With summer coming, we don’t want our kids to lose their love of learning or skills they learned all year long. So let’s take a look at some things we can focus on so we don’t get overwhelmed as parents. I’ve mastered making EVERYTHING learning- a skill I think most homeschool parents acquire pretty quickly. 😆

TIP #1: Play is learning. Watch what they do, talk about it and make it a lesson. Jumping in puddles? That’s physics! Seriously! You can talk about force, motion and water properties.
-Tie in Science with a chat about the water cycle or predictions about the weather by watching the clouds.
–Technology: Use a simple technology (ie: a ruler) to measure the depth of the water.
–Math: Measure the distance from the puddle to a splash mark they make on the cement/road.
-Engineering: Have them create their own puddles with the hose or a watering can.
-PE: This one seems obvious since they are jumping, but you can add in body systems that have to work together to allow them to jump. Also add in hygiene class when they have to clean up the mud from their bodies. We can also talk to our kids about the benefit of being outside for their mental health! All that just from jumping in a puddle! Think about playing with legos, going to the park, being with friends, pretend play, being bored, swimming, car rides…

TIP #2: Include your kids in your regular routine. Cooking, cleaning etc.
These life skills are learning enough! But think about the conversations you can have during these times! We actually like to listen to music, an audio book or podcast while we do chores. Wiping counters, lint rolling couches (we have 4 dogs!) or sweeping floors is a great time to put noise in the background. We like podcasts like Kids Bible Stories, Storynory, Who Smarted, Forever Ago… Or books from Libby/Audible. Of course, when we play music we are covering… well Music… but also PE because we can’t resist dancing! But let’s look a little closer at something we do 3+ times a day- cooking! What are our kids learning? Health: Teach them about nutrition and how their body responds to different foods and vitamins. Social Studies: Teach about where the food originates from. Spaghetti- Italian food, most popular in Italy. Have them look at a map and find Italy for Geography. Put on a Youtube video to see how to make homemade noodles- that’s Science (and some free time for you!) If they can read, add Language Arts and have them read the recipes to you. Plus, if you allow them to measure, you get Math. Talk about Science again with method in which food combines, bread rises etc. I even talk about the water cycle when I put a lid on a boiling pot of water. I could keep going. Just be creative!

TIP #3: Go outside. Explore plants, rocks, rivers, clouds…
Outside offers so many opportunities! Plus it’ll increase their mood, decrease their level of energy and they will likely sleep sooner and longer! Win, Win, Win! For lesson examples see puddle jumping in tip #1. We can also add in our theme of the month and explore the state in which they live. Look at Geology- your kids are likely already exploring this subject by collecting rocks! Can they identify which type of rocks they have in their pocket collection? Move this hobby into Art and have them paint their least favorite rocks! You can then take those rocks and hide them for others to find. We call this Social Studies since there are other people involved! Your community likely has a hashtag or FB group for found rocks! Have them take those same rocks and make a structure for some Engineering practice! Maybe they can paint their rock towers and sell/trade them for some Entrepreneur skills! See how this works yet?

Tip #4: Take time to TALK and teach each other about interests.
Of course I’m including TALKING! It’s unbelievable how much I learn about myself when I talk to others, but even more when I LISTEN to someone. So take some time to share what you know with your kids. Then encourage them to teach you about something that interests them. I’ve learned a whole lot about history and politics because that’s interesting to me- I can teach my kids and in turn they ask questions that gets me to dig deeper and learn more. I have one kiddo totally into reading fiction and she teaches us about character development and imagery in stories. (She doesn’t call it that, but I know that’s what she means! 😄). My other kiddo is all about coding and creating video games, video shorts etc. She teaches the whole family new vocabulary and gets us playing games together. And my husband has SO much knowledge about machines, electrical engineering and things that still go over my head, but I learn so much from listening to him!

And TIP #5: READ! And read routinely- even when school is out.
Keep that reading routine happening! You just learn SO much from books! Put Audible on when you are taking that road trip. Keep bed time stories going. Go outside and read aloud in the grass while your kids watch the clouds. Let them go to the library and pick books (OR SIGN UP FOR SUMMER BOOK CLUB and I’ll make sure they have excitement around reading all summer long!). As long as the content is age appropriate, you really can’t go wrong with reading books! And summer is the perfect time to snag up activity books that will enhance their learning and keep them opening the pages!

Of course, I’m here to offer recommendations, help with specifics or just listen. I learn a lot from you guys, too!

What tip is the easiest for you to accomplish with your family?

Talk Soon,

L