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summerideas

A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas

July 2, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

These summer unit study ideas will keep kids of all ages having fun learning with topics they will be eager to study. Summer is a perfect time to get in some relaxed themed learning with unit studies

Summer Unit Study Ideas

You can make them hands-on with outdoor activities or beat the heat with a trip to an air-conditioned library to pick out the books you’ll need. Start with this ultimate list of A to Z Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas and let your imaginations run wild!

Summer Unit Study Ideas

A

Ants

Apples. You can grab my Apples Unit Study and Lapbook.

Archaeology. You can grab my free What is History and What is Archaeology minibook here.

Art

B

Bears

Beaches. Add my Free Super Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook to your study.

Berries. This strawberry unit study and lapbook is a fun start.

Barbeque

Bees. Fascinating and Fun Honey Bees Unit Study and Lapbook for Kids can be used to study bees.

Butterflies

Bats. Why Bats Are Not Birds Fun Homeschool Unit Study and Lapbook is a fun study in summer too.

Birds. You can grab my free American Robin Unit Study and Lapbook here.

C

Cats

Cows

Creek life

Camping (National Parks or outdoor survival)

Character

Clouds

D

Summer Themed Unit Study Topics

Dogs

Dragonflies

E

Elephants

Eggs

Exercises

Earthworms

F

Frogs. You can grab my free Loads of Toads and Frogs Unit Study and Lapbook here.

Fish

Fossils

Fireworks

Fishing

Fireflies

Fire (how to build, science behind it).  Look at Lewis and Clark: Hands-on History. Make a Char Cloth.

Firefighters/dispatchers

You’ll also want to check out the free curriculum and programs that Homeschool Buyers Co-op has just for summer. It’s a great way to see if you like a curriculum and they have so many free and fun things to try.

Your kids will LOVE this curriculum which is free for summer! Click here to see what is free this year!

G

Garden studies. You can grab my free Feasting and Foraging Unit Study and Lapbook here.

Grass

Grasshoppers

H

Hurricanes

Horses

Hogs

Hiking

Hygiene

Hydration/heat

Herb garden

I

Insects. You can grab my free Amber Unit Study and Lapbook here.

Ice cream

J

Jewelry making

Juice, jelly, and jam making

K

Kites

Knots

L

At the lake

Lighthouses

M

Mountains. Look at How Does the Power of Ice Shape Mountains here.

Mice

Moon

Mammals

N

Nocturnal creatures

Night study (astronomy). Start your study with Exploring Space and Astronomy Free Unit Study for Multiple Ages.

O

Ocean studies. You can grab my free Ocean Unit Study and Lapbook here.

Outdoor movie theater

Ocean animals

Otters

P

Pizza

Peninsulas

Popcorn

Picasso. Grab free Art Study Curriculum and Notebooking pages here.

Precipitation

Police

Pond life. Above & Below: Pond Unit Study, Hands-on Ideas, & Lapbook is a way to include all ages.

Picnics

Punctuation

Q

Qatar

Queens in history. Grab my free Famous Pharaohs and Queens lapbook here.

R

Rivers

Reptiles

Rainforest. Grab my free Amazon Rain Forest Unit Study and Lapbooks here.

S

Sea shells. Check out my post How to Dissolve a Seashell – Beach Hands-on Fun Activity

Shores

Sailboats

S’mores

Stars

Sun/sunscreen

Spiders

Our Journey Westward

And we always love nature walks anytime of the year and love this series of nature books!

T

Turtles vs tortoises. Grab my free From Egg to Sea Turtle Unit Study and Lapbook here.

Tortillas

Trees

U

Underwater creatures

Underneath the ground

Underwear (history)

Summer Unit Study Ideas

V

Vision

W

Water sports

Water crafts

Waves

Watermelon

Whales

X

X-rays

Y

Yaks

Z

Zebras

Zoology

Zoos

Zip lining

You’ll love these other ideas:

  • How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling
  • 30 Summer Activities for Middle School Kids
  • Free Ocean Unit Study and Lapbook
  • Easy and Fun Nature Study: Beautiful Birds

I hope this list of 100 ideas will get you thinking about hands-on A to Z summer unit study fun!

This blog hop is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutual beneficial projects.

