May Holidays and Homeschool Ideas

Looking for a few ways to add some fun to your homeschool?  Here are just a few of the holidays and fun days you can celebrate this month:

May 1st--May Day
*Create a floral bouquet and surprise your grandparents
*Gift your neighbors with some floral plants and offer to help in their garden
*Learn about composting

*Practice a few simple dance steps set to folksongs

May 2nd--National Scrapbook Day
*Create a scrapbook page around an "I am" poem
*Create a page around a state/ historical figure you're studying

*Scrapbook a page about your nature walk

May 5th--Cinco De Mayo
*Read the Real History of Cinco De Mayo
*Complete Cinco De Mayo word search
*Plan a special dinner together

*Try your hand at homemade tortillas

May 10th--Mother's Day
*Create a menu/shop/cook dinner (w/help)
*Play this Mother/Baby Animal Memory Game

*Gift Flower Coupon cards
*Make Mom's favorite dessert

May 15th--Pizza Party Day
*Have a pizza party of course!
*Cut pizzas in different amounts and talk about fractions
*Double or half the recipe for more practice in fractions
*Research favorite pizza toppings by country

May 18th--Museum Day
*Go to your local children's museum
*Check out an art gallery
*Or explore the train museum

May 20th--Pick Strawberries Day

*Plant strawberry plants

*Extract DNA from strawberries
*Visit a U-Pick Strawberry farm
*Pack these Peanut Butter and Strawberry Jelly Bars

May 25th--Memorial Day
*Attend a memorial service at a veteran's cemetery
*Write to a serviceman in your family

*Watch a patriotic movie together

What days are you celebrating this month?

Weekend Links ll April 24, 2026

 

Famous Landmarks Worksheet Printables

Mexico Cultural Day Passport Activities

Spring Journal

What to Do When Your Kids Hate Homeschool Music Lessons

Cultivating Beauty In Your Homeschool

Ideas of Hands-On Learning in the Spring

 

Make a Mini Greenhouse

Label the Parts of a Flower Worksheet

Garden Seed Starting Tips

7 Plants You Need to Attract Butterflies

Butterfly Life Cycle Activity Pack

Fletcher and the Springtime Blossoms Book Club

How Clouds Make Rain Experiment

Clover Nature Study

20 Spring Activities Kids Will Love

You Can Be Brave {Review}

 

We live in a busy wold.  Information is everywhere, headlines scream chaos, anxiety is on the rise.  Since 2020, counseling waitlists have grown exponentially, with many clients finding it impossible to get an appointment.  Being brave feels far out of reach when most of us are just trying to get through the day.

Author Max Lucado addresses our fear filled world, while encouraging his readers not to be filled with fear themselves.  Simply saying, "Don't worry" just doesn't cut it.  But in true Lucado style, the author walks us through how to move away from fear as default reaction, love fully, and live boldly.  Some of my favorite takeaways from this book include:

*"Parents... We can be loyal advocates, stubborn intercessors.  We can take our parenting fears to Christ.  If fact, if we don't, we will take our fees out on our kids."

*"Whether or not storms come, we cannot choose. But where we stare during a storm, that we can choose."

*"Change trampolines our lives, and when it does, God sends someone special to stabilize us (Holy Spirit)."

*"Christ distributes courage through community; he never dissipates doubts through fellowship.  He never deposits all knowledge in one person but distributes pieces of the jigsaw puzzle to many.  When you interlock your understanding with mine, and we share our discoveries... When we mix, mingle, confess, and pray, Christ speaks."

I loved that this book goes beyond the cliches of "Don't worry," "Trust the Lord," "Where's your faith?"  Instead Lucado uses real life examples of struggle and the peace that comes from laying it all down before the Lord.  His writing is a beautiful mix of Scripture and story telling, relating Biblical truth to everyday life we all find ourselves living.  This book was an easy read, but with powerful message... making brave choices today can lead us into a purposeful future with the Lord.  All in all, a worthwhile read.

*Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.  All opinions are my own.

Regarding Socialization in Homeschool

"But what about socialization?"

Ahhh.... the S word!

Socialization in homeschool really isn't as big of a deal as everyone thinks it is.  It 's so much more than simply hanging out with same aged peers all day.  It's engaging in real life social interactions with people of a variety of ages and stages.  And homeschool is the perfect environment to make that happen.  It's learning to connect, collaborate, and learn in every day life.  It's really all about building relationships.

Socialization won't happen overnight.  It does require some trial and error in finding a good family rhythm.  It means trying new classes, inviting others into your life, and building community.  But while it takes time and effort, the results are so worth it.

So while you're building your socialization circle, keep the following ideas in mind:

*Invite a family over for a meal or playdate

*Try out a local nature study group

*Say yes to meeting a friend at the park

*Look for library events (homeschool families love the library)

*Take your kids on every day errands and encourage them to interact with others

*Join a volunteer group 

*Plug into a local church and small group

*Establish a reoccurring commitment with family or friends

*Join a sports team and actually interact with the other families

*Look for low cost kid classes at the YMCA

*Join a local park meet up

*Start something new!

It can definitely take some effort to find your niche.  But when you do, the socialization issue just falls into place.  Don't get frustrated if it doesn't happen on the first try.  Rarely does anyone connect instantaniously.  But with a little time and effort, you'll find your community, and socialization concerns will feel like a far distant worry.

How do you address the socialization issue?