30 Screen-Free Family Learning Adventures for September
September is a season of fresh starts! Whether you’re beginning a brand-new homeschool year or looking for ways to make learning more engaging, the month of September is filled with opportunities to create, explore, discover, and grow together as a family.
And all that? That’s why I created Family Learning Adventures – a collection of scree-free, hands-on learning experiences designed to bring the whole family together.
Listen, I’m totally game for watching movies and even playing video games together as a family but, sometimes, we just need a break from all the screens. No shame!
Unlike traditional lesson plans, these adventures aren’t separated by grade level or even meant “just” for the kids. Every activity is intentionally designed to be adaptable for multiple ages, making it easy for siblings to learn side by side (and the homeschool parents of multiples collectively breathe a sigh of relief!). Younger children can participate in simple ways while the older, more independent learners can dig deeper through research, discussion, writing, and critical thinking.
The September Family Learning Adventures are part of a year-long adventure so be sure to come back to the website so you can include future monthly adventures in your homeschool days! For September, though, you can use this article as your main “adventure hub,” so be sure to save it for reference throughout the month of September!
Each Family Learning Adventure Includes:
- simple supply lists
- clear learning objectives
- step-by-step activity instrucions
- “Make it Simpler” ideas for younger learners
- “Explore Further” extensions for older learners
- family discussion questions
- reflection and writing prompts
- a fun family challenge
- a free printable
- ideas for extending the learning
Whether you complete one adventure each week or challenge yourselves to finish all 30 this month, my hope is that these experiences become some of your family’s favorite homeschool memories.
You’ll find that the September Family Learning Adventures are broken up into five main categories:
- Fresh Starts & Back-to-Homeschool Adventures
- Apple & Harvest Adventures
- Citizenship & History Adventures
- Nature & Outdoor Discovery Adventures
- STEM, Creativity, & Life Skills Adventures
Grab your curiosity & sense of adventure, gather the family, and let’s start exploring!
Table of Contents
September Family Learning Adventures
Fresh Starts & Back-to-Homeschool
Family Learning Adventure #1: Create a Homeschool Vision Board
Start the homeschool year by dreaming big! Create a vision board filled with goals, interests, books, skills, and adventures your family hopes to experience this year.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here.
Family Learning Adventure #2: Set Family Learning Goals
Work together to identify meaningful goals for the months ahead. Learn how planning and teamwork can help your homeschool thrive.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here.
Family Learning Adventure #3: Build a Family Reading Bucket List
Create a list of books your family wants to read together this year and turn it into a shared adventure.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here.
Family Learning Adventure #4: Design Personalized Bookmarks
Combine creativity with a love of reading by designing one-of-a-kind bookmarks for everyone in the family.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here.
Family Learning Adventure #5: Organize Your Learning Space
Prepare your homeschool area with simple organization ideas that help create a calm and inviting learning environment.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here.
Apple & Harvest Adventures
Family Learning Adventure #6: Apple Taste Test
Turn snack time into a science experiment! Compare apple varieties while practicing observation, graphing, and descriptive writing.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here.
Family Learning Adventure #7: Apple Life Cycle Investigation
Explore how apples grow from tiny seeds into delicious fruit through hands-on observation and discovery.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #8: Homemade Applesauce Science
Learn kitchen science while measuring, mixing, and discovering how heat changes ingredients.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #9: Apple Art Exploration
Use apples as inspiration for creative art projects while exploring color, texture, and patterns.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #10: Five Senses Apple Writing Challenge
Practice descriptive writing by exploring apples through sight, smell taste touch, and sound.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here.
