I think I have finally found the real key to keeping homeschoolers learning all summer… it must be their idea.
Summer is coming up quickly and for many, funds are still low as the country attempts to climb out of the housing crisis and unofficial recession. This kind of puts space camps,sports camps, and expensive computer programming sessions out of reach this summer. Just because funds are low, however,does not mean that homeschoolers need to end up having an unproductive summer.
After a talk with my son about what to do this summer, we made the decision that this might be a good time to tackle Spanish 2. He is almost done with Spanish 1 which he took in an outside class this past year, but now with the help of Rosetta stone, which he used as a supplement during the school year, he is confident that he can do year session 2 on his own. The rest of his time, he will spend by visiting with his uncle and going on a trip or business trip or two with his dad.
The reason to completing Spanish over the summer is to get it out of the way so he can spend more time on other subjects during the year. He will already be taking Algebra 2 and chemistry, he doesn’t want to stack too many difficult subjects together.
My daughter wants to start high school curriculum next year, and has agreed to doing some reviewing to make sure that two years of middle school (versus the usual 3) was sufficient preparation. we have a few high school entry tests and a bit of review to go through but still plant to leave some to to perhaps get music lessons or participate in a play. She also hopes to spend two weeks with relatives.
So you see, you don’t have to spend a fortune to give your homeschooler a fruitful and successful summer. When given the motivation, a student will gladly continue to study throughout the summer, though at a more relaxed pace, and if you can throw in a bit of outside activity, they will be rested and ready for a fresh start again in the fall.
Read:
What are your homeschoolers doing this summer?
Ending the School Year: Or Not