With the temperatures rising and the kids pretty much disinterested in sitting down to do schoolwork, there are still a boatload of activities that we can do to keep the learning going during the lazy days of summer without doing "formal" school. Some of our favorite homeschool memories were made during the down time of summer. These are some suggestions to get you started.
- Nature study scavenger hunts are at their best when the weather was nice. Childhood by Nature has some great ideas on how to create one for your family.
- Take a hike. Look for a new place to explore by searching the Hiking Project for a location in your area.
- While you are on the trails, start a rock collection. Kids Love Rocks has a lot of information for kids to learn all about rocks
- Get wet with some great experiments with water from We are Teachers.
- Try some cool outdoor engineering projects from Little Bins Little Hands.
- Visit a National Park and discover its history.
- Plant a garden. Eartheasy shares ideas to help get you started gardening with kids.
- Volunteer in your community. Parents Magazine has an article with websites that can help you find places for kids to volunteer.
- Rainy day trips to a local museum always seem to spark excitement. Check out the MuseumsUSA directory for ideas near you.
- Make some great frozen treats to keep everyone cool. Play Ideas created a yummy list of 25 Refreshing Ice Cold Treats for Kids.
Still looking for ideas for summer activities. Check out this printable list from Childhood 101 or these printables of 125 Summertime Boredom Busters from Proverbs 22:6 Academy.