Finding Ideas for Learning

Your children are growing tired of workbooks and worksheets, they've grown bored with the standard curriculum, and you're running out of ideas for things to study. What do you do now?

Children can learn from all types of ideas. The ideas don't need to be a part of your particular homeschool curriculum. Even if the ideas don't seem to have anything to do with what your child "should be learning", all types of additional knowledge and information can come from a single idea.

Have your children think about the things they enjoy doing, things they would like to do, and things they'd like to learn more about. At the same time, have them busy cutting out several strips of paper. As ideas come to them, have them write down the ideas on the strips of paper. (If your child cannot yet write well, you can write them down for him.) Now they can fold the "idea strips" and drop them into a jar or box. Have them add to the idea box or jar whenever they have a new idea. Every few days, they can draw an "idea strip" from the jar and do -- or begin -- the activity noted there.

Ideas for their "Idea Box"
If your children begin running out of ideas to put into the box or jar, have a brainstorming session. Look around your world and come up with things you never knew or wish you knew more about. Can your children describe why the sky is blue, the grass is green, or a sunset is red? These can be ideas to learn more about. Do they know how many insects possibly live in their backyard? Can they describe everything that is between the walls of their home? Can they describe how electricity works, how a radio works, how a camera works? These are ideas that can be added to the "Idea Box".

You can also look through magazines, books, and encyclopedias for ideas. A story such as Airplanes and Flying Machines can spark the idea of creating paper airplanes, having a paper airplane flight contest, learning about how the Wright Brothers constructed their first plane, and learning about what became of Amelia Earhart. An entry and illustration of an alligator in the encyclopedia could spark the idea of studying reptiles, visiting a pet store and observing reptiles, or visiting an alligator farm or zoo and petting a baby alligator, and learning how mother alligators take care of their babies. Just from this, we have 7 or 8 new ideas to pursue.

Below are some more ideas for your children's "Idea Box". The ideas that can spin off from these can be numerous. Remember that the more "hands-on" your children can be with the activities, the better. For instance, it's one thing to learn about how the Wright Brothers constructed their first plane. It's another for your child to construct his own paper plane by testing various techniques for the highest-flying or farthest-flying paper airplane.

Ideas
• Where our relatives came from
• Interviewing relatives
• Writing an autobiography
• Writing poetry
• Writing a song
• How a CD works
• How a video game works
• How to make paper
• How to make clay
• How early man used clay
• Sculpting a clay doll
• Making a cloth doll
• Researching the first dolls
• Researching the first teddy bears
• Who invented roller blades
• Who invented the bicycle
• How to create a new invention
• How and why kites fly
• Creating a replica of a hot air balloon
• Drawing a picture of our home
• Visiting a home under construction
• How insects and animals camouflage themselves
• What causes lightning
• What causes tornadoes
• Starting a special collection
• Researching special collections of famous people
• Who is the record holder of the longest swim or fastest runner
• How to make your own jewelry
• How to make a solar car
• Spending a day trying new experiments in the kitchen
• Learning to cook a new dish
• Concocting a new style of dish
• Finding a pen pal in another country
• What life is like for children in different countries
• What the cities or cultures are like in those countries
• How many children have lived in the White House
• What life was like for children in Colonial days
• What it was like to travel in a covered wagon
• Using blocks and other items to build simple machines
• Why different size rubber balls bounce at different rates
• Creating a home and haven for birds in the backyard
• How a farmer cares for and harvests crops
• How a dairy farmer milks herds of cattle
• How food gets to the grocery store
• Using toy barns and animals to recreate a farm on the back porch
• Why do we get sick
• What are our tonsils for
• What keeps us well
• Taking a nature hike
• Learning about famous trails such as the Oregon Trail or the Trail of Tears
• Going for a scenic bike ride
• Building a model of a sailboat
• How dolphins communicate
• How marine animals eat
• Creating a scrapbook or personal photo album
• Creating a collage with a specific theme
• Starting a newsletter of interesting stories or articles

From ideas such as these, your child can branch off into many different areas that can include social studies, history, geography, science, health, nature, math, art, music, reading, and writing.

Continue to come up with ideas as often as possible. Your "Idea Box" will soon be overflowing, and your children will eagerly look forward to their next homeschool project.