Citizenship & History Adventures
Family Learning Adventure #11: Explore the Constitution Preamble
Discover what the opening words of the U.S. Constitution mean and explore the big ideas behind “We the People” through discussion, vocabulary, and a hands-on family activity.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #12: Create a Family Constitution
Put the ideas behind the Constitution into action by working together to create a family constitution filled with shared values, responsibilities, and goals.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #13: Hold a Family Election
Turn your home into a polling place! Hold a family election to learn how ballots, candidates, voting, and majority rule while practicing good citizenhip.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #14: Discover the Three Branches of Government
Explore the legislative, executive, and judicial branches through a simple hands-on activity that helps your family understand how the U.S. government divides its responsibilities.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #15: Rights & Responsibilities Challenge
Explore the differences between rights and responsibilities and discuss how both play an important role in families, communities, and citizenship
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Nature & Outdoor Discovery Adventures
Family Learning Adventure #16: Leaf Detective
Grab a magnifying glass and head outside to investigate leaves! Compare their shapes, colors, edges, veins, and textures while looking for clues that make each leaf unique.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #17: Tree Identification Walk
Take your nature study on the road with a family tree walk, using leaves, bark, seeds, and other clues to identify the trees growing around you.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #18: Nature Color Scavenger Hunt
See how many colors you can find hiding in nature as your family searches outdoors for objects matching different shades on your scavenger hunt.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #19: Bird Observation Journal
Slow down and watch the birds around you! Record their colors, behaviors, sounds, and other observations while practicing patience and scientific observation.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #20: Create a Nature Collection Box
Collect interesting natural treasures from your outdoor adventures and create a collection box where your family can sort, label, compare, and display your discoveries.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #21: September Nature Journal
Capture the changing season through drawings, observations, weather notes, questions, and discoveries in your family’s September nature journal.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
STEM, Creativity, & Life Skills Adventures
Family Learning Adventure #22: Build the Tallest Paper Tower
How tall can you build using only paper and a few simple supplies? Experiment with shapes, supports, and designs as your family tackles this engineering challenge.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #23: Create a Marble Run
Design and build a homemade marble run while experimenting with gravity, speed, slopes, turns, and plenty of trial & error.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #24: Household Measurement Challenge
Grab your rulers and measuring tapes and investigate your home as you estimate, measure, compare, and record the sizes of everyday objects.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #25: Craft Stick Bridge Challenge
Become family engineers and design a bridge from craft sticks. Then, put your creation to the test to see how much weight it can support.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #26: Paper Airplane Engineering Challenge
Fold, fly, measure, redesign, and try again as your family experiments with paper airplane designs to discover while ones fly the farthest or stay in the air the longest.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #27: Interview a Family Member
Become family historians by interviewing a parent, grandparent, or other relative and recording the stories, experiences, and memories you don’t want to forget.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #28: Plan a Family Service Project
Look for a need in your home or community and work together to plan a simple service project that shows how even small acts can make a meaningful difference.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #29: Learn a New Skill Together
Choose something no one in the family knows how to do yet and learn it together, embracing mistakes, practicing persistence, and celebrating your progress along the way.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Family Learning Adventure #30: Plan a Family Adventure Day.
Celebrate everything you’ve learned this month by planning a special family adventure day! Choose a place to explore, an activity to try, or a new experience to enjoy together. Then, let the whole family help plan the day from start to finish.
Read the full adventure & download the free printable here. COMING SOON!
Download your Free September Family Learning Adventures Journal
Want an easy way to plan your adventures and keep track of all the memories you make along the way?
Of course you do!
Download the FREE September Family Learning Adventures Journal below. It’s the companion resource this month’s 30 adventures.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Welcome Page
- How to Use Your Adventure Journal
- This Month’s Family Goals
- September Adventure Planner
- 30-Adventures Checklist
- Adventures Notes Page
- September Photo Page
- Family Adventures Page
- Family Reflection Page
- September Adventure Completion Certificates
- one certificate is if you complete ALL of the monthly adventures
- one certificate allows you to write in the number of monthly adventures completed (if you don’t finish them all, don’t worry!)
Print the entire journal or choose the pages that work best for your family. You can use it to plan your month, keep track of completed adventures, record discoveries, save family memories, and celebrate everything your family learns and experiences together.
Ready to Start your Adventure?
Learning doesn’t have to happen in front of a screen to be exciting, right? Sometimes the best lessons happen while tasting apples around the kitchen table, collecting colorful leaves on a nature walk, building paper towers that tumble over, laughing through a family election (“What?! The DOG won the election?!”), or writing down the memories you’ll treasure for years to come.
My hope is that these Family Learning Adventures inspire curiosity, encourage meaningful conversations, and help your family create lasting traditions and memories that last far beyond September.
And, remember – you don’t have to complete all 30 adventures! Choose the adventures that work for your family. Adapt them. Skip around. Repeat your favorites. Let one adventure lead to another.
The goal isn’t to finish a checklist. It’s to explore, discover, create, and learn together.
Download your September Adventure Journal, choose an adventure, and see where your family’s curiosity takes you!
Which Family Learning Adventure will your family try first? I’d love to hear about it in the comments!
Until next time, stay safe, & enjoy quality time with your family,
Elizabeth Dukart is a proud Florida based born and raised Jersey Girl, wife, and mom of 2 human boys & 1 canine boy.
Created in 2021, Elizabeth owns and publishes That Homeschool Family: a free resource for homeschooling parents and beyond! A seasoned blogger, Elizabeth previously published a popular location-specific family resource blog, but decided to “Pivot!” her blogging focus after she started homeschooling her two boys in 2020. In addition to this blog, you can follow Elizabeth’s homeschooling and family adventures on Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest. She can also be found in her Facebook Group: That Homeschool Family Hangout.
When she’s not busy taking over the world or homeschooling, Elizabeth can be found listening to music (especially The Beatles & Harry Styles!), being silly with her boys, watching movies with family, shopping, or traveling!
Have a question or want to work with Elizabeth? Send her an email!
