Susan's Homeschool Blog

This is what I did on my summer vacation years ago. Maybe it can give you ideas on what to do this summer:

1. I intentionally rested: I basked in the sun, occasionally took a nap in the middle of the day, sat on the deck and opened my heart to God with no agenda.
2. We had free tickets for the children to ride roller coasters at Silverwood, and the entire family had fun as we got splashed, raced forward, and spun in circles.
3. We saw fireworks on the fourth of July.
4. We picked strawberries and made crepes, strawberry shortcake, and strawberry mousse. The crepes were absolutely divine.
5. I threw a Mexican fiesta for my son Nathaniels’ birthday.
6. I went yard saling with my mom. We found a table and chairs to upgrade the little table and chairs that my kids were outgrowing.
7. My three sisters came to visit, and we played card games, laughed and whooped til late into the night. My mom paid for professional massages for each of us.
8. We went to a Leonardo da Vinci exhibit at the Museum of Arts and Culture. The kids were able to play with the models of all his inventions.
9. I went hiking through a forest alone with my husband. We saw a beautiful waterfall, and it was a gorgeous day. We went off the path and had fun.
10. The children had a water balloon fight.
11. We went to local parks at least a dozen times.
12. We played croquet on the cool grass on a sunny day.
13. I threw a Chinese dragon party for my son Bryan. We did an Ancient China unit study leading up to his party.
14. We listened to a Henty book on audio, The Young Carthaginian. It was the only book I didn’t get around to reading for the Ancient Rome unit study.
15. The kids went to Vacation Bible School at my parents’ church. After dropping off my kids one morning, my mom took me out to breakfast. We had bacon, eggs, hash browns, and sourdough toast.
16. On another morning while the kids were at church, I recorded the audio “Overcoming Burnout,” to be released in January through a new audio club I’m starting.
17. I recorded ten Dread Pirate Susan YouTube videos, which I had been wanting to do for months. Each video has one fun writing idea for kids who don’t like writing. I will be releasing one per week for ten weeks.
18. We went to the beach at a local lake several times. We blew up a large yellow boat thing that looked like a banana. (I got it at a yard sale.) The kids had a ball.
19. We picked cherries and made cherry cobbler.
20. I went to Zumba three times a week.
21. I read a few books, including The Heavenly Man: the remarkable true story of Chinese Brother Yun. This book had me choked up with joy over and over, and it stretched my faith. It’s kind of like Voice of the Martyrs, but close up.
22. I revamped my prayer life. I need to remember to wait on God more, have more margin, and quit rushing. I need to be still.
23. I asked God direction for homeschooling for the fall, and I’ve written down goals for each of my children. I asked God about changing my schedule, and I felt peace about keeping it the same as last year.
24. The kids performed a talent show for my sisters while they were here: “The Evans Kids Have Got Talent.” The mime act was my favorite.
25. Our whole family went to the dollar movie theater to see a few movies released months earlier.
26. I made three different digital yearbooks for each of my children who had birthdays. I packed in tons of photos showcasing each child and what they had accomplished over the school year.
27. We made a whole set of beeswax candles one morning for Grandma’s birthday.
28. We made chocolate bananas.
29. The children made crafts: bowling pins, masks, Chinese lanterns, etc.
30. The children rode bicycles with me around the neighborhood.
31. I re-organized my house, especially kid stuff and homeschool stuff.
32. We went swimming at the local YMCA.
33. We watched science DVD’s from the local library: Popular Mechanics for Children and The Way Things Work. Both series of DVD’s are excellent.
34. We made sun prints.
35. I conducted some simple science experiments with my daughter. The experiments related to nature, since she loves working in her nature journal.
36. The children ran around, playing with nerf guns.
37. I asked God for direction regarding my website, and He gave me clear direction. I’m excited about what the future holds.
38. I went on a cruise to the Bahamas with my husband, on the honeymoon we never had…