Hugs and love ya,

Summer is a perfect time to get in some relaxed themed learning with unit studies. Kids of all ages can have fun learning with topics they will be eager to study. Click here to look at this A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas!
Summer is a perfect time to get in some relaxed themed learning with unit studies. Kids of all ages can have fun learning with topics they will be eager to study. Click here to look at this A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas!

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Choose Curriculum, Hands-On Activities, Homeschool When Nobody Wants To, Middle School Homeschool, Plan For & School Year Around, Teach Unit Studies, Teach/Which Subjects to Teach/Cover EVERYTHING Tagged With: 100, 100 Lists, A to Z Lists, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, summerideas, summerschool, unit studies

How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling

June 2, 2018 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Summertime homeschooling is the time to add spice to your routine. Because summertime conjures up lazy days at the pool or a trip to the beach, also take advantage of a more relaxed schedule.

Besides, summertime is not only a great time to begin homeschooling, but a way to have a relaxed start to the new year. Kids won’t even realize they’re still learning with these fun summertime schooling ideas below.

Whether you want a break from a more rigid schedule, feel like last year’s curriculum left you feeling less than inspired, or want to use summertime to put a foot in homeschooling, you’ll love these eight tips.

How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling

8 Ways to Use Summer Time to Kick Start the Homeschool Year

Mix and match these tips or use one to put the spark for learning in your new homeschool year.

ONE/ Target one element of language arts like writing.

Although many new homeschoolers think they have to wait until the fall to begin their year, it’s so much better if you get a feel for teaching by focusing on one subject.

It may be a subject your child is struggling with or a subject which interests him.

When I have summertime with my high school teens, being absorbed on one subject like their writing keeps it from being overwhelming when they have a heavier load at the beginning of the year.

I love the courses by Writing Rockstar.

For example, one year we focused on strengthening writing skills through a course set to my teen’s pace.

Slowing down and lingering on a subject like composition encouraged my son’s love for writing; it allowed him time to pursue his passion of writing without the pace of a hectic schedule.

TWO/ Add a new self-paced class like these fun online Literary Adventures classes.

Also, whether you’re looking for a poetry class, an online fun self-paced course for a high school teen or your younger kids, you’ll love the variety of wonderful literature at Literary Adventures.

THREE/ Dive deep into a subject which gets overlooked like ART or MUSIC

Art is a subject that can easily get overlooked during the year. Have you seen this fun Art History Kids.

Until we started taking online art classes art was a struggle for us. I’m not an artsy person, but we love art.

During the long relaxed days of summer, it gives us a time to indulge our love art.

Then,, music study is a much overlooked study, although it shouldn’t be. You’ll love these courses.

These are high school courses, but Music in our Homeschool has something for just about every age.

20th Century Music Appreciation for High School
Music Appreciation: Middle Ages Thru Classical Era for High School

FOUR/ Teach your kids to cook with Kids Cook Real Food.

Kids love the feeling of doing authentic jobs, and kids these days really need creative work to do with their hands. Your Kids will love their courses.

FIVE/ Add fun subscription boxes.

And subscription boxes nowadays rock our world with fun learning. They keep our homeschool day fun and lively. Try one or two!

SIX/ Watch educational movies.

Educational movies make a great start to school. It’s easy after pulling your kids from school to jump straight into book learning.

You may think that is what homeschooling is about. Beginning your year with educational movies puts the whole family in a relaxed mood.

Pop some corn and grab one of these movies from the list below to begin your learning journey.

  • 7 Educational Movies for Kids About Westward Expansion 
  • Homeschool History Teaching Ancient Civilizations Using Netflix.

Grab my Free and Useful Editable Movie Report For Homeschool to learn with movies.

SEVEN/ Don’t forget refreshment and education for the educator.

The worst thing you can do in the beginning of your school year is to focus solely on the needs or your kids.

Taking time to educate yourself about homeschooling or just grabbing some refreshment will give you the boost you need for the new year.

I love the fact that Fortuigence has a free course for parents about writing. It it a subject lot of us struggle to teach.

EIGHT/ Homeschool unit studies nurture a love for learning. Do one or two.

When children have control of their learning, school can go a lot more smooth. Unit studies have a way of nurturing a love of learning because you can pick topics that pique your children’s interests.

