For my family homeschooling is all about the family! We love to do projects that involve all ages at the same time. I love that my older children already know how to help someone younger and less able than them to complete a task without getting frustrated at the added time and the “slowness” of having them tag along.
We try to include hands on lessons as often as we can and many times our children don’t even know it is learning while we are doing it. Here are some of our favorite ones that we have done.
My children love to paint and I love that while they are having fun they learn about mixing colors, practice their fine motor skills, and feel a sense of pride as their work improves with each project. Painting is something that children of all ages can enjoy and I love the washable paint by Crayola. It really is washable from both clothing and the table and it is thick enough that it clings to the brush so that the littlest artists can use it easily.
Most of the time people only think about this activity at Christmas time. But we love to pick up sprinkles and icing for any special occassion. This is another way for children to practice their “art” and their fine motor skills and the finished product makes a great gift!
Working together and finsihing a big project are great lessons for children to learn early on. We spend many Saturdays working together around the house and everyone helps according to their ability. And we make sure that when we give a child a task to help with that they have the ability to complete it. We make sure that this is true so that our children learn that even though you might get tired, or a job gets “boring” you must finish what you start. When they get into the workforce they will be given assignments that must be completed no matter how boring or tiring. And I want them to learn good responsibility and work ethic while they are young.
A simple call to a local television station or bakery or even a fast food restaraunt can result in a very fun and educational experience. Learning about different jobs and how things that they are around every day are made and the work that goes into it can give children a great appreciation for the “extras” in life.
Local festivals and reinactments are full of lots of hands on lessons for the whole family. They will be memories that will last a life time and lessons that they will carry with them for years. I have found no greater way to teach an appreciation of a period of history than to let children experience what life was like at that time. It really helps them to grasp the lessons taught and to feel more connected to the people of that time. They can also see how their environment and society at that time shaped who they are and who they will become.
My family loves science experiments! And I love how they help our children learn about the world around them. This homemade volcano was just a hole in the ground and an empty soda bottle filled half full with baking soda. The children even put the soldiers and the “trees” on the sides to make it more realistic. Then we poured colored vinegar into the top of the bottle and the fun began. It was great! They could see how lava erodes and changes the land that it touches and how powerful a volcano truly is.
Man, I don’t know if you can tell from these pictures but it was HOT the day we were flying kites. But it proved to be a great lesson on wind direction and power, and lift, and even the importance of design. It was a great morning of learning and exploring followed by a cool and refreshing swim in Grandma’s pool!
As you can see even the simplest of activities can be a hands on lesson for the whole family. Whether you are flying kites, visiting the zoo, or baking cookies if you talk and interact while doing these things you can teach countless lessons without your children even knowing that they are really learning about the world around them. Children are spounges and the more information and experiences that you expose them to the more informed they will be when they grow up.
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