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summerideas

20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial

May 12, 2023 | 1 Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 20 fun summer learning activities and we’re making a rock sundial. And look at 11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers for more summer fun.

Are you looking for fun summer learning activities? Whether you teach year-round or take the summer off there is no reason that learning must end.

One of the best things about homeschooling is that learning can be fun and takes place all year long, even in the long hot days of summer.

20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial

A simple rock sundial is not only a fun and frugal summer activity, but there is much to learn.

Look at what you learn when you make a simple rock sundial.

  1. good way to work on telling time
  2. problem-solving
  3. the history of telling time
  4. learning about the Earth’s rotation
  5. shadows,
  6. and enjoying some fresh air.

You can use this activity for preschool and up, creating more challenging tasks for different ages.

More Summer Learning Activities

Also, look at more summer learning activities below.

  • 20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial
  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • 25 Summer Homeschool Ideas To Keep The Learning Spark Alive
  • 30+ Summer Activities for Middle School Kids
  • 11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schooler
  • Free Coral Reef Printable Lapbook and Fun Hands-on Unit Study Ideas
  • Fun Pineapple Candle For Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers
  • Super Easy and Fun Aquarium Jar Craft For Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers
  • Fun Making Ocean Layers Soap | Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers
20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial

Then, look at these fun summer learning activities.

20 Summer Learning Activities

I am also giving you a wonderful list of fun summer learning activities to keep them busy all sunny summer long including water play, tasty treats, messy fun, and many more hands-on activities.

Photo Credit: preschoolpowolpackets.blogspot.com

Science Experiment: Elephant Toothpaste

"Elephant toothpaste" is a science experiment that I used to do with my high school students.  It is a strong multi-sensory demonstration that goes great with a lot of chemistry concepts.

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Marshmallow Shooter Summer Activity for Kids

These super EASY to make marshmallow shooters are a must for your summer bucket list.

Photo Credit: www.growingajeweledrose.com

Bean Experiment for Kids

To help with observation we used a jar instead of a bean this time, and I was delighted to discover that my kids were just as amazed by this simple bit of science as I was so many years ago. 

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Geometric Bubble Activity

Kids love blowing bubbles so learning, while you play, doesn’t get any better with this easy to set up geometric bubble STEM activity.

Photo Credit: littlebinsforlittlehands.com

Build A Marble Run Wall - Little Bins for Little Hands

Make a simple noodle marble run wall from pool noodles!

Photo Credit: www.kindergartenworksheetsandgames.com

Ice Cream Volcano Experiment - Summer Science Activity for Kids

Kids will be excited to learn and explore when making this ice cream volcano! This is a combination of an ice cream activity and easy volcano experiments for one EPIC, memorable summer activity for kids! 

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

Build a Nerf War Battlefield

Build a Nerf War Battlefield in your own backyard for an adrenaline-pumping, active play experience and STEM challenge.

Photo Credit: www.mombrite.com

Easy Sun Print STEM Activity: The Power of the Sun

In this simple experiment, your kids will learn just how potent the sun’s rays are, and why colors fade under the sun.

Photo Credit: www.steampoweredfamily.com

The Coolest Project For Kids With Craft Sticks – Engineer Launchers

This is a great engineering and crafting challenge for kids 7 years old and up. The result is part crossbow, part slingshot, all fun!

Photo Credit: rhythmsofplay.com

Human Sundial Shadow Science Experiments

Hands-on outdoor science activities for children, such as this human sundial experiment, can help children learn how shadows are created, and, measure the earth’s rotation.
Photo Credit: aroundthekampfire.com

Ice Cream in a Bag: Changing Matter Experiment for Second Grade

 Students investigate ways that matter can change and whether these changes are reversible. 

Photo Credit: funlearningforkids.com

Rain Cloud in a Jar Science Experiment with Printable Recording Sheets

This rain cloud in a jar is a weather science experiment gives young children a chance to explore clouds and rain in a hands-on and engaging way!

Photo Credit: climatekids.nasa.gov

Make SMores With a Solar Oven!

Harness the energy of the Sun to make the best snack ever invented, S’mores!

Photo Credit: www.simplemost.com

Make A Fun DIY Mason Jar ‘Fairy Light’ With Your Kids

Check out this super easy DIY weekend project that will help you turn a regular old mason jar into a glow-in-the-dark fairy light. Your kids will love how they sparkle and shimmer at night, and it’s the perfect craft for when you’ve got a little free time on your hands.

