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Tina Robertson

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Tweens and teens shouldn’t get left out of summertime fun. Today I have 11 summer activities for middle schoolers.  Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

Even if you school year-round, I know you’re wanting something off the beaten path to keep your middle school kids busy.

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

Too, middle school kids have one foot in childhood and one foot in young adulthood. It’s not as easy at times to find meaningful activities to fill up their day.

So, you’ll love the mix of summer activities for middle schoolers which I’ve rounded up below

1. Plan and cook a themed dinner.

The first one is to plan a themed dinner. It can be science based or history based. One year, my middle school son (with my help) made a Moroccan themed dinner. It was his object of interest at the time.

Your child will never even realize he is learning as he investigates customs and cultures of different lands.

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

2. Take a Fun Art History Course.

Next, I hate it when music and art seems to get a back seat to our other regular topics. So, we always love doing any type of art program through the summer.

Check out this one by Art History Kids.

Did someone mention cooking?

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

More Summer Homeschool Learning Activities

In addition, I have a few more ideas if you’re homeschooling multiple ages.

Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

3. Life skills to the front. Learn to cook.

There are many easy meals a kid can cook, but teach them some fast cooking tips too. Grab this Download: Instant Pot Guidebook.

Or, if you have a beginner cook, check out these fun cooking classes.

4. Learn Music (online).

Let’s face it, there has been a wonderful explosion of online classes and we’re loving it.

And the best classes are those created by other talented homeschool moms who understand our needs. I love all the classes by Music In Our Homeschool. They have such a variety of classes.

World Music For Elementary

Then a few others we like: American Music For Elementary and 20th Century Music Appreciation for High School.

5. Build a Lava Lamp.

Lava lamps are always cool and in style. Your kids will love building a lava lamp. I have my post here Homeschool Geography – DIY Lava Lamp.

Plus, building lava lamps are a great hands-on way to even learn about geography and not just science

6. Do an FBI Unit Study and lapbook and create an AM Radio.

Then, learning how to take fingerprints make for a great twist on science. And tweens and teens are always up for learning about mayhem and secret codes.

You can grab my FBI unit study here, learn about fingerprints here and make a crystal am radio here.

7. Take a course. Intro to Filmmaking.

We’ve been eyeballing these online courses Film Courses 4 Teen. Kids of all ages love to learn about how to make movies and films. This looks like a great beginner’s course to do at home.

Summer Ideas for Middle School

8. Do an Online Book Club.

Then if you have a student who loves reading and you’re looking for more ways to engage him, you’ll love all the literature offered with these online self-paced courses.

Besides your tween and teen loving to read, you can start counting high school credit in middle school.

Why not get a jump on language arts and do it in a fun way? Check out the Middle School Bundle.

9. Learn to Dance (online).

Previously I mentioned the explosion of online classes and YouDance looks like another fun. It looks like the have ballet, hip hop, jazz and even clogging. I can’t wait to try this one.

10. Nurture the budding entrepreneur.

Additionally, we homeschool to nurture the natural strengths of our children. And in the homeschool world we have many budding entrepreneurs. However, they need to learn first healthy habits of how to be a real self-motivator.

It comes naturally when your middle school student loves a subject, but they need to learn how to know what they don’t know.

You’ll love my post Successful Entrepreneur-3 Best Homeschooled Teen Resources. This will help your teen learn some of the great habits of successful entrepreneurs.

11. STEM: Build a Da Vinci Parachute Activity.

And then if you have a STEM student, this is a fun activity for middle school students. You’ll find STEM: Build a Da Vinci Parachute Activity here.

What do you think? Can you find a few more activities here to keep summertime for your middle schooler?

Check out these other summer fun activities:

10 Best Science Movies for Middle School

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Today, I’ve rounded up some of the best science movies for middle school. Also, look at my page homeschool middle school for more fun tips.

Whether it’s science fiction or life science, or any other branch, learning through movies nurtures a love of science.

10 Best Science Movies for Middle School

For example, while viewing science fiction movies, students can think about the future or make a prediction about it.

