Looking Back: Top 10 Homeschool Projects

Today I am linking up with Many Little Blessings

for Top Ten {Tuesday}

Now that I have graduated the last of four sons, I'm looking back and missing many of those wonderful moments-days-weeks where we enjoyed a close bond while learning about life together with special projects and activities. Off the top of my head, I'm randomly pulling out memories to store and share right here: 

Top 10 homeschool projects to focus on while you forget about everything else!

And that's kind of how it was with most of these particular projects. We allowed creativity to lead us, and rolled a number of subject areas into one. (Most often math was left out, but we did happen to do some math related projects too, though none made it into this particular list). I'll provide you with a short commentary here, but look to the future for lengthier posts on some of these:

1. In-house mailboxes - They were made out of cereal and oatmeal boxes, decorated and placed in various places in our house. All four boys had one as well as Mom and Dad, and we wrote notes and shared surprises with one other. It was an encouraging lark for a season of our lives when the guys were smaller.

2. Real book and story making - While reading a book (biographies are great), jot down notes on the important aspects after the reading of each chapter, then rewrite the story in your own words. On several occasions the boys also wrote stories of their own and made real handmade hardbound books. (Creating Books with Children was one of the resources we used.)

3. Published our own newsletter: The Homeschool Gazette lasted for six years. You can read about it in another post here. Wonderful experience all the way around!

4. Anonymous quote-card writing ministry - Most often we sent cards to friends or folks we wanted to encourage at church. The boys would discover a favorite quote or Scripture they liked and write it in their best hand writing and send it out in the mail. It was fun!

A homeschooling friend practices the Heimlich Maneuver 

as part of our first-aid study

5. Keeper's Club was the name of our homeschool group based on the Keepers of the Faith clubs. We actually participated with just our own family years before we joined forces with families from our local homeschool group. I think it was the best homeschool year we had. We customized studies from: knots, birds, first aid, hiking, and scrapbooking! It was a WOW year!

6. Science Fair projects were few and far between but I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything. We'd take off school entirely for a month and just work on projects! Highly recommended!

7.  A goals list is a handy thing to have. Make a creative list of all the things you would like to do someday (goals), and then start doing them, crossing off one at a time. You can write a supplementary list of goals to work on immediately and then list how you will go
about meeting those goals. Included are short and long term goals.

One of J.J.'s lovely bird photos in his collection

8. Do a nature-study project. I think most families already do this to some degree—it just comes naturally. Keep a nature journal including photos and drawings and/or start a blog. The year we studied birds with the Keeper's Club, my son spent the winter and spring photographing birds and making a photo/journal. But, there were really a lot of different projects with nature study that went on over the years.

9. Make your own Monopoly Board Game! The boys had the best time making this and coming up with the names and card sayings. You can read about the Monopoly Make-over here.

10. Memorizing Psalm 91.We did it—we memorized the whole (KJV) thing! Mom too. Making time for memorization and studying God's Word is the best project around. I know a family that memorizes whole books of the Bible. Go for it.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: 

my God; in him will I trust.