How to turn Super Bowl XLVII Sunday into a homeschool lesson plan

 Have children research what states the Super Bowl winners have been from over the past ten years.  Get out the sidewalk chalk to draw a big map in your driveway.  A paper version of a map is also fine.  Mark each state to see if you can detect a pattern.  You can also map the states where the Super Bowl has been held.  This incorporates geography and history and utilizes critical thinking skills. Have kids research both teams. They can watch YouTube videos of past game clips, interviews with the coaches and expert opinion.  They should visit each team’s website to learn their history and study rosters. The library offers the chance to flip through books, newspapers and sports magazines. Researching Super Bowl teams strengthens literacy, critical thinking and writing skills. History and social studies are also being learned by studying the team and the players. After researching the teams, analyze the scores of past games. Then make graphs and charts with the data. Encourage each child to use the collected information to make a hypothesis of who they think will win. Studying football offers many opportunities to learn about the scientific method, practice statistics and make calculations.View the list »
San Francisco 49'ers play Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl Sunday

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It's Super Bowl time! The Baltimore Ravens will face off against the San Francisco 49'ers in New Orleans on Sunday, February 3. According to a Jan. 30 Huffington Post report, statistics expert Nate Silver is predicting the 49’ers will take the victory.

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There are lots of statistics involved in football. This makes the Super Bowl a great theme for homeschool math lesson plans. Studying the Big Game offers homeschoolers the chance to practice many other skills as well.

In fact, a complete unit can be spent focused on the game. In addition to math, delve into science, literacy, history, techonolgy, public speaking and social skills all by letting kids have fun while investigating football.

Information about the two teams, history of the Bowl and expert predictions are everywhere – even on display in grocery stores. Plus, nearly everyone you encounter will have an opinion to share. This is a great chance for homeschoolers to do some out of the box learning.

And you won’t feel bad for sleeping in Monday morning since they did so much school Sunday!

Here’s how to incorporate learning into Super Bowl Sunday.

View the list
  •  After researching the teams, analyze the scores of past games. Then make graphs and charts with the data. Encourage each child to use the collected information to make a hypothesis of who they think will win. Studying football offers many opportunities to learn about the scientific method, practice statistics and make calculations.
  •  Have kids research both teams. They can watch YouTube videos of past game clips, interviews with the coaches and expert opinion.  They should visit each team’s website to learn their history and study rosters. The library offers the chance to flip through books, newspapers and sports magazines. Researching Super Bowl teams strengthens literacy, critical thinking and writing skills. History and social studies are also being learned by studying the team and the players.
  •  Have children research what states the Super Bowl winners have been from over the past ten years.  Get out the sidewalk chalk to draw a big map in your driveway.  A paper version of a map is also fine.  Mark each state to see if you can detect a pattern.  You can also map the states where the Super Bowl has been held.  This incorporates geography and history and utilizes critical thinking skills.
  •  Once homeschoolers have collected enough data to make a prediction to who they think will win, they can get creative by making banners and signs supporting their team.  Get out paper, paint, markers, crayons and any other art supplies you have lying around.  Old Sports Illustrated magazines can be used to make collages. Hang the signs up around the house while you watch the game.
  •  Cooking incorporates a wide variety of skills, including literacy (reading recipes), math (measurements), science (origins of food and how it reacts to heat) and critical thinking (following recipes).  Turn your homeschool into a culinary school to whip up Super Bowl snacks.  Follow classic recipes, such as nachos, or get creative like the New York bakery that whips up chicken wing flavored Super Bowl cupcakes.
  •  People often assume homeschooled children are under socialized. However, many homeschoolers interact with a wide range of children and adults. Have friends over for a Super Bowl party.  Instruct kids to poll the guests to find out what their favorite snack is or which team they’re rooting for.  As a bonus, they can use the information to make charts and analyze data, thus working even more skills.  Ask each child if they think the chicken wings or nachos will be more popular, for example, then let them collect the data to find out the answer.  
  •  Willow Smith has said school isn’t a priority in her family.  She explained she’s too busy working, traveling around the world with her family or watching one of her parents on a movie set to do schoolwork.  Many homeschool families would say that sounds a lot like unschooling.  Learning can happen when you’re visiting movie sets in exotic locations or watching the Super Bowl on your couch.
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Suggested by the author:

, West Palm Beach Childhood Development Examiner

Rachael Moshman has a masters degree in early childhood education and has worked as a nanny, preschool teacher, childcare center director, mentor, advocate, trainer, resource coordinator and adjunct college professor.

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