It's summer! Tune in for suggestions of how to spend these precious weeks of freedom. Hosts DeeDee and Ximena suggest having a loose plan with some academic and life skills goals. You may want to go all out and do a special science or history camp or book club with your homeschool co-op this summer or have a more low-key experience at home catching up on the things you didn't have time for during the school year. Consider typing, driving, cooking, laundry, or a craft like knitting.
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QUOTABLES
DeeDee: "...let your kids be creative during the summer and explore new hobbies. And this is always important to me, but they're not going to do it if you let them be couch potatoes."
DeeDee: "Well then you can also just think, we have to work on reading, writing and arithmetic. Because the three R's, right? That's the foundation of our learning. So what books are you going to read this summer? And what... like you were saying about math facts, how are you going to keep your math facts sharp? Whether it's playing a game online on your computer or playing Yahtzee your regular rotation, or whatever it is that you think ahead so that you're prepared, you're planning to have it. And then some writing, my kids love writing books or short stories. So encouraging them to do that during the day summer."
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TIMESTAMPS
02:27 Take a long summer break or opt for year-round schooling? (Episode 8 is about year-round homeschooling.)
04:15 Ximena likes to enjoy summer break but still include some homeschool activities to keep a rhythm and avoid bad attitudes.
06:48 Learning loss can happen during the summer. Ximena tells a story about bombing an assessment in second grade due to summer brain drain!
08:15 Summer homeschooling is a perfect time to get caught up or ahead on a particular topic or dive into something very fun like knitting or cooking or photography.
11:16 About limiting screentime during the summer.
16:50 Practical tips for creating a summer schedule for your homeschool.
19:20 Get older kids to provide input to help craft the plan.
20:17 Older kids can work on typing, driving, or learning how to do laundry. Try a fun unit study.
22:58 DeeDee and Ximena talk about their summer science camp.
24:58 Their epic Washington DC summer trip and their US History Cram Camp to prepare for it!
25:57 Help your kids plan their summer activities so they actually do them!
26:49 Have a summer book club.
SPECIAL SEGMENTS
Hack of the Week
01:06 Use a boogie board tablet to make writing more fun (and to save paper).
Weekly Reflection
14:12 How fast the kids grow up. Savor each moment instead of worrying so much!
