Summer Homeschooling

Trust me. When I see the rest of you winding down your school year, I get a little jealous.

You see . . . we are THOSE kinds of homeschoolers.

The kind who go all year round.

I personally loved my own childhood summer vacations. I would get off the bus on the last day of school, grab one of those freezer pops, and spend the next few months under my favorite tree with my nose in a book.

I have to admit the whole idea of homeschooling through the summer wasn’t one I embraced—not by a long shot. I had visions of long summers under my favorite tree with my nose in a book. I imagined nature hunts, making fresh squeezed lemonade, cutting into juicy watermelons, and chasing fireflies on the warm summer evenings.

Sound familiar?

However, there came a time when I recognized and embraced the notion of homeschooling all year long. AND those pleasant summer goals I had for my family didn’t have to be any different than I had imagined.

So what are those little twinges of jealousy I feel at the end of the school year? They are far from my mind when we are romping through a long fall break, an extended Christmas vacation, and those spring days that require a little bit of doing nothing at all.

I need to inject a disclaimer right about here. Just because I am about to gush on about the benefits of homeschooling through the summer doesn’t mean it will work for you as well. Homeschooling isn’t a one-size-fits-everybody situation.

You have to do what works for you and your family.

• Homeschooling through the summer FITS OUR LIFESTYLE. My husband is a pastor. Our schedules look different than most. It is handier to be freed-up for a minister’s conference in May or the business of the holidays in December.
• Homeschooling through the summer IS BETTER FOR OUR LEARNING CHALLENGES. My son is dyslexic and does better when he doesn’t have long gaps in his education. Reinforcement and consistency is everything in our world.
• Homeschooling in the summer allows me to EXPAND THE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE. All those wonderful things I talked about doing in the summer (nature hikes and watermelon?) . . . those can all be incorporated into our learning adventures. Science experiments in the backyard on a hot summer day? Mornings spent tending our classroom garden? Afternoons learning about honey bees at the library reading program? Yes, please.
• Homeschooling in the summer MINIMIZES SCHOOL SICK DAYS. Oh, yes. Personally, I struggle with chronic illness. I just plain feel better in the summer. Plus, the dreaded flu bug isn’t quite as vicious during the summer months.
• Homeschooling in the summer fits right into my RELAXED HOMESCHOOLING philosophy. I didn’t used to call myself a relaxed homeschooler. No sirree! But the longer I’ve homeschooled, I’ve realized that freedom and pure BLISS that comes with just doing what is best for us. If we want to call a whole Thursday a “Tolkien Research Day” and spend the entire day binge watching all The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings movies, we can do so—mostly because I know I will have plenty of time during the year to catch up with long division.

How do you school in the summer?

Rebekah Teague is the homeschooling mama to one busy and beautiful boy. She is married to The Muffin who is a pastor and a really great guy. In her spare time she can be found with a book and a cup of tea. She blogs at There Will Be A $5 Charge For Whining.