design your own masterpieces, and as art itself. From acorns and sticks to feathers and rocks, let’s get outside and do art!
Students will learn about five key aspects of the Gospel story complete with fun drawings, coloring pages, activities, and Scripture memorization. Lessons focus on Who Jesus is, why He died on the cross, what it means to forgive, and how to get to know God more.
Who can find the most circles during a nature walk? What is the place value of each number card hanging on the clothesline? Approximately how many rocks are in the jar? These are just a few of the fun math challenges students encounter with the Let’s Do Math Outside homeschool course!
Just use the code OUTSIDE to take advantage of this amazing offer.
Let’s Encourage Each Other!
How do you take your homeschool outside? We’d love for you to share your ideas in the comments below.
Special thanks to Annette V. of A Net in Time, Amanda H. of Hopkins Homeschool, Dawn P. of Schoolin Swag, Linda S. of Apron Strings and Other Things, Michelle W. of Life in the Nerddom, Sharon R. of The Secret Life of Homeschoolers, and Yvie F. of Homeschool on the Range for their contributions to this article. Be sure to visit their blogs for more encouragement and ideas for homeschooling
Nicely put together