On the Last Day of Summer Break

It had arrived: a day of dread or a day of celebration? Our children were divided. One had hoped summer would last forever. We do tend to do summer well, savoring each and every moment. There was no surprise when it had been said, with a possible groan, "this is it - our final day!"

That was Sunday.

On it, we rose, ate breakfast, and went to church. Once service was over, we bid our friends adieu and headed home. Then the race was on.

We quickly made and packed sandwiches. Dashed to change into swimsuits and threw umbrellas and sun block in the car.

In less than two hours, we were there!

Joining the throngs of other beach goers, we secured our own spot of sand and enjoyed a blissful afternoon.

No dread to be found here.

And, for the record, no dread was to be had on our first day of school either. Monday dinner time was filled with chatter and excitement about their new lessons as each took turns telling my husband about their first day of school.

New To Us {and Our Library} Books

 

 

Our library is always getting new books which we tend to devour. The children's librarian keeps a round table filled with all the new-to-our-library books. Conveniently placed at the front of the children's room, all patrons of the library can see it easily.

 

Each library visit results in several new-to-us books being checked out. This past visit was no exception. What may have been the exception is the diversity of the books I chose and how close this listing looks like a day of school, especially when combined with the grammar and word books I found earlier...hmmm. Seems like I snuck some school into that summer break, eh?

 

 

Science and Technology - For starters, we found a few science and technology books. Pictured above are It's Raining! by Gail Gibbons and Light Is All Around Us, by Wendy Pfeffer. These two were best read aloud with my soon to be second grader. Though he could have read them on his own, I prefer to extrapolate on several of the ideas presented and interact more with the text than just passively reading the books.

 

It's Raining! differentiates between various rain clouds and types of rain. It was fascinating to read and the text does a great job of simplifying the information, not dumbing it down.

 

Light Is All Around Us is a summary of a unit study on light. There are pages about different kinds of light, including natural and artificial light, how light travels compared to other forms of energy, and how our eyes see with the aid of light. Several hands-on learning activities are included in the back of the book.

 

I picked up How Does Cloud Computing Work? by Leon Gray for my oldest son. He read it in one sitting and said it was interesting. Since it is summertime and the book was really just for leisure reading I didn't require him to tell me anymore. I am considering that his recommendation for the book.

 

 

Geography - My husband and I lived in Massachusetts when we were first married. So anytime I see a book about New England or Massachusetts in particular, I am curious. Did they get it right? Did they capture the spirit of the people or reflect the area accurately? Celebrating Massachusetts is a child's book about places to visit in Massachusetts. As I read this with my youngest son, I was happy to discover the book not only 'gets it right,' but includes a wide variety of sites and interesting facts about the small state.

 

History - All Different Now is a lyrical book filled with lovely illustrations about the day a group of slaves discovered they were free. The minimal text is filled with emotion and gratitude. In order for my son to appreciate the depth of the text, I did have to explain a bit of the background to him.

 

Math - The book Have You Seen My Dragon, by Steve Light is a delightful story detailing a boy's search for his dragon. As he seeks his dragon through the city streets, he encounters many different areas and people. On each set of pages, readers can count various objects. These objects are highlighted by a specific color on an otherwise black and white illustration. The dragon appears on each set of pages as well. Sometimes he is in an awkward or silly position.

 

Nature Study - The cover of this book looked interesting. So, I picked it up. Eye to Eye: How Animals See the World is filled with numerous animal eye facts. Some facts are creepy, but overall my youngster loved the book. I did have to alter some of the writing as it teaches evolution as fact in the introduction. I simply scanned the text and inserted our beliefs and time line. For the bulk of the text, evolution is mentioned a few more times. These I altered to reflect our faith.

Plant a Pocket of Prairie is a sweet book about prairie plants and animals. Detailed illustrations and text reveal the variety of grass and wildflowers which grew in the prairie. Each plant is paired with an animal which eats, houses, or uses that specific plant. It certainly displayed the interdependence of the habitat.

Just for Fun - Sometimes a book is just read for fun! Such was the case with The Tree House that Jack Built. The rhythm of the text and the brightly colored illustrations had my son and I enthralled with this imaginative book.

