I don’t know about you, but I get stir crazy if I stay at home too long. Kids are no different.
If you homeschool your kids, it might be time to find some creative places to combine field trips and lessons, instead of sitting at the kitchen table every day.
Your kids will appreciate it (and you probably will too)!
Here’s a list of some pretty cool places we love to homeschool, and some we look forward to trying!
1. In a Fort
What kid doesn’t love building a fort? Some of my son’s most focused time is when he sits in his self-made fort with his handwriting book and works on practicing his letters. 9IUoom Fort Building Kit for Kids makes an awesome fort building kit, or just use chairs, blankets and pillows!
Plus, it teaches engineering skills, focuses on creativity and imagination, and helps kids work through frustration. It can also be a great form of exercise!
2. At a Park
There is so much to learn at the park. You can talk about leaves and why they change colors, identify different trees and plants, walk a creek bed and learn about fish and rocks, and so much more.
Not all learning takes place out of a school book, but you can absolutely take your books to the park for a change of scenery!
3. At the Library
This one may be obvious, but if you aren’t taking advantage of the library, you should!
For homeschooling students, there is an endless supply of books to supplement learning.
Not only are there so many amazing books to learn from, but our library has logic games for kids to play, puzzles, reading programs, story circles, documentaries and so much more.
We love to rabbit trail when we are learning, so if my son brings up a topic he wants to learn more about, we add it to our list and search for library books on the topic.
The library is a great place to develop a love of reading and learning.
4. At a Historical Site
Homeschooling is all about catering teaching to how your children learn best. One of the best ways to make history come alive is to travel to a historical site you are teaching about.
It feels like an adventure, and kids are much more likely to remember a history lesson if they see it in person.
Here are some favorites that are on our list to visit:
- The Alamo
- Alcatraz
- Pearl Harbor
- The White House
- Mount Rushmore
- Statue of Liberty
- Paul Revere’s House
- Lincoln Memorial
- Arlington National Cemetery
- Plymouth Rock
- Liberty Bell
- Gettysburg Battlefield
5. At a Farm
A farm is an excellent place for kids to see different types of animals, how to care for them, and what they eat.
Farms are typically hands-on which really aids in learning, for younger kids especially. They can feed the animals and sometimes even ride them.
And farms are not limited to farm animals. There are also farms for fish, pumpkins, Christmas trees, flowers, plants, and more!
So if your kids are bored seeing cows and pigs, consider a different kind of farm!
6. At a Museum
There are so many museums to learn from! Airplanes, trains, cars, marbles, LEGO, science, space, math, history, art, baseball – you name it!
We recently visited a train museum and it held my son’s attention for hours!
If you can think of it, there’s probably a museum for it!
7. At a Homeschooling Co-op
This one may seem obvious, but homeschooling co-ops are an excellent way to break up the monotony of being home and to interact with other kids.
Co-ops are groups of homeschool parents and kids who meet to have classes and learn together.
This is a great option if you are teaching a subject that you don’t enjoy or isn’t your strong suit.
Maybe you love teaching Language Arts but cringe when you try to teach the math lesson. Trade lessons with another homeschool parent!
Keep in mind that co-ops usually require participation, so you may need to be involved in administrative work, teaching, or snack duty in order to have your child attend the co-op.
It’s a great way to have some interaction with other kids. Check out Facebook groups in your area to see which co-op might be best for your children.
8. At the Zoo
Kids love going to the zoo! Ditch your lesson book for the day and take off to the zoo.
Going to the zoo is a great form of exercise, teaches kids the true size of animals, and there are plenty of interactive things kids can do.
The last time we went to the zoo, my son got to stick his head in the mouth of an alligator statue, swing from ropes near the monkeys, and feed the giraffes.
9. At an Aquarium
We love saving the aquarium for the winter since it gets cold in Ohio and we are limited to outdoor activity.
The aquarium is so hands-on too!
There are stingray exhibits, fish feeding, starfish holding and more!
The aquarium is an excellent substitute for a science lesson, plus it’s a lot more fun than reading a book!
10. At a Planetarium
This one may be one of my favorite winter activities. In a kid’s mind, a planetarium just feels like you’re at the movie theater!
