Simply Homeschooling: Poster Projects

One of the easiest homeschooling projects our family has ever done is what we call a "poster project". Face it, sometimes you want to have a relaxed, fun school day. We all wish each and every day was relaxed and fun, but life just is not like that. When you need a break, try having a "poster project day". These poster project days allow the children to dive into a subject that they are interested in and they soak up the knowledge like a sponge without even noticing!

You can certainly add anything to this project that you want. This article just describes how our family integrates poster projects into our home school. We have done this too many times to count and it is always a big hit with my boys. Such a big hit, that I keep extra poster boards on hand, just in case one of the children wants to do a poster project on their own (this has happened!). I have been amazed at what they have learned while creating these projects, as well. They get so excited about the topic they have chosen, that they forget it is for school. I hope you can use these projects to stimulate learning in your own home school.

We have done everything from "pick your own theme" to selecting a subject that their topics must involve. The boys can use any of the books we have on our shelves to find information on their topic. They are also allowed to search the internet with mom for information that they can use, as well. Each child spends the day reading about their subject and creating their project which is to be presented to mom and dad after dinner.

Just about anything goes when it comes to these projects. They use glue, markers, construction paper, colored pencils and pictures. All sorts of art supplies go into the making of their projects. They have even used clay to make three dimensional maps. My kids enjoy these projects because they are free to use their imagination as they wish.

When the time comes to present their projects, we make sure everyone is relaxed. Each child takes a turn explaining their project to the rest of the family. The little ones usually take only a few minutes to go over their projects, while the older ones sometimes go on at length! After all presentations are complete, dad gives out awards to each child. He gives an award for something that makes their project stand out from the others. The children then find places to hang them up on our wall for all of our visitors to see, giving them extra opportunities to share their newfound knowledge.