Ideas for Filling our Time at Home

With our school year all but over, the boys and I are faced with some pretty long days at home.  This is the time of year we're usually busy with field trips and get togethers with our friends.  It's not quite warm enough to spend all our time outside yet and we can't get together with our friends so we have some pretty long days at home.

I knew if I didn't have some sort of plan in place these days would pass us by with everyone just watching TV or playing video games and while they'll still have time to do that each day, I don't want to spent all day every day just staring at screens and ignoring one another.

I also didn't want to just buy/ add school work into our year to stretch it out.  We worked so hard all winter to complete our work.  So we brainstormed some fun ways to keep learning together that won't feel like we're extending our school year.

Here's what we've come up with!

Manipulate it Mondays: hands- on fun like

• Execute some science experiments using any uncompleted ones from our books this year
• Make some fun crafts-- sculpt with clay, paint a picture, etc. 
• STEM projects-- make a paper basket, fit through an index card, make a mini waterslide, etc. 
• Pull out our microscope & make some new slides
• Grow our own bacteria plates 
•  Make our own hand sanitizer and cleaning wipes

Tasty Tuesdays: try a new recipe

• Maple glazed donuts
• Homemade ice cream
• Try making gelato
• White chocolate/ strawberry cupcakes
• Sourdough bread using a starter
• Making our own cheese
• Chex/ muddy buddy mix
• Breakfast Compote popsicles 
• Italian cream stuffed puff pastries
• Copycat Texas Roadhouse rolls with cinnamon butter

Wandering Wednesdays: explore our world using virtual travels & resources

• Go on virtual field trips of zoos, museums, & national parks
• Watch YouTube travel videos
• Watch some more nature documentaries
• Play geography games like Trekking, Geodice, Scrambled States of America, etc. 
• Go on nature walks with our cameras 
• Make edible maps using cookie or brownie dough; adding in frosting rivers and cookie landforms.

Throwback Thursdays or Technology Thursdays: We'll alternate learning about history and trying out new websites we never seem to have the time to explore

• Watch history movies; both fiction and non-fiction
• Put together some hands on history projects- Spoon catapult, communicating just using emoji's (like hieroglyphics), design our own flags, etc.  
• Read books about history using our well stocked bookcases
• Explore the web together using many of the resources we've pulled together over the years and have yet to use. 
• Use video games they like to really connect with one another and all play together
• Use YouTube videos for learning more about history

Friday Fundays:

• Play assorted board games
•  Put together puzzles
•  Movie days-- re-watching old favorites and renting new ones to stream
• Crank up the music and color while singing along

Linking Up With: Mid- Week Link Up, Morning Cup of Joe,