Learning through Local Events

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When it comes to homeschool travel, my family and I are game for experiences both near and far. Attending local events can be a great, cost-effective way to get your family involved in your community while taking advantage of learning opportunities!

This article is part of my Homeschool Travel Tips Series in the Tips for Homeschool Moms multi-blogger series. If you haven’t already, definitely give both a look!

Knowing where and how to find local events to benefit the homeschooling experience is a skill that can be invaluable for a homeschooling family.

When we’re not able to take homeschool travel trips of longer distances, my family and I are always game for learning outside the home through a community event.

How to Find Local Events

Before I was a homeschooling blogger, I published a location-specific family resource blog where I’d share a variety of events for local families so, it’s safe to say that you’re learning from a pro right now. (as I brush the dust from my shirt shoulder…wink, wink)

There are a variety of ways to find local events, but these resources have proven to yield the best results:

• Facebook Events
  • Probably an obvious one, but if you go to the “events” section of your Facebook page, you will be greeted with TONS of local event options. They aren’t all age or content appropriate for homeschooling families, but you should be able to filter options by keyword. When you find an event you’re interested in, mark it as “interested,” so you will be reminded of it later on.
• Local Library
  • Local libraries often have a plethora of educational events for their patrons and, even better…many of them are free!
• Local Bloggers
  • Many companies like Macaroni Kid and Mommy Poppins often have bloggers covering location-specific family-friendly events. There are also many independent bloggers who cover certain areas of the United States (and beyond!) while helping local families find events to attend.
• Local Art & Music Schools
  • Art & Music were my absolute favorite classes to take when I was little, so definitely check out nearby extracurricular schools for events that are open to the public.

• Churches
  • Even if you are not looking for religious events, churches will often have a community board where members can share local events for the community.
• Community Social Media Groups
  • In my area, my town has multiple “general” Facebook groups as well as mom and family-specific Facebook groups. Events are posted in these groups all.the.time.
• Your Local Homeschooling Community
  • We have attended a TON of events just because I happened to see a post from a fellow homeschool mom. Check your community to see if they know about any events coming up. If you need help finding local homeschooling families, this Finding your Local Homeschool Community article could help!

When you’ve run out of resources, a good “old-fashioned” Google search could yield a number of options for you and your family. Try searching with keywords such as these:

• homeschool events near me
• local educational events
• family friendly events near me
• free family events near me
• local kids events

Doing searches by season also helps. For example, my area tends to have a very busy summer event schedule so I could search for “free summer concerts near me” and have plenty of options to choose from.

Getting Plans Organized

There are so many ways to find appropriate local events for your family that, really, you might quickly become overwhelmed! One way to ease the overwhelm could be to let the kids get involved!

As part of the Homeschool Travel Tips series, I created a Homeschool Travel Printables Set. It includes a variety of printables that can be beneficial for homeschool travel but, for this particular article, I’m thinking the “brainstorming” page would be the most helpful!

Just print and go, the kids can easily list places they’d like to visit. This could help you to come up with keywords when searching online for local events!

Local Events on a Budget

When it comes to taking my kids on homeschool travel expeditions, I am more than happy to save a buck or two when I can. All those experiences have a tendency to add up after some time, right?

Besides, when I’m saving money on entrance fees and memberships, there’s more money in the pot to spend on an occasional ice cream treat.

@thathomeschoolfamily

Homeschooling for the win! #windenergy #atlanticcountynj #windpowerplant #homeschoolscience #learningthroughexperience #homeschoolhypesquad #njkids #njmom #homeschoolnow #homeschoolnewbie

♬ Energy – Kids ABC

For a number of suggestions for traveling locally on a budget, definitely check out these articles:

5 Ways to Make Homeschool Travel Budget Friendly

25 Budget-Friendly Homeschool Field Trips

Those are my tried and true ways of finding local events for my kids. How about you? Are there other ways to you find local events to take your kids to? Share your tips and tricks by leaving a comment below. I’d love to add your suggestion to the list!

Be sure to check back on the Homeschool Travel Tips Series for even more ways to homeschool…outside of the home!

Until next time, stay safe and enjoy quality time with your family,