Sometimes (ok, maybe a lot of the time) when you're in the homeschool trenches the last thing you are thinking is, "Gosh, are my kids having fun with their schoolwork today?"

I'm just being honest.

There were MANY a day when I just wanted to get through. We needed to do that math lesson, complete the history lesson, and check off the almighty boxes.

Who's with me?

Every now and then, however, I was reminded of this precious, important fact: homeschool is about the relationships. It is about wonder. It is about discovery. It is about FUN.

As I compiled this list I noticed each activity had something in common: none of them were part of a set "curriculum" we had been using. They were all interest led tangents (maybe related to something in our curriculum) where I simply followed my children's lead. If you give a child something to sink their teeth into I believe they will naturally want MORE.

It is in those moments that the real learning occurs, and in our homeschool it was where sweet memories were made.

As I asked my teens about this the other day, I asked them to tell me their FAVORITE things we'd done in our homeschool. Not only did this exercise do my heart good, but it motivated me to KEEP making those memories - and not to lose the wonder just because they are now teens.

I hope you can use a few of these in your own homeschool!

THUMBPRINT ART

All of the Ed Emberley art books have been a hit in our homeschool.

For some reason, however, the thumbprint drawing book was the favorite. (My kids STILL get this one out to use!)

Maybe it was the HUGE stamp pad I let them get, or maybe it was the fact that I could just leave them alone for several HOURS and they were completely happy. Whatever the case, I recommend having this activity on hand for a rainy day or when your day is going south and you just want to SALVAGE what's left of it!

(I'm so glad I've blogged through most of our homeschool journey because I have tons of cute pictures like this one!)

MAGNETIC SLIME

This activity had A LOT of educational value, plus it was just super fun.

When were studying the Periodic Table this was one of those things that was sitting on my Pinterest board to try... I RARELY try things from Pinterest, but this time I wanted to be the FUN MOM.

(I also think the Periodic Table Tiles I purchased were a HUGE hit - which my oldest is even using in Chemistry right now - a great investment.)

What I love about this was that we learned all about the Periodic Table first, and then used this as our culmination activity.

(And then of course we went down the magnet rabbit trail, which led to another rabbit trail, etc..., etc... You get the point!)

Science seems to lend itself to so many hands on activities, doesn't it?

CANDY SHOP MATH

We literally opened a candy shop for one afternoon. I invited a few of our neighbor kids to come over after school and told them they didn't have to bring any money (we handed out play money at the door).

It was a fabulous exercise in customer service, counting money, making change, and so much more!

Use these simple candy money cards and have fun!

We followed up with some books about money and more activities making change, etc... There is so much you can do with a play cash register and play money!

THE STORY ABOUT PING

Every book we read with Five in a Row proved to be a treasured memory. One of the selections that most stuck out to my children was The Story About Ping.

Looking back, I think it was the special time we took to GET OUTSIDE and learn that stuck with my kids.

During one of our days rowing the book we went to a local lake and read The Story About Ping, along with some other books about ducks. We fed the ducks, watched them PREEN themselves (preen was one of the vocabulary words from that unit which my kids will never forget the meaning of!), and drew pictures of the ducks.

We had a picnic lunch, played on the playground by the lake and just enjoyed learning.

I just remember the sweetness that went along with this particular day - singing "5 Little Ducks" and all of the giggles. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Homeschool at its very finest, yes?

UNIFIX CUBES

I consider it a huge success that a math activity made it into the top five of my children's homeschool memories!

God bless my sweet friend who dropped off a huge bag of Unifix Cubes she had picked up at a garage sale!

I began to research what we could do with these things (I had no idea at first) - and then I let my very creative third grader take it from there. Pretty soon she was teaching her 5 year old brother addition and subtraction. He was learning math facts and she was making her math facts more automatic by "quizzing" her little brother.

Perfect.

I cannot tell you how much we used those Unifix Cubes over the years - or how many hours my kids spent "playing math" with them and our various sets of flashcards.

Sometimes you just need to leave your children alone and they come up with the very best activities.

(Don't even get me going on the world of Unifix Cubes and activities - we could get lost in it for days!)

I'd love to hear about a favorite homeschool activity your children remember.

Ask them, and then leave me a comment about their answers!

We get ONE SHOT at homeschooling our children.

I remember when we first began homeschooling - there was SO MUCH before me. So many options for curriculum. So many fun projects. So many methods.

Looking back, I wish someone would have told me to keep it simple. Find a few beautiful things and dive into those. Set homeschool routines with engaging activities that play into your child's strengths and interests.

Be consistent.

Don't discount their hearts.

