As the school year comes to a close, many a homeschooling family wonders what ought to be done with all those suddenly-available hours in the day. Having spent so many hours together all year, the arrival of summer vacation doesn’t seem all that different at first glance. In fact, many homeschooling families recognize that learning never stops, so, on some level, school never stops. Each vacation destination becomes a history or geography lesson. Every hike becomes a nature study. Every family reunion becomes a genealogy project.
While it is true that one can make the most of every summer minute by igniting academic and intellectual sparks, it is equally important to make the most of the time by simply being present with your children and sparking the memories and emotions of a summer well-spent.
Homeschool moms, give yourselves the freedom to see sitting on the front porch watching a storm roll in as important as reading every historical plaque in the museum. Allow yourselves to value playing a board game with your child as much as you might value finishing those last few math pages. Encourage lemonade stands for the interaction with neighbours as much as for the lessons in economics.
There will be time for more lessons. You are likely already planning them and scheduling them as we speak. But will you make time to just be with your children this summer? Will you give your family permission to just ‘do nothing’ sometimes? Families today are under such pressure to expose children to as many opportunities as possible, to ensure they are ‘well-rounded,’ to send them to camps and programs all summer long. What families need is the freedom to return to a simpler time when we all enjoyed the pleasures of playing hopscotch, reading a book, camping out in the back yard, and eating popsicles.
Schedules are good and right and necessary. Sometimes, though, the best thing to schedule into your day, or your child’s day, is free time with no deadline. Plan to make the space and take the freedom to breathe deeply, to slow down, and to fully engage in the experience of being alive! Making the most of every summer minute doesn’t have to mean cramming more activities in. It usually just means being fully present in every minute, no matter how simple or elaborate the current activity may be.
HSLDA is all about helping to build strong families, and supporting families as they homeschool. Our desire is to make the details of school and family life simple for our members. We know how busy you are and how limited your time is. To help you in your research, we scour available resources for you so that with one click you can find the answers to your homeschooling and family life questions. For example, our social media links are full of simple ways that you can make memories this summer. If the planning and research is done for you by us, it frees up more of your time to relax and enjoy the time with your family.
Homeschooling can feel overwhelming at times. Summer vacation shouldn’t. Whatever else you have on your ‘summer bucket list,’ why not add ‘breathe deeply,’ ‘relax,’ and ‘enjoy simplicity’ to the list?
Contact us:
HSLDA Canada
32B – 980 Adelaide Street South, London, ON N6E 1R3
Phone: 519.913.0318
Fax: 519.913.0321
info@hslda.ca
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By Barbara Postma – Writer & Editor – HSLDA Canada
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