Experience-Based Learning Resources

On this page, I am going to list for you all the ideas I find and think of that will be great places to find resources for all the EBL stations, divided by the station. This list will be constantly updated as I find more things to add, so bookmark this page and check back often!

If you came to this page and don’t yet know what Experience-Based Learning is, I suggest reading this article. And then check out my 4 part series that simplifies it even more: Part 1, 2, 3, 4.

As I am creating this list during the Great Coronavirus Pandemic of 2020, I am going to mark the things you have to leave your house to get or do in THIS COLOR to identify them. I figure even once life gets back to normal, there are going to be times when every family would prefer to not have to go anywhere, so they would be good to be noted.

Amazon links are my affiliate links, and I do make a tiny percentage of any purchases made through my links. THANK YOU for helping to support a fellow homeschool family!

READ

  • Google for articles and websites on the topic.
  • Check your own books to see if you already own books on the subject. I have so many books on my own shelves at home that we never have gotten to, and I try to remember to go through my own shelves before I go elsewhere.
  • Kindle books from Amazon: If you have Kindle Unlimited, there’s a lot of free Kindle books on Amazon. If not, there are still a fair amount. And you don’t have to have a Kindle. There is a Kindle app that works great on Apple devices!
  • Gutenberg: is a library of over 60,000 free eBooks, including children’s books.
  • Google Ebookstore: Has a lot of free books.
  • Internet Archive: offers more than 15,000,000 freely downloadable books and texts. 
  • And here’s an article with a whole bunch more sources for free ebooks. Plus you can always still just order books from Amazon, if need be. Libraries may be closed currently, but Amazon is still taking orders! And they have lots of used books!
  • Visit your local public library and see if they have any books on your topic.

WRITE

WATCH:

  • YouTube
  • Vimeo
  • Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Hulu, whatever paid subscription services you have…they all have many educational videos!
  • Go to a movie/documentary in a theater, especially if it’s relevant to the topic.
  • Go to a play at a theater, especially if it’s relevant to the topic.

LISTEN

  • Podcasts or podcast episodes on the topic: for this, I would load them onto the child’s own devices via a podcatcher like the Podcasts app on iPhones/iPads, if possible. But sometimes it’s easier to bookmark a webpage where they can listen, via Wakelet.
  • Audiobooks or stories on the topic:
    • Storyline Online  -Videos of picture books read by celebrities! It could be used for listening if you just put the video on to listen to…or use in the watch station.
  • Music that is relevant in some way to the topic (for example, if they want to learn about a country or a person that is from a country. Or just have some different kinds of music for them to be exposed to, for fun! Everything doesn’t ALWAYS have to be tied to the topic.
  • Go to a live concert, especially if it’s relevant to the topic.

PLAY

  • Go through any board and card games you already have in your house. Time to drag things out you’ve not played in a while! These do NOT have to be related to your learning topic, and they do not have to be learning games. All games are learning games! They all have rules to follow and especially for young ones, taking turns and learning to be a good sport are tough enough lessons to learn!
  • Puzzles are great family fun games to play together!
  • Look for computer and console games that you can play together. And/or allow some designated individual play time during the day. Whatever suits your family best.
  • Sheppard Software has tons of great online games that are fun for all ages. Even older kids can enjoy and learn from some of them. I especially like their geography games!
  • There are lots of great apps to download for fun playtime that can also be learning time! Scribblenauts, Stack the States, Dragonbox games, and any apps by Carsten Studios are good examples.
  • Think about imaginative play type things you could also encourage. Those possibilities are completely endless! Add in colorful scarves and blankets and pillows and plushies and yarn/string and dress-up clothes and anything you can to enhance play!
  • Think of physical play you can encourage…especially outdoor play if you have a yard or can get outside somewhere. Ride bikes, play sports, play with balls or hoops or ropes, playground games, anything playful and FUN!

CREATE

This is a great station for Lego, art projects, cooking projects, and any kind of blocks or building toy. Here are some other ideas for you:

  • Scour Pinterest for creative ideas on the topic your child is learning about! There are bound to be projects specific to their topic. Possibly numerous ones!
  • Creative projects can also be digital ones! Coding projects, building in Minecraft or other sandbox games…see if there’s a way you can work games your child is currently playing into their topic they are currently learning about. Example: if they are learning about butterflies, could they create a giant monarch butterfly, as accurately as possible, in a game they are playing? Could they digitally draw it in some other program they have, and label its parts? If they are learning about ancient Egypt, can they build the Sphynx or a pyramid (complete with entrance and indoor chambers) in Minecraft?
  • Go to any of a variety of creative classes or clubs. (The possibilities are endless! As long as it uses creativity, it counts!)

SOLVE

Math time! I named this “Solve” to go along with the names of the other stations. If you have a math curriculum, this would be where you would use it. But also…

INVESTIGATE