Planetariums teach all about stars, planets, and anything to do with outer space.
Some planetariums even offer interactive exhibits such as telescopes and hands-on solar systems to make it even more memorable.
Once you go to the planetarium, it makes learning about outer space so much fun because kids can picture it for themselves.
11. At the Beach
This one is equally fun for the parents and children. There’s so much to learn at the beach!
We even write math problems in the sand.
Learn about tides, collect seashells and count them, learn how to build a sandcastle, learn how to swim – there really are so many things to learn at the beach.
Plus, it’s WAYYYY more fun than sitting at home!
12. In the Car
This one saves us so much time!
While driving, point out signs for your kids to read to you.
Have them help you navigate to your location using a map.
Sing phonics songs.
Take a writing tablet in the car and ask your children to write their spelling words for the week. Orsen LCD Writing Tablet is the one we love.
Seriously – such a time-saver.
13. At a Coffee Shop
This is a great idea for parents of older kids. Most homeschooled teens would much rather sit in Starbucks than at home.
But even the younger kids can enjoy some hot chocolate and a cake pop!
Free WiFi, yummy coffee, and lots of treats. Sign me up!
14. At the Grocery Store
Homeschooling allows parents to spend time focusing on building life skills.
Grocery stores offer so many opportunities to learn. Writing the store list, reading the store list, finding the items in the store, sticking to a budget, lots of math opportunities, and so much more.
By the way, if you feel your kids could benefit from learning life skills, you’ve got to check out Life Skills Activity Book. There are so many life skills kids can learn from it. Here’s an article I wrote about all the reasons it’s amazing!
15. In a Huge Bean Bag
Ok, hear me out. Kids need time to bounce around and they love to change up their environment.
We have a huge bean bag in my son’s room. (Big Joe Fuf XL Foam Beanbag Chair is the one we have.) He loves to do schoolwork on it because it’s so much more fun than a regular chair!
Hey, whatever keeps him focused is fine with me!
16. In a Tree House
There’s a playground near where we live that is basically a giant treehouse. (seen in the background in the picture above)
On a nice day, we take our school books there and do lessons in between playing!
17. On a Jungle Gym
I mean, what kid doesn’t love to climb? Sometimes, we will take our books to a Jungle Gym and read at the very top.
It’s a fun place to learn, and by breaking up classes, you can keep your kid’s wiggles during lessons to a minimum.
18. At the Playground
The playground makes for a fun, easy homeschool day. Lots of kids to play with, fresh air, and lots to do.
Writing lesson, then swing.
Math lesson, then merry-go-round.
Language art lesson, then slide.
You get the idea.
19. At a Factory
This is a favorite for my son. He loves watching how things are made and built. Especially the chocolate factory, of course.
There are so many factories that allow tours for students.
Some favorites among kids include:
- Hershey’s Chocolate World
- Louisville Slugger Museum and Factory
- American Whistle Corporation
- Toyota Plant Tour
- Crayola Experience
- Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream Factory
- Vermont Teddy Bear Factory
Not only can factories teach life skills, but also history, art, and science depending on which type of factory you choose.
20. At a National Park
National parks can be a great resource for science, history, and physical education classes.
Some offer scavenger hunts, history lessons about wars, hands-on activities such as learning about plants and rocks, and lesson plans directly from the national park website.
In the US, there are so many different national parks to choose from.
Here are some popular choices:
- Yosemite National Park
- Yellowstone National Park
- Hot Springs National Park
- Gateway Arch National Park
- Redwood National Park
- Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
- Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park
- Dinosaur Valley State Park
Conclusion
Here’s my point: learning is everywhere! Just because you don’t have your school books with you, doesn’t mean you can’t throw in an impromptu learning opportunity.
Fresh air and incorporating fun and exercise is a great way to keep kids focused and enjoying learning.
A lot of research has been done on the benefits of being outdoors, so we might as well incorporate learning while we’re at it!
Plus, homeschool parents can struggle with burnout (read some ideas on how to avoid homeschool burnout), and changing up your routine by homeschooling in different places can definitely help keep things interesting!
What about you? Where are some of your favorite places to homeschool besides at home? I’d love to keep the list going, so feel free to add your favorites in the comments below!
