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You are here: Home / Archives for Summer Learning

Summer Learning

Summer Homeschool Options

June 19, 2020 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Summer is here and school is ending. What are you doing this summer? Should you take the summer off or continue school through the fall? These are questions every homeschool mom asks. After working so hard all year, you might want to just kick back and relax. On the other hand, you don’t want your children to suffer from the infamous “summer slide.” Summer homeschool has many advantages and options. Let’s look at the pros, cons, and opportunities of homeschooling through summer.

Homeschooling During the Summer

If you are wrestling with deciding if you should do summer school or not, you are not alone. In fact, most homeschool families consider this question every year. For some students, summer school is very important. It helps them retain the skills learned over the year and bolster reading and math before the next year begins. Summer school can also give children the opportunity to learn some different skills, such as coding, or a second language. So, working through the summer has advantages. Students who struggle in math or reading, may need continued practice. On the other hand, students may want to learn something that is difficult to fit into their already busy day during the year. Either situation is a perfect reason to do homeschool summer school.

When is Homeschooling through the Summer not a Good Idea?

Homeschooling year round has many advantages. However, children still need to be children. After a long year, everyone needs some down time. Usually, mom could use a break as well. Homeschooling all year can be very stressful. We want our children to succeed and excel. However, we don’t want that to happen at the cost of their happiness. Likewise, you will need time to plan for next year and catch your breath. So, if you are very overwhelmed right now or burned out, you might want to skip homeschooling through the summer. You could always start next year early or do a mid-summer skills boost. Also, typical summer activities such as swimming, biking, and playing outside for hours do boost skills and brain power.

Summer School Options for Homeschoolers

There are so many options when it comes to homeschooling summer school. You can use a pre-built program or design your own. In addition, several platforms offer online summer school. Also, there may be local in-person options such as skills based programs and summer camps. If you are going to design your own, focus on one or two skills. Summer school should always be a lighter load that is highly focused. Phonics, reading, math, writing, and electives are the typical subjects covered over the summer. In addition, unit studies make a perfect option for summer school.

Do it Yourself Summer School

Perhaps you only want to focus on skills for an hour each day. Or, you may not want to invest in another program. Either way, putting together a summer school program for your kids is easy. Which subjects or topics do you want to cover? Decide how long you want to spend on summer school each day/week. Then, pick printables, games, and manipulatives to teach or reinforce the subjects chose. Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Handwriting printables
  • Phonics worksheets
  • Educational games
  • Math flashcards
  • Audiobooks
  • Geography workbooks
  • Review packets
  • Sight word practice
  • Bible verse memory tools
  • Educational apps
  • Youtube channels
  • Library Books

Online Summer School Options

There are also many online options. Some are short classes, while others are full programs. When choosing a program, make sure it is something you can reasonably do. If you want to do a stand alone course, shoot for 8 weeks or less for length. Here are some online opportunities for homeschools this summer:

Connections Academy Online Summer School

Time 4 Learning Summer Learning Curriculum

Free Online Summer Camp

Bridgeway Academy Summer School

American Academy National Home School Summer Homeschool Programs

How to Code: Computer Science Concepts and Python Exercises

The Power of Mathmatical Visualization

Time for Writing

Write Back When Camp

Online coding courses (free trial)

Letter of the Week Simplified!  Over 650 pages of downloadable resources for teaching children the Alphabet one week at a time. For each letter of the alphabet you’ll receive 25 pages of activities, worksheets, charts, coloring pages, math explorations and more. Designed to keep the prep work to a minimum, our letter of the week Alphabet Curriculum can be spread over 26 weeks.  Suggested age range is Preschool to K4.

Filed Under: Homeschool Planning, Summer Learning, Summer School Tagged With: summer school

Summer Learning with School Beach Days

June 12, 2020 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Nothing says summer like a day at the beach. The sand, the sun, the surf…it’s what memories are made of. The beach is also an amazing classroom teeming with possibilities. Get ready for some easy, entertaining, and highly educational fun! Here are some simple activities that anyone can do at the beach. Surf’s up, and so is summer learning with school beach days!

Free Sea Shell Sorting Mats

She Sells Seashells

Seashells are chock full of possibilities. They are fun to find and exciting to collect. Don’t stop at just collecting them in pails. Seashells can be used to make simple games like chess or tic-tac-toe. They also make excellent math manipulatives and can be painted to create a wonderful sorting activity for young children. Using seashells to learn can also be as easy as bringing along a nature guide to shells so the family can identify and learn about all the shells they find.

