Every year as June approaches my kids ask if we are summer schooling.  They know that if I say “no” that we will not formally pick up schoolish books until September and they become giddy with joy and count down the days.  They think educating is over but I know better. 

After 13 years of homeschooling I have found that we can accomplish far more in those “off” years than I would have ever dreamed. It starts with a plan in my head and gathering supplies.  A little preparation goes a long way.  If I have things ready to go, learning happens and time is little wasted.  Here are some examples.

Table Talk Units   Over the years I have collected an assortment of colorful educational posters on many different subjects. I put them under a plastic table cloth centered on the kitchen table and rotate them on a biweekly basis, keeping something fresh before us. As we share lunch and breakfast we chat about the poster.  Often I end up online looking up answers to questions that we have while little ones climb on my lap and look over my shoulder.  Later I quiz the kids about what they remember. At dinner time, or when we have company, I throw a regular table cloth across the top.

Sudden Science Summer is the perfect time for our little naturalists to explore and learn.  This happens in spurts. I keep a ready assortment of jars, plastic tubs with lids, and see through nylon available. When a budding scientist asks what happens when he mixes crazy ingredients together, it helps to know you have an old ice cream bucket available just for that sort of thing. I buy white vinegar, baking soda and borax in bulk for homemade gak, goop and volcano syrup.  You can find a variety of recipes for them to try out online.

Several years ago we invested in a good microscope and slide sets.  During the summer I pull it out and set it up for easy access. I plan a day to show them how to make a slide when they have something they want to examine and how to properly use the microscope.  I set the magnifying glasses out next to the bug catching net just in case they find something interesting. Step back, they will take it from there if the materials are ready to go and they know you are happy to let them experiment away.

Book basket Being lifelong readers is a goal I have for my kids. Throughout the school year they have assigned reading, but in summer I let them pick.  I have several book baskets around our house in addition to the overflowing book shelves. At the beginning of summer I go through these baskets and change them all out.  I add “new” books from Used Curriculum Sales or the local thrift shop on subjects they have expressed interest in at their reading level.  After lunch they take these books and lay on the front lawn under the maple tree or on the trampoline in the back yard. The baskets keep a book always ready to go as we head out for a trip or park day as well.

Kitchen Consumer Math Fractions are fully understood in our house from using measuring cups in the kitchen.  Units of measure are played with in canning and cooking. Mastery comes easily when kids are given a chance to use what they are learning about.

A great way to teach stewardship and basic economics is to hand the kids the household money for a week.  Tell them they have to plan a budget and then purchase what the family will eat and need around the house. Sometimes they will run out of cash for the week and face the fact that meals will have to be far simpler then they planned. 

Kid run business Summer is a wonderful time to start a kid run business.  Mowing lawns and mommies’ helper jobs abound. Learning the feel of honest labor and its rewards are timeless lessons.  Setting up a landscape business helped one son understand that you can’t just skip work when you are sick, the weeds will keep growing.  Another son has planned out costs and benefits of several jobs and is getting his curbside painting business off and running.  Writing a business proposal and introduction letter, doing the math to verify his cost of product versus profit, and practicing his presentation has been a formidable task. His natural enthusiasm for the project has kept him at it.

Junk box mechanics In our house when things break beyond repair, they go into the junk box.  I let the kids completely destroy them, they open them up, look at the parts and how they connect. I challenge them to try to figure out what went wrong.  They fiddle with the gears, and they take the stuff they want to keep for later.  The only rule is that they have to clean it up and throw all the remains away. 

Along those same lines we will visit a new building site on our walks and watch progress as the foundation and walls go up.  The kids see the parts that must all go into place to make a fully functioning house. 

Crash course One summer in high school I completed Geometry in six weeks.  To this day it is my favorite math emphasis and I believe that it partly because I was able to devote my study time just to it for a concentrated period.  My grade was based on test scores rather than daily work, so once I mastered a concept I skipped the busy work and moved on to the next idea.

Offering this to my older children has worked well. They have crash coursed a variety of subjects from typing, to Spanish. Knowing that they can feed what interests them has been the key, but so has knowing that they could complete some basic course like health in weeks rather than dally with it throughout the full school year. I hand a book or computer program to them and tell them to have at it.  Their completion of the subject is based on mastery.  They can zoom through it as fast or as slow as they want. 

Relaxed summer learning is one of the highlights of our homeschooling adventure.  They learn so much, enjoy the no-pressure approach and feel like it was a vacation even if we were learning something new every day.   Natural talents and interests emerge as you see what your child left alone gravitates to.