The fact that I named this post “unconventional homeschool classes” is kind of funny. Most people would say homeschooling is already unconventional. As a family who has been homeschooling for 3 years now, homeschool seems conventional to us. But, there are a few classes that we would have never thought would be of interest to our kids. Like any other kid, our homeschoolers change their interests all the time, which keeps us as their parents/teachers on our toes in terms of classes and curriculum. Here are a few of the most unconventional homeschool classes that we’ve either created for our little learners, or they’ve asked to learn more about.
Culinary Arts
This one is the most fun for me because once my kids learn how to cook, and how to properly use simple kitchen tools, they can start making more of the dinners! Praise be! Cooking lessons for kids are offered all over the country, especially if you have a culinary school in your area. If you don’t want to keep it so structured, cooking classes can start right in your own kitchen. They very first thing we had our kids do was follow directions on the back of a box of brownies. Their final test? Make the perfect scrambled eggs (it’s not as easy as you think). Don’t be afraid to keep it simple.
Photography
Our now 12 year old has been very interested in learning how to use the two DSLR cameras we have in our home. So much so, we’ve decided to turn this into an actual course for him. My husband has also been bit with the photography bug, so they will be learning together. While I have learned quite a bit about photography for this here blog, most of the learning will happen via YouTube videos and books from the library.
Bird Watching
Listen. I know this one sounds a little silly. But, hear me out. Bird watching not only hits on biology, but it teaches kids about categorization, the importance of travel (you won’t find all the birds in your backyard), and patience. Patience! Learning patience via bird watching is probably the most amazing thing for kids to learn. Bird watching can also touch on creating art, and my second favorite part, latin. So many latin names for so many birds. As of the writing of this post, we haven’t dived into bird watching, but many homeschooling friends have told me all of the awesomeness behind this unconventional homeschool class. We plan to start soon, and we’ll be sure to document it on Instagram and Facebook.
