How to Enjoy Your Homeschool Spirit Week!

“We’ve got spirit, yes we do! We’ve got spirit, how about YOU!?” Oh... that school spirit chant... Football season is back, and I remember how much fun we had in high school during Spirit Week each fall semester around football homecoming. Do you? Even if you didn't really enjoy school, you have to admit that there was an especially energetic cloud of excitement and anticipation lurking and lingering around campus that week. After all, there was more than likely a pep rally Friday before the big homecoming football game Friday night, which meant we would at least get out of classes a little early! Have you thought about carrying over some exciting parts of traditional schooling into your home school, too? Parts like SPIRIT WEEK!!! It’s the most AMAZING addition to our non-traditional education, and you may enjoy it just as much, too!

So, in traditional schools, leading up to the actual Homecoming Day at the end of the week, teachers and students participated in unusually fun and wacky daily themes that kids oftentimes went out of their way to "win" the unspoken contest of "best (or worst) dressed." Each day had a special theme or focus, remember? Monday may have been "Tacky Day," and the students were permitted to dress as wild and wacky as their hearts desired. Tuesday was "Twin Day" or "Pajama Day." Then Wednesday or Thursday could have been "Professional or Career Day." Friday was always reserved for "School Spirit Day" and everyone was expected to wear school colors from head to toe. We had a BLAST each semester during those sweet, d-i-s-t-a-n-t high school "daze"...

Then we went off to college, and…the excitement that once blanketed our former high school halls with a grandeur head-to-toe spirit week, the week that was always filled with fun, fancy, freedom had boiled down to a week of business only and just a "regular class" week.

HOMESCHOOL AT LAST!!! WE celebrate Spirit Week totally, authentically, the ArtEase! way! Not only do we celebrate Spirit Week each fall during the week before fall break, but we celebrate the week before Spring Break week, too. Not only do we have wads of fun each day with special themes, but we manage to engage in priceless schoolwork and school subjects, too.

​If you haven't experienced Spirit Week on your homeschool campus before, YOU MUST! Try one of these spiffy, less traditional themes and observe how academics are slathered and meshed in all over the place.

MONDAY - BEACH DAY

• Everyone should wear his favorite beach gear, from top to bottom, first thing in the morning.
• Bring your beach towels and picnic baskets to the sandy beach front in the livingroom, and enjoy storytime on the sand by the ocean.
• Enjoy a beach related library book (READING), sip on pineapple juice in your coconut cups from the dollar store, with the umbrellas in it (see our “Top 10 Must-Have Dollar Store Items” here).
• Listen to tropical instrumentals (MUSIC)
• Share or journal about your favorite beach (or vacation) memories (ENGLISH or HISTORY).
• Name as many beach cities, countries, or towns that are famous for their beaches (GEOGRAPHY). (Click here for more geography activities)
• Draw your favorite beach scene using colored pencils; for the sand in the picture, try smearing a thin layer of white school glue over the would-be sand area, and sprinkle actual play sand on top and let it dry (ART).
• If you're really into fun and planning, you could have a beach pail filled with play sand and hidden treasures buried within, and let your children of all ages dig around to find seashells or any other "treasure hunt" trinkets you care to bury.
• The ideas here are ENDLESS for a wonderful, laid back, beach-themed day of school AND fun.

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TUESDAY - GO FISH DAY

• Wear your favorite fishing gear to "class"
• Set aside time to go on your very own fishing field trip... in the bath tub! (see fun with “Magic Grow Capsules” here) This is ALWAYS exciting because my student really loves being in and around water (see more water fun ideas here).
• Read some of your favorite fishing stories (READING)
• Snack on "Goldfish" crackers while you tub-fish.
• And yes, play a few rounds of the classic card game, "Go Fish!”
• Let your student write a few lines that you dictate about something fish related (WRITING/GRAMMAR).
• Draw your favorite lake scene or animals (ART).
• Name or locate all the lakes you can on your country or continent's map (GEOGRAPHY)

WEDNESDAY - BRING A FRIEND DAY

• Bring your favorite pet, stuffed animal, or even a (human) friend to class today!
• We LOVE stuffed animals, and because they otherwise can be a distraction for my student, he is allowed ONE day per semester to bring them along.
• Add in subjects to study similar to Monday’s and Tuesday’s suggestions

 THURSDAY - CAREER DAY

• Wear your favorite or dream-career outfit, from head to toe (pictured, recording artist and veterinarian)
• Your outfit should be as all-inclusive to your profession as possible (be creative)
• Act the part of your career the whole day (or during school time)
• Add in subjects to study similar to Monday’s and Tuesday’s suggestions

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​FRIDAY - SCHOOL SPIRIT DAY (BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION)

• If you don’t have home school colors and a mascot, by all means, CREATE them!
• We generally wear our school colors and plan a party of some kind
• If nothing else, watch your favorite movie with a giant bowl of popcorn & a dessert!
• Please note, we schedule our fall spirit week around our son’s birthday, so that makes the whole week even more magically anticipatory and exciting!
  

If these daily themes don't excite you, try coming up with subjects or themes that your children enjoy, and make a whole theme-day out of it. Make and eat foods related to the subject, paint something about it, and even write a synopsis of the day if you don't want to do dictation or journal. School should be as fun and engaging as possible and as often as permitted! :)

I hope this sparked some ideas for you. In the comments section below, please share your thoughts and spirit week ideas that you’ve enjoyed in your home or school. Remember to friend and follow us ​
on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, and Instagram Enjoy! :)

"If you don't like where you are, move. You are not a tree."
​Jim Rohn

Enjoy three fun home school activity videos below!

Crafty Cooking Homeschool Style

How to Groom a Geographer

Science Soarer