I have volumes of free unit studies here on my site. Here are some of my 26 Free Nature Unit Studies for Multiple Ages.

Living books for multiple ages is also a great tip when your budget is limited. These nature living books I use below are from – NaturExplorers.

Our Journey Westward

Pick one or two and recharge your kids’ love for learning.

How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling

You’ll also love these other ideas to use summertime as way to put your foot in homeschooling:

  • 7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer 
  • 30 Summer Activities for Middle School Kids 
  • Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook
  • Kinder Gardening to Celebrate Nature and Science
  • How to Dissolve a Seashell – Beach Hands-on Fun Activity
  • 10 Fun Amazon Prime Movies for the Youngest Homeschoolers
  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Homeschool History Teaching Ancient Civilizations Using Netflix

Hugs and love ya,

Summer time conjures up lazy days at the pool, a trip to the beach, and more relaxed schedules along with a family vacation or two. Summer time homeschooling is not only a great time to begin, but a way to have a relaxed start to the new year.
Summer time conjures up lazy days at the pool, a trip to the beach, and more relaxed schedules along with a family vacation or two. Summer time homeschooling is not only a great time to begin, but a way to have a relaxed start to the new year.

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Be an Exceptional Homeschool Teacher, Begin Homeschooling, Homeschool Multiple Ages of Children, Homeschool Simply, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation, Kick Off Your Homeschool Year, Middle School Homeschool, Plan For & School Year Around Tagged With: bootcamp, homeschool, nature study, new homeschooler, newbeehomeschooler, newhomeschoolyear, relaxedhomeschooling, summerideas, summerschool

30+ Summer Activities for Middle School Kids

May 7, 2015 | 16 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Summertime is not just for young children. These 30 summer activities for middle school kids will not only keep them engaged, but it allows them to burn some of the energy they have in reserve during the long year of schooling.

I have gathered up 30 ideas and I’m hoping one of them will inspire you and your kids to savor the moments of homeschooling middle school. They go by fast.

30 Summer Activities for Middle School Kids
  • Play games. My bunch still loves games like Checkers and Life and any type of card game.
  • Try a new sport. Though my boys love traditional sports, they have been trying ping pong lately.
  • Take a craft class together. My friend Cynthia and her son did a pottery class together.

Summer Activities for Middle School

  • Take up singing. Don’t worry if you can’t carry a note. I bought a karaoke machine before we left the states and we loved practicing our singing at the house.
  • Check out some summer classes at the museum or zoo.
  • Create a summer reading list together. Give your children more latitude in deciding what they want to read. Everyone needs to read books that are just for sheer joy.
  • Volunteer at a pet shelter. If you have an animal lover and they are a bit mature, pet shelters are always looking for responsible volunteers.
  • Take up baking. Most kids this age either love to cook or bake.  Chocolate chip cookies are a great motivator with my boys in learning how to bake.

Homeschooling Middle School Kids

  • Ice skating. My boys love to iceskate in the summer when the days are hot. It also burns off excess energy. I love the quiet and calm at home when we come back because they are too tired to start any sibling rivalry.
  • Take them to a homeschool convention.  You know they don’t just sell curriculum there. My boys picked out hands-on science projects and crafts they liked to do. It can also be an opportunity for them to look at curriculum they will be using in the upper grades.
Middle School Kids can create a terrarium @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
  • Swimming. No need to say more.
  • Take up dance classes. Normally in summer the classes are smaller and I find that students get more attention. If you live in place where it’s so hot that you can’t get outdoors for part of the day, an inside activity is a cool relief. We loved the classes offered by Arthur Murray studios.

Summer Learning Ideas for Teens

  • Learn programming. Tiny actually has an interest in this and we might give this a try this summer.
  • Mentoring. Is your child a care giver? Then he or she might enjoy looking at summer programs where they can mentor.
  • Gardening or even container gardening. How long has it been since you made a terrarium?
The Basement Workshop Store

Don’t forget summer is a great time to do a living book and hands-on science exploring about plants, fruits and nuts!

Our Journey Westward

I love these series of books because you can use them for grades K – 8.

“The NaturExplorers series was written with 1st-8th graders in mind.  All of the activities in the studies are very adaptable for all ages, though, and specific ideas are included for incorporating your older and younger students.”

