Alternative Homeschool Curriculum Ideas

Howdy, all! Back to the grind for this mom! The school books have FINALLY arrived for this school year! I was really starting to wonder if I was going to see them or not. But saving that extra $50 on shipping goes a long way to paying for other supplies that are needed. I am not going to lie, my kids LOVED having a few extra weeks off of school. Or, at least they thought they were just having fun and not actually working on anything! So I decided to add a few alternative homeschool curriculum ideas. We love being able to adventure through our school year.

Y’all, we have to be sneaky at times. Slide in a little fun, a little learning, and a few well-asked questions show you what they are learning. I went a totally different route with art this year. While we were at my parents this summer, my kids fell in love with painting on canvas. I have not told them yet, but I have ordered some canvases and we are going to be working on some different scenes. We are going to paint our versions of famous paintings. I decided to try another type of art as well. Have you heard of diamond painting? Well, if not, it is tiny beads that they have to stick onto a design. We are going to see how well two very energetic boys do while working with tiny beads and need some patience… see where I am going with this! I am already expecting short tempers and frustration.

Adding Alternative Homeschool Curriculum Ideas

Everything cannot be fun with learning. We want our kids to enjoy their learning processes, but we also want to ensure that they are learning. While I am working on laying out the school days, I have been finding different ways to keep them busy. Here are some of my top alternative homeschool curriculum ideas!

1. Chores – Whether you have boys or girls, they all need to learn to help around the house. Loading and unloading the dishwasher, sweeping, vacuuming, etc. This counts as home economics.
2. Reading out loud – Most kids can read comfortably to themselves, but reading out loud poses different issues. Taking turns reading sections of a book aloud not only gives them some confidence in public speaking, but also in getting over some difficult words. We also get some fun reading in, and are having some fun with some little ghost stories this fall.
3. Nature Walks – there are some fabulous places to explore! Get outside and look at leaves, wildlife in your area, and the foliage. This can turn into some fun art projects if you want. Leaf rubbings, painting, etc! Use your imagination!
4. Documentaries – Okay, I am going to be honest – this one is my favorite! We watch documentaries on all sorts of things, and it is amazing what kids will remember! We have a notebook where they keep notes on the shows. There are so many out there!

How is your homeschooling year starting off? Share your alternative homeschool curriculum ideas with us! Keep watch on the blog for more next month!