Best Science Movies for Middle School

However, science movies can help your middle school students in more than one way.

  • Movies can introduce topics which may spark an interest prior to high school.
  • Whether you use movies occasionally or more often, your students perception of science events can be changed.
  • In addition, students love a diversion from a routine which may now be boring.
  • And lastly a movie can refresh your student’s mind while sneaking in fun science.

Look at these fun science movies for middle school.

1.
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.

First, The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind is also a movie and a book. This could be a complete unit study for both your middle and high school teens. This movie is on Netflix.

Here is what it is about. Against all the odds, a thirteen-year-old boy in Malawi invents an unconventional way to save his family and village from famine

Too, this self-paced language arts class based on the book is a great way to get credit for a language arts course. Remember you can get credit in middle school too. In addition, add topics about deforestation and biology to this study.

Look at my Rain Forest – Amazon Unit Study and Lapbook and Carnivorous Plants Unit Study and Lapbook.

Next, another fun movie series is Planet Earth.

2.
Planet Earth

We could literally watch each one several times over. The series is on Amazon Prime if you have it. It’s so worth it. And to hear David Attenborough narrate is well worth the watch.

Below, I have a round up of my unit studies here which will go with the different movies.

The third one is a science fiction move – The Time Machine. It also is on Amazon.

3.
The Time Machine

If you want to have your student learn about time travel or ponder what your viewpoint is on the age of the earth this is a fun movie to use.

You’ll love my lapbook Free Earth Science Lapbook to go along with the movie.

More Homeschooling in Middle School Resources

Next, one of our all-time favorites is Star Trek.

4.
Star Trek

Whether you want to teach about black holes or space, Star Trek is a great movie to ponder those topics.

Science Movies for Middle School

Another fun one we love is Spiderman 2.

5.
Spiderman 2

And learning about a nuclear fusion reaction is a fun topic to consider for a middle school student. Investigating ways to have limitless energy and about the sun make for great writing topics too.

Then Robot and Frank is the next one.

6.
Robot and Frank

Moreover, Robot and Frank make for great discussion and topics about the future will change. What will be considered relics and who will use artificial intelligence are great ideas for your student to consider.

7.
Charlotte’s Web

Additionally, Charlotte’s Web is the next one.

The version on Amazon prime is good to begin a biology topic. Beyond the topic of friendship, pigs and spiders can make for unit studies.

8.
Galileo : On the Shoulders of Giants

In addition, learning about famous scientist makes for a great series. Although the movie is fiction, it nurtures your future scientist’s love for learning about astronomy.

9.
Gorillas in the Mist

Whether you have a budding veterinarian, want to learn about Dian Fossey or about Africa, Gorillas in the Mist is a fun way to learn about science.

10 Best Science Movies for Middle School

10.
Swiss Family Robinson

Lastly, Swiss Family Robinson has to be the original survival study movie. Add these hands-on ideas here to make your science day fun.

For more science fun, look at these other posts:

Free List of Major Holidays For 5 Years 1 Planning Page

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’ve updated the list of major holidays for your homeschool planner. Having a list of the major holidays for 5 years on one page is a handy reference page used in planning.

And too everybody plans differently for holidays. Homeschoolers can from many backgrounds and not all of us take off every holiday.

This form not only helps you plan your homeschool, but gives you a reference for when businesses will be closed. Also, it helps me to remember when public school may be out in my area.

Planning Your Homeschool Around Holidays

Also, this 5 years of major holidays on one reference page I have for you today gives you much flexibility when preparing your 7 Step DIY Homeschool Planner.

Free List of Major Holidays For 5 Years 1 Planning Page

In addition, look at the ways you can use it:

  • If you’re planning long-term projects, you’ll love having the handy reference page to plan the days off for your homeschool.
  • Short-term planning becomes a cinch because you can quickly glance at upcoming holidays.
  • By looking this far out, it helps me to decide when I want to take a family vacation.

But these forms are used to help you plan not just your homeschool year, but vacations and days off of your school year.

Also, my form can be used beyond planning homeschool and holidays.

