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Summer Homeschooling

Flexibility

Summer Homeschooling As a homeschooler, you have the freedom to learn when and where you choose. So how will your family spend the summer? Will you continue to teach or will you take a break from learning for a few months? If you're like most homeschoolers, you've discovered that as families learn together, they develop a unique style of homeschooling that fits their needs. Some of you will choose to work through the summer, while others may not.

These and other homeschooling choices are explored here, as well as some new ideas on how to change the way you homeschool. You'll also find great suggestions for sneaking in a little -- or a lot -- of learning along with vacation and summer fun.

School at Home
Families who use a prepackaged curriculum and set up a "school at home" learning style generally follow the traditional school schedule with weekends, holidays, and summers off. If the 180 days of schooling are not satisfied, they often will work through part or all of the summer until the requirements are met.

Unschooling
Other families have found an alternative to the school model and practice unschooling. These parents provide a learning-rich environment and trust that their child's natural curiosity and desire to learn will provide the building blocks for an education. Unschoolers take advantage of learning opportunities all year long, and view summer as an extension of that process. Learning becomes a part of daily living, and is not something from which they want or need a break.

Blending Practices
Most homeschoolers fall somewhere between these two philosophies. "Eclectic homeschoolers" best describes families who reject prepackaged curricula, but incorporate both structured learning and child-led learning. Each family decides where the emphasis will lie. On a typical day, maybe math or spelling is taught. The family might later decide to work on a special science project. Schedules are flexible, and while workbooks or textbooks may be used, they are not the focus of the learning process.

These families have developed unique homeschooling calendars that suit their children's needs. For instance, one group of homeschoolers reported they do academic work for three weeks on, one week off, all year long. When working on a challenging or time-consuming project, they know a little "vacation" is just around the corner.

Other moms felt it would be difficult to get their families back into the swing of things after a week off each month and described how they preferred the "three-days-a-week" method. Each family works toward specific goals during those three days, and has the other four to follow-up and/or pursue their interests. In both these examples, children do work during the summer, but the sacrifice is small compared to the freedom the family enjoys throughout the year.

Opportunities for learningLearning on Vacation
Either your summer learning style is structured, relaxed, or somewhere in between, just about every homeschool parent sees summer vacation as a special learning time. For my family, a trip to Ontario, Canada, provided an abundance of learning opportunities. My daughters helped plan the route and became adept map-readers. The long journey was more enjoyable as the girls charted our progress and announced the next town or city along the way.

To maintain our budget -- and sharpen their math skills -- the girls estimated the cost of the trip, figuring in gas, tolls, food, and hotels, both in Canadian and U.S. dollars. They were each given a small vacation allowance, and endlessly calculated the U.S./Canadian exchange rate for each purchase they made. The history of Niagara Falls and surrounding areas was especially interesting; several books purchased from a local bookstore satisfied their curiosity. Daily postcards to friends and family confirmed that my daughters retained most of what they heard and read (and helped provide a little writing practice as well).

Curious Kids
Vacations can also give homeschooling families the opportunity to try a different learning style. While putting away the textbooks and workbooks might seem like a frightening proposition in the middle of the school year, summer is the perfect time to sample a little child-led learning (unschooling). Visit a good museum or attend a summer concert. Meeting a female electric fiddle-player at a local concert inspired my eight-year-old daughter to take up the instrument.

Parents are often surprised by how inquisitive kids can be when presented with interesting learning opportunities. Try a ranger-led walk or campfire talks at a beach or park. Or perhaps visit a historic area like Williamsburg, Va., or Jamestown, Va.. My personal favorite is Plimoth Plantation, a living history museum of 17th-century Plymouth, Mass. All are sure bets to jump-start your learning adventure.

Resources for the Road
Rand McNally publishes great travel books for kids. See the U.S.A. and Travel Time! (ages 3-7) use games, puzzles, and coloring fun to teach about the 50 states. For older kids, try Kids' Road Atlas and Coast-to-Coast Games (ages 6-12). State birds, flowers, nicknames, and capitals are part of the fun and games in these books, which also include Canada and Mexico.

Homeschoolers know that long drives can provide valuable learning opportunities. To make classical literature come alive, listen to storyteller Jim Weiss (www.greathall.com) as he paints a picture of ancient Greece (Greek Myths) or Egypt (Egyptian Treasures: Mummies & Myths). When my two girls asked to hear Shakespeare for Children for the third time, I knew we had a winner. There are currently 25 recordings available with selections ranging from Arabian Nights to Rip Van Winkle.

Don't forget to visit your library and borrow some interesting new music tapes or CDs before your trip. You can also pick up a few books on tape to help the miles pass. If the selection in your library is lacking, Books on Tape (www.booksontape.com) has hundreds of titles to rent or buy. You'll find almost 400 children's books to choose from and something to interest everyone in your family.

So whether you hit the road or the hammock in your backyard, homeschooling gives you the opportunity to include learning as part of your summer fun. The experiences that inspire your kids today may shape who they become tomorrow.