Seahorse Art Project for Kids

Natural Beauty

Beaches are some of the most beautiful places on earth. They have been photographed, painted, and recreated in just about every medium. How about creating art on the beach instead of just from its vista! Think about other school beach days using a scavenger hunt can amass piles of artifacts. These can be used to decorate sand sculptures, or crafted into a one of a kind souvenir! The crafting itself could be a little tricky at the beach. It will require a glue gun to secure your finds into a piece of art. However, that shouldn’t stop you from designing. Use the flat sand as your backdrop and design the souvenir you want for your home. Take a photo of your design and recreate it at home with crafting supplies.

Free Aquarium Notebooking Pages

Digging for Science Experiments

Sand is everywhere at the beach…it likes to come home with you, too. It’s taken for granted against the majestic ocean and colorful shells. However, sand is an entire science curriculum waiting to be unpacked. Bring along some basic supplies (magnets, magnifying glass, eyedropper, black paper, tweezers, etc) and a container to bring more sand home!

With your science kit on your school beach day, you can conduct experiments right there! Take a spoonful of sand and sort it out using a magnifying glass and tweezers.  How many types of sand particles did you find? If you bring along a little vinegar, you can test the sand to see if any of it came from coral reefs. The calcium carbonate will react with the vinegar and cause CO2 bubbles! Lastly, you can push a magnet through the sand to see how much of it is made of metals. Be sure to bring some home for observing under the microscope. There’s nothing ordinary about sand!

Summer Fun Activities & Games for Kids

Tidal Treasure Trove

Don’t leave the beach without searching for tidal pools. This is a chance to see all kinds of creatures close up. Tiny crabs, beached clams, snails, and more! The tidal pools are a micro-ecosystem that comes and goes. They can provide intriguing entertainment as the sea rests in a shallow basin. Use tide charts to plan your visit and be sure to take along a camera!

What do you have planned on your school beach days this summer?

Fine Motor Activities for JUNE

60 thematic, hands-on activities to build fine motor control skills in June! These thematic activity pages are perfect for your June learning centers. Great for early finishers, take-home resources, or as a tutoring binder you can bring on the go!

Filed Under: Summer Learning

Hummingbird Art Project for Kids

Learning about hummingbirds can make a fantastic unit study for your homeschool classroom. Especially if you time your studies up with Spring & Summer when hummingbirds are likely to be out and about. Besides nature journaling, you might consider making some beautiful window art so you can enjoy hummingbirds year-round.

We’ve designed two different ways to make stunning window cling hummingbirds. The easier version is presented first and the more difficult version is second.

Hummingbird Art Material:

Hummingbird Template

Faux Stained Glass Paints

Laminating Sheets

Hummingbirds Field Guide

For either project, you’ll need the free hummingbird template along with some basic supplies. The reason you’ll need a laminating sheets is because that is how we’ll be making the plastic for the base. You’ll also need a laminator to run the blank laminating sheets through to strengthen the plastic. If you don’t own a laminator, you might consider just purchasing plastic sheets for crafting. However, I believe that the least expensive method is with the laminating sheets, especially if you’re doing this project with a large group.

Hummingbird Art Project 1

This first hummingbird art project tutorial creates a more modern stained glass looking bird. It’s also a bit easier so it might be better for younger children. A hummingbird art project for older children can be found below. However, the first few steps are the same as far as prepping so read through the next few steps before scrolling to the more realistic version.

Step 1:

Before starting the project, you’ll want to prepare your plastic. Basically, you’ll run your laminating sheets through the laminator wihout putting anything in between the sheets. The end result is a stick plastic sheeting you can use as the backdrop for your project. I always run a few extra so I have plastic sheets on hand. TIP: Purchasing laminating sheets is much less expensive online

Step 2:

Tape your plastic sheet on top of your hummingbird template. If you need to be able to move your project while it’s drying overnight, then tape them both to a piece of scrap cardboard as well.

Step 3:

Using black paint, outline the shape of the hummingbird. Set aside to dry. I set mine aside for about 40 minutes, and it wasn’t dry, but it had set enough that I could continue.

Here is how the bird will look when fully outlined. If you are doing this project with younger students, you might consider doing the outlining for them. That way there is no waiting and no frustration with outlining.

