Learning Over the Summer

The school year being over is a reminder, yet again, that it's a choice whether to keep the kids sharp on their skills over the summer.  Personally, I'm a big advocate of a  mix of unschooling and old school skills over the summer.  Though I'm not entirely sure I'm using the term correctly, my understanding of unschooling is that they pick something to learn about and you give them the freedom to learn as much as possible about that topic.  My kids do have a structure to it but they were able to pick topics.  The other part of their summer learning is based around activities that are no longer focused on in core-curriculum based schools.  I definitely don't want to undo what they've learned but I like to add on and fill in the blanks.

One of the big focuses in my house this summer is history.  I'm really wanting them to develop a love of history and of learning about all of the trials and achievements of this country.  I am certain that I can't cram centuries of history into a full summer but I'm utilizing resources to help them learn as much as possible.  I'm trying to make it interesting for them so that they want to find out what happened next....and then what happened after that. 

Another big focus is writing.  I truly believe that learning to write is a key factor in succeeding in school.  It may be something fun and interesting or it may be a prompt that they have to use their imagination for.  Regardless, it's a stepping stone to keeping them sharp and helping them to use the skills that they've learned, and maybe even grow them some.

The biggest focus, however, is on them getting to be kids.  This may take a small snippet of time from their day to make their school year run more smoothly but my biggest focus is allowing them to be kids.  I don't believe in over-scheduling them.  There's plenty of time for work, work, work when they're older.  Right now, I just want them to enjoy themselves and keep loving to learn like they do now.

If you haven't looked into reading programs, check at your local library, Barnes & Noble or through the scholastic summer reading program.  Some of the programs offer free books when you read a certain amount of minutes and can be a great encouragement to get your child to keep learning over the summer!