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Field Trips: Fun & Refreshing Outdoor Activities for Homeschoolers of All Ages
By Mimi Rothschild
Many home-school parents are often at a wit's end trying to think of new and different ways to enrich their children with physical education. Why not look for a great way to spend time outdoors with your home-schooled child? All children, home-schooled or not, can benefit from daily exercise. Get away from the routine of jumping jacks and jogging and try a few of these fun and fresh activities.
Grab a pair of skates! Rollerblades, bikes, skateboards, scooters and even old fashioned four-wheeled skates can be a fun way to enjoy the outdoors with your home-schooler. Prepare yourself and your home-schooled child with the correct body padding and special lights needed for bikes. For an added adventure, try skating or biking at night under the stars. A family home-school outing like this will not only provide needed exercise, but can also become a family tradition. Take water bottles with you. Plan out a specific road to take or be adventurous and choose your direction as you go. Home-school children can also benefit by stopping on your journey to learn about architecture you've passed, or the types of flowers and bugs. Have fun while enjoying the great outdoors!
If you don't want to travel far from home but just want to get some fresh air, then step outside with treats saved for your home-schooler's special outdoor time. Chalk, jump ropes, jacks, marbles, and other items can come in handy. Use chalk to color in shadows and watch the shadow move, courtesy of the sun! If possible, go on a rock hunt or collect bugs and write a report as part of your home-school curriculum. If you just want your home-school group to step outside for some fresh air, consider sitting under a tree with a pile of good books. Soon you'll find this a daily ritual, with blankets and possibly a picnic lunch!
Gardening with your home-schooler will not only be fun, but it will also provide a delicious lunch one day. Teaching your child how to use the proper gardening tools, how to choose the appropriate seeds, and how to plant are all considered life skills: useful to all home-schoolers. On a really hot day, try making your own ice cream sundaes outdoors with your home-schooler. Provide all the supplies: from a few flavors of ice cream, to syrups, nuts, cherries and anything else your home-schooler would like to add. On a rainy day, grab your umbrellas and take a stroll. Home-schooling does not mean a boring and stuffy classroom desk. Teach your home-school child about the outdoors and have fun! ________________________________________________________________
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling mother, writer, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of home education company Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of 28 years reside with their 8 children right outside Philadelphia, PA. Rothschild launched Learning By Grace, Inc. because she believed that our nation's public school system has failed parents and students. Learning By Grace, Inc. offers online education through a multimedia-rich curriculum to PreK-12 children across the country and throughout the world. An accomplished author, Rothschild has written books regarding education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Homeschooling News Café Blog consists of the most current and relevant education news.Electronic reproduction of this article is permitted if content is published unchanged, appropriate credit is given, and the article title links to corresponding article webpage.
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