Welcome to September, Homeschool Families!

New pencils? Check. Curriculum organized? Maybe. Educational plans beautifully color-coded only to discover that somebody learns math better while upside down on the couch? Welcome to homeschool. 😂

One of the best things about homeschooling is that learning doesn't have to stay at a desk. Colorado gives us an enormous classroom filled with mountains, museums, animals, historic sites, nature centers, libraries, farms and local businesses.

So for September, we're taking advantage of it.

This month's Buzzy B Homeschool Guide brings together homeschool-specific events, field trips, educational resources, inexpensive adventures, hands-on learning ideas, community opportunities and ways to turn ordinary September outings into school days.

Whether you're homeschooling one child or five, following a structured curriculum or building your own path, this guide is here to make the month a little easier and a lot more fun. 🐝💗

🗓️ September Homeschool Events

⛏️ Homeschool Day: Rock & Mineral ID

📅 Wednesday, September 9
⏰ 1–2:30 PM
📍 Western Museum of Mining & Industry

September's homeschool program explores rock and mineral identification through classroom activities, the museum and its historic campus.

The museum says its monthly homeschool sessions feature changing STEM or Colorado-history subjects. A supervising adult is required, although homeschool families can coordinate supervision together.

Homeschool Day details & registration

🐝 Turn it into a whole school day: Before visiting, learn the three basic rock types: igneous, sedimentary and metamorphic. Afterward, start a small rock collection and have your child identify and label specimens.

🐌 Hands-On Homeschool: Slick & Slimy

📅 Friday, September 18
⏰ 9 AM–Noon
📍 Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
🎓 Grades: 1–5 and 6–8 program options

This month's theme is Slick & Slimy!

Students investigate animals that use slime, why they're slippery, what slime is made from and how those adaptations help animals survive. The zoo describes the program as exploring animals from watery worlds, swamps and jungles.

Hands-On Homeschool information

🐝 Extend the lesson at home

Make slime, research an amphibian, study mucus as an animal adaptation or have students invent their own imaginary slimy creature and explain how its adaptations help it survive.

Science + animals + goo = homeschool jackpot. 😂

🐘 Don't Forget the Zoo's Teen Opportunities

Homeschooling a middle or high schooler?

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo's applications for its 2026–27 winter teen programs are open September 1–10 for students in grades 6–12.

Programs include Zoo Crew, Junior Zoo Keeper and Teen Core, with experiences involving conservation, leadership, environmental exploration and stewardship.

Cheyenne Mountain Zoo programs

That's one I'd especially flag for families with teens who are interested in animals, conservation, biology or future veterinary careers.

🚗 September Field Trip Bucket List

September weather gives us the sweet spot where outdoor field trips are still fantastic without feeling like we're being baked on a cookie sheet. 🍂

Here are 15 field trips I'd put on this month's list:

1. Garden of the Gods → geology + erosion + Colorado geography

2. Western Museum of Mining & Industry → mining + machinery + Colorado history

3. Cheyenne Mountain Zoo → zoology + ecosystems + conservation

4. Rock Ledge Ranch Historic Site → local history + agriculture

5. Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum → regional history + primary sources

6. Bear Creek Nature Center → ecosystems + wildlife + habitats

7. Fountain Creek Nature Center → wetlands + birds + water ecology

8. Manitou Springs → mineral springs + local history + geography

9. Pueblo Riverwalk → urban planning + Arkansas River history

10. Pueblo Weisbrod Aircraft Museum → aviation + engineering + military history

11. Lake Pueblo State Park → water systems + geology + ecology

12. Castlewood Canyon State Park → geology + ecology + Colorado history

13. Florissant Fossil Beds → fossils + paleontology + prehistoric Colorado

14. Mueller State Park → wildlife + forests + Colorado ecosystems

15. Cripple Creek → mining + economics + Colorado history

🐝 The Buzzy Trick

Don't think of a field trip as simply going somewhere.

Give everyone a Field Trip Mission.

A younger child might need to find three animals, three shapes and something that starts with M.

An elementary student could find five new facts and sketch their favorite exhibit.

A middle schooler can take photographs and write a one-page field report.

A high schooler could research the site's history beforehand and then determine what the exhibits leave out, simplify or interpret differently.

Same destination. Four completely different school days.

🍎 September's FREE Field Trips

Homeschool doesn't need to quietly eat your entire household budget.

Try:

🌲 Nature hike: biology, PE and earth science.

🏛️ Historic downtown walk: architecture, history and photography.

🛒 Grocery store: budgeting, unit pricing, percentages and nutrition.

📚 Library: research skills, literature and independent reading.

🌳 Park ecosystem study: insects, plants, birds and food chains.

🏘️ Neighborhood architecture hunt: identify building styles and geometric shapes.

🍂 Nature collection: gather fallen leaves and compare species.

🗺️ Map challenge: let your child navigate your outing without GPS.

📷 Photography walk: art, composition and storytelling.

💵 $20 grocery challenge: plan a meal, calculate cost and shop within budget.

That last one is math wearing a grocery-store trench coat. 😏

🍂 September Nature School

September gives us an entirely new outdoor classroom.

Create a September Nature Journal and observe the same outdoor location once each week.

Record:

🌡️ Temperature
🌅 Sunset time
🍃 Leaf colors
🐦 Birds observed
🐞 Insects found
🌸 Plants still blooming
☁️ Clouds/weather
✏️ One sketch
❓ One question

At the end of September, compare Week 1 with Week 4.

You've just created a month-long lesson involving science, writing, observation, measurement, art and data collection.

🧪 September STEM Challenges

Try one each week.

