Our Homeschool Journey + Outing Ideas for Littles

Our journey into homeschooling, community, and keeping outings simple with three little ones.

How We Got Here

Hi, I’m Eden — mom of three (ages 5, 3, and 2), wife, and entrepreneur. My husband and I have fallen in love with the freedom that comes with running our own businesses, and part of that freedom has led us to explore homeschooling with our kids. For me, one of the biggest draws was simply wanting to spend more of their waking hours together. I wanted to be the adult who got to share in the everyday moments, the questions, and the discoveries. Another factor for us has been our faith. We see homeschooling as an opportunity to weave biblical truths and a faith-based perspective into our kids’ lessons.

I’ve been surprised by how many people have reached out asking about our homeschool journey — everything from what made us start, to what curriculum we use, to how our little group plans field trips and outings. Since the questions keep popping up, I thought it would be fun to write it all out here as a central place to share.

Neither Caleb nor I come from a homeschooling background. I was homeschooled for one year in elementary school, but the majority of my education was in public school, and Caleb’s was as well. So this is all brand new territory for us (which is both exciting and a little intimidating).

That said, let me be clear…I have no idea what I’m doing. 😂 I don’t spend hours researching curriculum or crafts. In fact, I just chose a curriculum that a few friends recommended, and it’s short, simple, and doable (The Good & The Beautiful). I’m not married to the idea of homeschooling forever. I love the thought of giving my kids a voice in their education as they grow, and we’ll reevaluate along the way to see what works best for our family.

A little background: I taught Family & Consumer Sciences for seven years at a local high school. While that doesn’t give me any more credibility than a mom without a teaching degree, it is part of my story. I’ve always loved creating, imagining, and setting up beautiful spaces — sometimes even more than executing the lesson itself. 😅

That’s the fun part of homeschooling, though. Every family approaches it differently, and there’s no one right way to do it. That’s actually why I saw so much value in creating a small, close-knit group of moms to do this alongside me. I wanted community for myself and for my kids — familiar faces, consistent friendships, and people to walk this journey with and learn from.

The Heart Behind Gather

I tested out a few larger co-op style groups at first, but eventually realized I was craving something more intiment. A friend and I began planning a few outings, and from there our group of about 5–6 families was formed. We named it Gather because that’s really the heartbeat — gathering together for connection, play, learning, and fun.

Our goal isn’t to recreate school or make things complicated. We meet twice a month for low-stress outings, some big (like a museum trip) and some simple (like a park day). We wanted it to feel realistic for moms with little kids — minimal prep, affordable (or free when possible), and just plain fun.

And to anyone reading this who isn’t in our little group — please know, this is something anyone can do. The key is to keep it small and consistent so that deeper friendships can form. At a certain point, having too many new people every week makes it hard to build those bonds. One simple way to start is by leaning on the strengths around you—maybe a friend knows a beekeeper, another has farm animals or a garden, someone’s great at cooking, hosting, crafting, or music, or has skills from their job, like a nurse or police officer. These strengths can naturally inspire outings, lessons, and shared activities, creating opportunities to learn from one another and celebrate the unique talents in your community. The beauty is in creating something that works for your family and your circle of friends.

Homeschool Outing Ideas

When we first started dreaming about our group, we began jotting down every possible field trip and outing we could think of. The list got long quickly! It was so helpful to see all the options in one place, even though we knew we wouldn’t do them all. This is simply a bank of ideas you can pull from, swap out, or save for later.

To make things easier, here are some categories to guide your planning. Under each category, I’ll include both general ideas that could work anywhere and a few Fort Wayne/Bluffton, Indiana–specific examples for local friends.

🌞 Warmer Weather Activities

General Ideas:

• Nature hikes & nature crafts

• Splash pads & playground meet-ups

• Scavenger hunts

• End of year “field day” games

• Shareable picnics & free play

• Stone quarry tours

• Backyard slip n’ slide

• Pumpkin patches & apple orchards

• Petting zoos & farm tours (dairy, bee, animal, or egg farms)

• Flower/berry picking

• Seasonal fall or summer festivals/parades

• Circus

Local Favorites and Specific Activities:

• Splash Pads & Parks: Buckner Park Splash Pad, Lancaster Park, Drake Goetz Park, Oubache State Park, Archbold Wilson Park, Whicker Park

• Nature Crafts: tape nature bracelets, rock painting, pinecone bird feeders, chalk/rock Tic-Tac-Toe, pressed flower frames, painting with leaf/flower

• Pools: New Wells Community Pool (coming summer 2026)

• Farms, Orchards, Others: Phil’s You-Pick Apple Orchard, Cooks Orchard, Fisher Legacy Farm. FW Zoo, FW TinCaps baseball game

