Summer Learning Made Simple

As the official start of summer quickly approaches, your homeschool family is probably busy planning summer activities, holiday get-togethers, and vacations. However, just because it's summer doesn't mean your children have to stop learning! One way to keep learning during the months of warmer weather is to use seasonal elements in these summertime learning activities.

Math & Science
• Liven up learning with a visit to a local park to observe types of rocks, animals, and plants.
• Talk about the different types of creation in different areas of the United States.
• Hang a thermometer outside your window to track the temperature and record weather patterns.
• Plant a garden and explain how seeds develop into plants, how to care for plants, and how weather affects growth patterns.
• Participate in a local recycling program and study how trash affects the Earth.

• Volunteer to clean up the neighborhood or ditches along a country road.
• Cook up a storm with fun summer recipes in The Science Chef, including the all-American cheeseburger and a fruit parfait.
• Measure out ingredients to make a garden tomato and basil sauce or a corn-off-the cob chowder with recipes from The Math Chef.

Reading & Writing
• Foster the time your children have to relax this summer by promoting leisure reading.
• Read aloud to your children or have them read aloud to you.
• Visit the local public library and participate in a summer reading program.
• Subscribe to magazines and newspapers and talk about current events or articles.
• Write a story, essay, or poem on your summer experiences.
• Most importantly, let your children see you reading for pleasure.

History & Geography
• Visit older community members, military personnel, or international neighbors and have your children interview them. Discover their lives and the history they have experienced. Ask them to compare where they have lived in their childhood to where they live now.
• Learn capitals, countries, and continents by researching online.
• Take field trips to local state history sites and explain their importance.
• Visit museums, gardens, and zoos.
• Make maps of the neighborhood and incorporate them into fun games like a treasure trail or scavenger hunt.

Health & P.E.
• Sign up your children for summer sports activities like baseball, soccer, basketball camps, horse riding, and swimming lessons.
• Encourage bike riding, running, jumping on the trampoline, and more.
• Attend a sporting event for inspiration.
• Become a member at a local gym.
• Promote health and body wellness with nutritious eating and cook seasonal foods for maximum freshness.
• Exercise with your children and eat healthy as a good example.

Bible
• Promote an active relationship with the Lord through daily devotions and Bible readings.
• Study God's Word with your children and teach them how the Lord is involved in all subject areas.
• Look around and remind your children that the world we live in is all His design.

No matter what type of summertime activities you choose to do with your homeschool family, as a parent, you play a critical role in nurturing your children's curiosity and imagination to learn new concepts, skills, and knowledge. This summer, enjoy learning with your children, allow them to make discoveries, and make your enthusiasm for learning contagious!