Homeschooling Gift Idea: Museum Memberships

Homeschoolers love museums.

With classes, hands-on exhibits, and well-informed docents, museums provide interaction with a subject that no book or lecture ever could.

Homeschoolers know this, and take full advantage of their local museums.

Unfortunately, some museums can be pricey, especially when entire families are paying for admission.

So, a perfect gift for the homeschooling family in your life is a museum membership.

But which museum should you choose?

First, ask the parents what the family is studying and where the children's interest lie.

Second, do a quick online search of museums in their area with those interests in mind. You could search "San Francisco museums" or "Houston children's museums" or "Charleston science museums," for example.

Next, look at your museum-of-choice's membership offerings. Some offer gift memberships. Some include guest passes with the family memberships (so you can join in the homeschooling museum experience). Others even offer reciprocal entry at a discount or for free to other museums in the area, the state, or even the nation.

To make the gift more special for the family to open, purchase a book or game related to the museum and pop the membership information in with it. For instance, a book about Monet would go well with an art museum membership, while a game of Senet would work with an Egyptian museum membership. 

Finally, get ready for heartfelt thanks for your thoughtful and useful gift!

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Homeschooling Gift Idea: DIY Supplies

Homeschoolers are notorious "DIYers" (do-it-yourself). They love hands-on projects, getting dirty, making messes, ulitmately creating something of worth out of all that chaos.

Try shopping at the local hardware store for gifts. After checking with the parents for age-appropriateness and ability level, take a cruise down the aisles and discover all the tools of creativity.

If you are not comfortable in large hardware stores, shop at a small hardware store: a place where the employees are experienced carpenters, plumbers, and the like. These folks will gladly listen to your ideas and needs, and guide you to the tools and implements that would best suit the gift recipient. If your only option is a large box store, go when they are slow (not in the early morning when the construction trade is there, and not on weekends when homeowners are there). Go to the information desk and tell them what you are looking for and that you want someone with a working background in that area. You may have to wait a bit, but having a person who knows what they are doing is well worth your time.

Here are some ideas of items to consider:
Hand tools
Screws
Nails
Different sizes and types of wood
PVC Pipe and fittings
Wood glue
Stain/paint/varnish
Brushes
Hinges
Pulleys
Rope
Plastic tubing
Power tools (check with the parents first!)
Clamps
Measuring tape
Measuring sticks
Magnets
Wire
Steel wool
Safety goggles
Work gloves
Dust mask
DIY books
Tarps/drop cloths

If you are a handyperson, give a woodworking book along with a note telling the child to choose a project from the book. Then, have a special outing where the two of you go and purchase the supplies, then return home to make the chosen item. What a special gift!

If you do not know which end of a hammer is which, participate with the child in one of the many free kids workshops at Home Depot, or check with the local recreation department for woodworking/DIY classes.

Or, perhaps you have a talented friend or neighbor who is willing to help you with the gift by helping the child build something. Remember to thank your gift assistant by first paying for all supplies, and then present them with a special gift just for them.

If the homeschooled child is also in scouting (Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts), check with the parents to see what belt loops, pins, achievements, patches, or merit badges your gift could help fulfill. The child would then receive a gift, the cool item they built, and well-deserved recognition at their Pack or Troop meeting.

Working with tools gives children confidence, a sense of accomplishment, and a useful skill, as well as reinforcing math, reading, and listening skills. The sounds and feel of working with one's hands provide wonderful tactile, visual, and auditory experiences. What an incredible gift!

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Homeschooling Gift Idea: Consumables

Homeschoolers go through a lot of consumables and supplies.

What are consumables? Anything that can get used up: paper, pens, paint, glue, glitter, craft sticks, and so on.

Just like traditional schools, these supplies are needed for a multitude of projects, and they need replacing often.

While a ream of paper may not sound exciting for a present, what about a roll of butcher paper with crayons? Or packs of colored paper and pens?

Check with the parents to see what is needed and what is appropriate for the children's ages and interests. Then head to your local art or office supply store and go nuts.

Some ideas include:
Watercolor paper
Pastels
High-quality paint brushes
Spiral notebooks
Easels
Whiteboards and dry-erase markers
Stamps and ink pads
Pens
Scrapbooking scissors
Watercolors
Oil paints
Sketch pads
Stretched canvas
Hole and shape punches
Rolls of paper
Chalk
Glitter
Glue
Dried pastaCraft sticks
Fabric and carpet remnants
Cheap shower curtain liners (to use on tables and floors)

If you are artistically inclined, you could include a one-on-one lesson with your gift. Or you could also offer to pay for an ability-appropriate art class. Ask the parents if they could use art or graphic software. Including a book about art, drawing, or cartooning would also be welcomed. Add in a trip to a local museum or a special exhibit. You could also volunteer to take the children on a nature walk with the roll of butcher paper and crayons, and do rubbings as you discover interesting leaves and textures.

