When you are a home schooling parent, finding ways to make your kids’ learning experience fun, diverse and educational can be pretty tricky. From choosing a curriculum to scheduling out your day, holding down the learning fort at home is a lot, and it’s so important to keep things from getting stale, so your kids stay engaged with the material. If you can keep things fresh with projects that will ignite your child’s passion for learning, you’re already halfway there.
That’s why we’ve rounded up our favorite home-school activities to make your life a little easier. These projects and ideas will help you make every day unique, educational and entertaining for both you and your kids — because we know those same-old worksheets can be a drag after a while.
Originally posted August 2016. Updated July 2017.
Grow your own crystals
Science meets glam in this crazy-fun crystal-growing experiment. Wow your kids by teaching them how to grow their very own cup of crystals with just a few simple steps and ingredients. The results are so quick and beautiful your kids will never believe they made the crystals with their own two hands.
Hold a scavenger hunt
What kid doesn’t love a scavenger hunt? Not only is it an excuse to get outside, but it gives them the chance to take on a fun hands-on challenge while learning something valuable in the process.
You can customize your hunt according to age group and surroundings and can include educational questions for each item on the list. Try, for instance, putting common backyard items on the list and asking questions like “What do flowers produce?” and “How do rocks form?”
Your kids will love being put up to the challenge, and they might even get in touch with their inner scientist at the same time.
Check out our exclusive scavenger hunt printable and more scavenger hunt question ideas here.
Make an exploding rainbow
Your kids will be endlessly entertained with this fun exploding rainbow experiment. All you need is baking soda, vinegar and food coloring, and you’ll have this entertaining and colorful science experiment up and running in no time.
Build a LEGO empire
This all-time classic toy can be a great learning tool. After all, kids learn best when they are learning about something that interests them. Using LEGOs, kids can learn about a number of different skills and subjects with hands-on creative fun.
Check out these awesome LEGO activities, which will help you incorporate subjects like math, science, history, reading and writing into your kid’s next LEGO-building session.
Start a vegetable garden
Get your kids’ green thumbs showing while teaching them something cool and educational in the process. Creating a garden with your kids will give them the chance to do something hands-on and actually see results. While you’re getting down and dirty, turn the activity into a science lesson by teaching them about photosynthesis, growth and development and plant-animal relationships.
Get crafty
Even if you’re totally not the glitter type, doing artistic projects with your kids can be fun and educational for the both of you. Don’t know where to start? Check out Pinterest for some artistic inspiration. There is never a shortage of crafty moms pins, and their step-by-step craft ideas will keep you covered.
For starters, check out this awesome dancing raisin experiment, these play dough bug fossils and a bunch of amazing solar system projects. Your kids will have so much fun getting in touch with their creative side they won’t even realize how much they’re actually learning in the meantime.
Merge science with magic
Are your kids obsessed with magic tricks? Then they’ll love showing off their disappearing act with this awesome dissolving ink DIY. This activity will teach your kids how to miraculously make permanent ink dissolve with a homemade solvent. They’ll be so mesmerized with their magic skills they’ll forget they’re being scientists in the process.
Build a rocket
Have any mini engineers in the making? This rocket-making experiment will teach your kids about physics concepts like pressure, gravity and acceleration, and they’ll have so much fun pretending to be little astronauts in the process.
Go camping
Seriously, there’s no better place to learn than the great outdoors. Camping will give your kids the chance to interact with nature, listen to surrounding wildlife and learn about various ecosystems, constellations and outdoor survival techniques. Have your kids record what they observe in nature journals and identify rocks and plants, and end the day by identifying stars with this cool star chart from NASA. Your entire family is bound to make some amazing memories and learn something in the process.
Get down and dirty
Get your kids out of the house and into the dirt with this fun outdoor worm-watching experiment. Have them use a flashlight to see how the worm reacts to light and darkness, graphing the results of its reaction on either side of its body.
Be mad scientists in your own kitchen
Make science fun by heading to the most fun laboratory of all — your kitchen. Check out these amazingly easy and fun experiments that you can do right in your home. With a few supplies and some creativity, you’ll have your kid feeling like a mad scientist right at your own kitchen counter.
Head to the museum
Nothing makes learning more fun than a quick field trip. Check out one of your local art, science or history museums for a learning-packed day out. Your kids will love getting out of the house, and they are bound to learn some amazing things in the process.
Go green
Help your kids learn about protecting and appreciating their environment with one of these fun environmental activities. These projects will teach your kids about the atmosphere, climate change and the greenhouse effect while also getting them outdoors and having tons of fun.
Build a hovercraft
Your kids will be in awe after doing this futuristic science project. Making this educational balloon hovercraft is a lot easier than you may think, and your kids will have so much fun making it they won’t even realize how much they’re learning along the way.
Do a feeding experiment
Get your kids in touch with backyard science and some furry friends with this spring feeding experiment. Have them put food out in different locations in your yard and keep a daily log recording feeding habits and observable decomposition.
Go geocaching
Geocaching is a great outdoor adventure and world geography lesson all in one. Kids learn how to read maps as well as math, science, art and other lessons while they’re having fun — Mom and Dad too!
Explore out-of-the-box geography
From road trips to having a “globe challenge” on family game night, there are plenty of ways to make geography fun beyond a map. These fun activities can help you dive deeper into the culture, history and way of life of people all over the world.
Hunt treasure
Learning about nature is a lot more fun when you’re hunting treasure. With just a little preparation, you can head to your local park and let the fun (and learning) begin. Pirate gear is optional.
Explore oceanography
Whether you live near an ocean or just head to a nearby aquarium, there are plenty of lessons to be learned under the sea.
Experiment with everyday items
You don’t need a lab to start experimenting with science. Plenty of everyday items can be used to make some pretty cool projects and bring science alive for your kids.
Home-school activities
Pin these great ideas on Pinterest so you never run out of fun work.
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