Summer needs to be fun. The kids worked hard all year in school, and they’ve earned some warm, sunny weather and lazy days.

Having a few “learning” activities will help fill the downtime between other events during the day or when the weather turns nasty. Beyond that, summer offers the opportunity for the whole family to get in on the learning! Here are five ways to keep the kids’ brains in shape while the rest of their body is getting tons of exercise this summer:

1. The Great Outdoors
Nature starts in the backyard, or at the nearby park. You can tie outdoor activities to a learning opportunity right in your own backyard! Have your child help you in the garden, and combine this activity with a short intro course on ecology. This can be especially valuable if your child will be studying a related field next year. Design outdoor activities that compliment their studies. But also let them have some “me” time…many of the things kids like to do serve as great (and sometimes untraditional) learning activities.

2. Building a Sense of Responsibility
Nothing builds character more than helping others. There are many volunteer opportunities for the whole family, from cleaning up a neighborhood eyesore to donating time in a soup kitchen. Giving the kids some real-life responsibilities keeps them from becoming self-focused and indifferent. Giving back to the community is possible with children of all ages. The young ones make great assistants at soup kitchens and at senior centers. As they grown into their teens, they can tutor others who need help, or volunteer to work in adult literacy programs. Talk with your children about their local community, and what kind of change they’d like to effect.

3. Experience Culture
Museums, historical sites, theatre, music…it’s all great for kids’ minds! Pair cultural visits with your child’s interests and upcoming studies. Check out the calendar or events web pages for local museums and venues to find what will be coming to your region.

4. Reading
Reading is fun! It’s great if you can get the kids to read daily. While getting them interested in new subjects is important, let them also read what they love. Summer Reading Clubs exist online and at many local libraries. Some even offer prizes to incentivize children. Local librarians are a wealth of knowledge that can help you determine appropriate grade-level books as well as purely fun stuff for the kids.

5. Play a Role Around the House
Summer is a great time to get the kids to help out around the house. While the younger ones can learn valuable lessons about finance with a good old-fashioned lemonade stand, older kids can support Mom and Dad around the house with scheduling, budgeting and chores. Trust us, having them help makes your life easier, too!

Try to make summer fun, but also use it as a two-month educational opportunity to keep your kids mentally sharp and ready for school.

What do you do to keep the kids on track when summer weather distracts them?

So often I hear homeschoolers ask, “But what about college?” as they consider the option of homeschooling their high school students.  “Will they get in?”, “Can they get scholarships?” and “What do I do to get them ready?”

For a parent those questions can be scary.  We want the best for our children not just during those formative years as they grow and mature in our homes, but also as they grow and mature as college students, as young adults, young marrieds, parents and beyond.

Because of this desire, the college question is daunting for the parents of homeschoolers.  We do want to ensure that our kids are taking the right courses and doing the right things to not only prepare them for college but also ensure that they are competitive.

If you have explored my website, you have likely found several success stories for Bridgeway Academy homeschoolers students who have been successful in college and beyond.  But I also wanted to share some more recent success stories.

This article features a family of homeschoolers who have taken advantage of the opportunity to take college courses while in high school.  For this homeschooling family and many others, the ability to work at their own pace leads to students with a passion for and desire to learn:

http://www.mlive.com/living/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2010/08/homeschooling_can_pave_fast_tr.html

This next article featuring homeschooler Stevie Douglas makes it evident that homeschoolers can and do earn scholarships.  Stevie will go to college on a football scholarship; many others from our Bridgeway Academy family go on with sports scholarships for gymnastics, ice skating, soccer, tennis and more, while others are honored with academic and extra-curricular activities scholarships.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/writers/andy_staples/08/12/stevie-douglas/

If you are considering homeschooling and don’t know where to start, check out Bridgeway Academy where they walk with you every step of the way and have many success stories.

And if you are concerned about your child’s future . . . stop worrying!  Homeschoolers like those featured in these articles are not the exception . . . they are rapidly becoming the norm!

Do you have a homeschooler who hates math?  Or perhaps you have a math whiz who needs a challenge!

Math contests can provide that extra challenge for your gifted math student or that extra motivation for that student who struggles with math.

Best of all, a contest will help your child learn!  Why?  In a contest, children learn new approaches to math, they practice, practice, practice and thus improve their skills and they usually provide a review with ideas for improvement and accolades for what they do well.

All of this adds up to stronger math skills and higher standardized test scores.

But how do you find a contest that suits your child?  Check out homeschoolmathcontests.com for a complete list of math contests.

And be sure to post a comment and let us know how your child did!

