Summer Homeschool Projects to Get Your Kids Outdoors

Outside Projects for Homeschoolers

When the days are warmer and longer, the beautiful sunny weather makes homeschool lessons more and more difficult to do indoors. Why sit inside and stare at textbooks when you can teach your kids some lessons in the great outdoors? We've got summer homeschool projects to get your kids outdoors and enjoying the fresh air. Read on for homeschool activities you can do outside with the kids!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Whether you’re teaching homeschool science, math, or life skills, we’ve compiled a list of some homeschool projects to get your kids outside and learning at the same time!

Grow a Kid-Friendly Garden

Gardening with kids is educational and a good mental and physical workout. Not to mention, digging around in the dirt and planting some flowers with your kids is just good old fashion fun! The internet is full of all sorts of different gardening lesson plans, and you can make this homeschool project as simple or complex as you want.

Photo by Nikoline Arns on Unsplash

However, sometimes keeping it simple is the best way to get your kids engaged in a project. Start by building a raised garden bed that is all theirs. If they’re old enough, have them help you put the bed together. This gives them the opportunity to explore their carpentry skills! Next, plant some easy-to-grow vegetable seeds or starts such as beets, potatoes, tomatoes, green onions, beans, and kale.

When the time comes to harvest your plants, you’ll be able to teach your kids a bit about the food industry, and they’ll make the connection that all the vegetables and fruits they eat have to be grown from seed before they make it to their plate!

Education-Based Nature Hike

Hikes are one of the best parts of summer. They get your heart pumping, work up a good sweat and the view at the top of the mountain is always breathtaking. While hiking will definitely fulfill your kids’ PE requirement, it’s also a great time to explore your area’s local climate! Depending on where you live and where you choose to hike, there will be a few different homeschool lessons you can teach. Check out this list of ideas to get started!

Do a Beach Treasure Hunt

As a kid, you probably remember going on a field trip or two to the beach to look for seashells and hermit crabs. The beautiful weather is a great excuse to go do a little hands-on marine biology lesson!

Photo by Manki Kim on Unsplash

Create your own treasure hunt and have your kids explore the area to find everything on the list. Not only will they learn more about your local environment, but they’ll burn off all that energy by running around trying to collect all their items!

Outdoor Art Projects

Your kids love art projects. They’ll love them, even more, when they get to do them outside! There are a variety of different art projects that utilize plant material to create something beautiful. Some tried and true classics include painting rocks, sun prints, and nature sculptures.

Visit Some Local Historical Landmarks

Who says history lessons have to be taught out of a textbook? Take your kids on a trip to some local landmarks to teach them a little bit about your town’s unique history.

Photo by Michał Parzuchowski on Unsplash

Get in touch with your local museum to see what programs they have going on for kids during the summer. Or, take a day trip to your state’s capital or nearby national or state parks.

Tried and True Baking Soda and Vinegar Volcano

Sometimes the classics are hard to beat. Kids love watching stuff explode, but having to clean up the ensuing mess may be a turn-off. Take the mess outside and teach them a little bit about chemical reactions with a baking soda and vinegar volcano. There are hundreds of tutorials on the internet, and this project can be as simple as using a 2L bottle or as complex and crafting a paper mache volcano to go along with the experiment!

Build a Compost Bin

I didn’t realize it at the time, but when we built a compost bin in my 7th-grade science class, I learned so much about building healthy soil and the benefits of compost! Not only will building a compost bin give your kids some experience with woodworking, but they’ll have the first-hand experience of watching kitchen and yard waste turn into a valuable soil additive.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Finish off the lesson by having your kids add your homegrown compost to the garden and observe how the plants respond. Have them predict ahead of time what they think will happen and then help them keep a log of the plant growth and changes.

Bird Watching and Identification

During lunch, take the opportunity to sit outside and do a bit of bird watching! Install a few bird feeders around your yard and you’ll be surprised to see how many of them flock to the seeds. If you can get close enough, you can even make a project out of identifying them. Find a local bird guidebook and have them check off all the different species they find. Or, get out of the house and visit a bird sanctuary.

Take Your Regular Lessons Outdoors

Sometimes getting out and enjoying the outdoors is as easy as taking your regularly scheduled lesson plan outdoors! Establish an outdoor area that your kids can study at without baking in the sun. Consider installing a hardtop gazebo and building a high-quality outdoor table that your kids can comfortably study at.

And when the school day is over, that same gazebo and table can offer your guests a place to hang out on those long summer nights. In the rainy season, you can still use that outdoor space to complete messy projects that you don’t want to do indoors.

What projects are you planning for your kids this upcoming summer? Let us know in the comments below!