It can be used in my diy easy home management binder, diy best student planner, and unit study planner.

Curriculum Pages for Planner

In addition because my 5 years of holidays listed on one page is updated each year, be sure to grab it each year here on my blog OR on the permanent place here on my site which is Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers.

Look at these other homeschool planner products that I know you’ll love!

7 Step DIY HOMESCHOOL PLANNER

Easy Steps – “Tons of Options & Pretty Color” Begin building your homeschool planner.

Step 1. Choose a Pretty Front/Back Cover

Step. 2. Choose Calendars/Appointment Keepers

Step 3. Choose Goals/Objectives

Step 4. Choose Lesson Planning Pages Right For You!

Step 5a. Choose Unique forms JUST for You! Not a kazillion other people

Step 5b. Choose MORE Unique Forms JUST for You!

Step 5c. Choose MORE MORE Unique Forms Just for You!

Step 6. Personalize It

Step 7. Bind it! Love it!

Finally, Download Your Free Copies Below
I have 2 color choices. Print both and place them in different places in your planner for quick reference.

Holidays-Listed-Aqua-2022-to-2026-by-Tina-Robertson-for-the-7-Step-Homeschool-Planner-.pdf (6450 downloads )
Holidays-Listed-Wine-2022-to-2026-by-Tina-Robertson-for-the-7-Step-Homeschool-Planner.pdf (6175 downloads )

4 Beautiful & Colorful Homeschool Attendance Sheets For Record Keeping

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

If you need a homeschool attendance sheet for your homeschool planner, you’ll find one here.

Even if you’re not required to take attendance in your state, my attendance sheets will help you stay on track. However, some states do require a certain number of days to homeschool.

It’s easy to track them when you have a detailed easy form.

Why Track Attendance?

Although I’ve homeschooled the longest in Texas where I do not have to track attendance, I did for many years.

6 reasons to track attendance.

  1. When you’re new to homeschooling, you may want accountability for your new schedule.
  2. If you think you’re not doing enough with your new schedule, track the days you’re showing up. You may be surprised.
  3. Eventually by middle school and high school, you’ll need to track classes for your teen. Creating a high school transcript for some colleges may require it.
  4. I decide how I break during the year when I track our days. It means I plan vacations and time away from formal lessons.
  5. And sometimes the sheet needs to be included in your portfolio for your state.
  6. A teen may need accountability. And you can encourage him to track his time and place his form in DIY Student Planner.

4 Beautiful & Colorful Homeschool Attendance Sheets For Record Keeping

Next, when choosing a homeschool attendance sheet, you have options.

For example, some forms are created for multiple children. While other forms have one page per student.

In addition, I prefer forms to which explains why the day was counted as absent.

All my forms have a key or legend where you can see reasons why the day was missed. Another valuable area on the attendance sheet is to allow you to determine when you begin and stop.

A lot of homeschoolers homeschool year round. Because of homeschooling year round, a traditional school year calendar won’t work.

Too, even if you begin your first of the year with a physical year, you want choices.

4 Types of Homeschool Attendance Sheets

Below, find which form suits your needs this year.

Option 1. An Attendance Record | 4 Students on one page| All months blank.

4 Beautiful & Colorful Homeschool Attendance Sheets For Record Keeping

You write in the month you begin. But tracking all your children is on ONE page. It is undated and has a key. Download here Attendance Record on One Page – Max 4 Students.

Option 2. Attendance Sheet | 4 Students on one page | Months beginning July to June.

Also, you can download this form Option 2 here.

Option 3. Editable Attendance Sheet | 1 Page Per Student| 3 color options in this one download.

4 Beautiful & Colorful Homeschool Attendance Sheets For Record Keeping
  • This is one page for one student, however, there are three different and beautiful color options in this one download.
  • There is a section where you add the beginning and ending month of your school year. Whether you begin using a physical year or academic year, you decide which months. Note: The month is vertical text on the form and has room for a three letter abbreviation. (See the picture below.)
4 Beautiful & Colorful Homeschool Attendance Sheets For Record Keeping

You can grab these gorgeous attendance records below!

