We were in need of routine and structure. That was obvious.
The Hubby started work. We needed a distraction to not miss him like crazy.
I decided it was time for “Summer School” to begin!
We’re not diving into our 2012-2013 curriculum completely yet, but taking more of a child-led approach for the month of July to get back into the swing of learning!
Here are some of the things we’re doing…
*Making lists!
The boys each have a little Avengers notebook. In the notebook, they keep a list of things they would like to learn, read about, draw, make, or do. Every day we try to cross a few things off each list!
Reading about and drawing different animals show up on the list a lot 🙂 {I ended up drawing the boa constrictor and Big J added the details!}
*Fun workbooks!
Little J has a few fun workbooks that focus on numbers, letters, colors, and letter sounds. I found a workbook for Big J that involves drawing and creative writing. We have lots have activity books around the house with word finds and other age-appropriate activities, so we’re pulling them out!
*Educational games!
Math Bingo! Rush Hour Jr.
*DVDs!
We especially love What’s in the Bible? DVDs for entertainment AND Bible education! I honestly would enjoy watching them even if the kids weren’t around. And with heat indexes over 100 for days and days, we need a few great videos here and there to keep us sane while we stay cool inside! We also watch documentaries on Netflix and lots of Wild Kratts
And last, but not least…actually, my favorite of all…
*The Olympics!
There is really nothing quite like the Olympic Games, right?! I’ve always loved them, maybe even obsessed over them a bit. Now, I’m even more excited to share the wonder of these games with the kiddos! And Big J is already almost excited as The Hubby and I!
We’ve been counting down the days until Opening Ceremonies, watching Olympic trials on TV, and I’ve been preparing for four weeks of Olympic-themed lessons thanks to this…
Unit Studies by Amanda Bennett has the BEST way to make the Olympics into an awesome learning experience!
First of all, you’ll want to get the Olympics 2012 study! Starting July 16th {two weeks before the London games begin}, you can work through lower or upper level activities to learn about the history of the Olympics, the sports included, the countries competing, and more! Spelling, history. science, math – these studies have everything! During the Olympics, the lessons will also include medal counts and more!
To add to the fun, Unit Studies has a FREE Olympic lapbook download! AND you can join a Facebook co-op of other homeschool families doing the same unit study during the Olympics to share ideas! You can join the group now, but the co-op part won’t start until July 30th {weeks 3 & 4 of the study}!
I’ve never worked through a unit study before, but Unit Studies has made me a big fan with this Olympics 2012 study! I love the cross-curricular learning and cannot wait to get started July 16th!
Want to work through the Olympics 2012 study along with us?!
You can win one today!
Just leave a comment telling me how your family handles school in the summer! Do you take a complete break? School year-round? I would love to hear your ideas!
For optional extra entries, you can share this post {using the direct link} on Twitter, Facebook, and/or your blog!
For Twitter, just copy and paste this tweet: I want to turn the Olympics into a fun learning experience for my kids with @unitstudies & @homewiththeboys! http://bit.ly/Nbre0A
Just leave a separate comment for each way you share!
This giveaway will be open until Monday, July 9th at 9:00 p.m. CST! One winner will be chosen at random and notified by email!
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*This post contains affiliate links.
**I received this unit study to review. I was not compensated in any other way for this post and all opinions are 100% my own!
I'm Erin, a wife, boy mom x 3, writer, and runner in Nebraska! I'm excited to share all my favorites relating to faith, family, fashion, and fitness in this space! Enjoy! 
My son is preschool so we do learning all the time!
We usually take a break for about a month then pick up a lighter schedule till the ps kids go back then take a couple of weeks off before starting back full force!
We love the olympics, too!
This is our first homeschool summer so we’ve tried to pack in as many physical activities as possible. My son is 9 and plays football, basketball, baseball, karate and swimming but has little free play time. We are letting that happen but adding some easy reading to keep that going… Would love to win this giveaway! This is the first one I’ve ever actually tried to win!
Learning happens all the time and summer is no different. We will be officially starting homeschool this Fall. We are doing more unstructured learning this summer. Working on our reading and writing by sending post cards to family in other States. We are also doing the free crafts at Michaels and getting some geography in too! I LOVE the Olympics and can get a little crazy. This year is a huge experiment in what coverage they will have on the internet as we don’t have “regular TV”.
Shared on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/DalariBell/posts/244898042295756
Sent a Tweet!
https://twitter.com/Dalari/status/221119549846728704
We school year round but take a much more relaxed approach during the summer months. No set schedules, just a list of things that need to be done. I’m also not strict about it unless they want to play video games or computer games then MATH must be completed before they receive their game time.
Our family would enjoy doing this study together. The Olympics is something that we all enjoy! Thank you for this opportunity.
I just tweeted about this give away.https://twitter.com/smmrtym
We take a relaxes approach during the summer. But not a full blown break. I also have 3 little boys and a blog…and obviously, homeschool :):
http://www.thehesitanthousewife.com
well we had planned on not taking a break but hubby decided we needed one. So we have been enjoying my first summer as a stay at home mom. kbalman@gmail.com
Tweeted here https://twitter.com/kbalman/status/221323268106358787 kbalman@gmail.com
We just started homeschooling this year and plan on schooling year round 🙂
This study looks like such a great way to introduce the Olympics!
We home school year around but move a little slower in the summer. I am excited for the Olympics! We just did a basic Medal count and a flag study for the 2010 Olympics so going more in depth would be great!
We take a break from early June until the first week of August. We do some school off and on through the summer.
My son is in preschool so I don’t have a normal summer school routine yet. 🙂 I’m hoping to introduce him to phonics over the summer though…
Thank you for hosting this giveaway!
This is our first summer but we are taking a break until August! Thank you for this giveaway!!
Just tweeted!
https://twitter.com/Jacque_Watkins/status/221454617286946817
Shared on Facebook page Mercy Found Me:
https://www.facebook.com/JacquelineCurtisWatkins#!/MercyFoundMe/posts/358297834239879
Shared on my personal Facebook here:
https://www.facebook.com/JacquelineCurtisWatkins#!/JacquelineCurtisWatkins/posts/394386440608734
I would love to do the Olympic Study with my girls…. just shared on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/arlene.huff.3
We take a break, but still work through a Summer Bridge book to keep us fresh for the fall. We also have a pretty intensive summer program at church that keeps Mae reading her Bible and memorizing Scripture!
Tweeted here https://twitter.com/PattyRose31/status/222099544622628864
Shared on FB here http://www.facebook.com/patricia.ann.rose/posts/3116155037477
We would love to win this unit study!
We have been busy with summer activities. We are going to start easing into school but on a light basis.
We are relaxed over the summer but since it is so hot outside we do have school and take more time out during the fall and winter.