How to Incorporate Hands on Experiences in Homeschool

Hands-on education involves the students in the learning process in a unique, memorable way. To realize the importance of hands on experiences, one needs to reflect upon their own education. What teacher made the biggest impression in your early years? Was it the teacher who presented everything in the same monotone voice everyday? The teacher who wrote it all on the blackboard for you to copy? Or was it the teacher that sat in a circle on the floor and used books, illustrations, even Lego's to help you realize a concept? It is much easier to remember the teachers in our past who brought education to life in their classroom. Years later we can recall faces or names of those teachers that interacted with both the students and the learning materials.

The math teacher plays basketball while teaching simple math techniques, the history teacher that taught the lesson on the Civil War wearing a Southern Belle costume. These are the lessons and teachers that can make a long lasting impression upon student's minds.

While field trips are one way to bring hands on experiences to the homeschool'er, there are many other ways that a parent can bring the classroom to life without ever leaving the home. Look around in your child's room. Make a mental note of what toys the child gravitates too. Then when you sit about planning your lessons think about those toys, things you have on hand in your kitchen, and ways to broaden the lessons.

A very simple tool in hands on learning can be home made play dough. Take a few minutes of an elective course such as art to bring your child in the kitchen and whip up the recipe to be used later in class.

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Play dough can be used to illustrate a variety of subjects. Have them build an Indian tepee with it during a history study on Native Americans. Have them build an old pioneer fort for the same purposes. Use the play dough to mold various people and talk about careers. The possibilities with play dough are endless and after the lesson put it in a resealable container and store in the refrigerator for the next time. Most children love the interaction with play dough, and will eagerly anticipate future lessons that might have possibilities for this activity.

Play games during math. Don't just tell them about math, involve them in the concept. Get a bag of M&M's or Peanuts or whatever treat your child and you both enjoy. Then each day they can take a handful of the treat to use to illustrate math problems during the lesson. If they perform well you can allow them to eat a treat as they work. One way to do this is allow them to keep the treats as they do their math worksheets and nibble as they work. Another easy math activity is to give them pen and paper. Assign them a certain amount of money they have to spend. Let them browse the Internet, this idea works best if you have a child filter in place, and shop for whatever the theme is. This teaches them about budgeting their finances, how easily money spends, and all sorts of valuable lessons. By the same idea you can take some play money and allow them to go shopping in their bedroom. Each toy will cost them a certain amount. Take some garage sale stickers and mark some of the toys they can shop for.

Stuffed animals and dolls are so versatile and fun in the classroom. You can use these for all types of lessons and activities. Dress them up for a time period or a career to talk about. Have them interact and bring historical figures to life. Don't just tell your kids who Martin Luther King was. Show them. Have a doll come alive and using a theatrical voice talk like him and inspire them.

Blocks are another common toy with many classroom uses. Use them to illustrate scientific lessons. Use them to build replica's of things you are studying. Blocks are economical to purchase and offer a variety of ways to learn.

While most hands on learning is targeted at the younger student, older students can benefit from certain applications of it as well. Take the time to build a science project. Volcano's are very easy to simulate with baking soda and other products in the kitchen. Growing a plant, while the plant might not grow fast enough to motivate a younger student, will be ideal for the older student that can exhibit patience and responsibility in caring for it.

Don't just assign classical literature for them to read. Prepare a monologue and act it out for your student and encourage them to do one also. Take turns reading parts of popular theatrical literature. Act out the parts. Make Romeo and Juliet come alive to your older student and they will not quickly forget the material. Set aside a date when you will act out a particular piece of literature. Assign them the role of coming up with the best costume or prop needed to set the stage for their performance.

Teach them about pantomime. Have them with their hands and body tell you the story without speaking. Don't just teach your children about history, rather bring it alive. Find a move when you are studying war that will teach them how it was to live in that time period and the impact of the war on everyone. Don't just teach about the great depression, bring it alive. Prepare a lunch or dinner that was commonly eaten when funds were low. Don't spice it up or make it more tolerable to eat. Make it relevant to them. Talk about how people are worried that a depression will happen again in America and why it is so frightening. Eat the meal in the dark with a candle lit. Teenagers today can not fathom such a thing as a depression with today's technology age so bring it to life and let them see how scary it truly can be for society and individuals.

There are certainly a variety of ideas not included in this article. This article could go on for pages with ideas, objects, projects, places to visit, and things to do. The important thing to remember is you don't have to leave your house to be that teacher that makes the lasting impression on a child's mind. You can do that with everyday items, in everyday lessons. Once history and literature truly come alive to a student, it leaves a mark that time can't even tarnish upon them.