Bio: Leigha Staffenhagen is the managing editor of Insteading.com, a homesteading and sustainability site focusing on everything from gardening and raising chickens to tiny homes and off-grid living.

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Tips for Busy Families on the Go

Is your busy family always on the go? You need tips to make life easier!

We keep busy with lots of academic activities, but we also love to hike, swim, and play outdoors. As homeschoolers, we are involved in a special playgroup that enjoys playtime in local parks, roller skating, jump centers, and educational field trips. It seems, like many other busy families, we are always on the go and looking for tips to make life easier and less hectic.

Enjoying learning about different species of fish.

Also, as busy homeschoolers, we search for special activities for physical education and fitness that can be a valuable educational experience. We are always coming up with new ways to learn while having fun. We especially love outdoor activities, but that can lead to cuts, scrapes, and allergies.

Dolphin and Manatee hunting in a kayak with Grandpa on the Manatee River.

When you head out for a hike or to go exploring the Manatee River in a kayak, it is important to always have a first aid kit, extra clothes, water bottles, bug spray, and we take allergy meds and Epipens too! Active families need to function like a team and be ready for just about anything. Now, we can take Puracyn® Plus along too. Puracyn® Plus is the first step in first aid. It helps clean wounds and is less irritating than peroxide or alcohol and more effective than soap and water. I find it amazing that it is safe for the eyes, ears, and mouth too! 

Puracyn® Plus is a convenient alternative to the otherwise messy job of cleansing the wound area, can be applied on the spot and on-the-go, and it won’t cause cell damage the way hydrogen peroxide can. It is the perfect addition to your first aid kits saving you the need for several different products.

We needed our Puracyn® Plus during Spring Break. Mayhem was excited about kayaking with Grandpa on the Manatee River. When she ran to the kayak, her clothes got stuck and toppled over a giant, concrete pelican! Then, when she hopped into the kayak, the tear from the pelican incident caught onto something in the kayak and scraped her leg. The pants are beyond repair, but her leg recovered nicely with a little help from Puracyn® Plus.

Getting some swimming in after a long road trip.

Now through March 27th, enter the Play to Win with #TeamPuracynPlus Giveaway on the Puracyn® Plus Facebook page for the chance to be one of three randomly selected winners to receive a Puracyn® Plus Sports Emergency Kit, including a $50 gift card to a sporting goods store of your choice and Puracyn® Plus product. Join us on Pinterest too.

Enter to win a Puracyn® Plus Sports Emergency Kit.

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“This is a product-provided, sponsored conversation that contains affiliate links. All opinions, text, and experiences are my own.”
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Trip to Sheffield with Family

Visiting Sheffield With Your Kids

Thinking of traveling outside the United States? If you're looking for places to visit in the UK with family, Sheffield is a great option. In Sheffield, there are numerous indoor and outdoor activities for children and families. We've highlighted a few to help you plan your visit to Sheffield.

Kids of all ages are offered a wide range of fun activities and hands-on learning experiences at Sheffield's museums. At places like Kelham Island Museum, families can learn about the city's history via interactive displays. If you head a little out of town, you can also find animals, birds, reptiles, and insects from around the world. Families will enjoy an excursion to Sheffeld.

Cafes offering snacks and sandwiches at city parks and gardens and in most museums are family-friendly. Except for some, not all restaurants and bars in the city are family-friendly. Seen below, children will enjoy a trip to Our Cow Molly, Dairy Desserts.

Many people are choosing Sheffield as an excellent place to raise children and settle down. Many foreigners to the UK also prefer Sheffield to settle down. If this sounds like something you may want to do in the future, you should contact immigration lawyers in Sheffield and get started on the immigration paperwork and application process. The UK is very welcoming to highly skilled professionals and families.

Fun Facts about Sheffield:

• Sandygate Stadium is the world's oldest football ground in Sheffield. Sheffield Hallam FC owns the land.

• Sheffield is said to be the greenest city in Europe because of the numerous parks and greenspaces in the Sheffield.

• Every year, the World Snooker Championships take place at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.

• Sheffield United's stadium located at Bramall Lane was actually a cricket ground.

• Helen Sharman (a Chemist from Sheffield) was the first British astronaut sent into space.

As you can see, Sheffield has a rich history and plenty of green spaces where you can find many activities and places to explore with your kids.

The UK National Video Game Museum is in Sheffield.

The Rivelin River

The Rivelin River is historic and has an excellent pathway to take a walk with your child. You can follow a trail that leads to old mills. There is a water park near the café to have some fun. Herons and other wildlife can be sighted here.

