Some years, we’ll take a longer break in the summer. However, most years, I find we sustain our learning better by planning a summer rhythm of reading, writing, and math. Also, since most people take vacations and crowd the beaches and museums, it is often more convenient and affordable to do those things in the off-peak seasons for homeschool families.
Someone on IG asked me about how we handle negative attitudes toward summer school. I feel it has a lot to do with the perspective towards what school looks and feels like. I think over time my kids have grown used to year-round schooling. Also, with a Charlotte Mason style of homeschooling, it feels light and interesting because of the rich literature and simple narrations.
Reading Summer Road Trip
If you have been following along with us on Instagram for over a year, you saw we used a Read Through the USA guide from Orchard Reads last summer. It is exactly as it sounds! Reading your way through each state. So much fun, and I did not want to rush through it in any way. We actually spread it out more by adding recipes and doing some mapwork. It is 38 weeks, so we only got about 1/3 of the way through. So, this summer, we will be picking this back up to continue our reading road trip.
Summer on the Coast
In an effort to focus on our local area, we’ll begin Around California from Beautiful Feet Books. I’ve been meaning to do this for a couple years, but now is the time! The book list looks SO good, and I cannot wait to dive in. Have you ever tried a literature pack from Beautiful Feet Books? I’d love to know your favorite.
A Peaceful Morning Time
We used The Precious People from The Peaceful Press this past school year, and loved it so much, that I picked up The Kind Kingdom. This 30-week curriculum uses the Narnia book series, which we have been wanting to read for a while. This curriculum includes copywork, poetry, hymns, Bible, art, and even has recipes. My plan is to use this as a slow morning time throughout the summer and continue on into the regular school year until we finish.
Other Options
If you’re interested in a easy breezy study of the states, we have used CM Simple Studies: America. It uses The Children’s Book of America by William J. Bennett. Each short lesson offers a one-chapter read aloud, a prompt for narration and corresponding coloring pages to print off for each student. This is another study we used last summer.
For math, we are going to use the free trial of Teaching Textbooks. They offer the first 15 levels of any level for free. I want to take it easy with actual teaching in the summer, so this is a nice option for math maintenance in that they teach the lessons and even grade the work completed. I like that you can download the app to a device and use it on the road, and it will sync with other devices so your child can stay on pace. If this goes well, we may subscribe as a supplement to continue through the school year.
Ready to Plan?
If you homeschool year round or are planning out the next school year, I have a simple curriculum planning sheet that may help. It benefits me to visually see the curriculum I’m considering on paper for each child to see if the pieces fit well. Thank you for supporting this space, and I’d love to hear what you are doing this summer. Happy planning!
[…] However, if you are year round homeschoolers, you may be continuing on to keep a homeschool rhythm (here is ours) and little brains fresh. If you are a mom who takes delight in making to do lists just as much as […]