Homeschool Learning Ideas for October
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 October homeschool ideas. Choose a few to explore and see what sparks their interest.
As you read through these ideas, you may be inspired to search out additional people, places, or events to learn about in October!
This article is part of a series of monthly homeschool learning ideas. Each month offers suggestions for seasonal activities and homeschool projects, along with a list of topics relevant to the month.
The learning suggestions are grouped in the following categories:
- Read Aloud Book Suggestions
- Movie/Book Combos
- Poetry
- Classical Music
- Quotes
- Artists (birthdays in October)
- Athletes (birthdays in October)
- Authors (birthdays in October)
- Composers (birthdays in October)
- Engineers (birthdays in October)
- Inventors (birthdays in October)
- Presidents (birthdays in October)
- Scientists (birthdays in October)
- Interesting People (birthdays in October)
- Unusual Occupations
- Animals
- Plants (seasonal related)
- World Landmarks
- Games
- Crafts (seasonal related)
- Study Skills
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Where to Find Learning Resources
After you decide on a few people or topics you want to learn about in October, 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 October
October is a great time to read a mystery, science fiction, or adventure novel. Here are a few suggestions for books to read together in October.
The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Movie/Book Combos for October
If your child loves movies, but isn’t as keen to read, try reading a book that’s been made into a movie. Read the book together with the promise of a popcorn and movie-watching party when you’re finished! Or, if you think the movie will generate interest in the story, do it backwards for your child. Here are a few suggestions for October book and movie combos.
Read: 100+ Family Movie Night Suggestions
Poetry to Read in October
Read poetry aloud to explore the rhythm of the words. Here are some poetry suggestions to consider for October.
Maple Leaves by Thomas Bailey Aldrich
October by Robert Frost
October by Laurence Dunbar
October’s Party by George Cooper
Additional poems for October can be found at discoverpoetry.com.
Classical Music to Listen to in October
Choose a few pieces of classical music to listen to this month. Here are a couple of suggestions for October.
Grieg-In the Hall of the Mountain King
Saint-Saens-Carnival of the Animals-Swan
Quotes to Ponder in October
October brings the flamboyant colors of changing leaves along with crisp mornings and cozy evenings. Choose a quote to read and discuss in October. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.
“My favorite color is October.”
– unknown
“Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”
– Lauren DeStefano
“Autumn…the year’s last, loveliest smile.”
– William Cullen Bryant
More October Homeschool Ideas…
Artists Born in October
Jean Francois Millet (French realist and landscape artist)
Faith Ringgold (American painter, sculptor, known for her narrative quilts)
Johannes Vermeer (Dutch Baroque painter)
Athletes Born in October
Edson Arantes do Nascimento “Pelé” (soccer/football)
Gertrude Ederle (swimmer)
Marion Jones (track)
Authors Born in October
Russell Freedman (non-fiction biographies for young people)
Dan Gutman (My Weird School series)
Lois Lenski (The Little Train)
Katherine Paterson (Bridge to Terabithia)
Shel Silverstein (A Light in the Attic)
Composers Born in October
Georges Bizet
Franz Lizst
Johann Strauss
Guiseppe Verdi
Engineers Born in October
W. Edwards Deming (developed sampling techniques and known for theories of management)
Robert Hutchings Goddard (engineer, physicist, and inventor credited with building the world’s first liquid-fueled rocket)
Alfred Nobel (chemist, engineer, and inventor, invented dynamite and established the Nobel Prize)
George Westinghouse (entrepreneur and engineer, created a railway braking system)
Entrepreneurs Born in October
Bill Gates (co-founder of Microsoft Corporation)
Reed Hastings (co-founder of Netflix)
Jawed Karim (co-founder of YouTube)
Anita Roddick (founder of The Body Shop)
Peter Thiel (co-founder of Paypal)
Inventors Born in October
Helen Augusta Blanchard (numerous inventions related to sewing machines)
Galileo Ferraris (inventor of the AC motor)
Charles Post (founder of Post Cereals and inventor of several farm implements)
Scientists Born in October
Niels Bohr (Danish physicist who contributed to knowledge of atomic structure)
James Chadwick (English physicist who discovered the neutron)
Thor Heyerdahl (anthropologist most well known for his Kon-Tiki expedition)
William Crawford Gorgas (U.S. Army physician known for work to reduce transmission of yellow fever)
William Ramsay (Scottish chemist who discovered the noble gases)
Jonas Salk (inventor of polio vaccine)
U.S. Presidents Born in October
John Adams (2nd president)
Rutherford B. Hayes (19th president)
Chester A. Arthur (21st president)
Theodore Roosevelt (26th president)
Dwight D. Eisenhower (34th president)
Jimmy Carter (39th president)
Other Interesting People Born in October
Julie Andrews (English actress and singer)
Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (professional stock car racing driver)
Mahatma Ghandi (Indian non-violent political activist)
Lee Iacocca (American automobile executive)
Luciano Pavarotti (Italian opera singer)
Eleanor Roosevelt (First Lady of the United States and human rights activist)
Arthur Schlesinger, Jr. (American historian, intellectual, and presidential biographer)
Margaret Thatcher (first female British Prime Minister)
Noah Webster (American lexicographer known for his dictionary of the English language and lobbyist for copyright laws)
Find even more interesting people with October birthdays noted on ThoughtCo’s list of October famous inventions and birthdays.
Interesting Occupations to Learn About in October
Animals to Learn About in October
Locusts
Honey badger
Mouse deer
Plants to Learn About in October
Acorn squash
Elderberry
Sugar maple
World Landmarks to Learn About in October
Games to Play in October
Crafts to Make in October
Study Skills to Work On in October
Reading strategies: Give your student tools and tactics to improve their reading speed and comprehension.
5 Active Reading Strategies for Textbook Assignments (YouTube – Thomas Frank)
Main Idea | Summarising | Reading Strategies (YouTube – EasyTeaching)
Reading Assignments (YouTube – Crash Course Study Skills)
October Nonfiction Reads for Moms
Don’t forget to keep learning for yourself! Here are a few books to continue learning in the areas of time management, homeschooling, and Christian living.
Productivity for How You’re Wired by Ellen Faye: Learn solutions to create systems and habits that work for you.
Chesterton’s Gateway by Ethan Nicolle: A sampling of essays to introduce readers to G.K. Chesterton’s writings.
Light Up Your Child’s Mind by Joseph Renzulli and Sally Reis: Techniques to foster a love of learning.
What to Learn in October
Obviously, this is not a comprehensive list. Nor is it a prescriptive list of things you should study in October.
Choosing some of these topics to learn about in October 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.
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