10+ Ways To Incorporate Sneaky Learning Into Your Summer

For homeschoolers, the learning never stops.  Even if you follow a traditional schedule like we do, life is full of learning and creative opportunities.  Homeschool moms have a knack for finding the lesson is nearly any situation.  Learning is happening all around us.  The catch is whether or not our eyes are open to it.

But the challenge can sometimes be that when we come to end of May, we're all somewhat tired, and our brains can only picture lazy days by the pool.  Still those lazy days grown old quickly, and we find ourselves looking for a meaningful learning opportunity. A break from formal academics is nice, but summer break is the perfect environment for "Sneaky Summer Learning."

What is Sneaky Summer Learning? Putting our kiddos in the way of new experience, new ideas, new  challenges in a relaxed, fun environment.  They're learning, doing, exploring, absorbing new information... in short, having a great summer vacation.  

And what does Sneaky Summer Learning look like?  

1. Bird Watching

Pick up a local field guide and learn about birds in your area.  Find out what they like to eat and fill a bird feeder near one of your windows.  Build a bird bath that invites them to splash and play within eyesight.  Keep a count of the birds that visit your backyard.

2. Pressing Flowers

Pressing flowers is an easy and enjoyable activity.  Take a walk around your neighborhood and pick a few.   Or pick some while on a hike. Bring them home to press for bookmarks.  Wanna take it a step further?  Look up the common and scientific names to label your bookmarks.  Plant a few in your yard.  Find a drawing or watercolor tutorial for your flowers.  Look up a YouTube video.  Enjoy the wonderful world of flowers.

3. Hiking

Find a local hike that's challenging, but not overwhelming.  Hike it during different seasons of the year ... maybe even at different times of day. Take note of animal tracks, flowers, birds, etc that you identify.  Encourage your children to stop and observe any sounds they hear.  Or just to notice the peace and quiet around them.

4. Summer Reading Program

Sign up for a Summer Reading Program.  I'm working on a blog post about some I've found, but in the meantime, visit your local library and sign up for their summer program.  Summer reading is a great opportunity to refine reading skills before jumping up to the next level.  Plus kids can earn prizes, participate in story times for all ages, and find lots of fun interactive activities.

5. Gardening

Whether you have a full size yard, or just a small apartment balcony, summer is the perfect time to learn about growing plants.  Balconies are perfect for growing herbs.  Or if you have a full size yard, try your hand at some tomatoes.  They will often yield a good size harvest without much space and produce into the early fall.  Gardening teaches responsibility and patience, as well as a basic understanding of botany.

6. Tide pools

Why not plan a beach day for visiting the tide pools?  We've had some wonderful experiences, checking out all the creatures we found during low tide.  This gives kids an insider's look at what's in the vast ocean.  It's a great way to identify plants and animals they might not normally see.  

7. Sewing

Break out those sewing projects that you might not have the patience for during a regular school day.  Start with an easy hand sewing project;  Most craft stores have basic kits in fun whimsical characters for a few dollars.  Once you've got the basics down, maybe try a small project like a hot pad or potholder.  Start small and work your way up.  This would also be a great project for grandparents to work with children or even an opportunity for kids to see parents learning as well.

8. Board Games

My kids love Monopoly.  I hate leaving it out on the dinning room table.  Summer is a good time to sneak in some learning with those games that take a longer chunk of time.  Monopoly is great for teaching counting and money management.  Scrabble is wonderful for spelling and vocabulary.  Chess and checkers are great for strategy.  For more information on game schooling, checking out this post: What is 

Gameschooling?

9. Read Alouds

Just because it's summer doesn't mean that read alouds have to end.  Read alouds build a child's imagination, vocabulary and love of literature.  And summer is a great time to read from a genre you wouldn't normally pick.  If you usually base your read alouds on history, pick up some science fiction.  Going on vacation?  Pick a book set at your destination.  Use voices.  Be silly.  Read in a tent in the backyard.  Have fun with it!

10. Star Gazing

When my youngest son was little, he was fascinated with space.  He knew the planets, how many moons they had, what their atmosphere was like, and more.  And this naturally bled into stars and constellations.  I found myself learning so much from him.  Let the kids stay up late on night and spend your time star gazing.  There are several apps available that will help you identify the constellations in your area.  Try setting aside one night in early summer and one night in early fall and see how the position of the stars changes.  You never know what kid of interest you will spark in your kids.

11. Camping

This is a fun one.  You can learn so much through camping.  Fire starting and management, fishing and preparation, hiking, meal prep, and foraging... just to name a few.  This is a great time to get outdoors and be fully immersed in nature.  You can go to bed listening to the frogs and wake up to the birds' song.  It's a great way to go full nature study for a weekend.

12. Hands-On Museums

Hands-On Museums are great for kids as they invite interaction through play and touch.  They encourage curiosity and critical thinking on a variety of topics, from science and nature, to history, art, and more.  And many museums are part of a reciprocal program where families can explore other museums for free or at a reduced price while traveling.

There are so many ways to keep the learning going through the summer, without ever pulling out a worksheet.  I'm not apposed to a math lesson here and there, especially when you have a full summer in front of you.  But really lean into the freedom of the season and try out a few of these sneaky learning opportunities.  You never know where they'll take you and your child.