7 Fun Homeschooling Projects That Won't Break the Bank

 Homeschooling can be super expensive, but it doesn't have to be.  There are lots of fun ways to teach your kiddos without breaking your bank.  Your kids will be more open to learning if they aren't always reading and working out of textbooks anyway.  I've kept most of these projects fairly generalized, so they can be tailored for all age groups.  So give these projects a try, and let us know what you think.

1. Let Your Kids Become the Teachers

I've found this works really great for math lessons.  With the large number of math tutorials out there, why not let your kids create one?  You can task them with teaching your other kids or just you.  Kids will love being able to create a video.  For added fun, upload to a private YouTube channel to watch on the big tv during class.

2. Put on a Play

This works for so many subjects.  You can pick from important moments in history, or a famous story from ancient literature.  No need to spend money on costumes and props.  The kids will have fun making things out of cardboard boxes, couch cushions and anything else they can find.  It's always more fun when the parents are cast as characters as well!

3. Apply Learning to Real Life

Here should be the goal of all learning.  Help your kids make the connection from what they've learned to how they can use it in life.  Bring fractions into the kitchen by breaking out those measuring cups and baking a cake.  Have them help measure for a project you're doing around the house.  Give them a budget for certain foods they want and let them figure out what they can buy.  The possibilities are endless.

4. Have Them Write a Book

This could be on any subject.  It could be a butterfly life cycle with pictures for younger children.  You can task your child to create their own fable.  For older children, I love having them choose a certain time period and writing a story that keeps everything true to that time.  This means the way the characters speak, wear and interact with one another.

5. Identifying Species

Before I get into this one, I suggest taking photos of the species rather than taking them out of their natural environments.  Kids will have a great time being photographers anyway.  They can be turned into slide shows later on.  Have fun as a family.  Take a walk and find bugs, leaves, plants, birds, fish and the list goes on.  When you get home look at everything you've found and have the kids do some research on them.  The kids will learn so much, and teaching them to respect nature is a lesson in and of itself.

6. Incorporate the Arts

Make learning more fun while letting your little ones explore the arts.  They can write a song about the Industrial Revolution.  How about painting a picture that represents a scene from the book they are reading?  Or my personal favorite: recycling old items to build sculptures of famous architecture from around the world.

7. Put Together a News Broadcast

Make current events fun.  Have your kids research what's going on nationally, globally, locally...whatever works best for your child's age.  Give them some toy microphones or have them make some props of their own.  They can dress up, wear a fake mustache, and anything else you can think of.  They will have a blast, and you will feel great knowing they are learning in the process.