the season begins

a few ways to look at summer as a homeschooler

Hi. I follow a number of substacks now and often forget why I follow people here until I’m halfway through their note. So just to recap…this is a substack primarily about homeschooling. We use of a mix of curriculum, Classical Conversations, and relaxation. Our family of seven lives in Vermont in the United States.

---

Every parent, homeschooler or not, sets out to spend summers in a manner unique to the season. This makes perfect sense as one is experiencing 12hrs+ of daylight, warmer temperatures, the opportunity to swim, be bitten by bugs, lay on the grass staring the leaves blowing in the wind, and eat popsicles on the trampoline.

Not age appropriate for children but “Where the Crawdads Sing” as a film just oozes summer aesthetic to me.

Homeschoolers generally “go big” on summer because in the summer taxpayer-funded institutions pivot to offering programs that work with everyone. Taxes pay for programs based around physical activities, like opening a swimming pool, offering tennis lessons, or keep the park grass mowed. Short week-long camps run by the schools. Town farmers’ markets with live music and free face painting. Public libraries kick into their highest gear offering cool air conditioned rooms, workshops, fresh reading checklists and depending on your area, free lunch.

The contrast within your own community of what works better for families in the winter versus the summer and vice versa is a very simple way of examining what programs are supporting families and how they could be made better.

Additionally, some parents are often drawn to emphasize and “catch up” on academics in the summer by focusing on one or two subjects that have fallen behind. This is actually how many homeschool parents formulate their whole approach to school—as students gobble up information in certain subjects, other ones need to be brought out with more lights, jazz, and attention and the oft cited affirmation “you’ll use this someday.”

A good example of this in my house—we are doing our part to keep the Post Office open by handwriting long letters to friends very week. Thus handwriting, spelling, and grammar can be safely checked off, while history and math wait eagerly for a little attention—perhaps some fresh read alouds or enrolling in Beast Academy for daily work this summer.

As you consider some ideas for summer changes, keep in mind the theory of academic detoxing. If you have a child who is avoiding a subject or seems stubbornly “stuck” in learning phase, consider putting that subject to the side for as long as it takes for them to be interested again. Interested again means they bring it up or ask about something in relation to getting better at that subject. It is very likely that their brains are not yet ready to tackle the next phase of learning, and your “encouragement” coercion is not going to help. This applies to a myriad of subjects and all ages—reading, spelling, math. If they are coming from a formal school environment where the subject has been loaded with emotional baggage or a sense of failure, set it aside completely for six weeks. If you think the foundation just needs more repetition and time, take some time to think creatively about other approaches than what you’ve been doing. For math—maybe some fun board games that allow for repetition of basic concepts and number recognition. For reading, switch to reading aloud together and reviewing basic phonics. For writing or spelling, wait until you have a great cause—like a summer business, or writing a letter to an author they love. For reading, do not say anything critical about their book choices that they bring home from the library. For the purposes of this work, you are blind to supposed grade and age appropriateness. Welcome all reading levels as progress.

anyone else thinking about raising a tadpole this summer?

I’m not going to approach it in a systematic way, but personally I’m looking forward to emphasizing more life skills this summer. The 9yr, 11yr and 13 year olds can start a load of laundry, run and empty the dishwasher, help unpack groceries, make a snack or meal for themselves, and tidy one of our main living spaces on their own. But I’d also like them to have a passing familiarity with a few recipes, more consistent experience at cleaning a bathroom, and remembering to say, “Can I help you with anything?” on a regular basis.

With all of these things, I find following the mantra of Begin as You Mean to Go On to be a good guide as you move through your day. If you hope some day your 11yr old will offer to vacuum the minivan, then it’s best to invite your 5yr old to do it with you now.

And of course things like learn to play a favorite family card games (ours was always spoons), get a summer job, learn to swim or bike, sleep in & stay up late, camp outside with a friend…

What’s on your mind to enjoy this summer? Please share in the comments. Southern Hemisphere friends are welcome to share winter feelings!

My Birthday!

I asked about 40th birthday parties here in a previous post and then I had one! We met at a camp nearby and took over the pavilion for lunch and dinner. There was a big fire in the fireplace, and beautiful views despite the rain. There were piles of spring flowers from my friend Rita who farms at Stitchdown Flowers. There was a potluck dessert table (I love a potluck) with coconut cake, pies, cookies and a sour candy salad (went first of course). It was wonderful and satisfying on every level. I was shocked by how much mental energy it took to pull off; whenever I have a child under two years old I’ve already given half my mental space to the stage of life they happen to be at. But I was overwhelmed by how celebratory and special it felt in the end. Friends and family met each other for the first time and talked over meals. We shared french fries and cake. We swam in a cold pond together. We toasted and told stories with champagne. I loved every minute from beginning to end. I wouldn’t trade that experience for any luxury item that can be purchased, including a weeks stay at fancy resort (if you’re thinking this must be an extrovert saying this, you would be 100% correct).

What a gift for me to get to do with my children old enough to enjoy it too. As we packed up in the rain at 10pm, the baby tearfully exhausted and screaming, the older girls gushed, “Thanks for doing that Mom. It was so fun.” One of memories caught on video at the party that I will treasure is four daughters carrying four cakes, each with ten candles on them. We got to blow them out together. These days in life, I divide nearly everything by four and hope it comes out evenly, so I was secretly elated to realize they could each participate in that special moment.

To extend the party, Joe secretly asked guests to bring or send a book to me that they thought I would enjoy. Books have been arriving ever since! Many of them are inscribed with notes, a toast in and of themselves.

And, a quote for you   

Cartoonist Chuck Jones, reflecting endless art supplies and love in his childhood that encouraged his art...

We also had perhaps the most vital environmental rule of all: parents who gave us the opportunity to draw, free from excessive criticism, and free from excessive praise—Mother, because she felt that children in the exploration of life could do no wrong, and Father…because he only wanted to get rid of that paper as soon as possible.

—More interesting quotes from the documentary about him, gathered by Austin Kleon.