Home School Heartbeat Radio Program

Mike Smith:
For most families, vacation plans are in full swing. Homeschool parents have additional concerns. If you’re planning to home educate your children next year, you know that summertime means choosing curriculum, attending a homeschool conference, planning lessons, and meeting filing deadlines with your school district. Suddenly, summer doesn’t look so restful!

But because you wear the two hats of parent and teacher, you have an opportunity that many others don’t have: you can make your summer vacation a part of your children’s education.

By planning your vacation around learning, you’ll keep your kids’ minds in high gear throughout the summertime, and you’ll discover that less review time is needed as you start the new school year.

Start by brainstorming some ideas. Look at your previous and upcoming school years. What did you learn last year that you wished you could supplement with a special field trip? What summer destinations could launch next year’s studies?

If you studied the Civil War last winter, when it was too cold to take outdoor field trips, use the summer to visit major battlefields—such as Gettysburg, Antietam, and Manassas. Or spark your children’s interest in what you will be studying next school year. Will your 9th grader be taking earth science? Visit a mountain range or the Grand Canyon, where your student can begin exploring geology.

Summertime presents a wonderful opportunity to focus on some of your children’s interests that might not fit into your regular school plans.

And until next time, I’m Mike Smith.