Homeschooling in the Spring: 12 Easy & Fun Lesson Ideas
Homeschooling in the Spring
Spring is in the air – and what a fun time it is for homeschooling! Homeschooling in the spring comes with so many learning opportunities for our children as the plants and animals come to life again. To take advantage of this season, we’ve created a list of 12 easy and fun activities and lesson ideas that you can use in your homeschool to make the most out of this season.
1. Celebrate Earth Day
What better way to celebrate spring than by celebrating Earth! Take some time in the month of April to learn about recycling, sustainability and the things we can do to take care of the environment around us. Make it extra special and celebrate Earth Day on April 22nd by planting a tree together!
2. Make Spring Crafts
For me, spring is all about bringing back color into our lives – which makes it a great time to do some fun craft projects. Here’s some spring craft ideas to try with your children:
- Paint rocks to add to your garden or flower beds
- Make pressed flower pictures or cards
- Paint watercolor flowers or nature scenes
- Make tissue paper suncatchers
- Make egg carton caterpillars or ants
- Decorate Easter eggs
3. Start a Nature Journal
Springtime is a perfect time to start a nature journal or nature study unit with your children. There are a lot of options you can find online or keep it simple by buying a notebook with blank pages. Once you have your notebook, spend time outside and just have your children observe what they see. Have them document their observations through writing, drawing or even gluing things they find into their journal.
4. Study Plant Life Cycles
As everything begins to bloom, take advantage of this time to learn about the lifecycle of a plant! Learn about the different stages of the plant life cycle and watch a time-lapse video of plant growth. To practice, have your child draw the lifecycle and label plant parts. Then get your hands dirty by dissecting a flower or planting seeds and watching them grow!
5. Start a Garden
After learning about plant life cycles and how to make plants grow, plant a garden with your kids! Whether its a large vegetable garden, flower bed or just a small pot of herbs, this is a great opportunity to get your children outside while also learning a valuable life skill. Give each child a section of the garden or their own pot and have them take care of their own plant(s) everyday.
6. Explore Rainbows
With the spring rain comes rainbows! Plan a lesson or unit study on rainbows to learn about how they are formed. Talk about how sunlight and raindrops work together to create a rainbow, and introduce your kids to concepts like light refraction and the color spectrum. Make it hands on by conducting a rainbow science experiment or doing a rainbow art project!
7. Bake Spring Treats
Get your kids in the kitchen and make some delicious spring-inspired treats! Cooking is an important life skill that also allows us to practice math and science concepts. It can also help build confidence and independence in your children. Here are a few delicious spring-inspired ideas to try:
- Carrot cake or muffins with cream cheese frosting
- Lemon-glazed bread with edible flowers
- Bird nest cookies
- Mini fruit tarts with berries and whipped cream
- Spring shaped sugar cookies in with pastel icing
You could also make some treats for the local wildlife and make some suet bird feeders!
8. Read Spring-Themed Books
Embrace the season by reading some spring-themed books with your children. Spring is the perfect time to take your reading outside so plan a picnic or nature walk and bring a book along to enjoy! Here are some wonderful spring books to read with your children:
Springtime Classics:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Nature & Gardening:
How Does a Seed Sprout? by Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar’s First Spring by Eric Carle
From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
We Are the Gardeners by Joanna Gaines
The World Needs the Wonder You See by Joanna Gaines
Hello, World! Garden Time by Jill McDonald
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
Trees, Leaves, Flowers and Seeds: A Visual Encyclopedia of the Plant Kingdom by DK
9. Learn About Pollinators
Plan a lesson or unit study on pollinators! Learn about which insects and animals act as pollinators, what they do and why pollination is important. Make it more interactive by planting some flowers for the local pollinators in your area.
10. Go Birdwatching
As nature comes back to life, one thing we see more of in spring is birds! This makes spring a perfect time to study and learn about birds, like how they build their nests, the life cycle of birds and how they care for their eggs. Take some time to learn about birds local to your area. Then, grab a pair of binoculars, get outside and go birdwatching to see what birds you can find. Turn it into a scavenger hunt by writing down a list of local birds or bring along a camera and turn it into a photography class!
For a fun STEM challenge, have your kids try building a bird’s nest using only materials they find in nature!
11. Conduct an Insect Observation
Learn about insects by becoming an entomologist for a day! Learn about entomology and what an entomologist does. Then, help your child set up a bug trap or search and catch insects outside. Have them observe the insects and complete a journaling prompt to describe the insect’s characteristics, behavior and environment. If you want to get creative, you could have your child do an art project by drawing a picture from an insect’s perspective!
12. Take an Outdoors Field Trip
As the weather gets warmer, it’s the perfect time to get outdoors! Plan some outdoor field trips to go along with the lesson plan ideas above – here are some fun and educational field trips ideas:
- A local farm to learn about animals
- A botanical garden or greenhouse to see and learn about different kinds of plants
- A national park and/or go on a hike to observe nature or have a nature scavenger hunt!
- A butterfly observatory to learn about butterfly life cycles
- A bee farm to learn about how honey is made – and maybe taste some fresh, local honey!
Share Your Experience
We hope these ideas bring fun and excitement into your homeschool this Spring season. We’d love to see how you incorporate these ideas into your homeschool – Share your experiences and photos in the comments below or tag us on Instagram using @mightylittlemindsblog!
Looking for more seasonal resources? Check out our Seasonal & Holiday page!
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