Photo Credit: sugarspiceandglitter.com

Beach Water Table Invitation (with Video) ⋆ Sugar, Spice and Glitter

This fun DIY Beach Water Table Invitation brings all the best parts of the beach to your backyard!

Photo Credit: www.glitteronadime.com

Soda Geyser Eruption Experiment - Science for Kids

We kicked it off with a Soda Geyser Eruption Experiment. Have you tried this? It is so easy and the kids loved it! Like with most of our activities, it is extremely inexpensive and simple to set up

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Paint Gun Parts of Speech Game

Looking for an outrageously fun parts of speech game to help kids review nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Kids are going to have a blast with this fun parts of speech activity that is perfect for summer learning

Photo Credit: theresjustonemommy.com

Trail Signs Printable & Activity

When it comes to simple activities to keep kids busy and having fun, scavenger hunts are always popular.  They are also extremely versatile.  You can find easy scavenger hunts geared towards toddlers and harder ones for teen

Photo Credit: www.123homeschool4me.com

Pipe Cleaner Constellations - a Hands-on Constellation Activity

Calling all space lovers!  Whether you enjoy star-gazing on a clear summer night or are in planning mode for an upcoming solar system unit or astronomy study, this hands-on STEM activity will help your kids learn about constellations, stars, and the patterns stars form in the night sky! 

Photo Credit: theresjustonemommy.com

Dragon STEM Activities for Kids

Because everybody should study about dragons in the summer.

Finally, look at how to make the fun rock sundial.

20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial

How to Make a Rock Sundial

Obviously, this wasn’t a foolproof way to tell time because it didn’t work at night. But it was an early innovative technique that paved the way for later more advanced time telling.

People used sundials to keep track of time by watching where the shadow falls on its surface.

The sun seems to move across the sky during the day due to the earth slowly spinning on its axis. 

The various positions of the sun in the sky during the day causes the shadow to move on the sundial, showing the change of time.

You will notice each day that the shadow falls very close to where it was the day before demonstrating the accuracy of the sundial.

In the morning the shadow continues to get shorter and shorter as noon approaches. 

Then, in the afternoon, the shadow gets longer and longer.

Observe the length of the shadow on the sundial throughout the day.

Is it longer in the morning or late afternoon?

Kids Rock Sundial

You will need:

  • A straight stick
  • 12 flat smooth rocks
  • Sharpie
  • Phone or clock
  • Compass
20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial

Directions:

First, find an area of your yard that gets full sun all day, you can start any time of day when there is sun but it may take a full 24 hours or more to get all the times set.

Use a Sharpie or paint marker to write 1-12 on each rock.

20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial

Set a timer on your phone to go off every hour on the hour.

Push a fairly straight sturdy stick into the soil, and tilt it slightly to the north.

You can find this out with a compass or use the compass on your phone.

20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial

When you are on the hour, go check the direction in which the shadow from the stick is pointing and add your first corresponding numbered stone.

Throughout the day, on each hour add the next numbered rock to the end of the shadow until you have completed your clock.

You can repeat this experiment several times to make sure your numbers are in the correct space. Then try learning time at :30 as well as on the hour.

20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial

1 CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: crafts, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, summer, summer activities, summer crafts, summerideas

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

May 11, 2023 | 2 Comments
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I have 10 sea shell activities today. And your kids will love making these fun crystal sea shells. Grab more ideas on my Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook.

Sea shell activities are a fun way to explore one of your favorite parts of the beach.

If you find yourself with an abundance of sea shells from your beach visits or you just want to have some seashell-themed fun I have a fun learning activity.

 I have dug up 10 great sea shell activities and put together one of my own for you.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

You can observe and describe seashells, identify them with a favorite guide or reference book or use them for a multitude of crafts and activities.

I am sharing a tutorial today for how to make crystal seashells.

This is an activity that can be educational as well as pretty.

Your child can place these glittery shells alongside the plainer ones on your science shelf to remember the fun they had watching them grow crystals.

Gather up handfuls of your favorite seashells and let’s see what kind of fun and learning we can do with them.

10 Stupendous Sea Shell Facts

First, look at these facts about sea shells.