Step 4:

Once your outline is set enough, you can fill in the colors. Just be careful not to jab your paint nozzle into the black paint. The outline seems to help the paint settle into the unpainted areas, so don’t worry if you don’t get the paint right up to the edge as it will settle a bit and spread out as it dries. I started with a blue beak and a green head.

Step 5:

Continue to add colors to fill in the hummingbird’s body. I used Pink, orange, white, welly and green on the rest of the body. Then blue on the tail.

Step 6:

Using different hues is a good way to add colors to the bird’s tail. I added turquoise, light blue, and then violet.

Step 7:

Here is how I filled in the hummingbirds wings. I used blue, green and yellow for the top of the wings and then orange, pink and white for the underside of the feathers.

Step 8

Here is how the bird looked once completely painted in. You can fill your bird in any way you want though! The more color the better! When finished, set it aside to dry overnight

Step 9

Here is how the bird looked in the morning. The colors all seem to have darkened up a bit, but don’t worry…once the light shines through you’ll see those beautiful colors again!

Step 10

Use a pair of scissors to cut out around the hummingbird. I don’t know if you can see in the photo above, but I went about 1/3 of an inch all the way around the bird.

Once you’ve got your bird cut out, it’s time to hang it on the window! How stunning is that!? Mine stuck on either side, but the side with the paint did seem more secure. However, I’m not sure if the paint will transfer to the window on a hot sunny day so I’m going to leave it with the plastic side touching the window for now.

Hummingbird Art Project 2 (Realistic)

If you have older students, or maybe you want to create a hummingbird alongside your kiddos, you might appreciate these more realistic version. This tutorial is pretty much the same, however we won’t be outlining the bird, and we’ll be blending the colors as we go.

Step 1:

As mentioned above, there is no outline, so you’ll basically be painting on top of the plastic/template with the colors you want for each section. Here is a look at how I’ve painted my bird. I used purple then blue for the beak. Turquoise for the head, then a row of orange and pink. A section of white, yellow and green. Each time I’ve added a new color, I used the tip of the paint applicator to blend streaks into the previous color. I did so in a curved fashion to create the appearance of texture for the features. It sounds more difficult than it is, once you get going on it, it’s pretty simple to blend.

Step 2:

Here is an up close look at the blending. This was all created simply by dragging the tip of the paint applicator through different colors to create “movement” I’ve also used the purple and darker green to create depth where there should be shadow (at the base of the wings, and where the tail feathers meet the body, those areas should be naturally darker).

Step 3:

I actually used quite a bit of white for the center parts (the center of the body, and the center of the feathers). After the base of white, I blended in some greens and blues to help the appearance of individual wing feathers. I also pulled some orange up into the top of the turquoise head.

Step 4:

Here is how the bird looked when I was done painting. I set it aside to dry overnight.

Step 5:

This is how the bird looked in the morning. Again, it looks as if it has darkened up, but that is just because there isn’t any light shining through the colors.

Step 6:

Once I cut out the hummingbird and hung it on the window the colors brightened up nicely. A lot of the different colors and textures cam through very nicely. In the photo you can see the edges of the plastic, but from a distance, you really can’t see it at all, and it looks quite stunning on the window.

Step 7:

The only problem with this little guy is that he needs some friends! How pretty would it be to have multiple hummingbirds on the window?! This is definitely a project you can do alongside your kiddos. I’ve even recommended that my kiddos make some into Christmas gifts for family members. And this art technique can be used with a variety of different pictures. In fact, I’ll have some more tutorial and templates coming soon so stay tuned for those!

Free Summer Reading Pack K-5

May 22, 2017 By Valerie Mcclintick 1 Comment

Younger students can join in the Summer Reading fun with this FREE printable Summer Reading Pack.

This set includes a READ to 100 chart for students to color in each time they read a book.  This is a super fun visual way to track progress over the Summer.

Four colorful bookmarks encourage children to READ and mark their place while reading. Finally, we’ve included a fun Super Reader award you can present to your child when they have read their books.

Print Super Reader Pack Here

Looking for more Summer Learning?

