Hands-On Homeschool Carnival

In preparing this carnival I kept thinking what amazing moms you all are! Each mom represented here takes such pains to teach her children with creativity, passion, and freshness. My hat is off to each and every one of you for the sacrifices you make to teach your children.  You probably don’t even consider it a sacrifice. In fact, you probably find great joy in learning hands-on alongside your children.  That excitement is evident in these posts!

Imaginative Creations

Let the kids take the reins and create!

1. Nikki, who blogs at Joy in the Journey, served more as a facilitator than teacher when her children wanted to try their hand at Writing a Play. This is what we moms crave – our children to take ownership in their learning. Great job, Nikki!
2. Another drama about King Menes of Egypt was happening in Michelle’s home.
3. Angie gives artist study a hands-on twist in Giotto Inspired Art Lesson posted at TheOneThing. She says her boys loved crushing paint ingredients with rocks. (Note to self –Boys and rocks are always a winning combination.)
4. Ami’s children are studying Michelangelo which inspired their hands-on Fresco Painting.
5. Ami’s husband joins the fun in making a homemade Hot Air Balloon. Yes, a real hot air balloon that flies. Try not to succumb to “homeschooler envy” when you read this post.
6. Barb-Harmony Art Mom, who blogs at Handbook of Nature Study, gets hands-on with nature in Making Leaf Prints with Ink.

Practical Hands-on Learning

It’s not all about academics. Real life skills count too! And those can only be learned with, you guessed it, hands-on practice.

1. Nikki gets the smart mom award because she has her daughter learning life skills such as making dinner! Look at what she cooked up at Joy in the Journey: K in the Kitchen! posted at Joy in the Journey.

Making Academics Hands-on

1. Ami is constantly doing hands-on with her two boys! (I already warned you about “homeschooler envy” before. Keep your guard up, ladies. Be encouraged and inspired rather than discouraged and guilty.)
   • Ancient Egypt Unit
   • Candy Shop Math
2. Candace, who blogs at His Mercy is New, paired up with a friend for some hands-on science at  Science Experiments!
3. Jennifer made a hands on science model. Read Creative Cooking? to see her jello cell posted at Quiverfull Family.
4. Jennifer shares a unit study based on the classic children’s book The Secret Garden.
5. Amy from Eclectic Homeschooling has been super busy with hands-on learning. Check out these four amazing projects:
   • Unit Study on Scotland–a Scottish feast complete with games and costumes
   • Creepy Crawlies and the Scientific Method
   • Edible Geography – A Cookie Cake of Ukraine
   • Pysanky Egg Craft
6. Tonya Dodd tells us about a great hands on way to introduce the concept of greater than and less than. Read it at Fun in the Box #6 posted at Homeschool or Bust.
7. Michelle presents a timely holiday post at Cranberry Thanksgiving.

Field trips

It doesn’t get more hands-on that getting out of the house and using all five senses to experience something real. When was the last time your children took a field trip? These posts prove they can be glamorous or as simple as taking lessons outdoors.

1. Shannon‘s daughter Ginger not only got to sit inside a Black Hawk and pose with the crew, but was also able to fly inside a really tiny plane!  Read the details and see the photos at Hands-on Learning: Aviation.
2. Angie took her children to a hill behind their property for a hands-on lesson about  Green Beans and Corn.
3. Martha presents Our field trip posted at Sunrise to Sunset.

Hands-on Hodgepodge

1. Carriejoy has been cooking up Birdseed Cupcakes! over at The Dirt Farm Chronicles.
2. Candace uses Workboxes for Early Elementary, full of hands-on, fun exploration.
3. Michelle gets hands-on with physical education!  Her family-cize posts offer suggestions on how to incorporate everyone in the family into a game or sport. Try baseball or make your own.
4. Rachel, AKA quirky momma, makes snacktime educational for her preschoolers.  Really. You’ve got to see her post –Sorting Snack Time Fun

Hands-on in Winter Promise Curriculum

Winter Promise is a literature based, hands-on curriculum that I love and use. Here are two posts that feature this curriculum.

1. Jenn who writes at Guest Hollow shares her Sea and Sky Gravy and Extras.
2. Mrs.Cuddles is using Winter Promise American Crossing curriculum. Here she shares Week 1. Take a look at how hands-on is integrated into an entire week of learning.

And last but, well, actually it IS least, is chocolate.

There’s nothing educational here, just chocolate spam.

Steve Cowley presents Healthy Chocolate Turns My Son Into 10 Year Old Maths Genius! posted at Chocolate Kids.

I hope some of you who are more clever than I can come up with a good comment for Steve who submitted his entry to the Hands-on Homeschool Carnival. This one was too hilarious to just delete. Enjoy!

Submit your blog article to the next edition of hands on homeschool blog carnival using the carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on the blog carnival index page.

Related posts:

1. Hands-on Homeschool Carnival
2. The Spam Carnival
3. Charlotte Mason Carnival

Tagged as: carnival, hands-on