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.

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”.

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.

The post Adopting Year Round Homeschooling, New Curriculum and Loving It appeared first on Home School Innovation.

Ok, I’ll fess up here and say Art has never been my strong suit.

Sure, we do crafts from time to time, I get books from the library filled with famous artists’ paintings for us to look at, or use some “how to” books where I try my best to help my kids grasp the techniques laid out before them; often leaving us all a tad frustrated.

Feeling frustrated and discouraged can make it easier for us to push Art aside.

Until Now!

I took the plunge and tried “A Seasonal Start in Fall Chalk Pastels – Art for All Ages” from Tricia Hodges and Lucia Hames (Nana) at Southern Hodgepodge  (in exchange for my honest review).

What made me decide to jump in and try it?

This demo on YouTube where they use chalk pastels to draw an apple in 1 minute (or less)!

I realized one thing…

I Can Do This! 

I Can Teach My Kids Real Art Techniques!

After watching this demonstration I literally went out the very next day to purchase our own set of chalk pastels and paper!

The first thing my kids wanted me to do (knowing how Art challenged I am) is to take the 1 minute apple challenge!

Guess what?

I did it, score 1 for Mom!

That was all they needed to dig into these tutorials and give it a shot!

“A Seasonal Start in Fall Chalk Pastels – Art for All Ages” is:

• Well laid out
• Includes tips to preserve your masterpiece
• Includes ideas for easy clean-up
• Glossary of terms
• Make sense
• Fun to do

Filling the Art Gap

After a week of not being completely prepared to start our Homeschool year, this has propelled us into our fall term with fresh enthusiasm! 

• My kids are excited to do Art again
• They have a new found confidence in their abilities
• They are going beyond the tutorials and creating on their own
• They are smiling as they work!

And Best of all I heard…

“Hey Mom! Look what I can do!”

Use chalk pastels to create real art. It is a forgiving medium which allows you to soften lines and experiment easily with blending colours.

No matter how old you are, whether you homeschool or not, these Chalk Pastel e-book tutorials are worth it!

Or Grab this bundle to save money!

The post Think You Can’t Homeschool Art? Think Again! appeared first on Home School Innovation.

Your kids are no exception.

In this video I chat with you about what to do when your child excels in one subject area and wants to shy away from the one which presents a problem for them.

Go ahead, grab your coffee  and take 5 with me!

The post HSI Coffee Break – Homeschooling Your Child’s Least Favourite Subject appeared first on Home School Innovation.