Summer Learning...via Unit Studies

  Ah summer . . .the much anticipated, yet quickly unsettling situation our families enter each year! While many families are able to fill their summer schedule with countless activities, I suspect, many are like my family experiencing boredom (gasp!) and even a bit of restlessness after a few weeks of undirected, purposeless days. Yes, we always strived to incorporate productive activities throughout our long summer days: swim teams, creative writing (for fun not grading!) and endless family games. Still, we were left feeling listless.

  As a mom who tired quickly of hearing, “I’m bored,” I began to brain storm short term (one week or less) learning experiences (unit studies) as a way to provide more direction and enjoyment to our summer. In the younger years, this took a little more time on my part to brainstorm and plan but as my children grew, this idea of self teaching became ingrained and something they began to pursue on their own, even continuing into adulthood. Truly isn’t this one of our great goals as homeschoolers—teaching our children to love and pursue learning throughout their lives.

  Unit Studies…whether excitement or trepidation fill your mind, take a moment and consider just a few benefits of a summer unit study: curtailed boredom, family memories, not to mention, freedom to explore an interest. Without hindering the daily curriculum schedule, unit studies lead to the greatest benefit of all: delight-directed learning! If my excitement has captured your attention, here are some ideas to get you started!

  Ice-cream!

Yes it is possible to spend one week learning about (and eating) ice-cream. Children and adults of all ages will enjoy learning which city, state or country consumes the most ice cream (Long Beach CA.; Alaska; the United States-followed closely by New Zealand). Spend a few days researching each of these locations and ask your children to draw maps of the areas. Sprinkle in some math by sharing with them that the average American eats 48 pints per year. How many gallons would that be? How much ice-cream is that in one month? Compare this to the amount of ice-cream consumed by your family (Keep track for the summer. Is your family on track to eat 48 pints? Taste test different types of ice-cream as a family: Which flavors are the most popular? Graph your results (more math!) Have your children research which President proclaimed July as “ice-cream month”? (President Reagan in 1984) A quick, supervised, search of the Internet will bring these answers and introduce countless other ice-cream questions! Conclude your study with homemade ice-cream. Here is a simple recipe:

1/2 cup milk (or half-half)

1/4 cup sugar (less if use half-half)

1 tsp vanilla (or 2 tsp chocolate powder)

Ice (3-4 cups)

1 cup rock or kosher salt

Chocolate chips, sprinkles, Oreo cookies, etc. (optional)

2 qt. Freezer zip-lock type bag

1 gal. Freezer zip-lock type bag

Fill the 2 qt. bag with milk, sugar, vanilla (or chocolate powder)-add any optional ingredients desired. Seal bag securely and set to the side. Add ice and salt to 1 gal. Freezer bag and place the 2 qt. zip-lock bag inside the 1 gal. bag. Seal securely. Shake the 1 gal. bag for 5-10 minutes. You may wish to wear oven mitts or use a kitchen towel to hold onto the bag.

  Other Summer Studies:

If you are planning a vacation, have your children do a topical, week- long study prior to your trip. Study the history and geography of your destination and research places to visit. Together, plan an itinerary to fit with your travel plans. While children can use Google maps to plan the trip, consider being “old school” and introduce paper copies of state highway maps (available from the transportation department of most states) or purchase a road atlas. Teach your children how to read the map and use the legend. Use a highlighter to mark the best route for your travels. Determine the miles to travel to reach your destination, and ask them to predict the time necessary to complete the journey.

  Another fabulous unit study for this summer which could easily extend into several weeks is the Summer Olympics. While prepared studies are available to purchase online, your family can easily develop one with just a little time spent online researching. Topically, you could explore the history of the summer Olympics as well as gain an understanding of the various events. Choose one such as swimming and study it more in-depth. Research winning swimmers, but take it to the next level! Take swim lessons and learn the various competitive strokes. Tread water or practice Survival Floating. Water safety and Life Guard courses are vital things for our children to learn as well. This also makes a great time to research the history of swimming pools, or study water. Pull out the microscope and view pool water, lake/pond water and tap water. Draw what you see. Are there any surprises? Water quality is particularly important at this year’s summer Olympics. Children can also learn about the geography and culture of Rio De Janeiro.

  As you can see, options are limitless when it comes to creating summer learning which alleviates monotony. If you need a little more help with brainstorming and organizing your summer study, we offer many Unit Study materials on our website that may spark ideas or sort through the great ideas bouncing around in your mind right now!

May your summer be filled with learning adventures! 

~Deanne