Special Summer Education

The weather is improving, and homeschoolers everywhere are starting to finish up or see the end in sight. Some people wonder how to keep a little structure for the kids throughout the summer while still allowing them to have a fun childhood summer. Whether you choose to officially homeschool through the summer or just incorporate a little learning into the summer fun, you will find some tips and encouragement in this month's collection of articles.

The content on this topic includes articles about summer education ranging from free play to more organized units. Read through The Gift of Free Play to learn why it's important for kids to have an opportunity to play freely in nature. The benefits of free play in nature are covered and the most common obstacles are solved. If this is something you and your kids aren't accustomed to, some family outdoor suggestions are offered. Are you one of the many Canadian families that are camping in the summer? Check out our article Explorative Learning Through Camping to see all the things your children are learning, or could be learning, during your family camping trip.

Schooling Through the Summer offers a variety of options to keep kids' minds working through the summer, ranging from formal unit studies to family adventures. No matter how you see your summer play out, you will find something useful here for your children. If you are feeling burnt out after this past school year, head to our article Avoiding Burnout by Customizing Your Educational Life. This will offer you helpful tips for when you begin to plan for the next school year to help you avoid that burnout. While it is typical to feel that way, you don't have to! Come learn some ways to change things up.

Be sure to scroll down to see all the helpful content related to learning and teaching in the summer months and don't miss the More For You section that has additional resources to gain more insight on this theme.

One of the easiest gifts you can give your child is the gift of free play in nature. It may not cost any money, but it does seem that it requires effort these days. There are so many things today vying for our kids' time that oftentimes it requires us as parents to say no to some things to make room for free play. Some kids will go play outside instinctually, but others will need to be sent out. For some, the beginning step may be family activities outside as parents model and instill a love of nature.

So many families across our country enjoy camping during the nice summer months. There are so many beautiful national, provincial, territorial, and private campgrounds all around our country. While not all homeschool families school year round, most would acknowledge that learning can and does happen everywhere. Your family camping trip is no different! Both history and science can easily be touched on naturally while on your camping trip. This is not an attempt to say that you need to be bringing school along on your summer camping trips but instead is an effort to show you that learning happens all around you!

Summer is coming! Everyone gets restless as they await the end of the school year and the start of summer vacation. Summer is a blast and then...September arrives. The schedules start, and it’s hard to get back into the swing of things. You feel like you have to start all over again. Sound familiar? One solution to this frustration is to continue school right through summer.

As parents, we naturally want what is best for our children in all aspects of their lives. We want to see them excel, be creative, and explore all possibilities while finding who they are and what their purpose in life will be. This is often why parents decide to take their children out of a government instituted schooling system of conformity and take on the challenge of educating their children at home.

Summer is all about the warmer weather, beautiful gardens, and fun outdoors. Help your little ones take full advantage of everything summer has to offer by experiencing it with all five senses. By teaching our kids to appreciate all the 5 senses, we encourage them to look at life in different ways and develop a deeper appreciation for the things around us. In turn, as they grow with these skills, they will learn to approach new experiences with an even more open mind.