Summer Fun School

We no longer technically homeschool over the Summer.
Ever since joining a local charter school we’ve decided to try and stick to the Monday-Friday, September through June schedule, but that doesn’t mean we don’t learn over the Summer.

If you’re looking for some simple ways to encourage learning over the Summer break here is a list of some Summer Fun School activities:

Lately I’ve noticed that my children have been enjoying skits and plays. Sometimes in their Language Arts curriculum or with certain books they are encouraged to act out a story and they are so very happy to do so. I recently looked up some fun 2-3 person skits on Puppet Resources and thought I might keep a few on hand for those “boring” Summer days.

Summer of Photography!
Why not take your kids and your camera out on a daily hike with a goal. ABC’s in photos. Only pink things. Or have children arrange vacation photos with their own captions. There are some great ideas at Montessori-Now for using photography over the Summer.

Want to keep kids writing over the Summer?
Enlist a willing friend or family member to become Silly Story Penpals!
Initiate the conversation with your children writing a silly story then asking the penpal to return the
favor. This is a great way to sneak in some creative writing, penmanship, and basic language arts skills, all while having fun.

Space Crafts and Activities
Summer is a great time to learn astronomy! From Summer nights spent looking at the stars, to the Persides meteror showers in August, you’ll find some great Summer opportunities to learn all about our universe. We actually use this Meteror Shower Ap to keep track and be reminded of them.
If you really want to get into Space over the Summer, consider investing in a telescope, or participating in a local stargazer event.

Don’t forget about your local and semi-local museums!
Here is a list of US Museums by State.
There are so many wonderful exhibits to see, and it’s a great way for children to get excited about learning.

Chalk Pastels
This Summer we’ve ordered A Simple Start in Chalk Pastels, which includes 45 step by step tutorials. I plan on pulling it out whenever we hear “I’m bored,” or “It’s too hot,” ect…
Maybe by the end of Summer we’ll have a nice collection of artwork to start the year off.

If you’re not looking for a full on set of art lessons,
why not print out a few of these adorable Color-in-Quotes!
A set of pretty markers and a stack of these will go a long way on a HOT Summer afternoon!

Summer Reading!
Here is a handy printable your children can use to keep track of their Summer Reading. We laminated ours and used a dry erase marker. A special follow up worksheet is included as well. At the start of Summer make a goal, and when it is reached have an ice cream night with the family!

Summer Science Activities
Our ES brought some fun Soda bottle science activities last week, and the kids were loving every minute. They made tornados, dancing raisins, and even a shooting rocket bottle.

These science books include so many different science experiments you can do with your kiddos over the Summer, and they won’t even realize they are learning!

I’m sure there are TONS of other ideas out there,
I love how relaxed learning can be during the Summer!