Alternatives to Homework-Outdoor Activities
May 19, 2012
Alternatives to Homework
Outdoor Activities
• Gardening.
• Fishing: learn safety, responsibility, sportsmanship, and nature.
• Walking/hiking: stop and discuss things you see, take pictures to share with classmates, compare local areas to other places.
• Bring three soil samples to school in zip lock bags. Write on the bags where each came from.
• Observe birds and explain to your family how their beaks and feet are suited to what food they eat.
• Maintaining pets: an example: find a typical caterpillar and keep it until it turns into a moth or butterfly. Will allow kids to have to find different plant material for it to eat, water it, wash out its cage. A great science project and it is free.
• Train a dog.
• Build with wood and tools: i.e. tree house, fort, etc.
• Photograph things in nature: talk about the different things you photograph. You could enter photo contests with the pictures. Even if they don't win, it gives them opportunity to go through the entering process, and a chance to learn how to enjoy the experience even if it doesn't involve "winning."
• Go horseback riding and explore nature - identify trees, flowers, weeds, etc; check the water supply in the ponds and streams and talk about the importance of water and clean air. Learn the importance of taking care of our animals; feeding, watering and loving them.
• Run a lemonade stand: made posters, plan a menu for the stand, buy the supplies from a given budget, cashier, count money, roll coins, visited the bank to make the exchange. For another element, donate proceeds to a charity.
• Walking the dog: developing an appreciation/ responsibility for looking after your pet.
• Find a small creek and build a dam out of rocks and mud.
• Go to the forest and build a fort out of limbs.
• Biking.
• Playing catch.
• Skating.
• Swimming.
• Relay races.
• Playing on a playground.
• Learn and perform magic tricks.
• Hopscotch.
• Puddle jumping.
• Go camping.
• Name that state of water: vapor, liquid, solid.
• Name that rock.
• Name that plant.
• Name that insect.
• Measure the sidewalk to figure out how many yards are in a block, etc. Kids can also count how many steps they take over the distance and come up with their own unique measuring unit.
• Take some wide tape and make a bracelet out of it (sticky side out), gather things from nature to make a bracelet and discuss them.
• Find, house and feed a caterpillar to watch it transform into a butterfly. If you don't have caterpillars in your yard or neighborhood, there are butterfly kits available online and in many stores.
• Go outdoors with a bird book and see how many birds you can find that are in that book. Take a tree book and see if you can find those trees in your nearest park. (do the same for bugs, animals, etc.)
• We measured the sun's shadows on the first day of winter and on the first day of summer. Compare and contrast.
• Watch a spider spin a web.
