"Gentle Schooling" Summer Plans 2013

While we are not un-schoolers throughout the majority of the school year, we ARE eclectic homeschoolers who find value in parts and pieces of ALL homeschooling methods...including un-schooling. I am by nature a "stick to the plan" kind o' girl. But, come summertime, my plan morphs into an UN-plan. 

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Our workbooks and lesson plans get tucked away, but there is still much learning taking place. It just comes a bit more organically. While I don't want to revisit the intense schedule and concentrated studies that the school year brings, I also don't want all our hard work over the last nine months to evaporate by the summer sun. So, I choose to institute "gentle schooling" during these warmer months.

Here's what our "gentle school" looks like for 2013...

Quiet Time

Our Good Morning Board has been packed away for the summer, but our routines have remained the same, especially our morning devotions. I don't require a time frame for our routines, however. They just all have to be completed some time that morning. In other words, we don't jumpstart quite as quickly from June to September.

Pleasure Reading

In addition to enjoying one of our 2013 read-alouds and handwork (sometimes) together each afternoon, the older two boys each have to read out loud to me for at least 15 minutes. These minutes are recorded on their library summer reading program chart. I don't require my daughter to read out loud to me anymore as she is a proficient reader and is rarely NOT reading a book for pleasure.

Also, during the longer days of summer, we extend "bed time" by at least an hour for pleasure reading with the following stipulations.

1. You have to BE in bed at the normal bedtime. 
2. You may stay up late to read books for one hour. 
3. If you get out of bed for something other than an emergency, you automatically forfeit your extra-late bedtime. 
4. If you are not old enough to read, you may look at pictures books in bed.

This has always been a win-win situation for everyone. My kids get to stay up later...which they love, especially in the summer when it is not actually dark at their normal bedtime. AND, they WILLINGLY read great books ALL SUMMER LONG.

Skill Building

I had just ordered Secret Keeper Girl Kit 2: The Gift of True Friendship to use for our Summertime God's Girl Club when Sweetie Pea asked if I would help her make a quilt for her new baby cousin. Of course I am always happy to help her sew, BUT, I knew that making an entire patchwork quilt would be a summer-long endeavor. After talking it over together, she and I decided to put the girl's club on hold for the summer and focus our efforts on some great one-on-one sewing time.

My daughter isn't the only one who will build some skills this summer, however. I have always used summer as a time to teach new chores to my children so that they can start the school year out prepared to do those tasks independently. (I haven't quite decided what those new chores will be yet, but I'm sure one glance around my house will provide plenty of inspiration!) Additionally, my two older children will continue to hone their culinary abilities.

Summer Science Project

For the past five years, my children have enjoyed doing a summer-long science project. It has been a great way to learn about the creation that only grows during the GREEN parts of the year. Our projects have always been biologically-themed and are pretty specific to one type of nature specimen. This summer, we are studying flowers which has mainly consisted of...

1. Picking wildflowers as we find them. 
2. Identifying their unique parts with the help of a wildflower field guide. 
3. Sketching them in our nature journals. 
4. Pressing them in our botany press purchased at the used curriculum sale of our state homeschool convention. 
5. Attending the gardening-themed summer events at our local library that coincide with the "Dig Into Reading" collaborative summer reading program. 
6. Planting flowers around our property with The Hubs. (This is actually an annual tradition he shares with my daughter. But since we are all focusing on flowers throughout the summer, they both invited the boys to join them for the planting/potting.)

Other "Gentle Schooling" Activities

With a lighter schedule, we are able to sneak lots of games into our day, both traditional board games and on-line review games.

Also, our short afternoon quiet times give each of the kids plenty of opportunity for individual exploratory learning. While my daughter is not working on any independent projects throughout the summer, the discovery basket items have offered her several suggestions to consider for next year.

And of course, the children get LOTS of time to enjoy the out-of-doors. Because my kids spend their winter "P.E." time completing Denise Austin's Fit Kids and Leslie Sansone's Walk the Walk videos, I make it a priority to put all the five-and-older kids in some sort of team sport during the summer. It's a nice chance to not only get some exercise, but also an opportunity to learn a sport that would otherwise be difficult for a homeschooling family to learn.

As I mentioned in our Summer Bucket List, the children have helped me plant a Back-to-Eden garden and will continue to help me kill...I mean grow...several tasty greens. (I've come to the conclusion that I am a green-thumbed girl trapped in a black-thumbed body!)

So, that's just a peak into our summer "gentle school."

How do you keep the learning going throughout the summer months?