Our Journey Westward
  • Learn to make jewelry. I did this when I was in middle school. Nowadays, any Hobby Lobby or craft store carries beginner supplies.
  • Learn to work with leather. Leather can be expensive, so start with those cheaper chamois wash cloths they sell at Walmart to dry your car with and make a pouch, shirt or choker from it. These fun leather crafts are a fun way to begin learning about working with leather.
  • Go to free concerts. We use to live close to a major college and they had free concerts outside with a variety of musicals from classical to modern that my boys enjoyed going to.

  • Try a new water sports like whitewater rafting. Certainly not for the faint of heart, but if you have a water lover he or she may enjoy taking lessons.
  • Check out you library summer reading program.

Summer Fun for Teens

  • Take up a summer job. Some jobs like a babysitter, dog walker and pet setting services just require a mature young person.
  • Make a lava lamp. Beckons me to my childhood.
  • Learn to sew. I sewed my first pillow in middle school. It’s a shame that skill didn’t stick with me until today.
  • Learn to Cook.
  • Take an online class. You’ll love this fun Poetry and a Movie. Click here for Online Homeschool High School Poetry (No Teaching Involved).
  • Interview a grandparent. This year we have had both sets of grandparents real ill. We are making a chart of questions that Tiny has been wondering about their life and when we return to the states, he will be interviewing them.
Middle School Kids Can Learn Photography @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus
  • Take an elective class for high school now. There is no need to wait until high school to take an elective they might be interested in. Too, by taking a class during the summer, they can take their time and it still goes on their high school transcript when they enter the high school years. Look at A to Z List: Middle and High School Homeschool Electives.
  • Learn photography. My niece took up some basic photography during her summer years. Most classes for beginners don’t require any fancy equipment in the beginning. It is a great way to see if a passion turns into a profession as they grow older.

Fun Learning Ideas for Summer

  • Art lessons for the art lover. Sometimes we just don’t have time to get it all in during the school year and taking up art during the summer keeps it fun instead of “school”.
  • Take up reenacting. My sister and her daughters would do history like this during the summer. Living history, hands down beats a dry textbook.
  • Head to the beach. I remember my summer times at the beach roasting corn and marshmallows. Nothing means summer more than spending a day and evening at the beach.

Those ideas are just some of the things we have done and pop into my head.

30 Summer Activities for Middle School Kids

What about you? What are your favorite activities to do during summer time for middle school kids?

You’ll love these other ideas:

  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • Successful Entrepreneur-3 Best Homeschooled Teen Resources
  • Teach Your Homeschooled Teen the Art of Studying (without nagging)
  • How To Homeschool Middle School – Why Eclectic Of Course!
  • How to Build Middle School Curriculum Directly From Amazon
  • 3 Unique Things a Homeschooled Teen Learns From a Teacher’s Manual.
  • How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling
  • 7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer

30 Summer Activities for Middle School Kids @ Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

16 CommentsFiled Under: Middle School Homeschool Tagged With: hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, middleschool, summerideas, teens

20 Fun Summer Ideas for a Teen

May 10, 2014 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I may have a bit more than 20 fun summer ideas for a teen, but having some ideas to help out during the summer when hormones boredom hits will hopefully keep you and your teen getting along.

I really think most of the ideas could be done by either a teen boy or girl.

20 Fun Summer Ideas For A Teen

Schooling year around, we have kept a heavier school load until Mr. Senior 2013 and Mr. Awesome hit their high school years and then we have switched over the last few years to following a more traditional public school schedule.  It really is in the middle to high school grades that I feel the tug at being a bit more creative to beat summer boredom.