“If you are looking for a way to get your homeschooled children loving math, contests may be the way to go. Math contests make math fun, like a game. A contest not only motivates a person, but also helps him learn. Competitions offer review, new approaches, and speed improvement, not to mention increased standardized test scores.”

The ability to convey ideas in writing has become even more essential with the advancements of technology.  An individual who can communicate well, earns respect.  And with email becoming the communication tool of choice, we must ensure that our children have the tools to write well.

Molly Fox knows the importance of writing and of using the right motivation to help children become stronger writers.  This incredible young homeschooler, founder of Homeschoolwriters.com maintains a website designed to keep you up to date with writing contests and opportunities for your child.

Be sure to visit her site and select several contests that will interest your child.  The spirit of competition and the opportunity for feedback will do wonders!

Do you sometimes feel that there are just not enough hours in the day?  Do you roll out of bed at the crack of dawn, fall back into bed long after the entire neighborhood has gone off to sleep and still feel like you need a few more hours to get everything accomplished that you set out to do? Read More. 

I remember when my 3 children were all under 8 years old. I felt as if I really could use a few more hands and another set of eyes. The house was always screaming that it needed to be cleaned or at the very least, straightened up. The dishes would pile up so high in the course of a day that the dishwasher wouldn’t hold them and I’m not going to burden you with the woes of my laundry situation. I have not even mentioned that there were meals to prepare, school to accomplish and sometimes I just wanted to check my email!

I had friends who were so thrilled that I was now an “at home”  mom that they would call me “just to chat” in the middle of the school day!  I was so starved for adult conversation that I would leap over the toys, the dog  and the children in order to grab the phone. This would be some kind of covert signal to the children to leave their school work and  run rampant through the house. I think you can guess all the different scenarios that occurred after that!

Daily Chores:
I want to encourage you in this season of busyness. Take a  little time over this  weekend and get away somewhere quiet with scheduler, or daily planner or big block calendar, a note book and a pencil.   Then:

1. Write down all the “at home” things you think must get done in one day.
2. Now, number them in order of importance to you.
3. Try to schedule  “10 minute tidy times” twice or three times each day in which everyone helps to straighten up and put things in order  before you all transition to a different activity.

Keeping Up with that Ever Looming Laundry:
Vow to do only 1 load of laundry either before breakfast or before bed – Toss it in the washer before you go to bed and ask your husband to turn it on before he leaves in the morning. It will be ready for the dryer when you are finished with your shower. Toss it in the dryer and forget about it till the kids are in bed.

Make Lunch Easy:
Use paper plates for lunch during the week, or have your children help pack their own lunch in brown bags each evening after dinner. Pop it in the fridge and when it is lunch time  just have them grab it and go. This is a huge time saver.

Special Days:
Pick only one afternoon  during the week to schedule those dentist and check up appointments and stick to it. Make that the day that you plan to clean up the house. This is a good day for the children to work on art, read on their own,  or work  with their enrichments kits.

Make Sure You Get a Break:
If you have close friends or grandparents nearby, pack the kids up with a back pack full of educational fun or send them off for a few hours one afternoon a week. You can clean (take a nap) or catch up with a friend and they can get a change of scenery.

The joy of homeschooling your children is that they learn not only from books but from experiencing day to day life with Mom and Dad.

Take a few minutes to make  memories with your children today.

The laundry will be there tomorrow!

These words of wisdom were delivered to my daughters’ soccer team by their soccer coach this weekend just before they headed out on the field to their championship game.

This was his motto all season.  Work hard–reap the rewards.  And they did.  They ran for miles; they did uphill suicides; and they practiced four days a week.  This was a team of varying skill.  Some had been playing for years; others took up soccer for the first time this year; and still others were building skills that they began developing during the season last year.  But all of them were held to the same standard–work hard.

And his training paid off.  Our team finished the season as season champs.  Undefeated all year, they celebrated their championship win on Saturday with elation.

Matched against the second place team for the final game in the championships, they were facing an all boys team full of talented athletes.  It could be said that man to man both teams had an equal amount of talent.

But what set our team apart was a season of hard work.  A season of building endurance; a season of learning to work together; and a season inspired by a coach so loved by his team that they were willing to do what it took to meet his expectations.

This is what made them champions.

You know, this same motto should be applied to everything we do.  As we work with our children, we seek to help them become successful adults.  And that means learning to work hard now–especially when the going gets tough.

