Susan's Homeschool Blog

Here is a fun list of 24 spring activities for homeschoolers, including a free PDF, in case you want to check them off as you do them with your kids!

1. Take homeschooling outside: sit on a blanket and read your history lesson or a great work of literature on a blanket in the backyard. Grab a picnic and take it to your tree house or fort, and read your lesson up there.
2. Skip forward in your science book to a chapter on plants, insects, or other outdoor topic.
3. Do a short unit study on butterflies. Watch caterpillars turn into butterflies, and do drawings of butterflies with the correct markings.
4. Create a beautiful nature journal. (See Using Journals to Teach Writing downloadable DVD workshop on my website for complete details.)
5. Gardening. Plant a flower garden, vegetable garden, or herb garden. Make your backyard into an oasis. Have older children map out a landscape plan of where each plant should go. Research shade vs. sun plants. Look through gardening books for inspiration.
6. Plan a tea party. It can be as simple as a pot of chamomile tea and imaginary food. Or go all out and invite people, dress up with fancy hats and boas, and make lots of tasty finger foods. Put fresh flowers on the tables.
7. Visit a botanical garden. Look for signs of spring. Capture the wonder of spring on video or photography. (Watch The Wonder of Spring on my YouTube channel for fun ideas on how to do this.)
8. Go fishing on a nearby lake. Your child can spend one-on-one time with Dad.
9. Fly a kite. Make sure it’s a windy day. You can make your own or buy one.
10. Climb trees. Ones with branches close to the ground are easier to climb, especially if there are branches spiraling out like a ladder. Oak trees are the best climbing trees.
11. Bird watching. Put out bird houses and bird feeders. Find a bird enthusiast and ask him where the nearby bird sanctuaries are. Take binoculars and a field guide. Study bird calls.
12. Feed the ducks on a nearby river or lake. Get really close to the birds and notice their markings. Read Make Way for Ducklings and other books about ducks.
13. Hatch an egg. You can buy a $20 incubator, and borrow 3 eggs from a nearby farmer. Rotate the eggs twice a day, and watch a chick hatch out of an egg. Then give the chick back to the farmer.
14. Make a nature centerpiece for your table. Go on a nature hike, collecting items from nature. Come home and arrange them in a beautiful way on your table.
15. Blow bubbles. You can make huge bubbles if you use glycerin. There are many activities you can do with bubbles, which I mention in my “Bubbles unit Study” article on my website. I also have the best bubble recipe in that article.
16. Nature Hunt for Colors. Cut off the top part of an egg carton, and have a young child paint each hole a different color from nature. Then go on a nature walk, and have your young child find nature items to match each color.
17. Explore local parks. Look on a map, and you will find lots of parks in your area. Go explore them all and choose a favorite.
18. Outdoor painting on an easel. Younger kids can use tempera paint. Older kids can paint with oil paints on canvas, or with watercolors on watercolor paper.
19. Study frogs. Watch a tadpole turn into a frog. Do frog crafts, read books on frogs, and watch DVD’s about frogs. (Unit Studies are great!)
20. Write some original spring poetry. For inspiration, read classic poetry like Wordsworth’s “I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud,” which talks about golden daffodils in the spring. Listen to Vivaldi’s Four Seasons: Spring to get into the mood of the season.
21. Make a spring lapbook, especially if you have young children. I show you how to do that on my website, in the article on “Lapbooks.”
22. Start an insect collection, either of live insects in terrariums and jars, or dead insects in a traditional insect collection. Observe insects with a magnifying glass.
23. Grow indoor grass, herbs, or terrariums. If you choose carnivorous plants like Venus Flytraps, make sure there is humidity, which requires a lid on the jar or a terrarium cover.
24. Do a spring treasure hunt. List 10 things for your children to find in your backyard. For example, find a lady bug, dig up a worm, find ants under a rock.

If you would like to print out this list, here is the PDF:
Spring Activities for Homeschoolers