Fun extracurricular activity ideas & learning opportunities to add to your home-school plans

Hello again friends, 

In my last post I shared a list of over 170 field trip ideas to help get your creative juices running and thought today I would share a list of some of our favorite extracurricular activities, life lessons and fun learning opportunities that we have incorporated into our school life over the past 6 1/2 years.  I'm also including a fun list of things you may enjoy or want to try for the holidays. Especially since this year has been so different than every other year (thanks to Covid-19) I think it could be a really great year to find some new activities or traditions to try with our family and hope you might find some fun ones you want to try as well. obviously not all of these will be available in every area or at all this year due to everything surrounding the corona virus craziness in our country. 

My hope is that you will find at least one new thing that looks like fun or peeks your interest and that it will help your family make some fun memories in the midst of all the chaos of this year.  

Extracurricular activities/Life Lessons to include into your schooling:

*Try a new hobby like a cooking or art class/activity the kids find interesting

*Take horseback riding lessons

*Try Archery lessons or another outdoor activity

* Start music lessons

* look into 4H

*Art/Painting lessons

* Archery Lessons

* Batting Cages

*Ziplining course

*Craft Store activities

* Sewing lessons

*Horseback-riding lessons

*Gardening/Botany lessons at a local garden center 

Fun Activities to do:

*Go to a Christmas party/ugly sweater party (or host one)

* Bake Holiday treats

*Make homemade Christmas gifts

*Host a Fall harvest or Halloween Costume themed party

*Host a Costume party just for fun

*Make homemade soap

*Go berry picking and make crockpot jam

*Go apple picking and make crockpot applesauce

*Organize a Scavenger Hunt

*Watch a documentary that ties into something you are studying

*Task your kiddos with creating and acting in their own play (based on something they have recently studied) 

*Cookie swap party

*Sock exchange party with friends 

Other Learning Opportunities:

*Volunteer at the local Senior center

*Volunteer at a Veterans or Nursing Home

*Volunteer at the Library

*Volunteer or help at a trade show

*Make some products to sell at a trade show/craft bazaar

*Volunteer at a local animal shelter or safe haven shelter

*Create a blog/vlog or youtube show

*Try a new sport or hobby with your kids: 

Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Baseball, Bike riding, Bocce Ball, Corn Hole, Croquet, Darts, Drawing, Fishing, Football, Foosball, Golf, Hiking, Hockey, Horseback-riding, Ice Skating, Indoor Rock Climbing, Jump roping, Ladder Ball, Mini Golf, Model Car/Plane building,Painting, Pickleball, Photography, Pottery, Pool, Racquetball, Rock Climbing,  Running,Skateboarding, Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Snowboarding, Snowshoeing, Street Hockey,  Swimming, Tennis, Volleyball, Water-skiing

*Have a puzzle party with your family or friends (try looking for some at a garage sale, at a Goodwill store, or asking family or friends to borrow some) & see who can put together the most complicated or intricate puzzles or largest ones.

*Play board games together or start a weekly family game night

*Family game night  (electronic games: Play station, Wii, XBox, etc)

*Take lessons to learn a new instrument

*Sign up for a monthly subscription to an organized activity like: Kiwi Crate (monthly activity box for kids), Doodle Crate (monthly box of kids activities/craft or project for them to build/make), Raddish for kids (monthly cooking crate/box for kids that has activities, recipes and child friendly cooking supplies) Little Passports monthly activity ( usually includes a book about a state or country and activities to accompany it), 

*Visit a Nature Reserve

*Visit a wild life refuge 

*Sign up for Nature Camp

*Join a 4-H group or Agriculture group 

*Visit an Ag Festival

*Go to a County Fair or State Fair

*Join a local FFA (Future Farmers of America) group

*Join a local FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) group

*Participate in a local Biz Town and attend it's simulation day

*Interview a military veteran 

*Interview an adult who remembers 9/11 

*Interview or job shadow someone who works in a profession of interest

Virtual Field Trip Ideas    

*Smithsonian Museum of Natural History ( https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour) 

* Smithsonian Museum of American History (https://americanhistory.si.edu/exhibitions/online)

* Smithsonian Museum of Air and Space (https://airandspace.si.edu/online) 

*Smithsonian National Zoo (https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams)

*Smithsonian national Portrait Gallery (https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/national-portrait-gallery )

*National Holocaust Museum in Washington D.C. ( https://www.ushmm.org/collections/the-museums-collections/browse) 

*Mount Vernon Virtual Tour (https://virtualtour.mountvernon.org/)

* Washington D.C. Museums (https://washington.org/dctogether/virtual-dc-museums)

*National Museum of Natural History (https://naturalhistory.si.edu/visit/virtual-tour )

*Fords Theater (https://www.fords.org/visit/virtual-tour/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItsrryKeF7AIVWx-tBh2Q4w3OEAAYAyAAEgK2z_D_BwE)

*National Aquarium (https://aqua.org/explore/livestreams )

*San Diego Zoo (https://kids.sandiegozoo.org/videos )

*Musee Du Louvre (https://www.louvre.fr/en/visites-en-ligne )  

*Musee d’Orsay- Paris (https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/musee-dorsay-paris) 

*Yellowstone National Park (https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtours.htm ) 

*Grand Canyon National Park (https://www.nps.gov/grca/learn/photosmultimedia/virtualtour.htm ) 

*Yosemite National Park (https://www.virtualyosemite.org/ )

*Bryce Canyon National Park (https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/bryce-canyon/sunset-point-tour )

*Carlsbad Caverns (https://artsandculture.withgoogle.com/en-us/national-parks-service/carlsbad-caverns/natural-entrance-tour )

*Great Barrier Reef (https://greatbarrierreef.com.au/explore-the-great-barrier-reef-with-google/)

*Great Wall Of China (https://www.360cities.net/image/great-wall-of-china )

*Machu Picchu (https://www.youvisit.com/tour/machupicchu?pl=f)

*Mammoth Cave (https://education.ket.org/resources/electronic-field-trip-mammoth-cave/)

*Taj Mahal (https://www.taj-mahal.net/newtaj/)

*Chavin de Hua’ntar in Peru (https://artsandculture.google.com/exhibit/VwLyaBwv7bFPKA)

*Broadway shows (https://broadwaydirect.com/where-to-watch-musicals-online-the-musical-lovers-guide-to-streaming/)

*The British Museum (https://britishmuseum.withgoogle.com/)

* National Gallery (https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/visiting/virtual-tours)

*The Van Gogh Museum (https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/van-gogh-museum?hl=en)

*Exploritorium in San Francisco (https://www.exploratorium.edu/visit/virtual-tour)

*Wemyss Caves in Scotland (http://4dwemysscaves.org/?LMCL=CgLFAk)

*Explore surface of Mars (https://accessmars.withgoogle.com/)

*The Guggenheim in New York (https://artsandculture.google.com/streetview/solomon-r-guggenheim-museum-interior-streetview/jAHfbv3JGM2KaQ?hl=en&sv_lng=-73.95902634325634&sv_lat=40.78285751667664&sv_h=323.27271603251256&sv_p=-0.674787304688067&sv_pid=MfnUmHRyOSzMtY3vtYU05g&sv_z=2.015536399369109)

*The Met museum (https://www.metmuseum.org/art/online-features/metkids/)

*The J. Paul Getty Musuem (https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/the-j-paul-getty-museum?hl=en)

Of course this is not a complete list as there are thousands of things that could be added to it. If one of your faves happens to be missing comment below and let me know so I can add it :)

My wishes for many blessings to your families friends as you enjoy trying some of these activities!

~K