10 Ways to Homeschool with Baseball

Written by contributor Jen @ Forever For Always No Matter What

Soon, we will hear the crack of the bat as the major league baseball season gets under way around the country.  We love baseball at our house.  For the past several years we have taken baseball trips in the summer to different major league ballparks.  It’s a great way to combine our love of travel and of baseball.  Admittedly sitting through an entire baseball game isn’t a reality yet for a majority of our family, but some day we’ll get there.

Going to a baseball game is a fun way to spend a summer afternoon or evening.  So much can be learned from baseball.  So, whether you have a budding Prince Fielder in your home or are just a family who enjoys our nation’s favorite past time, here are some ways and resources that baseball can be pretty effortlessly incorporated into your summer learning schedule.

1.  Math – Statistics – Baseball, like most sports, is jammed packed with statistics.  a batting average is a great way to introduce statistics to your older child.  Graphing could also be incorporated.  Try picking a player on your favorite time and graph how his batting average changes throughout the season.  We have a book called Baseball Math and if your child is really into the statistacal side of baseball you could take a look at this book called Understanding Sabermetrics.

2.   Math – Budgeting – If you’ve been to a major league baseball game lately than you know how darn expensive it can be to take a family!  Before you go you could set up a budget for tickets, food, souvenirs etc  Here’s a tip: If you have a minor league team in your area it’s a great way to have fun at the park in a little less overwhelming way.  The parks are usually more geared to families and can be a little less expensive.

3.  Geography – Mapping – Purchase an inexpensive paper map of the United States and have your child map/locate where all the major league baseball teams are.  If you have a very eager child you could do the same with minor league teams.  You could spend some time calculating the miles from each stadium to your home team, or you could “follow” your team for a week and add up the miles they incur as they travel from city to city.

4.  Picture Books – Many quality picture books focus on baseball, here are some great suggestions here and here

5.  Chapter Books – Here are some suggestion for chapter books for an older child.  Spring is a great time to venture to the local library to see what baseball books are on the shelves.

6.   Baseball History – Major league baseball was started in the late 1800’s.  Much has happened in our country since then and can be reflected in baseball, from the first African-American to play in major league baseball, to baseball during the depression, to the way the games were handled in New York after September 11th.   Read biographies of famous players, as well as watching the Ken Burns baseball documentary.

7.  Music – Learn some famous baseball songs and the history behind them, music has long been a big tradition in baseball.   Casey at the Bat, from Maestro Classics, is a favorite in our family.  It combines music with poetry.

8.  Movies – Here is a list of classic baseball movies, or maybe this list is more to your liking, see if your family agrees.  (Please use discretion, they are not all for young children)

9.  Crafts – Here is a round-up of some fun baseball crafts, and some baseball printables, and more baseball activities

Baseball Dinner in a Basket

10.  Food – Arguably my favorite category.  Sometimes I think I like to go to a baseball game just to eat some of the fun, once in a while food, like cotton candy.  You can easily have a baseball dinner at home.  The red baskets can be purchased inexpensively and customize the meal to what your family loves.  Last year during the World Series we had hot dogs, onion rings, beer {not the kids of course!}, and ice cream.  Maybe your family loves popcorn and peanuts, it doesn’t take much to come up with a baseball inspired meal.

Do you use a favorite sport to enhance your homeschool day?

Jen is a wife to one amazing husband and mom to six energetic kids.  Visit Forever, For Always, No Matter What where she blogs about their Catholic faith, homeschooling and adoption.