A Hands-On Homeschooler’s Wish List
I can not believe it’s already mid-December. If you still haven’t finished Christmas shopping, you aren’t alone. This year, I am looking to put plenty of homeschooling goodies under our Christmas tree (partly because we follow the four gift rule in our home and homeschool stuff almost always qualifies as the something you need gift) and because learning is awfully fun, and who wouldn’t want some hands-on learning under the tree?
Educational Games:
Story Cubes: This game is a pocket-sized creative story generator, providing hours of imaginative play for all ages.
Storymatic: This deck of cards is perfect for telling stories with your kids- choose a couple cards and let the prompts lead you! We like to use ours during writing time to help the kids creative juices start flowing.
Bananagrams: Bananagrams is basically Scrabble, but requires less storage space and you aren’t confined by a game board when building words.
Hands-On History
History is so much more fun when you have hands on activities to help kids really get into the spirit of the time period.
Calligraphy Set Learning calligraphy is a ton of fun, and it encourages kids to improve their penmanship as they “play” with the ink and quills
Candle Making Set: Learning about colonial times? How fun would it be to hand-dip some candles with your kids and enjoy a candlelit dinner?
Loom Set: I remember getting one of these when I was a little girl- I made so many potholders and bracelets for everyone I knew. You can get a loop loom for younger kids, and a bead loom for older kids. There are many cultures and civilizations who use looms- so it’s the perfect craft to do!
Art Supplies
Mosaic Art Kits: Mosaics are so beautiful, and creating them with your kids doesn’t need to be complicated when you can grab a kit with all the mosaic pieces.
Paper Marbling Kit: We got this kit a couple years ago, and the kids still remember it as one of the coolest things we have done in our homeschool. Pulling the wet marbled paper up to look at it for the first time is something that sticks with a kid!
Beeswax Crayons: If you haven’t used beeswax crayons, you are in for a treat. They glide across the paper like butter and have the cleanest, brightest colors.
Science Tools
Microscope: You may not want to invest in a microscope for your little ones, but if you can get your hands on one, you’ll spend hours looking at salt and saliva and leaves and insect wings. I have found our microscope to be the most awe-inspiring tool in our homeschool.
Ladybug Habitat: I know, I know, bringing bugs into the house doesn’t really sound like the best idea, but you should try it with your kids at least once.
Telescope: My husband bought me a telescope for my birthday the first year we were married. When I was a kid, I really wanted to grow up to be an astronaut (until I realized just how afraid of heights I am) and had told him how much fun I had with my telescope as a child. Now my own kids can experience the same joy of checking out the stars and planets in the sky!
Binoculars: Binoculars are a wonderful tool to have around the house for nature walks and bird watching- of all the science tools on this list, they will get the most mileage in your home.
What homeschooling goodies are you dreaming about this holiday season?
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Bananagrams is definitely one of our favorites! Love that game! Also, I would have LOVED a microscope when I was being homeschooled in high school. I always borrowed one from a friend, but having my own for biology would have been so much better and more fun. That would always be a great present for science-inclined homeschoolers!