Making the Most of Autumn for Homeschool Learning
A couple of days ago it was beautiful outside! Sunny, high of 76. I had things I really needed to do inside, but the “call of the wild” was too much! The next day was slated for a high of 44 and snow. I made up excuses like “I really should take down the pool” and “I need to put the gardens to bed for the winter” but the reality was I yearned to bask in short-sleeved sunshine just one more time. My boss (being the best boss in the world) called it Fall Fever and told me to take the afternoon off.
Perhaps you can relate! Perhaps it has been hard to homeschool inside on these Indian summer days. Well, isn’t that the beauty of homeschool – who says you have to be inside??!! Here are some ways to make Fall Fever work for your homeschool.
Language Arts. Fall is inspirational! Take the kids outside with clipboards. Have them look, listen, and smell then write as many descriptive words as they can for what they are sensing. This activity is a great vocabulary builder, introduction to adjectives and a super springboard for writing poetry. Keep a family fall journal, daily noting the changes taking place and the activities during the season. For a creative narrative, have kids choose an animal and write about what is happening from that animal’s perspective.
Science. Autumn is a perfect time to delve into photosynthesis, chemistry, meteorology, and biology. Find out why it is getting colder, why the leaves change and how a rest cycle helps the trees. Explore what animals do in preparation for winter. Which mammals go dormant? Which amphibians hibernate? Which insects die? Record and graph the weather each day.
Math. It’s time for fractions and percentages! Help younger children view the changing trees in terms of fractions. For example if there are 7 trees on one side of the road or street, help them recognize 3 are yellow and teach them how to show that in a fraction – 3/7. For older kids, help them make percentages based on how many houses are decorated for fall. They can also determine the ratio of pumpkins per house. Have them show it as a ratio, a fraction, and a percentage. And kids of all ages will be happy to know when the yard is more than half raked!!
Physical Activity. Speaking of raking, fall is a good time to get in some physical activity. Besides raking or preparing the yard and garden for winter, fall is a good time to ride bikes and go for hikes. It is always worth the effort to make time for backyard sports like kickball, dodgeball, hide and seek or touch football.
Art. So many artistic ideas for this time of year – where to begin??!! There are leaf shadings with crayons and gathering leaves to laminate into placemats for simple ideas. The more ambitious artists can draw or paint the changing landscapes. Let the kids really ramp up their creativity by creating creatures from natural items like acorns, seed pods, and rocks.
Reading. There are fall-themed stories, books, and poems GALORE!! A trip to your library will keep you well stocked for the season. And nothing makes autumn literature come alive like reading outside! If the weather is not cooperative, fire up the hot chocolate and make fall reading a cozy event.
Food! The kitchen is a good place to spend time together when the weather starts to get colder. Kids are great helpers when it comes to cooking and baking. Why not take time to make homemade bread together? That rising dough is like magic to kids! Visit a farmer’s market together. Talk together as you prepare the fresh veggies about how much better it is for you and for the environment to eat local produce.
Service. With everyone getting ready for winter there will no doubt be neighbors who could use a hand raking or doing other jobs around their homes. Help your children be on the lookout for someone they can help. Give them a taste of the satisfaction that comes from helping others.
So no matter what you choose to do, make the most of this season!
Happy Fall!
Copyright © 2013 J. Hoffman / GSN
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Email: JHoffman@GlobalStudentNetwork.com