Last school year, we started offering some simple STEAM activities at our Tuesday meetup for our local homeschool group. We did lots of fun activities, still had lots of time for socializing and making friends and even had lunch! This year, we’re going to take these activities to the next level with the help of the website DIY.org.
The way it works is that your child can look through the badges to see what subjects might interest them. These subjects coincide with colorful badges. There are a number of choices of challenges that can be completed under each subject/badge. If your child completes three challenges, s/he earns the badge. You can order a physical copy of to add to a backpack, duffel bag or super-non-geeky lab coat!
I went online today, created accounts for my children and myself and uploaded all the activities we have done over the past year. They were able to complete about 20 activities this way, and earn 2 badges each as well as make progress toward several more.
We registered our group as a DIY club with them called DIY Camp Somerset. The kids will be our DIY Explorers.
We will complete one challenge per week in the same subject area (the last week will be a special activity). With this plan, the kids will earn at least one badge per month. Combining the challenges with supplementary activities make a fun and easy way to do a unit study.
You should check this website out for lots of great ideas for fun and a built-in motivational system for your kiddos. And if you’re interested in joining us in Massachusetts, go to http://kidsoutings.wordpress.com/ for a full schedule of events including DIY Camp, field trips, free meetups and teen activities.
Outside the Box Homeschoolers 