Many homeschoolers enjoy the flexibility of continuing school throughout the summer. Although we don’t do a full school schedule, in our family we do school through the summer. I like to use that time to do some fun learning that we may not have made time for during the regular school year. And it’s even better when I can find free ways to keep the kids learning through the summer. Here are some ways you can keep fun and learning going on through the summer- for free!
Utilize your library.
Most
libraries host summer reading programs for kids and occasionally teens and
adults. As well as offering incentives for reading a certain number of books or
amount of time, many host fun programs. We’ve had the opportunity to see puppet
shows, musicians, acrobats, and more. And, because we are at the library so
often, the kids tend to check out more books and find interesting things to
learn about.
Choose a free unit study.
I love to
use unit studies because they can typically be enjoyed by the whole family or
at least multiple children. I’ve found that summer is a great time to pick a topic
or a book that we enjoy and do a unit study around it. Homeschool Share offers
many free, literature-based unit studies. Homeschool Helper Online
has a variety of literature and subject based unit studies.
Enjoy backyard nature study.
Unless you
live in a very hot climate, summer time can be a great time to observe and
learn about plants and animals that live in your area. If you have a backyard,
you can explore there. Or go to a local park with some shady, wooded areas.
Take a notebook and draw or write about interesting things you see. When you
get back to the house, you can use the internet to find information about some
of the things you observed. And to really expand your learning, check out some
books on the topic on your next library visit.
Take a free online class.
Kahn Academy
offers free online classes in a variety of subjects. They have math classes from
K5 through highschool level classes. They offer higher level science classes,
computer programming, art, music, history, and more. Brush up on courses
covered the previous school year or choose something new to start learning over
the summer. All of the classes are video lessons, and many have quiz/worksheet
sections with questions that cover the material that was presented.
Practice skills with free, online, educational games.
There are
many sites that offer free games that help kids practice basic skills. Education .com has a
variety of learning games for young children. (They offer a paid subscription
site as well, but there are many free ones available.) Sheppard Software is one of my
favorite sites. They offer many, many games for all ages in many subject areas.
I can even find learning games I love!
There are
many fun ways to keep the learning going all summer. Does your family have any
favorite, inexpensive learning activities planned for the summer?
Leah Courtney is a homeschooling
mom of four. Her days are filled with being a mom, homemaker, and teacher. In
her (very rare) free time, she enjoys blogging, reading, and reviewing books
and curricula. These days she’s learning the joys of being a mom of teens. You
can read about her family and homeschooling life at As We Walk Along the Road.