You may have some more ideas to add to this growing list, but here are a few of our own that helps preserve sanity with a teen.  Well I can hope, can’t I?

ball room dancing for a teen

  • We kept on ball room dancing during the summer. You know I told you my boys refused to do this until Dad put his foot down (no pun intended) and then they fell absolutely in love with the manly art of dancing.  I think having cool dance instructors helped.  So if you have either boys or girls, it is a must to have cool instructors.  This translates to instructors that are younger and not old like me.
  • Square dancing works too.  We have a large homeschool group here that keeps on dancing and even does competitions in the summers.  Teens love to compete.
  • My oldest also had looked into volunteering at the local fire station.  I think his enthusiasm was dampened a bit when they said they would start him off on washing the fire trucks instead of fighting fires.  But again, he would be getting a lot of valuable training for other careers like an investigator and realized too that you have to begin at the bottom.  What does his dad and mom know anyway about starting off on jobs?
  • I  was part of 4-H group too where both boys and girls started gardens if they had a green thumb.  My oldest wasn’t a teen yet, but one of the 10th grade boys even had an interest in becoming a chef.  He and his mom were hosting parties and selling Pampered Chef where he could make some money and cook too.  Brilliant.
  • There are a whole host of places to volunteer at too that would be delighted to have a teen like the local animal shelter, teen helpers at the library, and any kind of rescue.  Living close to the coast and to marshes, we have groups that are looking for teens to help either count birds or help out at their facilities.  It really is a matter of asking around and being assertive.
  • One year, Mr. Senior 2013 did woodworking and there is leather working too.
  • Our local newspaper host summer shops for high school students who are interested in journalism. The classes are conducted by reporters, editors, photographers and graphic artists.  It is free.
  • I know a lady in town that puts on several beginner photography workshops during the summer specifically geared toward teens.  She had asked me if I knew of any high school girls who were homeschooled and that could accompany here at weddings and parties as an assistant and learn photography.  It was nice to know she knew of the reputation of our teens, which is that they are pretty responsible.

dodgeball for a ten

{Pic. Attribution}

  • We have a couple of indoor rock climbing/trampoline/dodge boy throwing place that allows your teen to let off some steam.
  • Our local college offers a certificate program for an EMT helper that one of my sons was looking into.  This actually seemed like the adventure a teen would be looking for, but probably geared more for a high school senior.  The program included training to assist an EMT and basically would help the EMT with any emergencies he or she would be called to.
  • Kelley’s daughter started volunteering working at a vet’s office because of her love for animals and it has turned into a paying job.
  • The boys have a friend who joined a bowling league.  He and his father go together and they get out of the house each week.
  • Dare I even need to mention that you could use the time to get in some more drive practice with your teen? They probably won’t let you forget.  But then I was trying to list things less stressful and less prone to aging you.
  • When I was a teen, I had signed up to help out at the hospital.  If you have a girl or boy who are interested in the medical field, I don’t know of any place that turns down volunteer help.
  • My oldest had signed up too for indoor tennis lessons.  It’s too hot here in Texas to be outdoors past mid-morning, but there are many places with indoor courts and swimming pools too.
  • If they are a water lover like my boys, they are always accepting volunteers at the swimming pools.  I would caution you to check into this though because some of our local pools had no supervising adult and the teen boys and girls were left alone.  So I did not approve of that for my boys.
  • Also, pretty close to us is a State park and they have canoeing activities on the river for a  small group.  You know how much teens like to be with other teens and it’s not hard to gather a group.
  • If they want to earn a few bucks and they know friends who have pets, then a pet setting business is great too.  A lot of people are traveling during the summer and need a place for those pets.  This is a good idea too for a younger teen because you don’t have to deal with age restrictions like businesses have for teens.
  • The summer before last Mr. Senior 2013 worked with my husband and then I helped him prepare a resume.  We spent a week learning about resumes and the importance of skills in a workplace.

hands on models

  • I also have some hands on building projects called  Da Vinci Machine Series if they hit the mood and want to build.  I don’t think I have showed these to you before.  But its something else I have in my arsenal and pull out when I need to.  These projects are for ages 14 years and up.  So they are not babyish, which I like and they can go with history or science.  I have one more kit left and probably need to grab some more before we move.

These are just a few ideas that pop in my head and that we have done.  I do think if you are going to take a break or have a change in your routine, then make it just that.  Don’t try to keep the same routine that we expect of our teens during the year for school.

There is only one time to be a teenager and before you know it the demands of adulthood are upon them.  Let them linger at being a teenager and soak up the hum drum days of summer.

What does your teen enjoy doing during the summer?

Hugs and love ya,

2012Tinasignature

1 CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities, Homeschool Teens _ From Teen to Graduation Tagged With: summerideas

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