What Can I Learn Today: January Homeschool Ideas

January homeschool ideas

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    Homeschool Learning Ideas for January

    Do you want to introduce your kids to a variety of people and places, historical time periods, and interesting ideas? Here you’ll find a big list of January homeschool ideas. Choose a few to explore and see what sparks their interest.

    This article is part of a series of monthly homeschool learning ideas. Each month offers suggestions for learning topics related to that month. Use the specific suggestions given, or research additional people or topics in a particular category.

    You can expose your kids to books, music, poetry, people, and careers they might not otherwise encounter, just through choosing a few to read about or watch a quick video on each month.

    The learning suggestions are grouped in the following categories:

    • Read Aloud Book Suggestions
    • Movie/Book Combos
    • Poetry
    • Classical Music
    • Quotes
    • Artists (birthdays in January)
    • Athletes (birthdays in January)
    • Authors (birthdays in January)
    • Composers (birthdays in January)
    • Engineers (birthdays in January)
    • Inventors (birthdays in January)
    • Presidents (birthdays in January)
    • Scientists (birthdays in January)
    • Interesting People (birthdays in January)
    • Unusual Occupations (cold weather related)
    • Animals (cold weather related)
    • Plants (seasonal related)
    • World Landmarks
    • Games
    • Crafts
    • Study Skills

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    January homeschool ideas

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    Where to Find Learning Resources

    After you decide on a few people or topics you want to learn about in January, head to your local library to check out books, magazines, movies, and more related to your topics of interest. You may find that your library system is able to request additional material from other libraries as well.

    Another free source of information is YouTube. There is a massive amount of educational content on YouTube and a quick search will turn up many options to learn about almost anything.

    For relatively inexpensive and sometimes free resources related to many of these topics, check out Teachers Pay Teachers.

    Read-Aloud Suggestions for January

    January seems to call for a wintery read-aloud. Here are a few suggestions for books to read together in January.

    Winterhouse by Ben Guterson

    Twelve Kinds of Ice by Ellen Bryan Obed

    Skating Shoes by Noel Streatfeild

    The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder

    Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer (middle/high school)

    Banner with arrow, available in Etsy shop

    Reading log printables

    Movie/Book Combos for January

    You’re probably going to watch movies during the cold winter months anyway. Why not read the book and then watch the movie? Or, if you think the movie will generate interest in the story, do it backwards for your child. Here are a few suggestions for January book and movie combos.

    The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

    Mr. Popper’s Penguins

    The Call of the Wild (most appropriate for middle/high school)

    Read: 100+ Family Movie Night Suggestions

    Poetry to Read in January

    Read poetry aloud to explore the rhythm of the words. Here are some poetry suggestions to consider for January.

    January by William Carlos Williams

    New Year’s Morning by Helen Hunt Jackson

    It Sifts from Leaden Sieves by Emily Dickinson

    Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost

    Desert Places by Robert Frost

    Additional poems for January can be found at discoverpoetry.com.

    Classical Music

    Choose a few pieces of classical music to listen to this month. Here are a couple of suggestions for January.

    The Four Seasons: Winter by Vivaldi

    Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven

    Quotes to Ponder in January

    January is a time of new beginnings, fresh starts and renewed motivation. Choose a quote to read and discuss in January. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

    “The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.”

    – Ralph Waldo Emerson

    “We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day.”

    – Edith Lovejoy Pierce

    “Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.”

    – Nido Qubein

    More January Ideas…

    January bucket list
    Three things Thursday January prompts

    Artists Born in January

    Paul Cezanne (French post-impressionist painter)

    Jackson Pollock (American abstract impressionist painter)

    John Singer Sargent (American—born in Italy—portrait painter)

    Athletes Born in January

    Wayne Gretzky (hockey)

    Hakeem Olajuwon (basketball)

    Mary Lou Retton (gymnastics)

    Authors Born in January

    Lewis Carroll (Alice in Wonderland)

    A.A. Milne (Winnie-the-Pooh)

    J.R.R. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings series)

    Composers Born in January

    Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

    Franz Schubert

    Engineers Born in January

    Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin (engineer and astronaut, known for his walk on the moon)

    Joseph B. Strauss (known for engineering the Golden Gate Bridge)

    James Watt (Scottish inventor, engineer, and chemist, known for the Watt steam engine)

    Entrepreneurs Born in January

    Paul Allen (co-founder of Microsoft, along with Bill Gates)

    Carolina Herrera (Venezualan fashion designer, known to design for many First Ladies of the United States)

