How to Create Your Own Epic Theme Day
Educating our children for most of us homeschoolers is not a home activity…it’s a world activity. It’s reading aloud Island of the Blue Dolphins at the beach while waves crash and kids dig in the sand peacefully. It’s learning about First Nation people in Alaska from an actual First Nation’s tribesman. It’s studying the Alamo at the Alamo. It’s learning about cable cars while watching the cables wrap around the immense wheels in San Francisco at the Cable Car Museum. So, can we just agree to change out the word “homeschool” for the word “worldschool?” You can follow lots of Instagram accounts of homeschoolers who call themselves “Roadschoolers” who live in RVs or travel to a different country every month of the year. So, when something keeps us at home for a period of time, whether it be rain or snowed-in, a pandemic, working from home, whatever the reason - theme days become an absolute necessity…it IS the adventure. It’s an adventure in your own home.
Are you wondering, “How can I put on a theme day?” We are here to help! We have set up number of theme days planned for you! For some, you need to plan ahead and buy books and supplies. For others you need to read the novel first. Or, you may need to check your budget and figure out alternatives. And hopefully, for some, you can just execute tomorrow. Most of them, though, are simple to execute. Check out our list below to either incorporate theme days into your next week, or to even just inspire you to create a theme for your own children’s unique interests.
THEME DAYS
As you may already know, we LOVE theme days and think they matter a great deal. I’ve had this year’s Star Wars Day planned for months and can’t wait! We just did our Sports Day in honor of the first Angels baseball opening day - the first one that my son has not attended in person. Our Frozen Fever day was such a sweet, magical day for my family. My personal favorite was Lego Day - full of creativity, engineering, and movies! Other theme days we have made available for you are Poetry Tea Time, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and Pirates Day! You can see our entire listing of theme days all in one spot as well. Check out our podcast, episode 18, to hear us talk about this favorite in-home adventure of mine.
We will be posting more theme days soon - like:
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Alice in Wonderland
Sweets Day (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
Adventures in Narnia (The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe)
Theme days, whether they’re book-themed, movie-themed, nature-themed…whatever, theme days break up the monotony of the “normal” school day. It gives your kids AND YOU! something to look forward to. It gives your children their favorite adventures - at home.
Here’s the makings of a theme day to help you come up with your own theme day if you feel so inspired. You need all four of these components:
1) Multiple Subjects for Multiple Age Groups
I have a TK-er, a 2nd grader, and a 3rd grader, so I need the theme day to work for all elementary ages. Also, I like to try to include multiple subjects like art, history, and literature with activities that most of my kids can participate in. Usually math finds its way in too, since I’ve always had a crush on math. I typically customize math a little bit for each of my children. Every single subject though has the theme - either just in decoration or in its entirety.
2) Variety of activities
Your theme is worthy to have a number of activities, and it will be best served with more than just a bunch of worksheets, books, and screen time. This element piggybacks on number 1, since subjects and activities go hand in hand. Include action/movement like dancing, a Hug O’ War, or obstacle course. For character-building discussions you can play a game that will help them work as a team or read a fable that teaches a lesson. Include growth and challenges with trying new things like arts and crafts using canvases and mediums they’ve never used before, or Lego construction challenges, or writing and presenting a speech. These activities will make your theme day more educational, more memorable, and more fun! Our activity books provide some ideas that give a little bit extra to help you be more purposeful in the activities you choose to incorporate into your day.
The following list are elements I consider when creating a theme day. This is bare bones, but will allow for a full theme day if you flesh it out to fit your children’s interests and needs.
One book: This could be a Who is? book (history), an informational book (science or history), or a story set in the theme’s setting (literature). It could be a comparisons book (science), a poetry or fables book (literature) or a picture book (art).
One activity: You can choose letter writing (manners, grammar), an experiment (science), a lego build (engineering), or a worksheet (math, coloring sheet, etc.). You can dance to music from the movie, sing the lyrics, or play your instrument (music). You can create shapes with your body (math, gymnastics), or mimic famous statues from a specific artist, time period, or country (art history). Also, sometimes an activity book can help reach the various subjects and developmental levels. You can buy one for each child for their grade level. Or, you can have one they share, that they thumb through and find pages that excite them at an activity book station. Usborne books is a great vendor for themed activity books.
One craft: Maybe you need to make something you will use for the experiment (science), or you can teach embroidery (art), make a paper mache dinosaur egg (science), concoct slime (chemistry), paint by numbers or do a sticker mosaic (art history), or weave a potholder (math - patterns).
One game: Charades (reading/symbolism), a board game (cooperative learning, math), and you can even have a race (PE).
Try to include these elements into your day to allow for all ages to enjoy your theme day as a one-room-school house.
3) Topics that Kids Love
This is the kicker. The theme has to be something your kids and you are excited about. My son loves sports, so we had a sports day. My girls love Frozen, so we had a Frozen day. We all love Harry Potter, so we all dressed in our wizard costumes and created spells. I love Star Wars, so I force my kids every May 4th to love Star Wars whether they want to or not! (“You will laugh at Hans Solo’s witticisms, or no dinner for you!”)
4) Extras
Table decorations, costumes, props, cuisine, treats, a fire in the fireplace, movie music soundtrack, and a tea party are just a few examples of how to put the icing on the cake. Rearrange your furniture, make an outdoor oasis in your backyard, hang a hammock, or go sit on your balcony. You pull the theme off with the extras.
So try a theme day. Pick a day this next week. Use what we’ve provided for you, or make one up yourself! Create an adventure day inside your own home. And, if you are still wondering why theme days matter so much - I will tell you. Theme days make being home more delicious and more inspiring than the regular ho-hum day…Theme days make being home the ultimate place we all want to be.