Our Summer So Far ( Busy! )

So far we have had a busy summer! I can't believe that June is already halfway over. We've had something going on every week since school let out in May! Summer baseball ended the last week of May. Zeke had the best time playing t-ball and learned so much! It was such a good experience for him, and he can't wait until next year. Titus enjoyed playing in the Majors and had some nice hits and field plays. 

The Bandits

The Royals

After school was finished for the year, Silas, Titus, Mercie, and her boyfriend Cole went to Rodeo Bible Camp. This was my kid's third year attending, and they had a blast as usual! Silas and Titus went for the bull-riding event, and Mercie decided to try her hand at break-away roping this year instead of her usual barrel racing event. She learned a lot about roping and wants to start doing that as well as barrel-racing. Silas has really made some improvements with his bull-riding this year. He even rode in the open class division in our tri-state rodeo in May both nights. 

The next week, we had Vacation Bible School at our church. We kicked it off with a waterslide and hamburgers at church on Sunday. Our theme was The Great Jungle Journey. We didn't have a very large crowd of kids, but the ones that came learned so much and had so much fun. It was a tiring week, though! The following Sunday we had our Family Night with a homemade ice cream supper afterwards.

Then Titus and Mercie went to King's Camp for the week - Titus, as a camper, and Mercie, as a work-study. He had such a great week! He placed first in archery and canoe-racing - he was really proud of himself. Mercie had an exhausting week of washing dishes, sweeping, mopping, cleaning bathrooms, and more - but she enjoyed herself.

His ribbons

This week, Silas is at King's Camp and next week, Mercie goes as a camper. Titus also goes to 4H Camp that week. We also started Children in Action at church on Wednesday nights. It's a mission-focused program for kids in 1st through 6th grades. We will be learning about missionaries each month and then doing our own outreach the last Wednesday of the month. 

She can climb up the slide at church.

Zeke is doing a little summer school because I don't want him to have a "summer slide" where he forgets everything he has learned in reading. It takes us around 20 minutes a day, and he really likes doing his worksheets. Each day, he completes a few pages in Explode the Code Book One, a handwriting page in A Reason for Handwriting K, and a few pages in the Complete Book of Math for Grades 1 and 2. We've been reading lots of books each day! I'm also doing A Thoughtful Toddler School for Zoey (I wrote this).

After June, I think our summer will slow down some! Here are a few more random pictures from June!

Checking the corn

Helping daddy 

Working puzzles 

Besties

I got a haircut

How is your summer going so far? I'd love to hear!

Five MORE Ideas for Summer Learning

Last Monday I shared five ideas for keeping your children learning through the summer. This week I'm going to share five more ideas!

Taking a Class

Your town may offer a cooking class, art lessons, film study, or photography course over the summer. Many teens and preteens would love to do something like this! Summer is also a great time to try a new activity such as karate, dance, baseball, swimming, or gymnastics. Lots of places offer a free trial class or discounted trial week or month. When Titus started taking Tae-Kwon-Do, he went to a free trial class to see if it would be a good fit for him. He loved it and has been taking since January! Many towns have a YMCA with many different sports and activities for kids. Ask around and you may be surprised at what you find!

Picking up a Hobby

With so much free time in the summer, your child may just get bored enough to try a new hobby. Birdwatching, woodworking, painting, sewing, and gardening are all productive hobbies to pick up. If your child has shown interest in something, maybe you could feed that interest with a new book, art supplies, or seeds to plant. 

Seeding out vegetables for our garden

My kids have been practicing magic tricks! They went to a one-day camp a few weeks back and there was an illusionist performing. They both were really interested! Silas bought a book called "Easy Magic Tricks" before he came home and our pastor picked them up a beginner's magic set. They've been working on tricks and even had a magic show for us the other day!

YouTube

I know, most parents want their kids away from screens in the summer - and I get it! I'm one of them. We really limit screentime year-round, but when it's nearing 100 degrees outside (or more here in Louisiana) I do tend to allow screens in the daytime. My boys have recently been watching videos on milking snakes for their venom to make antivenom. I don't know why or how they get interested in this topic, but they are learning! They also watch lots of videos about different animals and survival skills. My daughter watches tons of videos on how to train her horse to barrel race, which is what she's been doing all year. There are tons of educational yet interesting videos on YouTube; just be careful what your children are watching! I make mine sit at the kitchen table while watching just to be sure.

Volunteer Work

Your child may be enough to volunteer at a local vet, the library, a nursing home, or even at church with younger kids. Even if you don't want to commit to volunteer work, your child can do many things to help others out. Collecting dog toys and treats for the local pet rescue center, adopting a grandparent from the nursing home, setting up a canned food drive for the food bank, or visiting an elderly neighbor or relative once a week are all great ways to start volunteer work. Go to an animal rescue center to play with the kittens and puppies. Take a walk and pick up the trash along your road. Learning practical ways to help others is a wonderful life skill for your children, one that will be beneficial for the rest of their lives. Click here for more ideas.

Science Experiments

Almost every child loves science experiments! Summer is the perfect time for experimenting! Pick up a book from the library or order one from Amazon with lots of ideas for science experiments. Maybe you could dedicate one day a week to the science experiment your child chooses. You could even get together with friends or neighbors and put together a science fair show! There are so many ideas online for this. We had a science fair with some homeschooled friends a few years ago, and it was so much fun! The kids learned so much by planning and executing their science projects and then creating a display board and presentation. 

Summer is the perfect time to try some new activities and keep the learning going. Have you done any of these activities with your children?

Five Ideas for Summer Learning

Sometimes it's nice to take the entire summer off from school, whether it's homeschool or public school or something in between. However most parents don't want their children to forget everything they've learned during the school year! Some parents also want their children to keep up the habit of learning throughout the summer. Here are a few simple ideas for summer learning for children - some of these we've done before and some we plan to implement this summer.