If the gift is for a budding writer, you could include a book or two from a favorite author. Or, you could include a style manual, submission guidelines to magazines of interest, or a book on journaling. If you are comfortable with writing, you could offer to be a gentle reader of their work. Software or online programs geared to young writers might be useful. Also, check for any age-appropriate writing classes in their area.

A little imagination is all it takes to turn a seemingly ordinary gift extraordinary.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Homeschooling Gift Idea: Avoid Batteries

So many toys and games require batteries to operate. Yet, interestingly enough, the more batteries required, the less imaginative and engaging the toy often is.

Naturally, exceptions do exist, such as train sets, motorized building sets, and the like. But, for the most part, battery-operated toys either do too much for the child or do very little.

A better idea is to avoid batteries as much as possible. Instead, find toys and activities that require a child to actively participate in play.

Talk with the parents if you are unsure of the child's interests, abilities, or what they may already own.

Examples of stimulating gifts include:
Wooden blocks
Sewing/knitting/crochet kits and books
Legos
K'Nex (this may require batteries, but it is a building set)
ZOOB
Gears! Gears! Gears!
Art supplies
Craft supplies
Writing supplies
Tinkertoys
Etch-A-Sketch
Architecture kits
Toy cars/trucks/trains/airplanes (battery-free)
Dolls (not related to popular entertainment)
Musical instruments
Hand puppets
Marionettes
Kitchen utensils and age-appropriate cookbooks

A creative gift might include puppets packed in a large box, big enough to make a puppet stage. Include some fabric scraps and glue, and the child will spend endless hours creating and experimenting.

With the building sets, include a large fabric or plastic mat for the pieces to get dumped onto when playing. This will make clean up much easier, and avoid tiny pieces hiding in the carpet, only to get vacuumed up later.

As always, a gift of your time added to the present will be most appreciated. You could sit and build alongside a youngster. Or participate in a story created with dolls. Or assist a budding chef in the kitchen, helping where needed.

Remember, a gift does not have to be expensive, the "latest thing," or big to be cherished. It need only come from the heart, with thought and love.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson

Homeschooling Gift Idea: Magazine Subscriptions

Homeschoolers value ready access to information. Reading is vital to the homeschool experience, opening up worlds and probing depths that otherwise would remain unknown.

Magazines provide perfect portals into current events, new ideas, breakthroughs, and our ever-expanding universe. The beauty of magazines lies in their timeliness and their diversity.

Consequently, magazine subscriptions make a perfect gift for the homeschooling families in your life. Whether the children are very young or are heading off to university, you can find a magazine that fits their reading level, interests, and style. And although the subscription may only last one year, the thoughts and paths it opens up will last a lifetime.

While too many magazines exist to list, here are some titles and categories to get you started. Age-ranges are suggestions only, as many higher-level magazines will have parts that capture the attention of younger readers, and all magazines benefit from being shared by a family. Remember: check with the parents for hints on what they are looking for and what might appeal to their children.

Magazine Ideas
National Geographic: For kids, teens, and families.

Cricket Magazines: Fiction, history, archeology, and more. Babies through teens.

Highlights: Magazines and clubs (countries, U.S. states, math, puzzles, and more). Elementary through middle school.

MAKE magazine: Amazing do-it-yourself projects of varying ability. Upper elementary (with adult help) through adult.

Astronomy magazines: Discussions of everything beyond Earth. Upper elementary (especially the monthly star charts in Astronomy) through adult.

Interweave Press: Fiber arts, beading, art, weaving, knitting, and more. Upper elementary through adult.

Architecture magazines: Architecture, design, landscape design, business design, and more. Teen through adult.

Fiction magazines: New writing, in all genres. Teens through adult.

Boys' Life: Official publication of the Boy Scouts of America. Elementary through teen.

Girls' magazines: Advice, crafts, fiction, contests, sports, and more. Elementary-aged through preteen girls.

Another option is to find a bookseller or newsstand with an extensive selection of publications, and spend sometime looking through various subjects and titles.

If you want to give a present to open along with your gift subscription, wrap a current issue or two of the magazine, along with a note telling them about their new subscription. Since most publishing companies take four to six weeks to mail the first issue, this will give the recipient something to read now and look forward to later.

Article by Sarah J. Wilson