Take a Hike Day in Your Homeschool
November 17 is National Take a Hike Day, a perfect excuse to lace up your boots, grab your water bottle, and head outdoors with your homeschool crew. Whether you’re trekking through the woods, exploring a neighborhood trail, or strolling a local park, hiking offers the chance to combine nature study, physical education, and real-world learning—all while soaking up some fresh air.
Take a Hike Day celebrates America’s 60,000 miles of scenic trails and encourages everyone to spend time exploring the great outdoors. Hiking is one of the simplest, most affordable ways to enjoy exercise and connect with nature. But in your homeschool, it’s also a gateway into science, geography, environmental stewardship, and even history.
Hiking as a Homeschool Lesson
Start by planning a family hike and turning it into a homeschool unit study. Map out your trail, calculate the distance, and estimate the time it will take—practical math skills in action! Bring along a notebook for sketching plants, birds, or insects you encounter. Older students might research local ecosystems or the geology of your area, while younger ones can collect leaves or create bark rubbings for an art project.
If you’re lucky enough to live near the Appalachian Mountains, take a virtual or in-person trip to one of America’s most famous footpaths—the Appalachian Trail. Check out this Homeschool Living for some great ideas for connecting hiking with homeschooling and history. The trail runs more than 550 miles through Virginia alone, making it an ideal setting for field trips, history lessons, and outdoor exploration.
Build or Beautify a Trail
If you love hands-on homeschool projects, consider joining a trail-building or clean-up day event. This blog post from Run Wild My Child shares wonderful insights into the process of building trails—teaching teamwork, environmental care, and even engineering skills. Students can learn about erosion control, drainage, and how paths are designed to protect both hikers and wildlife habitats.
Trail clean-up projects are another meaningful way to give back. In Virginia, volunteers help keep scenic routes beautiful through programs like the Virginia Capital Trail Foundation and the Potomac Appalachian Trail Club. Families can also join national efforts like Clean Trails, which connects local groups across the country working to preserve outdoor spaces. These hands-on homeschool activities don’t just support the environment—they model civic responsibility and community involvement.
Bring the Trail Home
When your hike is over, continue the learning indoors. Create a scrapbook of your adventure with photos, pressed leaves, and trail maps. Encourage journaling—what did you see, hear, or feel along the trail? For older students, explore writing nature poetry or essays inspired by your outing. You can even tie in science lessons by charting your route and identifying plant species or bird calls you observed along the way.
Take a Hike Day is more than a calendar event—it’s a reminder to pause your routine, get outside, and explore. Every trail offers lessons in observation, stewardship, and gratitude. So this November, grab your backpacks, pick a trail, and celebrate learning beyond the classroom walls.
Megan Mora Fuentes
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