One of the main reasons I started schooling throughout the summer was because my kids were so little and they simply need something to do. They needed structure. We already had a routine so why not stick with it? Nine years later, it’s just what we do, and it works. Of course we take plenty of breaks so it’s not as intense as some might think. When I tell some people I school during the summer they look at me cross-eyed like I am some sort of tyrant or something. It’s not like that at all. My kids still go to water parks, hike in the woods, attend camps and spend days swimming in the lake. Some weeks we hit the books hard, others we take off and others I call “soft days.” In the summer, soft days usually consists of doing a small amount of schoolwork in the morning. Then, the kids are “rewarded” with an afternoon kayaking, fishing, or swimming. My kids are the type that thrive off of checklists. They like to know what is expected of them each day so they can “check it off” and know they are done with “school.” Telling them, “oh you can just finish it when we get home,” won’t work for them. They hate have it hanging over their heads! Since this is the case, I find simple yet effective curriculum for the summer months. Some subjects we trudge through all year such as math, reading and spelling. Others, I am flexible with. I try to finish up our history and science before the summer so they focus on more “fun” types of activities in the summer. Below is a list of fun “activities” that can be used in the summer months that are not too demanding and can actually be labeled as “fun!”
Literature/Writing
Rainbow Resource Summer Writing Contest
(We have done this the past few years and LOVE IT!)
Science
History
Fun Studies
