Planning for a Fun School Year: Three Ways to Fit Fun Into Your Home {School}

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Welcome back to our guest post series! I am having so much fun reading the articles our guest post bloggers have been sending in.

This week, I’d like to introduce you to Jen, who blogs over at the Happy Little Homemaker. Jen has one of those blogs that covers all sorts of different topics, so there is something for everyone. She’s got posts about health, parenting, marriage, Catholicism, and more!

My favorite series of hers is one she did last year on 5 days of schooling on the road. I love how creative she is with her teaching, even she is working out of a car. Her home seems to be such a fun place to learn, which makes today’s post even more fitting.

So- here it is: How to plan for a FUN school year!

-Heather

How to FUN school in your homeschool

So I have younger kids and if school gets too boring for two long, they start to revolt.  Really, though, who doesn’t?  Even my husband & I revolt if it has been longer than a year without traveling somewhere.  I think it’s human nature :).

Anyway, while these are tips I use to plan for “fun school” for my smaller kids, they are absolutely adaptable for older kids.

1.  Holidays & Special Days

First of all, I think about holidays.  I start with easy ones, like Valentine’s, Halloween or St. Patrick’s Day.  As the children get older, you could progress to other fun (but educational) days like the anniversary of the first manned flight by the Wright brothers or when we walked on the moon.

You can find samples here:

Day in History Calendars
Science Calendars
Odd Holidays
K-6 Daily Themed Learning Topics

I usually pick one of these every 6 weeks or so and try to change them up each year.  Others, like Talk Like A Pirate Day, are well-loved and have become an annual tradition.  Your theme can be as simple as a single project, a whole day, or even a whole week of study for some (like Pirates!).

2. Themed Read Alouds

We are a family of voracious readers and even though my oldest is a proficient reader, we all still love read aloud books. & stories.  Because I have preschoolers, I have common picture book subjects loosely assigned for each month.

I pick out books on 2-3 subjects each month from the library to read-aloud.  If you have older readers, have them participate by reading to younger siblings or have them read a non-fiction or higher level book.

You can see my monthly themed Tot-PreK-Kindergarten planning list here.  For a more varied selection, plus ideas for all ages, check out the Poppins Book Nook where over 50 bloggers link up books & projects based on a monthly theme.

3.  Unit Studies

If its a book or topic my children really enjoy, we may turn it into a unit study.  Pinterest is my favorite place for unit study projects & materials.   A unit study can be as complicated or as easy as you wish.   Pinterest is a great source for ideas.  I look for things like:

– music
– books
– crafts
– printables/worksheets
– art projects
– food
– toys
– dress-up/role play

You can also extend existing material with more fun projects.  It works well for literature/books, science & history.

These are the 3 quickest and easiest ways that I use to work some fun into our homeschooling.  I find that if I  don’t plan enough fun stuff, they get antsy & bored.  Not all learning has to be boring :).

How do you work fun into your homeschool year?

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