  1. A sea shell is a hard, protective outer layer usually created by an animal that lives in the sea.
  2. Mollusks can make their shells become different colors by eating a variety of colorful food. Eating red seaweed gives some sea animals a red shell.
  3. There is more to the pattern of the seashell than just being pretty. Scientists believe that mollusks use the patterns and colors as engineering blueprints. The design of the shells helps the animal know where to place their mantle, ensuring they grow its shell in the right spots.
  4. People used to use sea shells as currency, even as far back as Pompei.
  5. 90% of shells are dextral, meaning their shells open to the right.
  6. There are over 100,000 varieties of mollusks including snails, clams, mussels, scallops, oysters, and more.
  7. The official term for someone who collects shells is a “conchologist”.
  8. You can guess the age of shells, a scallop, for example, produces about a ridge per day. 
  9. The largest sea shell is the Australian Trumpet, weighing up to 40 lbs.
  10. Sea shells are an excellent source of calcium carbonate making them a great choice for adding calcium to your garden beds.
10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

10 Sea Shell Activities

Get your shell on with these fun and beachy-themed crafts and activities you can do with your sea shells.

  1. Sea Shell Sand Craft
  2. Sea Shell Necklaces
  3. How to Dye Rainbow Seashells
  4. Seashell Science and Math
  5. Storytelling Seashells
  6. Sea Shell Decorations
  7. Sea Shell Craft Project
  8. Ocean-Themed Playdough Invitation
  9. Glittery Seashells
  10. Sand Clay Handprint Keepsake with Seashells
10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

More Sea Shell Activities and Beach Resources

Also, look at more summertime and sea shell fun.

  • How to Dissolve a Seashell – Beach Hands-on Fun Activity
  • Humboldt Who? Hands On to Understand Ocean Currents & Their Effect On The Galapagos Islands
  • Edible Geography – Sea Levels
  • 10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass
  • Super Easy and Fun Aquarium Jar Craft For Summer Activities
  •  Making Ocean Layers Soap | Summer Activities

In addition, look at these fun books.

4 Seashells Books for Kids

Add one or two of these books or resources to your unit study about sea shells.

What Lives in a Shell?

This clear and appealing book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom, is a fascinating exploration of the many creatures that make a home in a shell. This picture book features beautifully accurate illustrations of the many types of shells—inside and out! Young readers will love exploring the fascinating homes of creatures like hermit crabs, scallops, and turtles.

Fascinating Shells: An Introduction to 121 of the World’s Most Wonderful Mollusks

Beautiful photographs of stunning shells from London's Natural History Museum, home to one of the most significant and comprehensive collections in the world.Collected and treasured for their beauty, used in religious rituals, or even traded as currency, shells have fascinated humans for millennia. Ancient and enchanting, dazzling in form and variety, these beautiful objects come from mollusks, one of the most diverse groups in the animal kingdom, including snails, oysters, cuttlefish, and chitons. Soft-bodied, these creatures rely on shells for protection from enemies and their environments, from snowy mountains to arid deserts, in deep-sea hydrothermal vents and the jungles of the tropics, on rocky shores, and in coral reefs.

Seashells & Beachcombing for Kids: An Introduction to Beach Life of the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific Coasts

Ocean beaches capture our attention like few places on Earth—and for good reason. Two vastly different ecosystems merge here, attracting a wide variety of life forms. Become a young oceanographer. Learn all about beaches and the plants and animals found there. East Coast expert Erika Zambello and West Coast naturalist Stephanie Panlasigui present a kids’ introduction to beach life. The children’s book, ideal for early and middle-grade readers, conveys fascinating information for beginners.

Start by learning about beaches and their various habitats, as well as tips on beach safety, collecting etiquette, an

What A Shell Can Tell

Award-winning marine biologist Helen Scales introduces children to the wonders of shells (from seashells to land snails) through the art of observation. Using a friendly question-and-answer format, she explores, through a richly sensory experience, the incredible diversity of shells around the world and showcases the environments molluscs inhabit. From what a shell's shape, color, or texture can reveal about its inhabitant, to where shells are found (from the deepest seas to jungly treetops), with this book, readers can get up close with nature to observe its wonders.

Also, look at some of the science before we make this fun sea shell borax crystal.

Crystal Sea shell Science

Before we soak up the next activity let’s look at some of the science behind it.

First, it is important to know that hot water holds more borax crystals than cold or room temp. 

This is because the hot water molecules move far apart and make room for the borax crystals to dissolve.