Summer Reading Programs

This may sound obvious, but there are so many people who don't utilize their library's summer reading programs! We used to travel for my husband's work and have visited many different libraries. Some libraries had amazing summer reading programs while others were just the run-of-the-mill program. Either way, it encourages your child to read. And reading is such an important skill that children need to practice all the time, even in the summer. 

Some of the programs we've attended have had different people come and talk to the kids - firemen, policemen and their dogs, magicians, puppeteers, and more. These interactive experiences act like a field trip with plenty of learning! Check out your local libraries and see if they're hosting any summer reading programs, or any other program, for your children this summer. Most libraries even have a teen summer reading program complete with games and prizes.

Spiderman, Elsa, and Anna came to one of our library summer reading programs.

Game Nights (or Days!)

Hosting a game night (or game day) with friends or family once a week would be a great way to sneak some learning in. Choose games that involve math, critical thinking skills, and even trivia! Here are few great and classic games you may want to include in your family's game closet.

• Scrabble is great for spelling!
• Monopoly (and Monopoly Jr.) involve money and counting.
• Uno is great for younger kids - color and number matching and recognition.
• Quirkle is fun and involves patterns and critical thinking.
• Triominos is like Scrabble but with numbers - tons of fun for older kids.
• Race Across the US teaching the geography of our country.
• Wordplay really gets your child's brain working (they have a child's version as well as adult!)

You can look up "educational games" on Amazon, and there are so many options! I'm sure you'll find something to engage your children's interest. 

This game, Aggravation, is a ton of fun for all ages.

Nature Study

If nature study is something you've wanted to include in your school year but never got around to it, summer is the perfect time for this! Even something as simple as a weekly nature walk and journaling activity is a wonderful learning opportunity. Take a walk in a different place each week - a park, nature center, neighbor's backyard, or local farm. 

We made these nature bracelets with packing tape.

There are also tons of nature study curriculum online. You could dive deep into any topic that interests your child - ponds, weather, plants, bugs, birds, or dirt. There are so many fun activities you can incorporate into your child's week and they'll never even know they're learning. NaturExplorers has a wide variety of affordable and comprehensive nature studies on their website.

Subscription Boxes

There are so many different options for subscription boxes - craft boxes, STEM boxes, science experiment boxes, geography boxes...there is something out there that your child would love! These would be a great resource to have on hand when you hear those dreaded words - "I'm bored!" We've used STEM boxes from Pitsco before and my boys have absolutely loved them. It's the perfect way to keep your kids busy - their hands and their minds. I would love to try out some different subscription boxes with my younger kids.

Silas made and tested out parachutes with a Pitsco box.

Field Trips

Summer is perfect for taking mini-vacations with your kids! Look around your area for some field trip opportunities. Maybe there are historical sites, science museums, petting zoos, farms, or a national park. We have a historical site within forty minutes driving distance of our house - and I've never taken my kids! That is on our list for this summer, for sure. You could coordinate with a fire station, police station, bakery, or other small business for a quick tour with your kids (and maybe invite some friends!). Sometimes the simple field trips wind up being the most memorable!

Cleveland Aquarium

Pittsburgh Zoo

These five ideas are on our summer learning bucket list. I hope to include a list of five more ideas next week! Have you done any of these? What would you add to my list?

Summer Schedules - Yes or No?

When my older kids were still homeschooling and we were traveling with my husband for work, we schooled through the summer. It gave us something to do in the hot weather and provided us with plenty of time off in the winter when we were home. We had great schedules each summer with schooltime in the mornings, outside time, park time, library time, and lots of free time in the afternoons. 

As the older kids grew up and went to public school and I had the younger ones still homeschooling, we were staying home instead of traveling. We were also adapting to the public school calendar with summers off. Having summers off with nothing but free time is great, but it can also be a little chaotic. We have plenty to keep us busy at home - horses, cows, chickens, dogs, cats, and a rabbit! I feel like the past few summers we have developed some bad habits that carry over into the beginning of the new homeschool year.

My oldest daughter, Mikaela, is 19 with her own baby (and apartment) now. Eli will be 17 this summer and has a summer job that will keep him busy most days. Mercie is 14 and will be attending a private Christian school this coming year. She will need to do a few lessons in Saxon Algebra 1 each week this summer to be ready for Geometry in August. Silas and Titus will be in 7th and 5th grades this coming schoolyear and will be homeschooled. Zeke is 3 and needs to keep a good routine to keep him happy!

Because of those reasons, I feel like we need a Summer School Schedule for this summer! The boys will balk at the idea of 'summer school', so I need to come up with a more appealing name. 

What I'm thinking is one hour a day of summer school. This will probably be done during the hottest part of the day here, right after lunch. I would love to have Zeke start a quiet time during this hour since he has given up naps already. 

Mercie will do her Algebra 1 lessons during this hour and then fill the rest of the time with reading.

Silas will work on Cover Story, a review we will most likely be doing for the Homeschool Review Crew anyway. He has never had a formal writing program and this will be good for him. He will also work a page or two in the "Key To..." math series, and fill the rest of the hour with reading.

Titus will be working on his multiplication and division facts during this hour because he really needs to master them before moving on to 5th grade math.  He will also be using Critical Thinking's Language Smarts workbook which is another review item and filling the rest of the hour with reading.

Zeke will hopefully spend his quiet time hour with puzzles, playdough, and quiet play in our homeschool/playroom. Hopefully this hour will also be a quiet time for Mom (if I'm not having to offer too much help!). 

Are you planning a summer school schedule for your kiddos? I'd love to read about it!