Today’s my last Tip of the Day blog.  How quickly May has flown by!  I’ve so much enjoyed spending this month on The Front Porch!  Thank you for the opportunity Tia and HomeschoolBlogger! 

Today’s tip has been inspired by another blogger whose writings I have recently had the joy of reading.  By Sun and Candlelight creates such a warm and inviting learning environment for her children!  For each new thing they study, she sets up a lovely display to peak the interest of her boys.  Yes, boys.  Yes, lovely displays.  I think it’s marvelous that she’s helping her boys to appreciate beauty, too.  Here’s a picture of one of her displays.

Whether it’s a unit, a special holiday, someone’s birthday or just something you want to do to peak your children’s interest in a certain subject, think about creating a special place in your home to create a buzz of inquisitiveness for your children.

Here are some examples:

Bird Notebooking – Set up a little table in front of a window where you’ve placed a birdfeeder.  On the table, place a few bird info books and how-to-draw books on the table.  Include a basket full of colored pencils and drawing paper.  If you happen to have any bird stuffed animals, crafts, stencils, little birds used by crafters, or anything else to do with birds – set them on, under or around the table.  Place a couple of cozy chairs or pillows near the window to encourage bird watching.

See what I mean.  Very inviting, yet very gentle nudging.  You’re lighting the spark that will get their fires going!

Fourth of July – Cover the table with a piece of cheap patriotic fabric as a table cloth.  Place a flag in the middle of the table, along with a few books about the 4^th, some red, white & blue crafting supplies in a basket, and maybe a handmade poster of The Pledge of Allegiance taped to the wall behind the table.  On the fourth, you might place a lovely plate of sugar cookies on the table to be decorated and eaten after singing some patriotic songs.  How about some sparklers sitting in a vase that they get to use later that night?

The sky is the limit!  These little displays do take some planning by Mom, but what a reward for your efforts when your children run down the hall to see just what Mom may have done with “the” table today!

Here’s my first go at a learning display.

The topic is Insects – I’ve placed some bumblebee fabric (that I already had) on the table.  I’ve included a bowl of plastic bugs, some insect books (nonfiction and fiction), a bug box with built in magnifier, sketchbooks and colored pencils, insect life cycle cards (handmade from internet photocopies), bug stickers and some fun reproducibles I found on the internet (bug masks and word searches). 

Since we’re not really “schooling” right now, I’m using this table as more of an exploration center for the time being.  I’ll probably change a few of the current items out in a couple of days.  Maybe adding the Cootie game, some playdough for bug sculpting, some insect coloring/labeling sheets and a self-explanatory experiment.

In two days’ time, my children have LOVED this display and have soaked up every book and goody I’ve put out.  I’m off to plan more displays………..

If you make/have made one, would you mind posting your topic and what you included in the display?  I'd love your ideas!

Cindy West (On Our Journey Westward) is a homeschooling mom of three who enjoys encouraging and inspiring other homeschoolers.

Related Tags: homeschool, learning displays