You can extend this experiment by trying the same measurements of borax and water with different water temperatures.

As the solution cools down the saturated water molecules come back together and force the particles out of the solution.

They will then land on the nearest surface (sea shells) and then they will keep building up to form crystals.

Once dried you will really be able to see the unique crystal shapes, and how they build on different surfaces like the edges, ridges, cavities, etc/

You can purchase sea shells online or even at dollar tree but how much fun is it to use the ones you found on your last beach vacation?

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Finally, let’s make crystal sea shells.

How to Make Crystal Seashells

You will need:

  • Seashells
  • 4 cups hot water
  • ¼ to ½ cup borax
  • Shallow glass container
10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Directions:

Heat the water in a microwave-safe container.

You can do it in a shallow glass container or a spouted glass measuring cup is perfect for pouring later in the activity.

The water doesn’t have to be boiling but you want it hot, as it is necessary to melt and absorb the borax crystals.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Stir in the borax a few tablespoons at a time, adding more and more until it no longer dissolves.

This means the water is fully saturated.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Place seashells in the bottom of a shallow glass dish and give a little space between each of them.

Lay them down upside down and right side up to observe what happens with the crystallization.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

Place the shallow dish in an area where they will not be disturbed.

Wait at least 24 hours before you check them for crystals.

Moving them around and removing them from the water will disturb the crystallization process.

Once they are done lay on a paper towel to dry.

Investigate your shells with a magnifying glass and a favorite resource book.

You can see here that the crystals started filling in the cavity of this conch.

10 Sea Shell Activities for Kids and Make Crystal Sea Shells

2 CommentsFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: beach, crafts, earth science, earthscience, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, ocean, science, sea shells, seashore, summer, summer activities, summer crafts, summerideas

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

May 1, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

You’ll love these edible beach crafts for teens for fun summer learning. Also, look at my page Seashore Watching Unit Study and Beach Lapbook for more fun beach ideas.

Does your teen love to cook and craft?

If you are looking for a fun summer craft for a teen which is also edible, you’ll love the edible beach glass.

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

This edible beach glass is adorable and delicious. It’s a great way to learn how beach glass is made.

Then there are the life skills cooking teaches, and some science and math worked into the simple recipe as well.

I also think it’s a great art project.

Whether the edible beach crafts are to be used as part of a unit study or for a fun summer-themed snack there are plenty of great ideas here.

So, include these excellent facts about beach glass.

5 Fun Facts About Beach Glass

  1. Beach glass is the debris left behind by broken bottles and jars which have been broken. The pieces are worn smooth, have a frosted appearance from the combination of the waves, and the sand wearing them down.
  2. There is a glass beach in Fort Bragg, California, but they don’t let you take souvenirs home with you.
  3. Beach glass is also known as sea glass, mermaid’s tears, and sea pearls.
  4. Common colors to find are clear, brown, green, and blue. Rarer to find are colors turquoise, yellow, and pink. Occasionally even red.
  5. Sea glass/beach glass can be found in many parts of the world. It is commonly found along the coasts of England and New England, North and South Carolina, Kauai Island in Hawaii, and California. There is also sea glass along the beaches of the Great Lakes, but it does look different than the glass found tossed about in the ocean.

5 MORE Facts about Beach Glass

  1. To age sea glass look at the tint- a light purple shade will be newer as manganese is added to the glass and turns purple with sun exposure, a green shade indicates that the glass is older.
  2. Sea glass is highly collectible and is used in jewelry, glass mosaics, wind chimes, to decorate frames or even just stored in a mason jar.
  3. It is much harder to find beach glass these days. More people are hunting for it on the beaches and many glass items packing items have now been replaced with plastic.  
  4. Due to more storms and the reshaping of the shoreline, the best time to find beach glass is spring.
  5. While often used interchangeably sea glass and beach glass are not the same thing. Sea glass is found on saltwater beaches, and beach glass on freshwater beaches.  The main difference in appearance is that the lakes aren’t as rough so there is not as much tumbling, making it less frosted and might even still have some shine to it.
10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Too, look at these other edible beach crafts for teens.

