Kids playing outside in spring
Holidays, homeschooling

Spring Adventures in Your Homeschool: Joyful Ideas to Bring Nature into Your School Days

“Nothing ever seems impossible in spring, you know.”
~L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Ingleside

As the world bursts into bloom this spring, let’s invite the season’s vibrant energy into our homes with a delightful blend of art, nature, living books, and hands-on learning.

At Homeschool With Joy, I believe in weaving simplicity, faith, and creativity into our days, and today, I’m sharing a spring-inspired plan to spark wonder and connection in your homeschool.

Now that the rush and preparations of Eastertide is wrapping up, we still want to enjoy the fresh feeling of spring while it lasts, until it gets too hot to enjoy being outside more than two seconds here in Texas…

“‘Is the spring coming?,’ he said. ‘What is it like?’… ‘It is the sun shining on the rain and the rain falling on the sunshine and things pushing up and working under the earth,” said Mary.'”
~Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Using a handful of inspiring resources, we’ll explore nature through art projects, read-alouds, and playful experiments that celebrate the season’s magic.
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Grab your nature notebooks, a cup of tea, and let’s dive into this joyful adventure!

🌳Art and the Imagination: There’s something about treehouses to make the spirit feel free. We have an Aaron Becker framed treehouse print in our home and it makes me extremely happy. Check out this You Are An Artist lesson for kids to make their own beautiful treehouse art. This project is no pressure and is good for various art levels.

🕰️Time-Travel Reading Adventure: One of my absolute favorite books on the planet is The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Spring seems like the perfect time to go a hundred years back in time and let the beautiful story unwind around you.

I remember being read aloud the story by my grandmother and now my daughter has memories of us reading it together. My favorite edition is the 100th anniversary edition which includes the original artwork. Below, check out the first chapter free on Amazon.

🤓I feel really cool for having figured out how to embed that…

🖌️Woodland Magic Painting: I cannot say enough good things about Usborne magic painting books. Unlike traditional paint-with-water books with boring, blocky pictures and blocks of difficult-to-work-with paint in the corners of the page, these books have vivid and finely detailed thick pages that are a joy to paint with.

“This book is packed with beautiful woodland scenes for you to bring to life. Simply dip the brush in water and sweep it across the black and white pages to fill the scenes with glorious colours – from squirrels playing in a tree, a badger out at night, a deer and her fawns and lots more.”

📒Nature Notebook: I adore the Nature Notebook from the Good and the Beautiful. Its lush pages just beg you to go out into nature and explore on your own. Sometimes it is hard for my kids to just “go outside” but this book gives them a reason and purpose to do so, while providing knowledge all the while.

At a full 117 pages, there are plenty of activities teaching kids about leaves, bark, tree identification, and more – all divided up by season.

📚Beautiful, Seasonal Booklist: Traditionally when my kids were little, we always did Morning Time! This printable PDF booklist from Read Aloud Revival has plenty of reliably gentle and wonderful tales of the season to share with your kids.

We would always reserve books at the library. If your library doesn’t have them in their regular collection, most libraries have a free or low-cost interlibrary loan option.

🌿Whimsical Leaf Art: What better way to embrace spring than art projects that utilize the imagination as well as leaves and the freshly- blossomed flowers outside? I’m totally obsessed with Thimble and Twig’s beautiful leaf art. These are impressive yet simple and inspire kids to see more in nature than just what is on the surface level. For just a little bit of prep, you can help your kids create memories that last.

🐦Nature Study Packet: The Homeschool Compass never fails me… This beautiful, full-color, and free printable nature study packet has everything you need to easily make an otherwise hum-drum day special.

  • Label the Bird – An educational sheet that asks children to identify and label the parts of a bird
  • What Can You See? – Encourages children to go outside and identify as many creatures as they can in the great outdoors
  • The Signs of Spring – An opportunity for children to get creative and draw what signs of spring they can see in their own backyard
  • Nature Scavenger Hunt – A fun game that will have children exploring outdoors on the hunt for a list of spring and nature inspired items
  • Observing Nature – A worksheet that is designed to help children form an appreciation for the natural world around them
  • Nature Word Search – A fun way to familiarize children with nature words and help to grow their vocabulary

🌈Rainbow Bubble Bottles: Another extremely cool yet extremely fun idea are rainbow bubble bottles! Using food coloring – I prefer natural colors like these – you create iridescent streams of colored bubbles!

All you need is dish soap, food coloring, a sock, a hairband or rubber band, and water bottle. Tada! Instant magic!