Place beauty first.

It took me a couple years to get to that point of simplicity and effectiveness, and now that I have teens I can look back and see what really WORKED - and what continues to work to this day.

Make Reading Your #1 Priority

Yes, it really is that simple.

Read. Encourage your children to read alone. Read aloud.

Strew books around the house.

I talk to many parents who tell me their children don't enjoy reading. Maybe it hasn't been modeled for them, or maybe a public school has beaten the love of reading out of them.

You have a unique opportunity in your homeschool to inspire reading .

(In our house EVERYONE - even the canines - read!)

Hear me on this: do not let reading aloud come in last place. In fact, put it in first place. Develop a time for reading aloud, provide things to keep little hands busy, and choose engaging books.

Give your children a feast of books to read on their own. Create a time in your day for everyone to just sit and READ.

Never let anything come in the way of time to read.

Now that my oldest is almost a homeschool graduate I listen to her fond memories of our read alouds. Both of my children will say, "Remember when we read that book....".

Reading has increased their habit of attention, expanded their vocabulary, and given them a gift that cannot be bought in any store.

(Check out 5 Ways to Raise Readers for more tips.)

Implement a Routine

I'm not much of a schedule gal.

One of the reasons we began homeschooling was because I detested being a slave to the public school SCHEDULE. It beat all of the joy out of learning. It didn't inspire wonder.

I knew, however, that my children needed a routine. They needed to know what came next each day and what was expected of them during a day.

In the years when I had kids in elementary homeschool - and even into middle school - our routine looked like this:

Get up, dressed, make bed
Breakfast (Morning Time) - time for devotion, music, and read alouds
Math, English, Science, Piano Practice
Lunch
History
Quiet Time -- you know all homeschools need quiet time, right?
play time

Keep in mind, I needed to be flexible with this - especially with an active little boy in the house. He was going outside just about every hour to burn off steam. Sometimes we would get caught up in a project that would take all morning.

My children always knew, however, that our skeleton of Morning Time, Math, Lunch, History, and Quiet Time was there. This guided our days and eliminated a lot of confusion and unhappiness.

Morning Time & "Elevenses"

Before "Morning Time" was the big buzz in the homeschool world we were doing a time at breakfast that included devotions, Classical music, reading aloud, and memory work.

One year I wanted to change the routine a bit, so implemented the English tradition of "Elevenses", which was tea and a snack at 11 a.m. We used our teapot from England, made scones, and did our read aloud during this time. What a sweet memory for all of us!

However you decide to structure this time, be sure to include things that are important to you each and every day. If you have this time each day then you can ALWAYS say you accomplished something, even on the worst of homeschool days.

Sometimes I had a little one that was crabby in the morning and needed some time alone before we got going - in which case we saved our "morning time" until lunch time. You know your children and what will work well on any given day.

That freedom and flexibility is one of the most glorious things about homeschooling!

(Read How to Make the Most of Your Homeschool Time for more thoughts on this!)

Quiet Time

This gave ALL OF US so much peace in our homeschool days.

Early on I believe it saved our homeschool. I wasn't used to having children in the house all day. I needed QUIET and time to recharge. I needed time to take care of household chores, sit down to read, and maybe fold some laundry.

I went back to our naptime schedule from when the kids were little - and if they didn't feel like napping they had many options of things they could do while STAYING QUIETLY IN THEIR ROOMS.

If quiet time is just a part of your day and you set the expectation firmly and consistently, you will not have a problem with implementation.

I'm not going to say much here - but instead direct you to Why Homeschool Mamas Need Quiet Time.

(You're welcome.)

Take Care of Math!

Please hear me on this.

Do your research early on. Decide on a math program. Stick with it.

I fell into the trap of listening to what everyone else was doing. I fell into the trap of feeling I had to try the math curriculum with the largest presence at the homeschool convention. I fell into the trap of listening to my child when they said they didn't "like" the math curriculum.

In the end, I learned a lot by the time my second child came through our homeschool.

We have used Saxon Math since the beginning with him - focused a lot on math facts - and math is simply a non negotiable in our house.

When your child gets to the point of taking the SAT and ACT you will look back and be thankful you chose a solid math program from day one.

If your child needs help with math -- OUTSOURCE IT! There are abundant resources online and in person now. We don't have to let our kids flounder in math.

My prayer for each of you is a peaceful, productive homeschool.

I know the days will sometimes be long and difficult, but if you have certain practices in place you will minimize those.

You will look back on your time homeschooling with so many fond memories and children who have benefitted from a consistent, beautiful home education.

5 Favorite Homeschool Activities