How We Homeschool: Celebrations (Blogging Through the Alphabet)

What does a celebration have to do with homeschool? So much, you'll probably want to start holding them if you aren't already!

When we attended a charter school, one of my children's favorite things was the Celebration of Learning that was held twice a year. The children had studied a topic and then presented what they learned to their families in an evening get together. My kids said they would miss this when we started to homeschool. When we received The Family School curriculum, I quickly noticed that they suggested the same thing!

We have taken every opportunity to hold celebrations that we can. Even more helpful is that it is written into our curriculum! When we finish studying a topic, we have a lesson period that is a celebration time. During this time we review the topic, then do crafts, games, and make food. I take pictures and sometimes print a few per child so they can keep them in their binders.

For example, when we studied the explorers, we had a dinner of foods they would have had on their ships, and foods they would have encountered in the new world. We made an earth sun catcher, newspaper sailor hats, and played games to help us understand the use of a compass.

At the end of each school year we hold a huge celebration. We turn our back patio into a museum and buffet. We have artwork, crafts, and other projects that we've completed hung on fences and spread on tables. My children study a country in depth each year, and the buffet consists of foods from the countries they chose. We invite grandparents and a few aunts and uncles. The celebration starts with my children as museum tour guides, then we eat. The children present oral reports about their country. This has become a much anticipated event, for both the children and the grandparents!

The Celebration of Learning is such a fun way to help children remember what they've been studying and gives them an opportunity to share their knowledge with others. I hope you'll try holding a Celebration of Learning too!

I have kept a record on this blog of some of our past celebrations. You can find all blog posts about them here. The Year 3 celebration was probably our favorite one yet, and the cytology celebration was a lot of fun!