“Rarely has the question been asked:  Is our children learning?” ~ George W. Bush

Make Your Child’s Summer Vacation Count

As a homeschooling family we really look forward to summer vacation.  By the time summer rolls around we need a break from our homeschooling routine.  I get to have some free time to myself, and my kids get to spend time doing the things they love to do.

But with all that free time on their hands they could easily fall into bad habits.  Too much television, too many video games, and not enough time spent reinforcing what they’ve learned throughout the school year.

To stop bad habits from setting in we encourage our kids to read books that interest them, write about what they love, use their imaginations, and be physically active – nothing sparks creativity like good old fashioned outdoor play.  We also provide our kids with movies that educate as well as entertain – Netflix and PBS are great resources for this.  Let’s face it, most kids like to watch television, and in moderation, it can be a great learning tool.

Fun K-12 Educational Freebies for Summer Learning

Learning doesn’t have to be a chore for kids.  Make it fun with these free online educational games and resources!

• Exploratorium:  the museum of science, art, and human perception As a teen I had the pleasure of visiting the Exploratorium for a physics class outing – it was absolutely amazing!  Their website offers tons of the coolest educational stuff on the web.  Everyone will enjoy learning something new!

• Monterey Bay Aquarium Teach your children about our precious oceans and sea life via the Monterey Bay Aquarium website.  Lots of videos, activities, and educational stuff for the whole family to enjoy.

• National Geographic Education National Geographic’s been “inspiring people to care about the planet since 1888″, and their new education site will certainly make learning about our planet a blast!   Explore tons of activities, games, news, and more.  Their website is definitely fun for the entire family.

• PBS KIDS @PBS ‘s children’s site you’ll find tons of interactive games, printables, and more from your kids’ favorite PBS television shows.  My children have learned so much through the years by watching and playing all of the quality shows and games PBS has to offer.  If you love PBS, consider making a contribution to them so they can continue to bring us high quality educational programming for the entire family.

• Poetry for Kids Get your kids interested in writing and appreciating poetry with the Poetry for Kids website.  Lots of activities, word games, podcasts, plus a very cool and useful rhyming dictionary.

• Read.gov Find tons of cool reading resources for your children (and yourself) at the the Read.gov website.  Browse through book lists, author webcasts,  events, and more!

• ReadWriteThink Lots of terrific resources, activities, and instructions to get your children interested in learning.  My 7-year-old daughter loves their shape poem activity.

• San Diego Zoo Your kids (and you too) will love learning about animals, plants, and conservation via the San Diego Zoo website.  Lots of games and videos to keep your kids entertained.

How do you keep your children learning throughout the summer?  Have a great tip or resource you’d like to share with us?  Feel free to leave a comment below, send me a tweet @greenearthbazar , or share your tip with us on facebook.  We’d love to hear from you!

Michelle

I'm a lover of life and all things natural and organic. I love practicing yoga, making healthy foods, nature photography, DIY projects, making homemade beauty treats, and creating handmade jewelry. I'm passionate about a lot of things and write about them here on my blog. Peace, social justice, good food, green beauty, sustainable living - you name it, I care about it. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. Peace. ;)

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