The Botanical Gardens

The Sheffield Botanical Gardens are very well-manicured green parks. The 19-acre Sheffield Botanical Gardens are home to more than 5,000 different species of plants. It's easy to roam around with your children and babies as the paths are made of tarmac, making it easy to operate a pram. Admission to the Botanical gardens is free, and you can also relax at the café once you're tired. The best times to visit are spring and summer when the flowers are in full bloom. 

The Winter Gardens

Winter Gardens is a tropical oasis situated in Sheffield city centre. This Garden is amongst the largest temperate greenhouse in the country and is home to nearly 2,500 plant species. You can enjoy nature while your kids can safely walk the paths around the tropical trees.

Weston Park Museum

Weston Park Museum can teach you about culture and history. Founded in 1875, the main collections in this museum are free, and the displays are spectacular. There is a gallery that displays facts about Ancient Egypt. The Weston Park Museum is also known for being the home to Sheffield's social and natural history and archaeology. 

Some of the notable highlights in this museum are the Bronze Age armor and art. Apart from this, you can also visit exhibits from other more prominent museums in the area. The museum has many guided tours to help your family understand the historical importance. 

Weston Park 

Weston Park is in the vicinity of Weston Park Museum. You can relax while your kid runs around in the park. It is a perfect place to have a post museum picnic.

Tropical Butterfly House Wildlife & Falconry Centre

The Tropical Butterfly House Wildlife & Falconry Centre houses a vast array of free-flying birds of prey, owls, reptiles, parrots, meerkats, farm animals, lemurs, and more. While the name does signify butterflies, you can also see the incredible falconry. Animal lovers can learn about otters (from the keepers), feed farm animals, pet a few lemurs, see the meerkats, and photograph as many butterflies as you want. 

National Emergency Services Museum

Sheffield is home to the National Emergency Service Museum – the largest of its kind in the world. There are more than 50 vintage vehicles – police cars, fire engines, and ambulances with uniforms and gear and equipment for different eras. Families with kids can also avail the kids' fire engine rides (included in the ticket admission). If you're in the mood for a treat, you can also rent some of the vintage vehicles and take a tour of the city.

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Speedway Indiana: Things to do & Activities

Family Friendly Things to do with Kids in Speedway, Indiana

We love Speedway, Indiana. We attended church in Speedway for several years and have attended many events at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. We're sharing our favorite places to go and things to do in Speedway with kids. Enjoy!

Speedway Indiana: Things to do & Activities.

Plan an Indy 500 Race Theme for a Kid's Birthday Party or Special School Activity

Indy 500 Theme Race Party with Cardboard Racecars

The Play Connection, Inc. (my alter ego) did lots of fun preschool activities that are great for a birthday party or for kids' outdoor pe games. Due to the proximity of Indianapolis, an Indy 500 racing theme is always popular in May. Plan Indy 500 kid activities for a fun field day at school, and make your own race cars from cardboard boxes. Enjoy!

This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience.*

Indy 500 Activities for Kids.

Use recycled household items as props- 
including a plastic milk jug for a gas can.

Ideas on how to plan an Indy 500 Race Birthday Party: 

• Purchase inexpensive, large, black buckets to use in a pit stop race game. 
• Recycle a milk jug, paint it black with spray paint or acrylics, and use duct tape or paint to spell out G-A-S.
•  Turn a milk crate upside down to use as a Winner's Circle.
• Hang a race banner (we got ours at the Dollar Tree).
• Make 9 colored race flags for a realistic race experience.

Trick out your cardboard car with paper plate wheels or 
fancy, cardboard fan wheels.

Wondering 'what do the flags mean or stand for in the Indy 500 race'?  

• Green means go! Of course, you already knew that! Just like shouting "Green Light", the green flag is waved to signal the start of the race. It is also used to for restarts after a caution flag.
• Yellow flag signals caution for a hazard. It could be an accident, debris, rain, maybe a silly goose got loose on the track. The pace car hops on the track to lead the other cars in safety. When we play Red Light, Green Light, we use yellow to signal walk very slowly.
• Red flag STOP! Do not pass go, do not collect $100 dollars. A red light means freeze in your tracks. It is for accident or rain conditions.  Head straight to the pits or stay parked. No repairs, tire changes, or gassing up allowed. In other words, no fair cheating!
• Red flag with a yellow "X" means the pits are closed to all vehicles.
• Black flag means a penalty to a car on the track. Don't break the rules! It's also used for mechanical failures.
• Black flag with a white "X" black-flag penalty.  Your car isn't keeping score anymore.
• Blue flag or blue flag with yellow diagonal stripe Get out of the way, slow poke, a faster driver is about to pass. We use a blue light in our game to signal to turn around and walk backward toward the finish line.
• White flag the end is near! It's the FINAL lap.
• Checkered flag  Hooray! We have a winner. This flag means the race is over.

