*This post contains affiliate links to products I use in our homeschool, see disclosure policy for full details.
We have often kept up some sort of study throughout summer. We are a family who embraces learning as a way of life v.s. something more institutional and dry. Not to mention we live in Canada, so studying botany or entomology in the dead of winter (and -35 Celsius) just isn’t practical or rewarding. Until this year however, our summer homeschooling has been quite unstructured.
This year I made the decision to truly embrace a year round homeschool schedule. We still make time for fun and lazy days, but we are not tossing every subject overboard for two and half months.
Year Round Homeschooling
Why Now?
Seeing as we have a child entering high school (yes, I blinked!), one finishing up middle school and the other in elementary we have hit a stage where I am needed in many different ways. While they are all quite independent and good students, it doesn’t change the fact that I need to be there to guide, encourage and motivate them. I can see that we will all benefit from a bit more structure, more acquired skills and even more fun.
My eldest is discerning possible career paths and has the foresight to know he will need advanced Science, Math, English and Social Studies (History/Geography) to achieve his goals for his high school diploma.
With this realization, I knew we would need to change up our homeschool routine and some of our curriculum. At our spring homeschool convention I was able to purchase a new science curriculum from Apologia and shortly thereafter I found a great high school level geography curriculum from Bright Ideas Press called “North Star Geography”.
North Star Geography
Looking at Our Year
As my kids get older, their interests in sports and music lessons take up more time, not to mention some volunteer commitments and part time jobs. With this in mind, I can see that following a typical school year of September to June is crammed full with very little white space.
We need white space!
I will admit this past year there were days where no one wanted to do anything. No chores, no school work, not even fun read alouds, which is always my “go to” when things are upside down and we need a break. When I witnessed this I knew I needed to make some changes.
Not only are we continuing to homeschool through the summer, but everyone is taking a good look at their extra-curricular activities. We are committing to only participating in the activities which bring the most joy and the most beneficial.
By spreading the academics out, we can make more room for down time to replenish, book appointments, go to sporting events and competitions as well as our musical recitals.
The beauty of homeschooling is the flexibility it affords each family to embrace their calling and vocation and give them the time to address any needs which may arise.
This summer my family is having fun exploring Geography, History and Science mixed with a good dose of lazy summer days and great books.
The Math and Writing will be sprinkled in a pinch at a time, but don’t tell my kids; it’s a secret! 😉
Besides, if summers are completely unstructured it can take a toll on mom. Keeping some kind of routine is always beneficial.
More Ideas About Summer Homeschooling
- Summer Circle Time by Kendra Fletcher over at Preschoolers and Peace.
- Summer Road Trip blog posts over at Bright Ideas Press.
Thanks for the perspective. We love our summers off now, but reading your article made me realize the need to reconsider EVERY year what would work best for our family. Needs will surely change as the kids get older.