By weaving together art, nature, and hands-on experiments, spring becomes a season of joy-filled discovery for your homeschooling journey.

Whether it’s designing treehouses, painting woodland scenes, or documenting discoveries in journals, these activities offer something special for everyone.

Scatter Joy,

Jessica Lovett

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Squishmallow Header Image
Holidays, homeschooling, joy

Squishmallows are Perfect for a Valentine’s Day Party!

Hello, Everyone ~

What a busy couple of months it has been… After the Thanksgiving and then Christmas holidays, starting back up with school and music activities really was a whirlwind and then we had lots of Adulting Problems (why do central heat and air conditioning systems have to be SERIOUSLY fixed for bagillions of dollars when they are merely 6 years old… and right when Texas decides to have a heat spell in winter? Thank goodness for amazingly thoughtful friends who loaned us a portable air conditioner so that my ❄️snow-craving-yet-🤠Texan Self was able to not wilt too terribly much waiting a week for the fix), but here I am!

See? I did the above just for you. That sentence right there proved that I’m not an AI Robot. Would a robot write a sentence that long? Absolutely not. In a world where so much is AI, you can trust that I’m genuine and here for you with Real Person Ideas! Plus, I have 2 degrees in writing and literature – small brag – so therefore I have permission to write whatever I want. Or even make up words! Like this: Squishmallowtastic! See!?

We have been having fun inventing a small Valentine’s party for a few of my daughter’s friends and we thought, What better theme than Squishmallows for Valentine’s?! Their cute cuddliness and pastel colors just magically lend themselves to Valentine’s Day perfectly.

Here are several ideas for celebrating, whether you are having people over or just want to make the day stand out with a bit more sparkles and glitter than usual for your homeschoolers!


For littles, these Squishmallow color sheets have lots of activity pages that help them practice their scissor skills as well as coloring.


Here are 68 (yes, 68!) coloring sheets of varying vibe and difficulty from Simply Love Coloring! She notes that they can be used for crafts like greeting cards, to create banners, mobiles, storybooks, and more.


This adorable Squishmallow name art from Stardust Digital Finds even has name tags. It would be a fun and easy party centerpiece.

Just to be *extra*, note that these are not just made up names…

“The names were created from actual Squishmallow names. The names listed on each month are from Squishmallows who were created during those months.”


These Squishmallow clip art graphics are all perfect for making your own Valentine’s or doing other projects. Each one fits with the theme! Created by Kangey Squishmallow, they are only $6 for 50 images! Older kids can enjoy doing digital projects on their own on Canva or similar software.


We choose to make this Rainbow punch from BitzandGiggles, which looks really fluffy and Squishmallow-y!

H.E.B. magically has sherbet that doesn’t have all those fake colorings and actually uses natural flavors, too. We are not using her exact recipe and using seltzer water to avoid caramel coloring in ginger ale. Curious why? Head over to Food Babe’s Master List!


Among other snacks, we will also be having this Unicorn Dip from SimplisticallyLiving. We will be using natural colors from Natural Candy Store to create ours.

The fluffy texture is definitely Squishmallowtastic!!


The thing that I’m most proud of is this Icebreaker Question game! I tried to make up questions that were not hard to answer – i.e. Tell us your ultimate favorite thing right now! – and also help the kids get to know each other.

As far as how to play, I printed off the cards, one set for each guest. The person who is “it” will read a question off the card. The other kids will write their answer on the back and then hand the cards back to her in a basket.

The person who is “it” has 2 tries to figure out whose answer is whose! If they get it right, they get to keep that card and gain a point. After that, the answerer can let everyone know who they were.

I have the Squishmallow Icebreaker Game cards as a free printable if you’ll become a subscriber to Homeschool With Joy!

You can also have my coordinating Squishmallow Valentine Cards!

Once you subscribe, you’ll get a password to our download library with those printables and others are they are built.

Hope you have a fun Valentine’s Day in your homeschool and that these ideas will help you create a more joyful home environment.

Scatter Joy,

Jessica Lovett

Need some ideas on starting your own warm, cozy Morning Music Playlist to scatter joy on busy homeschool mornings?

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Holidays, homeschooling, joy

Creative and Stress-Free Thanksgiving Homeschool Activities for Kids

Hi, there! Yes, I’m alive… It’s been an extremely busy couple of months, whack-a-mole-ing lots of health stuff and other big to-dos. Sorry for being missing in action a bit there. Oh, well – I’m here now! And, now Thanksgiving is almost upon us!