    André Michelin (French industrialist who founded Michelin Tyre Company)

    Oprah Winfrey (television producer, author, magazine publisher)

    Inventors Born in January

    John Baskerville (printer who developed a wove paper)

    Louis Braille (inventor of a reading and writing system for the visually impaired)

    George Washington Carver (agricultural scientist who did much work in soil improvements)

    Benjamin Franklin (writer, scientist, publisher, known for inventing the lightning rod and bifocals, among many other things)

    Scientists Born in January

    Katharine Burr Blodgett (physicist and chemist known for her work on non-reflecting glass)

    Sydney Brenner (South African biologist known for his work in cell biology)

    Dian Fossey (zoologist known for her work with gorillas)

    Stephen Hawking (physicist most well known for his work on black holes)

    Isaac Newton (physicist, mathematician, and astronomer, most well known for his laws of motion)

    U.S. Presidents Born in January

    Millard Fillmore (13th president)

    William McKinley (25th president)

    Richard Nixon (37th president)

    Franklin D. Roosevelt (32nd president)

    Other Interesting People Born in January

    Elisabeth Achelis (founder of the World Calendar Association to promote the reform)

    Joan of Arc (a patron saint of France, renowned for her military leadership at a young age)

    Martin Luther King, Jr. (American minister and leader in the civil rights movement)

    Lin-Manuel Miranda (American songwriter, actor, and playwright best known for the Broadway hit, Hamilton)

    Betsy Ross (American upholsterer credited with creating the first official U.S. flag)

    Find even more interesting people with January birthdays noted on ThoughtCo’s list of January famous inventions and birthdays.

    Banner with arrow, available in Etsy shop

    project planner for kids
    Goal setting printables for kids

    Unusual Occupations to Learn About in January

    Avalanche forecaster

    Polar oceanographer

    Wind turbine technician

    Animals to Learn About in January

    Arctic fox

    Penguin

    Polar bear

    Plants to Learn About in January

    Beets

    Cabbage

    Citrus fruit

    World Landmarks to Learn About in January

    Great Wall of China

    Stonehenge

    Games to Play in January

    K2

    Race to the North Pole

    Ticket to Ride, Nordic Countries

    Winter Kingdom

    Crafts to Make in January

    DIY Winter Lip Balm

    Snowy Mountain Cork Board

    Vision board

    Study Skills to Work On in January

    Motivation and reward: Take note of what motivates each of your kids and what, if any, rewards provide motivation for them to work hard and complete assignments when their internal motivation is lacking.

    Although our kids learn best when they have an internal desire to learn, it can be worthwhile for them to find out how to motivate themselves to complete work that is not appealing in the moment.

    Motivation can be focused on a desired long-term outcome (e.g. must complete 3-4 years of math to apply to the college of their choice).

    It can also come from offering small rewards for doing things that must be done (e.g. 15 minutes of playing a favorite video game after studying productively for 30 minutes).

    Spend some time this month considering what motivates your kids; ask them for input and suggestions for ways to help them work on tasks they tend to procrastinate or ignore.

    January Nonfiction Reads for Moms

    Don’t forget to keep learning for yourself! January is the perfect time to think about establishing productive habits or creating routines that work for you.

    The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg: Start the new year thinking about ways to create lasting good habits.

    A Year of Living Productively by Melanie Wilson: Get a quick overview of 52+ productivity systems, hacks, and tips with helpful information to use in deciding which ones may work for you.

    31-Day Devotional: There are many choices for a 31-day devotional book, but here are a few to consider.

    31-Day Devotionals for Life: Choose an area you are struggling with, such as anger, anxiety, contentment, or chronic illness, and spend a month focused on this area with writings from a professional counselor.

    Prayers for a Lifestyle of Learning: 31 Day Devotional for Homeschooling Moms

    Heart of God: 31 Days to Discover God’s Love for You

    What to Learn in January

    Obviously, this is not a comprehensive list. Nor is it a prescriptive list of things you should study in January.

    Choosing some of these topics to learn about in January will expose your kids to a variety of people, places, and ideas. If they find something or someone especially interesting, feel free to dive deep. If not, read a short excerpt, watch a short video, and move on to something else.

    Your kids won’t necessarily know what they find interesting or exciting until they read, see, or hear something about it. Give them the chance to discover things that generate interest by providing a broad spectrum of learning opportunities this month.


    Visit my homeschool resources page for monthly unit study ideas, projects, and homeschool planning help!


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