Summer is winding down, but the vibrant days of August still hold a wealth of opportunities for creativity and learning at home. Imagine your child’s eyes lighting up with excitement as they engage in activities that make education not just informative, but genuinely fun. As a homeschooling parent, you have the unique chance to turn this transitional month into an adventure-packed experience that bridges the joys of summer with the enrichment of the upcoming school year. With a little planning and a sprinkle of imagination, your August homeschool calendar can become a treasure trove of memorable moments and educational milestones.
In this blog post, we’re diving into 10 dynamic fun homeschool calendar activities for August that you’ll absolutely love. These aren’t your run-of-the-mill worksheets and lectures; we’re talking about hands-on projects, outdoor explorations, and inventive games that make learning feel like playtime. Packed with a variety of themes, from science experiments to artistic endeavors, this list promises to cater to diverse interests and keep your kids and teens eagerly engaged. Whether you’re a seasoned homeschooler looking for fresh ideas or new to the scene, these activities here is the blog and in our August Calendar Activities Pack that’s both structured and spontaneous, ensuring that learning never feels like a chore. Get ready to spark curiosity, ignite passions, and make August an unforgettable month of growth and learning!
DIY Science Experiments Galore for your Homeschool Calendar
Science experiments are a fantastic way to engage children in hands-on learning and spark their curiosity about the world around them. In August, take advantage of the warm weather and long days to explore various scientific concepts through exciting DIY experiments in your homeschool calendar.
1. Make homemade giant human-size giant bubbles. Use a kiddie pool or a large bowl. Make a bubble wand out of a hula hoop. Make a different want out of two dowels and a long string. You can even experiment to create your own bubble wand from straws or other materials. At the end, you’ll find some recipes using ingredients you can easily get. Who knows? You may even have them around the house already! Have older kids set up experiments for the recipe and time how long it takes bubbles to pop or measure how big they can get.
2. Make slime or puff paint from shaving cream. Another fascinating experiment involves making slime or puff paint using shaving cream. All you need is shaving cream, glue, and food coloring. If you want to make outdoor puff paint, substitute the glue with cornstarch. Add a bit of water if needed. Other recipes use flour rather than cornstarch. You can also mix together glue, water, and borax solution to create a gooey substance that can be stretched and molded for regular slime. Children can explore the properties of different materials while having fun with this sensory activity.
3. Create an outdoor mini car or marble track. Save toilet paper and paper towel rolls, scrap cardboard, or styrofoam inserts in product boxes. Hand a big garbage bag of collected supplies and a roll of duct tape. Challenge your kids to go in the backyard and create a self-standing track for marbles or Hot Wheels cars. Then have races and time the runs. Experiment with ways to reduce friction. When it’s all done, just bag it back up and dispose of it all.
Active Outdoor Fun!
If you live in an area where August has the best weather of the year, you will LOVE these awesome fun homeschool calendar activities for the whole neighborhood or homeschool social group.
4. Play Air Traffic Control. Set up an obstacle course in your backyard or at a park. Create a stage area to be the “control tower” where the Air Traffic Controllers will stand. Establish a “take off and landing place” for the “airplanes” who will be blindfolded. Divide your group into at least 2 pairs. Three or more partners can make it even more fun. Have the pairs decide who will be the “airplane,” and who will be the “air traffic controller.” Set up 2 or 3 pairs to play at the same time. The air traffic controllers should stand on the area designated as the “control tower.” The airplanes should each stand blindfolded on their own “take off” spot. On “Go,” the air traffic controllers should call out directions to their own airplane to navigate safely through the obstacle course. The goal is to guide your airplane to be the first plane to land on that team’s “landing place.” The important skills needed are for the air traffic controllers to give clear, concise directions, and for the planes to listen for the voice of their own controllers and follow directions carefully. Kids and teens LOVE this game!
Art Extravaganza: Creative Projects for Every Day
August is the perfect time to unleash your child’s inner artist through a variety of creative projects. From painting to sculpting, there are endless possibilities for artistic expression in your homeschool calendar.
5. Make a paper people pool party. Use scraps of construction paper, scrapbooking paper, scissors, glue sticks, punches, umbrella toothpicks, blue acetate wrapping paper or marbled construction paper for water, and anything else you may find around the house to create a fun paper doll collage picture. You could even work together on this one to create a collaborative mural!
6. Design a dragonfly or butterfly. Use a plastic spoon as the body. Use chenille stems, tissue paper, waxed paper, parchment paper, scrapbooking paper, or even feathers to create fancy, beautiful wings. Teens could use copper or colored craft wire to twist and form a dragonfly or butterfly. Wind marbles or pretty rocks into the wire for a more artistic effect.
7. Experiment with artistic photography. Budding photographers love to go outdoors to places that will yield interesting visual images. If your elementary kids enjoy photography, consider organizing a nature scavenger hunt where they can capture images of various plants, animals, or natural phenomena. This activity combines art with outdoor exploration and encourages children to observe their surroundings more closely. For teens, take them to an area that has a variety of colors or textures, like a botanical garden or an urban city area with bricks and murals. Help your teen download editing software to be even more creative with their photos.
