By Jill McDonough
You do what? Homeschool through the summer? What about a break? Don’t you and the kids need a break?
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As a former public school teacher, I assumed that as a homeschool family we should follow the typical U.S. school calendar. After all, that’s all I ever knew. And that’s what everyone else does, right? However, there are two major reasons I did not like this plan.
- Everyone is on vacation at the same time meaning that many vacation spots are crowded.
- My kids suffered “summer slide” and we spent at least two months of the new school year reviewing instead of learning new concepts.
It was then that I decided that we should homeschool through the summer. We do the bulk of our Sonlight curriculum in the typical school year calendar, but maintain learning throughout the summer. It’s lighter but very valuable. I learned that a lot of families homeschool year round.
Here is why families homeschool through the summer:
- The summer slide – We cut down on beginning of the year review time. Instead of spending the 1st few months of the school year re-teaching concepts that were previously taught but now forgotten, you can “hit the ground running” on the 1st day with your new curriculum.
- Structured days – Our routine stays on track and there are no whining sounds of “I’m bored.”
- Continued momentum – There is no wasted time of trying to get back on track.
- Learning is a lifestyle. Learning doesn’t just take place from 7am – 2 pm Monday through Friday. We want learning to be woven into every day and to be a passion. Taking months off from learning seems odd when you hold fast to this philosophy.
- Catch up where they are behind academically – If my kids are “behind” in a certain subject, we can really focus on it throughout the summer before we start the new grade level curriculum in the fall.
- It’s too hot in certain parts of the world during the summer to enjoy the outdoors. We experienced this while living in Florida. A lot of people homeschool through the intense heat of the summer and then enjoy the nicer weather in later months.
- The kids don’t know any different. Our kids are so routinized with doing some work at the table every morning or reading on the couch that it is just part of life. Why have them stop doing that just because the calendar says it’s summer?
- We like the ability to have a 4 day work week: Studies have shown that people who work only 4 days a week can actually be more productive than those who work 5. A 4-day schedule allows for co-ops, extracurricular activities, sports, playdates, ministry, etc. Sonlight, among other curriculum providers, offers their year round schedules in a 4-day format. I switched over to Sonlight’s 4-day schedules and I love them!
- It allows us to take the time to explore each child’s personal interests: The beauty of homeschooling is that we can help our children discover their God-given talents. We can take the time to nurture their interests which will also help them figure out what their future career may be.
- The school days are much more relaxed: 180 days is what most states require a student to attend school. With homeschooling more days than not, we can have a more relaxed daily schedule and we can also take time off as needed.
- Flexible schedule: We needed to fit our homeschool into our life and not the other way around. Now we have a relaxed schedule that allows us to take mini vacations, minister to those in need, and more.
- Learning at each child’s pace – Knowing that we don’t have to finish a curriculum by a set day, allows me to focus on the learning aspect of it. Making sure my kids are actually learning and retaining the information they learn.
What curriculum do I use over the summer?
- FIRST, Sonlight readers – Sonlight always picks excellent novels with great characters. The summer readers are not fluffy, predictable beach reads but rather books with great character development.
Another great part of Sonlight’s summer readers are that they are grouped not only by reading level (elementary, middle school, and high school) but by gender.
Here are a just a few examples of the books in previous summer reader bundles:
For elementary boys – Survivor Diaries: Overboard – When their whale-watching boat capsizes, Travis and Marina have to figure out how to survive. First the ice-cold sea, then once they reach the deserted shore. Gain some survival tips with this exciting Survivor Diaries series book.
For middle school girls – Confessions from a Principal’s Kid – when a fifth grade girl’s friend starts to deal with bullying, she has to figure out: when is it right to stay silent, and when is it right to speak up? A thought provoking, realistic story.
For high school boys & girls – Masterminds – When four friends discover that their entire lives have been a lie, they set out to find the truth about who they are and where they come from. Fun adventures, personal growth, looking at the questions of where you come from and how do you define who you are.
In the summer I also have my kids read any Sonlight books we did not get to during the school year. With a literature-based curriculum, we expect to learn from great novels and enjoy getting whisked away to exciting places.
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- SECOND, Teaching Textbooks – My boys enjoy using Teaching Textbooks for their math curriculum. I have seen them forget concepts when we take too long of a break from their math. So, we do a Teaching Textbook lesson just about every day. When they finish a level, I just purchase the next one. They also like to be on the computer. This gives them their “computer fix” without it being a waste of time.
- THIRD, Evan-Moor Daily Summer Activities Books – Lastly, a new favorite of mine are these all-subject activity books. I think of these workbooks as a multi-vitamin for their learning. It takes care of my children’s learning in case I missed something.
Daily Summer Activities reflects grade-level expectations and includes open-ended questions to develop your child’s critical thinking skills. Activities offer practice of essential skills across subject areas, including reading, math, writing, spelling, and geography.
With just one or two activities per day over a 10-week period, Daily Summer Activities helps to keep skills sharp without getting in the way of vacation time.
I like using these books to just make sure my child is on grade level and didn’t miss anything. Again, I look at like a multi-vitamin, making sure my child has all his necessary nutrients.
Here is an example of what each week includes in the 6th to 7th grade book:
- 2 fiction or nonfiction reading passages with 4 comprehension questions
- 12 spelling words
- 2 activities practicing a variety of grammar and usage skills
- 1 sentence-editing activity to correct capitalization, punctuation, and other errors
- 1 vocabulary activity practicing skills such as compound words, word parts, synonyms, and homographs
- 3 math activities practicing skills such as word problems, fractions, decimals, and measurement
- 1 geography activity testing basic map-reading skills and concepts
- 2 creative writing exercises
- 1 critical thinking activity
- record form to jot down memorable moments and keep a reading log
While I have this workbook for this upcoming summer, my son wanted to complete a few activities this week just for fun. Here’s an example of what the workbook pages are like:
He loved the Mind Jigglers that exercise critical thinking. This one had fun codes:
Here are additional examples of writing, math, and geography exercises:
Evan-Moor’s Daily Summer Activities get right to what’s important, leaving time for friends and summer fun. Here are the links to the Daily Summer Activities books for each new grade level:
Pre-K to K Daily Summer Activities
K to 1st Grade Daily Summer Activities
1st Grade to 2nd Grade Daily Summer Activities
2nd Grade to 3rd Grade Daily Summer Activities
3rd Grade to 4th Grade Daily Summer Activities
4th Grade to 5th Grade Daily Summer Activities
5th Grade to 6th Grade Daily Summer Activities
6th Grade to 7th Grade Daily Summer Activities
7th Grade to 8th Grade Daily Summer Activities
So that is how we homeschool through the summer. There is, of course, plenty of time for outdoor exploring, vacations, fun with friends, and more.
My kids honestly don’t feel like we do school in summer because it’s a lot lighter load than our usual school.
However, I know that my kids are maintaining what they’ve learned and we will be in great shape when the new school year comes. That makes for an enjoyable and relaxing summer for this momma.
For more ideas on what to use in your homeschool, check out my growing list of homeschool resources.
