I absolutely love summer! I love everything about it. I love the long days where the kids are outside for hours. I love sitting out in the hot sun and getting my tan on. I love when my kids sleep in and I have a quiet house in the morning. (Okay, my 5 year old does NOT sleep in, but one kid makes a lot less noise then the whole crew.) I love the extended evenings, the picnics with friends, the lightning bugs that my younger kids like to chase around and bring back for me to see. I love the trips to the beach and sitting for hours in the sun while my kids play in the waves. I love the days at the river and the afternoons at the pool. I love my flip flops and tank tops. I love all the fresh fruits and vegetables! I just love summer. All of it.
I also love not having to school my kids during the summer. Don’t get me wrong. I love home schooling my children, and I want to do the best job that I can possibly do, teaching them and growing them into well-educated adults. I have had moms ask me if I school throughout the summer, and I am quick to give them a very emphatic “no”. I have realized that I need the summer break just as much, if not more, than the kids do. A burnt out, frazzled, tired of teaching, irritated at everything me, is definitely not the best version of me to be teaching my kids, well, anything!
So my opinion is that summertime is not the time for school, but it doesn’t mean that it isn’t the time to teach. In fact, it’s one of the best times for hands on teaching that we have, because we don’t have to fight the table of contents in our textbooks for time to show our kids the things that aren’t in a book. I don’t have any written plans for teaching my kids this summer, but I do intend to take every opportunity to help them learn about life every single day. I just need to be intentional in looking for those opportunities when planning out our summer adventures.
Here are some of my ideas for this summer:
PLAYING AT THE RIVER
We love to visit the different rivers around where we live. The kids take their boogie boards and walk up-stream a bit, and then they ride their boards down to where I am waiting for them. (I will note here, that I have at least 2 kids who are certified life guards and all of my kids have taken swimming lessons. Also, the water isn’t usually too deep where we hang out and I make sure that I can see my kids at all times.) This is a perfect time to talk about the different roles that the river can play. Water is the most essential ingredient for humanity. Rivers are used for irrigation, navigation and for hydro-power. It provides homes for many different animals, like the turtles and snakes that my kids like to catch! I’ve taught some of my kids how to skip rocks, build dams and make bowls out of river clay. The possibilities are endless.
STREAM ADVENTURES
Another thing that my younger kids and I have done, is get involved in the Harford Streams Summer Adventures. Visit the streams on their list, take a selfie at each one and win prizes. We’ve discovered some streams that we didn’t know about by taking part in this. It also raises awareness for protecting and restoring the area streams.
HIKING
One thing about living in Maryland, is that we have tons of great hiking spots around. Besides the obvious of hiking for exercise, there is a lot of nature out there to be explored, discovered and learned about! Teach your kids about the different kids of trees, or why the moss tends to grow more on the north side of the trees. Take a list with you and go on a scavenger hunt! National parks usually have some great hiking trails, and most of them some sort of historical background that you and your kids can learn about. A few of my favorite places to hike are Harper’s Ferry, Cunningham Falls, Kilgore Falls, and Gunpowder Falls State park.
MESSY CRAFTS
You know all those times your kids wanted to do some really messy art project during the school year, but you absolutely did not want the mess in your house? Summer is the perfect time for those messy crafts, because you can do them outside! My daughter wants to tie dye shirts, and I’m sure there are tons of other messy crafts that we can get into as well.
SUMMER IN THE KITCHEN
While baking might seem like too warm of an activity for summer, you don’t have to use the oven every time to make tasty food! We have a 4th of July tradition in our house of making home made ice cream. We have 2 electric ice cream makers. We mix up about 6 gallons every summer. It doesn’t last very long in this house! Maybe this year we will use some of the ice cream to make cookie sandwiches! I think we’ll give these Watermelon Ice Pops a try as well. My kids will have a blast coming up with some yummy treats to make this summer!
If you’ve never been to the farm fair, I would suggest you give it a try this year! There are tons of farm animals, carnival rides, lots of booths giving away free stuff and a whole row of bounce houses that the kids love! There are several different contests, but our favorite has always been the watermelon eating contest. We’ve collected quite a few ribbons from this contest over the years! I’ll be at the fair for the whole week at the Beachmont Corn Maze booth. Stop by and say hi!
Summer time is here, and so is the time to put away our books and get outside! There will be plenty of time next school year for schedules, math problems, history and science. For now, I’m on break from school, and it feels wonderful!