Remember to display your child’s artwork proudly around the house to boost their confidence and celebrate their creative achievements. Artistic projects not only enhance fine motor skills but also promote self-expression and imagination.
Music and Movement: Rhythms to Brighten the Day
Add some rhythm to your August homeschool calendar with music and movement activities that will get your child grooving while learning valuable skills.
8. Explore different genres of music. Create a playlist that includes classical, jazz, rock, and world music. Louis Armstrong and Claude Debussy had birthdays in August. Encourage your kids to explore the sounds and rhythms of each genre and discuss their preferences. A fun activity is do free draw while listening to a song.
8. Have a family dance party. Organize a family dance party where everyone can let loose and show off their moves. You can provide colorful scarves or dance ribbons. Use YouTube videos to learn how to line dance or hula dance. You could make or use various sizes of drums to move to rhythm.
Music and movement activities not only promote physical fitness but also enhance cognitive abilities such as memory, concentration, and pattern recognition.
Outdoor Adventures for your Homeschool Calendar
Turn your backyard into a magical outdoor cinema for memorable movie nights under the stars. This homeschool calendar activity combines the joy of watching movies with the excitement of being outdoors.
9. Set up an outdoor movie or gathering area in your backyard. Start by setting up a cozy seating area using blankets, pillows, or camping chairs. Hang string lights or use lanterns to create a warm ambiance that adds to the enchantment of the evening. It’s OK to do learning activities any time of day, including the evening! To make it even more special, set up a concession stand where children can make their own popcorn or prepare other movie snacks like nachos or homemade ice cream.
Outdoor movie nights provide an opportunity for quality family time, foster a love for storytelling, and create lasting memories under the twinkling night sky.
Inspire a Love for Reading
10. Have a reading picnic at a park or even in your family room. Have everyone bring a blanket, a snack, and a water bottle. Spread out a variety of books, both fiction and nonfiction, on a central blanket. Spend an hour or so looking at books or reading. You can even begin with a read-aloud that is an exciting story appropriate for any age. No need to be silent. Let the kids talk about the cool things they see and read.
This homeschool calendar activity promotes literacy skills while also fostering social connections with peers. And who knows? Your reading picnics may even turn into a regular book club that even your kids with dyslexia and ADHD will look forward to!
Happy Back to Homeschool!
If you start your homeschool year in August, we wish you all the best in your school year! We want to support you for a successful, happy homeschool year.
First, download the ebook, Learning Plan Success Kit – now entitled “How to Homeschool in 6 Easy Steps.”
Second, join our facebook group, “Homeschool Help for Special Needs” to ask questions and share ideas.
Third, you will love our “Complete Homeschool Planner” in the Unique Learners Store. This planner has calendars for this school year, but the planner itself is perpetual. Make the copies you need for your recordkeeping needs. The blackline master lesson planning pages are the ones I created for our own homeschool. If you want it tweaked for your own homeschool, let us know. We’ll be happy to adjust the subjects for you. Use this practical homeschool planner year after year!
Last, if you need help with a child who is struggling with learning in any subject area, contact us! We can help you discover the best curriculum that is likely to work for your neurodivergent learner. We can help you set up a routine that fits your family.
Wrapping Up August Homeschool Calendar: Reflections and Celebrations
As we go through August, take some time to prepare for the school year. August was always my planning month and a chance for the kids to have a free summer to regroup and have a fresh start when we launched the new year.
Sit down together and create a scrapbook or journal that captures the highlights of each activity from this past year. Encourage your child to write about their favorite moments, draw pictures, or include photographs from their experiences. Talk about what didn’t get done and if it is worth keeping on the To Do List or just needs to be dropped. Ask the kids what they learned and what they want to learn.
Host a mini-exhibition where your child can showcase their artwork, science experiments, or any other projects they worked on throughout the month. Invite family members or close friends to celebrate these accomplishments and provide positive feedback.
Celebrate the end of August with a special treat or outing that your child has been looking forward to. It could be a picnic in the park, a visit to an ice cream parlor, or simply spending quality time together doing something they love. We loved to do a special field trip or family mini vacation to start the new school year with a bang. When the kids were little, we saw Arthur at the Mall of America. As they got older, we visited Yellowstone National Park. So many other fun Back-to-School Adventures! Be creative and see what is in your area.
By wrapping up August with reflections and celebrations, you create lasting memories while reinforcing the value of self-reflection, acknowledging personal achievements, and launching a fun new year of instilling a love for life-long learning!
Links to recipes, instructions, and more ideas for activities:
https://www.itsalwaysautumn.com/how-to-make-a-giant-bubble-wand-for-amazing-bubbles.html
https://www.homesciencetools.com/article/how-to-make-super-bubbles-science-project/
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Join our new “Homeschool Help for Special Needs” Facebook group! It is a place for homeschool moms to ask questions about homeschooling a child with special learning needs, share teaching and curriculum ideas that have worked (and those that bombed), and be real about the unique challenges of homeschooling with special needs. If you want to join us, be sure to answer the member questions to help us keep this private group secure. Join us now!