🍎 Apple Engineering Challenge

Give kids:

• Apples

• Toothpicks

• Craft sticks

• String

• Paper

• Tape

Challenge them to construct something capable of holding an apple at least six inches above the table.

No instructions.

Let them fail.

Then redesign.

That's engineering.

🌉 Build a Bridge

Use only craft sticks and glue.

How much weight can the bridge hold?

🪂 Egg Drop

Design something that protects an egg when dropped from increasing heights.

Outside, please.

Future-you doesn't want to discover Egg Drop Day happened above the carpet. 😂

🍂 Leaf Chromatography

Collect leaves and investigate their pigments.

🌬️ Wind Challenge

Build paper airplanes using several designs and measure which flies farthest.

Then change one variable and test again.

📖 September Reading Challenge

🍎 Read Around September

Try to read:

☐ A book about apples
☐ A book set in Colorado
☐ A biography
☐ A book about animals
☐ A graphic novel
☐ A book recommended by a friend
☐ A nonfiction science book
☐ A book published before you were born
☐ A book outside
☐ A book together as a family

🐝 Buzzy Bonus: Have everyone choose one family read-aloud for September.

Yes, teenagers can participate.

No, they aren't allowed to disappear simply because they suddenly remembered "homework." 😂

🧮 Everyday Math School

Some of the best homeschool lessons aren't labeled math.

At the grocery store:

Unit prices • percentages • weights • budgeting

While cooking:

Fractions • measurement • chemistry • temperature

On a road trip:

Distance • speed • elapsed time • fuel economy

At a restaurant:

Addition • percentages • tax • tipping

While shopping:

Discounts • percentages • budgeting

Building something:

Geometry • measurement • area • problem-solving

Give kids responsibility for the calculations instead of doing the math for them.

Suddenly, “When will I ever use this?” has an answer.

🍳 Life Skills Count Too

September's Life Skills Challenge:

☐ Cook one complete meal
☐ Learn basic first aid
☐ Sew on a button
☐ Make an appointment
☐ Read a map
☐ Create a grocery list
☐ Compare prices
☐ Do laundry independently
☐ Write and send a real letter
☐ Learn an emergency phone number
☐ Clean a bathroom
☐ Make change from cash
☐ Introduce yourself to an adult
☐ Order your own meal
☐ Write a thank-you note

Adjust everything for age, obviously. A six-year-old isn't calling the dentist to negotiate insurance benefits. 😂

🤝 Socialization & Community

Yes, homeschoolers socialize.

We can officially retire that question. 😉

Look for opportunities through:

Libraries: clubs, STEM programs, book groups and makerspaces.

Parks & recreation: sports, swimming, art and enrichment.

Museums: homeschool days and educational programs.

Nature centers: guided hikes, science programs and volunteer opportunities.

4-H: animals, STEM, leadership, cooking, agriculture and more.

Community theaters: acting, backstage work and productions.

Volunteer organizations: particularly valuable for teens.

Local homeschool groups/co-ops: classes, park days, field trips and parent support.

Community colleges: explore concurrent-enrollment opportunities for older students.

💻 Resources Worth Bookmarking

For Colorado-specific information, start with the Colorado Department of Education Homeschool page.

For the actual statutory requirements, bookmark the state's Colorado Homeschool Law page.

Families can also use resources such as Khan Academy, CK-12, Smithsonian Learning Lab, NASA STEM, National Geographic Education, PBS LearningMedia, Project Gutenberg and your local library's digital resources for supplemental lessons.

⚠️ Important Colorado Homeschool Update for 2026–27

This one belongs prominently in the September guide because there have been changes affecting part-time public programs serving homeschool students for the 2026–27 school year.

Colorado's Department of Education says new statutory requirements took effect this school year. Among other changes, families participating in a public part-time homeschool program need to provide that program with a copy of their current Notice of Intent to Homeschool. CDE also advises families to contact their local district or charter school about available part-time programs.

Read CDE's 2026–27 part-time homeschool program update

For traditional home-based education, Colorado law generally requires a written notification to a Colorado school district 14 days before beginning and annually thereafter. State law specifies at least 172 instructional days averaging four instructional contact hours per day, required subject areas, and evaluations at grades 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11. Families should read the state's requirements directly or contact the district receiving their notice for questions about their circumstances.

🗓️ A Simple September Homeschool Rhythm

If September already feels like curriculum exploded across your dining-room table, simplify it.

Monday: Core academics + plan the week
Tuesday: Academics + art/music
Wednesday: Field trip or community learning
Thursday: Academics + STEM experiment
Friday: Nature, life skills, catch-up and FUN

You don't have to recreate a traditional classroom at home.

That's one of homeschooling's greatest advantages.

💗 To the Homeschool Parent...

Some September days will be beautiful.

You'll finish lessons early, everyone will happily read beneath a tree, your science experiment will work and you'll briefly wonder whether you've cracked the entire parenting code.

Other days somebody will cry over fractions, the glue will disappear, the field trip will go sideways and you'll realize at 3:47 PM that nobody ever changed out of pajamas. 😂

Both days count.

Education isn't confined to worksheets and textbooks. It happens while children investigate, build, cook, read, hike, ask questions, meet people, solve problems and experience the world around them.

So use the curriculum.

But also visit the museum. Turn over the rock. Measure the tree. Talk to the zookeeper. Cook the recipe. Get lost and read the map. Let them ask why 37 times.

Because sometimes the lesson they'll remember most is the one that never looked like school at all. 🍎📚

Happy homeschooling, Colorado!

🐝 The Buzzy B | Making Parenting Easier & Helping You Find Your Family Buzz