They will have struggles; they will have days when things just don’t click; and they will have those moments when nothing comes easily. But if we develop in them a willingness to work hard–they will succeed. If we teach them that they can do it, they can.  If we encourage them that even those subjects that they find difficult can be mastered if they choose to work hard and stick with it, they will do it.  And if we work hard when the going gets tough and take the time to adjust to their needs, we too will succeed.

Because in the end, hard work beats talent!

When I pressed her further, she mentioned that even a “simple” essay question in Social Studies and Science can make for a really bad day.

I couldn’t help share with her what I have learned about the writing process over the years.  As a writing teacher, this is my passion and I believe it is an essential part of every student’s education.  Therefore, we must do what we can to help our kids find success in writing.

I do not have research to back this up, but my studies on how the brain works are what have led me to this conclusion:

Because we expect our kids to begin writing at such a young age, we often create for them a mental block that makes writing a chore and/or a battle for years.

There are some students who have the fine motor skills to write at a very young age.  However, many struggle so much with the physical act of writing that they quickly decide that “I can’t write.”

What many children, parents and teachers miss is the fact that this inability to write has nothing to do with their ability to generate ideas or to create a paragraph or story.  Instead, the physical act of forming letters and sentences is such a difficult task that they cannot possibly keep up with what their incredible little minds are trying to communicate.

Thus, we set them up for failure and an “I can’t do it” attitude.

Our brains are so powerful that what we tell it becomes truth. So, if our kids are saying “I cannot write,” it quickly becomes reality.  They begin to approach every writing assignment with this attitude and as the years and struggles with writing go on that “I can’t do it” attitude just continues to grow.

So, how do we fix it?

The Power of Dictation

Dictation can quickly become your best friend.  Though it takes more time on your part, the results are well worth it!

If you are working with young writers, don’t ask them to write a full story or essay on their own.  Instead, give them the assignment and then sit down with them to complete it.

With my kids, I even go so far as to have them dictate their pre-writing or brainstorming.

For example, when my now sixth grade daughter was in second grade we did an elective in Animal Science.  This elective gave us one animal or type of animal to study every three weeks.  Because I am a writer, I ramped up the elective by having her write a full page essay on each animal at the end of the unit.  We would begin with pre-writing and work our way into a first draft.

One example that stands out in my mind was the study of dogs.  In the unit, we studied sheepdogs, sled dogs, and seeing eye dogs (among many others).  At the end of the unit, we sat down together at the computer and created a table of all of the different types of dogs included in the unit.  Then, she listed all of the things she could remember about each and I put that information into the table.

Once that pre-writing step was complete, I printed out the table, handed it to her and asked her to figure out the best order for presenting her information.  Then, she simply used the table to begin to write sentences about each type of dog.  I sat beside her and typed out everything she said.  In no time, we had a five paragraph single spaced composition that filled an entire typewritten page–”written” by a second grade student.

Did I help her as she wrote?  Absolutely! As she dictated I helped her to find transitional words or sentence.  I stopped her and reminded her to tell me when to start a new sentence.  I pointed out those times when she was repeating herself or not providing enough information.   And I worked with her to draft an introduction that would grab the reader’s interest and a conclusion that would pull everything together.

Guess what?  Despite all of that help, she is an amazing writer; her older sister is also quite the writer, and her third grade sibling is following the same path.

Why?  Because they could look at that beautiful piece of writing at the end of the day and say “I WROTE THAT!”

Success is such a powerful motivator.

So, to my friend I offered this piece of advice.  “Don’t worry that she is now in sixth grade.  Start from scratch.  Sit down with her for every writing assignment and show her that she has incredible things to say.  Show her that she CAN write.  Help her to see just how much she knows.  And do that by allowing her to dictate her essays and answers to you.”

And be sure to tell her every day–”You are a good writer!”

Do that and watch just how well your kids begin to write.

So, in a nutshell–5 Steps to Writing Success:

1. Never tell them that their writing is bad
2. Make sure the assignment is clear and allow them to ask questions until they fully understand what you want
3. Allow them to dictate their writing to you
4. Select one assignment a month to perfect and work together to perfect it.
5. Remind them every day that they are good writers

These five steps will allow you to harness both the power of dictation and the power of the mind to create confident writers.

So whether you use only one idea or all ten, have fun in your travels.  Read about our summer road trip here.

English and Grammar:

Adjective game-with such beauty surrounding us, we enjoyed the challenge of finding ways to describe what we were seeing.  The challenge was to find as many descriptive words to capture the beauty of what we were seeing.  We had the most luck in the Grand Tetons, where we came up with 103 adjectives!  The winner was the one who came up with the most creative list.

