Summer Homeschool Plans

Are you looking for a fun and educational way to spend your summer months?  Don’t discount the idea of “homeschooling” over the summer with a more relaxed and flexible approach!  Let me give you a few summer homeschool plans to get you headed in the right direction!

Do you struggle to make traditional homeschool planners work? Do you like the idea of planning, but the actual act of planning feels tedious and time-consuming? Do you always feel behind because you never get to all of your plans? It’s not your fault! You don’t need a new planner, you need a new plan!

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First of all, a few summer homeschooling tips to consider as you plan…

Don’t do summer school every day.

It isn’t necessary to do school every day.  Consider your summer schedule, and plan accordingly.  Do you have swim lessons on Mondays?  Don’t do any school projects that day!  Would you like your mornings to be slow?  Don’t do any summer school until the afternoons or evenings!  The name of the game is flexibility and fun, so try very hard not to jam-pack your summer or it all might backfire on you.

Keep your summer homeschooling plans simple.

In my book Flexible Homeschool Planning, I explain how to make homeschooling plans that don’t overwhelm you, but still factor in projects and fun things.  Ultimately, you need to keep your summer plans simple so that they are doable.  Don’t overplan or hyperplan.  Think slow summer simmer.

Seize educational opportunities in everything you do.

Are you taking a summer vacation?  Make it an EDU-cation!  Point out geography, stop at the historical markers, listen to audiobooks or read aloud on the drive.  Write poetry about the places you visit or draw pictures.  There are so many opportunities for education in the places we visit – don’t miss them!

Likewise, is there a museum in town you’ve been meaning to visit?  Now is a great time for that – no school groups to contend with and you can go on any day you choose!  Take nature walks and point out birds, insects, and foliage.  Use movies to spark educational conversations.  Take the time you often lack during the regular school year to really dig deep!

Now for some fun summer homeschooling ideas!

• Have an Art & Music month where you focus on these things.
• Do tons of science experiments.
• Have a regular Tea Time with special school activities.
• Do Summer Unit Studies.
• Go to museums.
• Choose a book for each month and find activities on Pinterest to go along with that theme.  Check out my Little House on the Prairie Homeschool post!
• Take nature walks and create a nature table.
• Capture fireflies, grasshoppers, spiders, other creatures and study them, REALLY study them.
• Go birdwatching.
• Look at playful homeschool curricula like A Summer of Playing Skillfully.
• Do a Kids Cooking Camp!  Something like Kids Cook Real Food would be perfect!
• Stay up late looking at the stars and pointing out constellations.
• Listen to kid-friendly podcasts together.
• Make forts and read or listen to audio dramas – check out Jonathan Park!
• Map clay or salt maps for various geographical locations.
• Make a baking soda & vinegar volcano.
• Look for service opportunities to do with the kids.
• Have a Water Week where you learn about water, write about water, and then have a water balloon fight!  (might be fun to coincide with Shark Week on Discovery!)
• Visit a farm and learn about animals.
• Use summer sports as a jumping off point to talk about the human body.
• Start a Creative Writing Club or attend the OYAN Summer Workshop!
• Send your kids to TeenPact to learn about government and leadership from a Christian worldview!
• Take an art class together – throw some pottery, make ceramics, sketch and paint!
• Go on a photography hike – even little ones can use a phone or simple digital camera to capture things from their perspective.  Point out shapes and colors, materials and nature!
• Try going all day without electricity (yes, even AC!) and talk about life before electricity and the invention of electricity and how it shapes our lives today!
• Read biographies.
• Study American history culminating in a big 4th of July celebration!
• And at the end of it all, have an End of Summer Picnic!

Have a great summer!