Do we Homeschool in the Summer?
I was recently asked if we planned to homeschool throughout the summer. We often start back to school a bit earlier in August than our public school friends, but our family has decided that we need most of the summer off… at least from our more formal approach to school. For one thing, the majority of the kids’ friends have “off” during the summer, so we set up more playdates and trips out and about. And, now that the kids are older we also sign them up for other opportunities — day camps, sleep away camps not to mention slumber parties with friends and our own family get-aways.
When we are home, I use summer as an opportunity to test out some fun new activities. I have a notebook and jot down summer ideas as I come across them throughout the year. Some activities are just better when the weather is warm. And some indoor ideas I tuck away for when its 97 degrees and 98% humidity outside.
What kinds of things are on our list right now? Things like:
- slip-n-slide,
- solar oven,
- grow a cucumber in a bottle,
- fishing,
- blind man’s bluff,
- foam snakes,
- spud,
- star gazing (constellations),
- outdoor chalk,
- slackline,
- candle making,
- frisbee golf,
- camping out,
- help at the local food pantry (we stopped helping out this year because of my health problems, but they always need more help in the summer and fall because of the fresh produce that is donated)
- kayaking or canoeing,
- water balloon games,
- knots,
- t-shirt weaving,
- cave tour,
- adopt a grandma (the kids read about this and wanted to look into this at a local nursing home),
- bike riding,
- picnics,
- night games,
- geocaching,
- car wash,
- berry (and peach!) picking (and jam making),
- visit local historical sights,
- backwoods cooking,
- double-dutch jump rope,
- roller skating…
Don’t miss this post: ideas for older elementary and middle school kids
We’ll also be reading lots and lots of books this summer. In fact, I’ll be sharing some of our finds in a Children’s Literature Series that we’ll post on Saturdays.
Children’s Literature is a great way to expose kids to new times, places and cultures. Some of the topics in this series include literature by and about Native Americans, African Americans and Hispanic Americans as well as books that explore the ancient world, the Middle East, World War II, Australia, China, Japan and more!
And just to get you started and excited for this series, I thought I’d share some well-loved picture books and novels. Just click on one of the pictures below to print out the list.
Books–25 Beloved Books Printable Lists
25 Beloved Books for 4-8 Year Olds (In no particular order) These are affiliate links.
- Millions of Cats by Wanda Gág
- Miss Nelson Is Missing!by Harry Allard
- Strega Nona: Book & CD by Tomie De Paola
- The Art Lesson by Tomie De Paola
- Stellaluna and Crickwing by Janell Cannon
- Caps for Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina
- Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
- If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
- Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
- Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by John Archambault
- The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
- Jumanji by Chris Van Allsburg (and any of his books!)
- Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
- Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox
- Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
- Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish
- The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
- The Mitten by Jan Brett
- The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
- Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus
- Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears: A West African Tale by Verna Aardema
- Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
- I Wanna Iguana by Karen Kaufman Orloff
- Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
25 Beloved Books for 8-12 Year Olds (In no particular order) These are affiliate links.
- Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien
- Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White
- Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
- Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
- Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
- Ramona Quimby, Age 8 by Beverly Cleary
- The BFG by Roald Dahl
- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
- James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
- A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle
- Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
- Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
- Little House in the Big Woods and Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
- Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan
- Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
- Frindle by Andrew Clements
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Number the Stars by Lois Lowry
- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis
- The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
- Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren
- The Boxcar Children Books 1-4 by Gertrude Chandler Warner
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