Schooling through the Summer!

After a long school year full of books and worksheets it is time to put down the pencils and keyboards and get outside for the summer months.  There are so many educational things that you can do with your students during the summer and you will all be having so much fun that you won't even realize that you are all actually leaning things too!  I have put together a list of my family's favorite summertime learning activities and events:

• Music - In our area several local parks host local musicians to play free concerts in the park during the summer months.  These concerts include all different music genres.  Most of the bands and musicians are from our local area.  We enjoy listening to different types of music and comparing our thoughts and opinions about each one.  It is also fun to actually meet and talk with the musicians.  You learn so much about people and their passions this way.
• Art - The zoo is one of our favorite places to be.  We also love art.  So, during the warmer months we choose one art technique: watercolors, sketching, pen & ink, charcoals, pastels, photography, etc - and take our art class to the zoo.  We choose one or two animals to focus on during our trip and we set up shop in close proximity to that enclosure.  Then we get to spend as much time as needed learning the art technique, if it's a new one, and observing the animals in their habitat for an extended period of time.
• Reading - We sign up for summer reading programs at our local library.  Then we check out several interesting books and find a great shady spot to begin our reading adventure for the summer.  Our local library also hosts many fun events and activities during the summer and we try to attend all of the ones that look interesting.  Even though summer can get busy at times we still try to carve out at least 30 minutes a day for reading a fun book.  
• History - Museums are a great place to experience history.  Even though we have explored most of the museums around our town there always seems to be one or two that are new to us or maybe one that we haven't visited in years.  Also, you can check out neighboring towns to see what museums they have to offer.  To enhance the museum experience we will also check out books and movies that are about that same time period.  These may be from a different part of the world but this helps us see the whole complete picture of what was happening world wide during that time period.
• Math - Try new recipes.  Summer is the perfect time to try new recipes and math is a vital part of cooking.  Sometimes we are lucky enough to have our own garden and so we try new recipes that incorporate the food that we are growing.  Other times we frequent the local farmers market and look for new foods to try.  On some visits to the farmers market I give each child a set amount of money and their job is to shop for something to contribute to our lunch.  We all wander around the market, working together to figure out what each of us will purchase to contribute to our lunch for that day.  Everything to make a complete and healthy meal must be purchased at the market.  

Summer is the perfect time for adventures and it is interesting how learning happens naturally during these times.  I'm sure that you all can come up with many more ideas on your own.  Sometimes it is just a matter of looking at everyday activities in a new light.

Please share your ideas with me...

Theresa