Summer School - Homeschool Style

Ahhh...summer...school's out then right? Right?!??? Well, my boys certainly think it will be but technically we school year round. The Blog Cruise is answering that very question this week..."Do you school during the summer? What do you do? Why or why not?"

Every year I say the same thing...this year it will be different. This year I'll get a head start on school & start counting my days in August so I can officially be done in May. Yup, this is the year I'll do it. And you know what, I never do!

I've come to realize that we have very much an unschooling bent here at The Berry Patch. While I don't plan to let my boys waste away their days doing anything they please, I do plan for educational opportunities whenever possible. It may not look the same way as a typical public school classroom, but I guarantee that they are learning something in that moment.

For example, this very afternoon I told them no TV, no Wii, and no computer. They could either go outside to play or find something else to do. Soon after this deceleration (which actually happens every afternoon) I find B13 on the couch reading his newest novel. N9 is holding down the other end of the couch checking out a child's atlas of the world. J6 is laying on the floor bugging his brothers so is soon told to grab a book too and he does. No, he can't read yet, but he still found a book and was engaged looking at it and "reading" it via the photos. This lasted for an hour.

However, back to "summer school - homeschool style." We typically take so much time off during the course of the year that we inevitably need to go until July to "get in our days." (The state of Maine requires us to fulfill 175 "days" to complete a school year). However, come summer we do not stay home much. We take a lot of field trips - as many as I can fit in. Each one is a "day" checked off.

The boys enjoy playing sports and this year we are in 4-H will also contribute to our "day" count. We'll throw in a week of VBS too. Then two weeks of swimming lessons. Plus park days to play with friends.

It's "school" but it's also fun. Although, this year I am planning on continuing with the basics...reading, writing, and arithmetic.

The two younger boys are currently playing baseball. They are all doing 4-H this year which means projects for the fairs. A week of Vacation Bible School - at least (for the two younger boys). Two weeks of swimming lessons and field trips galore.

Really - could summer learning be any more fun?