Not going to lie; October might just be my favorite month of the year! We don’t get much of a fall here in Alabama, but when we do it is all that much sweeter. Here are some of our favorite things this month.
Nature Study In October
Fall is great when we can get it! This is the time of year I stalk the weather app for a relief from the heat so we can get outside more.
- Pumpkins! – Our favorite pumpkin learning activity is to see if they sink or float!
- Sunflowers – Check out this easy sunflower nature study.
- Fall harvest – Explore fall veggies such as winter squash like butternut.
- Hunter’s Moon
- Acorns and seeds – Get a fabulous, free nature study class on seed dispersal here.
- Fall leaves – Why do the colors change? Find out here.
- Squirrels and ground squirrels – Here are some fun ideas for a squirrel nature study this month.
Faith Themes In The Month of October
A wonderful month full of some of our favorite feast days and saints! We love to attend our parish’s animal blessing in remembrance of St. Francis of Assisi.
- Ordinary Time continues
- St. Therese of Lisieux (1) – Talk about the little ways we can
- Feast of the Guardian Angels (2) – Do you know the Guardian Angel Prayer? This is a great month to memorize it!
- St. Francis of Assisi (4) – Attend an animal blessing at your parish or another local church.
- Saint Faustina (5) – Learn more about this saint of the Divine Mercy here.
- Our Lady of the Rosary (7) – Pray the rosary. A cupcake rosary is also fun.
- Saint Teresa of Avila (15) – Enjoy this lesson on “the roving nun” with your kids.
- Saint Pope John Paul II (22) – Choose an idea to celebrate.
- All Hallow’s Eve (31) – Enjoy the fun festivities. Tomorrow on All Saints we are reminded how Christ conquered death.
Food And Family Themes In October
This is the month we can finally add in all the wonderful soups and stews to our menus. I eagerly await this time every year along with prepping for fall baking, winter squash, and so much more.
- National Cinnamon Bun Day (4) – Mmmm any excuse to make cinnamon buns! Use your bread machine to make it easy!
- Soups and stews return to the menu!
- Chili
- Hot chocolate and herbal tea – We have a large selection. The first cool day is a good excuse for a poetry tea time.
- S’mores over the camp stove
- Pumpkin everything!
- Butternut squash
Books Perfect For October Learning
My favorite on this list is Pumpkin Jack — not to be missed. Strawberry Girl was also much read and much loved from my own childhood.
- Harry Houdini by Vicki Cobb
- An Inconvenient Alphabet by Beth Anderson
- Noah Webster’s Fighting Words by Tracy Nelson Maurer
- Morris and Buddy: The Story of the First Seeing Eye Dog by Becky Hall
- Leif the Lucky by Ingri D’Aulaire
- Jennifer and Josephine by Bill Peet*
- The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? by Mo Willems*
- How the Cookie Crumbled by Gilbert Ford
- Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell
- Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington
- Leaf Trouble by Jonathan Emmettand Caroline Jayne Church
- Miss Suzy by Miriam Youngand Arnold Lobel
- The Busy Little Squirrel by Nancy Tafuri
- Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein
- Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
- Cowboy Small by Lois Lenski
DK Biography: Harry Houdini: A Photographic Story of a LifeAn Inconvenient Alphabet: Ben Franklin & Noah Webster’s Spelling RevolutionNoah Webster’s Fighting WordsMorris and Buddy: The Story of the First Seeing Eye DogJennifer and JosephineThe Duckling Gets a Cookie!? (Pigeon series) (Pigeon, 5)How the Cookie Crumbled: The True (and Not-So-True) Stories of the Invention of the Chocolate Chip CookiePumpkin JackPumpkin PumpkinLeaf TroubleMiss SuzyBusy Little SquirrelWhere the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and DrawingsStrawberry Girl 60th Anniversary Edition (Trophy Newbery)Cowboy Small (Lois Lenski Books)
October Field Trips For Your Homeschool Study
For us this is the perfect month to get outside. Nature walks were made for October!
- Pumpkin patch and hay rides. Our pumpkin patch also has a sunflower field.
- Leaf peeping
Crafts And Activities For October Learning
October is full of fun and educational topics to explore. From the internet to safety there are fascinating ideas and people to learn about all month long.
- Homemade Cookies Day (1) – Mmmm make your favorites. Or try a new recipe for fun.
- Phileas Fogg Wager Day (21) – Read a version of the fantastical story “Around the World in 80 Days”. What does it take to plan an around the world trip today? Where would you like to go? What would you like to see?
- Name Your Car Day (2) – Name your car! Think about the personality of your car and name it accordingly.
- Leif Erikson Day (9) – Enjoy this interactive website on the journeys of Leif.
- Lois Lenski’s birthday (14) – My favorite Lenski book is Strawberry Girl but Cowboy Small is a shorter book that is also delightful.
- White Cane Safety Day (15) – Read about this holiday. Walk a well known path in your house with your eyes closed. Walk it again holding a broom and using it to feel your way.
- Dictionary Day or Noah Webster’s Birthday (16) – Play this Bluffing Word Game. Once begun, this game is a riot!
- Shel Silverstein’s birthday (25) – This is a great day for a poetry tea time featuring Silverstein’s work.
- Internet Day (29) – Watch History of the Internet.
- Magic Day (31) – Watch 18 Simple Magic Tricks You Can Do. Try a couple of them.
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More Monthly Themes
Want more monthly themes for your homeschool? Check out these other posts!
- Homeschooling Boys with Durenda Wilson - April 12, 2024
- What About Lab Sciences? with Dr. Moon - March 29, 2024
- Can I Teach Everything My High Schooler Needs to Know? - March 15, 2024