3 Homeschool Picnic Ideas to Take Your Learning Outdoors

I live in the beautiful Upper Peninsula (U.P.) of Michigan... a place full of shimmering waterfalls, continuous miles of shoreline of not one, but three of the Great Lakes, small-town charm, and if we are being real, six-plus months of living in a frozen tundra. Every year since moving back to the U.P. I fear that the winter will never end. But just when I am about to give up hope, the birds began to chirp and the snow melts away.

In a matter of days, all traces of winter disappear, and I am left longing for lazy days in the sun with my children. Before I know it our homeschool schedule becomes more lax, and we are looking for fun additions to our routine. One of our favorite things to do when the weather is nice is to have a picnic. Of course, anyone can have a picnic at any time, but I like to incorporate them into our homeschool.

Here are three homeschool picnic ideas to try out this year:

1. Poetry Tea Time

My family is currently using three different levels of BookShark. All three of our BookShark packages include poetry assignments. Throughout the winter I followed the Instructor’s Guides and read the recommended pages as instructed, but now that the nice weather is here to stay, I have gone rogue. I saved all of our poetry assignments for the week and surprised my children with a backyard poetry tea time picnic.

2. Last Day of Homeschool

To celebrate the last day of homeschool why not have a picnic. Invite your homeschool friends over for one last hurrah before all the summer festivities begin. Is your home too small for a big gathering? Try hosting at a public venue:

• a local park
• the beach
• a rental hall

If you don’t want to prepare all the food on your own, have a sign-up list and go potluck style. You could even have a curriculum swap/sale when everyone is together.

3. Homegrown Goodness

My favorite type of picnic is one with food prepared only with homegrown produce. I would love to say that I have my own beautiful garden, but that hasn’t happened yet. I hope to start a container garden on my deck this year since my yard is either too shaded or deer infested. But I don’t let the little fact that I don’t have my own garden stop me from finding some homegrown goodness. I find locally grown produce at the following three places:

• Farmers Market
  I purchase a lot of our fresh produce at the farmers market hosted in the library parking lot a few blocks from my house. I am always thrilled with the amazing fruits and vegetables the local farmers have to offer here. And I’m not complaining about the yummy baked goods, either.
• Local Grocery Store
  A few of the farmers and small business owners sell their products in the grocery stores in my town. I love being able to support U.P. residents year round. In addition to fresh produce, I have found some fantastic salad dressings and jams to add to our pantry.
• Family and Friends
  I am lucky enough to have so many people in my life who have green thumbs. My grandma has a garden, and always sends home fresh goodies with us every time we visit. I also have a few friends who plant their own gardens and are willing to sell or trade some of their produce with me.

What are you waiting for? Get out and enjoy the beautiful weather, delicious food, and good company by hosting your own homeschool picnic today.

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About the Author

Roxanne Raiche is a book hoarding, coffee loving, homeschooling mama of three in Iron Mountain, Michigan. She is the voice behind Blushing Bibliophile.