Summer

A Homeschool Summer Break that Brings Fun, Sun, and Rest for All!

How are you prepping for summer? Do you take a FULL STOP 3-month break with a “See you in September” attitude? Are you year-round homeschoolers? Do you fall somewhere in between? Do you have everything planned for summer and your next school year? Do you fly by the seat of your super cute swimsuit? Guess what? It’s all great! No matter how you “do” summer in your home and homeschool—it’s just perfect. Popsicles, pool days, and playing—sign me up! Summer for our family is a bit different this year. My kids are older now and this means a few things… Continue reading »

Keep Your Child’s Brain Busy This Summer

The last thing many children want over the summer is school work. It’s natural, they’ve just finished up a whole school year and feel tired. Keeping them busy learning falls on your shoulders — but you’re certainly not alone. New and veteran homeschooling parents have been creating different ways to keep their children motivated for years. Continue reading »

Summer Learning: Creative Activities for Logging Extra Days

It’s almost summertime! Is a long summer vacation looming hot and bothersome in your mind? Why not transform that long and ordinary vacation into extraordinary summer learning? Many homeschoolers choose to continue schooling during the summer. Whether or not you homeschool year round, learning during the summer months is a great way to log in extra days, to spend quality time together as a family, or to just have fun—the more educational, the better. Continue reading »

Homeschool Summer Learning

It’s tough to think about learning when there’s so much fun to be had, and we understand! That’s why you’ll find five learning loss statistics below along with five suggestions on how to help your kids avoid the notorious “summer brain drain.” Continue reading »

Combination Summer Homeschooling

For many of us homeschoolers, summer doesn’t necessarily mean “no school”. Homeschoolers have the flexibility to choose the level of education they wish to do during the summer months, as they do the rest of the year. And every homeschool family does it differently. Some families school straight through the summer, some take some breaks but continue to school some as well, and other families take the summer off completely. We do the combination approach. Continue reading »

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Trying Homeschooling Over the Summer

Trying homeschooling over the summer? Learn how a “trial” of homeschooling this summer may or may not give you a real picture of how homeschooling will work longer-term in your family. You may think that if homeschooling doesn’t seem to work, your children can enroll in school for the next school year, without any lost academic time. If homeschooling does seem to work, then you can commit to homeschooling fully and begin the next academic year with home education. Many veteran homeschoolers will tell you, though, that a summer trial of homeschooling may not be a great indicator of how homeschooling will work for your family. Continue reading »

Creating a Calendar with Children

A great project for the New Year is making a calendar with your little ones. I’m talking about making a calendar the old fashioned way, using fresh heavy art paper and your favorite combination of markers, colored pencils, oil pastels, or other media. I first got this idea from the Oak Meadow first grade curriculum, a Waldorf-inspired curriculum which I loosely followed from time to time and adapted for other ages as my family grew. Continue reading »

The Seasonal Table

Sometimes we have had a designated nature table, something which is suggested by both the Waldorf-inspired approach and the Montessori-inspired approach to homeschooling, and something many Charlotte Mason homeschoolers implement as well.

Other times, we have just gathered seasonal treasures together as a kitchen table centerpiece. A walk in the brisk air, the scavenger hunt for natural objects that are lovely to see and touch and smell and shake, the artful arranging and rearranging of the bounty — these refresh the senses and clear the cobwebs out of minds. Continue reading »

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20 Fun Things To Do During a Homeschooling Summer

Whether you school year ’round or take a break during the summer months, June, July, and August are the ideal time to jazz up your homeschooling with a bit of extra fun. Warm weather, sunshine, and summer breaks from regular-year activities all make the middle of the year perfect for a little excitement! Camps and swimming are pretty par-for-the-course for many families, but there are just so many things that homeschoolers can do to get the most out of summer and make some wonderful memories. Here are 20 fun ideas to get you started: Continue reading »

4th of July in the Homeschool

The day for fireworks, cookouts, and patriotism is almost here! While there is no doubt that barbecues and family get-togethers make the 4th of July exciting and memorable, Independence Day is about so much more than that. A 2001 poll by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation from 2001 found that 14% of U.S. teens believed that the 4th of July celebrates the day that America declared independence from France. Homeschoolers have a wonderful opportunity to ensure that their children understand the meaning behind the holiday that is the foundation of our nation’s existence. Continue reading »

Making Father’s Day Special

Dads: We love ‘em, we need ‘em, and it would be a whole lot harder to homeschool without ‘em! June 19, 2011 gives us the chance to tell our dads just how important they are to us! Whether it’s simple or involved, kids can do something special for Father’s Day, and learn at the same time. Continue reading »

Taking School Outdoors, Part 2

Let’s see…schoolwork sitting at a desk or table, relaxing on the couch in the living room, or lying down on a comfy blanket spread out in the shade under a tree? Fortunately, homeschoolers don’t have to choose! Doing school outdoors is one of the many benefits of home education, which has benefits that are physical, emotional, and educational. Continue reading »