❄️ Colder Weather Activities

General Ideas:

• Children’s museums & science centers

• Libraries

• Tours of fire stations, police stations, post offices, or local businesses

• Trampoline parks, climbing gyms, & indoor playgrounds

• Bowling alleys

• Indoor waterparks

• Disney on Ice

Local Favorites:

• Museums & Attractions: Science Central, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, Botanical Gardens butterfly exhibit, FW fire Museum

• Classes & Story Times: Bluffton Library (story times), crafts/coloring at the library

• Indoor Play & Fun: Sky Zone Fort Wayne, Huntington YMCA indoor waterpark, Kids Empire indoor playground, Crazy Pinz, Pine Hills Church indoor playground, Power Up Action Park

🎉 Holiday & Themed Gatherings (Anytime of Year)

General Ideas:

• Holiday parties & dress-up days

• Make-believe play & simple craft meet-ups

• Multi-generational/family activities

• Serve-day volunteering

Local & Specific Activities:

• Dad’s Day: Lowe’s free monthly kids workshop

• Grandparents’ Valentine’s Lunch (kids decorate & serve)

• “Noon Years Eve” Party

• Candy apple decorating & pumpkin painting

• PJ Christmas movie party

• Costumes/make-believe party

• BYO creative play box to share: kinetic sand, rice, dry beans, dried pasta, Magnatiles, Legos, blocks, play dough, seashells, corn kernels, nature items, etc.

One of the things we love about meeting in public spaces—like parks, splash pads, or museums—is that it removes the pressure of hosting at home. There’s no need to worry about clean-up, space, or accommodating everyone.

At the same time, gathering in a home setting brings a different kind of value. It creates a cozy, intentional atmosphere where moms can slow down, connect more deeply, and have real conversations—without the stress of keeping track of kids in a large public space.

Another idea you could incorporate into your outings is celebrating birthdays. On or near a child’s birthday, they can bring a small, sharable treat for the group, if desired. You could take a few moments to sing and even give the “gift of words” by sharing encouraging notes, compliments, or little affirmations to build them up. It’s a simple, low-stress way to make everyone feel special and included, without turning it into a full party at someone’s house.

When there is preparation involved for the outing that day — like a craft, snack, or supplies — it’s so much easier when the responsibility is shared. When prep is split among moms (or even shared with the kids), everyone stays engaged without one person carrying the load.

🎨 Easy Craft/Game Ideas (Made Simple with ChatGPT)

Want a quick way to add a hands-on activity to your outing without hours of Pinterest scrolling? You can use ChatGPT to generate simple, low-prep craft/game prompts for any field trip or gathering. Here’s how:

• Include where you’re going (farm, museum, park, zoo, etc.).

• Mention any supplies you’d like to use (paper, crayons, glue, nature items, no supplies, etc.).

• Ask for ideas that are low-barrier (minimal prep, minimal cleanup, easy for a group).

Example Prompt to Copy/Paste:
"I’m taking a group of homeschool kids to a park. Can you suggest 3 easy, low-prep craft or game ideas we can do using paper, markers, and maybe some leaves or sticks we collect while there? Keep cleanup simple."

📱 Bonus Hack: Turn Photos into Coloring Pages

Snap a picture while you’re out → upload the photo to ChatGPT → ask it to “turn this photo into a simple black-and-white coloring page.” Print, and you’ve got a totally personalized keepsake for kids to color at home or at your next meet-up.

How to Easily Find Local Festivals & Family Activities

Instead of trying to keep up with every single event calendar, here are two simple ways we discover what’s happening nearby:

1. Facebook Events Tab
Open Facebook and head to the Events tab. From there, you can filter by “Today,” “This Weekend,” or search by location. Most businesses and festivals post their events here first, making it one of the easiest ways to stay in the loop.

2. Local Mom & Family Social Media Accounts
Search “[Your City] Moms” or “[Your City] Kids” on Instagram. From seasonal festivals to everyday outings, they often highlight hidden gems you might not find elsewhere. My local favorite: @funinfortwayne , @foodieinfw , @thefortwaynemom

Before we dive into the day’s activities, one thing that helps our mornings run smoothly is our “Daily 5”, adapted from my Toddler Routine Chart. Each day, we focus on five simple routines—brush teeth, spend time with God, get dressed, pick up room, and brush hair—that help our mornings stay predictable and manageable for both the kids and us. If you’re looking for a simple way to bring more consistency to your mornings, you can see all the activity ideas and routines in my Toddler Routine Chart here.

We’ve rounded up some of our favorite tools and resources to make learning at home even more fun and engaging! 👉 Visit our Amazon Storefront for our top homeschool picks.