I thought I would share this with all of you since I have gotten so many good ideas from this board!
With a core group of about 5 homeschool families, we have started a small, informal homeschool group. We started off by getting together for park days, have had some potlucks, and even some educational-board game days. recently we've been doing something a little more in-depth, and a lot more fun.
We have been taking make-believe trips to other countries!
Our first trip to Greece, was sort of a trial run. Each family made their own passports for their students. We got a travel documentary for our in-flight movie, one mom printed the boarding passes, and makes the stamps for the passports. Each of us contributed a different activity from the country we were "traveling" to. We did a potluck feast. It was a lot of fun, but there wasn't very much structure to the day, and often the kids fell into play mode.
On our most recent trip, to India, we did it a little different, we opted for a shorter in-flight movie for one. But the main difference was that we had each family choose a different thing from the country to report on, so one family told us about the geography of our destination country. They showed us pictures of the different terrains, and showed us different maps of the area.
Next, my son presented his report of Bandipur National Park, he had tri-fold flyers for the tourists, and a display to show them. Next up, a brother described his sisters outfit in detail, and told us of the traditional clothing of the country. One family taught us about Yoga, and we all got to practice a few moves. Then we were ready for the feast. After we had all had our fill of Chai tea, Paneer, and all of the other wonderful foods, We learned about the Holidays and Festivals of India, which we concluded with this video about the Holi Festival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o8Cslm9uNc
and then we went outside and celebrated our own Holi Festival. It was soooo much fun, and something our kids will remember forever. We used powdered tempra paints because they are non-toxic. Everybody was able to participate, from my 1 y/o daughter, to my 58 y/o mother.
The children all had lots of fun, and learned a lot as well. We are planning to go all over the world this way. I'm not sure how we will top the paint fight, but am sure it will be fun trying!
With a core group of about 5 homeschool families, we have started a small, informal homeschool group. We started off by getting together for park days, have had some potlucks, and even some educational-board game days. recently we've been doing something a little more in-depth, and a lot more fun.
We have been taking make-believe trips to other countries!
Our first trip to Greece, was sort of a trial run. Each family made their own passports for their students. We got a travel documentary for our in-flight movie, one mom printed the boarding passes, and makes the stamps for the passports. Each of us contributed a different activity from the country we were "traveling" to. We did a potluck feast. It was a lot of fun, but there wasn't very much structure to the day, and often the kids fell into play mode.
On our most recent trip, to India, we did it a little different, we opted for a shorter in-flight movie for one. But the main difference was that we had each family choose a different thing from the country to report on, so one family told us about the geography of our destination country. They showed us pictures of the different terrains, and showed us different maps of the area.
Next, my son presented his report of Bandipur National Park, he had tri-fold flyers for the tourists, and a display to show them. Next up, a brother described his sisters outfit in detail, and told us of the traditional clothing of the country. One family taught us about Yoga, and we all got to practice a few moves. Then we were ready for the feast. After we had all had our fill of Chai tea, Paneer, and all of the other wonderful foods, We learned about the Holidays and Festivals of India, which we concluded with this video about the Holi Festival
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4o8Cslm9uNc
and then we went outside and celebrated our own Holi Festival. It was soooo much fun, and something our kids will remember forever. We used powdered tempra paints because they are non-toxic. Everybody was able to participate, from my 1 y/o daughter, to my 58 y/o mother.
The children all had lots of fun, and learned a lot as well. We are planning to go all over the world this way. I'm not sure how we will top the paint fight, but am sure it will be fun trying!
