Summer Reading Fun and Activities

This summer, try a reading challenge or create your own reading program! Your local public library is a great place to start, as many sponsor reading challenges such as this summer's "Unearth a Story." They offer incentives and prizes, plus charts to track your reading journeys.

For information on "Unearth a Story," see CSLP's site at this link: Reading Challenge.

For a Free Book Giveway, see Barnes and Noble's site at this link: Reading Challenge.

For Summer Reading Suggestions, see Amazon's lists at this link: Summer Books for Kids.

For Best Children's Books Suggestions, see Good Read's list at this link: Best Children's Books.

For More Fun, create your own reading challenge for the whole family. Design your own tracking charts, come up with incentives that appeal to you and your children, create a list of books that sounds interesting, visit your library and seek new authors and new topics, and see how much learning occurs as you read your way through the summer!

For Fun Summer Activities, click any of the links below under "Labels" then scroll down the pages for more ideas!

Best wishes for a safe, happy, enjoyable summer!

Summer Hobbies + Learning

Summer provides ample opportunities to explore, observe, relax, and recharge.

Nature abounds and hobbies await! A child can simply step outdoors -- with pencil or paints in hand -- to capture their world around them.

The most learning occurs when children (or adults) immerse themselves in the things that interest them the most.

Allow plenty of free time for children to stretch their wings, try new hobbies, or pursue a multitude of interests in the weeks to come.

This "Misty Lake" painting was inspired by watching the mist rise above the lake, resembling ghosts floating on top of the water.

Take a walk to a nearby lake, pond, or stream, and see what types of scenery your children might be inspired to sketch or paint.

Then research or read about the scenes they capture. The resulting knowledge, skills, and enjoyment are priceless!

This "Misty Lake" tutorial can be viewed on my YouTube channel, Misty Glow Studio, at this link: Misty Lake.

Have a great summer!

New Homeschool Year and Free Activities at Everything Homeschooling

A new homeschool year is beginning for many families. We at EverythingHomeschooling.com are also looking forward to the upcoming homeschool year.

We hope you enjoyed the Summer Activities on our site these past 3 months. Summer continues until September 22, so feel free to visit our "Summer Activities" page over the coming weeks. (See the "Summer Activities" button in the menu on the left of our website.)

This week we provide Free Activities for Monday through Friday, as noted on our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com. The "Monday through Friday" Free Activities offer fun learning in:

1. Reading/Literature (Read a Book a Day)
2. History (Levi Strauss & Gold Rush)
3. Social Studies (Famous Explorers)
4. Science (Magnetic Experiments)
5. Math (Cooking + Baking)

Print the blank Weekly Planner Log Sheets from our "Homeschool Forms" page. (See the "Homeschool Forms" button in the menu on the left of our website.) Then jot down everything learned from the 5 "Monday through Friday" activities, in each of the subject areas.

Children will most likely take the 5 Activity Areas and run with them! Encourage and guide children in the activities at EverythingHomeschooling.com, and have a great start with the beginning of your homeschool year!

Happy homeschooling!

Summer Activities

Here are a few Summer Activities your children can enjoy:

* Travel Maps: On short day trips or long vacations, map out the routes you travel and label your map with the places you see along the way. Research the places you see or visit, to learn even more about them.

* Summer Constellations: Select a good book depicting the summer constellations, such as Constellations of The Night Sky or Glow-in-the-Dark Constellations, and use the illustrations to locate and learn about summer constellations.

* Creative Writing Activities: Use summer themes, such as picnics, parks, pools, beaches, flowers, sunshine, cookouts, fireworks, ice cream, camping, hiking, to stimulate creative writing and drawing ideas.

* Insect Crafts: Make fun, simple, or imaginative crafts that mimic summer insects. Discuss each insect, where or how it lives, and try to find them outdoors, too.

* Create a Summer Time Capsule: Make a shoebox or tin-can time capsule and include items that depict this summer's adventures and events.

* Remember to Read: Summer reading programs began in the 1890s, to encourage children to read during summer vacations. Reduced reading over the summer results in lost reading skills. Yet, reading skills are important for comprehending topics across the curriculum. So visit your library often, and encourage your children to select a wide variety of books to read this summer!

If you have suggestions, see our Home page at EverythingHomeschooling.com.

Happy homeschooling!