I am linking up with the Hip Homeschool Hop today!
I am a certified teacher who teaches outside the home for 10 months but inside the home for 2 months (or more!). You see I am off each summer and thoroughly enjoy being home with my boys. Being a teacher, you can imagine that they get a fully "stocked" summer education which is why I consider myself a "Hybrid Homeschooler". I think I get the best of both worlds. My children's education is closely monitored by both myself & my husband (he's a teacher too!) during the 10 months they're in school and then in the summer, I can continue to work on things that need it or add on to their learning.
Here's what I'm doing to "add on" this summer:
One thing we make sure to do is the library's summer reading program. We have fun selecting books, marking off our goals and earning the small trinkets the librarian gives out. Plus the weekly events are fun too!
I am a certified teacher who teaches outside the home for 10 months but inside the home for 2 months (or more!). You see I am off each summer and thoroughly enjoy being home with my boys. Being a teacher, you can imagine that they get a fully "stocked" summer education which is why I consider myself a "Hybrid Homeschooler". I think I get the best of both worlds. My children's education is closely monitored by both myself & my husband (he's a teacher too!) during the 10 months they're in school and then in the summer, I can continue to work on things that need it or add on to their learning.
Here's what I'm doing to "add on" this summer:
One thing we make sure to do is the library's summer reading program. We have fun selecting books, marking off our goals and earning the small trinkets the librarian gives out. Plus the weekly events are fun too!
Then I also carve out time for Math. My boys both LOVE Math. So I get the Saxon materials out for the next grade level and we work on it. I definitely make sure they understand but of course grades are not the focus. Instead, we make it more like a game and use their doodle boards to put problems on. One summer when my son was 4, he carried a measuring tape with him where ever we went and before we knew it, he had memorized the number of inches per foot. So one day, we were at the lake and he asked his father how deep it was. He was told "6 feet" to which he replied "oh 72 inches". We were stunned!
Now you can imagine that boys who love math, are also way into Science! This summer, I have bought a "Mythbusters" science fair book. It walks kids through the steps in conducting a successful experiment from keeping a data notebook to formulating a question and deciding upon a conclusion. I just know the boys will love this! And Scientific Explorer is having a Virtual Science Fair so maybe we'll enter!
Not to forget Social Studies! This will mostly be accomplished by a family trip to St. Augustine later this summer. I know my older son will studying Florida History this next year in school so we will be gaining background knowledge this summer. Should be lots of fun!
And last, but not least is WRITING! I am using my own curriculum here. You could say I am using my own boys as test pilots! They love it because I keep it fun and plus they get to see what we do at home make it on to the computer. To them, that's some measure of pride - like they're "big time" now. :)
Stay tuned to see what writing projects we use and how you might use them too!
Stay tuned to see what writing projects we use and how you might use them too!
