In case you’ve been living under a rock somewhere, it’s impossible to deny the popularity of superheroes right now.
At first, this was not a bandwagon I cared to jump onto. I am not a fan of superheroes in any way, shape or form.
However, I do see the appeal for children of all ages and Iove to find ways to make educational activities enjoyable, so incorporating superheroes into our homeschool seemed like a no brainer. I started brainstorming some activities to bring superheroes into our lives and keep everyone excited about learning.
First off, I chose a “Superhero” day. Everyone was to dress up as a superhero of their choice. Even the teens were really excited about this (not sure she’d admit this, but even my college-aged daughter joined in). The only catch was….you have to be able to explain to us all:
A) Who are you?
B) Some of your backstory
C) Why did you choose this superhero?
This turned out to be so much fun. From the cute, simple, made up superheroes, to the in-depth, elaborate costumes.
My next assignment was a cooperative activity that incorporated quite a bit of imagination. I had everyone sit at the table, in their costumes, and write a story that involved just the characters at the table. Also, only items that could be made from items around the house or that were actually in the house somewhere could be used in the story. This story took almost 3 days to complete. Next, of course, they had to act it out. I have never laughed so hard. Watching and listening to their creative juices flowing really turned my home into a magical world.
The next assignment that I had them make, was a chart listing superheroes, villains, and their powers.
Although I thought this was kind of a pointless activity, the kids loved researching and thoroughly enjoyed making the chart, which is now proudly displayed in my living room.
To continue delving into their creative sides, I had each of the children develop their own superhero. They had to draw their character, explain their traits, strengths, and weaknesses.
This assignment was a little more difficult for some of the children, but they all did it.
My favorite was a “super-mouse” that was pink and glittery and whose strength was hiding in corners silently and eavesdropping and spying. Their weakness was their desire to collect shiny objects.
Since the weather is finally warming up, I decided to take my superheroes outside for some superhero training, which included:
~A Superhero Obstacle Course
~Tag while using superpowers
~Capture The Flag while using superpowers
To incorporate my older children’s love for photography, we had a superhero picture day.
We did before/after photos….think Clark Kent/Superman, each child dressed normally/them in their superhero costume
To end our unit, we focused on real-life heroes, namely firefighters, paramedics, police officers, military, doctors and nurses.
We walked around town with thank-you notes and stopped at the fire department, police station, and a hospital.
Although I was leery about starting this unit, it led to so many memories that will be forever etched in my mind, and hopefully into the children’s minds as well.
It was a great reminder to me to cherish each moment we have to spend with the children in our lives. It’s not every day that my high schoolers will be willing to dress up as superheroes and be mentors to the younger ones.
Getting down to their levels and encouraging their interests is one of my favorite parts of working with children and I encourage you to do the same.
Who knew that incorporating superheroes into our homeschool would be such a joyful experience.
