When the final school bell rings for summer, kids everywhere jump for joy and head off to the pool. But what happens when summer hits for homeschooled kids? Do we break for summer, just as the public school kids do?
Some of us do indeed work alongside the traditional school year (or the tracks closest to our homes) so our kids will be out with the neighbors catching June bugs under the street lamp after dark, but some of us never cease schooling. Summer is just a time when we move school outdoors -- scouting, hiking, and adventuring around the great states we live in.
Homeschooling isn’t limited to the pages of a book; often homeschoolers continue their learning well beyond the restrictions of the normal curriculum. You might be surprised to learn that some homeschooling families foster learning/teaching 365 days a year, trying to allow every opportunity for learning outside the normal parameters.
For example, if a homeschooler is going on a cross-country jaunt, most likely the parent will do a bit of research on their path and see what they can talk about while they drive. Some homeschooling parents call this "CarSchooling." You have countless opportunities to stop and read historical information on the roadsides and talk about the various animals you see on the way.
You also have a great chance to talk about weather. I don’t know how many times we have been driving through the country and come across tornado weather, shelf clouds, hailstorms, and other various weather patterns. It gives us the unique opportunity to experience the science of weather, then research it once we get home. A few times, we’ve observed clouds we couldn’t describe as anything but the result of "angry weather." With internet access we can find out what exactly those clouds were indicating. You’d be surprised at what retention children have with these types of situations, because they are able to experience them and come up with their own hypotheses on what they might be.
So while yes, I allow my kids to enjoy the June bug collecting with the neighborhood hoodlums, we also continue to school throughout the summer. Sometimes we don’t categorize it as school time, because after all, what kid wants to do school during their summer vacation? However, the learning opportunities never cease, and I, as the teacher of my children, try hard to grasp hold of every teaching moment and make it a fun, memorable experience. After all, how can you forget pulling to the side of the road in a hailstorm to collect the biggest hail rock?
Now where is the pool key? It’s time to learn water physics and the laws of inertia in the lazy river.
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