Thanksgiving week can be a busy time as we prepare to visit family, especially when you’re packing for Grandma’s house!

But don’t worry, I’ve got a list of creative and fun activities to keep your kids happily occupied.

They’re all 100% engaging and enjoyable ways to celebrate the season and make meaningful memories without spending a lot of money on supplies or needing lots of prep.

Hint: These aren’t just busy work kinds of things like word searches… I remember dreading those and crosswords as a kid. Holy booooring, Batman!


Thanksgiving: Celebrating the History & Traditions with Dave Stotts | Drive Thru History Special

This special episode from Drive Thru History dives into the history and traditions of Thanksgiving. Dave Stotts brings history to life in a way that’s entertaining and educational.

Cue the dad joes!! His engaging storytelling will capture your kids’ attention and provide a deeper understanding of why we celebrate this holiday. It’s perfect for keeping your kids engaged and learning while you handle travel preparations. It’s also entertaining for littles as well as older kids. Can’t beat that!


Thanksgiving Mats for Pattern Blocks

I know you probably have pattern blocks around the house somewhere. When you decide to homeschool, your Official Pattern Blocks arrive on your doorstep almost instantly. Well, just kidding… but it feels like everyone has these!

These Thanksgiving printable mats from This Reading Mama are fantastic for hands-on, creative play. Kids can use pattern blocks to create festive shapes and designs, combining art with a bit of geometry. It’s a wonderful way to keep their minds active and their hands busy with a fun, educational activity.


Fall Playdough Mats

These printable fall playdough mats, also from This Reading Mama, are a great way for kids to use their imaginations and fine motor skills. The fall-themed mats add a seasonal twist that will keep them entertained while you pack. I recommend laminating them or putting them in a page protector, taping the end.

They have the following pages to print for free:
● apple basket- add apples to the basket
● apple tree- add apples to the tree
● scarecrow- add a hat, scarf, straw, a face, etc.
● fall tree- add colorful leaves to the tree or ground
● raking leaves- add the prongs or handle to the rake
● pumpkin- add a face or vines to the pumpkin
● turkey- add colorful tail feathers
● Mayflower- add sails to the ship or water below


Printable Fall Leaf Crafts

This fall leaf craft from The Secret Life of Homeschoolers is perfect for busy homeschoolers, requiring only a few common supplies and a printer. Kids will collect fall leaves, hole-punch them, and glue the pieces onto printable worksheets to create beautiful fall pictures.

With three different worksheets to choose from, children can color their pages first, then use the hole-punched leaves to decorate. This craft not only encourages outdoor activity and fine motor skills but also provides opportunities for additional learning, such as leaf identification and creative storytelling. It’s a fun, engaging, and educational way to enjoy the fall season.


Easy Watercolor Resist Fall Leaves Art Project

This art project from Deep Space Sparkle is perfect for kids of all ages! Older kids can be more detailed while younger kids can focus on making the art more basic. Using watercolor paints and a simple resist technique, they can create beautiful fall leaf artwork.

It’s a great way to let their artistic side shine – while you take care of packing or stirring the cranberry sauce on the stove! Wait, you don’t do that? That’s my favorite thing, oh my goodness… It makes me feel like a Gummi Bear making Gummiberry Juice.


Free Printable Thanksgiving Poetry Book

I’m a HUGE fan of the Homeschool Compass! Poetry can be a soothing and introspective activity and as an English major, I don’t see poetry itself as an option. Our homeschool has always had lots of poetry in the air!

This beautiful, lush watercolor free printable includes beautiful poems perfect for the season, allowing your children to explore language and expression. Reading and discussing these poems can also provide a calming break in the midst of holiday hustle and bustle. We usually use these after dinner, covering one a night.


Read Aloud Revival November Book List

This carefully curated list of Thanksgiving-themed picture books is perfect for cozy reading, putting temptingly in a basket by the couch. Reserving these books from your local library can provide hours of engaging and educational content for your kids. I always love the picks from Read Aloud Revival! Many of them have become family favorites year after year.


These activities are more than just time-fillers… they are invitations for your children to dive into the spirit of Thanksgiving with creativity and joy.

As you get everything ready for your family gathering, these engaging tasks will not only keep your kids happily occupied, but also deepen their appreciation for the holiday’s rich traditions and values.

Let the fun begin!

Scatter Joy,

Jessica Lovett

Need some ideas on starting your own warm, cozy Morning Music Playlist to scatter joy on busy homeschool mornings?

Subscribe to download your music playlist ideas printable!

Your password to the resource library will come in instantly after your email is confirmed.