Dynamic Action-another fun one (you can tell I tend towards English) was the dynamic action game where we had to find more interesting ways to say a specific verb.  Dad would give the verb and the kids would come up with as many different and more interesting way to say the same thing.  We replaced the word walked with words like strutted, strolled, bounded, leaped, skipped, crept, stumbled, hiked and many more.

Fun Adverbs-same idea as the action verb game.  This time, we started with the same verb as before (i.e. walked) and came up with adverbs to describe how the animal or person walked.  Some ideas were walked crazily, uncertainly, funny, quickly, slowly, dynamically, confidently . . .. The more we tried this one, the better we became.

Writing-we practiced writing verbally with story starters.  One of us would begin the story and then we would go around the circle to add to it.  We did not limit it to one sentence at a time.  Instead, we allowed each person to be creative.  This resulted in a lot of hilarious scenarios.  I also used it as a review of what we learned in a specific place.  For example, after visiting Cody, Wyoming, we made up a story about Bill Cody.  The only rule was that as each person added to the story, they had to be sure to include one fact from what we learned.  This satisfied the teacher in me and satisfied the desire for fun and creativity in the kids.

Math Games

Addition and Subtraction-we combined this one with Geography.  I taught my eight year old how to calculate the number of miles from place to place on a map.  She loved pulling out the map and making the calculations.  So, I would give her a challenge that included several different positions and she would first find all of the mile markers, then add up all of the numbers to figure out how many miles we had to travel.  Then, each time we completed one segment of the trip, she had to subtract the number of miles we just traveled from the total number she had calculated.  Believe it or not, she never tired of this one!

Percentages-to include the older two in this one, we would have them figure out what percent of the total trip we had completed at each different segment.  Then, they had to convert that percent to a decimal.  Not received with enthusiasm, but it did give them perspective on how far we still had to go to reach our destination.

Probability-my 13-year old came up with this one.  She made up a game where they would each select a color and count the number of cars they saw that were that color.  After 5 minutes, they would add up the total number of tally marks from each kid and figure out the probability of seeing each different color of car.  They tried to extend this to wildlife in the more scenic areas, but lost patience pretty quickly when they only saw a few of each in the five minute time period.

History/Science/Nature/Creativity

We purchased a book before the trip called Whose Clues, which challenges individuals to figure out an inventor, sports figure, historical figure, scientist, etc. based on a series of clues. The clues progress from very vague information to more specific and recognizable.  Usually by the time we get to the end of the clues list, we have identified the individual.  These books retail for $9.95 but you can purchase them for just $5.99 a book by calling Curriculum Express at 800-685-3357.  Available titles include: Whose Clues: Famous Authors, Inventors, Characters in Literature, Musicians and Composers, Sports, and American History.

We enjoyed this so much that we decided to create our own.  So, after each stop, we would each come up with a series of clues for a person, place, animal or event and challenge one another with our riddles.  This was a lot of fun!  The riddles ranged from very easy (from our eight year old) to nearly impossible but were always a great way to pass the time and review what we had learned, experienced or seen at any given stop.

Stories with Holes-if you enjoy thinking creatively, you will love this one!  Before our trip, I grabbed a series of books called Stories with Holes.  These books are filled with crazy riddles that you must solve by asking only yes or no questions.  Ranging from the ridiculous to the very challenging, a story could fill quite a bit of time as we tried to figure out the twist that would solve it for us.  If you have never tried out a Story with Holes, you must purchase at least one of these books to try it yourself.  I guarantee that you will want the complete set!  These books retail for $9.95 but you can purchase them for just $5.99 a book by calling Curriculum Express at 800-685-3357.  There are 20 different books in the series and are identified simply by Volume 1-20.

Creativity Day by Day-another terrific resource, this one can be used all year long as a resource for writing assignments or discussions.  We used it in both ways on this trip, sometimes just looking for something to talk about, and other times looking for a way to keep the kids occupied without us for a block of time as a writing assignment.  Talk about learning a lot about your kids.  With questions like, “Who has more freedom, children or adults?” or “If you could have 1000 of any one thing, what would it be (besides money)?” we delved a little deeper into our family personalities, values, ambitions and so much more.  This became such a favorite that we are still going strong with it now that we are home. This book retails for $25.00 but you can save $5.00 by ordering it directly from Curriculum Express at 800-685-3357.

Often we are sure we can speed up the learning process if we just impart our wisdom and academic expertise to our children through a “lesson.”  So, we set aside time to go over whatever it is we are sure they need to know next, we prepare what we want to say, and we conduct our “class.” Okay, okay, most of the time we don’t go through quite the formal process explained above, but you get the point.

