CHOIS Connection is published quarterly by Christian Homeschoolers Of Idaho State.
This article appeared in a previous issue.
CHOIS Connection
CHOIS Tidbits
by Linda Patchin
"Summer School"
Summer 2009
Experienced home educators are fond of speaking of the "lifestyle of learning." It took me many years to figure out exactly what this phrase meant, and so I offer this article to those of you who may wonder, as I did, how learning takes place within the context of "real life" and without the confines of a classroom, even one that doubles as the kitchen table. I hope that this article will demonstrate the many ways that education takes place, right under our noses, even when we have not planned it.
Whether you take the entire summer off from school, or simply slow your pace, you must admit that summertime offers home educating families some of the richest learning experiences of the year. I have always been a "summer's off" mom, and it took me many years to recognize the amount of learning that took place after the textbooks had been boxed up for the year. Bear with me now as I travel down memory lane and share some of our experiences with you.
Map Skills, Art and Creative Writing
My husband travels frequently in his employment, and sometimes we accompany him on his journey. (Something we could not have done if we had been tied to attendance laws and school schedules.) Some of his trips provided us with several days of cross-country driving that might have been boring if we had let it. Each of my children was provided with a map and a highlighter of their own. They never had to ask us how far it was to the destination because they would mark our progress on their maps, and each mileage sign gave them an opportunity to chart our course just a little bit further. Each of them kept their own journals where they would write about the interesting things that passed by their windows, and the artistic among them, would sketch the sites. Many creative writing opportunities were explored as well because curiosity about the interesting sites we saw would lead to discussions that explored the possibilities of "what it would be like" and the discussions nearly always sparked imaginative writing.
Rest stops gave us opportunities to stretch our legs and to explore the territory we were passing through. We often took the road less traveled, simply to visit something of interest to us along the way. Destinations always provided new and interesting Science Centers and Museums, historical treasures and natural wonders. Regional cuisine tempted our taste buds, and spawned the birth of my daughter's regional cookbook collection that has grown with time and further travel experiences.
Delight Directed Learning
We took a trip to Washington D.C. one year and before we left I purchased a disposable camera for each of my children. I expected that I would end up developing four rolls of very similar photos, but nothing could be further from the truth. I learned a lot about the individual interests of my children that year. My son, Daniel, was ten years old at the time, and he took the most stunning photo of the Iwo Jima memorial in Arlington National Cemetery that I have ever seen, using that five dollar camera. A passion and talent was established on that trip, and eight years later Daniel is still creating stunning photos, though admittedly with a much more expensive camera. I do not think that I would have entrusted his young hands with our expensive family camera back then. How thankful I am that I purchased the disposable ones, so that his interest could be cultivated with a camera that could be dropped, stepped on and treated in the way that only a ten-year-old boy can manage. I am thankful for the glimpse I had into the passions of each of my children through their photos.
Nature Studies and Imaginative Play
This idea never occurred to me, and I must admit that I have not tried it, but my friend Lorrie Flem wrote about something that she has done that I feel compelled to share with you. Lorrie plants giant sunflowers each year in the shape of a fort, leaving an opening for the door. She also plants beans beside each sunflower seed, and the beans grow up with sunflower stock support, and eventually can be trained to form a fort roof. I can only imagine how much fun it must be to see the walls of your fort grow taller every day. My children would have had a blast in their green fort, and I hope that this story will inspire several families to create their own. If any of you try this out, promise me that you will send me photos of your creation so that I can enjoy them vicariously. One word of caution though; do not allow the plants to drop their seeds once they are mature or next summer you will have a sunflower hedge.
Botany
Surely one of the most enriching ways to study plants is by raising a garden of your own. Give a little space to each of your children and allow them to plant, water, weed and harvest it. They may even want to eat the vegetables that they grow! One of my young sons was so thrilled with his sunflower success that he named his plants Pixie and Dixie. He lovingly cared for them all summer and for the first, and last time, we learned the ancient art of brining and roasting sunflower seeds. Just a few of the many lessons that can be learned in the garden are: spatial concepts; plant, seed and weed identification; patience; plant varieties; hard work being its own reward; insect identification, collection and perhaps extermination, and so much more.
Environmental Discovery School
In Idaho, we like to call this camping. There is nothing like the experience of loading up supplies and family and living close to nature for a few days! Not only will your family come home rejuvenated from the rustic, city-free experience, but they will hopefully also have learned a few things about geology, plant identification, wildlife, astronomy and more, as they healthfully glow from all of the added exertion of hiking, fishing, hauling firewood, making camp, and biking down gravelly, washboard roads. If you choose your campground wisely, your children may also learn a great deal about geothermal pools, or the rich mining and logging history of Idaho. If you visit a national park, such as Yellowstone, take advantage of their fantastic Junior Ranger programs. These programs provide a rich opportunity for you to learn more than the average tourist. Idaho truly offers us stunning vistas and plenty of outdoor playground space.
Physical Education
Summer is the perfect time to develop athletic skills. My family has always enjoyed bike riding together as a family. Because we live in Boise, we have a fantastic Green Belt system that stretches from one end of town to the other along the Boise River. I know of several other Idaho cities that have a similar bike path system. My family enjoys riding from one park to the next, and enjoying the activities that each park affords us. One park has a fantastic sand volleyball court, and our volleyball rides along with us in someone's backpack. Another park has the most amazing climbing trees. We cherish the playground in another. One park has a conditioning course that we always stop and pursue. Of course the favorite park of just about everyone in my family is the one that has BMX trails, hills and jumps. Finally, the parks have large grassy fields in which to practice our Frisbee and football skills.
Obviously summer is a great time to work on swimming. We love swimming pools, water parks and floating down the river in inner tubes. We have also been blessed by the friendship of a family with a boat, and so many hours have been spent learning how to wakeboard, tube and wake surf. Idaho has an abundance of water resources that provide recreational opportunity. Take advantage of these resources.
In recent years our whole family has taken up the sport of golf and the Idaho Junior Golf Association has provided us ample opportunities to hone our skills. This program grants inexpensive access to golf courses for students, and their families. They also provide tournament play for those who wish to golf competitively. For more information, their website is Idaho Golf Association.
These are just a few of the athletic opportunities that my family enjoys each summer, and I am certain that your family will discover many more. If you find some worthwhile organizations that you would like to share with us for future publications, please email me with this information.
I hope that my memories will help you to recognize some of the amazing educational opportunities that you are most likely already pursuing and not giving yourself school credit for. May God grant your family wonderful sunshine memories this summer. Enjoy!
Linda Patchin, and her husband Paul, serve on the CHOIS Board of Directors. They are the parents of three homeschool graduates, and are still homeschooling their youngest son.
CHOIS ©2001-2009 All rights reserved.