TOS

Important: READ THIS FIRST.
Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.

• All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store. A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar

.• Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later, etc.

• The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.
• Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (of course substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant. If you have problems getting your download OR have a question email me my web based email: tinahomeschools at gmail dot com.

Additionally, I have another set on my 7 STEP DIY FREE HOMESChOOL PLANNER page. I call these my originals.

Option 4. Months Filled in | Not Editable| 4 Students on On One Page | 1 For an Only Child too.

The month begins July and ends June like all my forms and has a key on the form. I keep this set on STEP 5A of my 7 Step DIY Homeschool Planner.

Whatever type of record keeping method you choose, you’ll be set for ANY year with my forms!

Which one do you like the best?

4 Beautiful & Colorful Homeschool Attendance Sheets For Record Keeping

Look at these other planning topics:

The Ultimate and Beautiful DIY Homeschool Unit Study Planner

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This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

An ultimate and beautiful diy homeschool unit study planner should stand alone as your homeschool planner.

One huge mistake is trying to fit a few planning pages for a unit study into your homeschool planner.

A unit study is a completely different approach than traditional curriculum. The pages should reflect your way of teaching.

What that means is that besides planning a unit study page, your planner should have an objective page, a way to track your unit studies and lesson planning templates.

These are just a few of the unique pages you should have in your unit study planner. But what is a unit study? Here is my definition which I have used before.

Unit study curriculum takes one topic and includes as many subjects as possible. It builds an entire curriculum around the topic covering subjects like language arts, math, reading, art, history, science, and geography with hands-on application.

Next, look at these 5 features of this beautiful planner.

  1. This a DIY planner. You print pages in your download.
  2. It is a colorful planner.
  3. Detailed lesson planning pages are divided for multiple ages.
  4. Learning objective and assessment pages are included.
  5. More than 1 planner cover is included for variety and the BEST
  6. thing is that my forms are VERY DETAILED. I’m not creating USELESS BLANK pages. I create pages which guide you in planning.
The Ultimate and Beautiful DIY Homeschool Unit Study Planner

Unit Study Homeschool Planner

Moreover, the planner has pages which help you track your unit studies. Planning unit studies is quite different than planning using traditional curriculum.

For example, you may choose topics ahead of time. You need a form to jot down your ideas or topics your children choose.

However, waiting some time to plan the day to day or week to week planning can be smart. Interests may change and your goals for what you want your children to cover may change.

Unlike traditional curriculum, planning for unit studies take place ahead of the school year and should take place during the school year.

Finally, look at the detailed pages included as you put together your planner:

  • 4 unit study planner covers
  • Checklists and Unit Tracker
  • Planning unit studies packet
  • Lesson Planning pages with subjects filled in
  • Lesson Planning pages with editable spaces for your subjects
  • Learning Objectives forms
  • Assessment Form
  • Variety of Journal Pages
  • 83 pages.

Grab this gorgeous planner to help you plan!

TOS

Important: READ THIS FIRST.
Before you email me asking where your download link is or tell me that it is not working, read this to ensure that you get your pretties timely and that you don’t pay for something and not get it.

• All my products are digital. You will not receive a physical product for anything in my store. A digital physical year calendar does not mean a physical product or calendar

.• Downloads are INSTANT. When you pay, you will receive an email with a download link INSTANTLY. Depending on your internet connection, the email could be just 30 seconds or so, or a bit longer. The point is it will be soon, not a week later, etc.

• The email with the download link will go to the email you used for paypal. If you used your husband’s paypal, your downloads will go to that email. Please check that email and your spam before emailing me telling me you can’t find it.
• Please put my email tina @ tinasdynamichomeschoolplus dot com (of course substitute the right symbol for dot) in your address/contact list so that your product does not go to spam.

MY GUARANTEE: To treat you like I want to be treated which means I know at times technical problems may cause glitches, so I will do everything possible to make your experience here pleasant. If you have problems getting your download OR have a question email me my web based email: tinahomeschools at gmail dot com.

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