How often do we see our kids struggle through a math problem? Or get frustrated about a writing assignment or a science question where the answer is so close and yet so far away? For those blessed with patience, this is easy-let them work through it. For others who are schedule oriented, it is much easier to step in and show them how.

It is such a challenge to know when to allow our children to struggle and when to step in and solve a problem for them.  I hate to see my kids struggle–but I am learning that when I allow them to solve a problem by themselves, they will remember what they have learned much better than they will remember what I did to solve it.

For my 7th grader, Math has always been a struggle and this year is no different. She is actually pretty good at math, but tends to rush and miss key steps. So when a more complex problem comes along, she will turn to me for answers. In the past, I would sit down with her and walk her through each step. However, I have learned to force her to work through the problem on her own, focusing on analyzing the formula and outlining the steps she needs to take to find the answer. Does she find this annoying–absolutely! But she rarely comes to me for help with the same kind of problem more than once.

This principle applies to life lessons as well. We want our kids to grow up to be wise; to make good choices; and to be successful in whatever they do. But sometimes that wisdom can only be developed by allowing our kids to struggle with life on their own and experience the consequences or victories that result from their decisions. What better way to learn? When we approach our children this way, we become a coach rather than a teacher–encouraging them when they are on the right track and steering them back when they are not.

I find myself all too often in “lecture” mode on how to behave, what the right decision in a particular social situation would have been, how their decisions are affecting how others view or trust them . . . all important lessons.  But I would suggest that if you are like me–finding it necessary to repeat those same lectures over and over again, then your approach is not working.

I am not saying we throw our kids out there and let them fend for themselves.  Rather, that we are willing to take a step back and let them learn from their actions (within reason of course–we do not want them to end up extremely frustrated or in a situation that is dangerous).

Test it out! Next time your child is struggling with an academic question, give him the tools to solve it, then step back and watch learning take place. Better yet, next time he is making a decision that may or may not be wise, let him make it and be ready to coach him through the consequences when they come.

• A homeschool Science fair
• A homeschool Social Studies fair
• A homeschool International fair

The science fair is a terrific way to encourage students to enjoy science and to dig deep into an aspect of science that interests them.

Students begin by researching a scientific question or area of interest and conducting necessary experiments to test their hypothesis. They will then present their findings or demonstrate their experiments to all of those who attend the science fair. It is an outstanding outlet for kids to speak to a group; to learn research skills; to plan and put together an attractive and informative display; and to become an expert on their chosen topic.

The Social Studies fair is similar to the science fair.

Students can choose to study an individual (such as Crazy Horse); an event (such as the California Gold Rush), the history of a particular field (such as jazz music, baseball, computers, etc.), or geography (such as Glacier National Park). They will spend the first part of their project researching and writing a research paper on their chosen topic, then develop a presentation board for the fair.

At the fair, attendees travel from display to display and listen to the presentations. I am always thrilled to see just how animated my children can be when they are truly prepared.

The International Fair is a little different.

At this fair, entire families work together for months (sometimes all year), studying a specific country. At the fair, each family presents the history of the country, significant individuals (including scientists, artists, musicians, authors, leaders, etc.), the geography, interesting places to visit, customs, food, culture, wars, contributions . . . anything of significance about that country. In the process, we create incredible unit studies that include science, math, writing, research, reading, history, art, music . . . you get the picture). The International Fair is a culmination of that study and adds another element to the unit-public speaking.

When we arrive at the fair, our children receive a “passport” to carry with them as they visit each country and they begin their world travels. At each display, they hear a 20 minute presentation (from the entire family) on that particular country and participate in various activities planned by the presenting family. It is an incredible day, filled with learning, fun, food and opportunities to share what they have learned throughout the school year.

Other enjoyable events we have enjoyed in the past have been:

1. Medieval History Day (where each child presented a different aspect of medieval history and demonstrated for the rest of us). Some chose to demonstrate the art of archery, sword play, cooking, chivalry, etc.; others spoke about the different classes, castle life, dungeons . . . What a fun day!
2. Egyptian History Day–where we participated in the mummification process (somewhat), building a pyramid, and a cooking demonstration, while also watching demonstrations on all different aspects of ancient Egypt

Sound like a lot of work?

Not really. Because each family worked on one part of the day and then we came together to celebrate what we had learned.
When planning a homeschool event like those listed above, the biggest job is in the planning. Gather a group of homeschool moms, go out to dinner or dessert and put your heads together. Everyone will have different gifts, different ideas, different passions . . . but when you put it all together you can create the plans for an exciting, fun-filled day for the whole family!