For our race car game of Red Light, Green Light, we purchased dowel rods and squares of fabric from Joann's Fabrics. To attach, rub glue on the dowel, wrap one end of fabric around the dowel, and staple as close to the stick as possible.

Lay out aluminum foil, tissue paper, paper plates, and colored duct tape.  
Let the kids' diy imagination run wild.

On your mark, get set, go! Mark off a track with chalk, tape, or use cornstarch paint in the grass. Get your flags ready to wave. Have parents or helpers use a stopwatch to track each child's time. No need to compete against others. Race around several times for your best lap. Now the fun begins!

On your mark, get set, let the games begin!

How to Play Pretend Pit Stop

Get parents and teachers involved with the fun. Before the game begins, designate a pit crew for each "driver". 

During a caution flag, have everyone pull into the pits. One member of the crew must run around the car 4 times checking pretending to check tires. 

Another crew member will take the pre-filled milk "Gas" jug (water) and pour it into the black bucket. 

Then, the crew members must use a funnel to re-fill the jug. Have the driver time the crew for even more giggles. When all the water is gone, the drivers can take off again.

Measure the water in the jugs to see which pit crew wins a prize. Just pour it back into the buckets, and see which one retained the most water (gas).

A game of Red Light, Green Light is fun around the track too.


Recommended Reading:

Things to do in Indiana: Indy 500 Race Activities for Kids

Eat My Dust! Henry Ford's First Race* 

Hot Air Balloon Glow at the Indy 500

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Meet our Mommy Bloggers

Welcome to Kid's Creative Chaos, a resource for Classroom curriculum, Mommy ideas, and Fun activities. We post crafts, activities, recipes, and our musings on life. We post the mishaps, the fails, and the messes. No Fancy Nancy here. Think of it as a Test Kitchen for Kiddie Crafts, Home Chefs, and Mommy Chaos. We want our readers to say, 'Hey, I can do that!' or 'That looks fun!' or  'Do you have any advice?'
If you are an aspiring writer or a novelist chat with us here or on Facebook or Blog Frog or join our group Historical Fiction Books to interact with fellow writers.

Meet our Mommy Bloggers:

Lora Langston, Marketing Director at The Play Connection, Inc. and Owner of Kids Creative Chaos blog.

Contact info: lora@theplayconnection.com

In the real world, Lora teaches art, sensory play, and drama classes to kids age 18 months to 18 years old at area parks, schools, and special events. The kids present programs to retirement villages and schools. She also writes YA Fiction. And, of course, Lora loves to CREATE.   Lora is now a full-time freelance blogger and social media marketing manager! A lot can happen in a year :)

In another life, Lora studied Architecture and Theatre at Ball State University where she also did the (Tri Sigma) sorority thing. Currently, she is a SAHM with two elementary age children, one  two indoor cat (s), one cockatiel, one box turtle, a tank load of two fish, and two inherited outdoor cats. 

Our Turtle got blessed at Church.

Recently, her family purchased a new home (she plans to name it Redbud Ranch) taken right out of the movie "Funny Farm" with Chevy Chase. Here, she will write from the window overlooking a Dogwood Tree, a row of Redbuds (her favorite tree), and a little pond full of fish while daydreaming of becoming an Andy Farmer-style, Martha Stewart. (Too young for the reference? Go watch the movie!) She also recommends the movie, "Stranger than Fiction", but only if you are a writing geek.

Angela Whitmire write recipes and Angie's Corner. She blogs about the active life of her outdoor and recreation loving family.

In the real world, Angie has two elementary age children, a couple of indoor cats, and keeps bunnies outdoors for 4H.

Tracey Thomas writes Tracey's Tempo. She blogs about her life with a large, blended-family, her passion for helping those in need through Santa's Elves of Indy, and fun activities for kids. Tracey has four children of her own and two step children.

In the real world, Tracey heads up Santa's Elves (a non-profit providing Christmas gifts to children in need), holds a Realtor's license, is an experienced photographer, and taxis her brood to sports and club activities.  http://www.santaselves.us/ In a past life, she headed up a Girl Scout Troop and ran an in-home Child-care. Tracey spends her spare time daydreaming of finding the time and resources for everything she needs to accomplish.

Life is crazy! Need some ideas to relax?  Grab a cup of coffee (okay, a soda) and stay awhile. We are always surfing for new crafty ideas that make life fun. And we love comments!  We'll check out your blog so be sure to leave a linky. Don't miss our updates be sure to subscribe to our posts on the right sidebar.


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