November Fun Learning Holidays
Looking for ways to supplement your homeschool curriculum? How about short unit studies to explore a variety of topics? These fun holidays are a great way to celebrate and provide engaging learning opportunities for your kids. Here’s my list of November homeschool mini-unit study ideas using fun holidays.
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What to Celebrate in the Month of November
Every month has designated awareness holidays. Take advantage of these holidays to introduce your kids to a new experience or get them to try something new. Also, if your child wants to dig in, use these holidays to spend additional time focused on a particular area of interest.
Let’s look at some of the monthly awareness themes for the month of November that you can use to supplement your homeschool curriculum.
I’ve compiled a YouTube playlist containing most of the video links included in this article. Bookmark this page to come back and find the unit study, activity, and article links, and visit the Must Love Lists YouTube playlist for monthly video links.
Aviation History Month
This list of free resources compiled by DIY Homeschooler could keep your kids learning about the history of flight all month long. Add some of the video content linked below and hit the library for a few engaging books and you’re all set.
The Wright Brothers, First Successful Airplane (YouTube – Simple History)
History Brief: The Rise of the Airline Industry (YouTube – Reading Through History)
Evolution of Airplanes 1903-2020 (YouTube – Evo Of)
Why are airplanes slower than they used to be? (YouTube – TedEd)
National Novel Writing Month
For your kids who enjoy creative writing, have them sign up at NaNoWriMo to participate in the novel writing challenge in November and throughout the year. If your kids aren’t as enthusiastic about writing, the group challenge and activities during November might make it more fun for them. Give it a try!
Creative Writing Tips for Kids (YouTube – Usborne)
For older students who are serious about improving their writing skills, Great Courses offers a 24-part course, Writing Great Fiction: Storytelling Tips and Techniques. Check with your local library for access to Great Courses for free. All 24 episodes of this course are streaming on Kanopy. Download the complete course guidebook to go along with the lecture series, and your student will have a wealth of information available to help them progress as a writer.
National Week Holidays for November
Next up are the national awareness weeks to use as homeschool learning opportunities during the month of November.
Chemistry Week: 1st week of November
Use this list of ideas from Teaching Expertise for a variety of creative ways to learn about the periodic table.
Middle school and high school students may enjoy 6 Chemical Reactions that Changed History (Youtube – Be Smart) and What Triggers a Chemical Reaction (YouTube – TedEd).
For younger students, What is Chemistry gives a brief explanation in under 2 minutes.
Online chemistry games and apps:
- Funbrain: periodic table online game
- Middle School Chemistry: periodic table challenge
- Holo Lab Champions: learn about working in a lab
- Bond Breaker 2: learn about the atomic world
- Chem Caper (app): learn about elements and chemical bonding
- Organic Pop (app): connect atoms to form molecules
- Org Chem Adventure (app): learn about organic chemistry
Benjamin Banneker Week: week of November 9th
Benjamin Banneker was a self-taught African-American mathematician and astronomer from the 1700s.
The exceptional life of Benjamin Banneker (YouTube – TedEd)
Tick Tock Banneker’s Clock by Shana Keller (YouTube – Shana Keller)
Books about Benjamin Banneker:
What Are You Figuring Now? by Jeri Ferrris
Benjamin Banneker: Astronomer and Mathematician by Laura Baskes Litwin
Game and Puzzle Week: 3rd week of November
Set aside the textbooks and worksheets this week to learn through play. You can find games related to almost any subject your kids are currently learning about. Make an effort to play math games, geography games, or vocabulary games this week.
Many libraries offer games to check out just like books. See what your local library system has available and try a few new games. It’s a great way to find out whether your kids like the game enough to warrant buying it for your family.
Math Games
Science Games
Geography Games
History Games
Vocabulary and Spelling Games
If you love the idea of learning through game play, there are Facebook groups where you’ll find endless recommendations and suggestions for games to fit any age range. Do a Facebook search for gameschool, and you’ll get a whole bunch of groups to investigate.
Gameschoolers Buy, Sell, and Trade Board Games
National Day Holidays for November
Now we’re on to the individual day holidays for the month of November. Choose a few to incorporate into your homeschool for a variety of learning and fun.
National Bison Day: 1st Saturday in November
Texas Parks and Wildlife has a series of classroom activities to teach students about the history and biology of bison.
Another unit with activities for studying bison in relation to westward expansion comes from the History Teaching Institute.
All About American Bison (YouTube – Free School)
Return of the American Bison (YouTube – Nebraska Public Media)
National Author’s Day: November 1
This would be a great day for your kids to work on their own writing. If they’re working on a creative writing or essay assignment, give them the day to write or research their topic.
Ways to celebrate National Author’s Day
- research a famous author
- learn about the different writing processes of various authors
- contact their favorite author (email, social media)
- make a list of favorite authors
- learn specifics about the writing process
- READ!
Research an author using this free worksheet available in my printables library
World Freedom Day: November 9
This observance marks the fall of the Berlin wall in Germany, separating East Berlin under communist rule and West Berlin’s free citizens.
Video clips, discussion questions, and worksheets related to the events leading up to the creation of the Berlin wall
The Berlin Wall & Beyond provides everything you need to teach a unit about the Berlin wall at the high school level.
The Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall (YouTube – TedEd)
Berlin Wall (YouTube – Simple History)
World Origami Day: November 11
Get your kids folding today! Origami can be related to math, literacy, and art. This article, Origami in the Classroom, has some excellent teaching technique suggestions to use in assisting your child as they attempt an origami project. In this article, you’ll also find a link to instructions for adorable origami hina dolls.
Origami Club is a great source to find specific origami patterns.
See a NASA Physicist’s Incredible Origami (YouTube – Great Big Story)
Just Origami (YouTube channel)
Homemade Bread Day: November 17
Make homemade bread today, of course. You can cover, math, science, reading, and life skills in one activity!
Taste a variety of breads: pita, croissant, bagel, sourdough, and any others you can find in your area.
Bread Around the World Thematic Learning activities from Evan-Moor
Kids Try 10,000 Years of Bread (YouTube – Epicurious)
29 Types of Bread Around the World (YouTube – Food Insider)
Fibonacci Day: November 23
What is the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Ratio (YouTube – Science ABC)
The Magic of Fibonacci Numbers (YouTube – TedEd): best for middle or high school students
Fibonacci Sequence activities from Fractal Foundation
Red Planet Day: November 28
Recognizing Mars, the red planet that has fascinated us for centuries.
Download the Mars Diary from Discovery Diaries and have your kids work through some of the activities.
NASA Space Place activities to learn about Mars
NASA’s YouTube playlist from the Perseverance Mars Rover
This is What Standing on Mars Sounds Like (YouTube – V101 Science)
Mars: One Day on the Red Planet: National Geographic documentary available on Disney+
Read: Thanksgiving Gratitude Prompts (30 Days of Thankful)
Visit my homeschool resources page for monthly unit study ideas, projects, and homeschool planning help!
How to Use Fun Holidays for Unit Studies in November
The key to using fun holiday lists like this in your homeschool is to keep it simple. Don’t try to celebrate every single holiday or awareness theme. You and your kids will be overwhelmed.
One way to implement these supplemental learning activities is to keep a list of fun holidays. Then, note down the ones you celebrate with the year and what you did. Next year, come back to the list and pick another one or two to celebrate.
There are a lot more “national days” you could choose to celebrate that are not included in this list, many of them focused on food. It’s fun to choose a few of these as well to add in treats here and there or as a way to have your kids try new foods.
Find additional November fun holidays that aren’t necessarily learning-related in these two articles.
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November Unit Study Ideas for Homeschool Learning
