Fall is a perfect time to introduce a variety of different activities to your home school curriculum. The change of seasons can be very exciting and for children the learning opportunities are limitless. The fall season introduces a change in weather, harvest time and an array of celebratory days that any child will enjoy learning about. Integrating seasonal aspects into your home schooling will provide for a refreshing learning experience.
The autumn season is characterized by the change in weather to shorter days and cooler temperatures. This is an excellent time to teach children about the change of seasons and the earth’s movement and the solar system in general. You can purchase or create your own charts which show the movement of the earth in relation to the sun. As the earth rotates certain parts of the world receive more direct sunlight than others which explains the seasons. Homeschooling allows for flexibility so you can show your children the change in the sun’s intensity at sunset by making it a daily fall activity. Taking pictures of a particular spot and the change of the sun’s brightness is an interesting interactive way to engage your children in the fall season.
One of the best aspects of fall is the harvest season. The harvest season marks the period when the fruits of planted crops are collected from farmland. This would be the perfect time to take your homeschooled children on a field trip to a local farm. In most areas you can visit a farm during harvest time and get a complete tour. Most of the tours even offer the hayrides which your children are sure to enjoy. At a farm you will learn about the process of planting crops and then collecting them when the perfect time comes. If you are lucky you may even be able to see harvesting in action! Some farms even allow children to pick their own little pumpkins and corn to take home with them. Another great harvest time activity is taking your kids to the grocery store. The produce section is a perfect example of the fruits that the harvest can produce. Show your children the different varieties of apples, pears, squash and other foods that are specifically related to the fall harvest season.
There are a number of celebratory days throughout the fall season. Fall ushers in many religious holidays from the Jewish holidays of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur to the Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr which marks the end of the fasting period of Ramadan. This is a perfect time expand on your religious teachings if this is a focus of your home schooling. In addition, there are a number of patriotic days such as Columbus, Veterans and Election days. You can use these days as a chance to inform your children of the importance of patriotism and introduce them to government processes such as voting. If you enjoy Halloween in your household you can make it a fun event by learning about the roots of the All Hallows Eve day and creating your own costumes.
Use your creativity to create a variety of fall activities that your home schooled children are sure to enjoy.
