We are so excited to be starting our summer homeschool schedule. We’ll be covering nature study, art/music appreciation, phonics, and numbers. But the schedule is so care-free and summer-ish!
Summer Homeschool Mornings
Open the Day–prayer, calendar, Bible verses/songs
Nature Study Indoors–reading, discussion, or notebook pages
Nature Study Outdoors–gather our journals, flower presses, and other supplies and head outdoors!
Art–Van Gogh study: activities will vary–bio study, picture study, down and and dirty with art itself!
Music–Handel study: activities will vary–bio study, music study and sequencing, instrument families, and (my favorite) a pool party with Handel’s water music!
Summer Homeschool Afternoons
Phonics/Numbers–worksheets and review time (I’ll be doing this with my son after the little one goes down for her nap.)
First Summer Homeschool Nature Study
For our first nature study, I actually began, not with lesson one in the unit study, but with just an overall introduction of the 5 senses God has equipped us with to explore His creation. Then, we went exploring, trying to find at least one object for each sense.
We tasted cilantro.
We smelled oregano and a few flowers (one stinky flower and another that smelled rather fruity).
We heard birds (and an airplane, if that counts).
We touched a cactus (with Mommy’s help), some rocks, the wet ground, and sticks.
We saw some tiny fish…
And later in the day, the Lord also blessed our study with a baby bird flight lesson. We got to watch and listen as a baby bird learned how to fly.
He was having a great deal of trouble, and the kids were a little concerned (okay, I was too). Daddy joined our observation group, and we prayed for the baby bird, then stood back to watch mommy and daddy bird give the lesson.
After our nature walk, we finished our entry in our nature journals. I wrote down what they reported about each sense, and then let them draw some pictures. My son drew a picture of a small fish and a picture of himself “exploring.”
Overall, it was a fantastic start to our summer. Next, we are focusing in on smells and learning about the mosquito.