Try our Summer Writing Pack:

Filed Under: homeschool printables, Summer Learning, Summer School Tagged With: homeschool, summer reading

Summer Reading for Middle School

June 6, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

MiddleSchoolSummerReading

Recently, I designed a Summer Reading and a Summer Writing Challenge for my younger kiddos, but my older children were feeling a bit left out.  So today I whipped up a simple Summer Reading Challenge for Middle School grades.  Because their book sizes are so varied, I thought it might be better to issue a page number challenge rather then a book number challenge.  So the goal is to read 5,000 pages (of grade appropriate material) over the Summer Break.  Many books include grade recommendations on the back, and you can show children how to research online to see whether or not the book they chosen is grade appropriate.  Children keep track of the book title, author and then umber of pages they have read.  Hint: During a 90 day Summer Break, 5,000 pages equals about 55 pages a day…..so it is roughly an hour of reading each day.

SummerReadingMiddl

I’m going to reward my children with a special treat at our local ice cream shop when they finish their charts!

Print Middle School Summer Reading Challenge Sheet Here

Find Elementry Summer Reading Challenge Sheet Here

Try 100 Sentences for Summer for a special Summer Writing Challenge

Filed Under: Bookmark Printables, Reading Printables, Summer Learning, Summer School Tagged With: chart, middle school, summer reading

Free Super Reader Pack for Summer Reading

May 20, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

SuperReaderBooklet

 

Summer is around the corner and you might be looking for something simple for children to do over the break!  This is a special READ to 100 Challenge you can use, simply print the page and hang in the classroom for children to color in as they read.

ReadChart

Once they have all 100 books colored in, you can reward them with a special bookmark and maybe even a sweet treat!

ReadBookmarks

You can print this adorable set FREE in our Teachers Pay Teachers eStore.

(It’s the FREE Download in the upper right corner)

TPTSTore

Filed Under: Preschool Printables, Reading Printables, Summer Learning

100 Sentences 4 Summer

May 20, 2016 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

One of my children is excellent at reading, but his writing could stand some extra practice! I designed this activity pack to provide him with a fun Summer challenge; Write 100 Sentences over Summer Break!

100 Sentences 4 Summer Challenge

This pack includes:

  • How to Write a Sentence Chart
  • Vocabulary Words  (Verbs, Adjectives, Family Words, Color Words, Pronouns, and Prepositions)
  • 100 Cut and Paste Story Prompts
  • 25 Sentence Strip Sheets (4 sentences per sheet)
  • Super Writer Awards (Boy & Girl)

Here is how it works:

Print up the entire notebook (1 for each child) and Bind it together if possible.

Everthing prints in assembly order with the reference charts and vocabulary boxes in the front.

Each day children will choose one picture story prompt, cut it out and paste it to the sentence sheet on the following page

Children then write one small sentence inspired by the picture they chose.  (They can choose to draw their own picture as well.)
There are two lines of writing provided, so younger children can write short sentences like, “I am a skunk,” and older children can write sentences with more detail, “The little skunk smells a red flower.”

You can also encourage the children to try to use different end marks (. ! ?) for each page they fill up.


Two printable awards are included but we also recommend having a tangible treat or item for children who do complete this book. Best of all, this pack is print ready! You can bind them and send them home with students over the Summer break and invite them to bring back their completed notebook for a special prize!

Check out more Photos of 100 Sentences 4 Summer Here

We’ve got a ton of new teaching resources headed your way, so stay tuned!

 

PIN This:

100SentenceSummerPin

Filed Under: Summer Learning, Summer School, Writing Printables Tagged With: homeschool writing curriculum, summer challenge, writing guides for kids

$25 Gift Card Giveaway: Sallie Borrink Learning

April 14, 2014 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

GiveawaySallie

It’s mid-April and you homeschool mom’s know what that means:

Curriculum planning!

I know you are probably knee deep in your Springtime lessons; busy hatching butterflies, pressing wildflowers and dissecting frogs….but I also know you’re silently thinking and planning about what curriculum you will use next year!

SallieBorrink-Button-180x180

Maybe you’re looking for a fun but educational way to keep your kiddos learning over the Summer break?

We’ll today we’re blessed to offer you a chance to relieve some of that burden with a fun giveaway!

Sallie Borrink Learning is offering one winner a $25 gift card to her online store…..and her store is FILLED with high quality teaching resources for pennies on the dollar.

 

I am seriously in LOVE with her Fun Fact Cards series, and even more in love with the price!

Cards are a quick, flexible, colorful and fun way to expand your unit! Start building interest in your topic each morning with these 30 fascinating fact cards that go beyond the basics.

These cards are used multiple ways by teachers and parents in many grades. I love reading about all the different ways teachers and parents use them!