 

 

 

 



Fresh Air Events

We could have just read the play or the picture book. We have both.
Instead, we chose to experience it - as a family, outside, in the park, one Sunday evening,

...and it was wonderful!

Another Sunday evening found us at a different park, looking at the skies. The local astronomy club was holding a public event complete with hi-tech binoculars and telescopes. That evening we saw the moon, Jupiter, Saturn, and a deep space object (a globular cluster).

Fresh air breathes life into you, your child, and your homeschool. Go ahead, go outside!

Both events ignited an interest in reading Shakespeare and looking at the night sky for our youngest child. The other children were impressed and intrigued, but already have varying interests for both. For all of us, it was worth the time and effort to find the events and attend. 


Related Links:
Shakespeare Resources & Lesson Ideas
Shakespeare Party Ideas {Pinterest board}
Summertime Science - Star Gazing
Journey to Outer Space {Pinterest board}

Moments in the Sun or Shade

So far, the summer weather has ranged from pleasantly enjoyable to obnoxiously oppressive.

Having spent the past two months sitting aside the pool, I can assure you to the truth of that range. {On a side note: My naturally curly hair has been a handy barometer for weather changes. One day, sleek and cascading, the next frizzed and sticking out all the way to the tips.}

Yet rain or shine, each and every day this summer, we have been outside. Why? Swim team.

I once heard that swim team families did nothing else.
They swam. every. day. and. that. was. it.

At the time, I wasn't so sure about the validity of that statement or the way it was uttered.
To be honest, after one suburban summer season, I still don't know if it is true.
Sure, our children attended practices six times a week and meets twice a week, but that wasn't all we did. There was night sky watching, Shakespeare play viewing, and more. Some days, we even headed back to the pool for some play time with friends.

However, my favorite summer moment to date has not been near the pool. No, it was much closer to home and even involved a lesson for learning to read.

When our children are learning to read, there is a great deal of effort and time spent teaching/learning the phonetic rules. My husband and I are firm believers in giving each child a solid reading foundation. Therefore, even though we are technically on summer break, our youngest is still working through some reading exercises.

SO, my favorite summer moment {so far} happened while reading to and listening to my youngest reading one Sunday afternoon.

We were curled up together on our hammock sharing a book. 
Moments like this continue to top my favorite list during any season.

May your summer be filled with many favorite-to-you moments as well!
Dorie

Summertime Science - Star Gazing

Last school year, my youngest son's science co-op class, which I teach, studied outer space. We used Apologia's Exploring Creation with Astronomy, by Jeannie Fulbright as a spine text. It was fabulous. Not only were the children interested, so was I. We ALL wanted to learn more about the stars.

This summer, I picked up a few more resources for our family, including The Book of Astronomy, published by Memoria Press and The Star Gazer's Guide to the Night Sky, by Jason Lisle. Using these two books, I have been trying to memorize some constellations.

My husband's cell phone has an app in which he just points it to the sky and viola - the star is identified and constellation revealed. We used it while on vacation last month. While this is very fun to play and learn with, I am trying to memorize, old school style, a few constellations and stars. Though I must confess to being enthralled with Stellarium, an interactive program for your pc. {free download}

Since there is no pressure, I am enjoying a leisurely pace of study (AKA it may take me awhile!)


Related free printable:
Solar Systems Trading Cards from Amazing Space


Other Summertime Science posts:
Egg Drop
Toothpick Structures
Flubber
Nature Observations
Experiments on Insects

Not Everything Counts

Though I could probably argue with the best of 'em why even a day on the slopes could count as a day of school, I wonder Why should everything count as school?

 

Learning happens anywhere at anytime, but Why would I want to make every day, every event into a lesson plan? Who am I trying to please if I do so? Does it really matter what 'they' think?

 

Today, I am sharing why a day of learning is not always a day of school in our home.



 

Just recently, my husband and I facilitated this day of learning for our first grader:

Bible - My husband read and discussed with all of us Jonah chapter 2 {ESV if you are wondering}

Reading - Our first grader read aloud the final lessons of McGuffey's Eclectic Primer.

