Homeschool Theme Days: Teddy Bear Picnic

May 15, 2017Tracy

Sometimes, the weather doesn’t always cooperate with our homeschool theme days. If your spring picnic gets rained out, indoor picnics can be just as much fun. There are lots of possibilities for theme ideas. Recently, I had a dear friend in church, a retired teacher, suggest a homeschool theme day “Teddy Bear picnic” with my kids. She and my kids put it together, and I got a lunch date with my hubby! (I am so blessed!!) My daughter was in charge of decorating. My youngest gathered teddy bear guests. My oldest prepared a report with facts about bears. I helped gather our bear-themed books, and my friend brought a teddy bear craft. My kids had so much fun, they were bummed when I came back home! Lol! So here are a few ideas for your own teddy bear picnic.

Homeschool Theme Days: Teddy Bear picnic

Decorate with a blanket, teddy bears, and some homemade bear prints. My daughter drew her own bear prints, cut them out, and created a trail of bear prints to our picnic. We kept it simple, but the kids had so much fun taking this on themselves, gathering teddy bears and donating blankets to the cause.

Gather bear books and activities. Winnie the Pooh, The Ice Cream Bear, Going on a Bear Hunt, Paddington—there are so many fun bear classics that could make the list. We didn’t get to all of them and will probably soon have a Winnie the Pooh picnic at our favorite nature spot as soon as the weather cooperates. My friend brought a very cute teddy bear craft and found a fun teddy bear picnic song on Youtube.

Include older kids with bear facts. My oldest is a writer and took this project very seriously, searching our home library for a variety of bear resources. He chose to write and read his two page report, but there are plenty of other ideas as well. Have your older child make a display board, write their own teddy bear story, or present bear encounter “survival tips.”

I love adding these fun spontaneous days to our learning, but the key is always to keep it simple and flexible. Pick your favorite book (or books), spread a blanket, and have some fun!

Want more homeschool theme day ideas? Check out these posts:

Star Wars ideas for every subject

Spring and Nature activity ideas

St. Patrick’s Day ideas

Dr. Seuss theme ideas

Homeschool Theme Days: Star Wars themes for every subject

May 4, 2017Tracy

What could be more fun than a Star Wars homeschool theme day! We are nearing the end of our school year, but as press toward the finish line, we need a little added fun to our days. So let your kids dress up as their favorite Star Wars character and add a little force to your homeschool theme day with some of these fun Star Wars activities for each subject.

Homeschool Theme Days: ideas for spring and nature activities

April 6, 2017Tracy

This time of year, I get about as antsy as the kids. The sun is out, everything is in bloom, and I want to be part of all that nature. The bookwork and crafts that have occupied us all year through the rainy season no longer hold their appeal. It’s time to bring school outside and to bring the outside indoors. It’s time for a homeschool theme day for spring!

Ideas for Spring and Nature Activities:

Create Nature Art. And I mean create WITH the nature. Start with a nature walk and allow the kids to pick their art tools and supplies from their nature finds. Create earth art outside with rocks, sticks, and leaves. Let them create their own little fairy or gnome village. Then take your art inside and create some more—paint with nature, paint on nature, or create a collage of their treasures. The possibilities for spring and nature activities are endless.

Homeschool Theme Days: St. Patrick’s Day

March 13, 2017Tracy

I’m only slightly Irish, but I do love celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. I think it’s the food. I love me some corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes. And my kids love any excuse for a party, which is why I’m embracing some homeschool theme days to create some fun learning memories and create an inspiring learning environment. Need some ideas to add a little gold and rainbows to your homeschool routine?

Homeschool Theme Days:

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

Idea #1: Read together. St. Patrick’s Day provides some great reading opportunities: read about Ireland, leprechaun legends, or about St. Patrick himself.

Homeschool Theme Days: Celebrating Dr. Seuss

February 27, 2017Tracy2 Comments

My kids love a party, and it doesn’t take much to qualify as a party. Wacky Hair Day, Mismatched Socks Day—just add “Day” to the end of anything and it’s a self-made party. I’m not always in the mood to plan a party, but I know this can be a huge mood-changer for our homeschool. And I keep telling myself, it really doesn’t take much to get them excited. I still hear about our Dr. Seuss Celebration I threw together five years ago (the morning of, no prep, and super pregnant). I haven’t celebrated Dr. Seuss since, but I’m thinking it’s time to revisit some of these fun memory-makers. So as part of my planning, I’ll be blogging periodically about some Homeschool Theme Day ideas that I’m collecting on Pinterest.

Homeschool Theme Days:

Celebrating Dr. Seuss’s Birthday (March 2)

Idea #1: Read together! There are so many fun Dr. Seuss titles. Pick your favorites, and let them pick their favorites. If you have older kids, have them pick a story to read to a younger sibling or complete a fun Dr. Seuss reading challenge with your assigned reading for the day.