Quick Fun Fact – Read the fact card each day and store them in a small basket where the students can look at them again and again. Or keep the set on a ring.

Fact of the Day Bulletin Board – Read a fact each day and display the cards on a special bulletin board or foam board.

Hallway Display – One teacher displayed them on the hallway chalkboard outside her door so many students and adults could read them.

Calendar Pocket Chart – Put a fact behind each number on the calendar and have a different student take it out each day. You can then display on bulletin board.

Geography Extension – Put the cards on a wall map with a string that points to where it ties in.

Go Fish – Create two sets and use for a game of Go Fish.

Memory Game – Create two sets and use for a Memory Game.

Scavenger Hunt – Use the cards to create a Scavenger Hunt.

School Bulletin Board – One kindergarten class had two students take the fact of the day down to the office each morning, “teach” the fact to the office staff, and then display the cards on the office bulletin board for everyone in the school to see.

The cards are 3×3 and there are 6 on a page. I made them small so they easily slide behind your date cards on the calendar pocket chart. They are also a good size for small hands if using them for a game. I also made them smaller to find the balance between making them colorful, but not taking too much ink when you print them.

The cards are unnumbered so they can be used in any month and in any sequence. You can use all the cards in the set or only a portion. This provides maximum flexibility for the teacher’s schedule. Use one set all month or use parts of two sets depending on your needs.

Also included is a hyperlinked list of the relevant websites where the facts were located.

Click Here for All Fun Fact Titles

SB-Spring-Literacy-Pack-COVER-021913

More Popular products from Sallie Borrink Learning:

Thematic Literacy Packs

Math Centers & Activities

Notebooking Pages

Lapbooks

Freebies

Writing Prompts

 

 

 

Ready to Win?

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Filed Under: Giveaways, Homeschool Curriculum, homeschool printables, Nature Crafts, Spring, Summer Learning, Summer School Tagged With: homeschool curriculum, Homeschool Freebies, homeschool giveaways, homeschool printables, literacy packs, math centers, sallie borrink, writing prompts

Summer Learning

June 7, 2011 By Valerie Mcclintick Leave a Comment

Just a quick post to share some of the adorable
and FREE Summer resources I’ve found floating around the web.

Free Summer of Fun Calendar from Amanda Bennett

Free Summer Fun Activities from Money Saving Mom

Summer Reading Chart from The Crafty Classroom
(use this to keep track of your Summer Reading)

Summer Reading Worksheet from The Crafty Classroom
(use this for extended learning with your Summer Reading)

Reading Challenge Charts from Homeschool Creations

Adorable Printable Summer Calendars from The Brassy Apple

30 Days of Summer Fun from Sew Dang Cute

Summer Merit Badges from The Crafting Chicks

50 Summer Crafts from The Long Thread

Summer Reading Tent from Sew Mama Sew

Looking for more “Active” fun?
Check out my Homeschool P.E. links on Pinterest.

Filed Under: Summer Learning Tagged With: free summer activities, summer printables, summer reading chart

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I am a Christian mother of four, with over 13-years experience homeschooling in Southern Oregon. The resources and products I create are designed to keep the prep to a minimum while also bringing a little educational fun to your classroom

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January Preschool Themes & Printables: Arctic Anim January Preschool Themes & Printables: Arctic Animals, Snowmen, Snowflakes, Hot Cocoa, MLK, Penguins, Polar Bears, New Year, Winter Sports, Hibernation and more! 

 #winterprintables #homeschoolpreschool #prek #distancelearning #tpe #freeworksheets #freeprintables #preschoolprintables #SPED #OT #finemotor  January Preschool Themes
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Prepositional Phrases⠀
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Subtraction Worksheets for Kindergarten! Free subt Subtraction Worksheets for Kindergarten! Free subtraction worksheets for preschool & kindergarten. Students will learn to count and take away objects, decompose with number bonds, frame numbers into 5 and 10-frames, solve horizontal, and vertical subtraction equations, solve subtraction word problems, and more!  These free subtraction worksheets, games, and activities will be a great addition to your math curriculum! #mathworksheets #mathforkindergarten #kindergartenmath #freeworksheets #kindergartenprintables #homeschoolpreschool #tpt #kindermath #handsonlearning (Link in Bio) #craftyclassroom #homeschooling #homeschoolmom.  https://superstarworksheets.com/kindergarten-worksheets/kindergarten-math-worksheets/kindergarten-subtraction-worksheets/
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