Homeschool Freedom (AND Fun) in the Summer

I must admit I love the freedom of home schooling at any time of the year, but home school freedom in the summer time is especially sweet. 

After a long home school year of planning, home schooling and meeting our goals, I (and the girls) appreciated a break from academics during the summer months. 

Many years, I had a Summer Binder and I would make a plan for each week.  I made a list of activities I thought the kids would enjoy and spaced them out through the summer months. 

Having activities listed on a calendar in my Summer Binder always made it easier for me to get things done.  Sometimes we would do one activity a day – other times, there would be an activity for the morning and another one for the afternoon.  I had family readalouds, nature walks, fun baking ideas, crafts, games, and more listed down.  We never got all of them accomplished, but if I needed an idea, it was there.  (And I reused it from year to year!)

A few years, we even had a Summer Fun Afternoon where we invited extra kids to join us for fun water games, a pinata, snacks and prizes one day.  The kids LOVED that.  (AND I almost always did childcare through the Summer!)

We also went swimming every summer weekday afternoon for two or three years AND hosted Japanese Exchange Students for four or five summers, too.  (I loved hosting Japanese Students.  We got a closer look into their culture and life, while they got a close look into Canadian culture and life.  Some girls were easier to host than others, but it was always a great family extra to do in the summer times.  *ALTHOUGH perhaps don’t go to Heritage Days before you know how to pronounce your Exchange Student’s last name….  We did find her!  She got tired and sat down by the Playground.)

Life was very full for me, and I loved it, but perhaps that isn’t the kind of summer you (or your family) want or need.  The great thing about Home School Freedom (AND freedom itself) is that each of us gets to choose what kind of summer we will have.  Here are some ideas that you are free to use or not, as you wish!

Terry’s Terrific Learning Connections (OR Terry’s Tender Loving Care)

As this home school year draws to a close, I hope you have had a great year home educating your children and that you have some fun (and / or) relaxing plans for your family this summer. 

Welcome to the first edition of Terry’s “Terrific Learning Connections” (and Tender Loving Care, too) for WISDOM Families.

I’ll share great links, contests and connection opportunities for WISDOM Families and Students monthly. I usually share a lot of these ideas on Facebook but want to open it up to the entire Family of WISDOM Home Schoolers.

Does your family love games? Or would you like to incorporate more family games but are not sure where to start? Games have been proven to rapidly develop cognitive functions in all ages.

Games the Build the Brain is a favourite resource of home schooling families everywhere! Find a fabulous game in this booklet, and learn which cognitive skills it builds and supports. Then, play it with your family to reap the cognitive and relationship benefits!

It was with the support of their local school principal that Ken and Marlane Noster brought home their eldest child, half way through grade 3; but the superintendent threatened to charge them with truancy.  The late 80’s were rife with inconsistencies in treatment of home schoolers.

What's the difference?

"What's the difference between parent-led and teacher-led? Why do some families get different homeschool funding than others? I hear about 'aligned' or 'blended' or 'school-delivered' or 'teacher-led' or 'parent-led'... are there really that many kinds of home schooling?"

We hear questions like this frequently, and hope that the following information will help you to make an informed decision in your own educational journey. All learning-at-home options in Alberta fall under one of the following categories.

Many students are thinking about the spring-times of their future careers, or summer jobs, or 'after school' jobs.

But with that thought comes anxiety:  as a home school grad, what do I put on my resume and what do I say in a job interview? What will I say when they ask “do you have your high school diploma?” I have some ideas…

(Note: this article isn’t a comprehensive list of everything you should put in a resume or say at an interview, but simply a few ideas for you to consider and get you thinking).

I was somewhat thrust into home schooling without a great deal of preparation.  About all I knew was that I had the right to teach my children at home, and in my first year I simply brought home all our daughter’s textbooks from school.  It soon became clear that importing the school into our home wasn’t going to work very well so, in our second year, I copied both method and curriculum from another home schooling family.  This whole time, in an effort to research what other options might be available, I spent a lot of time reading books on education in general and some on home schooling.

Top 10 Tips for Home Schooling Families On Simplifying Their Lives

 

1. Plan to do the most shopping and errands you can do on each shopping trip.  Avoid shopping more than once a week, if possible.  This will add time to your days.

2. Plan meals for 10 days to 2 weeks at a time, depending on your shopping schedule.  Know at breakfast (or even the night before!) what you are having for supper, so you can do the preparations needed during the day and not be wondering at 4 o’clock, “What’s for supper?”  This will also aid in nutrition and save you money!

3. Each family member should have a treasure box to keep their treasures inside.  Teach your children to de-clutter, too!  It will be a blessing to them throughout their lives.  Remember, “People are more important than things!”

Transcript of talk by tutor Ben van den Bosch given at WISDOM’s Great Books event, January 30th, 2016.

 
 
 
 
Part of The Gilbertine Institute