What better way to crown your fall homeschooling experience than by observing some fall holidays? On today’s Home School Heartbeat, HSLDA President Mike Smith suggests several fall holidays to study—and celebrate—in your homeschool this year.
Mike Smith:
Don’t forget to celebrate the holidays of fall! Thanksgiving may be the one that first springs to mind, but it’s not the only one.
Yom Kippur, Reformation Day, and All Saints Day each have religious significance and often major historical events connected to it. Check out books on the historical background of the holiday, biographies of key figures, historical fiction, music or artwork associated with the holiday, and ethnic traditions. You could also use one of these holidays as a starting point for a unit study on your family’s religious heritage.
You could brush up on English history in your homeschool this year by observing Guy Fawkes Day on the fifth of November, and learning about the Gunpowder Plot and the history of the British Parliament.
And what about Veterans Day as an opportunity to teach your children about the cost of freedom? The holiday began as Armistice Day, celebrating the end of World War I, but was broadened to honor veterans of all American wars. Take your children to a nursing home to visit a veteran, make cards for veterans and distribute them through a local VA medical center, or have your student interview a veteran and write a short essay.
Of course, you won’t want to miss the rich opportunity fall offers to study Thanksgiving and the founding of America! As you learn about the precious freedom the Pilgrims sought, you’ll appreciate the freedom we have—to worship and to teach our children—at home.
And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.