10 Edible Beach Crafts for Teens

  1. Let them get creative with these Strawberry Sea Creature Snacks and see what they come up with.
  2. Delicious for a hot summer day- Ocean Blue Lemonade Popsicles. I have added these Shark Attack Cheesecakes to my must-make recipe list, don’t they look amazing?
  3. What a great art and cooking project this Edible Sugar Seashells and Sand recipe is.
  4. These sand dollar cookies are just too precious.
  5. Simple but these Beach Pudding Cups are a tasty and cute beach-themed treat.
  6. Pinchable cute Beach Crab Sandwiches look delicious.
  7. Learn how to Make a Sandcastle Cake.
  8. Semi-healthy and a fun theme- Beach Ball Fruit Pizza.
  9. I bet these Butterscotch Crunch Starfish are amazing.
  10. Make a Fun Edible Coral Reef

More Beach Crafts for Teens Activities

  • How to Dissolve a Seashell – Beach Hands-on Fun Activity
  • Oceans Unit Study and Lapbook
  • Edible Ocean Layers
  • Egg to Sea Turtle Lesson Plans & Lapbook
  • Quick Unit Study & Easy Salt water Density Ocean Science Experiment

Summer Crafts for Kids

Also, add some summer crafts to keep summer fun for teens.

  • Pineapple Candle For Fun Summer Activities
  • Super Easy and Fun Aquarium Jar Craft For Summer Activities
  •  Making Ocean Layers Soap | Summer Activities
  • 11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers
  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling

Grab a copy of Ocean Anatomy, not a heavy textbook, but rather a fun and beautifully illustrated flip-through full of great facts about the ocean and all that is in it.

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Finally, look how to make fun edible beach glass.

Beach Crafts For Teens Make Edible Beach Glass

I highly recommend using flavorings coconut, mango, and banana to add a little something extra to your edible beach glass but it is delicious with just the sugar flavor as well.

You will need:

  • 2 cups granulated white sugar
  • ¾ cup of water
  • ⅔ cup of light corn syrup
  • food coloring -blue and green
  • Flavoring oils – optional.
  • Candy thermometer
  • Silicone spatula
  • Medium baking pot
  • Baking mat
10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Directions:

Clip your candy thermometer onto the side of a medium-sized pan so that it doesn’t quite touch the bottom.

Combine water, sugar, and corn syrup into the pot and stir together.

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature on the candy thermometer reaches 300 degrees.

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

At this point, you must work very quickly so be sure to have all your add-ins ready to go with the caps removed, heat-safe bowls, silicone mat, food coloring, and flavorings.

Carefully remove from the heat and divide ⅓ of the mixture into 2 heat-safe containers like these Pyrex measuring cups.

Quickly stir a bit of green and blue food coloring as well as a bit of the flavoring oil into two of your containers. Leave the third clear but feel free to add flavor.

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Pour the mixture from the pan and your containers onto your silicone mat quickly.

Beach Crafts

You don’t need to be neat just make a large blob shape. If it has started to set up, you can place the pan back on the heat for a minute or the glass cups into the microwave for 30 seconds to soften the mixture.

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Allow it to cool completely until hard, this should only take 10-15 minutes but you can pop it in the fridge to speed up the process a bit.

Transfer the hardened pieces to a zipper bag or cover them with waxed paper and hit them with a little mallet or against the counter to break them up into smaller pieces.

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Add pieces to a separate ziploc bag and add a few spoons of powdered sugar, shake to coat everything. This keeps them from sticking together and gives your beach glass the dull frosted appearance of real beach glass.

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Dust off excess powdered sugar.

Check out this side-by-side of real beach glass and edible beach glass, you can hardly tell the difference!

10 Edible Beach Crafts For Teens and Make Edible Beach Glass

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: beach, crafts, edible, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, ocean, summer, summer activities, summer crafts, summerideas, teens

11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schoolers

July 3, 2022 | Leave a Comment
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.

  • 20 Fun Summer Learning Activities And Make A Rock Sundial
  • A to Z List: 100 Fun Summer Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
  • 25 Summer Homeschool Ideas To Keep The Learning Spark Alive
  • 30+ Summer Activities for Middle School Kids
  • 11 Fun Summer Activities for Middle Schooler

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:

  • 30+ Summer Activities for Middle School Kids
  • How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling
  • 7 Advantages to Starting Your Homeschool Year in the Summer
  • Homeschooling Through the Summer with My Highschooler

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Middle School Homeschool Tagged With: hands on history, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, middleschool, summerideas, summerschool, teens

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.

How to Use Summertime to Put a Foot in Homeschooling

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.

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

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