Math - I read and worked through Millions, Billions, & Trillions: Understanding Big Numbers, by David A. Adler with our little guy. We even did the suggested hands on activities. Later, he played Skippo with one of his older sisters and I.

Geography - We read Follow That Map! A First Book of Mapping Skills together. He spent the remainder of the day seeking out East, West, North, and South every where we went. He read road signs and commented on which direction the highway traveled. When their were no road signs, he sought the sun and time to determine East and West.

Art - While he finished breakfast in a slow-poke manner, I read More Than Meets the Eye: Seeing Art with All Five Senses, by Bob Raczka. He followed along and pointed out the details in between spoonfuls of 'crispy rice' cereal. Later as he patted the dog's head, he determined that indeed Moe, our dog, has all five senses like we do. Then, he built his own rocket ship that converts to a robot out of a cardboard box.

Music - After breakfast, we listened to Johann Sebastian Back, First Discovery - Music series, on a CD. The text and additional music were contained on one CD.

Science - We spent a few hours at a children's museum playing and learning about the human body, building materials and structures, motion, water, animals, and economics.

We covered all the bases and then some. So, why not count this as a day of school? We are on summer break! For our family, this is a relatively normal day. All children learn daily, and our children are no different. In our home, some of this learning 'counts' for school and some of it is just part of life.

This day,
these activities...
 were just a part of life.

One Rainy Summer Afternoon

During the early parts of summer, the northeast was drenched. If you live in these parts, you know what I mean. We had gotten rain after rain storm. Our yards were marshes. Our gardens were under water. The streets had turned to rivers.

 

What to do?

Here's what our children did one wet afternoon...

 

Why I Am Not Here

For the next few weeks, I will be taking a summertime blogging break. I'm looking forward to a few out of town trips, taking the children to camp, VBS, and whatever else summer days bring our way!
May you have a wonderful summer, and I look forward to reconnecting with you all in a few weeks.
{Just in time for a new school year to begin!}

Summertime Science - Nature Observations

One of my favorite things about the warmer weather is being outside.
Numerous fascinating finds are just waiting to be discovered.
Sometimes it is a leaf or a flower.
Sometimes it is a bird or insect.
Whatever it is, taking the time to observe all the details is better than a scripted lesson any day.

Some of the critters of past summers...

...found in our very own suburban backyard, which is either creepy or intriguing depending on your tolerance for critters. {Personally, I'm thankful for the lack of rats and mice. Of course, that could be due to the snakes, ahem.}

Creative Expressions - Clay Art

An alligator and a mouse found their way into our home last week.
The children found an unused bag of modeling clay and set about to remedy the 'unused' description.

Summertime Science - Flubber

Our oldest daughter had it left over from science co-op.
It had been stored in our refrigerator in a sealed baggie.

We brought it out and our three youngest children had a fun time squishing, shaping, and stretching it. Eventually, they tried to make a snowman out of it. It went flop, and they burst into laughter.


Recipes for Flubber:
eHow: How to Make Flubber
OMSI: Flubber
Making Friends: Recipe for Flubber {printable}

Summertime Science - Experiments on Insects

It started with a buzzing fly.
That fly was annoying.
Zooming here and there.
Flying by our heads like a jet by a control tower.
Then I remembered.
While planning for next year's science class, I had read how to torture experiment on an insect.

We captured the fly.
Use a small Ziploc baggie. Wait for fly to land and 'rest' on a wall or screen. Encase the fly in the baggie by opening it and pressing the opening against the wall or screen. Patiently wait for fly to move off screen and quickly close opening.

Next, we placed the fly in a tub of water to 'drown' it.
It doesn't really drown after a few minutes. It simply goes into a shut down mode; hence why this experiment works.

One of our daughters gingerly lifted the fly from the bowl and placed it on a paper towel.

Then, one of our boys poured regular table salt over the fly.

And, I uncovered it a bit.
So it wasn't crushed by the excess salt.
Then we waited.

 

 

Revived fly lived another day.

Well, eventually.

After this experiment, we refrigerated it to see how the cold temperatures would effect it.

Then, we let it go.

 

 

 

It had earned its freedom!


*The science behind this experiment and the exact procedure are found in Apologia's Exploring Creation with Zoology 1.